pomni digital circus
pomni digital circus
pomni digital circus
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan gave athletic director Warde Manuel a five-year contract extension Thursday on the heels of the Wolverines' upset over rival Ohio State and a strong start to the basketball season. Manuel, who has held the position since 2016, signed through June 30, 2030, the school announced. Manuel is also chairman of the College Football Playoff selection committee. “During Warde’s tenure as director, Athletics has put a structure in place where our student-athletes compete for Big Ten and national championships, excel in the classroom, and proudly graduate with their University of Michigan degrees,” university President Santa J. Ono said in the announcement. Michigan had a disappointing football season, finishing 7-5 (5-4 Big Ten), but a 13-10 win over then-No. 2 Ohio State took some pressure off of the program. The Buckeyes were favored by 21 points, the widest point spread for the rivalry since 1978, according to ESPN Stats and Info. The Wolverines won the national championship last year in their final season led by coach Jim Harbaugh, whose tenure at the school involved multiple NCAA investigations for recruiting and sign-stealing allegations. Manuel supported Harbaugh through those processes. In basketball, the women's team made its season debut (No. 23) in the AP Top 25 this week. The men are 7-1 a season after firing coach Juwan Howard, who lost a school-record 24 games in 2023-24 as Michigan plummeted to a last-place finish in the Big Ten for the first time since 1967. Michigan has won 52 Big Ten championships since 2020. “Every day, I am thankful to work at this great institution and to represent Michigan Athletics," Manuel said in a statement. "I especially want to thank the student-athletes, coaches and staff who compete for each of our teams and who have helped us achieve unparalleled success athletically and academically. I am excited to continue giving back to a university that has provided me with so much over my career.” Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballWith filming wrapped for Wednesday Season 2 , fans are eagerly awaiting its release on Netflix . Starring Jenna Ortega as the iconic Wednesday Addams , the upcoming season promises a mix of action, suspense, and thriller-like elements that viewers have been craving. Adding to the excitement is the much-anticipated cameo by Lady Gaga , whose involvement has created a buzz among fans. While the exact release date hasn’t been confirmed, the show is slated to return in 2025. Production began in May 2024, and based on the release pattern of the previous season, it’s likely Season 2 will debut in the first half of 2025. Netflix has been dropping cryptic hints about the new season on its social media platforms, further building anticipation. Showrunner Miles Millar and co-creator Alfred Gough have hinted at potential storylines for multiple seasons, indicating that Wednesday has a long journey ahead if it continues its success. The second season will return to Nevermore Academy , where Wednesday Addams confronts new challenges while exploring her dark complexities. Jenna Ortega has teased that Season 2 will lean more into horror and less into romance, offering a darker, twisted narrative. Catherine Zeta-Jones reprises her role as Morticia Addams and has promised the season will be “bigger and more twisted than you can imagine.” Additionally, Wednesday’s relationship with her family, particularly her younger brother Pugsley, will play a more central role as he enrolls at Nevermore Academy. Arabella Chi Announces Pregnancy Amid Leonardo DiCaprio Connection; Sonogram & Test Inside | WATCH One of the season's highlights is the guest appearance of Lady Gaga, following the success of her remix of "Bloody Mary," a song closely associated with Ortega’s viral dance scene from Season 1. Producers were thrilled to include Gaga, adding a unique touch to the series. Season 2 will also introduce several new cast members, including Billie Piper , Steve Buscemi, Joanna Lumley, Thandiwe Newton, and Christopher Lloyd. However, their roles remain under wraps. Returning cast members include Emma Myers as Enid Sinclair and Zeta-Jones as Morticia, alongside Ortega. Some familiar faces from Season 1 won’t be returning. Hunter Doohan, who portrayed Tyler, and Naomi J. Ogawa, who played Yoko Tanaka, are confirmed to be absent. Percy Hynes White, who played Xavier Thorpe, will also not return following allegations of misconduct, which he has denied. Wednesday Season 2 is reportedly set to release in July 2025, three years after the debut of the first season. Fans can expect more thrills, chills, and the eerie charm that made the show a global phenomenon.
