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8 fish clipart Manipur: Assam Rifles Destroys 354 Acres Of Illegal Poppy Farming In 2024AVAIO Digital to build $3 billion data center campus on 452 acres in Appomattox

Israel cracks down on Palestinian citizens who speak out against the war in Gaza UMM AL-FAHM, Israel (AP) — In the year since the war in Gaza broke out, Israel's government has been cracking down on dissent among its Palestinian citizens. Authorities have charged Palestinians with “supporting terrorism” because of posts online or for demonstrating against the war. Activists and rights watchdogs say Palestinians have also lost jobs, been suspended from schools and faced police interrogations. Palestinians make up about 20% of Israel's population. Many feel forced to self-censor out of fear of being jailed and further marginalized in society. Others still find ways to dissent, but carefully. Israel's National Security Ministry counters that, “Freedom of speech is not the freedom to incite.” Israel says rabbi who went missing in the UAE was killed TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel says the body of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi who went missing in the United Arab Emirates has been found, citing Emirati authorities. The statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Sunday said Zvi Kogan was killed, calling it a “heinous antisemitic terror incident.” It said: “The state of Israel will act with all means to seek justice with the criminals responsible for his death." Kogan went missing on Thursday, and there were suspicions he had been kidnapped. His disappearance comes as Iran has been threatening to retaliate against Israel after the two countries traded fire in October. Hezbollah fires more than 180 rockets and other projectiles into Israel, wounding at least 7 BEIRUT (AP) — Hezbollah has fired at least 185 rockets and other projectiles into Israel, wounding seven people in the militant group's heaviest barrage in several days. The attacks in northern and central Israel happened Sunday in response to deadly Israeli strikes in central Beirut on Saturday. Meanwhile, negotiators pressed on with cease-fire efforts to halt the all-out war. Lebanon's military says an Israeli strike on a Lebanese army center in the southwest killed one soldier and wounded 18 others. Israel's military has expressed regret and said its operations are directed solely against the militants. Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister condemned the latest strike as an assault on the U.S.-led cease-fire efforts. The rising price of paying the national debt is a risk for Trump's promises on growth and inflation WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has big plans for the economy. He also has big debt problem that'll be a hurdle to delivering on those plan. Trump has bold ambitions on tax cuts, tariffs and other programs. But high interest rates and the price of repaying the federal government’s existing debt could limit what he’s able to do. The federal debt stands at roughly $36 trillion, and the spike in inflation after the pandemic has pushed up the government’s borrowing costs such that debt service next year will easily exceed spending on national security. After Trump's Project 2025 denials, he is tapping its authors and influencers for key roles WASHINGTON (AP) — During the campaign, President-elect Donald Trump had hailed what would become Project 2025 as a conservative roadmap for “exactly what our movement will do." Trump pulled an about-face when Project 2025 became a political liability. He denied knowing anything about the “ridiculous and abysmal” plans, even though some were written by his former aides and many allies. Now, after winning the 2024 election, Trump is stocking his second administration with key players in the effort he temporarily shunned. Trump has tapped Russell Vought for an encore as director of the Office of Management and Budget; Tom Homan, his former immigration chief, as “border czar;” and immigration hardliner Stephen Miller as deputy chief of policy. Forecasts warn of possible winter storms across US during Thanksgiving week WINDSOR, Calif. (AP) — Forecasters in the U.S. have warned of another round of winter weather that could complicate travel leading up to Thanksgiving. California is bracing for more snow and rain this weekend while still grappling with some flooding and small landslides from a previous storm. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for California's Sierra Nevada through Tuesday, with heavy snow expected at high elevations. Thousands remained without power in the Seattle area on Saturday after a “bomb cyclone” storm system hit the West Coast earlier in the week, killing two people. Parts of the Northeast and Appalachia also began the weekend with heavy precipitation. Pakistan partially stops mobile and internet services ahead of pro-Imran Khan protest ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan has suspended mobile and internet services “in areas with security concerns” as supporters of imprisoned former premier Imran Khan gear up for a protest in the capital. The government and Interior Ministry made the announcement on X, which is banned in Pakistan. Sunday's protest is to demand Khan's release. He has been in prison for more than a year but remains popular. His supporters rely heavily on social media and messaging apps to coordinate with each other. Pakistan has already sealed off Islamabad and shut down major roads and highways connecting the city with Khan's power bases. Here's what to know about the new funding deal that countries agreed to at UN climate talks BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — In the wee hours Sunday at the United Nations climate talks, countries from around the world reached an agreement on how rich countries can cough up the funds to support poor countries in the face of climate change. But it’s a far-from-perfect arrangement, with many parties still unsatisfied but hopeful that the deal will be a step in the right direction. Japan holds Sado mines memorial despite South Korean boycott amid lingering historical tensions SADO, Japan (AP) — Japan has held a memorial ceremony near the Sado Island Gold Mines despite a last-minute boycott of the event by South Korea that highlighted tensions between the neighbors over the brutal wartime use of Korean laborers. South Korea’s absence at Sunday’s memorial, to which Seoul government officials and Korean victims’ families were invited, is a major setback in the rapidly improving ties between the countries. The Sado mines were listed in July as a UNESCO World Heritage Site after Japan moved past years of disputes with South Korea and reluctantly acknowledged the mines’ dark history. Chuck Woolery, smooth-talking game show host of 'Love Connection' and 'Scrabble,' dies at 83 NEW YORK (AP) — Chuck Woolery, the affable, smooth-talking game show host of “Wheel of Fortune,” “Love Connection” and “Scrabble” who later became a right-wing podcaster, skewering liberals and accusing the government of lying about COVID-19, has died. He was 83. Mark Young, Woolery’s podcast co-host and friend, said in an email early Sunday that Woolery died at his home in Texas with his wife, Kristen, present. Woolery, with his matinee idol looks, coiffed hair and ease with witty banter, was inducted into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame in 2007 and earned a daytime Emmy nomination in 1978. He teamed up with Young for the podcast “Blunt Force Truth” and became a full supporter Donald Trump.None

Darlington photographer, 23, captures stunning photo of far away galaxy

Two dead in clashes sparked by Indian mosque survey Survey conducted to identify if a 17th-century mosque was built on Hindu temple in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh LUCKNOW: Two people were killed in riots as Indian Muslim protestors clashed with police on Sunday after a survey investigated if a 17th-century mosque was built on a Hindu temple. "Two persons were confirmed dead," Pawan Kumar, a police officer in Sambhal in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, told AFP , adding that 16 police officers were "seriously injured" during the clashes. However, the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency is quoting officials saying that three people were killed in the clashes. Hindu activist groups have laid claim to several mosques they say were built over Hindu temples during the Muslim Mughal empire centuries ago. Street battles broke out when a team of surveyors entered the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal on orders from a local court, after a petition from a Hindu priest claiming it was built on the site of a Hindu temple. Protesters on Sunday hurled rocks at police, who fired tear gas canisters to clear the crowd. Hindu nationalist activists were emboldened earlier this year when Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a grand new Hindu temple in the northern city of Ayodhya, built on grounds once home to the centuries-old Babri mosque. That mosque was torn down in 1992 in a campaign spearheaded by members of Modi's party, sparking sectarian riots that killed 2,000 people nationwide, most of them Muslims. Some Hindu campaigners see an ideological patron in Modi. Calls for India to more closely align the country's officially secular political system with its majority Hindu faith have rapidly grown louder since Modi was swept to office in 2014, making the country's roughly 210-million-strong Muslim minority increasingly anxious about their future. Donald Trump eyes Jay Bhattacharya for NIH leadership, says report Trump names Brooke Rollins to be agriculture secretary Rescuers amputate leg of tourist stuck in Tasmanian river Modi, allies to 'trump opposition' in richest state

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Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG) Price Target Raised to $308.00

