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real money online games Okay, we’re doing this. Today we’re launching a subscription that lets you get rid of a bunch of ads, gets you unlimited access to our top-notch reporting and analysis across the site and our killer premium newsletters, and generally lets you support independent tech journalism in a world of sponsored influencer content. It’ll cost $7 / month or $50 / year — and for a limited time, if you sign up for the annual plan, we’ll send you an absolutely stunning print edition of our CONTENT GOBLINS series, with very fun new photography and design. (Our art team is delightfully good at print; we’ve even won a major magazine award for it.) A surprising number of you have asked us to launch something like this, and we’re happy to deliver. If you don’t want to pay, rest assured that big chunks of will remain free — we’re thinking about subscriptions a lot differently than everyone else. Let me explain. If you’re a reader, you know we’ve been covering massive, fundamental changes to how the internet works for years now. Most major social media platforms are openly hostile to links, huge changes to search have led to the death of small websites, and everything is covered in a layer of AI slop and weird scams. The algorithmic media ecosystem is now openly hostile to the kind of rigorous, independent journalism we want to do. A few years ago, we decided the only real way to survive all this was to stand apart and bet on our own website so that we could remain independent of these platforms and their algorithms. We didn’t want to write stories to chase Google Search trends or because we thought they’d do well on social media. And we definitely didn’t want to compromise our famously strict ethics policy to accept brand endorsement deals from the companies we cover, which almost all of our competitors in the creator economy are forced to do in order to run sustainable businesses. 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We know so many of you depend on us to curate the news every day, and we’re going to stay focused on making a great homepage that’s worth checking out regularly, whether you pay us or not. Our original reporting, reviews, and features will be behind a dynamic metered paywall — many of you will never hit the paywall, but if you read us a lot, we’ll ask you to pay. Subscribers will also get full access to both and , our two premium newsletters from Alex Heath and Tom Warren, which are packed full of scoops every week. I’m also delighted to say that subscribing to delivers a vastly improved ad experience — we’ll get rid of all the chumboxes and third-party programmatic ads, cut down the overall number of ad units, and only fill what’s left with high-quality ads directly sold by Vox Media. It will make the site faster, lighter, and more beautiful — more like the site we envisioned from the start, and something so many of you have asked us to deliver. 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Launching a subscription is a big change, but it’s the foundation of how we’ll stubbornly make it another 13 years. I hope you can help support us — and if you can’t, we’ll do our best to earn your support in the future. Get unlimited access to , read our subscriber-only newsletters, and cut down on the ads.Shohei Ohtani wins 3rd AP Male Athlete of the Year award, tying Michael Jordan for 1 shy of record LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani has been named The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for the third time. That ties the two-way superstar with Michael Jordan, an athlete Ohtani followed while growing up in Japan. He trails only Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods and LeBron James, who each won the award four times. Ohtani received 48 votes in balloting by 74 sports journalists from the AP and its members. He earned his third National League Most Valuable Player award after helping the Dodgers win their eighth World Series title. Ohtani hit 54 home runs and stole 59 bases as the first player with a 50-50 season. His dog, Decoy, became a celebrity, too, helping Ohtani deliver a ceremonial first pitch at a game. On Football: Falcons and Buccaneers flip spots atop the NFC South and playoff races tighten up The 49ers, Cowboys and Cardinals are out of the playoff race. The Falcons took control of their hopes and the Colts, Dolphins and Bengals kept slim chances alive. The NFL’s playoff picture became clearer Sunday. With two weeks remaining, three of eight division titles are secured, eight teams have wrapped up playoff berths and 11 more are competing for the six remaining spots. The biggest change in the standings occurred in the NFC South with Atlanta reclaiming the top spot from Tampa Bay. The Chiefs have the inside track for the AFC's No. 1 seed and the NFC's top spot could likely come down to the Vikings-Lions matchup in Week 18. Tennessee and Auburn remain 1-2 in AP Top 25 poll featuring 10 SEC teams Tennessee and Auburn remained Nos. 1-2 atop The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll. They were the headliners among the Southeastern Conference's haul of 10 ranked teams. Iowa State, Duke and Alabama rounded out the top five. Kentucky had the week's biggest fall, sliding six spots to No. 10 after a loss to Ohio State. Mississippi State, Arkansas, Illinois and Baylor rejoined the poll after stints in the rankings earlier this season. They replaced Memphis, Dayton, Michigan and Clemson. The Big 12 and Big Ten were tied for second with five teams each in the AP Top 25. USC up to No. 4 in women's AP Top 25 after win over UConn. UCLA, South Carolina, Notre Dame stay 1-3 Southern California jumped to No. 4 in The Associated Press women’s college basketball poll on Monday after edging UConn. The Trojans moved up three spots after beating the then-No. 4 Huskies 72-70 in a rematch of last season’s Elite Eight game that UConn won. UCLA, South Carolina and Notre Dame remained the top three teams. The Bruins received 30 of the 32 first-place votes from a national media panel. The Gamecocks and the Fighting Irish each got one first-place vote. UConn fell to seventh behind Texas and LSU. Maryland, Oklahoma and Ohio State rounded out the top 10 teams. Former NFL great