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NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers urged a judge again Friday to throw out his hush money conviction, balking at the prosecution’s suggestion of preserving the verdict by treating the case the way some courts do when a defendant dies. They called the idea “absurd.” The Manhattan district attorney's office is asking Judge Juan M. Merchan to “pretend as if one of the assassination attempts against President Trump had been successful,” Trump’s lawyers wrote in a blistering 23-page response. In court papers made public Tuesday, District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office proposed an array of options for keeping the historic conviction on the books after Trump’s lawyers filed paperwork earlier this month asking for the case to be dismissed. They include freezing the case until Trump leaves office in 2029, agreeing that any future sentence won't include jail time, or closing the case by noting he was convicted but that he wasn't sentenced and his appeal wasn’t resolved because of presidential immunity. Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove reiterated Friday their position that the only acceptable option is overturning his conviction and dismissing his indictment, writing that anything less will interfere with the transition process and his ability to lead the country. The Manhattan district attorney’s office declined comment. It’s unclear how soon Merchan will decide. He could grant Trump’s request for dismissal, go with one of the prosecution’s suggestions, wait until a federal appeals court rules on Trump’s parallel effort to get the case moved out of state court, or choose some other option. In their response Friday, Blanche and Bove ripped each of the prosecution’s suggestions. Halting the case until Trump leaves office would force the incoming president to govern while facing the “ongoing threat” that he’ll be sentenced to imprisonment, fines or other punishment as soon as his term ends, Blanche and Bove wrote. Trump, a Republican, takes office Jan. 20. “To be clear, President Trump will never deviate from the public interest in response to these thuggish tactics,” the defense lawyers wrote. “However, the threat itself is unconstitutional.” The prosecution’s suggestion that Merchan could mitigate those concerns by promising not to sentence Trump to jail time on presidential immunity grounds is also a non-starter, Blanche and Bove wrote. The immunity statute requires dropping the case, not merely limiting sentencing options, they argued. Blanche and Bove, both of whom Trump has tabbed for high-ranking Justice Department positions, expressed outrage at the prosecution’s novel suggestion that Merchan borrow from Alabama and other states and treat the case as if Trump had died. Blanche and Bove accused prosecutors of ignoring New York precedent and attempting to “fabricate” a solution “based on an extremely troubling and irresponsible analogy between President Trump" who survived assassination attempts in Pennsylvania in July and Florida in September “and a hypothetical dead defendant.” Such an option normally comes into play when a defendant dies after being convicted but before appeals are exhausted. It is unclear whether it is viable under New York law, but prosecutors suggested that Merchan could innovate in what’s already a unique case. “This remedy would prevent defendant from being burdened during his presidency by an ongoing criminal proceeding,” prosecutors wrote in their filing this week. But at the same time, it wouldn’t “precipitously discard” the “meaningful fact that defendant was indicted and found guilty by a jury of his peers.” Prosecutors acknowledged that “presidential immunity requires accommodation” during Trump’s impending return to the White House but argued that his election to a second term should not upend the jury’s verdict, which came when he was out of office. Longstanding Justice Department policy says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution . Other world leaders don’t enjoy the same protection. For example, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on trial on corruption charges even as he leads that nation’s wars in Lebanon and Gaza . Trump has been fighting for months to reverse his May 30 conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records . Prosecutors said he fudged the documents to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to suppress her claim that they had sex a decade earlier, which Trump denies. In their filing Friday, Trump’s lawyers citing a social media post in which Sen. John Fetterman used profane language to criticize Trump’s hush money prosecution. The Pennsylvania Democrat suggested that Trump deserved a pardon, comparing his case to that of President Joe Biden’s pardoned son Hunter