Essentially, the Maple Leafs have the same record after 20 games as they’ve had most of the past five regular seasons. They have 26 points right now. Last year they had 25. The year before they had 25. The year before that, 27. All of it looks basically the same in the standings. But these Leafs have a different look to them and a different feel. They’re better in goal than they’ve been in years. They’re deeper on defence. They’re less prone to individual mistakes. And slowly they’re adapting to Craig Berube’s north-south, old school style of hockey – no longer circling desperately to retain possession of the puck – and it makes them look tougher and harder to play against. It is still a long time until April. Three quarters of a regular season to go. But the win the other against Vegas, a tight 1-0 game that became a 3-0 win, is the kind of maturity general manager Brad Treliving and coach Berube are searching for from the team. Learning to win tight games is important for this group. Learning to win tight games against quality opponents, just as important. With the on-ice leadership of Chris Tanev a clear factor, the superb play of Mitch Marner and William Nylander with out with a mystery injury, has been huge, and former captain John Tavares competing with he kind of verve he’s rarely shown before, there are more reasons for optimism as the first quarter of the NHL season passes than there have been in most of the Brendan Shanahan years. With Matthews still out, Max Domi, Max Pacioretty, David Kampf, and Matthew Knies all injured, and Ryan Reaves suspended, the Leafs will play Sunday night against Utah without six 12 regular forwards. That’s a kick few teams can survive. But the 6-1 won-loss record with Matthews missing is a sign of growth that has to be appreciated. Even if the standings, right now, don’t look a whole lot different from other years. Definition of desperate: Team Canada has expanded its search for three goaltenders as the deadline approaches in early December for the Four Nations tournament in Montreal and Boston. The new flavour of the day is Joey Daccord of the Seattle Kraken, who isn’t even a Canadian. He’s from outside Boston. His father was born in Canada. His mother is from Switzerland. But they can manipulate the rules, as the Canadian Olympic Committee has done on numerous occasions, to get him in. So it’s probably Daccord and St.. Louis netminder Jordan Binnington and one of Adin Hill, Sam Montembeault, Cam Talbot, Logan Thompson, and Mackenzie Blackwood as the third goalie. I’m told there’s no interest in Edmonton’s Stuart Skinner. The truth on the third goalie, no matter who it is: It’s a short tournament as will be the Olympics one year later. If you need to play your third goalie, it means you’re not contending ... The GMs for the Four Nations event are not happy about the Dec. 4 deadline to name their roster. They’d like more time, six more weeks maybe, but they’re not going to get it. The date was negotiated by the NHL and NHL Players’ Association, ostensibly to give the majority of players who aren’t involved with the event time to book time to book their vacations ... That wasn’t ’s first trip to Germany to see the mystery doctor about his mystery injury. He previously went in the summer, along with friend and rival Connor McDavid. If I’m guessing on the Matthews injury, I’m guessing back ... When Shanahan took over as Leafs president a decade ago he met with each of the newspapers and television stations individually to talk about his open approach to building a hockey team. The Leafs, he said, would be more available and more accessible than ever before. It was a new era. And right after he said that, the Leafs cut off interviews with assistant coaches, scouts and front office personnel, hid their players more often than any team in hockey, and avoided the truth as often as possible. The Leafs now operate like a political party, attempting to control the media rather than allow it to do its job. That wasn’t the way Shanahan behaved as a player at all. He was open and available. Somehow he’s left all that behind ... There should be an NHL rule. Leafs must play on Saturday night. It throws my weekend off completely when they no Saturday game. Tom Henke had 217 saves with the Blue Jays, the most in team history. No one will ever come close to that number again. Henke should be on the Level of Excellence at Rogers Centre ... There is nothing wrong with the Blue Jays walking away from hometown boy Jordan Romano so long as they find a replacement for him who is better. That’s the challenge. And you’re trusting Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins to do that? ... There was a time when the Raptors didn’t want homegrown players on their roster. They thought it would be a distraction. It was no distraction for Romano in his time pitching for the Jays. He embraced being the hometown guy. He loved talking about it. He welcomed the challenge. Not only will it be difficult to replace Romano the pitcher, third overall in saves in history, it will just as difficult to replace Romano the person from the Blue Jays clubhouse ... By the way, the top Canadian on the Raptors, R.J. Barrett is playing the best basketball of his life right now ... Raptors are caught in an unusual squeeze of sorts. The better they play, the more games they win, the more they damage their draft position. The best thing for the Raptors: Find a way to lose close games and excite the fanbase all at the same time. Players won’t naturally tank. That’s not how athletes work. But management can help push in one direction or the other ... So if you’re Masai Ujiri, what do you do – keep Jakob Poeltl long-term or trade him now when his value is about as high as it will ever be ... And yes, that was Raptors general manager Bobby Webster at the Argos Grey Cup celebration at Maple Leaf Square, wearing an Argos baseball cap. This is all part of the new MLSE: All teams supporting each other ...This Vince Carter celebration has gone just a little too far. There are Carter T-shirts for sale, Carter jerseys, and the tournament court is in Carter’s colours. The Raptors are celebrating mediocrity: Carter played 418 games for the Raptors, winning one playoff series, and never finishing higher than 10th in MVP voting, the team averaged 44 wins a season with Carter. Pretty low bar for all that’s being spent on this ... Kawhi Leonard played 84 games for the Raptors. They won a championship in his only season. He won the Finals MVP. The team won 58 of the games he played in. He was won and done, playing just under .700 basketball here. Now, that’s something worth selling T-shirts and retiring jerseys about ...If you combine the Jets and the Giants, could you make one competent NFL team? Or are they still lacking at quarterback? If the vote for the Hart Trophy was taken today, Kirill Kaprizov of the Minnesota Wild would win the NHL’s MVP. Which is something completely new. No Minnesota player, not a North Star or a Wild, has won the Hart Trophy or even been close. Bobby Smith did finish 10th in Hart voting 42 years ago. So there is that ... The usual contenders around Kaprizov through the first quarter of the season: The regulars, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Connor Hellebuyck, and Nikita Kucherov. And Connor McDavid, nine points behind the scoring leader, hasn’t really gotten going yet ... I don’t see how you find a place for veterans John Tavares or Steven Stamkos on Team Canada much as you sentimentally want to. Tavares can’t play centre ahead of MacKinnon, McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Brayden Point, Sam Bennett or Mark Scheifele. And Stamkos can’t play wing ahead of Sam Reinhart, Marner, Travis Konecny, Alexis Lafreniere, Anthony Cirelli, or even those who might not get picked like Wyatt Johnston, Matt Barzal or Zach Hyman. Be interesting to see what Canada does with Brad Marchand, who was an early pick for the roster, but hasn’t played to form in this rather disappointing Bruins season ... What a time to need a coach in hockey: Joel Quenneville is available. The recently fired Jim Montgomery is available. The soon to be fired, Mike Sullivan, will likely be available. So those who are waiting for jobs, like Gerard Gallant or Jay Woodcroft or Bruce Boudreau, might be waiting for a while ... Outside of David Pastrnak, do the Bruins have a single dangerous forward? And the coach gets fired because the roster isn’t good enough ... What to do with Tavares in the future: Bring in a $7 million centre. Pay Tavares $4 million a year. That means you’ll be his $11 million on two centres instead of one ... Best athletic performers I’ve ever watched live, in no particular order: Bobby Orr, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Connor McDavid, Patrick Mahomes, LeBron James, Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Mike Trout, Sugar Ray Leonard, Barry Bonds, Usain Bolt, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, John Elway, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Steph Curry, Guy Lafleur, Crosby, Barry Sanders, Mario Lemieux. And I’m leaving out way too man. What you don’t see much of in hockey today — pencil thin goaltenders. Dustin Wolf weighs 166 pounds soaking wet. He’s 8-2-1 as a rookie with the , the early runaway leader for the Calder Trophy. The Flames have 25 points after 20 games, way more than expected and the same numbers as the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers and defending President’s Trophy-winning New York Rangers ... An NHL coach on why so many teams are great one night, not so great the next: “You can’t do it every night over the season. Almost every team drifts in and out during the season. All of them except Carolina, really. And this year, Winnipeg.” ... Canadian tennis in decline: Felix Auger-Aliassime, once ranked sixth in the world, will finish this year at 29. Denis Shapovalov, once as high as No. 10, is now at 56. The almost always-injured Milos Raonic and Bianca Andreescu, both former Top 10 players, are not in the Top 100 anymore. Leylah Annie Fernandez will end the year at 31st after a high of 13th ... How and when did 50-yard field goals become chip shots? Like when did this happen? ... So Joel Embiid seems more concerned about who leaked the fact the Philadelphia 76ers had a players-only meeting to discuss Joel Embiid than he is with the fact the Sixers are 3-12 to start the season. Nick Nurse might be operating on borrowed time in Philly ... If personnel man John Murphy is leaving the Argos, and that seems apparent, then the club would be smart to avoid having Grey Cup coach Ryan Dinwiddie serve as general manager. Dinwiddie would like the GM job. But most coaches can’t seem to pull off the double anymore – there’s too much work to be done in either one of those jobs to stay on top of everything ... Grey Cup MVP Nick Arbuckle can stay with the Argos next season behind Chad Kelly but the team can’t afford, salary cap wise, to pay him much. Odds are, Arbuckle will play elsewhere in the CFL next