Michael Vick introduced as Norfolk State’s football coach NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Michael Vick has been introduced as Norfolk State’s football coach, a homecoming for the former NFL star and a splashy, attention-grabbing hire for a program that has struggled in recent years. Vick donned a Norfolk State letterman’s jacket and cap in front of a crowd of supporters that included fellow Hampton Roads, Virginia, sports greats Allen Iverson and Bruce Smith. Vick led Virginia Tech to the national championship game as a redshirt freshman and was selected No. 1 overall in the 2001 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons. His career was derailed by his conviction in 2007 for his involvement in a dogfighting ring. No. 1 Oregon and No. 8 Ohio State gear up for rematch of thriller won by Ducks Oregon and Ohio State have already produced one heck of a game this season. Now, the top-seeded Ducks and eighth-seeded Buckeyes are gearing up for a rematch more than 10 weeks later in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game at the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. Of course, both teams have had ample time for evolution since that 32-31 Oregon win on Oct. 12. But they also have that game and players’ familiarity with each other, not to mention common opponents in the Big Ten. Penn State preparing for hard-charging Jeanty and Boise State in CFP quarterfinals STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Penn State players have watched Ashton Jeanty make opponents look silly all season. They don’t want to be the next defenders Boise State’s star posterizes with jukes, spin moves, stiff arms and heavy shoulders. But they also know that slowing down Jeanty, who finished second in Heisman Trophy voting, will be their toughest task yet when the two teams meet in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31. Texas sues NCAA in latest push to block transgender athletes in women's sports AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued the NCAA to block the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports, arguing that it tricks and misleads fans. The lawsuit filed in state district court argues the NCAA violates the Texas Trade Practices Act. The law is designed to protect consumers from deceptive business practices. The lawsuit is the latest attempt by conservative politicians to target transgender athletes and push the NCAA into banning them from competition. NCAA President Charlie Baker recently told Congress he was aware of fewer than 10 active transgender athletes. Sabrina Ionescu is joining Unrivaled as the new 3-on-3 league's final player Sabrina Ionescu is joining Unrivaled as the new league’s final player for this season. The Liberty star guard who helped New York win the first championship in franchise history earlier this year signed a historic agreement on Monday. She’ll join the Phantom BC that made a trade Saturday night to acquire Natasha Cloud. Ionescu will also be playing with Brittney Griner, Marina Mabrey, Satou Sabally and Katie Lou Samuelson. The 27-year-old Ionescu is recovering from a procedure she had earlier this month on her right thumb to stabilize the ulnar collateral ligament. Sean Manaea to re-sign with Mets for $75 million over 3 years, AP source says NEW YORK (AP) — Sean Manaea is set to return to the New York Mets on a $75 million, three-year contract, according to a person familiar with the agreement. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal was subject to a successful physical. Manaea blossomed into New York’s top starting pitcher this year during his first season with the team, going 12-6 with a 3.47 ERA in 32 starts. Then he became a free agent for the third straight offseason. The reunion with Manaea, who turns 33 on Feb. 1, gives New York a much-needed frontline starter to help complete its reconstructed rotation. Mets owner Steve Cohen has committed $916.25 million to five free agents this offseason — four of them starting pitchers.

Jimmy Carter, the 39th US president, has died at 100‘Can only boo so much’: Ben’s message to Philly ahead of hostile return

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks tiptoed to more records amid a mixed Tuesday of trading, tacking a touch more onto what’s already been a stellar year so far. The S&P 500 edged up by 2 points, or less than 0.1%, to set an all-time high for the 55th time this year. It’s climbed in 10 of the last 11 days and is on track for one of its best years since the turn of the millennium. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 76 points, or 0.2%, while the Nasdaq composite added 0.4% to its own record set a day earlier. AT&T rose 4.6% after it boosted its profit forecast for the year. It also announced a $10 billion plan to send cash to its investors by buying back its own stock, while saying it expects to authorize another $10 billion of repurchases in 2027. On the losing end of Wall Street was U.S. Steel, which fell 8%. President-elect Donald Trump reiterated on social media that he would not let Japan’s Nippon Steel take over the iconic Pennsylvania steelmaker. Nippon Steel announced plans last December to buy the Pittsburgh-based steel producer for $14.1 billion in cash, raising concerns about what the transaction could mean for unionized workers, supply chains and U.S. national security. Earlier this year, President Joe Biden also came out against the acquisition. Tesla sank 1.6% after a judge in Delaware reaffirmed a previous ruling that the electric car maker must revoke Elon Musk’s multibillion-dollar pay package. The judge denied a request by attorneys for Musk and Tesla’s corporate directors to vacate her ruling earlier this year requiring the company to rescind the unprecedented pay package. All told, the S&P 500 rose 2.73 points to 6,049.88. The Dow fell 76.47 to 44,705.53, and the Nasdaq composite gained 76.96 to 19,480.91. In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady after a report showed U.S. employers were advertising slightly more job openings at the end of October than a month earlier. Continued strength there would raise optimism that the economy could remain out of a recession that many investors had earlier worried was inevitable. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.23% from 4.20% from late Monday. Yields have seesawed since Election Day amid worries that Trump’s preferences for lower tax rates and bigger tariffs could spur higher inflation along with economic growth. But traders are still confident the Federal Reserve will cut its main interest rate again at its next meeting in two weeks. They’re betting on a nearly three-in-four chance of that, according to data from CME Group. Lower rates can give the economy more juice, but they can also give inflation more fuel. The key report this week that could guide the Fed’s next move will arrive on Friday. It’s the monthly jobs report , which will show how many workers U.S. employers hired and fired during November. It could be difficult to parse given how much storms and strikes distorted figures in October. Based on trading in the options market, Friday’s jobs report appears to be the biggest potential market mover until the Fed announces its next decision on interest rates Dec. 18, according to strategists at Barclays Capital. In financial markets abroad, the value of South Korea’s currency fell 1.1% against the U.S. dollar following a frenetic night where President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law and then later said he’d lift it after lawmakers voted to reject military rule. Stocks of Korean companies that trade in the United States also fell, including a 1.6% drop for SK Telecom. Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped 1.9% to help lead global markets. Some analysts think Japanese stocks could end up benefiting from Trump’s threats to raise tariffs , including for goods coming from China . Trade relations between the U.S. and China took another step backward after China said it is banning exports to the U.S. of gallium, germanium, antimony and other key high-tech materials with potential military applications. The counterpunch came swiftly after the U.S. Commerce Department expanded the list of Chinese technology companies subject to export controls to include many that make equipment used to make computer chips, chipmaking tools and software. The 140 companies newly included in the so-called “entity list” are nearly all based in China. In China, stock indexes rose 1% in Hong Kong and 0.4% in Shanghai amid unconfirmed reports that Chinese leaders would meet next week to discuss planning for the coming year. Investors are hoping it may bring fresh stimulus to help spur growth in the world’s second-largest economy. In France, the CAC 40 rose 0.3% amid continued worries about politics in Paris , where the government is battling over the budget. AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott contributed.As I write this for you, dear reader, I find myself grappling with a reality I never imagined I would face: Christmas . or signup to continue reading For many of us who have experienced loss, , a time when the absence of a loved one is felt keenly. Yet, over the months since his loss, I have come to realise the importance of navigating life - especially around holidays - with permission to feel joy. Sitting here with my thoughts, I acknowledge that I am not alone in experiencing this different sort of "First Christmas" - the first as a widow. Grief is not linear, and the holidays can trigger a wide range of feelings, from sadness and anger to longing and even guilt. If you share this story with me, let me tell you that it is important to give yourself permission to feel these emotions without self-judgment. I have contemplated creating new traditions that celebrate my husband's life - and this may be something that helps you, if you are also in this situation. Lighting a candle in his honor appeals to me, sharing stories about him with family is a given, and perhaps setting aside a special time to reflect on the happy moments you shared will no doubt feature. These new rituals will provide a sense of continuity and keep his spirit alive during the holidays, I hope. It is also essential to practice self-care during this season. Grieving takes a toll on both the mind and body, and it is important to be gentle with yourself. Make sure to get enough rest, eat nourishing foods, and engage in activities that bring you comfort. This might mean taking a walk in nature, reading a favourite book, or listening to music that soothes the soul. Self-care is not indulgent; it is a necessary part of healing. I think the hardest part of Christmas will be navigating the different ways that our children are experiencing the journey. Our 16 year-old son will talk about him, laugh about his stories and want to invoke his memory in everything - no need for walking on eggshells. However, our nine-year-old daughter is the opposite. She doesn't want to talk about him because it brings too much sadness, and anything other than an incidental story is likely to be accompanied by a meltdown. Honouring each of our children's grief is challenging to say the least. I think the most important thing to acknowledge is that while it is important to honour your grief, it is equally important to allow yourself moments of joy. This may seem impossible in the face of your loss, but finding pockets of joy can help to lift some of the darkness. It could be as simple as watching a , baking cookies, or listening to a song that brings back happy memories. Give yourself permission to smile, to laugh, and to feel happiness, whether it is fleeting or all-encompassing. Ever organised, with his colour-coded spreadsheets and hyperlinked ideas (be still my beating heart!) my husband will be a part of our Christmas this year in a bittersweet farewell, come what may. He had chosen Christmas gifts for both of our children and shared the ideas with me before he died, so I have purchased the gifts for him for the children as one last gift from their Dad to treasure. I have no idea how to manage it with our little girl - I'm hoping inspiration will strike on the day! I take solace in remembering that healing is not about forgetting your loved one, but about finding a way to move forward while carrying their memory with us - a sentiment I am trying to instil in our daughter. This Christmas, as we navigate this uncharted territory, I will strive to honour my husband's but I will also be seeking moments of joy. To anyone else facing their first Christmas without a loved one, I offer this: Be gentle with yourself, honour your emotions, and know that it is OK to find joy amidst the sorrow. Your loved one would want you to experience happiness again. May this holiday season bring you moments of peace and comfort, and may you find the strength to carry on with the memory of your loved one close to your heart. Merry Christmas to you all. Zoë Wundenberg is a careers consultant and un/employment advocate at impressability.com.au, and a regular columnist for ACM. Zoë Wundenberg is a careers consultant and un/employment advocate at impressability.com.au, and a regular columnist for ACM. 