Federal fisheries proposal would slash commercial elver quota in 2025The 2024 calendar year is shaping up to be one of the best-ever years for ( ) shares. The stock is currently up 26% year-to-date. However, as we all know, past performance is not a reliable indicator. So, the question is – can NAB deliver another good return in 2025? The market is clearly more confident about the bank's prospects than at the start of 2024. However, the recent was not exactly inspiring. Statutory declined 6.1% to $6.96 billion, while cash earnings fell 8.1% to $7.1 billion. The bank grew its full FY24 by 1.2% to $1.69 per share. NAB blamed the result on a lower . The NIM is the profit that a bank makes on its lending. It compares the loan rate to the cost of funding those loans (such as term deposits). The NIM decline primarily reflected "home lending competition, higher term deposit costs and deposit mix impacts". The bank's costs increased 4.5% due to of wages, restructuring costs and continued investment in technology modernisation and compliance capabilities. But, FY24 is the past. Let's consider what the outlook is for 2025. A report from Creditorwatch explained how high asset prices are helping maintain the profitability of banks. A high house price minimises the chance of a bad debt for the bank if the property needs to be sold to repay the mortgage from the bank. It said: Elevated and/or rising asset prices are likely an important explanation of this conundrum, with the household sector in aggregate having deleveraged significantly in recent years as house and share prices have risen sharply. And for many of the still relatively low share of households getting into financial difficulty, the 20-40% rise in house prices since before COVID generally means that the asset can be sold often at a profit and almost always without a significant impact on bank losses. This is not to say that many are not doing it tough – indeed we hear frequently of significant increases in demand for food support services. However, the data so far suggests that these pressures are not showing up in significantly increased pressures or losses for financial institutions. Where there is some greater pressure reported is on newer non-bank lenders. The broker UBS is quite pessimistic about the valuation. It currently has a sell rating on NAB shares. A price target tells investors where an expert thinks the share price will be in 12 months from the time of the investment call. UBS currently has a price target of $35 on the bank, implying a possible fall of approximately 10% within the next year. UBS is expecting weaker-than-the-market loan growth, worsening loan arrears and rising credit losses, increased competition in business banking, and higher costs. When UBS issued the note in November, when the NAB share price was $39.33 – said NAB shares were trading on a 2-year forward price-earnings (P/E) ratio of 16.5x, compared to its 15-year historical average of 11.6x. In other words, they're trading expensively. UBS is forecasting that in FY25, owners of NAB shares could see their bank generate $20.85 billion of revenue, $10.2 billion of pre-tax profit and $7.2 billion of net profit. That would mean slightly higher profit generated than FY24, though not enough for UBS to think it's compelling, it seems. However, growing profit is one of the best things NAB can do to improve shareholder returns over the long term, not just in 2025.
Supreme Court will decide if U.S. victims of terrorist attacks in Israel can sue PLO
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By JILL COLVIN and STEPHEN GROVES WASHINGTON (AP) — After several weeks working mostly behind closed doors, Vice President-elect JD Vance returned to Capitol Hill this week in a new, more visible role: Helping Donald Trump try to get his most contentious Cabinet picks to confirmation in the Senate, where Vance has served for the last two years. Vance arrived at the Capitol on Wednesday with former Rep. Matt Gaetz and spent the morning sitting in on meetings between Trump’s choice for attorney general and key Republicans, including members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The effort was for naught: Gaetz announced a day later that he was withdrawing his name amid scrutiny over sex trafficking allegations and the reality that he was unlikely to be confirmed. Thursday morning Vance was back, this time accompanying Pete Hegseth, the “Fox & Friends Weekend” host whom Trump has tapped to be the next secretary of defense. Hegseth also has faced allegations of sexual assault that he denies. Vance is expected to accompany other nominees for meetings in coming weeks as he tries to leverage the two years he has spent in the Senate to help push through Trump’s picks. Vice President-elect JD Vance, still a Republican senator from Ohio, walks from a private meeting with President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., center, and Vice President-elect JD Vance, left, walk out of a meeting with Republican Senate Judiciary Committee members, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) FILE – Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, departs the chamber at the Capitol in Washington, March 15, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) FILE – Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, center speaks during a Senate Banking Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) FILE – Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, right, speaks with Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, before testifying at a hearing, March 9, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, File) FILE – Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, arrives for a classified briefing on China, at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) FILE – Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, arrives for a vote on Capitol Hill, Sept. 12, 2023 in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File) FILE – Sen. JD Vance R-Ohio speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Feb. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File) Vice President-elect JD Vance, still a Republican senator from Ohio, walks from a private meeting with President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) The role of introducing nominees around Capitol Hill is an unusual one for a vice president-elect. Usually the job goes to a former senator who has close relationships on the Hill, or a more junior aide. But this time the role fits Vance, said Marc Short, who served as Trump’s first director of legislative affairs as well as chief of staff to Trump’s first vice president, Mike Pence, who spent more than a decade in Congress and led the former president’s transition ahead of his first term. ”JD probably has a lot of current allies in the Senate and so it makes sense to have him utilized in that capacity,” Short said. Unlike the first Trump transition, which played out before cameras at Trump Tower in New York and at the president-elect’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, this one has largely happened behind closed doors in Palm Beach, Florida. There, a small group of officials and aides meet daily at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort to run through possible contenders and interview job candidates. The group includes Elon Musk, the billionaire who has spent so much time at the club that Trump has joked he can’t get rid of him. Vance has been a constant presence, even as he’s kept a lower profile. The Ohio senator has spent much of the last two weeks in Palm Beach, according to people familiar with his plans, playing an active role in the transition, on which he serves as honorary chair. Vance has been staying at a cottage on the property of the gilded club, where rooms are adorned with cherubs, oriental rugs and intricate golden inlays. It’s a world away from the famously hardscrabble upbringing that Vance documented in the memoir that made him famous, “Hillbilly Elegy.” His young children have also joined him at Mar-a-Lago, at times. Vance was photographed in shorts and a polo shirt playing with his kids on the seawall of the property with a large palm frond, a U.S. Secret Service robotic security dog in the distance. On the rare days when he is not in Palm Beach, Vance has been joining the sessions remotely via Zoom. Though he has taken a break from TV interviews after months of constant appearances, Vance has been active in the meetings, which began immediately after the election and include interviews and as well as presentations on candidates’ pluses and minuses. Among those interviewed: Contenders to replace FBI Director Christopher Wray , as Vance wrote in a since-deleted social media post. Defending himself from criticism that he’d missed a Senate vote in which one of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees was confirmed, Vance wrote that he was meeting at the time “with President Trump to interview multiple positions for our government, including for FBI Director.” “I tend to think it’s more important to get an FBI director who will dismantle the deep state than it is for Republicans to lose a vote 49-46 rather than 49-45,” Vance added on X. “But that’s just me.” While Vance did not come in to the transition with a list of people he wanted to see in specific roles, he and his friend, Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., who is also a member of the transition team, were eager to see former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. find roles in the administration. Trump ended up selecting Gabbard as the next director of national intelligence , a powerful position that sits atop the nation’s spy agencies and acts as the president’s top intelligence adviser. And he chose Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services , a massive agency that oversees everything from drug and food safety to Medicare and Medicaid. Vance was also a big booster of Tom Homan, the former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who will serve as Trump’s “border czar.” In another sign of Vance’s influence, James Braid, a top aide to the senator, is expected to serve as Trump’s legislative affairs director. Allies say it’s too early to discuss what portfolio Vance might take on in the White House. While he gravitates to issues like trade, immigration and tech policy, Vance sees his role as doing whatever Trump needs. Vance was spotted days after the election giving his son’s Boy Scout troop a tour of the Capitol and was there the day of leadership elections. He returned in earnest this week, first with Gaetz — arguably Trump’s most divisive pick — and then Hegseth, who has was been accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2017, according to an investigative report made public this week. Hegseth told police at the time that the encounter