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Senior advisers to Vice President Kamala Harris’ failed presidential campaign suggested this week that there just wasn’t much else Harris could have done to beat Donald Trump. Harris couldn’t have distanced herself from President Joe Biden, they said, because she was loyal. She couldn’t have responded more forcefully to attacks over trans rights, because doing so would have been playing Trump’s game. And she might not have had much chance of winning anyway, given the deficit she inherited from Biden when he dropped out of the race in July. “We were hopeful. I don’t know how optimistic we were, but we thought, OK, this is tied, and if a couple things break our way [we could win],” David Plouffe, a senior adviser to the campaign, said Tuesday on the “Pod Save America” podcast in a joint interview with fellow Harris campaign alums Jen O’Malley Dillon, Quentin Fulks and Stephanie Cutter. Plouffe said the campaign’s internal polling never had Harris ahead of Trump. “We didn’t get the breaks we needed on Election Day,” he said. “I think it surprised people, because there was these public polls that came out in late September, early October, showing us with leads that we never saw.” There’s no doubt that voter anger over high prices hurt Harris , just as it has hurt incumbent politicians all over the world. Since Trump’s victory, however, Democrats have debated the relative impacts of other factors, such as the campaign’s muted response to Trump’s anti-trans TV ads and Harris’ decision not to say how she’d be different from Biden. During an early October appearance on “The View,” Sunny Hostin, one of the hosts of the daytime talk show, asked Harris if there was anything she would have done differently than Biden, whose approval rating had been underwater since 2021. “There is not a thing that comes to mind,” Harris said, in an answer ready-made for a Trump TV ad. “And I’ve been part of most of the decisions that have had impact.” Many Democratic pollsters and strategists have questioned why Harris didn’t give some example of how she’d be different, such as by saying she would have acted faster than Biden did to reduce migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border. Cutter said the campaign heard the second-guessing ― but, she said, Harris was merely being true to herself and loyal to Biden, and saying otherwise would have backfired. “We knew we had to show her as her own person and point to the future and not try to rehash the past,” Cutter said. “But she also felt that she was part of the administration, and unless we said something like, ‘Well, I would have handled the border completely differently,’ we were never going to satisfy anybody.” “She had tremendous loyalty to President Biden,” Cutter continued. “Imagine if we said, ‘Well, we would have taken this approach on the border.’ Imagine the round of stories coming out after that, of people saying, ‘Well, she never said that in the meeting.’” Since Election Day, Democrats have also debated the impact of Trump’s anti-trans messaging, with some lawmakers questioning the party’s fealty to trans rights activists with uncompromising positions . The Trump campaign spent significant resources on ads highlighting Harris’ past support for gender-affirming care, including surgery, for people incarcerated in federal prisons. Fulks, Harris’ former deputy campaign manager, called those ads “very effective,” though he and Plouffe said they doubted whether the ads actually moved voters. Some polling has shown the issue moved independent voters who broke for Trump. Don't let this be the end of the free press. The free press is under attack — and America's future hangs in the balance. As other newsrooms bow to political pressure, HuffPost is not backing down. Would you help us keep our news free for all? We can't do it without you. Can't afford to contribute? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read. You've supported HuffPost before, and we'll be honest — we could use your help again . 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Log in to hide these messages. “I ultimately don’t believe that it was about the issue of ‘trans.’ I think that it made her seem out of touch, and it was sort of a pseudo-economic ad underneath it, because he was saying you’re going to pay for it with taxpayer money,” Fulks said, adding that the fact the ads used video of Harris stating her position in her own words made them more damaging. “We tested a ton of responses to this, direct responses, and none of them ever tested as well as basically her talking about what she would do... the future, the type of president that she would be,” Fulks said. The campaign’s internal research, Fulks said, indicated they should focus their message on attacking Trump or introducing Harris to voters in a positive way, rather than defending her from Trump’s attacks. (Plouffe noted that two Democratic candidates did put out ads responding to anti-trans attacks; neither won their race.) “If we spent this entire race pushing back on immigration attacks or crime attacks and pushing back against trans attacks, at what point are we bringing Trump down and/or introducing the vice president on our own terms?” Fulks said. “We’re playing on their field.” Related From Our PartnerKYIV, Ukraine (AP) — NATO and Ukraine will hold emergency talks Tuesday after Russia attacked a central city with an experimental, hypersonic ballistic missile that escalated the nearly 33-month-old war. The conflict is “entering a decisive phase,” Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Friday, and “taking on very dramatic dimensions.” Ukraine’s parliament canceled a session as security was tightened following Thursday's Russian strike on a military facility in the city of Dnipro. In a stark warning to the West, President Vladimir Putin said in a nationally televised speech that the attack with the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile was in retaliation for Kyiv’s use of U.S. and British longer-range missiles capable of striking deeper into Russian territory. Putin said Western air defense systems would be powerless to stop the new missile. Ukrainian military officials said the missile that hit Dnipro had reached a speed of Mach 11 and carried six nonnuclear warheads each releasing six submunitions. Speaking Friday to military and weapons industries officials, Putin said Russia is launching production of the Oreshnik. “No one in the world has such weapons,” he said with a thin smile. “Sooner or later other leading countries will also get them. We are aware that they are under development." But he added, "we have this system now. And this is important.” Testing the missile will continue, “including in combat, depending on the situation and the character of security threats created for Russia,” Putin said, noting there is ”a stockpile of such systems ready for use.” Putin said that while it isn’t an intercontinental missile, it’s so powerful that the use of several of them fitted with conventional warheads in one attack could be as devastating as a strike with strategic — or nuclear — weapons. Gen. Sergei Karakayev, head of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces, said the Oreshnik could reach targets across Europe and be fitted with nuclear or conventional warheads, echoing Putin's claim that even with conventional warheads, “the massive use of the weapon would be comparable in effect to the use of nuclear weapons.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov kept up Russia's bellicose tone on Friday, blaming “the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries” in supplying weapons to Ukraine to strike Russia. "The Russian side has clearly demonstrated its capabilities, and the contours of further retaliatory actions in the event that our concerns were not taken into account have also been quite clearly outlined," he said. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, widely seen as having the warmest relations with the Kremlin in the European Union, echoed Moscow's talking points, suggesting the use of U.S.-supplied weapons in Ukraine likely requires direct American involvement. “These are rockets that are fired and then guided to a target via an electronic system, which requires the world’s most advanced technology and satellite communications capability,” Orbán said on state radio. “There is a strong assumption ... that these missiles cannot be guided without the assistance of American personnel.” Orbán cautioned against underestimating Russia’s responses, emphasizing that the country’s recent modifications to its nuclear deployment doctrine should not be dismissed as a “bluff.” “It’s not a trick... there will be consequences,” he said. Separately in Kyiv, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský called Thursday's missile strike an “escalatory step and an attempt of the Russian dictator to scare the population of Ukraine and to scare the population of Europe.” At a news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Lipavský also expressed his full support for delivering the necessary additional air defense systems to protect Ukrainian civilians from the “heinous attacks.” He underlined that the Czech Republic will impose no limits on the use of its weapons and equipment given to Ukraine. Three lawmakers from Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, confirmed that Friday's previously scheduled session was called off due to the ongoing threat of Russian missiles targeting government buildings in central Kyiv. In addition, there also was a recommendation to limit the work of all commercial offices and nongovernmental organizations "in that perimeter, and local residents were warned of the increased threat,” said lawmaker Mykyta Poturaiev, who added this is not the first time such a threat has been received. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office continued to work in compliance with standard security measures, a spokesperson said. Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate said the Oreshnik missile, whose name in Russian means “hazelnut tree,” was fired from the Kapustin Yar 4th Missile Test Range in Russia’s Astrakhan region, and flew 15 minutes before striking Dnipro. Test launches of a similar missile were conducted in October 2023 and June 2024, the directorate said. The Pentagon confirmed the missile was a new, experimental type of intermediate-range missile based on its RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile. Thursday's attack struck the Pivdenmash plant that built ICBMs when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. The military facility is located about 4 miles (6 1/2 kilometers) southwest of the center of Dnipro, a city of about 1 million that is Ukraine’s fourth-largest and a key hub for military supplies and humanitarian aid, and is home to one of the country’s largest hospitals for treating wounded soldiers from the front before their transfer to Kyiv or abroad. The stricken area was cordoned off and out of public view. With no fatalities reported from the attack, Dnipro residents resorted to dark humor on social media, mostly focused on the missile’s name, Oreshnik. Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russia struck a residential district of Sumy overnight with Iranian-designed Shahed drones, killing two people and injuring 13, the regional administration said.. Ukraine’s Suspilne media, quoting Sumy regional head Volodymyr Artiukh, said the drones were stuffed with shrapnel elements. “These weapons are used to destroy people, not to destroy objects,” said Artiukh, according to Suspilne. —— Associated Press journalists Lorne Cook in Brussels, Samya Kullab in Kyiv, Dasha Litvinova in Tallinn, Estonia, and Justin Spike in Budapest, Hungary, contributed. —— Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump's transition team on Tuesday signed an agreement to allow the Justice Department to conduct background checks on his nominees and appointees after a weekslong delay. The step lets Trump transition aides and future administration staffers obtain security clearances before Inauguration Day to access classified information about ongoing government programs, an essential step for a smooth transition of power. It also allows those nominees who are up for Senate confirmation to face the background checks lawmakers want before voting on them. Teams of investigators have been standing by to process clearances for Trump aides and advisers. FILE - Susie Wiles watches as Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a caucus night party in Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File) "This agreement with the Department of Justice will ensure President Trump and his team are ready on Day 1 to begin enacting the America First Agenda that an overwhelming majority of our nation supported on Election Day," said Susie Wiles, Trump's designate to be White House chief of staff. The announcement came a week after the Trump transition team signed an agreement with the Biden White House to allow transition staff to coordinate with the existing federal workforce before taking office Jan. 20. The White House agreement was supposed to have been signed by Oct. 1, according to the Presidential Transition Act, and the Biden White House issued both public and private appeals for Trump's team to sign on. Security clearances are required to access classified information, including on ongoing operations and threats to the nation, and the Biden White House and outside experts emphasized to Trump's team the importance of having cleared personnel before Inauguration Day so they could be fully briefed and ready to run the government. Republican Senators also insisted on FBI background checks for Trump's nominees before they face confirmation votes, as has been standard practice for decades. Lawmakers were particularly interested in seeing the findings of reviews into Trump's designated nominee for defense secretary, former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, and for Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to be director of national intelligence. "That's why it's so important that we have an FBI background check, a committee review of extensive questions and questionnaires, and a public hearing," Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said Monday. John Thune, incoming Senate Republican leader, said the Trump team "understands there's going to have to be a thorough vetting of all these nominees." Among President-elect Donald Trump's picks are Susie Wiles for chief of staff, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, former Democratic House member Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general. Susie Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Trump named Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state, making a former sharp critic his choice to be the new administration's top diplomat. Rubio, 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket last summer. Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” Trump said of Rubio in a statement. The announcement punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom the senator called a “con man" during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. And as Trump campaigned for the presidency a third time, Rubio cheered his proposals. For instance, Rubio, who more than a decade ago helped craft immigration legislation that included a path to citizenship for people in the U.S. illegally, now supports Trump's plan to use the U.S. military for mass deportations. Pete Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend” and has been a contributor with the network since 2014, where he developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. Hegseth lacks senior military or national security experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises — ranging from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea. Hegseth is also the author of “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” published earlier this year. Trump tapped Pam Bondi, 59, to be attorney general after U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration. She was Florida's first female attorney general, serving between 2011 and 2019. She also was on Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020. Considered a loyalist, she served as part of a Trump-allied outside group that helped lay the groundwork for his future administration called the America First Policy Institute. Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. A fierce defender of Trump, she also frequently appears on Fox News and has been a critic of the criminal cases against him. Trump picked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a well-known conservative who faced sharp criticism for telling a story in her memoir about shooting a rambunctious dog, to lead an agency crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda. Noem used her two terms leading a tiny state to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics. South Dakota is usually a political afterthought. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions that other states had issued and instead declared her state “open for business.” Trump held a fireworks rally at Mount Rushmore in July 2020 in one of the first large gatherings of the pandemic. She takes over a department with a sprawling mission. In addition to key immigration agencies, the Department of Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service, and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports. The governor of North Dakota, who was once little-known outside his state, Burgum is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump, and spent months traveling to drum up support for him, after dropping out of the race. Burgum was a serious contender to be Trump’s vice presidential choice this summer. The two-term governor was seen as a possible pick because of his executive experience and business savvy. Burgum also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs. Trump made the announcement about Burgum joining his incoming administration while addressing a gala at his Mar-a-Lago club, and said a formal statement would be coming the following day. In comments to reporters before Trump took the stage, Burgum said that, in recent years, the power grid is deteriorating in many parts of the country, which he said could raise national security concerns but also drive up prices enough to increase inflation. “There's just a sense of urgency, and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration,” Burgum said. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president as a Democrat, than as an independent, and then endorsed Trump . He's the son of Democratic icon Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated during his own presidential campaign. The nomination of Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services alarmed people who are concerned about his record of spreading unfounded fears about vaccines . For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Scott Bessent, 62, is a former George Soros money manager and an advocate for deficit reduction. He's the founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management, after having worked on-and-off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary. He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trump’s campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending. “This election cycle is the last chance for the U.S. to grow our way out of this mountain of debt without becoming a sort of European-style socialist democracy,” he said then. Oregon Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her reelection bid this month, but received strong backing from union members in her district. As a potential labor secretary, she would oversee the Labor Department’s workforce, its budget and put forth priorities that impact workers’ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employer’s rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities. Chavez-DeRemer is one of few House Republicans to endorse the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and would add penalties for companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws that allow employees in more than half the states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their places of employment. Scott Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he’s yet selected for his administration, with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” Sean Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, “Fox and Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children. A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Write is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking — a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. Wright also has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.” The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States. Wright also won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump’s first term. President-elect Donald Trump tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump promised to dismantle. McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s initial term from 2017 to 2019 and twice ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut. She’s seen as a relative unknown in education circles, though she expressed support for charter schools and school choice. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. Brooke Rollins, who graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural development, is a longtime Trump associate who served as White House domestic policy chief during his first presidency. The 52-year-old is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration. She previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Trump chose Howard Lutnick, head of brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and a cryptocurrency enthusiast, as his nominee for commerce secretary, a position in which he'd have a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs. Trump made the announcement Tuesday on his social media platform, Truth Social. Lutnick is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team, along with Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration. Both are tasked with putting forward candidates for key roles in the next administration. The nomination would put Lutnick in charge of a sprawling Cabinet agency that is involved in funding new computer chip factories, imposing trade restrictions, releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. It is also a position in which connections to CEOs and the wider business community are crucial. Doug Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial, which centered on U.S. assistance for Ukraine. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential nomination, but he was acquitted by the Senate. Collins has also served in the armed forces himself and is currently a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command. "We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need," Trump said in a statement about nominating Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Karoline Leavitt, 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. The White House press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps. Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, was a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term before she became communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump's choice for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has been tapped by Trump to be director of national intelligence, keeping with the trend to stock his Cabinet with loyal personalities rather than veteran professionals in their requisite fields. Gabbard, 43, was a Democratic House member who unsuccessfully sought the party's 2020 presidential nomination before leaving the party in 2022. She endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him this fall. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community,” Trump said in a statement. Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions. Trump has picked John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who served as director of national intelligence during his first administration, to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his next. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump's first term, leading the U.S. government's spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. “I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation's highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement, calling him a “fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans” who would ensure “the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.” Trump has chosen former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to serve as his pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency . Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on X , “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.” “We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,” he added. During his campaign, Trump often attacked the Biden administration's promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referring to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often told his audiences during the campaign his administration would “Drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration. In a statement, Trump said Zeldin “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.” Trump has named Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, as the new chairman of the agency tasked with regulating broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband. Carr is a longtime member of the commission and served previously as the FCC’s general counsel. He has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate three times and was nominated by both Trump and President Joe Biden to the commission. Carr made past appearances on “Fox News Channel," including when he decried Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' pre-Election Day appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” He wrote an op-ed last month defending a satellite company owned by Trump supporter Elon Musk. Rep. Elise Stefanik is a representative from New York and one of Trump's staunchest defenders going back to his first impeachment. Elected to the House in 2014, Stefanik was selected by her GOP House colleagues as House Republican Conference chair in 2021, when former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after publicly criticizing Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election. Stefanik, 40, has served in that role ever since as the third-ranking member of House leadership. Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile. If confirmed, she would represent American interests at the U.N. as Trump vows to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine begun in 2022. He has also called for peace as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon to target Hezbollah. President-elect Donald Trump says he's chosen former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO. Trump has expressed skepticism about the Western military alliance for years. Trump said in a statement Wednesday that Whitaker is “a strong warrior and loyal Patriot” who “will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended” and “strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability.” The choice of Whitaker as the nation’s representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an unusual one, given his background is as a lawyer and not in foreign policy. A Republican congressman from Michigan who served from 1993 to 2011, Hoekstra was ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump's first term. “In my Second Term, Pete will help me once again put AMERICA FIRST,” Trump said in a statement announcing his choice. “He did an outstanding job as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands during our first four years, and I am confident that he will continue to represent our Country well in this new role.” Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah. “He loves Israel, and likewise the people of Israel love him,” Trump said in a statement. “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East.” Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland. Trump has been praised by some in this important Republican voting bloc for moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Trump on Tuesday named real estate investor Steven Witkoff to be special envoy to the Middle East. The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect's golf partner and was golfing with him at Trump's club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination. Witkoff “is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy,” Trump said of Witkoff in a statement. “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud." Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee. Trump said Wednesday that he will nominate Gen. Keith Kellogg to serve as assistant to the president and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as National Security Advisor to Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence. For the America First Policy Institute, one of several groups formed after Trump left office to help lay the groundwork for the next Republican administration, Kellogg in April wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.” (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) Trump asked Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, Trump announced in a statement Tuesday. The move puts Waltz in the middle of national security crises, ranging from efforts to provide weapons to Ukraine and worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah. “Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda,” Trump's statement said, "and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!” Waltz is a three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs. He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population. Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner , was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump's priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump's first administration. Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump's policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families. Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation's economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people who are in the United States illegally. Since Trump left office in 2021, Miller has served as the president of America First Legal, an organization made up of former Trump advisers aimed at challenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others over issues such as free speech and national security. Thomas Homan, 62, has been tasked with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history. Homan, who served under Trump in his first administration leading U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was widely expected to be offered a position related to the border, an issue Trump made central to his campaign. Though Homan has insisted such a massive undertaking would be humane, he has long been a loyal supporter of Trump's policy proposals, suggesting at a July conference in Washington that he would be willing to "run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.” Democrats have criticized Homan for his defending Trump's “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border. Dr. Mehmet Oz, 64, is a former heart surgeon who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show,” a long-running daytime television talk show. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of Trump, who endorsed Oz's bid for elected office. Elon Musk, left, and Vivek Ramaswamy speak before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at an Oct. 27 campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York. Trump on Tuesday said Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency" — which is not, despite the name, a government agency. The acronym “DOGE” is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said Musk and Ramaswamy will work from outside the government to offer the White House “advice and guidance” and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.” He added the move would shock government systems. It's not clear how the organization will operate. Musk, owner of X and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been a constant presence at Mar-a-Lago since Trump won the presidential election. Ramaswamy suspended his campaign in January and threw his support behind Trump. Trump said the two will “pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” Russell Vought held the position during Trump’s first presidency. After Trump’s initial term ended, Vought founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as “renew a consensus of America as a nation under God.” Vought was closely involved with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that he tried to distance himself from during the campaign. Vought has also previously worked as the executive and budget director for the Republican Study Committee, a caucus for conservative House Republicans. He also worked at Heritage Action, the political group tied to The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Dan Scavino, deputy chief of staff Scavino, whom Trump's transition referred to in a statement as one of “Trump's longest serving and most trusted aides,” was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign, as well as his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president. Scavino had run Trump's social media profile in the White House during his first administration. He was also held in contempt of Congress in 2022 after a month-long refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. James Blair, deputy chief of staff Blair was political director for Trump's 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee. He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and assistant to the president. Blair was key to Trump's economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign this year, a driving force behind the candidate's “Trump can fix it” slogan and his query to audiences this fall if they were better off than four years ago. Taylor Budowich, deputy chief of staff Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again, Inc., a super PAC that supported Trump's 2024 campaign. He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president. Budowich also had served as a spokesman for Trump after his presidency. William McGinley, White House counsel McGinley was White House Cabinet secretary during Trump's first administration, and was outside legal counsel for the Republican National Committee's election integrity effort during the 2024 campaign. In a statement, Trump called McGinley “a smart and tenacious lawyer who will help me advance our America First agenda, while fighting for election integrity and against the weaponization of law enforcement.” Jay Bhattacharya, National Institutes of Health Trump has chosen Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health. Bhattacharya is a physician and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, and is a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates. He promoted the idea of herd immunity during the pandemic, arguing that people at low risk should live normally while building up immunity to COVID-19 through infection. The National Institutes of Health funds medical research through competitive grants to researchers at institutions throughout the nation. NIH also conducts its own research with thousands of scientists working at its labs in Bethesda, Maryland. Jamieson Greer, U.S. trade representative Kevin Hassett, Director of the White House National Economic Council Trump is turning to two officials with experience navigating not only Washington but the key issues of income taxes and tariffs as he fills out his economic team. He announced he has chosen international trade attorney Jamieson Greer to be his U.S. trade representative and Kevin Hassett as director of the White House National Economic Council. While Trump has in several cases nominated outsiders to key posts, these picks reflect a recognition that his reputation will likely hinge on restoring the public’s confidence in the economy. Trump said in a statement that Greer was instrumental in his first term in imposing tariffs on China and others and replacing the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, “therefore making it much better for American Workers.” Hassett, 62, served in the first Trump term as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. He has a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and worked at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute before joining the Trump White House in 2017. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.California residents on edge as high surf and flooding threats persist on Christmas Eve
The Great British Bake Off 2024: fans are all saying the same thing about Dylan in the final
