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m lhuillier philcoa Bowdoin awards Portland Public Schools Wabanaki Studies curriculum creatorsThe Manhattan district attorney's office is asking Judge Juan M. Merchan to "pretend as if one of the assassination attempts against President Trump had been successful," Trump's lawyers wrote in a 23-page response. In court papers made public Tuesday, District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office proposed an array of options for keeping the historic conviction on the books after Trump's lawyers filed paperwork this month asking for the case to be dismissed. They include freezing the case until Trump leaves office in 2029, agreeing that any future sentence won't include jail time, or closing the case by noting he was convicted but that he wasn't sentenced and his appeal wasn't resolved because of presidential immunity. Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove reiterated Friday their position that the only acceptable option is overturning his conviction and dismissing his indictment, writing that anything less will interfere with the transition process and his ability to lead the country. The Manhattan district attorney's office declined comment. It's unclear how soon Merchan will decide. He could grant Trump's request for dismissal, go with one of the prosecution's suggestions, wait until a federal appeals court rules on Trump's parallel effort to get the case moved out of state court, or choose some other option. In their response Friday, Blanche and Bove ripped each of the prosecution's suggestions. Halting the case until Trump leaves office would force the incoming president to govern while facing the "ongoing threat" that he'll be sentenced to imprisonment, fines or other punishment as soon as his term ends, Blanche and Bove wrote. Trump, a Republican, takes office Jan. 20. The prosecution's suggestion that Merchan could mitigate those concerns by promising not to sentence Trump to jail time on presidential immunity grounds is also a non-starter, Blanche and Bove wrote. The immunity statute requires dropping the case, not merely limiting sentencing options, they contend. Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts Blanche and Bove, both of whom Trump tapped for high-ranking Justice Department positions, expressed outrage at the prosecution's novel suggestion that Merchan borrow from Alabama and other states and treat the case as if Trump died. Blanche and Bove accused prosecutors of ignoring New York precedent and attempting to "fabricate" a solution "based on an extremely troubling and irresponsible analogy between President Trump" who survived assassination attempts in Pennsylvania in July and Florida in September "and a hypothetical dead defendant." Such an option normally comes into play when a defendant dies after being convicted but before appeals are exhausted. It is unclear whether it is viable under New York law, but prosecutors suggested that Merchan could innovate in what's already a unique case. "This remedy would prevent defendant from being burdened during his presidency by an ongoing criminal proceeding," prosecutors wrote in their filing this week. But at the same time, it wouldn't "precipitously discard" the "meaningful fact that defendant was indicted and found guilty by a jury of his peers." Prosecutors acknowledged that "presidential immunity requires accommodation" during Trump's impending return to the White House but argued that his election to a second term should not upend the jury's verdict, which came when he was out of office. Longstanding Justice Department policy says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution. Other world leaders don't enjoy the same protection. For example, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is on trial on corruption charges even as he leads that nation's wars in Lebanon and Gaza. Trump has fought for months to reverse his May 30 conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records. Prosecutors said he fudged the documents to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to suppress her claim that they had sex a decade earlier, which Trump denies. Trump's hush money conviction was in state court, meaning a presidential pardon — issued by Biden or himself when he takes office — would not apply to the case. Presidential pardons only apply to federal crimes. Since the election, special counsel Jack Smith ended his two federal cases, which pertained to Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss and allegations that he hoarded classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. A separate state election interference case in Fulton County, Georgia, is largely on hold. Trump denies wrongdoing in each case. Trump was scheduled for sentencing in the hush money case in late November, but following Trump's Nov. 5 election win, Merchan halted proceedings and indefinitely postponed the former and future president's sentencing so the defense and prosecution could weigh in on the future of the case. Trump is the first former president to be convicted of a crime and the first convicted criminal to be elected to the office.

Pentagon, AFP on Task Force Ayungin: US troops limited to supporting role

A 7-year-old dispute between tech leaders Elon Musk and Sam Altman over who should run OpenAI and prevent an artificial intelligence "dictatorship" is now heading to a federal judge as Musk seeks to halt the ChatGPT maker's ongoing shift into a for-profit company. Musk, an early OpenAI investor and board member, sued the artificial intelligence company earlier this year alleging it had betrayed its founding aims as a nonprofit research lab benefiting the public good rather than pursuing profits. Musk has since escalated the dispute, adding new claims and asking for a court order that would stop OpenAI’s plans to convert itself into a for-profit business more fully. The world's richest man, whose companies include Tesla, SpaceX and social media platform X, last year started his own rival AI company, xAI. Musk says it faces unfair competition from OpenAI and its close business partner Microsoft, which has supplied the huge computing resources needed to build AI systems such as ChatGPT. “OpenAI and Microsoft together exploiting Musk’s donations so they can build a for-profit monopoly, one now specifically targeting xAI, is just too much,” says Musk's filing that alleges the companies are violating the terms of Musk’s foundational contributions to the charity. OpenAI is filing a response Friday opposing Musk’s requested order, saying it would cripple OpenAI’s business and mission to the advantage of Musk and his own AI company. A hearing is set for January before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland. At