had been consensual and denied any wrongdoing. Vance hosted Hegseth in his Senate office as GOP senators, including those who sit on the Senate Armed Services Committee, filtered in to meet with the nominee for defense secretary. While a president’s nominees usually visit individual senators’ offices, meeting them on their own turf, the freshman senator — who is accompanied everywhere by a large Secret Service detail that makes moving around more unwieldy — instead brought Gaetz to a room in the Capitol on Wednesday and Hegseth to his office on Thursday. Senators came to them. Vance made it to votes Wednesday and Thursday, but missed others on Thursday afternoon. Vance is expected to continue to leverage his relationships in the Senate after Trump takes office. But many Republicans there have longer relationships with Trump himself. Sen. Kevin Cramer, a North Dakota Republican, said that Trump was often the first person to call him back when he was trying to reach high-level White House officials during Trump’s first term. “He has the most active Rolodex of just about anybody I’ve ever known,” Cramer said, adding that Vance would make a good addition. “They’ll divide names up by who has the most persuasion here,” Cramer said, but added, “Whoever his liaison is will not work as hard at it as he will.” Cramer was complimentary of the Ohio senator, saying he was “pleasant” and ” interesting” to be around. ′′He doesn’t have the long relationships,” he said. “But we all like people that have done what we’ve done. I mean, that’s sort of a natural kinship, just probably not as personally tied.” Under the Constitution, Vance will also have a role presiding over the Senate and breaking tie votes. But he’s not likely to be needed for that as often as was Kamala Harris, who broke a record number of ties for Democrats as vice president, since Republicans will have a bigger cushion in the chamber next year. Colvin reported from New York. Associated Press writer Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan gave athletic director Warde Manuel a five-year contract extension Thursday on the heels of the Wolverines' upset over rival Ohio State and a strong start to the basketball season. Manuel, who has held the position since 2016, signed through June 30, 2030, the school announced. Manuel is also chairman of the College Football Playoff selection committee. “During Warde’s tenure as director, Athletics has put a structure in place where our student-athletes compete for Big Ten and national championships, excel in the classroom, and proudly graduate with their University of Michigan degrees,” university President Santa J. Ono said in the announcement. Michigan had a disappointing football season, finishing 7-5 (5-4 Big Ten), but a 13-10 win over then-No. 2 Ohio State took some pressure off of the program. The Buckeyes were favored by 21 points, the widest point spread for the rivalry since 1978, according to ESPN Stats and Info. The Wolverines won the national championship last year in their final season led by coach Jim Harbaugh, whose tenure at the school involved multiple NCAA investigations for recruiting and sign-stealing allegations. Manuel supported Harbaugh through those processes. In basketball, the women's team made its season debut (No. 23) in the AP Top 25 this week. The men are 7-1 a season after firing coach Juwan Howard, who lost a school-record 24 games in 2023-24 as Michigan plummeted to a last-place finish in the Big Ten for the first time since 1967. Michigan has won 52 Big Ten championships since 2020. “Every day, I am thankful to work at this great institution and to represent Michigan Athletics," Manuel said in a statement. "I especially want to thank the student-athletes, coaches and staff who compete for each of our teams and who have helped us achieve unparalleled success athletically and academically. I am excited to continue giving back to a university that has provided me with so much over my career.” Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Nutter and Georgia State take down Tulsa 74-71NFL ends probe of Watson in latest assault case
Unrivaled, the new 3-on-3 women's basketball league launching this winter, signed LSU star guard Flau'jae Johnson to a name, image and likeness deal. Johnson is the second college player to ink an agreement with Unrivaled, following UConn's Paige Bueckers. They won't be participating in the upcoming inaugural season, but Johnson and Bueckers will have equity stakes in the league. Unrivaled dropped a video on social media Thursday showing Johnson -- who also has a burgeoning rap career -- performing a song while wearing a shirt that reads, "The Future is Unrivaled." The deal will see Johnson create additional promotional content for the league. Johnson, 21, was a freshman on the LSU team that won the 2023 national championship. Now in her junior year, Johnson is averaging career highs of 22.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game through 10 games for the No. 5 Tigers (10-0). She ranks eighth in Division I in scoring. Johnson has career averages of 14.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in 82 career appearances (80 starts) for LSU. --Field Level Media
