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Never lose your keys (or wallet, or luggage) again. Apple AirTags are the perfect stocking stuffer for that forgetful someone on your list. Never lose your keys (or wallet, or luggage) again. Apple AirTags are the perfect stocking stuffer for that forgetful someone on your list. Credit: Mashable photo composite / Apple Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. Learn more about how we select deals SAVE $29.01: As of Dec. 20, you can get a four-pack of AirTags for just $69.99 at Best Buy and Amazon. That's... Tabitha BrittCHICAGO (AP) — As Donald Trump’s Cabinet begins to take shape, those on both sides of the abortion debate are watching closely for clues about how his picks might affect reproductive rights policy in the president-elect’s second term . Trump’s cabinet picks offer a preview of how his administration could handle abortion after he repeatedly flip-flopped on the issue on the campaign trail. He attempted to distance himself from anti-abortion allies by deferring to states on abortion policy, even while boasting about nominating three Supreme Court justices who helped strike down the constitutional protections for abortion that had stood for half a century. In an NBC News interview that aired Sunday, Trump said he doesn't plan to restrict medication abortion but also seemed to leave the door open, saying “things change.” “Things do change, but I don't think it's going to change at all,” he said. The early lineup of his new administration , including nominations to lead health agencies, the Justice Department and event the Department of Veterans Affairs, has garnered mixed — but generally positive — reactions from anti-abortion groups. Abortion law experts said Trump's decision to include fewer candidates with deep ties to the anti-abortion movement could indicate that abortion will not be a priority for Trump's administration. “It almost seems to suggest that President Trump might be focusing his administration in other directions," said Greer Donley, an associate law professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Karen Stone, vice president of public policy at Planned Parenthood Action Fund , said while many of the nominees have “extensive records against reproductive health care,” some do not. She cautioned against making assumptions based on Trump's initial cabinet selections. Still, many abortion rights groups are wary, in part because many of the nominees hold strong anti-abortion views even if they do not have direct ties to anti-abortion activists. They're concerned that an administration filled with top-level officials who are personally opposed to abortion could take steps to restrict access to the procedure and funding. After Trump’s ambiguity about abortion during his campaign, "there’s still a lot we don’t know about what policy is going to look like," said Mary Ruth Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California, Davis School of Law. That approach may be revealed as the staffs within key departments are announced. Trump announced he would nominate anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Health and Human Services Department, which anti-abortion forces have long targeted as central to curtailing abortion rights nationwide. Yet Kennedy shifted on the issue during his own presidential campaign. In campaign videos, Kennedy said he supports abortion access until viability , which doctors say is sometime after 21 weeks, although there is no defined timeframe. But he also said “every abortion is a tragedy” and argued for a national ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy, a stance he quickly walked back. The head of Health and Human Services oversees Title X funding for a host of family planning services and has sweeping authority over agencies that directly affect abortion access, including the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The role is especially vital amid legal battles over a federal law known as EMTALA, which President Joe Biden’s administration has argued requires emergency abortion access nationwide, and FDA approval of the abortion pill mifepristone. Mini Timmaraju, president of the national abortion rights organization Reproductive Freedom for All, called Kennedy an “unfit, unqualified extremist who cannot be trusted to protect the health, safety and reproductive freedom of American families.” His potential nomination also has caused waves in the anti-abortion movement. Former Vice President Mike Pence , a staunch abortion opponent, urged the Senate to reject Kennedy’s nomination. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the national anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said the group had its own concerns about Kennedy. “There’s no question that we need a pro-life HHS secretary," she said. Fox News correspondent Marty Makary is Trump’s pick to lead the FDA, which plays a critical role in access to medication abortion and contraception. Abortion rights groups have accused him of sharing misinformation about abortion on air. Russell Vought , a staunch anti-abortion conservative, has been nominated for director of the Office of Management and Budget. Vought was a key architect of Project 2025 , a right-wing blueprint for running the federal government. Among other actions to limit reproductive rights, it calls for eliminating access to medication abortion nationwide, cutting Medicaid funding for abortion and restricting access to contraceptive care, especially long-acting reversible contraceptives such as IUD’s. Despite distancing himself from the conservative manifesto on the campaign trail, Trump is stocking his administration with people who played central roles in developing Project 2025. Trump acknowledged that drafters of the report would be part of his incoming administration during the Sunday interview with NBC News, saying “Many of those things I happen to agree with.” “These cabinet appointments all confirm that Project 2025 was in fact the blueprint all along, and the alarm we saw about it was warranted,” said Amy Williams Navarro, director of government relations for Reproductive Freedom for All. Dr. Mehmet Oz , Trump’s choice to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is a former television talk show host who has been accused of hawking dubious medical treatments and products. He voiced contradictory abortion views during his failed Senate run in 2022. Oz has described himself as “strongly pro-life, praised the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade , claimed “life starts at conception” and referred to abortion as “murder.” But he also has echoed Trump’s states-rights approach, arguing the federal government should not be involved in abortion decisions. “I want women, doctors, local political leaders, letting the democracy that’s always allowed our nation to thrive to put the best ideas forward so states can decide for themselves,” he said during a Senate debate two years ago. An array of reproductive rights groups opposed his Senate run. As CMS administrator, Oz would be in a key position to determine Medicaid coverage for family planning services and investigate potential EMTALA violations. As Florida’s attorney general, Pam Bondi defended abortion restrictions, including a 24-hour waiting period. Now she’s Trump’s choice for attorney general . Her nomination is being celebrated by abortion opponents but denounced by abortion rights groups concerned she may revive the Comstock Act , an anti-vice law passed by Congress in 1873 that, among other things, bans mailing of medication or instruments used in abortion. An anti-abortion and anti-vaccine former Florida congressman, David Weldon, has been chosen to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which collects and monitors abortion data across the country. Former Republican congressman Doug Collins is Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs amid a political battle over abortion access and funding for troops and veterans. Collins voted consistently to restrict funding and access to abortion and celebrated the overturning of Roe v. Wade. “This is a team that the pro-life movement can work with," said Kristin Hawkins, president of the national anti-abortion organization Students for Life. ___ The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP’s democracy initiative here . The AP is solely responsible for all content. Christine Fernando, The Associated PressSemler Scientific, Inc. ( NASDAQ:SMLR – Get Free Report )’s stock price traded down 3.1% on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $67.62 and last traded at $69.08. 60,779 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 298,413 shares. The stock had previously closed at $71.28. Semler Scientific Trading Down 9.6 % The company has a market cap of $586.32 million, a P/E ratio of 30.86 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $51.29 and a 200-day moving average price of $37.15. Semler Scientific ( NASDAQ:SMLR – Get Free Report ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.35. Semler Scientific had a net margin of 27.00% and a return on equity of 20.31%. The firm had revenue of $13.51 million for the quarter. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Semler Scientific Semler Scientific Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) Semler Scientific, Inc provides technology solutions to enhance the clinical effectiveness and efficiency of healthcare providers in the United States. The company’s products include QuantaFlo, a four-minute in-office blood flow test that enables healthcare providers to use blood flow measurements as part of their examinations of a patient’s vascular condition. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Semler Scientific Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Semler Scientific and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