It’s been over three years since I bothered to publish an article on the dead end but glitzy space of urban air mobility with their origami electric vertical take-off and landing passenger aircraft. Instead, I focused my aviation related assessments on how aviation will actually decarbonize over the next few decades, starting with regional air mobility where conventional fixed-wing aircraft take off from boring old airstrips, but running on electricity. Oh, and heavy lift drones for crop spraying, tree planting, and solar panel installation, among many other use cases of high merit. But recently there’s been enough news of very predictable — and predicted — failures that it’s worth returning to the space. Electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (EVTOLs) were heavy into the SPAC — special purpose acquisition company — pump and dump scam investment space that Wall Street bros foisted off on unwitting investors after IPOs, ICOs, and NFTs had made them their millions in bonuses, enabling them to stock up on Cristal and Ferraris. As a I wrote in 2021, the publicly listed EVTOL firms had already lost investors $16 billion of the peak capitalization of $28 billion, and the stock prices have just continued to go down. That’s not a good look at all. Of the publicly listed firms, only one is ever so slightly up from its original valuation, about 10% over five years, so nothing at all to write home about. What company is that? Chinese firm eHang, with its customer Cuisinart knee-high blades. But that firm, having seen a major stock bump when the SPAC craze blew through the market, masks the depth of failure of the rest of the stocks. Let’s remove it. Now there’s a stock chart to make investors green in the gills from airsickness. It also makes the 2021 SPAC-fueled pump and dump spike very clear. Google Finance only allows five stocks, so I replaced eHang with Eve Mobility, the Embraer subsidiary. Many people seem to think that the continued existence of these companies is indicative that they have value and merit. That’s a misreading of the situation. The Wall Street SPAC bros did very well out of them, selling off and taking a lot of the raised capital before it dissolved into losses. That’s left the firms with insufficient funds to actually certify and manufacture their aircraft, but enough to keep going and for the founders and executives to keep taking big annual salaries to show up at air shows, hang around aviation types, and fail slowly. That time is coming to an end. Lilium is the first to reach the end of the runway and crash into the barriers at the end, declaring insolvency recently — equivalent to bankruptcy in North America — and entering administration in the UK and Australia. NASDAQ announced it was delisting the stock three weeks ago, but it takes a while for the process to complete, hence their existence on the charts. Of course, there are other failures to consider from firms that were never listed separately as a stock. Kitty Hawk Corporation, the Silicon Valley-based EVTOL pioneer backed by Google co-founder Larry Page, announced in September 2022 that it was ceasing operations. The company failed to achieve commercial viability with its Heaviside EVTOL though its joint venture with Boeing, Wisk Aero, continues to pursue autonomous air taxi solutions. That’s a dead end for Boeing, with Wisk being more of a sexy distraction from real airplanes’ doors falling off and planes plummeting out of the sky than an actual business venture. That said, the absurd degree of regulatory capture of the US Federal Aviation Authority by Boeing detailed in Flying Blind: The 737 MAX Tragedy and the Fall of Boeing means that Wisk might get through certification, something unlikely for all of the rest. (Note: eHang managed a limited certification which allows it to operate as a rural fairground ride, but that’s the extent of the certification good news in the space.) Rolls-Royce’s ambitions in the electric flying taxi space came to an end in September of 2024, as the British aerospace giant shut down its Advanced Air Mobility division. Despite years of research and investment, the company failed to attract buyers for its EVTOL technology, once again completely predictably. Vertical Aerospace, a prominent UK-based EVTOL company, entered advanced negotiations with creditors in November 2024 in a bid to secure its financial future. The firm, which had been developing the VX4 EVTOL aircraft, struggled to balance the high costs of certification and production with limited capital reserves. One of the reasons it’s struggling is that Rolls-Royce stopped backing it during its exit from the space. I expect Vertical to follow Lilium into administration in the coming weeks. Who would throw more money into this empty hole in the sky? Joby, borne of a group of people who failed — again predictably — in the field of airborne wind energy, continues to pretend it’s going to have aircraft certified and in the air real soon now. The company originally pretended that its first-of-a-kind aircraft with multiple novelties and a class history of falling out of the sky and killing people — there’s a reason only the military flies VTOLs — would be certified and available for sale in 2023. Now they are pretending it’s 2025. If they actually survive to mid-2025, I predict the launch will be changed to 2027 or 2028. For an example of SPAC proceeds, the reverse takeover raised $1.6 billion, but Joby only received $1.1 billion of it. At that, they are the best financed EVTOL firm in existence, so might be the last one standing. They are in bed with Toyota now, which doesn’t bode well, as that firm has a recent history of betting on the wrong technology. Beta Technologies is another US entrant in the stable of sway-backed nags pretending to be Arabian thoroughbreds. It’s stayed private, getting multiple series of investments from organizations that should know better — Amazon’s Climate Pledge Fund and Fidelity Management & Research Company — and funds I don’t expect much from — Qatar Investment Authority and TPG Rise Climate. It’s managed to raise $1 billion, which sounds like a lot. However, I’ve had multiple discussions with experts in aircraft certification in the past five years and reviewed certification requirements for both the FAA and EASA related to this class of decorative objects. We agree that getting one of these things certified is in the range of $1.5 billion, and that none of the volumes in the business cases, adjusted for reality, remotely support the expenditure. They would need to sell thousands per year when the market might be a few hundred in total, and they are pretending that they will be flying 12 hours a day with turnarounds like Formula One pitstops on the ground. I reviewed a lot of the business cases four years ago and none of them study up to the slightest scrutiny, lighter-than-air confections that pretended to be steak and potatoes. Eve Air Mobility, listed under Eve Holding Inc, a subsidiary of Embraer, is even more off the mark. It was another SPAC pump and dump, managing only a tiny $4.14 stock price bump before the dump in 2021. It picked up $400 million in capital and has added another $300 million or so to that, but recently it’s only been getting loans, which frankly is a bad sign for an aircraft that has raised half the money it needs just to certify. I assume Embraer has been keeping it alive because other major aircraft manufacturers have been playing the game for marketing dollars, and as they exit one by one, Embraer is just choosing when to do so. I give it a maximum of a year before the aerospace engineers and executives are asked to find other, more productive things to do with their time. Volocopter, a German sibling firm of already failed Lilium, is struggling as well. It’s only managed to raise about $700 million as well from investors like Daimler AG, Geely, Intel Capital, BlackRock, NEOM, and Micron Ventures. The ground transportation connection is stronger with the firm, but NEOM is a big red flag as that fund thinks an unlivable linear city through a desert is a great idea. Earlier this year it failed to launch at the Paris Olympics, one of a couple of embarrassing parts of an event that promised to be a real climate winner. It was supposed to be able to ferry one passenger at a time — without luggage except maybe a carry-on bag — from a barge in the Seine to the airport, but unsurprisingly failed to get certification for that. The only good things I have to say about Volocopter is that at least, like eHang, it has opted for simplicity with no origami shape-shifting, just rapidly spinning blades, but unlike eHang at least put them safely above passengers’ heads. I’m pretty sure it’s heading for insolvency, likely in early 2024. Requiring a card of its own to play, the biggest aircraft manufacturer in the world, Airbus, has its concept car... err... EVTOL to show off at airshows — the CityAirbus NextGen. It keeps how much it has spent on this marketing venture close to its chest, and unlike many of the other entrants on this list of avionic shame, doesn’t pretend that memorandums of understanding that would dissolve in a gentle misting of rain are orders, claiming none at all. With Rolls-Royce gone, the need to be able to play the card diminishes, so I expect the CityAirbus to vanish into the junk drawer of old renderings in a year or two at maximum. There are a couple of other EVTOL firms that no one has ever heard of, Skydrive out of Japan and ASML out of Australia, but like all the rest, they fly under all radar systems because they are never leaving the ground. They’ll dissolve into the aether soon enough, although the Japanese one might turn into the hydrogen fuel-celled car of the 2030s. Never count out the Japanese ability to persist in doing something for decades past the time when all rational reasons for doing so have disappeared. On that note, Japan’s latest energy plan is finally heavy on renewables, so the country can still learn. It’s unlikely I’ll bother to write another article about this space unless I do a retrospective of the hulking carcasses in the graveyards of aircraft at some point to point out how much money and engineering talent was wasted as an abject lesson in another hype bubble. They always arise, and it’s useful having a set of collateral that enables us to ask why the next hype bubble is different than the last one. For all those wishing for a Jetsons future — you know who you are — let it subside into wistful daydreaming instead of active hoping. CleanTechnica's Comment Policy LinkedIn WhatsApp Facebook X Email Mastodon RedditBETHESDA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 3, 2024-- LucyRx, a next-generation pharmacy benefits manager recognized for its commitment to personalized service and high-quality patient care, will assume pharmacy benefit operations of Citizens Rx. The agreement brings over 100,000 new members from 35 self-insured client organizations under LucyRx’s administration. By leveraging LucyRx’s operational capabilities, Citizens Rx members will experience a seamless transition