Singapore, Nov. 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- What is QUANTUM and what does it solve? QUANTUM is designed to overhaul the financial transaction systems by replacing outdated, centralized methods with a quantum-safe and AI-compliant decentralized blockchain solution that offers enhanced security and efficiency. It addresses the inherent limitations of traditional financial messaging systems like SWIFT, which suffers from issues such as slow transaction times, high costs, opaque fees, and susceptibility to cyber threats and geopolitical influences. QUANTUM introduces a next-generation financial framework that leverages post-quantum cryptography and trapping techniques to safeguard against advanced cyber threats and integrates AI to automate compliance checking with international financial regulations, aiming to streamline and secure financial transactions for banks, broker-dealers, investment managers, and market infrastructures globally. QUANTUM is also at the heart of all transactions underpinning the new financial institutions being built on Quantum Chain, forming the Quantum Ecosystem. Token Overview - Token name: Quantum - Token symbol: $Q - Total Issue Supply : USD $1,000,000,000 What are the utilities of $Q? The QUANTUM token serves as a multifunctional utility within the Quantum Chain network, fulfilling several key roles: 1. Transaction Fees: QUANTUM tokens are used to pay for transaction fees within the network, compensating validators and nodes for processing transactions and maintaining the blockchain. 2. Governance: Token holders can participate in governance decisions, influencing the development and operational aspects of the Quantum Chain network. This includes voting on protocol changes, upgrades, and proposals that affect the network. 3. Staking: Users will be able to stake QUANTUM tokens to participate in the network's consensus mechanism. Staking tokens helps secure the network by providing the necessary collateral to validate transactions. In return, stakers receive rewards proportional to their stake. 4. Reward Distribution: The network rewards participants, such as validators and certain users, with QUANTUM tokens for their contributions to network security, development, and community engagement. 5. Access to Services: Tokens might be used to access specific services within the QUANTUM ecosystem, such as advanced financial reporting tools, artificial intelligence-driven analytics, and other premium features. 6. Interoperability and Cross-Chain Services: QUANTUM may facilitate or manage cross-chain transactions, enabling interoperability with other blockchain networks, with the token potentially being used as a bridging asset. These utilities are designed to ensure the active participation of users, maintain the network's security, and encourage the ongoing development of the QUANTUM ecosystem. What does the QUANTUM ecosystem include? The QUANTUM ecosystem is built to provide a robust and scalable blockchain infrastructure with multiple components and services that address various aspects of blockchain technology and its applications to perfectly se the foundations of an evolved financial industry: 1. Core Blockchain Layer: At the heart of QUANTUM is its blockchain layer, Quantum Chain, the quantum-safe protocol which supports high transaction throughput and scalability through an innovative consensus mechanism. This layer ensures secure, fast, and efficient transaction processing. 2. Decentralized Applications (dApps)/Financial Institutions (FIs): The ecosystem supports the development and operation of new financial institutions and dApps. These applications leverage Quantum Chain technology for various use cases, including finance, tokenization, supply chain management, payments and cross-border transactions and much more. 3. Smart Contracts: QUANTUM integrates smart contract functionalities that allow incorporated developers to create automated, self-executing contracts with the terms directly written into code, facilitating trustless agreements and automated processes. 4. Interoperability Features: The platform includes L2 features designed to ensure interoperability with other blockchains, allowing for seamless cross-chain communications and transactions. This is crucial for enhancing the utility of QUANTUM in a broader blockchain environment. 5. Staking and Governance: Token holders can stake their tokens to participate in network governance, influencing decisions related to the network's future development, upgrades, and changes in protocols. 6. Validator Nodes: The network relies on validator nodes, which are responsible for validating transactions and maintaining the integrity and security of the blockchain. Participants can run validator nodes by staking QUANTUM tokens. 7. Security Services: The ecosystem includes advanced security protocols to protect against common vulnerabilities and attacks, ensuring the safety of transactions and data stored on the blockchain. 8. Quantum Wallet: A proprietary wallet for managing QUANTUM tokens and interacting with the network. The wallet facilitates token storage, transactions, staking, and participation in governance. 9. Educational and Community Support: The ecosystem also focuses on education and community engagement to encourage adoption and foster a supportive environment for users and developers. This includes documentation, tutorials, workshops, and active community forums. 