Kathmandu, Dec 22: The government has promoted Deputy Inspectors General (DIG) of Nepal Police- Durga Singh and Bharat Bahadur Bohara- to the post of Additional Inspectors General (AIG). Singh will be installed at Human Resources Development Department, while Bohara at Province Coordination Department of the Police Headquarters, Kathmandu. Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Prithvi Subba Gurung, shared this information. He further said Nepal Rastra Bank will be assigned as a regulatory body for the businesspersons floating loans to purchase public vehicles and the Social Security Fund, while the Transport Management Department for the businesspersons purchasing vehicles and the Securities Board of Nepal for the Investment Company. The meeting also decided to renew the Agreement between Nepal and India for the Regulation of Passenger Traffic between Two Countries till November 24 next year and so will be agreement protocol. The government has decided to permit the use of national forests in different parts of the country including Sankhuwasabha, Udayapur, Dolakha, Dailekh, Kalikot and Jumla districts for the purpose of constructing towers of transmission lines. The government also allows the amendment of a related regulation on the track used by the pedestrians inside the Shivapuri National Park so that the track hereafter would be maintained from Mulkharka to Chisapani via Jhule by adding 3.5 km in the existing route. The revised execution details of the OPMCM were endorsed by the meeting, according to Minister Subba. The government decided to table the Bill designed to establish and manage Nepal Aviation Service Authority-2081 in the federal parliament. Likewise, the Cabinet decided to give permission to handover Pokhariya Hospital, Parsa, to Madhes Province Hospital by upgrading it to 50-bed hospital, to table Bill designed to amend and integrate laws related to Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal-2081. Permission has been granted to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology to submit the sixth annual report of Medical Education Commission before Education, Health and Information Technology Committee of the Federal Parliament. The report of the study committee on permission for the operation of securities market will be sent to the Finance Ministry as per Cabinet decision. Similarly, Kalaiya sub-metropolis of Bara, has been allowed to acquire four dhurs of land, Budhanilakanta municipality of Kathmandu to acquire more than four ropanis of land, Barpak Sulikot rural municipality of Gorkha to acquire more than four ropanis of land, Punarbas municipality of Kanchanpur to acquire 15 katthas of land and Ekdara rural municipality of Mahottari district to acquire more than 11 katta of land.(RSS)The mellowing of electric-vehicle adoption hasn’t prevented General Motors from introducing several such models, specifically for the Chevrolet and Cadillac brands. In particular, Chevrolet has three available, including the Blazer EV. A fourth – the Corvette EV – is expected sometime in 2025, with others reportedly in the development stage. The scalable platform, which is used for all GM EVs, large and small, can handle front, rear or front and rear electric motors. For the midsize five-passenger Blazer EV, the prominent nose does have a type of grille, but it’s mostly for aesthetics. The rest of the bodywork shares nothing – as in zero – with the gasoline Blazer, which remains in production. Both are same length, but the EV has about a 23-centimetre advantage in distance between the front and rear wheels. That means easier rear-seat access through the generously sized doors, plus plenty of legroom. Despite the EV’s lower roofline, cargo volume is greater than the gasoline Blazer’s, with the seat upright or folded flat. There’s no storage beneath the hood – commonly called a front trunk or a frunk – for smaller items, which is frequently found in other EVs, such as the Ford Mustang Mach-E. The interior has a 17.7-inch infotainment screen and a fashionably large 11.1-inch driver-information display. Instead of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, the Blazer EV gets Google software. Oversized air vents are positioned on either side of the dashboard and directly above the floor console. The base 300-horsepower LT lists for $57,900, including destination charges. It’s available in front- or all-wheel-drive ($61,400), has a range of 453 and 538 kms, respectively. Equipment includes the usual power features as well as heated front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, 19-inch wheels and standard active-safety technology such as front and rear emergency braking, active cruise control and blind-spot warning. The 365-horsepower rear-wheel-drive RS ($68,400) can also go up to 538 kms on a charge, but AWD claws that back to 453. The performance-oriented AWD Blazer SS ($73,400) makes 595 horsepower and 645 pound-feet. According to Chevrolet, it can hit 60 mph (96-km/h) from rest in less than four seconds. The range is