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. 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A sensor has been developed to monitor fluctuating proteins within the body in real time. This is in the form of a new implantable medical device that functions ‘like a tree branch’ to grab proteins. The device comprises strands of DNA that stick to proteins, shake them off and then grab more proteins. To present the benefits of the device, the Northwestern University researchers used an animal study to deploy the device to accurately track biomarkers of inflammation (assessing protein biomarkers of inflammation in diabetic rats). Going forwards, the device could additionally track protein markers for other illnesses, including heart failure. According to lead researcher Shana O. Kelley , interviewed by Lab Manager : “The device’s design is analogous to a continuous glucose monitor that sits on your arm and measures levels right beneath your skin. You can see that your glucose levels are increasing in real-time. But then maybe you take your insulin, and your glucose goes back down.” Kelley adds: “You need to be able to measure trends in the wrong direction and trends in the right direction. It’s the same with proteins in inflammation. We need to track fluctuations in order to get a full picture of what’s happening in the body. This is a completely new capability — to be able to watch inflammation in real time. There are a huge number of applications that we are now beginning to explore.” The nanoscale sensors are described by the researchers are resembling ‘rows of bulbous pendulums’, each comprising a double-stranded cord of DNA. One end of the DNA strand is attached to an electrode, and the other end is attached to another bit of DNA that binds to a desired protein. When the researchers apply an alternating electric field, the pendulum-like sensors swing back and forth — flinging off proteins within a mere minute and catching others. The DNA sensors can ‘release’ their proteins after each measurement cycle, enabling continuous, real-time monitoring inside the body. For the animal study, the researchers designed sensors to bind to two protein cytokines, which are key markers of inflammation. Then they attached the device into the skin of rats with diabetes. Because diabetes and inflammation are tightly linked, many complications associated with diabetes are caused by inflammation. The sensors successfully measured concentration changes of both proteins within fluid. When the rats fasted or received insulin, the sensors tracked cytokine levels as they drifted down. Conversely, when researchers injected the rats with a substance that agitates the immune system, the inflammatory cytokine levels rapidly shot up. The research has been published in the journal Science , titled “Active-reset protein sensors enable continuous in vivo monitoring of inflammation.” Dr. Tim Sandle is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for science news.Tim specializes in science, technology, environmental, business, and health journalism. He is additionally a practising microbiologist; and an author. He is also interested in history, politics and current affairs.It looked like a recipe for disaster. So, when his country's swimmers were being accused of doping earlier this year, one Chinese official cooked up something fast. He blamed it on contaminated noodles. In fact, he argued, it could have been a culinary conspiracy concocted by criminals, whose actions led to the cooking wine used to prepare the noodles being laced with a banned heart drug that found its way into an athlete's system. This theory was spelled out to international anti-doping officials during a meeting and, after weeks of wrangling, finally made it into the thousands of pages of data handed over to the lawyer who investigated the who had tested positive for that same drug. The attorney, appointed by the World Anti-Doping Agency, refused to consider that scenario as he sifted through the evidence. In spelling out his reasoning, lawyer Eric Cottier paid heed to the half-baked nature of the theory. “The Investigator considers this scenario, which he has described in the conditional tense, to be possible, no less, no more,” Cottier wrote. Even without the contaminated-noodles theory, Cottier found problems with the way WADA and the Chinese handled the case but ultimately determined WADA in not appealing China's conclusion that its athletes had been inadvertently contaminated. Critics of the way the China case was handled can't help but wonder if a wider exploration of the noodle theory, details of which were discovered by The Associated Press via notes and emails from after the meeting where it was delivered, might have lent a different flavor to Cottier's conclusions. “There are more story twists to the ways the Chinese explain the TMZ case than a James Bond movie,” said Rob Koehler, the director general of the advocacy group Global Athlete. "And all of it is complete fiction.” In April, reporting from the New York Times and the German broadcaster ARD revealed that the 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for the banned heart medication trimetazidine, also known as TMZ. China's anti-doping agency determined the athletes had been contaminated, and so, did not sanction them. , did not press the case further, and China was never made to deliver a public notice about the “no-fault findings,” as is often seen in similar cases. The stock explanation for the contamination was that traces of TMZ were found in the kitchen of a hotel where the swimmers were staying. In , Cottier relayed