10. Platform Integration: Additionally, the QUANTUM project ecosystem will feature a dedicated "Quantum" column on the Coinstore platform. This column will serve as a focal point for all related activities and updates, providing users with direct access to information on QUANTUM's market movements, trading opportunities, and educational content. This integration into Coinstore will enhance visibility and accessibility, making it easier for users to engage with QUANTUM directly from the trading platform. These components work synergistically to create a comprehensive ecosystem that supports a wide range of blockchain applications and services, driving forward the adoption and utilization of blockchain technology across different sectors. QUANTUM Official Media Website | Twitter | Telegram About Coinstore Accessibility. Security. Equity. As a leading global platform for cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, Coinstore seeks to build an ecosystem that grants everyone access to digital assets and blockchain technology. With over 9.5 million users worldwide, Coinstor e aims to become the preferred cryptocurrency trading platform and digital service provider worldwide. Coinstore Social Media Twitter | Discord | Facebook | Instagram | Youtube | Telegram Discussion | Telegram Announcement CONTACT: Alvin Lee Project Management Cryptocurrency alvin-at-coinstore.comFar-right populist surprises in Romanian presidential election appearing set to enter runoff
NoneNoneCHICAGO — In his first public remarks since last month’s election, former President Barack Obama on Thursday largely avoided direct mention of Donald Trump’s presidential victory and instead focused on the need for bridge-building and accommodation among a public whose sharp divisions have been sown in the Trump era. “You see, it’s easy to give democracy lip service when it delivers the outcomes we want. It’s when we don’t get what we want that our commitment to democracy is tested,” Obama said as he keynoted the third annual Obama Foundation Democracy Forum at a South Loop hotel. “And at this moment in history, when core democratic principles seem to be continuously under attack, when too many people around the world have become cynical and disengaged, now is precisely the time to ask ourselves tough questions about how we can build our democracies and make them work in meaningful and practical ways for ordinary people,” he said. During his speech, Obama did not mention Trump by name, his Republican successor in the 2016 election who retook the White House by defeating Vice President Kamala Harris on Nov. 5. And Obama’s talk was a far cry from the partisan attacks he leveled against Trump at the Democratic National Convention, the last time Obama was in Chicago for a public speaking engagement. At the convention in August, Obama ridiculed Trump and warned that his returning to the White House would lead to “four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos.” But on Thursday, it was Obama the lecturer who spoke, echoing the forum’s theme of “pluralism” and calling for people to engage with others from differing viewpoints and backgrounds in order to help maintain democracy. During his speech, Obama acknowledged that in previewing to friends the forum’s planned subject matter he “got more than a few groans and eye rolls” since “as far as they were concerned, the election proved that democracy is pretty far down on people’s priorities.” “But as a citizen and part of a foundation that believes deeply in the promise of democracy — not only to recognize the dignity and the worth of every individual but to produce free and fair and more just societies — I cannot think of a better time to talk about it,” he said. “This idea that each of us has to show a level of forbearance toward those who don’t look or think or pray like us, that’s at the heart of democracy,” he said. “But it’s especially hard in big, multi-racial, multi-ethnic, multi-religious countries like the United States.” Obama noted that in America in the decades after World War II “democracy seemed to run relatively smoothly with frequent cooperation across party lines and what felt like a broad consensus about how interests were shared (and) differences should be settled.” “The biggest reason that American pluralism seemed to be working so well may have to do with what was left out,” he said, noting that even in 2004 when he was elected to the U.S. Senate he was its only Black member. “It’s fair to say that when everyone in Washington looked the same and shared the same experiences ... cutting deals and getting along was a whole lot simpler.” But starting with the rise of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, “historically marginalized Blacks, Latinos, Asians, Native Americans, women, gays and lesbians, disabled Americans demanded a seat at the table,” Obama said. “Not only did they insist on a fair share of government direct resources, but they brought with them new issues, more than their unique experiences, that could not just be resolved by giving them a bigger slice of the pie.” “In other words,” he said, “politics was not just a fight about tax rates or roads anymore. It was about more fundamental issues that went to the core of our being — how we expected society to structure itself.” Those issues, however, also opened the door to “politicians and party leaders and interest groups (who) take a maximalist position on almost every issue,” Obama said. “Every election becomes an act of mortal combat, which political opponents are enemies to be vanquished. Compromise is viewed as betrayal and total victory is the only acceptable outcome,” he said. “But since total