the heart of the dispute is a 2017 internal power struggle at the fledgling startup that led to Altman becoming OpenAI's CEO. Musk also wanted the job, according to emails revealed as part of the court case, but grew frustrated after two other OpenAI co-founders said he would hold too much power as a major shareholder and chief executive if the startup succeeded in its goal to achieve better-than-human AI known as artificial general intelligence , or AGI. Musk has long voiced concerns about how advanced forms of AI could threaten humanity. “The current structure provides you with a path where you end up with unilateral absolute control over the AGI," said a 2017 email to Musk from co-founders Ilya Sutskever and Greg Brockman. “You stated that you don't want to control the final AGI, but during this negotiation, you've shown to us that absolute control is extremely important to you.” In the same email, titled “Honest Thoughts,” Sutskever and Brockman also voiced concerns about Altman's desire to be CEO and whether he was motivated by “political goals.” Altman eventually succeeded in becoming CEO, and has remained so except for a period last year when he was fired and then reinstated days later after the board that ousted him was replaced. OpenAI published the messages Friday in a blog post meant to show its side of the story, particularly Musk's early support for the idea of making OpenAI a for-profit business so it could raise money for the hardware and computer power that AI needs. It was Musk, through his wealth manager Jared Birchall, who first registered “Open Artificial Technologies Technologies, Inc.”, a public benefit corporation, in September 2017. Then came the “Honest Thoughts” email that Musk described as the “final straw.” “Either go do something on your own or continue with OpenAI as a nonprofit,” Musk wrote back. Musk didn't immediately respond to emailed requests for comment sent to his companies Friday. Asked about his frayed relationship with Musk at a New York Times conference last week, Altman said he felt “tremendously sad” but also characterized Musk’s legal fight as one about business competition. “He’s a competitor and we’re doing well,” Altman said. He also said at the conference that he is “not that worried” about the Tesla CEO’s influence with President-elect Donald Trump. OpenAI said Friday that Altman plans to make a $1 million personal donation to Trump’s inauguration fund, joining a number of tech companies and executives who are working to improve their relationships with the incoming administration. —————————— The Associated Press and OpenAI have a licensing and technology agreement allowing OpenAI access to part of the AP’s text archives.Germany: Olaf Scholz to be nominated as SPD candidate

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here . ••• I have to agree, sadly, with Lois Thielen’s opinion piece, “ ‘I support a woman for president, but not that woman.’ Is that really it?” (StribVoices, Nov. 22). It was depressing to observe how the presidential race played out this fall, with letters to the editor that disparaged Kamala Harris’ competence and even her intelligence. There were continual protestations that people didn’t know enough about her policy positions, no matter how many speeches she gave, or that her policy positions lacked specifics, no matter how detailed her plans were. Meanwhile, Donald Trump could get away with claiming that China would pay for tariffs. There is one point that the writer made that I want to address. She mentioned that about 80 countries around the world have elected a woman as president or prime minister, and then wondered whether Americans are “just more sexist.” I think that it is important to remember that most if not all of those countries have a parliamentary system where the voters vote for a political party. In that situation, I think it’s easier for a voter to overlook the gender of the candidate at the head of their preferred political party. Cynthia Schou, Bloomington ••• Thielen has questions. So do I. If events this year had turned out differently and the election was a matchup between, say, Nikki Haley and President Joe Biden, would Thielen have voted for Haley because she’s a woman, even if she preferred President Biden’s policies? Or is it the case that she supports a woman for president, “but not that woman”? Joel Boon, Shakopee Here’s a radical suggestion Next time some billionaire is motivated to spend millions of dollars on a banana duct taped to a piece of Sheetrock, may they also be motivated to donate millions to Sharing and Caring Hands or some other worthy cause (”Banana-as-art sells for $6.2M in Sotheby’s auction,” Nov. 23). It’s tax deductible. Tom Baumann, Isanti, Minn. ••• Reading the paper Sunday morning, I was shocked and saddened by two articles along with the photos. One article depicted a banana taped to a wall that was sold for over $6 million — supposedly a valuable piece of art. The other showed a mother with her young daughters in Gaza describing how every night her children go to bed starving (”Where a bag of bread costs $13 and famine looms”). How tragic — this is unacceptable. Society needs to put children’s lives about all else. The money spent on that ridiculous art could have fed thousands of children. I know that many will say that the supplies are being blocked, but I’m sure that if we have the ability to fly rockets into space we can find ways to deliver aid to the innocent. Connie Heitz, Glencoe, Minn. ••• Please spare me the wailing and gnashing of teeth over millionaires losing bundles of cash and expensive jewelry when their mansions are burglarized ( ”Minnesotans targeted in pro sports burglary ring,” Nov. 23). I’m much more concerned about violence on the light rail and students getting robbed of their phones in Dinkytown. Mark Gortze, Champlin This isn’t his first rodeo To the Nov. 22 letter writers who are critical of Biden and believe Russia will soon launch nuclear weapons in response to Biden authorizing Ukraine to use American missiles in Russia: Vladimir Putin is bluffing. Relax. He’s not going to fire nuclear missiles and there will be no World War III. Biden may be old but he knows the game. He is a lame-duck president and Trump will be president on Jan. 20, 2025. It would be senseless for Putin to start a nuclear war now and risk annihilation when he only has to wait less than two months for our next president, who has made it clear that on Day One he will hand Putin as much of Ukraine as he occupies. Biden’s authorization helps Ukraine keep as much of its nation as possible before Trump hands the rest to Putin. Paul Rozycki, Minneapolis ••• I, too, am a longtime loyal subscriber to the Minnesota Star Tribune who is seriously considering not renewing