some suspicions about the feasibility of that chain of events — noting that WADA's chief scientist “saw no other solution than to accept it, even if he continued to have doubts about the reality of contamination as described by the Chinese authorities.” But without evidence to support pursuing the case, and with the chance of winning an appeal at almost nil, Cottier determined WADA's “decision not to appeal appears indisputably reasonable.” A mystery remained: How did those traces of TMZ get into the kitchen? Shortly after the doping positives were revealed, the Institute of National Anti-Doping Organizations held a meeting on April 30 where it heard from the leader of China's agency, Li Zhiquan. Li's presentation was mostly filled with the same talking points that have been delivered throughout the saga — that the positive tests resulted from contamination from the kitchen. But he expanded on one way the kitchen might have become contaminated, harkening to another case in China involving a low-level TMZ positive. A pharmaceutical factory, he explained, had used industrial alcohol in the distillation process for producing TMZ. The industrial alcohol laced with the drug “then entered the market through illegal channels,” he said. The alcohol "was re-used by the perpetrators to process and produce cooking wine, which is an important seasoning used locally to make beef noodles,” Li said. “The contaminated beef noodles were consumed by that athlete, resulting in an extremely low concentration of TMZ in the positive sample. "The wrongdoers involved have been brought to justice.” This new information raised eyebrows among the anti-doping leaders listening to Li's report. So much so that over the next month, several emails ensued to make sure the details about the noodles and wine made their way to WADA lawyers, who could then pass it onto Cottier. Eventually, Li did pass on the information to WADA general counsel Ross Wenzel and, just to be sure, one of the anti-doping leaders forwarded it, as well, according to the emails seen by the AP. All this came with Li's request that the noodles story be kept confidential. Turns out, it made it into Cottier's report, though he took the information with a grain of salt. “Indeed, giving it more attention would have required it to be documented, then scientifically verified and validated,” he wrote. Neither Wenzel nor officials at the Chinese anti-doping agency returned messages from AP asking about the noodles conspiracy and the other athlete who Li suggested had been contaminated by them. Meanwhile, 11 of the swimmers who originally tested positive competed at the Paris Games earlier this year in a meet held under the cloud of the Chinese doping case. Though WADA considers the case closed, Koehler and others point to situations like this as one of many reasons that an investigation by someone other than Cottier, who was hired by WADA, is still needed. “It gives the appearance that people are just making things up as they go along on this, and hoping the story just goes away," Koehler said. “Which clearly it has not.” AP Olympics:

(Image: X) In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have now identified a new amphipod species in the Atacama Trench , South America's western coast. This new species called the Dlucibella Camanchaca was found in 2023 during an Integrated Deep Ocean Observing System Expedition and it was at a depth of 7,902 meters. The Atacama Trench is about 8,000 meters below the Pacific ocean surface and the new amphipod is an unexplored creature it was found in the region which had intense pressure, near-freezing temperatures, and complete darkness. What is Dulcibella Camanchaca? The amphipod has been classified under the Eusiridae family and it has now become a significant addition to deep-sea biodiversity . It looks like a ghostly white snailfish and it seems to be alien to the world. In search of extraterrestrial life, NASA apart from space has planned to dig deep into earth with ever-improving technologies. The space organization funded multiple deep-sea exploration and some astrobiologists have teamed up with marine biologists and oceanographers to probe the boundaries of the Earth's core. A recent study published in the journal Systematics and Biodiversity introduces one such species: Dulcibella camanchaca, a newly identified deep-sea crustacean. It’s the first known large, active predatory amphipod from the hadal depths. A study was conducted on the Dulcibella Camanchaca and the researchers noted that it is a new species highlighting the biodiversity in the ocean. Measuring about 4 centimeters, these amphipods survive by preying on other amphipods. The study noted that Dulcibella Camancaha is a fast-swimming predator and its pale white color helps it to survive in the pitch-black sea. A biodiversity hotspot The Atacama trench is naturally formed by the collision of tectonic plates and it is isolated from other ocean trenches creating a distinct ecosystem. The environmental conditions there make it a hotspot for endemic species like amphipods, snailfish, and mud dragons. The trench has largely been unexplored and now with the study findings of amphipods, it is likely that alien-like predators are still under deep earth. Future research With deep sea exploration, the researchers are using a lander vehicle equipped with baited traps that help them collect specimens from the trench. Four Dulcibella camanchaca individuals were collected at a depth of 7,902 meters and starting with amphipods, more detailed research exploration is said to take place.By Frank Agovino The Democrats control Delaware County Council with a 5-0 majority. Delaware County remains the only one of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties without at least one minority party representative, and it shows. Just last month, a council member admitted there’s trouble ahead with this year’s budget. Residents are looking at a nearly 24% tax increase, which would come out to about $190 per year for a property with the average property assessment in the county. This will strike hardest at Delco families already struggling to make ends meet. For those residents, there’s likely little we can do in the short term. It’s not what anyone wants to hear, but the damage is done. Public