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Sedgwick shares major trends in Forecasting 2025 reportAn archbishop's knock formally restores Notre Dame to life as winds howl and heads of state look on
Chidimma’s Story Exposes Hypocrisy Of Racism Beyond Skin Colour By Esther Kalu
For the past four years, Texas has made itself an adversary of the White House on immigration. Under Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, the state has flexed its law enforcement power at the U.S.-Mexico border, added miles of razor wire barriers to deter crossings and bused more than 100,000 migrants to sanctuary cities in Democratic states, all in defiance of the Biden administration. But as President-elect Donald Trump heads back to the White House next month, touting a plan to carry out the largest deportation of immigrants in U.S. history , Texas is preparing to take on a new role in Washington: ally. Already the state has offered up a 1,402-acre ranch on the Rio Grande as a potential site for detention facilities, and it is ready to share its playbook for muscling through immigration policy changes, such as its executive order requiring hospitals to ask about a patient’s immigration status and a measure that would allow police officers to arrest migrants and empower state judges to order deportations. Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham last week announced an initiative to identify land within the 13 million acres owned by the agency that the Trump administration could use for deportation operations, including the recently acquired ranch along the Rio Grande. “We’re actively looking at the properties we have around the state and seeing if it works for the Trump administration,” Buckingham told NBC News. “We’ve identified several properties in the El Paso area that we think are also a good, natural fit,” as well as in some urban areas. Buckingham also said that Texas would look to help guide the incoming administration’s policies on border security. “We’ve come up with a lot of ingenious ways to take these criminals to task, and we are happy to help anybody who is looking for advice or policies that seem to be helpful,” she said. The Trump administration is listening. “You cannot have strong national security if you do not have border security,” Tom Homan, Trump's former acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director and incoming "border czar," said at an event with Abbott last week. “There is unprecedented success in Texas. This is the model we can take across the country.” Abbott, at the same event, said that his state was “going to be doing more and faster than anything that’s ever been done to, first of all, regain control of our border, restore order in our communities, and also identify, locate and deport criminals in the United States of America who have come across the border.” Texas’ rise as a prominent ally to the incoming Trump administration follows years of challenging and undermining President Joe Biden’s efforts on immigration. “Texas is a natural leader because of everything they’ve accomplished in the last four years with little public or political pushback,” said Andrea Flores, who was an immigration policy advisor to the Biden and Obama administrations, and is currently the vice president of immigration policy and campaigns at FWD.us, a social welfare organization. One of the most visible forms of opposition was the busing of more than 100,000 migrants from the border to sanctuary cities like New York, Chicago and Denver — a move that overwhelmed those Democratic communities, strained their resources and led to growing anti-immigrant sentiment around the country that seeped into the presidential campaign. The strategy led to “a governor sowing intentional chaos against other states with no one stepping in to try and stop it,” said Flores, who criticized the lack of federal intervention. “The cities’ crisis eclipsed the border crisis, and it led to tremendous backlash.” Other Texas efforts under Biden could serve as a model for what’s to come under Trump, some experts said. “To the extent that there’s coordination, or even cooperation, between the federal government and a state like Texas, it’s possible that the sky’s the limit,” said Rick Su, a law professor at the University of North Carolina. “This may be the missing piece in what I think, at least for the Trump administration, what they intend to do.” In 2021, Abbott declared a disaster at the border, opening the door to launch his Operation Lone Star to pay for the busing and provide $11 billion to deploy thousands of members in the Texas National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety to the southern border and create new barriers, including 100 miles of razor wire and buoys in the Rio Grande. Earlier this year, Abbott signed an executive order requiring hospitals to ask about a patient’s immigration status and track the amount of costs from treating undocumented immigrants. “It has been four years of advancing an agenda that we are very likely to see multiple states do the same under the Trump administration,” Flores said. “Texas has given us a preview of what was to come.” The state also passed a law that challenged federal immigration authority and is “arguably one of the most unprecedented sort of modern laws with regard to immigration,” Su said. The law, known as S.B. 4 , would allow police officers to arrest migrants and impose criminal penalties. It would also empower state judges to order the deportation of people to Mexico. The measure’s implementation has been on hold while it is challenged in court . But legal experts, including Su, are watching to see if Trump’s Department of Justice backs off from that and other legal challenges on Texas’ immigration policies that were undertaken by the Biden administration. “In some ways, that is just the beginning,” Su said.FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — When the MLS playoffs began late last month, everyone who follows Inter Miami assumed coach Tata Martino would be preparing his team for the conference semifinals this week. Instead, the runner up for MLS Coach of the Year was in the Chase Stadium interview room on Friday morning announcing his resignation two weeks after the team’s shocking first-round playoff exit. Martino said he wanted to diffuse rumors and stress that he is leaving strictly for personal reasons, that he must return to his hometown of Rosario, Argentina, and that his decision was made before the first playoff game in late-October. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. 