my subscription, but for reasons completely opposite the ones in the letter on Nov. 22 (in which the writer lamented the Star Tribune reprinting “hit pieces” on Donald Trump). As a perfect example, the top letter in the same day’s Readers Write section stated “[Biden] has been largely responsible for all the death and suffering in Ukraine and elsewhere in the world.” What ? What in the world is this writer describing? I realize this is the Opinion section of the paper, but it is careless for a serious paper to highlight and run complete untruths about someone. Disgusting. The only reason I am considering keeping my subscription is the wonderful food and Going Out sections. Liz Knutson, Minneapolis Two plus two is ... So the Texas State Board of Education voted Nov. 22 to allow optional Bible-infused teachings in Texas elementary school classrooms (”Texas OKs optional Bible-based curriculum for public schools,” Nov. 23). I think it will likely work like this in first grade math classrooms: Two Bibles plus two Bibles equals four Bibles, and two Trump “God Bless the USA” Bibles plus two Trump “God Bless the USA” Bibles equals five Bibles. Pete Boelter, North Branch, Minn. ••• So the state of Texas wants elementary schools to “allow Bible-infused teachings” in the curriculum. Sounds reasonable, depending upon what material from the Bible is included. Let’s see: So that means there will be a lesson about not being Pharisee-like in your hypocrisy (Matthew 23:1-33 ) . Oops, not in there! OK, how about a lesson about the consequences of not being kind to “one of the least of these” (Matthew 25:41-45). Oops, must have forgotten about that one! Let’s try again. That verse about filling the hungry with good things and sending the rich away empty (Luke 1:53). Might be in there but I can’t find it! Well then, there must be a lesson on the justice message of the Old Testament prophets (Micah 6:8, Amos 5:24 and hundreds more). Darn, can’t find that, either! Maybe this verse is in there: “Learn to do good; seek justice; rescue the oppressed; defend the orphan; plead for the widow” (Isaiah 1:17). Must have been an inadvertent omission! Too long to quote here, but there is a wonderful “Bible-infused” message in Isaiah 58:6-7. But no, can’t seem to find that one, either! Looks like the Bluebonnet Learning instructional materials could use a little more comprehensive infusion from the Bible. David Hauschild, Blaine ••• When the Puritan founders arrived in the New World they were religious refugees. They in turn excluded the Catholics and Baptists, so Maryland and Rhode Island became sanctuaries for the non-Calvinists. Our founding fathers defined the separations of church and state because they saw how some leaders in the Anglican Church served the crown over and against the interests and concerns of the colonial quest for freedom. The Texas Board of Education is violating one of our core founding principles. We must protect the mission and witness of Christianity from becoming a political tool that again fosters intolerance and oppression of minority views in our society. Again and again, the Bible has been used to justify injustices. Misinterpretations of the Bible were used against Native Americans, women, African slaves, Jewish people, Muslims and our LGBTQ communities. Both Hitler and Stalin tried to co-opt the church because of the unique moral authority it holds. Sinclair Lewis’ warning about fascism coming to America in “It Can’t Happen Here” applies to this situation in Texas. We need this fine line between church and state to protect the integrity of the Gospel from the authority of men trying to usurp a place that belongs to God alone. Howard Dotson, Minneapolis

LAST-MINUTE Christmas shoppers are being urged to rush to Marks and Spencer after the price of a perfect stocking filler has been slashed. The product that was originally £4 and is now down to a staggering £1 would also make the perfect gift for train and chocolate lovers. Advertisement 3 A hot chocolate tin has been discounted from £4 to just £1 at M&S Credit: Hot UK Deals 3 The tin contains 100g of milk chocolate perfect for cozy winter nights in Credit: Ocado For just £1 each, shoppers can bag the M&S Hot Chocolate Train Tin. The red and green steam train tin containing hot chocolate powder has already proved to be a popular buy for Christmas. The 100g festive tin features an elf train driver and has a wreath on the front. M&S calls it "a super-cute festive train tin" that is "great for gifting." Advertisement read more on festive treats SUN SAVERS How to transform leftover festive chocolates into quick and easy desserts FEEL SAUCY Christmas-inspired sauces including 'mulled wine ketchup' at Lidl for just £1.49 The retailer states that the "tin is filled with rich hot chocolate. Just add the hot chocolate to your favourite mug, followed by hot milk, and top with marshmallows and whipped cream. " Shoppers shared the new £1 bargain on the popular Facebook page Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK Group. "Wow would love to find these," one excited shopper wrote. "My daughter loves this wee train," a parent said. Advertisement Most read in Money HOME FROM HOME The Range to open huge new superstore in Glasgow in weeks SKYE'S THE LIMIT Iconic restaurant on stunning Scots Island reveals major expansion plans TOP TOWNS Britain's wealthiest streets revealed - including town loaded with Prem stars BOOZEY BET BrewDog founder James Watt reveals he played game of golf with MILLIONS at stake "Fabulous! Great buy. Well done," a third wrote. Those who could just not wait for Christmas Day have high praise for the steam train tin. I tried the M&S Christmas cafe menu, the gravy dip is a festive revelation "It’s REALLY yummy the best hot choc I’ve ever had!" one said. But other shoppers are disappointed that they have missed out on a good bargain. Advertisement "Gutted I brought some a few weeks ago. I thought £2.50 was good when I saw them reduced to that but even more gutted at £1!" one shopper said. "Great bargain tho." How to save money on Christmas shopping Consumer reporter Sam Walker reveals how you can save money on your Christmas shopping. Limit the amount of presents - buying presents for all your family and friends can cost a bomb. Instead, why not organise a Secret Santa between your inner circles so you're not having to buy multiple presents. Plan ahead - if you've got the stamina and budget, it's worth buying your Christmas presents for the following year in the January sales. Make sure you shop around for the best deals by using price comparison sites so you're not forking out more than you should though. Buy in Boxing Day sales - some retailers start their main Christmas sales early so you can actually snap up a bargain before