budget hearings now seem more like theater, an elaborate performance where the tragic ending has already been scripted. While the directors may think this “masterpiece” will eventually be applauded, I’m not so sure. Councilwoman Elaine Paul Schaefer recently blamed Republicans from over eight years ago for not raising taxes enough, arguing that this is why taxes must now skyrocket. Imagine that: living within your means. In 2017, Democrats campaigned on claims of Republican corruption. They told voters that one-party rule was a danger to the county. Yet today, the Democrats have complete control of county government. They’ve hired more “friendly” lawyers than anyone could imagine, spending $4 million in legal fees, more than any Republican administration ever did. This blatant excess is just one example of their out-of-control spending. Delco residents should brace themselves for a wave of excuses and finger-pointing aimed at Republicans. This will be part of the Democrats’ sales pitch heading into the most important municipal election of our time. Expect a dramatic return of the “C” word: corruption. Let’s talk plainly about it. The Delco GOP is under entirely new leadership, in place for just 18 months. This fresh team includes young professionals, some of whom weren’t even born in time to witness the county’s Republican heyday. Yet, they’re laser-focused on growing voter registration, providing services, and winning elections, not clinging to the past. So who exactly are the Democrats accusing of corruption? Is it the 400-plus poll workers who ran the election in November? The citizens who attend council meetings to hold leaders accountable? The committee people working tirelessly in the trenches? Or is it the 153,000 registered Republicans who simply want their county back and its finances in order? What may or may not have happened years ago is irrelevant to today’s challenges. For residents already struggling with the cost of living, rehashing the rise and fall of a political machine is meaningless. Tomorrow is what matters now, and a happy ending is never guaranteed. The county GOP will keep building on the momentum of November’s election by registering more Republicans to vote. It’s our best — and only — shot at ending reckless spending and reclaiming the future of our county. Frank Agovino is a business owner and chair of the Delaware County Republican Party.The holiday season is a time for deep reflection. And for me this year, that has meant reflecting on some of my favorite stocks and leaders to follow. Netflix ( NFLX ) has come to the forefront of my mind as the year winds down, in part after seeing Beyoncé ride out on a majestic white horse during one of Netflix's Christmas Day football games. Legend. "The game was a home run as far as they're concerned," Manhattan Venture Partners head of research Santosh Rao said on Yahoo Finance's Morning Brief (video above). "I think this was a great home run for the ad business that they have." Netflix hosted its first two NFL games that day, hot on the heels of the glitchy — but still enjoyable to watch — Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul boxing spectacle in November. The other reason Netflix is on my mind is because the hotly anticipated Season 2 of "Squid Game" premiered on Thursday, and the characters in the pink jumpsuits and black face masks are dominating my X feed. The second installment has gotten mixed reviews on Rotten Tomatoes , but people still tuned in en masse. Doing a little analysis in the wake of these events, it looks like Wall Street is still too bearish on Netflix — even with the stock up 86% year to date. Perhaps this group thinks Netflix is that young streaming company from years ago, burning money and raising debt to fund content investments. Here is the bearishness I am seeing in the numbers, compliments of data from the Yahoo Finance platform : The average sell-side analyst price target on Netflix is $838, 10% below current price levels. This is totally out of whack with a company that has demolished analyst profit forecasts at every stop in 2024. 44% of sell-side analysts rate the stock at Underperform or Sell. The average analyst earnings per share estimate for 2025 models Netflix only posting 20% earnings growth. The reality is that Netflix looks positioned for another monster year in 2025, which may win over more Wall Street skeptics and support another push higher in stock price. Netflix has not only arrived on the live sports scene — it has smashed the wall down. This likely means two things: First, the streaming movement around live events will accelerate further as legacy media continues to buckle and cut back more, and second, Netflix's ad dollars are locked in on a significantly higher trajectory. Just look at these numbers. More than 200 countries tuned in at some point during the Chiefs vs. Steelers game, according to NFL Media data . The game is the second-most-popular live title on Netflix to date. Additionally, 60 million households watched the Tyson vs. Paul fight. These are huge numbers that validate Netflix's investments in live sports — which includes the debut of WWE in January. "Given the success of the Tyson/Paul fight we expect Netflix to accelerate its offerings of 'eventized' live programming, which further enhances Netflix's ability to offer households regular compelling content (juiced by the fact their competitors are now selling previously exclusive content to Netflix) = likely lower subscriber churn and greater ability to take price," Pivotal Research analyst Jeffrey Wlodarczak wrote. Wlodarczak is Wall Street's biggest Netflix bull, with a $1,100 price target on the stock. Wlodarczak's call-out of price increases is important. In October, Netflix raised prices for basic and premium services by $2 and $3, respectively. The hikes will likely enhance sales and profits in 2025. With the live sports and events push underway ( including a deal to broadcast the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2027 and 2031) and compelling traditional Netflix content such as "Squid Game" being churned out, it's inevitable the company raises prices again within the next 12 to 18 months. See more: Why Disney doesn't want to sell its TV network That will only enhance Netflix's impressive