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DoorDash will require its drivers to verify their identities more often as part of a larger effort to crack down on unauthorized account sharing. DoorDash has been under pressure to ensure its drivers are operating legally. Over the summer, for example, it pledged to do a better job identifying and removing dangerous drivers after a flood of complaints of dangerous driving from cities. Officials in Boston, New York and other cities have said that in many cases, people with multiple traffic violations continue to make deliveries using accounts registered to others. The San Francisco delivery company said Thursday it was requiring some drivers to complete real-time identity checks immediately after they complete a delivery. Previously, drivers were occasionally asked to re-verify their identities before or after a shift. DoorDash has introduced the new system in Los Angeles, Denver, Seattle and other cities, and said it planned a wider rollout next year. DoorDash said it also has developed an advanced machine learning system that can flag potential unauthorized account access, including login anomalies and suspicious activity. If the company detects a problem, it will require drivers to re-verify their identity before they can make more deliveries . U.S. drivers must verify their identities with a driver’s license or other government-issued identification, and upload a selfie that matches their identification photo before they can do work for DoorDash. They also must submit to background checks, which require a Social Security number. The company said it found that some drivers were getting around the requirements by sharing accounts with authorized users. In some cases, drivers who were not authorized to drive for DoorDash paid authorized users for access to their accounts. Some federal lawmakers have demanded that DoorDash and other delivery apps do a better job of keeping people who are in the U.S. illegally off the platforms. Republican U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Mike Braun of Indiana and Ted Budd of North Carolina sent letters to delivery companies in April asking them to crack down on account sharing. “These illegal immigrants are delivering food directly to consumers’ doors without ever having undergone a background check and often without even using their real names,” the letter said. It added that working illegally can also be dangerous for migrants, creating the potential for exploitation and abuse. The Associated Press left messages seeking comment Thursday with Gig Workers Rising and Justice for App Workers, which both represent delivery drivers. DoorDash won’t estimate how many drivers are using shared accounts, but said its safeguards are effective. Last year, it began asking drivers to re-verify their identities monthly by submitting a selfie. The company said it is now asking more than 150,000 drivers to complete selfie checks each week, and it’s removing them from the platform if they don’t comply.Did Mexico really ‘miss the nearshoring boom’? A perspective from our CEO
Quebec Conservative Party leader hospitalized with heart problemsays winning the Stanley Cup — as he did in guiding the — hasn’t changed him. There’s a feeling of accomplishment, he’s not sitting on his laurels. His will to win is the same. The desire to be better — especially as a coach — remains. “We’re all in this business to win, that’s the ultimate goal,” said Berube. “We’re in the business because we like doing it. Whether you’re a coach, player, whatever you are, it’s a lifestyle and it’s a job. And winning is obviously very important.” Berube is one of the very few coaches — just nine are active — who know what it’s like to win the Stanley Cup. “You’re in a club that nobody talks about, but it’s really exclusive,” said , who won the Cup in 2020 and 2021. “There’s a calmness that comes with that.” was the latest addition to the club. He found peace of mind finally putting it together in Florida after going Cup-less in his first 25 seasons behind benches in Hartford, Carolina, Toronto and Winnipeg. “What an incredible time,” says Maurice. “You get to keep that. You don’t walk around all day thinking about that stuff. But every once in a while you get this surprise or reminder and you get this 30-second warm bath that you slip into about how nice that was last year and how amazing that was.” Paul Maurice is finally a champion. 💪 Berube was pursued by the Leafs to replace Sheldon Keefe because of his Stanley Cup experience. He was an interim replacement coach when he took the Blues helm in late 2018, taking them from a bottom-feeder to the very top. “It was the honesty and accountability that he has. He holds everyone to a standard,” Nashville forward Ryan O’Reilly, then the captain of the Blues, said of Berube. “He’s not afraid to let you know when you’re not going (well). I think that’s just so important. “Every team is different. I know for that team, he’s what we needed. We needed that guidance and someone to tell us to play hard. And it all worked out well.” Kevin McGran writes about why the Leafs’ recent play is cause for concern before getting into this week’s power rankings. Kevin McGran writes about why the Leafs’ recent play is cause for concern before getting into this week’s power rankings. Berube wants this Leafs team to play more like that Blues team. Be physical. Attack the net to the point of playing dump-and-chase hockey. That’s off-brand for the likes of Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews and William Nylander. But they’re adapting. “He’s not taking the sticks out of his top players hands and saying, ‘don’t make plays,’” Blues captain Brayden Schenn said of Berube. “That’s not what he wants. He wants his team to have an identity. And that’s a north, direct mentality of getting pucks in deep, pucks to the net and let the skill take over after that. He knows he has skilled players. At the same time, he definitely wants an identity into his team.” Berube is part of that club of coaches with that winning gravitas. Maybe that’s why he has doubled down on his approach to what he believes works. If it worked then, it will probably work now. That’s not always the case, because in truth it’s rare for any coach to win the Stanley Cup with two different teams. Scotty Bowman is the last to do it, and he did it with three teams: Montreal (four times starting in 1976), Pittsburgh (1992) and Detroit (three times ending in 2002.) Before him, you have to go back a long way: Dick Irvin won with the Maple Leafs