December 25. Delivery may cost you a bit more, but it can be worth it if the savings are decent. Shop via outlet stores - you can save loads of money shopping via outlet stores like Amazon Warehouse or Office Offcuts. They work by selling returned or slightly damaged products at a discounted rate, but usually any wear and tear is minor. "Never let me buy a lot from M&S in advance I could scream," another wrote. "Paid £3 for these the other day bought 3 they are still worth £3 good buy," a third added. Advertisement Meanwhile, Ocado shoppers could still miss out on the bargain with the hot chocolate tin only being reduced to £3. Those who need a last-minute bottle of fizz are also being urged to rush to M&S and another high street store. Read more on the Scottish Sun DECEMBRRR Scots blasted with snowfall days before Christmas as storms cause transport chaos FLOOR PHILLER Rangers boss Philippe Clement spotted dancing in popular Glasgow bar The Sun's Laura Hills has tried supermarket Prosecco under £10 and discovered that Lidl and M&S came out on top. Meanwhile, see which is the cheapest supermarket to buy Christmas favourites like Quality Street, Bailey's, and Terry's Chocolate Orange. Advertisement 3 The hot chocolate tin is the perfect last-minute stocking filler (stock) Credit: GettyRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The woman who in 2006 falsely accused three Duke University lacrosse players of raping her – making national headlines that stirred tensions about race, class and the privilege of college athletes — has admitted publicly for the first time that she made up the story. Crystal Mangum, who is Black, said in an interview with the “Let’s Talk with Kat” podcast that she “made up a story that wasn’t true” about the white players who attended a party where she was hired to perform as a stripper “because I wanted validation from people and not from God.” “I testified falsely against them by saying that they raped me when they didn’t and that was wrong,” Mangum, 46, said in the interview, which was released Monday. The interview was recorded last month at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women, where Mangum is incarcerated for fatally stabbing her boyfriend in 2011. The former Duke players were declared innocent in 2007 after Mangum’s story fell apart under legal scrutiny. The state attorney general’s office concluded there was no credible evidence an attack ever occurred, and its investigation found no DNA, witness or other evidence to confirm Mangum’s story. The Durham prosecutor who championed Mangum’s case was disbarred for lying and misconduct. Prosecutors at the time declined to press charges against Mangum for the false accusations. Related Articles National News | NJ cop suffered ‘medical episode’ before crashing cruiser National News | UnitedHealth Group CEO speaks out after Brian Thompson murder National News | Musk says US is demanding he pay penalty over disclosures of his Twitter stock purchases National News | Companies tighten security after a health care CEO’s killing leads to a surge of threats National News | FBI, Homeland Security say drones in N.J. are not a threat The former lacrosse players reached an undisclosed settlement with Duke University in 2007 after suing it for the handling of the rape allegations. Mangum, who was convicted of second-degree murder in 2013 and is eligible to be released from prison as early as 2026, told the podcast interviewer that she hopes the three falsely accused men can forgive her. “I want them to know that I love them and they didn’t deserve that,” she said. Durham-based podcaster Kat DePasquale said she wrote to Mangum because she was curious about the case that got so much attention, and that Mangum wrote back saying she wanted to talk.

Even with eight legs it was difficult to hang on during this week's bomb cyclone in British Columbia, with a remote camera capturing an octopus battling currents whipped up by the hurricane-force winds. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * Even with eight legs it was difficult to hang on during this week's bomb cyclone in British Columbia, with a remote camera capturing an octopus battling currents whipped up by the hurricane-force winds. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? Even with eight legs it was difficult to hang on during this week’s bomb cyclone in British Columbia, with a remote camera capturing an octopus battling currents whipped up by the hurricane-force winds. The giant Pacific octopus was spotted by an Ocean Networks Canada video camera on the sea floor off Vancouver Island’s west coast, clinging to rocks and coral buffeted by the currents early Wednesday. The video shows the octopus using its tentacles to hang on, while its mantle — the sac above its head — is rippled by the fast-moving water. Kate Moran, president of the organization based at the University of Victoria, says the shallow waters off Bamfield where the octopus was spotted have current speeds that typically increase to about 60 centimetres a second over 12 hours. But she says that during the bomb cyclone, the currents were rapidly changing directions and cycling between speeds of 15 and 200 centimetres per second. At the same time, waves in the area reached 10 metres, creating immense pressure and a “dramatic environment” for the octopus. “I just thought it should crawl back in, you know, it came out of that little crevice,” she said. “Some of my staff think, well, maybe this was so unusual, maybe (the octopus) wanted to see what it felt like.” Octopuses are smart and “incredibly agile,” she said, adding the species has built up resilience over 400,000 million years of evolution. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. The video underscores the importance of underwater cameras to help researchers examine the effects of such weather events on the ocean environment, she added. Moran said it might be the first time her organization has documented the underwater effects of a bomb cyclone, describing it as “quite unique.” A bomb cyclone is triggered by a rapid drop in atmospheric pressure, and the system brought winds as high as 170 km/h to B.C.’s coast. Ocean Networks said the video of the octopus was captured shortly after 2 a.m. on Wednesday. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 22, 2024. Advertisement AdvertisementDuring his first presidency and in his campaign leading up to the 2024 election, Donald Trump repeatedly pledged to crack down on illegal immigration. As president-elect, Trump posted on Truth Social on Nov. 18 confirming his plans to declare a national emergency and use the U.S. military for mass deportations of undocumented immigrants. Trump commented “TRUE!!!” with a repost of a Truth Social post from Tom Fitton, who runs the conservative group Judicial Watch . Fitton’s post reads, “GOOD NEWS: Reports are incoming @RealDonaldTrump administration prepared to declare a national emergency and will use military assets to reverse the Biden invasion through a mass deportation program.” Several VERIFY readers, including Debbie, Jacq and Matty, asked us whether Trump can use the military to carry out mass deportations. Can the president use the military to carry out mass deportations? Yes, it's legal for the president to use the military to help carry out mass deportations and other immigration enforcement actions. The National Guard, with approval from a state's governor, can detain individuals, but the other branches of the military can offer mostly logistical support. A president has the executive power to deploy the military to assist with immigration enforcement, but there are legal limits on the role the military can play. The Posse Comitatus Act, a 143-year-old law, prohibits the president from using active-duty, full-time service members, such as soldiers or Marines, as a police force, according to the Brennan Center for Justice . That means federal military branches like the U.S. Army or Air Force can’t perform tasks such as detaining individuals or making arrests on U.S. soil, even under a national emergency declaration. David Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, explained that active-duty service members, barred from acting like police under Posse Comitatus, would likely focus on non-law enforcement tasks. That could include building infrastructure, like temporary detention facilities, transporting detainees and providing armed backup for domestic law enforcement. The Posse Comitatus Act, however, does not apply to the National Guard, Peter Margulies, a law professor at Roger Williams University, told VERIFY. “The National Guard is a state militia and can be called out by the president with the cooperation of the state governors, and so you could have the National Guard from, let's say, Texas, be used for apprehension. That would not create Posse Comitatus issues,” Margulies said. Trump's post on Truth Social mentioned declaring a national emergency, but the president can request National Guard assistance or federal military assistance with or without declaring a national emergency , according to Chris Mirasola, a contributor for non-profit Lawfare. The Brennan Center for Justice explains that declaring a national emergency grants a president with swift authority during times of crises without waiting for Congressional approval, including diverting federal funds or resources. Both Bier and Margulies told VERIFY Trump's deportation agenda would likely face significant legal challenges and be subject to congressional oversight. And if he declares a national emergency, Congress has the ability to eventually terminate that declaration , but it would require passing a law with a veto-proof supermajority, “which is increasingly difficult in our polarized political environment,” Goitein told VERIFY. Military involvement in immigration enforcement is not unprecedented. In 2019, then-President Trump declared a national emergency to redirect military funds to construct the U.S.-Mexico border wall. More recently, President Joe Biden used a national emergency declaration to deploy the National Guard to the southern border to assist with processing and facility operations tied to drug enforcement. According to Google Trends data , online searches about mass deportation have spiked, with some appearing to link the military's involvement to martial law. Martial law involves the suspension of ordinary law and government functions, with military authorities assuming control. Margulies said even if Trump uses the military in his administration’s deportation efforts, it would not equate to declaring martial law. Margulies explained that martial law hasn’t been used since the Civil War and is “profoundly unlikely” to happen as part of Trump’s proposed initiative because he doesn’t need martial law to execute his deportation plans.PENN ST. (6-0) Hicks 6-9 1-1 16, Konan Niederhauser 4-6 4-7 12, Baldwin 2-8 8-8 12, Dilione 3-6 0-2 6, P.Johnson 5-8 3-4 15, Kern 9-12 2-5 20, Nzeh 1-2 1-1 3, Dunn 0-4 0-0 0, Carter 0-2 0-2 0, Stewart 0-0 1-2 1. Totals 30-57 20-32 85. FORDHAM (3-4) Dean 5-10 1-2 13, Tsimbila 0-0 0-0 0, J.Johnson 5-11 5-6 15, Medor 3-6 1-2 8, Richardson 0-2 0-0 0, Rivera 7-12 1-5 15, Tripp 5-9 2-2 13, Smith 0-1 0-2 0, Riley 0-1 0-1 0, Pettis 0-1 0-0 0, Zona 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 26-54 10-20 66. Halftime_Penn St. 42-34. 3-Point Goals_Penn St. 5-14 (Hicks 3-5, P.Johnson 2-3, Carter 0-1, Dilione 0-1, Dunn 0-1, Kern 0-1, Baldwin 0-2), Fordham 4-18 (Dean 2-5, Tripp 1-1, Medor 1-2, Pettis 0-1, Smith 0-1, Richardson 0-2, Rivera 0-2, J.Johnson 0-4). Fouled Out_Tsimbila. Rebounds_Penn St. 37 (Kern 13), Fordham 27 (Dean 9). Assists_Penn St. 13 (Baldwin 7), Fordham 16 (Medor, Richardson, Tripp 3). Total Fouls_Penn St. 19, Fordham 24.

China's AIMA brand electric motorbike is now in BangladeshPENN STATE 85, FORDHAM 66Lakurawa: FG plans more troops as sect spreads in North

Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, who heads the Cabinet sub-committee on Rythu Bharosa, on Sunday said that the Congress government has allocated Rs 72,659 crore for agriculture and allied sectors in the Budget and was committed to providing financial assistance to farmers despite financial constraints. He was chairing a meeting with committee members, ministers Tummala Nageswara Rao, D. Sridhar Babu, and Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, at the secretariat to discuss issues concerning farmers. The members took stock of the procedures that had to be finalised for seamless implementation of the scheme for the upcoming yasangi crop. They reviewed opinions and the requests of farmers received during the sub-committee's tour of the state. Bhatti said that Rs 21,000 crore had been deposited in the bank accounts of farmers within two months under the scheme to waive farmer loans of up to Rs 2 lakh. An agriculture commission has been set up to work for the welfare of the farmers to make agriculture a profitable proposition. Bhatti said that it has been decided to bring farmer forums built by the previous government into full use. The government has taken up the Rythu Nestham programme to modernise farmer forums, he said and added that this was taken up to solve the problems of farmers by connecting farmer forums with video conferencing. He explained that the state government had released Rythu Bharosa funds to all farmers as investment assistance for the yasangi crop in its first year in power. He pointed out that Rs 7,625 crore were deposited in the accounts of farmers.