season then return to the Argos later to coach with Dinwiddie ... Do you become a legend if you beat a legend in the Grey Cup twice? The championship scorecard in head-to-head matches: Coach Dinwiddie 2, Mike O’Shea 0. O’Shea is far and away and the most successful coach in the CFL ... How hard is it for a Canadian to rush for 1,000 yards in the NFL? Well, it’s only happened once. Ever. Thirty-eight years ago. Rueben Mayes of North Battleford, Sask, ran for 1,353 yards with the New Orleans Saints as a rookie. Since then, nobody has. But here’s Chuba Hubbard, from outside Edmonton, close to becoming the second Canadian to hit the 1,000-yard mark. He’s at 811 yards in Carolina with seven games to play ... Happy birthday to Oscar Robertson (86), Jeremy Swayman (26), Billie Jean King (81), Arland Bruce (47), Justin Turner (40) Jack McKeon (94), Eddie Johnston (89), Saku Koivu (50), Todd Brooker (65), Asafa Powell (42), Keith Primeau (53) and Gabriel Landeskog (32) ... And hey, whatever became of Gregg Zaun?The blame game has begun as Labor struggles to clear a logjam of legislation before the federal election. or signup to continue reading With 30 or so bills still before parliament and just one sitting week left in 2024, the Albanese government has taken aim at the Greens for stalling legislation. The minor party's objection to the Help to Buy shared equity scheme and incentives for build-to-rent have ignited Labor's ire as the government prepares to bring the bills for a final vote in the Senate in the upcoming days. "The Greens are going to the next election either as an effective party of protest, that has blocked and delayed action on things they say are important to them, or as a party that lets the government get on with addressing the housing needs of Australia," Housing Minister Clare O'Neil told ABC Radio on Monday. The two housing bills have struggled to attract the support of the opposition or the Greens, with Labor knocking back fresh demands from the minor party. Central to the Greens' updated position is funding for 25,000 "shovel-ready" homes not given the go-ahead under the first round of the Housing Australia Future Fund. Greens housing spokesman Max Chandler-Mather said his party had designed "a compromise offer that is popular, achievable and easy to accept, it requires no new legislation and sits broadly within government policy". Labor insists the demand is unlawful and would result in the construction of million-dollar homes that are not value for money and could try push through the bill without support from the Greens. "The time for this negotiation and conversation was six months ago," Ms O'Neil said. The federal government's attack on the Greens follows the Queensland state election. The minor party lost a seat in the October contest, bolstering hopes for a Labor resurgence in the state at the upcoming federal election. Meanwhile, the federal government will try court the opposition's support for its migration bill, which could result in the deportation of more than 80,000 people. A friendless crackdown on misinformation and disinformation has been shelved and gambling reforms have been pushed into 2025. Other proposals to establish an environment protection agency and cap the number of foreign student arrivals have reached a stalemate and cabinet minister have continued to point fingers. "You have populist, vote-grabbing parties like the Greens and the coalition," Resources Minister Madeleine King told ABC Radio. "We're trying to do the right thing for the Australian community, whereas they want to block this to be able to put out another TikTok. "It's absolutely disgraceful." To Labor's relief, the government is expecting wins on its aged care reforms and its social media age limit, with the former expected to attract opposition support. Under world-first legislation, Australians younger than 16 will be banned from social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit and X. Labor will also be spruiking its Future Made in Australia plan, with its hydrogen and critical minerals production tax incentives to be introduced to parliament on Monday. The federal election is due to be held by May 17. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. 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Analysis: If Jets don't want Rodgers, others willYukinari Sugawara's handball results in a penalty, where Mohamed Salah completes his brace to give Liverpool a 3-2 lead over Southampton late in the second half at St. Mary's. A moment of madness from Alex McCarthy allows Mohamed Salah to tuck away Liverpool's second goal of the match to make it 2-2 in the second half at St. Mary's. St. Mary's is rocking as Mateus Fernandes finishes off the Southampton counter attack in style to give the Saints a shock 2-1 lead over Liverpool. Adam Armstrong's penalty is saved by Caoimhin Kelleher, but he gets his own rebound to tuck away Southampton's equalizer against Liverpool at St. Mary's. A comedy of errors from the Saints results in Dominik Szoboszlai slotting home Liverpool's opener at St. Mary's. Jon Champion and Graeme Le Saux preview Manchester United's Matchweek 12 showdown against Ipswich Town, where Ruben Amorim will manage the Red Devils for the first time. David Ornstein joins Rebecca Lowe to share the latest news regarding the on-going investigation into Premier League referee David Coote's comments and potential violations stemming from viral social media videos. David Ornstein joins Rebecca Lowe to unpack Manchester City's struggles so far this season and if there is a light at the end of the tunnel for Pep Guardiola's side. Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim sits down with Gary Neville to discuss his start at the club and the vision he has for the Red Devils moving forward. Rebecca Lowe, Robbie Earle, and Tim Howard discuss the state of Manchester City following their fifth-straight loss in all competitions and their chances of competing with Liverpool in the title race. Rebecca Lowe, Robbie Earle, and Tim Howard reflect on a busy Saturday slate, including Spurs' shock win over Man City, Arsenal's 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest, Chelsea's victory over Leicester City, and more. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola speaks to the media following his side's shock 4-0 loss to Spurs at the Etihad in Matchweek 12. Rebecca Lowe, Robbie Earle, and Tim Howard have a roundtable discussion regarding the job Pep Guardiola has to do to fix Manchester City's issues before they fall too far behind Liverpool in the title race.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are falling apart. The team that has seven wins in 23 games is devolving into a disorganized group of players whose poor defensive zone coverage only serves to mask a weak-willed team that has laid down for opponents so often that it seems like their natural position. It might be one thing to be outclassed or boat-raced by heavyweight teams such as the Dallas Stars or Winnipeg Jets, but it’s another entirely to give away three-goal leads to the likes of the lowly San Jose Sharks or cower meekly to the Utah Something Somethings, who employed a pair of aging former Penguins defensemen in their top-four (Ian Cole and Olli Maatta) and still sport a losing record. Indeed, the Penguins’ melodrama continues to defy the belief that they’ve hit rock bottom by digging deeper with each passing game. An extended homestand with seven of eight games at PPG Paints Arena has only served to showcase exasperated fans and a disheartened team with a few disinterested players. Something has to give. Either coach Mike Sullivan is relieved of duties, or general manager Kyle Dubas trades away a couple of incorrigible players. Defenseman Erik Karlsson’s interest in the Penguins situation seems to be waning. The number of times in recent games that goals against are attributable to his effort or defensive mistakes is staggering. Our recent breakdown of the Penguins’ horrendous mistakes against Tampa Bay last Tuesday was not kind to Karlsson. There were more examples yet to come against Winnipeg on Friday, and there are far too many examples of dreadful Karlsson performances this season. The Karlsson situation seems to be careening toward a level not seen since Phil Kessel’s last days with the Penguins in 2019 when Kessel clashed with coaches and eventually teammates over his head-strong refusal of structure in favor of himself. In fact, the entire Penguins’ blue line is beleaguered. Kris Letang is significantly off from his expected production. Marcus Pettersson is a bit overwhelmed from covering for Karlsson, while Ryan Graves and Jack St. Ivany haven’t been good (Graves up, then way down before becoming a healthy scratch for several games). Matt Grzelcyk has been disappointing, as he has too often been caught puck-watching instead of defending. Utah’s first goal Saturday was a prime example of the Penguins’ breakdowns. Grzelcyk left his post to help Graves who was chasing the puck, but neither did the job and left the net front open. The defensemen’s issues only heighten the forwards’ struggles. The Penguins have ample forwards capable of sound defensive games, but each mistake is magnified, creating nothing short of chaos. We’re left with goalie Alex Nedeljkovic challenging teammates—any teammate who is sick of feeling this way—to do something about it. Nedeljkovic said players have to pay the price to make a play. Even casual observers can see that an attitude that has evaporated from the Penguins roster. “It sucks ... the only other way I can say it is if we want to stop feeling like this after games, if we want to stop getting embarrassed at home, do something about it,” Nedeljkovic said. “I don’t know. Pay a price. Do something else. Feel something else. Like, anything else.” In a couple of weeks, Sullivan will have been on the job for 10 years, which is an eternity plus infinity for a hockey coach. Even a couple of weeks ago, it would have been incorrect to say he had lost the locker room. However, it’s becoming clear that the locker room has lost the locker room, and Sullivan doesn’t appear to be able to get it back. Disheartened and discouraged players no longer have answers as to how to fix this mess. It would seem that more than a few players realize that Dubas’s roster was not good enough to win anything but participation trophies. Pride has gone away, too. After the team lost yet another 2-0 lead Tuesday against Tampa Bay, Sullivan ripped into his team. “Because we have