advertised as 470 kms. For every 10 minutes the Blazer EV is plugged in to a Level 3 DC fast charger, 125 kms of range will be added. With a 240-volt home charger, expect a full top-up overnight. Note that the dual-level charge cord needed for Level 2 and Level 3 use is optional. The RS and SS come with heated and ventilated front seats, heated flat-bottom steering wheel and a hands-free power liftgate. They both have exterior lighting between the grille and the hood that illuminates when the driver approaches. Exclusive to the SS is a head-up driver’s info display (projects information such as speed onto the windshield), a rear-view camera/mirror, Brembo-brand front brakes, premium-grade interior trim and unique 22-inch wheels (21-inch versions are fitted to the RS). Standard with the SS is the latest version of General Motors’ Super Cruise system that allows hands-free driving on more than 640,000 kms of roads in the United States and Canada. GM says that Super Cruise allows the Blazer to safely overtake slower-moving traffic and return to the original lane, all without driver involvement. Chevrolet also says it is creating a Police Pursuit Vehicle model based on the SS, which, given its power output, likely makes the most sense. Given its size, styling, output and variety of trim levels, the Chevrolet Blazer EV has plenty going for it. It also happens to be competitively priced, further enhanced by government rebates. These factors are helping to create increased buyer interest and acceptance in electric vehicles.Israel’s AI startup activity is two to four times greater than that observed in the United States or Europe, highlighting the unparalleled density of its AI sector. AI startups constitute 30% of Israel’s tech landscape, accounting for up to 40% of funding rounds and securing 47% of total investments, according to a recent report from Startup Nation Central or SNC. The 2024 Stanford AI Index , ranked Israel first globally in terms of AI talent concentration and fifth in relative AI skill penetration rate between 2015 and 2023, surpassing the global average by 1.63 times across similar occupations. “Israel stands at the forefront of global AI innovation, driven by an exceptional ecosystem of startups, academia, and strategic support from both local and multinational players,” says Avi Hasson, CEO of Startup Nation Central. Hasson highlights the unique “vertical” focus of Israeli AI startups. They have developed sector-specific AI solutions, using industry-specific data and expertise. “A key metric that sets Israel apart is its focus on applied AI solutions in areas like cybersecurity, health tech, and agriculture, which positions it as a leader in practical AI applications... with over 2,000 startups developing the next era of AI applications,” writes Arik Kol, Head of Nvidia Inception Startups Program at Nvidia Israel, in his preface to the SNC report. Nvidia has over 4,000 employees in Israel, including a substantial AI research team, working closely with Israeli universities to form the company’s 2nd largest R&D center outside of the U.S. Nvidia is one of more than 400 multinational corporations that have established R&D operations in Israel. From 2014 to 2023, top multinational corporations acquired one Israeli AI startup for every four American AI acquisitions, showcasing Israel’s strong global appeal. “Israel’s AI ecosystem stands out as a global innovator with its unique combination of applied AI focus, cross-industry expertise, and a thriving network of academia, startups, and multinational corporations,” writes Nvidia’s Kol. The AI development centers of Microsoft and Google focus on machine learning and natural language processing, Amazon’s AWS center drives AI integration within cloud services, Meta’s pursues AI-driven communications, and Apple’s Israeli R&D centers work on AI-powered features, including facial recognition. These R&D centers of the largest tech companies sometimes grow out of the acquisition of an Israeli startup but also often serve as the breeding grounds for new startups with founders moving from the “horizontal AI” of Big Tech to a vertical focus. This applied AI focus is based on unique Israeli experience and expertise in various economic sectors. For example, the vast amount of healthcare data digitized by Israel’s healthcare providers over the last 30 years has served as the launching pad for healthcare-focused AI startups: · Precision medicine startup Promise Bio has recently emerged from stealth with an $8.3 million seed investment to further develop its platform integrating epiproteomics and AI to identify predictive biomarkers for personalized therapies targeting immune-mediated diseases like autoimmune disorders. · UMass Memorial Health, the largest not-for-profit health care system in central Massachusetts, recently reported that within four months of adopting AEYE-DS, the AI-based autonomous diagnostic screening system developed by AEYE Health , diabetic retinopathy screening adherence