A 7-year-old rivalry between tech leaders Elon Musk and Sam Altman over who should run OpenAI and prevent an artificial intelligence “dictatorship” is now heading to a federal judge as Musk seeks to halt the ChatGPT maker’s ongoing shift into a for-profit company. Musk, an early OpenAI investor and board member, sued the artificial intelligence company earlier this year alleging it had betrayed its founding aims as a nonprofit research lab benefiting the public good rather than pursuing profits. Musk has since escalated the dispute, adding new claims and asking for a court order that would stop OpenAI’s plans to convert itself into a for-profit business more fully. The world’s richest man, whose companies include Tesla, SpaceX and social media platform X, last year started his own rival AI company, xAI. Musk says it faces unfair competition from OpenAI and its close business partner Microsoft, which has supplied the huge computing resources needed to build AI systems such as ChatGPT. “OpenAI and Microsoft together exploiting Musk’s donations so they can build a for-profit monopoly, one now specifically targeting xAI, is just too much,” says Musk’s filing that alleges the companies are violating the terms of Musk’s foundational contributions to the charity. RELATED COVERAGE OpenAI’s Altman will donate $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund OpenAI releases AI video generator Sora but limits how it depicts people OpenAI’s Sam Altman ‘not that worried’ about rival Elon Musk’s influence in the Trump administration OpenAI is filing a response Friday opposing Musk’s requested order, saying it would cripple OpenAI’s business and mission to the advantage of Musk and his own AI company. A hearing is set for January before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland. At the heart of the dispute is a 2017 internal power struggle at the fledgling startup that led to Altman becoming OpenAI’s CEO. Musk also sought to be CEO and in an email outlined a plan where he would “unequivocally have initial control of the company” but said that would be temporary. He grew frustrated after two other OpenAI co-founders said he would hold too much power as a major shareholder and chief executive if the startup succeeded in its goal to achieve better-than-human AI known as artificial general intelligence , or AGI. Musk has long voiced concerns about how advanced forms of AI could threaten humanity. “The current structure provides you with a path where you end up with unilateral absolute control over the AGI,” said a 2017 email to Musk from co-founders Ilya Sutskever and Greg Brockman. “You stated that you don’t want to control the final AGI, but during this negotiation, you’ve shown to us that absolute control is extremely important to you.” In the same email, titled “Honest Thoughts,” Sutskever and Brockman also voiced concerns about Altman’s desire to be CEO and whether he was motivated by “political goals.” Altman eventually succeeded in becoming CEO, and has remained so except for a period last year when he was fired and then reinstated days later after the board that ousted him was replaced. OpenAI published the messages Friday in a blog post meant to show its side of the story, particularly Musk’s early support for the idea of making OpenAI a for-profit business so it could raise money for the hardware and computer power that AI needs. It was Musk, through his wealth manager Jared Birchall, who first registered “Open Artificial Technologies Technologies, Inc.”, a public benefit corporation, in September 2017. Then came the “Honest Thoughts” email that Musk described as the “final straw.” “Either go do something on your own or continue with OpenAI as a nonprofit,” Musk wrote back. OpenAI said Musk later proposed merging the startup into Tesla before resigning as the co-chair of OpenAI’s board in early 2018. Musk didn’t immediately respond to emailed requests for comment sent to his companies Friday. Asked about his frayed relationship with Musk at a New York Times conference last week, Altman said he felt “tremendously sad” but also characterized Musk’s legal fight as one about business competition. “He’s a competitor and we’re doing well,” Altman said. He also said at the conference that he is “not that worried” about the Tesla CEO’s influence with President-elect Donald Trump. OpenAI said Friday that Altman plans to make a $1 million personal donation to Trump’s inauguration fund, joining a number of tech companies and executives who are working to improve their relationships with the incoming administration. —————————— The Associated Press and OpenAI have a licensing and technology agreement allowing OpenAI access to part of the AP’s text archives.

NoneScheifele notches hat trick as Jets top Maple Leafs 5-2 ahead of NHL's holiday breakBroncos make unexpected move with one of Bo Nix’s young weapons on offense

BOSTON — For the first time this season, the Indiana Pacers have something brewing. And for the first time in a long time, the Boston Celtics are lost. After the Eastern Conference finals ended in one of the most competitive sweeps in recent years, the Pacers looked like a team primed for a step forward. Despite the loss, Rick Carlisle’s team showed it could keep its perpetual offense in motion while playing physical playoff basketball. Advertisement Then both of these franchises returned with essentially the same teams and saw drastically different results early on. The Celtics were still on top of the world, while the Pacers sputtered out of the gate. But things are finally changing and the Pacers’ 123-114 win over the Celtics on Sunday showed that these teams are trending in opposite directions. “We’ve got to be a team of punchers,” Carlisle said. “We can’t be reactors. We’ve got to be agitators. And tonight, we were much more aggressive and it was the only way.” Indiana has now won seven of its last 10 games, which included a close loss to the West-leading Thunder and then a blowout in Boston the next night. Aside from that rough 24 hours, the Pacers have looked like themselves again. Andrew Nembhard’s return has helped to fortify the Pacers’ defensive chain that was fraying earlier in December. Indiana’s defense works when it has a reliable point-of-attack defender who can feed the ball in toward Myles Turner without other guys jumping in to help. Then the Pacers have a lot of length and speed around that primary defensive pairing to get the team racing out in transition once it gets the ball back. But in the recent losses to the Thunder and Celtics, the Pacers were just taking the ball out of the net way too much to maintain their edge. That changed Sunday, when the primary objective was to be the aggressor. Myles Turner with the putback SLAM 😳 #NBAAllStar | https://t.co/T6jmxAY3iX pic.twitter.com/EyJna6pqzM — Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) December 30, 2024 “That was a playoff-like intensity,” Jaylen Brown said. “Give credit to Indiana: They came out from the tip, you could see it. They were trying to pressure us, trying to get into me, trying to get into my body, trying to turn me over. As a team, you just gotta meet that challenge every single night.” Advertisement Ironically, Jayson Tatum said after the game the Celtics have to be the team that punches first. The Celtics’ formula to success last year was limitless versatility and rigidly adhered-to principles. The Pacers are a laissez-faire vortex of movement and tempo, which needs to be grounded in some defensive intensity to actually work. When Nembhard is out there, they just have it. “His impact is immeasurable,” Turner said. “He goes out there and guards their best players and he’s putting pressure on the rim. He makes tough shots and he’s someone that is very valuable to our team.” Just as the Pacers are turning things around, the Celtics have lost their spark. Derrick White said this is the toughest stretch the team has experienced since he came to Boston. Except for the first game Friday, a 142-105 Celtics victory when the Pacers were on a back-to-back after falling to the Thunder, they are getting the defending champs treatment. They already saw it last year, as the whole league was on notice after Kristaps Porziņģis showed up to the first preseason game. But it’s just different when the