in 1932, then with the Canadiens in 1944, ‘46 and ‘53. Tommy Gorman did in back-to-back seasons with the Chicago Black Hawks in 1934 and the Montreal Maroons in 1935. A second Cup hasn’t followed John Tortorella since he won in 2004 with Tampa, or Peter Laviolette, who won in Carolina in 2006, or Dan Bylsma, who won in Pittsburgh in 2009. It’s not like they’ve lost their competitive edge just because they’ve already won it all one season, because they’re right back at it the next. “Every year you get a puzzle. You’ve got to try to solve it,” says Maurice. “You lose a couple of games in a row, and nothing has changed. You’re just in a bad mood all the time. You can’t wait for the next game to start. You’ve got to fix it.” The remaining active Cup-winning coaches are with the same team: Bruce Cassidy (2023 with Vegas) Jared Bednar (2022, Colorado) and Mike Sullivan (2016 and 2015 with Pittsburgh). Success leads to accolades and more challenges. Sullivan will coach Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-off in February, while Cooper will guide Team Canada. But hockey has a way of keeping them humble. “I hope it didn’t change me,” says Cooper. “I hope I’m the same guy who I was in game one of coaching this league and the same guy at game 900. But inside there’s such a sense of relief when you win the Stanley Cup. And I know that’s not a glamorous word, but it truly is. The Leafs are winning with elite goaltending and the NHL’s best two-way forward in Mitch Marner. And Auston Matthews hasn’t even gotten going yet. The Leafs are winning with elite goaltending and the NHL’s best two-way forward in Mitch Marner. And Auston Matthews hasn’t even gotten going yet. “Do I look at the world differently? No, but I’m less stressed, I’ll tell you that.” Berube doesn’t appear stressed either. He exudes confidence behind the Leafs bench. He’s getting more confident behind the microphone and in the spotlight that comes with coaching in Toronto. “I don’t think about it that much,” Berube said of his Stanley Cup victory. “When you do win, that’s a great feeling because winning is very difficult. You always remember that. “Does it change me? I don’t think it changes me that much. Does it make you a better coach? I don’t know. You’re always trying to get better as a coach. I think you’re always learning and talking to people about new things and different ways to approach players and how to handle certain situations.”
Simmons scores 29 as Gardner-Webb defeats East Carolina 84-79
President-elect Donald Trump settled a lawsuit this week with singer Eddy Grant, who alleged Trump and his campaign team violated copyright law when they used his hit song “Electric Avenue” in a video mocking President Joe Biden . The lawsuit , filed in the Southern District of New York in 2020, stemmed from a 55-second low-fidelity animated video posted on one of Trump’s social media accounts that same year, as Trump was campaigning against Biden. The video depicts a red train labeled “Trump Pence KAGA 2020” speeding along railroad tracks, followed by an animated Biden pushing himself along in a handcar, as “Electric Avenue plays.” According to the lawsuit’s complaint, the video was viewed more than 13.7 million times and garnered thousands of likes on the website known then as Twitter. Grant’s lawyers claimed that Trump and his campaign had financially and politically benefitted from the video, which used Grant’s music without permission. In a statement following a cease and desist letter, Grant said, “I call upon such arbiter, as is responsible for this sordid abuse, to come forward like a man and let’s sort this thing out, in the way that America demands when such issues are to be sorted, especially when they are wrong,” CNN reported in 2020. The 1983 hit, which made Grant one of the first Black artists to be played on MTV, is named after Electric Avenue in South London’s Brixton, and it was written after riots against over-policing of Black residents. The Trump campaign previously denied it had infringed on Grant’s copyright, produced the video, or benefitted from the video financially and politically, according to an answer document filed in 2021. The legal fight would continue until Trump, his campaign and Grant reached a settlement outside of court, according to an order filed on Wednesday. The terms of their settlement were not publicly disclosed. Grant’s lead attorney, Brian Caplan, declined to give HuffPost more details on the matter. Other news outlets have retreated behind paywalls. At HuffPost, we believe journalism should be free for everyone. Would you help us provide essential information to our readers during this critical time? We can't do it without you. Can't afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you. Whether you give once or many more times, we appreciate your contribution to keeping our journalism free for all. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again . We view our mission to provide free, fair news as critically important in this crucial moment, and we can't do it without you. Whether you give just one more time or sign up again to contribute regularly, we appreciate you playing a part in keeping our journalism free for all. Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages. “I am only at liberty to state that the matter was resolved to the mutual satisfaction of the parties,” Caplan said in an email. A attorney for Trump did not respond to HuffPost’s request for comment. Other musical artists have objected to Trump’s use of their music over the years. Jack White, Celine Dione, Beyoncé and others all demanded the now president-elect stop using their songs during the 2024 campaign. Related From Our Partner