with no disruption in care. Members will continue using their existing ID cards, toll-free support number and member portal, with access to the same trusted team of account managers and clinical pharmacists. The business collaboration reflects a shared commitment to maintaining continuity and elevating the overall member experience through innovative pharmacy benefit management. Following an extensive evaluation process, LucyRx was selected for its innovative approach which sets it apart in a crowded marketplace. Key differentiators included: Operational Excellence : Streamlined processes and optimized efficiency with cloud-based claims processing and LucyIQ, a proprietary AI driven analytics platform. High-Touch Account Management : Personalized, proactive client support delivered by a dedicated team that anticipates client needs and drives sustained success. Clinical Innovation : Tailored programs designed to more effectively manage complex conditions, reduce unnecessary prescription drug spend, and enhance health outcomes for members. Transparency and Trust : Full visibility into pricing, performance metrics, and cost savings opportunities with strong, lasting client relationships. "We are excited to have the opportunity to showcase our commitment to exceptional service for these members," said Susan Thomas, Chief Commercial Officer at LucyRx. "Our team is dedicated to exceeding expectations by offering tailored solutions that anticipate needs and drive meaningful value through every interaction." About LucyRx LucyRx is an independent, next-generation pharmacy benefits manager transforming the industry with data clarity, fiduciary alignment, and a commitment to putting people first. Built on decades of leadership experience, LucyRx was founded to challenge outdated norms and create meaningful change. At the heart of LucyRx’s mission is LucyIQ, an advanced AI-powered analytics platform delivering actionable insights that empower plan sponsors to manage benefits, lower costs and improve care. Our solutions make prescription management more accessible, understandable, and personal. Launched in 2023 with a $500 million capital investment, LucyRx partners with over 65,000 pharmacies and serves over 1,200 clients nationwide. For more information, visit www.lucyrx.com . View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241203521890/en/ CONTACT: Tricia Bancroft tbancroft@lucyrx.com 516-241-6157 KEYWORD: MARYLAND UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TECHNOLOGY HEALTH TECHNOLOGY PROFESSIONAL SERVICES SOFTWARE DATA ANALYTICS GENERAL HEALTH PHARMACEUTICAL HEALTH DATA MANAGEMENT ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SOURCE: LucyRx Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/03/2024 04:05 PM/DISC: 12/03/2024 04:05 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241203521890/en
When you splurge on a luxurious beef tenderloin for the holidays, consider reverse searing as the cooking method. Reverse searing is a foolproof way to respect the integrity of a rich and tender cut of lean meat. While the term may sound intimidating, it’s a straightforward technique that ensures a luscious, evenly pink interior and a browned outer crust. Reverse searing requires a long, slow cook for the meat to reach temperature, followed by a hot sear to finish and brown the exterior. The technique is simple; all you need is a meat thermometer to rely on to gauge doneness. For extra ease, you can have your butcher truss the meat for an even cook. To truss the meat yourself, trim the tenderloin of any fat and silver skin. Fold the narrow end under the filet for even presentation and truss with kitchen string in 1-inch intervals. Begin the night before cooking: Evenly salt the meat. Then refrigerate it overnight, uncovered, to air-dry. The overnight rest allows the salt to penetrate the meat, and air-drying ensures browning when cooking. Let the meat rest at room temperature one hour before roasting. Finish with a sauce of your choice. This recipe includes a rich port wine sauce, worthy of a special meal. Lynda Balslev is a Marin cookbook author, food and travel writer and recipe developer. Reverse Seared Beef Tenderloin With Port Wine Sauce Serves 4 to 6 Ingredients 1 center-cut beef tenderloin, 2 to 3 pounds Kosher salt 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided, plus 2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter 1 shallot, chopped, about 1/4 cup 1 large garlic clove, chopped 2 cups beef stock 1 cup ruby port wine 1 cup full-bodied red wine 2 rosemary sprigs 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Thyme sprigs Directions Evenly season the meat with the salt. Place the beef on a rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 24 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 1 hour before roasting and let stand at room temperature. To make the sauce, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a wide saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and saute until soft without coloring, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds more. Add the beef stock, port wine, red wine and rosemary. Bring to a boil and continue to boil until the liquid is reduced to about 2 cups, about 25 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine-meshed sieve into a small saucepan, pushing down on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Add the vinegar and bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until reduced to about 1 cup and slightly syrupy, about 10 minutes. Season with 1/4 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Taste for seasoning and set aside. Heat the oven to 250 degrees. Place the baking sheet with the rack and meat in the oven. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roast registers 115 degrees, about 60 minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat. Remove the beef from the oven and rest for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the twine. Melt 2 tablespoons butter a large skillet over high heat. Add the tenderloin and thyme. Sear the meat on all sides until well browned and the temperature registers 125 degrees to 130 degrees, basting with the butter and thyme. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes. While the meat is resting, gently reheat the sauce over medium-low heat. Whisk in the 2 tablespoons chilled butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until emulsified (do not boil or the sauce will break). Remove from the heat. Cut the tenderloin across the grain in thick slices. Stir any juices from the cutting board into the sauce. Serve the meat immediately with the sauce.Analysis: Getting benched may have been best thing that happened to Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson
Jimmy Carter's grandson says former president, 100, taps faith, stubbornness
NoneIt’s not just Alison Hammonds warm personality, wonderful one liners and her ability to fall off a sturdy countertop (watch 70’s week for that stand out moment) that have caught the eye of onlookers this series. But her fashion. The 49-year-old has won over the nation with her affordable high street looks. 7 Alison has wowed fans over her Bake Off outfits this series Credit: Channel 4 / Mark Bourdillon Wearing a mix of dresses and co-ords throughout the series all in bright patterns and colours Alison has said in the past that she wants fashion to be first and foremost comfortable. As The Great British Bake Off concludes tonight, in which we see Alison wearing a lilac polka dot dress from Dancing Leopard, which sadly is no longer available to buy. However, her other outfits throughout the series have caught the attention of many, with fans asking on social media where her outfits are from and fear not, as Deputy Fashion Editor Abby McHale shows you where exactly to shop her looks from. Read more in fashion RED HOT How stars like Maura Higgins & Meghan have made ruby red the hot 'cool girl' colour TOP PROBLEM Your ultimate winter wardrobe sorted with Fabulous fuller bust dresses Colourful Leopard Print 7 Last weeks semi-final saw Alison wear this colourful leopard print dress Wearing this dress for last week's semi-final Alison showed her playful wild side with this colourful leopard print number. A fun twist on the print that is dominating the high street currently, this particular dress is from Scamp & Dude. For £110 it is at the higher end of the high street, but also comes in lots of different leopard print shades. Plus keep your eyes peeled as the brand currently as up to 30 per cent off in the Black Friday sales. Most read in Fabulous ZAR-AAH! ‘Xmas party outfits we can afford’ cries shopper after finding Zara sale shop HEATED ROW Bonnie Blue slammed for saying men have 'right' to cheat in heated debate WEIGH TO GO My husband feels like he's having an affair with a new woman after I shed 12st TOUGH LUCK I’m single mum & I’m refusing to host Christmas this year - it’s exhausting BUY NOW Orange and Green Co-ord 7 A green and orange co-ord for seventies week Now as Bake Off is filmed during the spring summer months of the year a few pieces Alison wore have now sold out. Including the top half of this green and orange co-ord from Never Fully Dressed. However, the trousers are still available to buy on Asos and there are plenty of other similar co-ords available directly on Never Fully Dressed. Watch the shock moment Alison Hammond suffers awkward fall in the Bake Off tent leaving viewers stunned The great things with co-ords is how many outfits they can make, as well as wearing together you have the option to also wear separate to create even more looks. BUY NOW Star Dress 7 Alison's star dress is from Twisted