Analog Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADI) Position Raised by Thrivent Financial for LutheransRico Carty, who won the 1970 NL batting title with the Atlanta Braves, has died

Analysis: In a staring match over DEI, the universities blinkThese holiday gifts change the game when building fires, printing photos, watching birds and moreTrump nominees work to win over senators on Capitol Hill

ZURICH (AP) — Saudi Arabia scored a major win in its campaign to attract major sports events to the kingdom when it was formally appointed as the 2034 World Cup host on Wednesday. Still, many questions remain about the tournament as well as the 2030 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with three games in South America. Here are some of the key issues that need to be answered over the next decade: Saudi Arabia proposes 15 stadiums — eight still on paper — in five cities: Eight in the capital Riyadh, four in the Red Sea port city Jeddah, and one each in Abha, Al Khobar and Neom, the planned futuristic mega-project. Each would have at least 40,000 seats for World Cup games. The opening game and final are set for a 92,000-seat venue planned in Riyadh. Some designs are vivid . In Neom, the stadium is planned 350 meters (yards) above street level and one near Riyadh is designed to be atop a 200-meter cliff with a retractable wall of LED screens. Saudi Arabia aims to host all 104 games, though there has been speculation that some games could be played in neighboring or nearby countries. Surely not in the traditional World Cup period of June-July, when temperatures in Saudi Arabia routinely exceed 40 Celsius (104 degrees). FIFA moved the Qatar-hosted World Cup to November-December 2022, though those dates were not loved by most European clubs and leagues whose seasons were interrupted. Also, that slot is complicated in 2034 by the holy month of Ramadan through mid-December and Riyadh hosting the multi-sport Asian Games. January 2034 could be a possibility even though that would be just before the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. The International Olympic Committee has signaled it won’t be opposed to back-to-back major events. In an interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday, Saudi World Cup bid official Hammad Albalawi said the precise dates of the tournament are up the world soccer body. “That’s a decision by FIFA. We stand ready to be part of this conversation. But ultimately it’s a FIFA decision together with the confederations,” Albalawi said. Giving more rights and freedoms to women in a traditionally conservative society is fundamental to Saudi messaging around the modernization program known as Vision 2030. The kingdom decided in 2017 to let women attend sports events, initially in major cities and in family zones separate from men-only sections. By 2034, at the promised pace of social reforms, female fans should not be restricted. Saudi Arabia launched a women’s professional soccer league in 2022 with players joining from clubs in Europe. They face no restrictions playing in shorts and with hair uncovered. The Saudi prohibition of alcohol is clear and understood before FIFA signs any sponsor deals for 2034. But will there be any exceptions? The alcohol issue was problematic for the World Cup in Qatar because the expectation was created that beer sales would be allowed at stadiums even before Qatar won its bid in 2010. One year later, FIFA extended a long-time deal to have Budweiser as the official World Cup beer through 2022. Qatar then backtracked on that promise three days before the first game, causing confusion and the sense of a promise broken. In Qatar, alcohol was served only at luxury suites at the stadiums. Visitors could also have a drink in some hotel bars. But Saudi Arabia has even stricter rules on alcohol — and there is no indication that will change. Albalawi noted that Saudi Arabia has successfully hosted dozens of sports events where alcohol wasn't served. “We’re creating a safe and secure family environment for fans to bring their families into our stadiums,” he said. Saudi promises to reform and enforce labor laws, and fully respect migrant workers, have been accepted by FIFA but face broad skepticism from rights groups and trade unions. A formal complaint is being investigated by the U.N.-backed International Labor Organization. Protecting the migrant workers needed to build stadiums and other tournament projects — a decade after it was a defining issue for Qatar — looms as a signature challenge for Saudi Arabia. Saudi-Israeli relations had been improving when FIFA all but gave the 2034 World Cup to the kingdom on Oct. 4 last year. Three days later Hamas attacked Israel and diplomacy got more complicated. Any soccer federation bidding to host a FIFA tournament accepts a basic principle that whichever team qualifies is welcome. That did not stop Indonesia putting up barriers last year to Israel coming for the men’s Under-20 World Cup. Indonesia does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel which had qualified through a European tournament nine months before the issue flared. FIFA moved the entire tournament to Argentina and the Israeli team reached the semifinals. Israel played at the 1970 World Cup but has never advanced through qualifying in Europe, where it has been a member of UEFA for 30 years. Europe should have 16 places in the 48-team World Cup in Saudi Arabia. Most of the attention at the FIFA Congress on Wednesday was on the Saudi decision, but the soccer body and its members also formally approved the hosts of the 2030 World Cup — the most spread out and longest ever. One game each in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, the original host in 1930, will be played from June 8-9. The tournament resumes four days later for the other 101 games shared between Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Six countries, three continents, multiple languages and currencies. Fans traveling on planes, trains, automobiles and boats across about 14 kilometers (10 miles) of water between Spain and Morocco. The final is due on July 21, 2030 and a decision on where it will be played could cause some tension between the host countries. Morocco wants it in the world’s biggest soccer venue — the planned 115,000-seat King Hassan II Stadium in Casablanca. Spain, meanwhile, has proposed to host the final in either of the remodeled home stadiums of club giants Real Madrid or Barcelona. Associated Press writer Baraa Anwer in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, contributed to this report.California to consider requiring mental health warnings on social media sites