Michael Chandler fought severely compromised after a Round 1 scramble with Charles Oliveira at UFC 309. Michael Chandler’s rematch loss to Charles Oliveira at UFC 309 featured gritty efforts from both lightweight stars. Chandler’s ability to go the distance with Oliveira is particularly remarkable after a recent admission. Chandler lost to Oliveira by unanimous decision in the UFC 309 co-main event last Saturday in New York City. Despite a fifth-round turn of the tide, Chandler wasn’t able to withstand Oliveira’s pace and pressure for the majority of their clash. Chandler was badly battered and bloodied in the Octagon after fighting for 25 minutes with Oliveira. His toughness can’t be questioned after UFC 309, especially in his stunning ability to put his promoter hat on in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. Injuries are common for professional athletes, particularly professional fighters, in the middle of competition. Chandler has suffered from a series of injuries during his illustrious career but has blossomed into a UFC fan favorite despite his ailments. Just minutes into the UFC 309 co-main event, Chandler suffered significant leg trauma which impacted his performance and hindered his strategy against the crafty Oliveira. READ MORE: Nate Diaz teases boxing return in chilling post just days after Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson Michael Chandler fought the majority of UFC 309 bout on one leg In a recent appearance on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast, Chandler detailed a major leg injury he suffered in Round 1 against Oliveira. “I think something happened to the knee in that first exchange when he had the leg and I did that full 360, he did a kneebar thing, I walked back to the stool and I looked down at my left leg and it was not working right,” Chandler said. “It wasn’t stepping, it wasn’t catching, it was unstable, it was weird... “Whenever I was pursuing him, my leg was almost flopping rather than stalking and moving forward. We’ll see what happened, but essentially for 23 minutes of that fight I don’t know if the leg was really working that well.” ( h/t MMANews ) The extent of Chandler’s leg injury is uncertain, as of this writing, but he envisions a return to the Octagon in mid-2025. He still wants the Conor McGregor fight after years of waiting for them to conclude their The Ultimate Fighter 30 coaching rivalry. Despite a 2-4 run in the Octagon , Chandler remains a key piece on the UFC’s roster, per Dana White . His ability to fight through severe injury at UFC 309 will likely make him an even bigger star than before. READ MORE: Joe Rogan recalls worrying moment a group of street thugs threatened to rob him... ‘I don’t have any money’ Michael Chandler remastered Conor McGregor callout after UFC 309 Chandler called out McGregor just minutes after falling short against Oliveira at UFC 309. He and McGregor were supposed to headline UFC 303 before the Irish superstar withdrew due to a toe injury. White says McGregor’s planned UFC comeback is targeted for late 2025, although it’s still uncertain if it’ll come to fruition. McGregor hasn’t appeared in the Octagon since a loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. Despite his slide in the lightweight rankings, Chandler could potentially face another big name in the meantime if he doesn’t want to wait again for McGregor. A win over Oliveira would’ve likely secured Chandler another lightweight title shot against the Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan winner. It’s uncertain how long Chandler will need to recover from his leg injury, but he sounds on track to return to the cage next year. READ MORE: Chael Sonnen makes stunning prediction about Dana White’s political future
The big-bag investors who led the successful raise of $167.6 million in presales for BlockDag are now shifting their attention to the next big wave expected to yield massive returns. Their eyes are on 1Fuel and Quebetics, with some favoritism evident. 1Fuel has been a major choice for BDAG investors because it offers more utility and innovative technology. It has raised over $650,000 in record time with little to no hype, making it a priority. Experts rank it among the top cryptocurrencies to invest in, even above BlockDAG and Quebetics. Read on to see why. 13 Phases, $7 Million Raised: Quebetics Investors are still bullish So far, analysis shows that a combination of retail investors and whales (also known as large investors) have placed heavy bets on TICS, the native token for Quebetics. The total number of these different cohorts of traders equates to 10,644 holders. They have raised approximately $7.1 million, bringing the price of TICS to $0.0342374 over 13 different phases, with a total of 355,791,910 TICS. BlockDAG investors are particularly optimistic about the potential yield from TICS when it finally goes live dedicating a segment of their portfolio to acquiring more of it. The choice behind Quebetics as an investment was primarily driven by the fact that it’s a layer-1 blockchain aggregator. It simplifies the process of acquiring tokens, keeps them cheap and secure, and provides full custody to traders. TICS's backbone will be driven by daily transactions. However, despite their interest, investors acknowledge the hassle traders might face transitioning from their regular platforms to crypto aggregators. This contrasts with cryptocurrency wallets like 1Fuel , which offer seamless interaction and integration. 1Fuel trumps the market as BDAG investors back it with reasons and funds BlockDAG investors are primarily focused on 1Fuel, anticipating it to become a highly valuable token that is currently overlooked by the market. 1Fuel is native to the best cryptocurrency wallet, offering notable features that address user pain points and provide more use cases than several popular wallets. For instance, it solves the issue of limited multichain transactions. Previously, traders needed specific tokens to interact or trade across different native blockchains. With 1Fuel, investors can make transactions to and from various destination blockchains seamlessly. This multichain feature also enables one-click transactions, which are absent in many cryptocurrency wallets. The best part is that transaction fees are extremely minimal. Rather than paying multiple fees to reach a destination blockchain, users pay just a very small fee. All these factors, and more exemplify why savvy investors, trading experts, and market analysts alike consider 1Fuel, at its current presale price of $0.012, a significant bargain in the market. This explains why they are rapidly increasing their holdings, competing to close the current phase within two weeks. If this buying activity and timeline align, 1Fuel will become more expensive to purchase. New entrants into the presale will miss out on the guaranteed 500% rally already in motion. So why miss what analysts call a golden bull market opportunity when you could be part of what is anticipated to be a historic price jump? Conclusion As an investor looking for the best cryptocurrency wallet and asset to invest in this season, there are two prime choices to consider. The first is TICS, and the second—and main attraction for large investors already trading BlockDag—is undoubtedly 1Fuel. Join smart BDAG investors who buy the 1Fuel presale to be on the winning side. Presale: https://www.1fuel.io/ Telegram: https://t.me/Portal_1Fuel X: https://x.com/1fuel_?s=21 Join our WhatsApp Channel to get the latest news, exclusives and videos on WhatsApp _____________ Disclaimer: Analytics Insight does not provide financial advice or guidance. Also note that the cryptocurrencies mentioned/listed on the website could potentially be scams, i.e. designed to induce you to invest financial resources that may be lost forever and not be recoverable once investments are made. You are responsible for conducting your own research (DYOR) before making any investments. Read more here.Article content Officers with Police said investigators “'Sulky' Donald Trump's frosty meeting with Zelensky as Macron tries to keep peace