Biden, who had been convicted of tax and gun charges . “Weaponizing the judiciary for blatant, partisan gain diminishes the collective faith in our institutions and sows further division,” Fetterman wrote Wednesday on Truth Social. Trump’s hush money conviction was in state court, meaning a presidential pardon — issued by Biden or himself when he takes office — would not apply to the case. Presidential pardons only apply to federal crimes. Since the election, special counsel Jack Smith has ended his two federal cases , which pertained to Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss and allegations that he hoarded classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. A separate state election interference case in Fulton County, Georgia, is largely on hold. Trump denies wrongdoing in all. Trump had been scheduled for sentencing in the hush money case in late November. But following Trump’s Nov. 5 election victory, Merchan halted proceedings and indefinitely postponed the former and future president’s sentencing so the defense and prosecution could weigh in on the future of the case. Merchan also delayed a decision on Trump’s prior bid to dismiss the case on immunity grounds. A dismissal would erase Trump’s conviction, sparing him the cloud of a criminal record and possible prison sentence. Trump is the first former president to be convicted of a crime and the first convicted criminal to be elected to the office. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Get local news delivered to your inbox!Kings head to San Jose looking to build off strong defensive homestand

The AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Nate Santos had 24 points in Dayton’s 86-62 victory against Lehigh on Saturday. Santos shot 8 for 11 (6 for 6 from 3-point range) and 2 of 3 from the free-throw line for the Flyers (8-2). Malachi Smith added 17 points while shooting 5 for 8 (3 for 4 from 3-point range) and 4 of 7 from the free-throw line while they also had nine assists. Enoch Cheeks shot 5 for 7, including 4 for 6 from beyond the arc to finish with 14 points. Keith Higgins Jr. led the Mountain Hawks (3-6) in scoring, finishing with 24 points and nine rebounds. Joshua Ingram added nine points for Lehigh. Nasir Whitlock finished with nine points. Dayton took the lead with 18:32 remaining in the first half and did not relinquish it. The score was 41-25 at halftime, with Smith racking up 10 points. Santos scored 15 points in the second half to help lead the way as Dayton went on to secure a victory, outscoring Lehigh by eight points in the second half. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

Google-backed spacetech startup Pixxel has raised an additional $24 million in its Series B funding round, bringing its total funding to $95 million to date. This latest infusion, led by new investors M&G Catalyst and Glade Brook Capital Partners, will be directed toward expediting the deployment of Pixxel’s constellation of hyperspectral imagery satellites, according to Awais Ahmed, the company’s Founder and CEO. “The major focus of the additional $24 million will be to accelerate plans of the deployment of our constellation of hyperspectral imagery satellites. Over the last three years, we have built and launched three satellites that have beamed down data we sold to customers, demonstrating the impact satellite imagery can have on Earth. Also Read: DPIIT partners with Flipkart to invest $100 mn in Indian startups With this funding, we will launch six commercial Firefly satellites, providing global coverage with daily revisits. This means we can monitor any location on the globe every 24 hours," Ahmed stated in an interview with CNBC-TV18. Ahmed added that this milestone will set the stage for further expansion, with plans to launch 12 additional satellites in 2026. The deployment of these satellites will enable Pixxel to provide unprecedented global monitoring capabilities, leveraging hyperspectral imaging technology for applications ranging from agriculture to environmental conservation and beyond. Pixxel’s hyperspectral satellites capture data across a broader spectrum than traditional satellites, allowing for detailed insights into Earth’s resources. This capability has already attracted over 50 customers, including the Indian Ministry of Agriculture, NASA, and companies in industries such as oil and gas, agriculture, and mining. “In terms of demand, we’re seeing quite a bit of interest since deploying our initial satellites,” Ahmed shared. “For instance, we help agricultural companies identify crops, analyse soil nutrients, and estimate yields to aid import and export planning. In the oil and gas sector, we monitor for leaks in pipelines, and in mining, we assess environmental impacts, such as deforestation. Our satellites also help track global phenomena like melting polar