opposing coach can write on the board “DEFENDING CHAMPS” and underline it five times. “Our guys just decided that, whatever was happening, this is as tough a place to play as there is and you’re playing against the NBA champs, the world champs,” Carlisle said. “We were going to continue to attack and we were going to hit first as much as we could.” The Celtics know that’s what they are going to see most nights. A regular game for them is a statement game for everyone else. The losses were so rare last season that they didn’t have to stress much. The biggest knock on them entering the playoffs was that they hadn’t faced enough adversity. But now they’re back in the kind of slog that was all too familiar to this team before its championship run. Advertisement “I think we have the humility because we’ve been through it,” Tatum said. “There’s parts of the season where we took it for granted, and I think we’ve learned from that. But I think we’re just at a point in the season where we’re not happy where we’re at and we all have to understand that we’ve played a part in where we’re at right now.” Tatum said the Celtics have to get back to the basics, that they have to communicate and make sure they don’t leave guys on an island. That was most apparent when Tyrese Haliburton cruised past Al Horford in crunch time to get an easy layup. There have been an anomalous number of defensive breakdowns for the Celtics in recent weeks, regardless of Jrue Holiday’s and Porziņģis’ absences. The Celtics didn’t really feel changes in the depth chart last year. Whoever was out there, it didn’t matter that much. They were still executing on a string defensively and managed to keep their intensity high. Right now, it seems to be often one or the other. “Every season has its own challenges, every season presents its own adversity, and you’ve got to meet it,” Brown said. “You can’t think that last year is this year, or this year is gonna be last year.” Brown loved the playoff intensity of this second Pacers game but acknowledged that some comfort has slipped in defensively. White said it feels like they’re running uphill, so they have to get back to playing with joy. “It’s gonna help us grow if we look at it with the right intentionality and the right perspective,” Brown said. “We can’t complain about it or we just gotta meet the challenge, and I feel like we’ll be better for it.” As New York and Orlando creep up on them in the standings, the Celtics are about to embark on a gantlet road trip through Minnesota, Houston, Oklahoma City and Denver. These are teams that will test their defensive physicality and acuity. Advertisement “All the type of guys that are in that locker room, those are the type of guys I want to go to war with,” White said. “So I’m confident in that.” Now that the Pacers have Nembhard back, their identity is starting to crystalize again. In crunch time, they kept on running. They didn’t want to run the clock, something Haliburton conceded was counterintuitive. But this is just who they are. “I think we set our precedent for how we want to play,” Turner said. “I think that’s our advantage is that we get to the fourth quarter and we start running on teams that don’t really want to run with us.” Carlisle praised second-year forward Jarace Walker for playing to exhaustion. That’s a rite of passage on the team that runs everyone else ragged when it’s at its best. The Pacers are finally getting back to the team you don’t want to play. The Celtics look more vulnerable than they have in over a year. This is just another wave in the NBA season, but both of these teams have some work to do to get back to where they expect to be. (Photo of Indiana’s Myles Turner dunking on Boston’s Jaylen Brown: Bob DeChiara / Imagn Images)North Dakota’s solicitor general called on the state Supreme Court to reinstate an abortion law struck down by a lower court until a final decision in the case is made, arguing that the ban must remain in effect because the state has a compelling interest in protecting unborn life. “We say that not to be dramatic, but because the district court seems to have lost sight of that,” Phil Axt told justices Thursday, the North Dakota Monitor reported. The ban, signed into law by Gov. Doug Burgum in April 2023, made abortion illegal in all cases except rape or incest if the mother has been pregnant for less than six weeks, or when the pregnancy poses a serious physical health threat. South Central Judicial District Court Judge Bruce Romanick vacated the law in September, declaring it unconstitutionally vague and an infringement on medical freedom. He further wrote that “pregnant women in North Dakota have a fundamental right to choose abortion before viability exists.” The law went into effect just weeks after the North Dakota Supreme Court ruled the state’s previous abortion ban unconstitutional and found that women have a right to seek an abortion for health reasons. Axt argued Thursday that Romanick’s judgment striking down the 2023 law conflicts with the Supreme Court’s prior ruling, and that Romanick’s legal analysis contains “glaring errors.” Axt claimed there’s nothing in the state constitution that supports a right to abortion until the point of viability. “It’s been clear since our territorial days that in order to justify killing another human being, there must be a threat of death or serious bodily injury,” Axt said. Meetra Mehdizadeh, an attorney representing the plaintiffs, said to reverse Romanick’s decision even temporarily would be to disregard many serious problems he identified with the statute. The ban does not sufficiently explain to doctors when they may legally provide abortions — which chills their ability to provide necessary health care for fear of prosecution, she said. “The district court correctly held that the ban violates the rights of both physicians and patients, and staying the judgment and allowing the state to continue to enforce an unconstitutional law would be nonsensical,” Mehdizadeh said. Axt countered that the law is not vague, and that doctors are incorrect to assume they would face criminal penalties for good-faith medical decisions. If doctors are confused about the ban, said Axt, “the solution is not striking down the law — it is providing some professional education.” In briefs filed with the court, the state also argued that Romanick’s judgment vacating the law seems to conflict with his original order declaring the law unconstitutional. While the order identifies a right to abortion until the point of fetal viability, Romanick’s judgment does not include any reference to viability. The state is confused as to whether it can now enforce any restrictions on abortion, Axt said. North Dakota still must observe abortion regulations established under other laws not challenged in the lawsuit, Mehdizadeh said. Axt further claimed that Romanick’s judgment should be put on hold because it addresses a “novel” area of law, and because it takes a supermajority of the Supreme Court to declare a statute unconstitutional. “Statutes should not be presumed unconstitutional until this court has had an opportunity to weigh in on the matter, and a super majority of this court is of that opinion,” Axt said. Justice Daniel Crothers said he questioned Axt’s logic. “Any novel issue where the district court declares something unconstitutional, it’s sounding like you’re suggesting that we should presume that it’s wrong,” Crothers said to Axt. The appeal is the latest step in a lawsuit brought against the state by a group of reproductive health care doctors and a Moorhead, Minnesota-based abortion provider, Red River Women’s Clinic. The clinic previously operated in Fargo, but moved across the state line after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. The ban, passed with overwhelming support by both chambers of the Republican-dominated Legislature, set penalties of up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000 for any health care professionals found in violation of the law. Thursday’s arguments were only on whether Romanick’s decision should be put on hold during the appeal, not on the merits of the case itself, which the Supreme Court will consider separately. The justices took the matter under advisement. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox!