Boston Beer ( NYSE:SAM – Get Free Report ) updated its FY24 earnings guidance on Friday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of $8.00-$10.00 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of $9.73. Analyst Ratings Changes Several brokerages have recently commented on SAM. Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Boston Beer from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $355.00 to $325.00 in a report on Friday, October 25th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Boston Beer from $281.00 to $277.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Boston Beer from $300.00 to $309.00 in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Roth Mkm reissued a “buy” rating and set a $389.00 target price on shares of Boston Beer in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Needham & Company LLC began coverage on Boston Beer in a report on Friday, December 6th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $314.82. Get Our Latest Stock Report on Boston Beer Boston Beer Stock Down 0.4 % Boston Beer Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) The Boston Beer Company, Inc produces and sells alcohol beverages primarily in the United States. The company's flagship beer is Samuel Adams Boston Lager. It offers various beers, hard ciders, flavored malt beverages, and hard seltzers under the Samuel Adams, Twisted Tea, Truly, Angry Orchard, Dogfish Head, Angel City, and Coney Island brand names. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Boston Beer Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Boston Beer and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Nat and Drew. Jess and Shawn. Daryn and Deepa. Erin and Peter. Googling morning radio show hosts online brings up a large variety of names, stations and sparkling personalities, but with one commonality that becomes glaringly apparent the longer one looks: Almost always, a male host is part of the program. Not so with Virgin Radio Vancouver's (94.5) Holly Conway and Nira Arora, who are among the only — if not the only — female-led morning show across Canada and potentially, far further than just our country's borders. In an age where there's an endless variety of what people choose to listen too, including satellite radio and podcasts, many still gravitate to shows like Holly and Nira for their local, quality content, and also, how they stand out from the rest. "I think technically, we are the first female-led Canadian women duo for a Top 40 radio station in Canada," Arora, who lives in South Surrey with her husband and three children, said Wednesday (Dec. 11), shortly after wrapping their 5:30 to 9:30 a.m. weekday show. She and Conway agreed the milestone also means a lot of pressure. "I think it's super cool! it's very cool ... it's very uncharted territory and it's also, a very male-dominated industry, so it feels pretty awesome! But (there's) a lot of pressure," said Conway, who lives in North Vancouver with her husband and two children. The duo keeps their listeners entertained and informed for several hours a day, five days a week, with constant contests to enter, vacation and cash giveaways, as well traffic, news, pop culture tidbits and Arora's Biz each morning. Sometimes, if the pair disagree on a topic, they'll send it to their listeners with a Five Calls Says It All segment, and listeners decide who's right, among other program features. "I think there used to be typical roles in radio for women, like the morning show guy and the sidekick," Conway noted. "Two dudes in the morning and the woman! — a lot of stereotypical roles — she does traffic, she does weather, she's the 'ha ha girl,' and I think for us, it's been really cool to do something that has never been done ... to be two women that actually big up each other and support each other and have built this crazy trust — it is such a trusting environment because there is no button. Everyone always asks, 'Is there a button that you hit? If it's not going well? Is there a delay? There's no delay — it's live." The duo became a female-led show in early 2021, when their former morning show colleague, Jonny Staub, switched careers and became a firefighter. "At the end of the day, we thought about adding someone else ... we didn't want to force it," Arora recalled. She and Conway are about much more than fun and frivolity in the mornings, however, as longtime listeners (this author included) can confirm. They focus on serious issues such as mental health, hosting therapists on their show for things like Therapy Thursdays as well as Bell Media's Let's Talk initiative, an annual event that encourages people to join the conversation on mental health. Arora and Conway also stand out by keeping it real. They share extremely personal information about their own lives on a daily basis, bringing a warmth and authenticity to the program, drawing their own experiences into their early-morning, on-air discussions. "We constantly mine our lives for information for stories, for bits we can turn into great content on the air. ... I think we bring really original content that no one else does, but you also have to be so open to talking about things," Conway said. "People say to us, 'We feel like we know you!' and I'm like, 'Well you do! I don't know you, but you definitely know us. We're very open — you have to be very open and honest, and that can be a challenge sometimes." Sharing such personal information about their lives can be tough at times, she shared. "My youngest son is on the spectrum, and that's been a new challenge for me. It's been difficult for me to talk about, but I do feel like we have an amazing platform to use for good." Arora agreed, and added having a passion for what they do — especially when it means waking up at 3:30 a.m., five days a week — also helps keep the show real and fresh. "I think the freshness also comes with me still having a