ice caps, rising sea levels, hurricanes, and forest fires.” Also Read: 2024 a record-breaking year for Indian startups with 12 IPOs and billions raised The new funding round builds on Pixxel’s momentum from its first tranche of Series B funding in June last year, which raised $36 million. With a total of six Firefly satellites slated for launch in 2025 as part of the first phase of its constellation, Pixxel aims to achieve significant revenue growth and become EBITDA-positive by the end of next year. "Our goal is to be EBITDA-positive by 2025 and, hopefully, cash flow-positive by mid-2026," Ahmed explained. “Once these six satellites are operational, we expect to see a significant increase in revenues.” Watch the accompanying video for the entire conversation.FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — New York Jets running back Breece Hall could play Sunday at Jacksonville after missing a game with a knee injury. Hall has been dealing with a hyperextension and injured MCL in his left knee that sidelined him last Sunday at Miami. But he was a full participant at practice Friday after sitting out Wednesday and Thursday. Hall was officially listed as questionable on the team's final injury report. “He looks good right now,” interim coach Jeff Ulbrich said. “So it’s promising.” Hall leads the Jets with 692 yards rushing and four touchdown runs, and he also has 401 yards receiving and two scores on 46 catches. A pair of rookies helped New York offset Hall's absence last weekend, with Braelon Allen rushing for 43 yards on 11 carries, and Isaiah Davis getting 40 yards on 10 attempts and scoring his first rushing touchdown. “We’re hopeful and we’ll see how it goes,” Ulbrich said of Hall. The Jets will get star cornerback Sauce Gardner back after he missed a game with a hamstring injury, but New York's secondary appears likely to be without cornerback D.J. Reed because of a groin injury. Reed was listed as doubtful after he didn't practice Thursday or Friday. “It’s been something that’s kind of lingered here and there,” Ulbrich said. “It’s gotten aggravated and then it went away, and then it got aggravated again. So, it’s just dealing with that.” Backup Brandin Echols is out with a shoulder injury, so veteran Isaiah Oliver or rookie Qwan'tez Stiggers could get the start opposite Gardner if Reed can't play. Kendall Sheffield also could be elevated from the practice squad for the second game in a row. Ulbrich said kick returner Kene Nwangwu will be placed on injured reserve after breaking a hand last weekend at Miami. The injury came a week after he was selected the AFC special teams player of the week in his Jets debut, during which he returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown and forced a fumble in a loss to Seattle. “To put him out there with a broken hand, just thought it’d be counterproductive for him and for us as a team, so it unfortunately cuts the season short and what a bright light he was,” Ulbrich said. “What an amazing future I think he has in this league. With saying that, he’s already been a really good player for quite a while, so (it's) unfortunate, but he’ll be back.” Offensive lineman Xavier Newman (groin) is doubtful, while right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker (ankle) and RT Morgan Moses (wrist) are questionable. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFLLebanon said Israeli strikes Thursday on the country's east and south killed 52 people, as raids also hit south Beirut and Hezbollah claimed its deepest attack on Israel in over a year. More than 11 months of cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah over the Gaza conflict escalated into all-out war in September, with Israel conducting an extensive bombing campaign, primarily targeting Hezbollah strongholds, and sending ground troops into southern Lebanon. "Israeli enemy strikes that targeted the Baalbek district" in east Lebanon's Bekaa Valley left "40 dead and 52 wounded", a health ministry statement said, listing tolls for 10 different locations. Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) said a couple and their four children were killed in a strike on a house in the village of Maqneh, while another couple and their young daughter were among 11 people killed in a raid on nearby Nabha. The ministry also reported "seven dead and 24 wounded" in "Israeli enemy strikes" on south Lebanon's Nabatiyeh district, and "five dead and 26 wounded" in strikes elsewhere in south Lebanon. In Israel, first responders said a man was killed after rocket fire from Lebanon hit the Galilee region in the country's north. In Beirut's southern suburbs, the NNA reported at least 12 strikes throughout Thursday, after relative calm while US envoy Amos Hochstein visited earlier this week, seeking to broker an end to the Israel-Hezbollah war. Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee on social media platform X issued several rounds of evacuation warnings for Beirut's southern suburbs, as well as areas in and around the southern coastal city of Tyre, but none for east Lebanon. AFPTV footage showed columns of smoke rising from the southern suburbs, usually a densely populated residential district but now largely emptied. Adraee said on X that the Israeli military "targeted a weapons depot, a command headquarters and terrorist infrastructure" belonging to Hezbollah in south Beirut. Amid a series of attack claims, Hezbollah said its fighters targeted "the Hatzor air base" near Israel's southern city of Ashdod, around 150 kilometres (90 miles) from Lebanon's southern border, "with a missile salvo" -- its deepest target in more than a year of hostilities. In 10 separate statements, Iran-backed Hezbollah said its fighters also targeted Israeli troops in and near the south Lebanon town of Khiam, including with artillery, rockets and drones. The NNA said "the enemy army" was "blowing up homes and residential buildings during its incursion into the town". Lebanon's official news agency and Hezbollah have reported fighting and air strikes in the Khiam area ever since Israeli ground troops first entered Lebanon on September 30. Earlier Thursday, United Nations special coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert visited Baalbek's UNESCO-listed archaeological area, after the UN's cultural body this week granted more than 30 heritage sites in Lebanon "provisional enhanced protection" amid the war. Lebanon's health ministry said Thursday that at least 3,583 people had been killed in the violence since October 2023. Most of the deaths have been since September this year. The Israeli military said Wednesday that three soldiers were killed in south Lebanon, bringing to 52 the number killed in Lebanon since the start of ground operations. bur-lg/giv

Head-To-Head Analysis: JIADE (NASDAQ:JDZG) & TAL Education Group (NYSE:TAL)(The Center Square) – Although it remains unclear how many Democratic Senators will vote for the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, some House members in the party have explained why they voted yes, despite a controversial provision restricting military-funded transgender surgeries for minors. The nearly $900 billion bill passed the House 281-140 Wednesday, with 200 Republicans and 81 Democrats voting in favor versus 124 Democrats and 16 Republicans voting against it. Most of the NDAA consists of bipartisan agreements, such as pay raises for service members, strengthened ties with U.S. allies, and funding of new military technology. But a critical point of contention is a Republican addition that would prohibit the military’s health program from covering any gender dysphoria treatments on minors that could "result in sterilization.” The must-pass bill is so critical that nearly 40% of House Democrats voted in favor–but not without expressing their disappointment. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., condemned Republican colleagues who, she said, “chose to sully this bill with political culture wars;” nevertheless, she voted in favor. “While it doesn't address everything we asked for and consider important, including the full ability of parents to make their own decisions about healthcare for their children, it marks a rare moment of productive bipartisan agreement on what is arguably the most crucial legislation we take up as a body each year,” Houlahan said. The bill’s provision does not forbid service members’ children from receiving transgender therapy. It forbids the military’s health insurance provider, TRICARE, from covering treatments on minors that “may result in sterilization.” Reps. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, and Terri Sewell, D-Ala., also voted in favor of the bill despite their displeasure at the ban. “The NDAA is a hugely important bill. We had to pass it, which is why I voted yes,” Landsman posted on X Friday. “However, the anti-trans language that was attached to it was mean and awful and should never have been included.” “I have serious concerns about some remaining provisions that were placed in the bill for political purposes,” Sewell said Wednesday. “Still, the responsibility to support our service members and provide for our national security is one that I do not take lightly, which is why I ultimately chose to support the bill.” Besides the importance of annual military funding, another reason some House Democrats assented to the legislation is because they were successful in axing other House Republican amendments, such as a plan to eliminate reimbursements for service members who travel to obtain abortions. The Senate is expected to pass the bill within the next few days, after which President Joe Biden is expected to sign it into law.