The chase to catch Wayne Gretzky's total goals will have to wait. The Washington Capitals have revealed that captain and star Alexander Ovechkin will miss multiple weeks due to a fractured fibula. The #caps say Alex Ovechkin has a fracture to his left fibula and will miss four to six weeks. That likely means it'll be the longest injury-relayed layoff of his NHL career. Ovechkin injured his leg when he collided with 24-year-old forward Jack McBain from the Utah Hockey Club when the teams faced off on Monday. Ovechkin was in the middle of the ice and was set to pass when McBain skated right into his left leg, presumably at a very high rate of speed. The result of the injury saw Ovechkin fall to his knees, and the cameras caught him audibly screaming out in pain. Time appeared to stop as everyone awaited if the stalwart captain would climb to his feet and skate off to return to the ice. That was not the case, and it was revealed following the game that the Capitals star would be "week-to-week." Now, it appears the injury Ovechkin sustained is going to sideline him for at least four to six weeks. This will also be the longest time that Ovechkin will sit in the entirety of his career. Apart from being the lifeblood of the Capitals, everyone has been cheering Ovechkin on this season, simply due to his closing in on the most goals in the NHL . The record stands at 894, which is held by Wayne "The Great One" Gretzky. The record has stood since Gretzky played for the final time on April 18, 1999, as part of the New York Rangers. It has been 25 years, and no one has surpassed that record. However, that was until the Russian-born Ovechkin arrived on the scene. Ovechkin emerged as a star in the early 2000s, playing for the Dynamo Moscow in the Russian Super League. At age 16, he was already showcasing elite skills. Following the end of the holdout in 2005, Ovechkin started for the Capitals in the 2005-2006 season. Fast forward to 19 seasons later, the star winger is averaging around 50 goals a season. Ovechkin has especially been on a tear this season, securing a league-leading 15 goals in 18 games. He secured two goals against Utah and would have likely had a third if the leg collision had not occurred. Though there is no guarantee that Ovechkin will catch Gretzky in 2024, the way that he has been scoring all but signals he will snag the record this season. Now, everyone will have to wait to see if the Capitals captain will secure the record. For more on the NHL, head to Newsweek Sports .