passion for what I do, so that is what lights the fire inside for me ... is loving what I do and having a passion for it, and that's what keeps things fresh and not going stale." Working as closely as they have, as long as they have (since 2012), the pair have become friends in real life, they shared, with some listeners even thinking they live together (they don't). They both made a choice — of their own volition — during the COVID-19 pandemic that they have stuck to, to this day. "We've decided — every single day we take one of our breaks — every time we go on the air, it's called one of our breaks ... Every single day we take one break and we've decided to dedicate it towards social justice, some form of social justice, whether it's diversity, multiculturalism — any type of fundraising or campaigns to support those who need a voice, who don't really have a voice in the community," Arora said. "I think we're the only show — maybe ... I don't know anywhere that has made that type of commitment." As busy morning show hosts as well as mothers and wives with young children and jam-packed family life schedules, the duo admit the constant sleep deprivation, as their hours are akin to shift work, can take a toll. But they try to balance as much as they're able, often working in the local community throughout the Lower Mainland. "We love connecting with the community — we try to be out there as much as we can, because it means a lot to us," Arora said. Each pair hopes listeners take away something different from each show. "I hope they’re entertained — that we add to their day, and that they sort of feel like they’re hanging with friends in the morning," Conway said. "It’s crazy right now for everybody, and it’s a very stressful time to be doing anything, so hopefully we take away from the stress." Arora — "Learn! She wants to say learn!" Conway interjected with a grin — said she hopes listeners feel. "I hope that they — I would love to say learn — but what I really want is that every listener feels something, whether they’re happy or they get sad, whether they get angry ... I hope every person feels a feeling."
The Philadelphia Eagles clinched the NFC East division title on Sunday, handing the Dallas Cowboys a humiliating 41-7 defeat while the Buffalo Bills secured the second seed in the AFC with a 40-14 crushing of the New York Jets. The Cowboys were already eliminated from playoff contention and without top receiver CeeDee Lamb with a shoulder injury, but it was their defense that struggled. Eagles starting quarter-back Jalen Hurts missed the game due to concussion. Kenny Pickett got the start but had to leave the game in the third quarter with a rib injury with Philadelphia 24-7 up. That meant third-choice Tanner McKee took over under the center and two of his four passes were for touchdowns. The real damage to the Cowboys, who gave up four turnovers, was done by the Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley who put up 167 yards on 31 carries to pass the 2,000 yard mark for the season. Barkley, who has 2,005 yards needs to put up 101 yards next week to break Eric Dickerson's record for the most rushing yards in a season, set for the Los Angeles Rams in 1984. The win means the Eagles are guaranteed at least the number two seed in the NFC. The Bills take the second seed in the AFC, behind the Kansas City Chiefs, after taking care of business against the New York Jets. The Bills led 12-0 at the half before their quarterback Josh Allen took total control of the game with touchdown passes to Amari Cooper and Keon Coleman either side of a rushing score from James Cook. Allen, who threw for 182 yards, had opened the scoring with a one-yard rush. Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw two interceptions and was sacked four times. The Indianapolis Colts were eliminated from playoff contention after falling 45-33 to the 3-13 New York Giants. While the Giants had nothing to play for, quarterback Drew Lock enjoyed himself -- he matched his career high of four touchdown passes and rushed for another score as the Giants ended their 10-game losing streak. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers kept their post-season hopes alive as Baker Mayfield threw for 359 yards and five touchdowns in a 48-14 rout of the Carolina Panthers. Later on Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings, searching for the top seed in the NFC, take on NFC North divisional rivals the Green Bay Packers. The Washington Commanders would book a playoff berth if they can beat the Atlanta Falcons in Sunday night's game. sev/bbA few months ago, I logged into my online Securus account to send an electronic message to a friend in a Washington State prison. To my shock, I found the word “blocked” on my account and I was not able to send any messages. The block came just a few weeks after I had published an article with Truthout on censorship inside of prisons and had sent the finished article to some of my sources over the e-messaging system. It’s hard to know for sure, but the block is either the result of my journalism, or it is a result of facilitating a book club that connects people inside with those on the outside. Since my Truthout article was about how difficult prisons make it to access information, especially for LGBTQ+ people, the block seems ironic, to say the least. People in prison do not have direct access to the internet or to any standard email services, nor can they generally receive phone calls. Instead, any communication other than paper mail ( which is increasingly rare ) takes place over services managed by for-profit companies like Aventiv, ViaPath and IC Solutions . If one of these services chooses to implement a block on an account, as in my case, an outside user cannot send e-messages, put money on a loved one’s books or pay for phone calls — for anyone who lives in a prison, anywhere in the United States, that uses the service that has implemented the block. The only remedy for this is apparently to appeal to the state Department of Corrections (DOC), but unsurprisingly, there is no obvious method for such an appeal available to an outside family member or friend. Figuring out how to appeal required several calls and emails, and in the end, did not yield any change to my situation. This block is inhibiting my ability to do my work, and more than that, it’s isolating my friends in prison from contact with the outside world. Censorship in prisons has expanded with the monopolization of prison communications in the hands of only a few private companies. For instance, the