increased from 29% to 49%, and the average screening time in the hospital’s primary care workflow fell by 75%. · Ballad Health, the leading healthcare provider in the Appalachian Highlands has deployed MedAware's AI-based medication safety monitoring platform, embedding it within the workflow of its Epic electronic medical record or EMR system. As a result, Ballad Health expects that thousands of patients will be safer from adverse drug events. Other areas of focus for practical AI solutions from Israeli startups include cybersecurity (e.g., 7AI, an agentic security platform), climate tech (e.g., FireDome, detecting and suppressing wildfires), and fintech (e.g., Next Insurance, insurance for small businesses). In addition to specific domain expertise, some of these vertically focused startups rely on data that is unique to their target market and application. In a recent event organized by UpWest , a Palo Alto-based VC investing in Israeli startups, Nadav Cohen observed: “Data can be a powerful differentiator, especially if you’ve got data that isn’t accessible to the public or being used by big companies to train their models.” Cohen is co-founder & CTO of Imubit (AI for process control) and Research Director of the Foundations of Deep Learning Lab at Tel Aviv University. While the majority of Israeli AI startups target a specific economic sector, a few have emerged as leaders of “horizontal” AI solutions. Hailo, for example, is in the hot AI chips business and has successfully developed AI processors uniquely designed to run high-performance AI models on edge devices. Another Israeli startup that plays in the big leagues is AI21, developer of an innovative “foundation model” that competes with OpenAI, Google, and others for the attention of enterprises. The impact of Israeli AI startups, whether vertical or horizontal, is felt way beyond Israel. Certainly in the U.S., their most important market, but also right in their Middle Eastern neighborhood. For example, Integrated Data Intelligence, an Abu Dhabi-basaed subsidiary of OurCrowd, a global investment platform and Israel’s most active VC, has recently onboarded the first cohort of customers for DANNA , its proprietary investment AI copilot. Jonathan Medved, CEO of OurCrowd, describes the specific leadership role of Israeli startups in the global AI landscape, given the sky-high cost of current AI technology: “Israel’s tech advantage lies in its roots in the military, where young engineers are imbued with the culture of doing more with less... Faced with immediate threats to their family and community, they learn to cut corners and move fast because the stakes are so high... Israeli startups have started to figure out significant optimization and cost efficiencies, with major price reductions that will allow AI to scale and reach its promise.”
Deficit soars as Biden heads out the doorOTTAWA - First Nations leaders are split over next steps after a landmark $47.8-billion child welfare reform deal with Canada was struck down, prompting differing legal opinions from both sides. The Assembly of First Nations and a board member of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society have received competing legal opinions on potential ways forward. Ontario Regional Chief Abram Benedict says the chiefs he represents are still hoping the agreement that chiefs outside the province voted down two months ago is not moot. Chiefs in Ontario are interveners in the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal case that led to its realization. He added there are also concerns that some of the elements in the new negotiation mandate outlined by chiefs in an October assembly go beyond the current governance structure of the Assembly of First Nations. “There will have to be action by the Assembly of First Nations in the very near future to advance these positions, but you also need willing partners,” Benedict said. “We’re still considering what our options are.” Those options are also being debated in legal reviews commissioned by the Assembly of First Nations and a board member of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, which are both parties to the human rights case, along with Nishnawbe Aski Nation. Khelsilem, a chairperson from the Squamish Nation who penned a resolution that defeated the deal in October, critiqued the stance of Ontario First Nations by saying they negotiated a “bad agreement” for First Nations outside the province and now that chiefs want to go back to the table for a better deal, they want to split from the process entirely. “It potentially undermines the collective unity of First Nations to achieve something that is going to benefit all of us,” he said. The $47.8-billion agreement was struck in July after decades of advocacy and litigation from First Nations and experts, seeking to redress discrimination against First Nations children who were torn from their families and placed in foster care. The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal said Canada’s underfunding was discriminatory because it meant kids living on reserve were given fewer services than those living off reserves, and tasked Canada with reaching an agreement with First Nations to reform the system. The agreement was meant to cover 10 years of funding for First Nations to take control of their own child welfare services from the federal government. Chiefs and service providers critiqued the deal for months, saying it didn’t go far enough to ensure an end to the discrimination. They have also blasted the federal government for what they say is its failure to consult with First Nations in negotiations, and for the exclusion of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society, which helped launched the initial human rights complaint. In October at a special chiefs assembly in Calgary, the deal was struck down through two resolutions. The Assembly of First Nations sought a legal review of those resolutions by Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP — a firm where the former national chief of the organization, Perry Bellegarde, works as a special adviser. In the legal review from Fasken, it appears as though the assembly asked for direction on how to get “rid” of two resolutions used to vote down the deal, with an employee of the firm saying they can review the resolutions together if they want them both gone, or they can “leave room for compromise” with one of the resolutions. In a statement, the Assembly of First Nations said the review was conducted to assess the legal, technical and operational aspects of the resolutions to ensure their “effective implementation.” “The opinions formed by external counsel are their own and do not reflect the views or positions of the AFN,” said Andrew Bisson, the chief executive officer, who added it’s not unusual for the organization to seek such reviews. Bisson did not address the language used by a Fasken employee to “get rid” of resolutions, but said “the legal and technical reviews were conducted in good faith, not to undermine the chiefs’ direction. The chiefs have provided clear direction, and the AFN is committed to following that direction.” The legal reviews from Fasken, dated Nov. 15, argue that the October resolutions on child welfare require a significant review of who voted for them, along with changes to the organization’s charter should they be implemented. Resolution 60 called for a rejection of the final settlement agreement, and for the establishment of a Children’s Chiefs Commission that will be representative of all regions and negotiate long-term reforms. It also called for the AFN’s executive committee to “unconditionally include” the Caring Society in negotiations. Fasken said that commission is contrary to the AFN’s charter, and the law, because the AFN’s executive committee doesn’t have the power to create one, and that the executive committee “alone” has the authority to execute mandates on behalf of the assembly. It adds there are no accountability measures for the new negotiation body, and that it will represent regions that are not participants in the AFN. Resolution 61, which built upon resolution 60, is similarly against the charter for the same reasons, the review says. As such, it says, the resolutions can’t be implemented. The firm also wrote that there were alleged conflicts of interest during the October vote, saying “numerous proxies were also employees, shareholders, directors, agents or otherwise had a vested interest” in the First Nations child and family service agencies whose interests were the subject of the resolutions. Chief Joe Miskokomon of Chippewas of the Thames First Nation in southwestern Ontario called that “political deception.” In response to that review, a board member of the Caring Society, which has been a vocal critic of the July deal, sought their own. The review penned by Aird Berlis for Mary Teegee and dated Dec. 2 stated it was “inappropriate for the AFN to seek, and not disclose, legal opinions which are then cited to attempt to second-guess decisions already made by the First Nations in Assembly.” It also states that while the AFN’s vice-president of strategic policy and integration, Amber Potts, raised concerns with the movers and seconders of the resolutions, the entirety of the legal opinion the assembly sought was not shared with them. Teegee’s review challenges that of the AFN’s by saying the resolutions are consistent with the AFN’s charter, and that nothing restricts First Nations in assembly from expressing their sovereign will by delegating authority to another entity. “AFN’s role and purpose at all times is to effect the sovereign will of First Nations, however it is expressed, on ‘any matter’ that they see fit,” the review from Aird Berlis reads. “It is too late to attempt to question the resolutions. They are now final.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 9, 2024.Alex Ovechkin is expected to miss 4 to 6 weeks with a broken left leg