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California, home to some of the largest technology companies in the world, would be the first U.S. state to require mental health warning labels on social media sites if lawmakers pass a bill introduced Monday. The legislation sponsored by state Attorney General Rob Bonta is necessary to bolster safety for children online, supporters say, but industry officials vow to fight the measure and others like it under the First Amendment. Warning labels for social media gained swift bipartisan support from dozens of attorneys general, including Bonta, after U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called on Congress to establish the requirements earlier this year, saying social media is a contributing factor in the mental health crisis among young people. “These companies know the harmful impact their products can have on our children, and they refuse to take meaningful steps to make them safer,” Bonta said at a news conference Monday. “Time is up. It’s time we stepped in and demanded change.” State officials haven't provided details on the bill, but Bonta said the warning labels could pop up once weekly. Up to 95% of youth ages 13 to 17 say they use a social media platform, and more than a third say that they use social media “almost constantly,” according to 2022 data from the Pew Research Center. Parents’ concerns prompted Australia to pass the world’s first law banning social media for children under 16 in November. “The promise of social media, although real, has turned into a situation where they’re turning our children’s attention into a commodity,” Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, who authored the California bill, said Monday. “The attention economy is using our children and their well-being to make money for these California companies.” Lawmakers instead should focus on online safety education and mental health resources, not warning label bills that are “constitutionally unsound,” said Todd O’Boyle, a vice president of the tech industry policy group Chamber of Progress. “We strongly suspect that the courts will set them aside as compelled speech,” O’Boyle told The Associated Press. Victoria Hinks' 16-year-old daughter, Alexandra, died by suicide four months ago after being “led down dark rabbit holes” on social media that glamorized eating disorders and self-harm. Hinks said the labels would help protect children from companies that turn a blind eye to the harm caused to children’s mental health when they become addicted to social media platforms. “There's not a bone in my body that doubts social media played a role in leading her to that final, irreversible decision,” Hinks said. “This could be your story." Common Sense Media, a sponsor of the bill, said it plans to lobby for similar proposals in other states. California in the past decade has positioned itself as a leader in regulating and fighting the tech industry to bolster online safety for children. The state was the first in 2022 to bar online platforms from using users’ personal information in ways that could harm children. It was one of the states that sued Meta in 2023 and TikTok in October for deliberately designing addictive features that keep kids hooked on their platforms. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, also signed several bills in September to help curb the effects of social media on children, including one to prohibit social media platforms from knowingly providing addictive feeds to children without parental consent and one to limit or ban students from using smartphones on school campus. Federal lawmakers have held hearings on child online safety and legislation is in the works to force companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm. The legislation has the support of X owner Elon Musk and the President-elect’s son, Donald Trump Jr . Still, the last federal law aimed at protecting children online was enacted in 1998, six years before Facebook’s founding.

The New York Giants (2-10) enter a matchup against the New Orleans Saints (4-8) on Sunday, December 8, 2024 at MetLife Stadium on a seven-game losing streak. What channel is Saints vs. Giants on? What time is Saints vs. Giants? The Saints and the Giants play at 1 p.m. ET. NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more. Saints vs. Giants betting odds, lines, spread Saints vs. Giants recent matchups Saints schedule Giants schedule NFL week 14 schedule This content was created for Gannett using technology provided by Data Skrive.