Wunder at Simply Be Alison is no stranger to vibrant prints and that is certainly the case with this star dress. By the brand Twisted Wunder, who Alison has worn on the previous series of the show, you can find it stocked on the likes of Simply Be. Still available to buy now it’s reduced down from £69 to £48.30 and goes up to a size 28. The empire line style of this dress is great for those with a larger bust as it fits nicely up top before skimming down the rest of your body, with lovely capped sleeves to finish off. BUY NOW Denim Dress 7 This classic denim dress is from Monsoon This denim dress worn by Alison in the second week of the show this season is one of the less vibrant pieces. However, you really can’t go wrong when it comes to denim as it never goes out of style. This dress in particular is from Monsoon and retails for £75. With buttons down the middle and a tie font detail it makes for a dress that you can wear no matter the season. For this time of year pair with some tights, knee high boots and a long wool coat, for a smart look that will also keep you warm. BUY NOW Leopard Print Dress 7 You can't go wrong with a clasisc leopard print dress To open the show this year Alison opted for the print of the season - leopard. In the classic neutral colours this ticks all the boxes as a dress that is bang on trend. From Karen Millen it’s clear that Alison likes these shirt style dresses with a tie front detail, having worn multiple similar styles throughout the series. This one retails for £89 but is currently in the sale for just £36. Accessorise with some gold jewellery as Alison has done here and let the dress do the the rest of the talking. BUY NOW Monochrome Co-ord 7 Alison loves a co-ord and this monochrome two piece is from River Island We know Alison loves a satin co-ord, usually with an elasticated waist and flowy top half, they’re a super comfortable lightweight option. And that is certainly the case for this two piece. Read more on the Scottish Sun REY-LY EXCITING US pop superstar announces first Scots show in almost 10 years BALLSED UP Lorraine apologises on air for using phrase she 'didn't know' was a swear word This one from River Island is currently on sale, but hurry as there aren’t many sizes left. The shirt is down to £25 from £45 and the trousers are down to £35, also from £45. BUY NOW Alison Hammond's rise to stardom SHE graces our televisions every Friday, as she co-hosts This Morning with Dermot O'Leary. But just how did Alison Hammond first find fame? 2002 - Alison competed in Big Brother, and was the second housemate to be evicted . She won over viewers with moments such as when she broke the table in the garden by jumping up and down on it. It was this year that she also started presenting for This Morning in a guest capacity. 2003 - Alison had a small acting role on TV drama Doctors. 2004 - This was the year that Alison returned to reality television, starring in shows including Celebrity Fit Club and Celebrity Stars in their Eyes - for which she performed as Nina Simone. 2010 - After several years of presenting gigs and reality show appearances, Alison was signed up to appear on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! She came in 10th place. 2014 - This was a busy year for Alison as she competed on both Celebrity Masterchef and Strictly Come Dancing, coming in 10th in the latter. 2020 - Alison appeared on The Great Stand Up to Cancer Bake Off - her first, but not last, time in the famous tent. 2021 - Alison co-hosted This Morning for three episodes alongside Phillip Schofield. It was later announced that Alison and Dermot would be replacing Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford as presenters of This Morning on a Friday. 2023 - Alison was announced as the new co-host of The Great British Bake Off, replacing Matt Lucas to present alongside Noel Fielding. 2024 - Following the death of Paul O'Grady, Alison stepped in as host of For The Love of Dogs. 2025 - An eight-part series titled Alison Hammond's Big Weekend will premiere on BBC one next year, as she spends 48 hours with a celebrity in a bid to really get to know them.'Serial' victim Hae Min Lee's family crushed as her 'killer' Adnan Syed begs court to lower sentence By JOE HUTCHISON FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and MARJORIE HERNANDEZ WEST COAST EDITOR FOR DAILY MAIL.COM Published: 20:22 GMT, 24 December 2024 | Updated: 21:12 GMT, 24 December 2024 e-mail View comments The family of murder victim Hae Min Lee have hit back at her convicted killer after his lawyers filed to have his prison sentence reduced. Lee was just 18 when she was strangled and dumped in an unmarked shallow grave in Baltimore's Leakin Park in 1999. Her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed , who was 17 at the time, was convicted of murdering Lee and sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years in 2000. The case captured national attention a decade ago when it was the focus of the popular true crime podcast 'Serial.' Syed, now 43, has always maintained his innocence, and was released from prison in 2022 after his conviction was overturned when flaws were found in the evidence. In 2023, it was then reinstated after a court ruled that Lee's family didn't receive enough notice to allow them to attend the hearing in person . That decision to reinstate the conviction was then upheld by the state Supreme Court in August of this year in the latest twist in the legal saga surrounding the case. Syed has remained free pending a new hearing about whether he should have been released, with his lawyers filing to have his sentence reduced last week. Lee was just 18 when she was strangled and dumped in an unmarked grave in Baltimore's Leakin Park in 1999 Her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed, seen here, who was 17 at the time, was convicted of murdering Lee and sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years in 2000 David Sanford, an attorney who represents Lee's family , said that the state had not presented 'a shred' of evidence that warranted overturning the conviction. In a statement, Sanford said: ' The family of Hae Min Lee has always said that if there is new and compelling evidence to support vacating the conviction of Adnan Syed, we will be the first to call for Mr. Syed’s freedom. 'To date, Mr. Syed and the State of Maryland have not presented a shred of new, let alone compelling, evidence which would warrant overturning a murder conviction that has withstood appeals for over two decades. 'The State of Maryland engaged in a charade in 2022: it recycled old evidence and, in the process, bamboozled the trial court and the public into believing that Mr. Syed was likely innocent. 'Adnan Syed remains a convicted murderer. Having failed to produce new evidence and without any acknowledgement of guilt by Mr. Syed, Syed’s attorneys now seek mercy, arguing that Mr. Syed is not a danger to the public . 'We will confer with the family of Hae Min Lee and present our position to the court in the days ahead.' Syed's lawyers said in their filing on Friday that his accomplishments and good conduct, while incarcerated and since his release support the reduction. Erica Suter, who represents the convicted killer, said: 'This filing is a small step toward ensuring that Adnan’s custody status is stabilized and his freedom is safeguarded.' Brought to tears: Youn Wha Kim is pictured crying as her daughter's murderer is sentenced in 2000 Syed asked Lee to junior prom in 1998 after placing a bet with his friend on who would get the prettiest date for the hottest event in their social calendar Adnan Syed pictured as a young man, before being jailed over Hae Min Lee's murder Baltimore State's Attorney Ivan Bates is weighing how to proceed given the Maryland Supreme Court's decision. Lee, a Korean-American, was a scholar at school, an athlete and wanted to be an optician. Read More What next for Adnan Syed in Hae Min Lee murder case? She played on the lacrosse and field hockey teams and was manager of the wrestling team. Syed asked Lee to junior prom in 1998 after placing a bet with his friend on who would get the prettiest date for the hottest event in their social calendar. Images taken from that night show Syed with his arms wrapped around Lee, who described him as the 'sweetest guy' in a diary entry on her whirlwind night. He later described their first kiss at prom as 'one of the best moments of my whole life, like one of the happiest times.' But because their teenage relationship had to be kept a secret from their parents, the couple were forced to sneak around, lie about their whereabouts and put special systems in place just to speak on the phone. This became too much for Lee. She broke off the relationship with Syed around December 1999. She was last seen alive on January 13, 1999. The Korean-American girl was also a scholar at school, as well as an athlete who wanted to be an optician. She was killed in 1999 Hae Min Lee's brother, Young (left) and mother Youn Wha Kim are pictured here following her tragic death. Last year, on the one-year anniversary of his release, Syed called a press conference from his Maryland living room where he called for an investigation into his case, 'to essentially understand how our rights as a family have been violated.' He highlighted 'two new pieces of information' in his case, and alleged that there had been prosecutorial misconduct - specifically by Kevin Urick and Kathleen Murphy. Syed said that he has always pushed for justice for his 'friend' Lee, and her family saying: 'We have the upmost respect and concern for Lee's younger brother.' He said that there is evidence that Urick committed a Brady violation and that the AG ought to probe him for it. Syed believes this due to the new evidence that came to light that convinced officials keeping Syed locked up for the murder was no longer justifiable. Syed gets emotional as he speaks to reporters outside the Robert C. Murphy Courts of Appeal building after a hearing, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023, in Annapolis The 'new evidence' was twofold. Firstly, two new suspects were identified in the case. They were known to prosecutors in 1999, but they were not properly ruled out during the murder investigation. Secondly, prosecutors determined that they no longer had faith in the old evidence used in the murder trial - namely, they did not believe the star witness to be credible anymore. When the new investigator, Becky Feldman, found the evidence, she contacted Syed's lawyer Erica J. Suter to see if she was aware of it. She was not. This means that the prosecutors at trial in 2000 failed to hand over key information to the defense team as required, in what is known as a Brady violation. If it's ruled that a Brady violation was in fact breached, this could be enough to get Syed's case exonerated in itself. Adnan Syed Maryland Share or comment on this article: 'Serial' victim Hae Min Lee's family crushed as her 'killer' Adnan Syed begs court to lower sentence e-mail Add comment