Alarm in France over fate of detained French-Algerian writerNissan and Honda to attempt a merger that would create the world's No. 3 automaker TOKYO (AP) — Japanese automakers Nissan and Honda have announced plans to work toward a merger that would catapult them to a top position in an industry in the midst of tectonic shifts as it transitions away from its reliance on fossil fuels. The two companies said they signed an agreement on integrating their businesses on Monday. Smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors agreed to join the talks. News of a possible merger surfaced earlier this month. Japanese automakers face a strong challenge from their Chinese rivals and Tesla as they make inroads into markets at home and abroad. What a merger between Nissan and Honda means for the automakers and the industry BANGKOK (AP) — Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan will attempt to merge and create the world’s third-largest automaker by sales as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels. The two companies said they had signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday and that smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors also had agreed to join the talks on integrating their businesses. Honda will initially lead the new management, retaining the principles and brands of each company. Following is a quick look at what a combined Honda and Nissan would mean for the companies, and for the auto industry. Nordstrom to be acquired by Nordstrom family and a Mexican retail group in $6.25 billion deal Century-old department store Nordstrom has agreed to be acquired and taken private by Nordstrom family members and a Mexican retail group in a $6.25 billion deal. Nordstrom shareholders will receive $24.25 in cash for each share of Nordstrom common stock, representing a 42% premium on the company’s stock as of March 18. Nordstrom’s board of directors unanimously approved the the proposed transaction, while Erik and Pete Nordstrom — part of the Nordstrom family taking over the company — recused themselves from voting. Following the close of the transaction, the Nordstrom Family will have a majority ownership stake in the company. An analyst looks ahead to how the US economy might fare under Trump WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump won a return to the White House in part by promising big changes in economic policy — more tax cuts, huge tariffs on imports, mass deportations of immigrants working in the United States illegally. In some ways, his victory marked a repudiation of President Joe Biden’s economic stewardship and a protest against inflation. It came despite low unemployment and steady growth under the Biden administration. What lies ahead for the economy under Trump? Paul Ashworth of Capital Economics spoke recently to The Associated Press. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. American consumers feeling less confident in December, Conference Board says American consumers are feeling less confident in December, a business research group says. The Conference Board said Monday that its consumer confidence index fell back in December to 104.7 from 112.8 in November. Consumers had been feeling increasingly confident in recent months. The consumer confidence index measures both Americans’ assessment of current economic conditions and their outlook for the next six months. The measure of Americans’ short-term expectations for income, business and the job market tumbled more than a dozen points to 81.1. The Conference Board says a reading under 80 can signal a potential recession in the near future. The internet is rife with fake reviews. Will AI make it worse? Researchers and watchdog groups say the emergence of generative artificial intelligence tools that allow people to efficiently produce detailed and novel online reviews has put merchants, service providers and consumers in uncharted territory. Phony reviews have long plagued many popular consumer websites, such as Amazon and Yelp. But AI-infused text generation tools enable fraudsters to produce reviews faster and in greater volume, according to tech industry experts. The deceptive practice is illegal in the U.S. and becomes a bigger problem for consumers during the holiday shopping season, when many people rely on reviews to buy gifts. A tech company and watchdog group that uses software to detect fake reviews says AI-generated reviews have multiplied. Stock market today: Wall Street wavers at the start of a holiday-shortened week NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks wavered in afternoon trading on Wall Street at the start of a holiday-shortened week. The S&P 500 slipped 0.4% Monday. Several big technology companies helped support the gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 63 points, or 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.7%. Japanese automakers Honda Motor and Nissan Motor said they are talking about combining in a deal that might also include Mitsubishi Motors. Eli Lilly rose after announcing that regulators approved Zepbound as the first prescription medicine for adults with sleep apnea. Treasury yields edged higher in the bond market. AI will eavesdrop on world's wildest places to track and help protect endangered wildlife PUERTO JIMÉNEZ, Costa Rica (AP) — A biologist hid 350 audio monitors across Costa Rica’s tropical rainforests to spy on endangered spider monkeys in order to help protect them. But she had to go back to collect the data and feed those sounds into artificial intelligence systems that can recognize monkey calls. Now tech giant Microsoft's philanthropic arm is hoping to supercharge AI-assisted wildlife research with new solar-powered devices that can capture sounds, images and other wilderness data for a year or more without human intervention. Researchers say more AI wildlife surveillance is urgently needed to monitor the health of species at risk of extinction. Many Americans have come to rely on Chinese-made drones. Now lawmakers want to ban them WASHINGTON (AP) — The economic and technological rivalry between the U.S. and China has come to the drone market, where Chinese-made flying devices are a dominant player in America. Lawmakers in Washington are seeking to ban new sales of Chinese-made drones, arguing they could be used to spy on Americans and that the low-cost models are hurting the U.S. drone industry. But U.S. users — spanning from police officers to farmers to mappers and filmmakers — have come to rely on Chinese-made drones, especially those by DJI Technology, for their work or lives. Florida has banned Chinese drones in state-funded programs, but also appropriated $25 million to help offset replacement costs. Government regulators close investigation into Ford Focus recalls Government safety regulators are closing an investigation into two previous recalls of the Ford Focus after determining that Ford Motor Co. has satisfied its concerns. Ford recalled around 1.5 million Ford Focus sedans from the 2012-2018 model years in 2018 because they could lose power. The issue was a malfunctioning canister purge valve and software that didn’t adequately detect when it was stuck open. Ford fixed the software in two separate recalls, but after cars continued to stall, the government opened an inquiry last year. Earlier this fall, Ford offered to replace the canister purge valve on all of the vehicles, satisfying regulators' concerns.