Procter & Gamble “stays the course”, say Deutsche Bank, Jefferies analysts

Australian government drops misinformation bill

Li Auto Inc. ( NASDAQ:LI – Get Free Report )’s stock price gapped down before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $22.60, but opened at $22.03. Li Auto shares last traded at $22.07, with a volume of 1,016,180 shares changing hands. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth Several equities research analysts have weighed in on LI shares. Bank of America increased their price objective on Li Auto from $30.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Li Auto from $25.50 to $29.60 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, September 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Li Auto from $21.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 29th. Macquarie reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $33.00 price objective (up previously from $25.00) on shares of Li Auto in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Li Auto from $22.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $33.94. Read Our Latest Report on Li Auto Li Auto Stock Performance Li Auto ( NASDAQ:LI – Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 28th. The company reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter. The firm had revenue of $4.36 billion during the quarter. Li Auto had a return on equity of 13.03% and a net margin of 7.20%. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Li Auto Inc. will post 1.04 EPS for the current fiscal year. Institutional Trading of Li Auto Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in Li Auto by 20.5% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 726,684 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,993,000 after purchasing an additional 123,838 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Li Auto by 2,556.7% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 3,630,537 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,503,000 after purchasing an additional 3,493,881 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its stake in Li Auto by 27.7% in the 3rd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 432,988 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,106,000 after purchasing an additional 93,904 shares during the period. Ariose Capital Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of Li Auto during the third quarter worth $18,099,000. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale boosted its holdings in shares of Li Auto by 510.0% during the 1st quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 76,450 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,370,000 after purchasing an additional 63,917 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 9.88% of the company’s stock. About Li Auto ( Get Free Report ) Li Auto Inc operates in the energy vehicle market in the People's Republic of China. It designs, develops, manufactures, and sells premium smart electric vehicles. The company's product line comprises MPVs and sport utility vehicles. It offers sales and after sales management, and technology development and corporate management services, as well as purchases manufacturing equipment. Recommended Stories Receive News & Ratings for Li Auto Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Li Auto and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Stifel Nicolaus Raises Ulta Beauty (NASDAQ:ULTA) Price Target to $455.00CLEVLEAND — Shane Bieber's comeback with Cleveland has double meaning. The former Cy Young winner re-signed with the Guardians on Wednesday, a reunion that seemed unlikely when he became a free agent. However, the 29-year-old Bieber decided to stay with the AL Central champions after making just two starts in 2024 before undergoing Tommy John surgery. Bieber agreed last week to a one-year, $14 million contract. The deal includes a $16 million player option for 2026. It seemed like a long shot that Bieber, who is 62-32 with a 3.22 ERA in 132 starts, would return to Cleveland. He had turned down long-term offers in the past from the club, and it was expected he would sign with another contender, likely one on the West Coast. But the California native has a special connection with the Guardians, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2016 draft. Bieber, who won the AL Cy Young in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, threw only 12 innings last season before lingering issues with his elbow forced him to have surgery. He is expected to join Cleveland's rotation at some point in 2025. A two-time All-Star, Bieber was named MVP of the midsummer event in 2019 when it was held in Cleveland. He has the highest strikeout ratio per nine innings (10.2) and third-highest winning percentage (.660) in the franchise's 124-year history. Bieber is one of just three Cleveland pitchers to start five season openers, joining Stan Coveleski (1917-21) and Corey Kluber (2015-19). While Bieber had some elbow issues in the past, he didn't show any issues before being shut down. He struck out 11 in six scoreless innings against Oakland on March 28, and followed that up with six more shutout innings at Seattle on April 2. DALLAS — Pitchers again dominated the big league phase of the Rule 5 draft at the winter meetings, comprising 11 of the 15 unprotected players who were picked Wednesday. The 121-loss Chicago White Sox had the first pick and selected 24-year-old right-hander Shane Smith from the Milwaukee Brewers organization. Smith was an undrafted free agent out of Wake Forest when he was signed by Milwaukee in July 2021. The 6-foot-4, 235-pounder has gone 13-7 with a 2.69 ERA and 203 strikeouts over 157 innings in 19 starts and 54 relief appearances over three minor league seasons. There were 14 teams who made picks in the major league portion of the Rule 5 draft of players left off 40-man rosters after several minor league seasons. Only Atlanta made two selections, after making none since 2017. Atlanta chose right-hander Anderson Pilar from the Miami Marlins with the 11th pick, and then took infielder Christian Cairo from the Cleveland Guardians with the 15th and final pick in the MLB portion. The 26-year-old Pilar was original signed by Colorado as a minor league free agent in 2015 and has pitched in 213 minor league games that included 17 starts. He is 28-20 with a 2.86 ERA. Teams pay $100,000 to take a player in the major league portion. The players must stay on the big league roster all of next season or clear waivers and be offered back to their original organization for $50,000. Six of the 10 players selected during the Rule 5 draft last December — five of them right-handed pitchers — remained last season with organization that selected them. Two of the four position players taken Wednesday by other teams came from the Detroit Tigers organization: catcher Liam Hicks and third baseman Gage Workman. Miami drafted second after Colorado passed making a selection, and took Hicks. Workman was taken by the Chicago Cubs with the 10th pick. Baltimore lost two right-handed pitchers on back-to-back picks, Juan Nunez to San Diego with the 12th pick before Connor Thomas went to Milwaukee. DALLAS — Tom Hamilton, who has called Cleveland games on the radio for 35 seasons, won the Hall of Fame’s Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in broadcasting on Wednesday. Hamilton, 70, joined the team's broadcast in 1990, when he was with Herb Score in the booth and part of the coverage of their World Series appearances in 1995 and 1997. Hamilton became the voice of the franchise when Score retired after that second World Series. Hamilton will be honored during the Hall of Fame’s induction weekend from July 25-28 in Cooperstown, New York. He was selected the hall's Frick Award 16-member committee as the 49th winner. There were 10 finalists on this year's ballot, whose main contributions came as local and national voices and whose careers began after, or extended into, the Wild Card era. The other nine were Skip Caray, Rene Cardenas, Gary Cohen, Jacques Doucet, Ernie Johnson Sr., Mike Krukow, Duane Kuiper, Dave Sims and John Sterling. DALLAS — The Texas Rangers acquired slugging corner infielder Jake Burger from the Miami Marlins on Wednesday in a trade for three minor league players. Burger hit .250 with 29 home runs and 76 RBIs in 137 games for the Marlins last season, with 150 strikeouts in 535 at-bats with 31 walks. He started 59 games at third base and made 50 starts at first. Five days of service time short of being eligible for salary arbitration this offseason, he will be eligible next winter and can become a free agent after the 2028 World Series. Miami got infielders Max Acosta and Echedry Vargas and left-handed pitcher Brayan Mendoza. The acquisition of Burger comes about a month after the Rangers hired former Marlins manager Skip Schumaker as a senior adviser for baseball operations. Luis Urueta, Miami's bench coach the past two seasons, also was added recently to manager Bruce Bochy's on-field coaching staff for 2025. Mike Tauchman is switching sides in Chicago. The White Sox announced a $1.95 million, one-year contract for the outfielder. Tauchman, 34, grew up in Palatine, Illinois, about 35 miles northwest of Chicago, and played college ball for Bradley in Peoria, Illinois. He spent the previous two seasons with the Cubs. All-Star left-hander Garrett Crochet was acquired by the Boston Red Sox from the Chicago White Sox for four prospects. Catcher Kyle Teel, infielder Chase Meidroth, right-hander Wikelman Gonzalez and outfielder Braden Montgomery are headed to Chicago. Get local news delivered to your inbox!