to compete harder. We need more guys to compete harder and pay more attention to detail,” Sullivan said. “And we need to take more pride in playing defense.” It’s unfair to blame a coach for a poorly constructed roster, but it’s not unfair to lay blame for a team that is checking out or that lacks pride. The team should be much better than that and should have been good enough to remain on the periphery of the wild card race instead of the dubious race for the most ping-pong balls in the NHL Draft Lottery. The public perceptions that Sullivan hasn’t made changes are wildly inaccurate. The public outcry that Sullivan won’t play young players has been debunked by evidence that has largely been ignored. However, none of those issues matter if the team routinely quits, as they did Friday and Saturday. Life isn’t fair, and the Penguins badly need a jolt to salvage part of their season. It goes far beyond mere wins and losses, but to atmosphere, too. As part of the Penguins player development and thrust to get younger, it would be harmful to drop prospects into this souring stew of discontent and disappointment. Dubas and ownership told captain Sidney Crosby things would be better this season, and the Penguins would maintain a competitive roster but also try to revamp it as quickly as possible. Crosby re-upped for two more years after this one. Even Crosby’s voice is soft as he struggles to find words to describe what is going on. While Dubas has tried to plan for the future without a full teardown, the results of his roster construction are identical as losses pile up. In fact, there are no solutions except significant roster changes or an attempt to change the locker room dynamic by changing the head coach. “It’s not an easy experience to go through–what we’re going through. And so the biggest thing for me is to try to inspire these guys and make sure that we don’t we don’t give in to our emotions, that we’ve got to have some resilience to us,” Sullivan said on Saturday. It seems that ship has already sailed. The Penguins have buckled, and the few players who need to be inspired have chosen against it. No, life isn’t fair. A new coach would still have to deal with an inadequate defense corps and veterans losing faith. Changing coaches isn’t the panacea that many fans assume, and after the first 10 or 20 games, everything returns to normal. For the Penguins, that’s not good. We’ve reached the point where fans are tuning out and not showing up. They’re beyond angry and reaching indifference, which is very bad for business. While attendance was solid on Saturday, it was a mere 15,232 on Friday, with even fewer fans actually in the building. Expect attendance to nosedive as people decide to spend their money elsewhere rather than invest their emotions into a team that isn’t doing the same. So, to paraphrase Nedeljkovic, someone has to do something—anything. Changes need to be made if they don’t want to feel this way anymore. This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Hockey Now and was syndicated with permission.WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump offered a public show of support Friday for Pete Hegseth, his choice to lead the Defense Department, whose confirmation by the Senate is in doubt as he faces questions over allegations of excessive drinking, sexual assault and his views on women in combat roles. Hegseth, a former Fox News host, Army National Guard major and combat veteran, spent much of the week on Capitol Hill trying to salvage his Cabinet nomination and privately reassure Republican senators that he is fit to lead Trump's Pentagon. "Pete Hegseth is doing very well," Trump posted on his social media site. "He will be a fantastic, high energy, Secretary of Defense." The president added that "Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!" Trump also told NBC's “Meet the Press” in an interview recorded Friday that he believes Hegseth will be confirmed and that he still has confidence in him. “Pete is doing well now,” the president-elect said in an excerpt of the interview set to air Sunday. “I mean, people were a little bit concerned. He's a young guy with a tremendous track record.” The nomination battle is emerging not only as a debate about the best person to lead the Pentagon, but an inflection point for a MAGA movement that appears to be relishing a public fight over its hard-line push for a more masculine military and an end to the "woke-ism" of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be defense secretary, responds to reporters during a meeting with Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Military leaders are rattled by a list of “woke” senior officers that a conservative group urged Hegseth to dismiss for promoting diversity in the ranks if he is confirmed to lead the Pentagon. The list compiled by the American Accountability Foundation includes 20 general officers or senior admirals and a disproportionate number of female officers. Those on the list in many cases seem to be targeted for public comments they made either in interviews or at events on diversity, and in some cases for retweeting posts that promote diversity. Tom Jones, a former aide to Republican senators who leads the foundation, said Friday those on the list are “pretty egregious” advocates for diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, policies, which he called problematic. “The nominee has been pretty clear that that has no place in the military,” Jones said of Hegseth. Hegseth embraced Trump’s effort to end programs that promote diversity in the ranks and fire those who reflect those values. Other Trump picks, like Kash Patel for FBI director, suggested targeting those in government who are not aligned with Trump. Trump's allies forcefully rallied around Hegseth — the Heritage Foundation's political arm promised to spend $1 million to shore up his nomination — as he vows to stay in the fight, as long as the president-elect wants him to. Vice President-elect JD Vance offers a public show of support for Pete Hegseth, the embattled choice to lead the Defense Department. "We're not abandoning this nomination," Vance told reporters during a tour of western North Carolina. "We're not abandoning this nomination," Vice-President-elect JD Vance said as he toured post-hurricane North Carolina. He said he spoke with GOP senators and believes Hegseth will be confirmed. The effort became a test of how far loyalty for the president-elect goes with Republican senators who have concerns about his nominees. Two of Trump's other choices stepped aside as they faced intense scrutiny: former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., his first choice for attorney general, and Chad Chronister, a Florida sheriff who was Trump's first choice to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration. Hegseth faces resistance from senators as reports emerged about his past, including the revelation that he made a settlement payment after being accused of a sexual assault that he denies. He promised not to drink on the job and told lawmakers he never engaged in sexual misconduct, even as his professional views on female troops came under intensifying scrutiny. He said as recently as last month that women "straight up" should not serve in combat. He picked up one important endorsement from Republican Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama, whose support was seen as a potentially powerful counterweight to the cooler reception Hegseth received from Sen. Joni Ernst, a former Army National Guard lieutenant colonel. Ernst, a sexual assault survivor, stopped short of an endorsement after meeting with Hegseth this week. On Friday, Ernst posted on X that she would meet with him again next week. “At a minimum, we agree that he deserves the opportunity to lay out his vision for our warfighters at a fair hearing,” she wrote. On Friday, Trump put out the statement in response to coverage saying he lost faith in Hegseth, according to a person familiar with his thinking who was not authorized to discuss it publicly. The president-elect and his team were pleased to see Hegseth putting up a fight and his performance this week reiterates why he was chosen, the person said. They believe he can still be confirmed. Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be defense secretary, left, joined by his wife Jennifer Rauchet, attends a meeting with Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) If Hegseth goes down, Trump's transition team believes the defeat would empower others to spread what they cast as "vicious lies" against every candidate Trump chooses. Still, the team is looking at potential replacements, including former presidential rival Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. DeSantis plans to attend the Dec. 14 Army-Navy football game with Trump, according to a person familiar with the Florida governor's plans who spoke on condition of anonymity. DeSantis and Trump spoke about the defense secretary post Tuesday at a memorial service for sheriff deputies in West Palm Beach, Fla., according to people familiar with the matter who said Trump was interested in DeSantis for the post, and the governor was receptive. DeSantis is poised to select a replacement for the expected Senate vacancy to be created by Marco Rubio becoming secretary of state, and Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump is seen as the preferred choice by those in Trump's orbit. Among President-elect Donald Trump's picks are Susie Wiles for chief of staff, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, former Democratic House member Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general. Susie Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Trump named Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state, making a former sharp critic his choice to be the new administration's top diplomat. Rubio, 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket last summer. Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” Trump said of Rubio in a statement. The announcement punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom the senator called a “con man" during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. And as Trump campaigned for the presidency a third time, Rubio cheered his proposals. For instance, Rubio, who more than a decade ago helped craft immigration legislation that included a path to citizenship for people in the U.S. illegally, now supports Trump's plan to use the U.S. military for mass deportations. Pete Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend” and has been a contributor with the network since 2014, where he developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. Hegseth lacks senior military or national security experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises — ranging from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea. Hegseth is also the author of “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” published earlier this year. Trump tapped Pam Bondi, 59, to be attorney general after U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration. She was Florida's first female attorney general, serving between 2011 and 2019. She also was on Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020. Considered a loyalist, she served as part of a Trump-allied outside group that helped lay the groundwork for his future administration called the America First Policy Institute. Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. A fierce defender of Trump, she also frequently appears on Fox News and has been a critic of the criminal cases against him. Trump picked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a well-known conservative who faced sharp criticism for telling a story in her memoir about shooting a rambunctious dog, to lead an agency crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda. Noem used her two terms leading a tiny state to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics. South Dakota is usually a political afterthought. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions that other states had issued and instead declared her state “open for business.” Trump held a fireworks rally at Mount Rushmore in July 2020 in one of the first large gatherings of the pandemic. She takes over a department with a sprawling mission. In addition to key immigration agencies, the Department of Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service, and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports. The governor of North Dakota, who was once little-known outside his state, Burgum is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump, and spent months traveling to drum up support for him, after dropping out of the race. Burgum was a serious contender to be Trump’s vice presidential choice this summer. The two-term governor was seen as a possible pick because of his executive experience and business savvy. Burgum also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs. Trump made the announcement about Burgum joining his incoming administration while addressing a gala at his Mar-a-Lago club, and said a formal statement would be coming the following day. In comments to reporters before Trump took the stage, Burgum said that, in recent years, the power grid is deteriorating in many parts of the country, which he said could raise national security concerns but also drive up prices enough to increase inflation. “There's just a sense of urgency, and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration,” Burgum said. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president as a Democrat, than as an independent, and then endorsed Trump . He's the son of Democratic icon Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated during his own presidential campaign. The nomination of Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services alarmed people who are concerned about his record of spreading unfounded fears about vaccines . For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Scott Bessent, 62, is a former George Soros money manager and an advocate for deficit reduction. He's the founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management, after having worked on-and-off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary. He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trump’s campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending. “This election cycle is the last chance for the U.S. to grow our way out of this mountain of debt without becoming a sort of European-style socialist democracy,” he said then. Oregon Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her reelection bid this month, but received strong backing from union members in her district. As a potential labor secretary, she would oversee the Labor Department’s workforce, its budget and put forth priorities that impact workers’ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employer’s rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities. Chavez-DeRemer is one of few House Republicans to endorse the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and would add penalties for companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws that allow employees in more than half the states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their places of employment. Scott Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he’s yet selected for his administration, with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” Sean Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, “Fox and Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children. A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Write is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking — a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. Wright also has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.” The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States. Wright also won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump’s first term. President-elect Donald Trump tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump promised to dismantle. McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s initial term from 2017 to 2019 and twice ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut. She’s seen as a relative unknown in education circles, though she expressed support for charter schools and school choice. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. Brooke Rollins, who graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural development, is a longtime Trump associate who served as White House domestic policy chief during his first presidency. The 52-year-old is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration. She previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Trump chose Howard Lutnick, head of brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and a cryptocurrency enthusiast, as his nominee for commerce secretary, a position in which he'd have a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs. Trump made the announcement Tuesday on his social media platform, Truth Social. Lutnick is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team, along with Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration. Both are tasked with putting forward candidates for key roles in the next administration. The nomination would put Lutnick in charge of a sprawling Cabinet agency that is involved in funding new computer chip factories, imposing trade restrictions, releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. It is also a position in which connections to CEOs and the wider business community are crucial. Doug Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial, which centered on U.S. assistance for Ukraine. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential nomination, but he was acquitted by the Senate. Collins has also served in the armed forces himself and is currently a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command. "We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need," Trump said in a statement about nominating Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Karoline Leavitt, 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. The White House press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps. Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, was a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term before she became communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump's choice for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has been tapped by Trump to be director of national intelligence, keeping with the trend to stock his Cabinet with loyal personalities rather than veteran professionals in their requisite fields. Gabbard, 43, was a Democratic House member who unsuccessfully sought the party's 2020 presidential nomination before leaving the party in 2022. She endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him this fall. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community,” Trump said in a statement. Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions. Trump has picked John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who served as director of national intelligence during his first administration, to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his next. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump's first term, leading the U.S. government's spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. “I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation's highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement, calling him a “fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans” who would ensure “the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.” Kash Patel spent several years as a Justice Department prosecutor before catching the Trump administration’s attention as a staffer on Capitol Hill who helped investigate the Russia probe. Patel called for dramatically reducing the agency’s footprint, a perspective that sets him apart from earlier directors who sought additional resources for the bureau. Though the Justice Department in 2021 halted the practice of secretly seizing reporters’ phone records during leak investigations, Patel said he intends to aggressively hunt down government officials who leak information to reporters. Trump has chosen former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to serve as his pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency . Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on X , “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.” “We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,” he added. During his campaign, Trump often attacked the Biden administration's promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referring to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often told his audiences during the campaign his administration would “Drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration. In a statement, Trump said Zeldin “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.” Trump has named Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, as the new chairman of the agency tasked with regulating broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband. Carr is a longtime member of the commission and served previously as the FCC’s general counsel. He has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate three times and was nominated by both Trump and President Joe Biden to the commission. Carr made past appearances on “Fox News Channel," including when he decried Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' pre-Election Day appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” He wrote an op-ed last month defending a satellite company owned by Trump supporter Elon Musk. Trump said Atkins, the CEO of Patomak Partners and a former SEC commissioner, was a “proven leader for common sense regulations.” In the years since leaving the SEC, Atkins has made the case against too much market regulation. “He believes in the promise of robust, innovative capital markets that are responsive to the needs of Investors, & that provide capital to make our Economy the best in the World. He also recognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The commission oversees U.S. securities markets and investments and is currently led by Gary Gensler, who has been leading the U.S. government’s crackdown on the crypto industry. Gensler, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, announced last month that he would be stepping down from his post on the day that Trump is inaugurated — Jan. 20, 2025. Atkins began his career as a lawyer and has a long history working in the financial markets sector, both in government and private practice. In the 1990s, he worked on the staffs of two former SEC chairmen, Richard C. Breeden and Arthur Levitt. Jared Isaacman, 41, is a tech billionaire who bought a series of spaceflights from Elon Musk’s SpaceX and conducted the first private spacewalk . He is the founder and CEO of a card-processing company and has collaborated closely with Musk ever since buying his first chartered SpaceX flight. He took contest winners on that 2021 trip and followed it in September with a mission where he briefly popped out the hatch to test SpaceX’s new spacewalking suits. Rep. Elise Stefanik is a representative from New York and one of Trump's staunchest defenders going back to his first impeachment. Elected to the House in 2014, Stefanik was selected by her GOP House colleagues as House Republican Conference chair in 2021, when former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after publicly criticizing Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election. Stefanik, 40, has served in that role ever since as the third-ranking member of House leadership. Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile. If confirmed, she would represent American interests at the U.N. as Trump vows to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine begun in 2022. He has also called for peace as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon to target Hezbollah. President-elect Donald Trump says he's chosen former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO. Trump has expressed skepticism about the Western military alliance for years. Trump said in a statement Wednesday that Whitaker is “a strong warrior and loyal Patriot” who “will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended” and “strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability.” The choice of Whitaker as the nation’s representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an unusual one, given his background is as a lawyer and not in foreign policy. President-elect Donald Trump tapped former Sen. David Perdue of Georgia to be ambassador to China, saying in a social media post that the former CEO “brings valuable expertise to help build our relationship with China.” Perdue lost his Senate seat to Democrat Jon Ossoff four years ago and ran unsuccessfully in a primary against Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. Perdue pushed Trump's debunked lies about electoral fraud during his failed bid for governor. Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah. “He loves Israel, and likewise the people of Israel love him,” Trump said in a statement. “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East.” Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland. Trump has been praised by some in this important Republican voting bloc for moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Trump on Tuesday named real estate investor Steven Witkoff to be special envoy to the Middle East. The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect's golf partner and was golfing with him at Trump's club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination. Witkoff “is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy,” Trump said of Witkoff in a statement. “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud." Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee. Trump said Wednesday that he will nominate Gen. Keith Kellogg to serve as assistant to the president and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as National Security Advisor to Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence. For the America First Policy Institute, one of several groups formed after Trump left office to help lay the groundwork for the next Republican administration, Kellogg in April wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.” (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) Trump asked Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, Trump announced in a statement Tuesday. The move puts Waltz in the middle of national security crises, ranging from efforts to provide weapons to Ukraine and worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah. “Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda,” Trump's statement said, "and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!” Waltz is a three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs. He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population. Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner , was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump's priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump's first administration. Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump's policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families. Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation's economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people who are in the United States illegally. Since Trump left office in 2021, Miller has served as the president of America First Legal, an organization made up of former Trump advisers aimed at challenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others over issues such as free speech and national security. Thomas Homan, 62, has been tasked with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history. Homan, who served under Trump in his first administration leading U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was widely expected to be offered a position related to the border, an issue Trump made central to his campaign. Though Homan has insisted such a massive undertaking would be humane, he has long been a loyal supporter of Trump's policy proposals, suggesting at a July conference in Washington that he would be willing to "run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.” Democrats have criticized Homan for his defending Trump's “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border. Customs and Border Protection, with its roughly 60,000 employees, falls under the Department of Homeland Security. It includes the Border Patrol, which Rodney Scott led during Trump's first term, and is essentially responsible for protecting the country's borders while facilitating trade and travel. Scott comes to the job firmly from the Border Patrol side of the house. He became an agent in 1992 and spent much of his career in San Diego. When he was appointed head of the border agency in January 2020, he enthusiastically embraced Trump's policies. After being forced out under the Biden administration, Scott has been a vocal supporter of Trump's hard-line immigration agenda. He appeared frequently on Fox News and testified in Congress. He's also a senior fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Former Rep. Billy Long represented Missouri in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2023. Since leaving Congress, Trump said, Long “has worked as a Business and Tax advisor, helping Small Businesses navigate the complexities of complying with the IRS Rules and Regulations.” Former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler was appointed in January 2020 by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and then lost a runoff election a year later. She started a conservative voter registration organization and dived into GOP fundraising, becoming one of the top individual donors and bundlers to Trump’s 2024 comeback campaign. Even before nominating her for agriculture secretary, the president-elect already had tapped Loeffler as co-chair of his inaugural committee. Dr. Mehmet Oz, 64, is a former heart surgeon who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show,” a long-running daytime television talk show. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of Trump, who endorsed Oz's bid for elected office. Elon Musk, left, and Vivek Ramaswamy speak before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at an Oct. 27 campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York. Trump on Tuesday said Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency" — which is not, despite the name, a government agency. The acronym “DOGE” is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said Musk and Ramaswamy will work from outside the government to offer the White House “advice and guidance” and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.” He added the move would shock government systems. It's not clear how the organization will operate. Musk, owner of X and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been a constant presence at Mar-a-Lago since Trump won the presidential election. Ramaswamy suspended his campaign in January and threw his support behind Trump. Trump said the two will “pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” Russell Vought held the position during Trump’s first presidency. After Trump’s initial term ended, Vought founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as “renew a consensus of America as a nation under God.” Vought was closely involved with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that he tried to distance himself from during the campaign. Vought has also previously worked as the executive and budget director for the Republican Study Committee, a caucus for conservative House Republicans. He also worked at Heritage Action, the political group tied to The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Dan Scavino, deputy chief of staff Scavino, whom Trump's transition referred to in a statement as one of “Trump's longest serving and most trusted aides,” was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign, as well as his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president. Scavino had run Trump's social media profile in the White House during his first administration. He was also held in contempt of Congress in 2022 after a month-long refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. James Blair, deputy chief of staff Blair was political director for Trump's 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee. He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and assistant to the president. Blair was key to Trump's economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign this year, a driving force behind the candidate's “Trump can fix it” slogan and his query to audiences this fall if they were better off than four years ago. Taylor Budowich, deputy chief of staff Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again, Inc., a super PAC that supported Trump's 2024 campaign. He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president. Budowich also had served as a spokesman for Trump after his presidency. Jay Bhattacharya, National Institutes of Health Trump has chosen Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health. Bhattacharya is a physician and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, and is a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates. He promoted the idea of herd immunity during the pandemic, arguing that people at low risk should live normally while building up immunity to COVID-19 through infection. The National Institutes of Health funds medical research through competitive grants to researchers at institutions throughout the nation. NIH also conducts its own research with thousands of scientists working at its labs in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Marty Makary, Food and Drug Administration Makary is a Johns Hopkins surgeon and author who argued against pandemic lockdowns. He routinely appeared on Fox News during the COVID-19 pandemic and wrote opinion articles questioning masks for children. He cast doubt on vaccine mandates but supported vaccines generally. Makary also cast doubt on whether booster shots worked, which was against federal recommendations on the vaccine. Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Surgeon General Nesheiwat is a general practitioner who serves as medical director for CityMD, a network of urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey. She has been a contributor to Fox News. Dr. Dave Weldon, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Weldon is a former Florida congressman who recently ran for a Florida state legislative seat and lost; Trump backed Weldon’s opponent. In Congress, Weldon weighed in on one of the nation’s most heated debates of the 1990s over quality of life and a right-to-die and whether Terri Schiavo, who was in a persistent vegetative state after cardiac arrest, should have been allowed to have her feeding tube removed. He sided with the parents who did not want it removed. Jamieson Greer, U.S. trade representative Kevin Hassett, Director of the White House National Economic Council Trump is turning to two officials with experience navigating not only Washington but the key issues of income taxes and tariffs as he fills out his economic team. He announced he has chosen international trade attorney Jamieson Greer to be his U.S. trade representative and Kevin Hassett as director of the White House National Economic Council. While Trump has in several cases nominated outsiders to key posts, these picks reflect a recognition that his reputation will likely hinge on restoring the public’s confidence in the economy. Trump said in a statement that Greer was instrumental in his first term in imposing tariffs on China and others and replacing the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, “therefore making it much better for American Workers.” Hassett, 62, served in the first Trump term as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. He has a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and worked at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute before joining the Trump White House in 2017. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.

British Columbia’s new official Opposition leader is facing the first major test of his leadership. Thirteen BC Conservative MLAs have written a letter to Leader John Rustad demanding action to restore “confidence in the core values” of the Conservative caucus, and singling out one of their caucus colleagues. The letter, first obtained by CKNW Radio host Jas Johal , comes just weeks after the fledgling BC Conservative party came within three seats of forming a majority government in B.C.’s provincial election. The issue revolves around Surrey-Cloverdale Conservative MLA Elenore Sturko’s response to the Nov. 22 ouster of Vancouver Police Board vice-chair Comfort Sakoma-Fadugba, following a series of posts she made on social media. In screenshots of the Instagram stories posted to Reddit , Sakoma-Fadugba suggested Christianity underpins Canadian culture and values, raised concerns about secular education “erasing Christian values from the lives of our children,” and mused that exposure to Diwali celebrations in schools could lead to Hinduism becoming the “dominant cultural influence.” The posts also raised concerns about gender transitioning among children and a “woke culture that pits children against their parents,” and criticized “mass immigration” and a “growing aversion to assimilation.” Police board Chair Frank Chong subsequently said he asked for Sakoma-Fadugba’s resignation, stating the social media posts “do not reflect the value of the Board and are inconsistent with our code of conduct.” In their letter to Rustad, the MLAs express dismay that Sturko subsequently appeared in a CBC interview where she “endorsed the resignation on the basis that these views were ‘offensive’ and undermined trust in police.” “Under your leadership, the Conservative Party of BC has consistently denounced ‘cancel culture’ and stood for the Charter rights of British Columbians to enjoy free expression and freedom of religion,” the letter states. The MLAs then add that “there are unanswered questions regarding the extent to which Ms. Sturko’s statements were vetted in advance by senior staff.” The letter claims Sturko’s comments caused Sakoma-Fadugba “undue harm” and calls on Rustad to “invite” the Surrey MLA to apologize to her and to “advance conciliatory discussions” with the former board member. In the alternative, it asks Rustad to apologize on the party’s behalf. Rustad has previously pledged that his MLAs would be free to speak their minds. Signatories to the letter include MLAs from around the province, including South Surrey MLA Bruce Chapman who was forced to apologize for resurfaced social media comments in which he called Palestinians “little inbred walking talking breathing time bombs.” Sturko declined to comment, while Rustad’s communications staff said there was no update to share at this time. The full list of signatories includes:3 Possible Social Security Checks in November 2024? Here's WhyA chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Toyin Amuzu, has called for the immediate release of Gaffar Asaolu, political aide to Oladipupo Adebutu, the party’s governorship candidate in the 2023 general elections. The Ogun State Police Command arrested Asaolu over allegations of involvement in violence during last Saturday’s local government elections. In a statement issued on Sunday in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, Amuzu condemned what he described as the “arbitrary arrest and detention” of Asaolu, demanding his unconditional release. “The continuous detention of the Director of Finance of the Atiku-Okowa Campaign Committee in the 2023 general elections, on trumped-up charges, is unfair and unjust,” Amuzu stated. The PDP chieftain accused Governor Dapo Abiodun of orchestrating Asaolu’s arrest, describing it as a political witch-hunt aimed at silencing opposition voices. He urged the governor to prioritize addressing the state’s growing security concerns rather than targeting members of the opposition party. “Governor Abiodun should focus on the pressing security challenges in Ogun State instead of engaging in the political victimization of PDP members. The alleged killer squad tag and unfair treatment of Asaolu are unjustifiable,” Amuzu said. Amuzu also referenced Adebutu’s own run-ins with law enforcement, noting that the governorship candidate had been arrested twice by the Department of State Services (DSS) and the police. He suggested that Asaolu’s detention is connected to his association with Adebutu. He said that Adebutu was later released when no evidence was found against him, while Asaolu remains in detention, pointing out that “this is a clear case of political persecution and an affront to democracy” “The government should focus on addressing the real security challenges facing our state, which include ritual killings, cult clashes and killings, robbery, kidnapping, and political violence especially from the ruling party rather than harassing innocent citizens,” Amuzu added in the statement. . He, therefore, called on the state government to respect the Rule of Law and ensure that all citizens are treated fairly and justly. “The illegal arrest and detention of citizens without sufficient evidence is a clear violation of their fundamental human rights. The people of Ogun State deserve better, and it’s time for the government to take action to address the growing security concerns and put an end to political witch-hunts”, the 2023 House of Representatives PDP candidate submitted.