services I use the most — JPay and Securus — are under the parent company of the behemoth Aventiv. I have not yet found any information on how blocks like this are processed and how frequent they are, but it seems the Washington State Department of Corrections did not actually mean to block me from communicating with people in other states. That is just a side effect of monopolization. When Aventiv implements a block, it is companywide, meaning that I’m unable to message anyone who uses JPay or Securus, or where the phone service is provided by either Aventiv company, even though Washington State does not even use JPay. Half of all states that have e-messages in their prisons (22) use JPay as their e-message provider. Meanwhile, 42 percent of phone calls are managed by Securus, meaning that my block is a significant barrier to communicating with a large segment of the total prison population. According to the Securus helpline, blocks like this are not uncommon. My ban was upheld on appeal (an email) because I was sharing messages that included more than one person in the prison. Not only is barring people in prison from communicating with one another enforced in more draconian ways than in the past, but prisons are increasingly banning people on the outside from being in contact with more than one person in prison. Given the reality that almost 2 million people are imprisoned in the U.S. each year and the disproportionate impact of the criminal legal system on particular communities, it is arbitrary for prisons and communication companies to act as though no one will have two family members or two close friends in prison at the same time. It is also unfair and punitive to further limit the outside support available to those inside. My rule-breaking activities were related to the Abolitionist Book Club , a reading group that brings together people inside and outside prisons. I co-founded the group in 2023 with a close friend of mine, Vincent “Tank” Sherrill, who lives in a Washington State prison, and another outside organizer, Matthew Charlebois. Our original goal was to create a space for political education about abolition for our comrades outside and inside prison through reading Mariame Kaba and Andrea Ritchie’s book No More Police together. We have since finished the book and become a tight-knit community who meets together virtually once a month to grow our abolitionist imaginations through our relationships with each other. Organizing a group like this is not easy. Our meetings are held over Zoom, with each person in prison joining the video call via a buddy system with the outside members. We were pleasantly surprised that everyone in the prison received the copies of the book despite its title, but as soon as we held our first online meeting, book club members at the Washington Corrections Center for Women received a warning from the facility’s investigator telling them that they were not allowed to participate in this “illegal book club.” One member came to a second meeting — mainly to talk about how to proceed — and was punished with a major infraction (reduced to a minor infraction upon her appeal). This member submitted a formal proposal to the prison to make the group official, since our work fits the prison’s definition of “pro-social behavior” that it supposedly encourages, but she never received a response to the proposal and was not able to join any more of our discussions. After this intimidation, members from the women’s prison were too afraid to join our meetings, but punishment of some members of the book club did not stop us. The Abolitionist Book Club continues, building solidarity and shared analysis between comrades inside and outside prison. This experience has affirmed the value of doing collective work, rather than individual or even centralized work. I was the main outside instigator of the Abolitionist Book Club, and most of the first contacts were mine. I’m proud, though, that as we have grown, everyone in the group has taken ownership and I’m no longer any more central than anyone else. This meant that when I was cut off, other people in the group were ready to step in. Being formally cut off from my friends and comrades inside has been yet another lesson about creating dense webs of relationships rather than jealously guarding our relationships or contacts; it’s much harder for the DOC to destroy that whole web than to sever one particular line of communication. I would love to say that if we organize in this way, the DOC can’t touch us, but unfortunately that’s not true. Since the block, it has been much harder to be in touch with some of my close friends in prison, and I have dearly missed talking regularly with these folks. Nonetheless, I’m thankful for not being totally cut off since I am still able to communicate with the help of others in the book club. The block has a direct impact on my journalism as well as my personal relationships. It would be bad enough if I had only been blocked from communication inside Washington State, where I’m working with people on various projects, but I also can’t send messages to people I know in Michigan or in Missouri. Even worse, I can’t reach out to speak to people in any state or facility that uses an Aventiv service to report on their experiences, unless I reach out to them via another friend of theirs. That, however, would be third party contact , which is the same rule I’m accused of violating. I am stuck either continuing to violate that rule or ceasing to do journalism about the experiences of people in prison. Like so many people before me, most especially those in prison themselves, I have been censored by the prison for writing about censorship in the prison. I am outraged that this has happened; that the prison has extended its reach to censor those of us outside prison in this way is dangerous and disturbing. But the real travesty here is the regular , ongoing censorship that people in prison are subjected to daily, like the women in our book club who were cut off from one of the few sources of outside support and communication available to them. Worse yet, people in prison don’t necessarily have a way of knowing why I’m not responding to them — and Aventiv takes their money to send messages that are not delivered. I keep receiving emails from JPay telling me that someone has sent me a message, but I’m unable to read these messages. One person has been released from prison altogether after sending me a message I couldn’t read, and we’ve completely lost touch. The monopolization of communication technologies combined