Optex Systems Announces $6.5 Million Order for Laser Protected PeriscopesJets running back Hall 'looks promising' to play vs. Jags, but cornerback Reed is doubtful

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SEOUL — South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol , who stunned the world this week by declaring martial law , has narrowly avoided being impeached, as his party’s lawmakers boycotted the parliamentary vote on his ouster Saturday. The motion by opposition lawmakers accused him of insurrection, calling his decree an unconstitutional self-coup. “The president has betrayed the trust of the people and has lost the right to carry out state affairs,” the impeachment motion read. Thousands of protesters had gathered outside the National Assembly to cheer on his removal. Now protests are expected to build. “We will not give up. We will prevail,” liberal opposition leader Lee Jae-myung said after the motion fell through. “By Christmas, we will bring people the end-of-year gift of restoring the country to normalcy.” The liberal party said it would submit the motion again at the next parliamentary session on Wednesday — and every week after that until it passes. The question is whether enough members of Yoon’s conservative ruling party will vote to oust him while he still has 2 1⁄2 years remaining in his term, potentially ceding the presidency to the liberal opposition. Impeaching Yoon requires the support of at least two-thirds of the 300-member National Assembly — or 200 votes. Because the opposition coalition holds 192 seats, impeachment requires eight or more votes from Yoon’s conservative People Power Party. In the days following the martial law declaration, a handful of ruling party legislators had indicated they would at least consider impeachment. But only three of them showed up for the vote Saturday, with the remaining 105 leaving the plenary hall in protest. Outside the National Assembly, the crowd gathered to call for Yoon’s removal let out a cry of frustration. Among them were citizens who had traveled from hours away and college students studying for exams in the throng while keeping one eye on the news. “Arrest Yoon Suk-yeol!” they chanted as they marched down the promenade. In declaring martial law Tuesday, Yoon railed against the opposition-controlled National Assembly, which he accused of being a “den of criminals” and North Korea-sympathizers. Gen. Park An-su, whom Yoon designated as his martial law commander, subsequently suspended all political activity and declared the media under the military’s control. For many in South Korea , the move chillingly harked to the country’s past military dictatorships. But three hours after Yoon’s decree, legislators — many of them scaling the gates of the locked-down National Assembly — unanimously voted to overrule Yoon, requiring him to lift the decree. On Saturday morning, in a two-minute address to the nation, Yoon apologized for inconveniencing the public and said that he had been motivated by “desperation.” While Yoon reportedly told his officials and party members that his decree was meant to send a message to an adversarial legislature — which has filed numerous impeachments against his appointees and moved to investigate his wife on charges of graft and stock manipulation — many, including his own party members, say they believe he had much more sinister motives. Han Dong-hoon, the leader of the People Power Party, said that there were signs that the special forces soldiers who had stormed the National Assembly were acting on orders to arrest him and other legislators. Opposition leader Lee, whom Yoon narrowly defeated in the presidential election two years ago, has said the same. “We’ve confirmed that President Yoon ordered the arrest of major politicians on the grounds that they were anti-state forces,” Han said at a party meeting Friday. “I don’t think we can pretend like nothing happened.” While stating that this was based on “credible” sources, Han did not elaborate, offering only that these plans would be made public in due time “through various channels.” In a meeting with Han that same day, Yoon denied giving such an order, Han said. Hong Jang-won, a senior official at the National Intelligence Service, the country’s spy agency , told lawmakers Friday that Yoon called him to order the arrest of several lawmakers, including party leaders Lee and Han. Spy chief Cho Tae-yong has disputed Hong’s allegations. Yet even while condemning the martial law declaration as unconstitutional and acknowledging that Yoon must ultimately be removed from office, Han and most of his party allies balked at impeachment. For the South Korean conservatives, impeachment is their exposed nerve, and they have reason to tread lightly. The first and only South Korean president to be successfully impeached was conservative Park Geun-hye, who was later investigated and jailed on corruption charges. Her downfall splintered the conservative camp and opened a path for liberal successor Moon Jae-in, whose term conservatives refer to as “the lost five years.” Crucial to the success of Park’s impeachment was a bloc of conservative legislators who joined the opposition to vote in favor. It is why many party stalwarts are determined to avoid the same fate this time around. “We cannot have any more traitors surrendering to the enemy, like the time with Park Geun-hye,” Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo wrote on social media Wednesday. Instead, Yoon’s party members have floated more moderate solutions that would make way for Yoon’s “orderly resignation,” such as revising the constitution to shorten Yoon’s term, transferring some of his presidential powers to the prime minister or forming a bipartisan Cabinet. In his recent public address, Yoon said he would leave his fate to the party, hinting that he may relinquish much of his authority to Han, should he avoid impeachment. The liberal opposition has rejected any alternatives to impeachment, calling Yoon a “ticking time bomb.” “He is in a very troubling mental state right now. We don’t have time to discuss something like ‘an orderly resignation,’ ” liberal party spokesperson Yoon Jong-kun told reporters Saturday morning. “Only Yoon’s immediate removal from official duties and impeachment can alleviate the anger of the people and South Korea’ s plummeting international credit rating.” The liberal party has said that it would propose the motion again Wednesday. “We are going to propose it repeatedly,” Lee Jae-myung said, “until it goes through.”