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Mali arrests top politician for criticizing Burkina Faso’s ruling juntaConservative Party of B.C. Leader John Rustad faces a test after 13 members of his caucus have asked him to essentially discipline Conservative MLA Elenore Sturko for comments that she made about a former Vancouver Police Board member. The signed letter published by radio host Jas Johal on X Thursday (Dec. 5) calls on Rustad to "invite" Sturko to "offer" Comfort Sakoma-Fadugba a written apology after Sturko had criticized her, following Sakoma-Fadugba's controversial remarks about the nature of Canadian society. Sakoma-Fadugba left her position Nov. 22 after several social media posts linked to her became public. Screenshots of the Instagram stories linked to Sakoma-Fadugba show Reddit posts lamenting the loss of Christian values in the face of immigration and criticized "woke culture" as well gender transitions. The alleged statements cost Sakoma-Fadugba her job on the police board and drew criticism from various corners of the political spectrum, including Sturko, a former RCMP officer and member of the LGBTQ2S+ community. “When we have statements being made that erode the public’s trust, or their comfort with their police service, it makes it that much harder on the front-line officers," Sturko told the CBC in November. But this statement did not sit well with her 13 colleagues, calling on Rustad to ask Sturko for the apology "and to encourage the Vancouver Police Board to advance conciliatory discussions with (Sakoma-Fadugba)." But that is not their only demand. "If Ms. Sturko declines your invitation, we ask that you offer this apology and encouragement on behalf of the Conservative caucus," they write. This double-demand appears to put Rustad in a double-bind. He either follows the demands from his part of his caucus ostensibly aimed at one of their own or he undermines the position of Sturko by issuing an apology on her behalf. "The way he responds will tell us something about where his own loyalties lie," UBC political scientist Stewart Prest said. "We do know that he is quite supportive of articulations of these kinds of more critical views of modernity ... so it may be that he has a certain amount of sympathy with the letter writers and his response will tell us whether that's the case. At the same time, a leader has another responsibility to the larger caucus as well. It may be that there are other members of the caucus who feel (Sturko) was quite correct in offering that assessment, and then has nothing to apologize for." Found within the letter is also a larger expression of sympathy for Sakoma-Fadugba's statements and a request to Rustad to give those views room by reminding him of what the signatories consider Rustad's own views to be. "The posts express views many Conservatives (including Conservative MLAs and staff) hold in support for parental rights, religious faith, and the pursuit of shared Canadian values," it reads. "Under your leadership, the Conservative Party of BC has consistently denounced 'cancel culture' and stood for the Charter rights British Columbians enjoy to free expression and freedom of religion," it reads. "The very first question you raised in the (legislature) as leader was in defence of parental rights." “Will the minister admit this SOGI 123 has been divisive and an assault on parents’ rights and a distraction to student education?” Rustad asked on Oct. 3, 2023. That question drew a rebuke from Premier David Eby, who called the question "outrageous" in accusing Rustad of leveraging children for culture-war purposes. “Shame on him," Eby said. "Choose another question." Prest called the letter a "deliberately provocative approach" that speaks to the ideological divisions within the party now for everyone to see. "It's putting right out in the open something we knew was going to be part of this, this challenging political coalition bringing together more populist-style conservatives with more, if you like, centrist or politically moderate types such (Sturko)." None of the 13 signatories once sat with Sturko when she was part of BC United and all were elected on Oct. 13 as first time Conservative candidates. Of note, is also the geographical representation of the MLAs. Eleven signatories represent ridings outside of Metro Vancouver and Greater Victoria including areas in the Fraser Valley and the Okanagan. Three signatories – Dallas Brodie (Vancouver-Quilchena), Brent Chapman (Surrey-South) and Anna Kindy (North Island) – have also found their names in the news over comments that they had made before or during the election campaign, with Chapman being perhaps the most widely reported one following his comments about Palestinian children made in 2015. "I would suggest that we are seeing to emerge, perhaps the makings of which you could almost call a Freedom Caucus in the (Conservative Party of B.C.), the sense that there's a group within a group that looks at the world quite differently than other members of that caucus," Prest said. This is not the first time that Sturko has been the object of criticism from within the Conservative Party of B.C. While still with B.C. United, Conservative candidate Paul Ratchford had called her a "woke, lesbian, social justice warrior." At the same time, Sturko had also been critical of the Conservatives, while still with B.C. United. In early October 2023, Sturko called on Rustad to apologize after appearing to draw a comparison with harms caused by residential schools and parental concerns about SOGI 123. Rustad denied making such a comparison. Sturko also called on Rustad to apologize after he had referred to being LGBTQ2S+ as a "lifestyle" in a media interview. When asked to comment on the letter from her colleagues, Sturko said deferred to Rustad. "This letter was addressed to John. I'm going to allow him the opportunity to speak to it at this time." Black Press Media has reached out to the Conservative Party of B.C., including Rustad's spokesperson and Rustad himself for comment.Heavy travel day off to a rough start after American Airlines briefly grounds all flightsopened up about ongoing battle with dementia, though some of her comments raised eyebrows. The 62-year-old sat down for an interview with CNN in which she discussed the ongoing health battle her ex-husband is going through. was diagnosed with aphasia back in March 2022 and has retreated from the public eye since then. said that is in a stable place at this time, and urged anyone who has to deal with someone with dementia to do so with love and joy. "Given the givens, he's in a very stable place at the moment," told CNN. "And I've shared this before, but I really mean this so sincerely. It's so important for anybody who's dealing with this to really meet them where they're at, and from that place, there is such loving and joy." She also added that watching a loved one struggle with the condition is "very difficult" and "not what I would wish upon anyone." also pointed to the positives that have come from the battle stating: "There is great loss, but there is also great beauty and gifts that can come from it." That comment raised some eyebrows amongst fans. Moore and Willis relationship in 1987 before splitting in 2000. They share three daughters - After his divorce from , in 2009 and they have two daughters together: revealed his condition back in March 2022 with a post Instagram. It was later revealed he was suffering from frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a progressive terminal diseases that affects behaviour, language and occupational functioning. "To , as a family we wanted to share that our beloved has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities," they wrote in a joint Instagram statement at the time. "As a result of this and with much consideration is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him. "This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support. "We are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him. As Bruce always says, 'Live it up' and together we plan to do just that." The family recently spent the Thanksgiving holiday together, with sharing a touching moment with his girls that was posted on social media.
Trump team signs agreement to allow Justice to conduct background checks on nominees, staff