Elon Musk, one of President-elect Donald Trump’s closest confidants , revealed Wednesday his support for weight-loss drugs like Ozempic being made cheaper for the general public — in contrast with comments Health and Human Services Secretary-designate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has made. “Nothing would do more to improve the health, lifespan and quality of life for Americans than making GLP inhibitors super low cost to the public,” Musk wrote on X . “Nothing else is even close.” President Biden’s HHS said in late November it would be pushing plans to have weight-loss medications covered for those on federal benefit programs like Medicare and Medicaid. But given the short timespan left in Biden’s presidency, the future of the waistline-shrinking drugs will be left to the the incoming Trump administration, raising questions about who will make the final call. A vocal opponent of Ozempic, Kennedy Jr. vigorously urged the next administration to “Make America Healthy Again” before his nomination as HHS secretary. Kennedy, in an interview with Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld, scoffed at the hefty price tag of making Ozempic available to everyone who is overweight, claiming it would cost “$3 trillion a year.” “If we spent one-fifth of that, giving three meals a day to every man, woman and child in our country, we could solve the obesity and diabetes epidemic overnight,” the 70-year-old health guru said. GLP inhibitors are a type of drug that help people regulate their blood glucose and insulin levels for diabetes, but Americans have been using the group of drugs, including Ozempic, for weight loss. Musk admitted that his take on the drugs being cheaper could cause a stir. “A lot of people will complain about this post, but I am right,” he added on X. X personality Gail Alfar responded to Musk’s views by stating, “Elon Musk is correct, 40% of Americans suffer from obesity and 9% have a BMI over 40. This is super dangerous for our health as a nation. This needs to be fixed. GLP-1 receptor agonists are way too high priced for most of the people that need them.” “Gail is right,” the richest man in the world replied. Musk doesn’t currently have a position that would directly impact drug regulation, but his constant presence with Trump has allowed him to make policy suggestions and boost some political appointees. Kennedy’s spokesperson did not immediately respond to an inquiry from The Post.Former Philadelphia Flyers forward Zack MacEwen has been by the Ottawa Senators. MacEwen, 28, has appeared in 19 games this season with the Senators, where he has two goals, one assist, and 44 hits. Teams looking for more toughness in their bottom six could take a shot on MacEwen. The 6-foot-4 forward is known for his immense physicality and high-energy style of play, so he could generate some interest. He also carries an affordable $750,000 cap hit until the end of the 2025-26 season. © Kyle Ross-Imagn Images MacEwen played in 121 games over two seasons with the Flyers, where he had seven goals, 18 points, 164 penalty minutes, and 289 hits. Recent Flyers News