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Mercedes goes 1-2 at Las Vegas Grand Prix; Verstappen claims championshipPETALING JAYA: The passing of Seniman Negara and renowned composer Tan Sri Ahmad Nawab (pic), whose contributions greatly enriched the local music scene, has been described as a great loss to the nation. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, in sharing his thoughts on social media, expressed profound sadness upon receiving the news. He described Ahmad Nawab’s legacy as both a cultural treasure and a unifying force within Malaysian society. “Tan Sri Ahmad Nawab was not just an exceptional composer and musician; he was the soul of Malaysian arts, touching the hearts of millions with his poetic works that were full of beauty and meaning. “His contributions will always be remembered as those of a legend without equal,” Anwar wrote on the passing of the artiste yesterday. The Prime Minister also extended his condolences to Ahmad Nawab’s family and offered his prayers. Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil also honoured the late artiste, noting that the local music industry has lost a priceless gem who had made immense contributions to the field. “Since the 1950s, he composed over 2,000 songs, produced more than 200 albums, and nurtured many prominent names in the world of music. “He served with the Radio Televisyen Malaysia Orchestra for 17 years and was awarded the title of seventh National Artiste in 2006. “This loss is certainly felt, not only by industry players, but also by fans and the local music industry in general,” he said. Ahmad Nawab, whose real name was Ahmad Khan Nawab Khan, passed away yesterday at the age of 92 at his residence in Taman Melewar, Gombak. His burial is set for this morning at the Raudhatul Sakinah Islamic Cemetery in Kuala Lumpur-Karak.

Bryan Johnson, the visionary entrepreneur and founder of Kernel and Braintree, has shared his passion for books that challenge conventional wisdom, inspire introspection, and offer transformative insights. Here’s a curated list of 15 life-changing books recommended by Johnson, each offering profound lessons for personal growth, understanding human behaviour, and exploring the mysteries of life. Also Read: 6 Life-Changing Books Recommended by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang 1. Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl In this timeless classic, Viktor Frankl reflects on his harrowing experiences as a Holocaust survivor, uncovering the profound power of purpose. By exploring how individuals can find meaning even in the darkest circumstances, this book inspires readers to embrace resilience and courage. It’s an essential guide for understanding the human spirit and its ability to overcome unimaginable suffering. 2. Principles by Ray Dalio Ray Dalio, the legendary investor, shares the principles that guided his extraordinary success. Combining practical advice with deep reflections on failure, 'Principles' provides a framework for decision-making and personal growth. Dalio’s wisdom encourages readers to cultivate curiosity, embrace radical transparency, and continuously strive for improvement in both professional and personal endeavours. 3. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman delves into the two systems of human thought: the fast, intuitive system and the slow, deliberate one. This groundbreaking book explores how biases shape our decisions and offers tools to make better choices. It’s a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the complexities of human thinking and improve decision-making processes. 4. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse Hermann Hesse’s 'Siddhartha' follows the spiritual journey of a young man in ancient India seeking enlightenment. Through poetic prose, this novel explores themes of self-discovery, inner peace, and the interconnectedness of life. A deeply moving narrative, it invites readers to reflect on their own paths to wisdom and fulfilment. 5. Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst by Robert Sapolsky Robert Sapolsky’s 'Behave' masterfully combines neuroscience, psychology, and evolutionary biology to explore the factors influencing human behaviour. From genetics to social context, Sapolsky offers a comprehensive understanding of why we act the way we do. This book is a thought-provoking examination of the complexity of human nature. 6. How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan Michael Pollan investigates the transformative potential of psychedelics, blending science, history, and personal anecdotes. This groundbreaking exploration challenges preconceived notions about consciousness and mental health. 'How to Change Your Mind' is a fascinating read for those curious about the mind’s vast potential and the therapeutic possibilities of altered states. 7. But What If We’re Wrong? by Chuck Klosterman Chuck Klosterman invites readers to question long-held assumptions about culture, history, and reality. With wit and intellectual rigour, he examines how the future might reinterpret the present. This book encourages critical thinking and challenges readers to consider how their beliefs may shift over time. 8. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig Part memoir, part philosophical inquiry, this classic explores the pursuit of quality and the balance between technology and human connection. Through a father-son road trip, Pirsig delves into the meaning of life, art, and craftsmanship. It’s a profound meditation on the intersections of logic, emotion, and spirituality. 9. Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing Alfred Lansing recounts the legendary Antarctic expedition led by Ernest Shackleton, where survival against all odds defined the crew’s journey. 'Endurance' is an inspiring tale of leadership, teamwork, and resilience. It’s a gripping narrative that reminds readers of humanity’s indomitable spirit in the face of adversity. 10. A Mind at Play by Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman This biography of Claude Shannon, the father of information theory, highlights his groundbreaking contributions to technology and his creative genius. 'A Mind at Play' explores the interplay between work and imagination, offering valuable insights into the power of curiosity and intellectual freedom. 11. The End of Science by John Horgan John Horgan provocatively examines whether science has reached its limits in answering humanity’s biggest questions. By interviewing leading scientists, Horgan explores the boundaries of knowledge and the future of scientific discovery. This book challenges readers to ponder the possibilities and constraints of human understanding. 12. A Good Man by Ani Katz Ani Katz crafts a haunting psychological drama in 'A Good Man', exploring themes of family, perception, and identity. The novel dives into the dark recesses of the human psyche, unraveling the complexities of moral choices. Katz’s storytelling offers a gripping and unsettling look at the fragile boundaries of human behaviour. 13. Deviate: The Science of Seeing Differently by Beau Lotto Neuroscientist Beau Lotto challenges readers to rethink perception and embrace uncertainty. Deviate explores how understanding the brain’s interpretative processes can unlock creativity and innovation. This book inspires readers to view the world through a new lens, encouraging exploration and adaptability. 14. When Einstein Walked with Gödel by Jim Holt Jim Holt’s collection of essays explores the intersections of mathematics, philosophy, and science. With wit and intellectual depth, Holt examines the lives and ideas of groundbreaking thinkers like Einstein and Gödel. This book is a stimulating read for those intrigued by the mysteries of the universe. 15. Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea by Charles Seife Charles Seife delves into the history and impact of zero, tracing its journey from ancient civilizations to modern mathematics and science. Zero reveals how this seemingly simple concept has shaped humanity’s understanding of the universe. It’s a fascinating exploration of the power of ideas to transform knowledge. Read More: 20 Life-Changing Books Recommended by Malcolm Gladwell These 15 books, recommended by Bryan Johnson, offer a treasure trove of wisdom and inspiration. Spanning diverse genres and topics, they encourage readers to expand their perspectives, question assumptions, and embark on journeys of intellectual and personal growth. Whether you seek profound insights into human behaviour or a deeper understanding of the universe, these books promise transformative experiences that resonate long after the last page is turned. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Features, Lifestyle and around the world.