free cash flow story. Netflix will haul in close to $7 billion in free cash flow this year, according to analyst estimates. Pivotal's Wlodarczak thinks Netflix's free cash flow will reach $23.5 billion by 2030. Free cash flow is operating cash flow minus capital expenditures. A company hits the free cash flow mark by being profitable and prudently investing those profits into "stuff" like plants and equipment. The cash left over could then be used to further bolster the total return potential for investors by way of stock buybacks or dividend increases. Recall that from 2015 to 2019, Netflix had a negative cash flow of $10.5 billion. The company went free cash flow positive in 2020 with $1.9 billion in free cash as the COVID-19 pandemic fueled bumper profits, followed by a $132 million free cash outflow in 2021. But those days are over. Last year, the company brought in $6.9 billion in free cash after reporting $1.6 billion in free cash flow in 2022. And Netflix's free cash flow build will only allow it to feed its content flywheel at the same time that legacy media continues cutbacks. This is how competitive moats are built. In the end, Netflix could conceivably generate north of $25 in earnings per share next year — well ahead of current analyst estimates of about $23.81 . Slap a premium price-earnings multiple on the stock of 40 times (it's currently at 38 times), and Netflix could have a path to trading above $1,000 a share in 2025. "I think [the stock is still undervalued] absolutely because there's still a long runway ahead," Rao said. "They're just getting into live sports, and there are so many other live sports they can get into." "They're going to pull people into their ecosystem," Rao continued, pointing to cricket and soccer as other opportunities for Netflix live sports. "So the [subscriber] growth is going to be strong. To a large extent, it's priced in, but there is a lot more to come ahead because they are the only game in town in terms of excellent streaming services and the broad breadth of offerings." Rao sees at least a 15% upside left in Netflix shares. Brian Sozzi is Yahoo Finance's Executive Editor. Follow Sozzi on X @BrianSozzi and on LinkedIn . Tips on deals, mergers, activist situations, or anything else? Email brian.sozzi@yahoofinance.com. 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One of my top shows of 2024 actually premiered in 2021. That’s because it took a couple of years for the Australian series “The Newsreader” to make its way Stateside. Alas, it was only legal to stream in the U.S. for a handful of weeks in September and then — pffft! — it was gone before most people had even heard of it. Well, I have great news. The show will be available once again, this time via Sundance Now (accessible through the AMC+ streaming platform), which has licensed the first season. Premiering Dec. 19, it stars Anna Torv (“Fringe”) and Sam Reid (“Interview with the Vampire”) as TV reporters in Melbourne, circa 1986. At the outset, Reid’s character exudes big loser energy, which is such an amusing contrast to his work as Lestat. The show is unexpectedly funny and terrifically Machiavellian in its portrayal of small-time office politics, and I’m thrilled audiences in the U.S. will get another shot at watching it. Overall, 2024 offered a modestly better lineup than usual, but I’m not sure it felt that way. Too often the good stuff got drowned out by Hollywood’s pointless and endless pursuit of rebooting intellectual property (no thank you, Apple’s “Presumed Innocent” ) and tendency to stretch a perfectly fine two-hour movie premise into a saggy multi-part series (“Presumed Innocent” again!). There were plenty of shows I liked that didn’t make this year’s list, including ABC’s “Abbott Elementary” and CBS’ “Ghosts” (it’s heartening to see the network sitcom format still thriving in the streaming era), as well as Netflix’s “A Man on the Inside” (Ted Danson’s charisma selling an unlikely premise) and Hulu’s “Interior Chinatown” (a high-concept parody of racial stereotypes and cop show tropes, even if it couldn’t sustain the idea over 10 episodes). Maybe it just felt like we were having more fun this year, with Netflix’s “The Perfect Couple” (Nicole Kidman leading a traditional manor house mystery reinterpreted with an American sensibility) and Hulu’s “Rivals” (the horniest show of 2024, delivered with a wink in the English countryside). I liked what I saw of Showtime’s espionage thriller “The Agency” (although the bulk of episodes were unavailable as of this writing). The deluge of remakes tends to make me cringe, but this year also saw a redo of Patricia Highsmith’s “The Talented Mr. Ripley” on Netflix that was far classier than most of what’s available on the streamer. Starring Andrew Scott, I found it cool to the touch, but the imagery stayed with me. Shot in black and white, it has an indelible visual language courtesy of director of photography Robert Elswit, whether capturing a crisp white business card against the worn grain wood of a bar top, or winding stairways that alternately suggest a yawning void or a trap. As always, if you missed any of these shows when they originally premiered — the aforementioned titles or the Top 10 listed below — they are all available to stream. Top 10 streaming and TV shows of 2024, in alphabetical order: The least cynical reality show on television remains as absorbing as ever in Season 4, thanks to the probing questions and insights from the show’s resident therapist, Dr. Orna Guralnik. Everything is so charged. And yet the show has a soothing effect, predicated on the idea that human behavior (and misery) isn’t mysterious or unchangeable. There’s something so optimistic in that outlook. Whether or not you relate to the people featured on “Couples Therapy” — or even like them as individuals — doesn’t matter as much as Guralnik’s reassuring presence. Created by and starring Diarra Kilpatrick, the eight-episode series defies categorization in all the right ways. Part missing-person mystery, part comedy about a school teacher coming to grips with her impending divorce, and part drama about long-buried secrets, it has tremendous style right from the start — sardonic, knowing and self-deprecating. The answers to the central mystery may not pack a satisfying