victory is impossible in a country politically split down the middle, the result is a doom loop — gridlock, greater polarization, wilder rhetoric and a deepening conviction among partisans that the other side is breaking the rules and has rigged the game to tip it in their favor.” Obama, a former senior lecturer of constitutional law at the University of Chicago, has spoken frequently in his post-presidency of a need to restore civility and the need for compromise despite the nation’s political divisions. His comments Thursday took on an added dimension in the post-election climate given the history of Trump’s first term and the promises the president-elect made throughout the campaign. “I am convinced that if we want democracy, as we understand it, to survive, then we’re all going to have to work toward a renewed commitment to pluralist principles,” he said, adding that “it’s important to look for allies in unlikely places,” not “assume that people on the other side have monolithic views” and believe that they “may share our beliefs about sticking to the rules, observing norms.” The alternative is “an increasing willingness on the part of politicians and their followers to violate democratic norms, to do anything they can to get their way, to use the power of the state to target critics and journalists and political rivals and to even resort to violence in order to gain and hold onto power,” he said. “In those circumstances, pluralism does not call for us to just stand back and save our breath,” Obama said. “In those circumstances, a line has been crossed and we have to stand firm and speak out and organize and mobilize as forcefully as we can.” But, in nodding to the fact that such change can’t happen quickly, he also called a restoration of “habits and practices that so often we’ve lost, learning to trust each other,” is “a generational project.” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a second-term Democrat who campaigned for Kamala Harris, reacts to the 2024 presidential election results during a media availability on Thursday, Nov. 7. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.
No. 11 Boise State hosts Oregon State looking for a win in bid to stay in playoff mix
Yoon right about pro-North Korea influences in South’s parliament
GENEVA (AP) — World Cup sponsor Bank of America teamed with FIFA for a second time Tuesday, signing for the Club World Cup that still has no broadcast deals just over six months before games start. Bank of America became FIFA’s first global banking partner in August and sealed a separate deal for a second event also being played in the United States, two days before the group-stage draw in Miami for the revamped 32-team club event . It features recent European champions Real Madrid, Manchester City and Chelsea. “FIFA is going to take America by storm and we’re going to be right at their side,” the bank’s head of marketing, David Tyrie, said in a telephone interview Tuesday. Bank of America joins 2026 World Cup sponsors Hisense and Budweiser brewer AB InBev in separately also backing the club event, and more deals are expected after Saudi Arabia is confirmed next week as the 2034 World Cup host. While games at the next World Cup, co-hosted with Canada and Mexico, will be watched by hundreds of millions globally mostly on free-to-air public networks, the Club World Cup broadcast picture is unclear. FIFA has promised hundreds of millions of dollars in prize money for the 32 clubs to share but is yet to announce any broadcast deals for the month-long tournament. It is expected to land on a streaming service. “You have to think about how you are going to connect with these fans,” Tyrie told the Associated Press from Boston. “TV is one, sure, social media is a big avenue. “The smart marketing capabilities are able to say ‘Hey, we need to tilt this one a little bit more away from TV-type marketing into social-type marketing.’ We have got a pretty decent strategy that we’re putting in place to do activation.” Engaging Bank of America’s customers and 250,000 employees are key to that strategy, Tyrie said. “It’s going to be for our clients, and entertainment, it’s going to be for our employees in creating excitement. All of the above.” The Club World Cup will be played in 12 stadiums across 11 cities, including Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C, and Lumen Field where the hometown Seattle Sounders play three group-stage games. European powers Madrid, Man City and Bayern Munich lead a 12-strong European challenge. Teams qualified by winning continental titles or posting consistently good results across four years of those competitions. The exception is Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, who FIFA gave the entry reserved for a host nation team in October based on regular season record without waiting for the MLS Cup final. LA Galaxy hosts New York Red Bulls playing for that national title Saturday. Messi’s team opens the FIFA tournament June 15 in the Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium and will play its three group games in Florida. “The more brand players you bring in, the bigger the following you have got,” Tyrie acknowledged, though adding Messi being involved was “not a make or break for the event.” The Club World Cup final is July 13 at Met Life Stadium near New York, which also will host the World Cup final one year later. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