with the system’s bans on “double contact” significantly expands the existing regime that destroys relationships between people in prison and their communities on the outside. Ultimately, the result of blocking communication is to keep people in prison away from those who want to offer support, and away from people like me who might be able to tell their story to the broader world.Serving as 39th US president from 1977 to 1981, Jimmy Carter sought to make government ‘competent and compassionate’. Jimmy Carter, the United States’ longest-lived president, was never afraid of speaking his mind. Forthright and fearless, the Nobel Prize winner took pot-shots at former prime minister Tony Blair and ex-US president George W Bush among others. His death came after repeated bouts of illness in which images of the increasingly frail former president failed to erase memories of his fierce spirit. Democrat James Earl “Jimmy” Carter Jr swept to power in 1977 with his Trust Me campaign helping to beat Republican president Gerald Ford. Serving as 39th US president from 1977 to 1981, he sought to make government “competent and compassionate” but was ousted by the unstoppable Hollywood appeal of a certain Ronald Reagan. A skilled sportsman, Mr Carter left his home of Plains, Georgia, to join the US Navy, returning later to run his family’s peanut business. A stint in the Georgia senate lit the touchpaper on his political career and he rose to the top of the Democratic movement. But he will also be remembered for a bizarre encounter with a deeply disgruntled opponent. The president was enjoying a relaxing fishing trip near his home town in 1979 when his craft was attacked by a furious swamp rabbit which reportedly swam up to the boat hissing wildly. The press had a field day, with one paper bearing the headline President Attacked By Rabbit. Away from encounters with belligerent bunnies, Mr Carter’s willingness to address politically uncomfortable topics did not diminish with age. He recently said that he would be willing to travel to North Korea for peace talks on behalf of US President Donald Trump. He also famously mounted a ferocious and personal attack on Tony Blair over the Iraq war, weeks before the prime minister left office in June 2007. Mr Carter, who had already denounced George W Bush’s presidency as “the worst in history”, used an interview on BBC radio to condemn Mr Blair for his tight relations with Mr Bush, particularly concerning the Iraq War. Asked how he would characterise Mr Blair’s relationship with Mr Bush, Mr Carter replied: “Abominable. Loyal, blind, apparently subservient. “I think that the almost undeviating support by Great Britain for the ill-advised policies of President Bush in Iraq have been a major tragedy for the world.” Mr Carter was also voluble over the Rhodesia crisis, which was about to end during his presidency. His support for Robert Mugabe at the time generated widespread criticism. He was said to have ignored the warnings of many prominent Zimbabweans, black and white, about what sort of leader Mugabe would be. This was seen by Mr Carter’s critics as “deserving a prominent place among the outrages of the Carter years”. Mr Carter has since said he and his administration had spent more effort and worry on Rhodesia than on the Middle East. He admitted he had supported two revolutionaries in Mugabe and Joshua Nkomo, and with hindsight said later that Mugabe had been “a good leader gone bad”, having at first been “a very enlightened president”. One US commentator wrote: “History will not look kindly on those in the West who insisted on bringing the avowed Marxist Mugabe into the government. “In particular, the Jimmy Carter foreign policy... bears some responsibility for the fate of a small African country with scant connection to American national interests.” In recent years Mr Carter developed a reputation as an international peace negotiator. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for his commitment to finding peaceful solutions to international conflicts, his work with human rights and democracy initiatives, and his promotion of economic and social programmes. Mr Carter was dispatched to North Korea in August 2008 to secure the release of US citizen Aijalon Mahli Gomes, who had been sentenced to eight years of hard labour after being found guilty of illegally entering North Korea. He successfully secured the release of Mr Gomes. In 2010 he returned to the White House to greet President Barack Obama and discuss international affairs amid rising tensions on the Korean peninsula. Proving politics runs in the family, in 2013 his grandson Jason, a state senator, announced his bid to become governor in Georgia, where his famous grandfather governed before becoming president. He eventually lost to incumbent Republican Nathan Deal. Fears that Mr Carter’s health was deteriorating were sparked in 2015 when he cut short an election observation visit in Guyana because he was “not feeling well”. It would have been Mr Carter’s 39th trip to personally observe an international election. Three months later, on August 12, he revealed he had cancer which had been diagnosed after he underwent surgery to remove a small mass in his liver. Mr Obama was among the well-wishers hoping for Mr Carter’s full recovery after it was confirmed the cancer had spread widely. Melanoma had been found in his brain and liver, and Mr Carter underwent immunotherapy and radiation therapy, before announcing in March the following year that he no longer needed any treatment. In 2017, Mr Carter was taken to hospital as a precaution, after he became dehydrated at a home-building project in Canada. He was admitted to hospital on multiple occasions in 2019 having had a series of falls, suffering a brain bleed and a broken pelvis, as well as a stint to be treated for a urinary tract infection. Mr Carter spent much of the coronavirus pandemic largely at his home in Georgia, and did not attend Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration in 2021, but extended his “best wishes”. Former first lady Rosalynn Carter, the closest adviser to Mr Carter during his term as US president, died in November 2023. She had been living with dementia and suffering many months of declining health. “Rosalynn was my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished,” Mr Carter said in a statement following her death. “She gave me wise guidance and encouragement when I needed it. As long as Rosalynn was in the world, I always knew somebody loved and supported me.”
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