punch by the end, but the road there is as entertaining and absorbing as they come. We need more shows like this. A comedy created by and starring Brian Jordan Alvarez (of the antic YouTube series “The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo”), the show has a sensibility all its own, despite a handful of misinformed people on social media calling it a ripoff of “Abbott Elementary.” There’s room enough in the TV landscape for more than one sitcom with a school setting and “English Teacher” has a wonderfully gimlet-eyed point of view of modern high school life. I’m amused that so much of its musical score is Gen-X coded, because that neither applies to Alvarez (a millennial) nor the fictional students he teaches. So why does the show feature everything from Laura Branigan’s “Gloria” to Exposé’s “Point of No Return”? The ’80s were awash in teen stories and maybe the show is using music from that era to invoke all those tropes in order to better subvert them. It’s a compelling idea! It’s streaming on Hulu and worth checking out if you haven’t already. A one-time tennis phenom accuses her former coach of coercing her into a sexual relationship in this British thriller. The intimacy between a coach and athlete often goes unexplored, in real-life or fictional contexts and that’s what the show interrogates: When does it go over the line? It’s smart, endlessly watchable and the kind of series that would likely find a larger audience were it available on a more popular streamer. There’s real tenderness in this show. Real cruelty, too. It’s a potent combination and the show’s third and strongest season won it an Emmy for best comedy. Jean Smart’s aging comic still looking for industry validation and Hannah Einbinder’s needy Gen-Z writer are trapped in an endless cycle of building trust that inevitably gives way to betrayal. Hollywood in a nutshell! “Hacks” is doing variations on this theme every season, but doing it in interesting ways. Nobody self-sabotages their way to success like these two. I was skeptical about the show when it premiered in 2022 . Vampire stories don’t interest me. And the 1994 movie adaptation starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt wasn’t a persuasive argument to the contrary. But great television is great television and nothing at the moment is better than this show. It was ignored by Emmy voters in its initial outing but let’s hope Season 2 gets the recognition it deserves. Under showrunner Rolin Jones, the adaptation of Anne Rice’s novels is richly written, thrillingly inhabited by its cast and so effortlessly funny with a framing device — the interview of the title — that is thick with intrigue and sly comedy. I wouldn’t categorize the series as horror. It’s not scary. But it is tonally self-assured and richly made, rarely focused on the hunt for dinner but on something far more interesting: The melodrama of vampire existence, with its combination of boredom and lust and tragedy and zingers. Already renewed for Season 3, it has an incredible cast (a thrilling late-career boost for Eric Bogosian) and is well worth catching up with if you haven’t already. It’s been too long since the pleasures of banter fueled a romantic comedy in the spirit of “When Harry Met Sally.” But it’s all over the place in “Nobody Wants This,” one of the best shows on Netflix in recent memory. Renewed for a second season, it stars Kristen Bell as a humorously caustic podcaster and Adam Brody as the cute and emotionally intelligent rabbi she falls for. On the downside, the show has some terrible notions about Jewish women that play into controlling and emasculating stereotypes. You hate to see it in such an otherwise sparkling comedy, because overall Bell and Brody have an easy touch that gives the comedy real buoyancy. I suspect few people saw this three-part series on PBS Masterpiece, but it features a terrific performance by Helena Bonham Carter playing the real-life, longtime British soap star Noele “Nolly” Gordon, who was unceremoniously sacked in 1981. She’s the kind of larger-than-life showbiz figure who is a bit ridiculous, a bit imperious, but also so much fun. The final stretch of her career is brought to life by Carter and this homage — to both the soap she starred in and the way she carried it on her back — is from Russell T. Davies (best known for the “Doctor Who” revival). For U.S. viewers unfamiliar with the show or Gordon, Carter’s performance has the benefit of not competing with a memory as it reanimates a slice of British pop culture history from the analog era. The year is 1600 and a stubborn British seaman piloting a Dutch ship washes ashore in Japan. That’s our entry point to this gorgeously shot story of power games and political maneuvering among feudal enemies. Adapted from James Clavell’s 1975 novel by the married team of Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, it is filled with Emmy-winning performances (for Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada; the series itself also won best drama) and unlike something like HBO’s far clunkier “House of the Dragon,” which tackles similar themes, this feels like the rare show created by, and for, adults. The misfits and losers of Britain’s MI5 counterintelligence agency — collectively known as the slow horses, a sneering nickname that speaks to their perceived uselessness — remain as restless as ever in this adaptation of Mick Herron’s Slough House spy novels. As a series, “Slow Horses” doesn’t offer tightly plotted clockwork spy stories; think too deeply about any of the details and the whole thing threatens to fall apart. But on a scene-by-scene basis, the writing is a winning combination of wry and tension-filled, and the cumulative effect is wonderfully entertaining. Spies have to deal with petty office politics like everyone else! It’s also one of the few shows that has avoided the dreaded one- or two-year delay between seasons, which has become standard on streaming. Instead, it provides the kind of reliability — of its characters but also its storytelling intent — that has become increasingly rare. Nina Metz is a Tribune critic.What Juan Soto’s contract says about the Mets

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AENT Stock Soars to 52-Week High, Hits $4.99 Amidst 393% Annual Surge