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'Unbelievable' Odegaard transforms Arsenal and gets Saka smiling again
Jimmy Carter's critics turned his name into a synonym for weakness over the Iranian hostage crisis. But by any measure, he also scored major achievements on the world stage through his mix of moralism and painstaking personal diplomacy. The 39th president of the United States, who died at age 100 on Sunday, transformed the Middle East by brokering the Camp David Accords, which established an enduring and once inconceivable peace between Israel and its most serious adversary at the time, Egypt. Carter again brought a sense of righteousness and nearly obsessive attention to detail to negotiate the return of the Panama Canal to Panama, defying furor by US conservatives. In two decisions with lengthy reverberations, Carter followed up on Richard Nixon's opening by recognizing communist China, and he began arming jihadists in Afghanistan who fought back against the Soviet Union, which would collapse a decade later. But Carter was crushed by Ronald Reagan in the 1980 election in no small part due to foreign affairs after religious hard-liners toppled Iran's shah and seized US embassy staff, whose 444 days in captivity were broadcast nightly on US television. Carter ordered an aborted rescue mission in which eight US troops died in a helicopter crash. Asked at a 2015 news conference about his biggest regret, Carter replied: "I wish I'd sent one more helicopter to get the hostages -- and we would have rescued them and I would have been reelected." The Iran debacle led to attacks that Carter was "weak," an image he would struggle to shake off as Republicans cast him as the archetypal contrast to their muscular brand of foreign policy. The former peanut farmer's public persona did little to help, from a widely panned speech pleading for shared sacrifice to an incident that went the pre-internet version of viral in which Carter shooed away a confrontational rabbit from his fishing boat. Robert Strong, a professor at Washington and Lee University who wrote a book on Carter's foreign policy, said the late president had been inept in public relations by allowing the "weak" label to stick. "The people who worked with Carter said exactly the opposite -- he was stubborn, fiercely independent and anything but weak," Strong said. "That doesn't mean he was always right, but he wasn't someone who held his finger in the wind allowing whatever the current opinion was to win." Strong said that Carter defied his political advisors and even his wife Rosalynn by pushing quickly on the Panama Canal, convinced of the injustice of the 1903 treaty that gave the meddlesome United States the zone in perpetuity. "Every president says, 'I don't care about public opinion, I'll really do what's right,'" Strong said. "Most of the time when they say that, it's not true. To a surprising extent with Carter, it was true." Carter, a devout Christian, vowed to elevate human rights after the cold realpolitik of Nixon and Henry Kissinger. Years after the fact, he could name political prisoners freed following his intervention in their cases, and took pride in coaxing the Soviet Union to let thousands of Jewish citizens emigrate. But the rights focus came to a head on Iran when Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi -- a Western ally whose autocratic rule by decree brought economic and social modernization -- faced growing discontent. Reflecting debate throughout the administration, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Carter's more hawkish national security advisor, believed the shah should crush the protests -- a time-tested model in the Middle East. Secretary of state Cyrus Vance, who would later quit in opposition to the ill-fated helicopter raid, wanted reforms by the shah. Stuart Eizenstat, a top adviser to Carter, acknowledged mistakes on Iran, which the president had called an "island of stability" on a New Year's Eve visit a little more than a year before the revolution that ultimately saw the shah flee the country. But Eizenstat said Carter could not have known how much the shah had lost support or that he was to die from cancer within months. "It was the single worst intelligence failure in American history," Eizenstat said in 2018 as he presented a book assessing Carter as a success. Uniquely among modern US presidents, much of Carter's legacy came after he left the White House. He won the Nobel Peace Prize more than two decades after his defeat at the polls. The Carter Center, which he established in his home state of Georgia, has championed democracy and global health, observing elections in dozens of countries and virtually eradicating guinea worm, a painful infectious parasite. Carter also took risks that few others of his stature would. He paid a landmark visit to North Korea in 1994, helping avert conflict, and infuriated Israel by asking if its treatment of the Palestinians constituted "apartheid." But the accusations of weakness never went away. Conservative academic William Russell Mead, in a 2010 essay in Foreign Policy magazine, called on then-president Barack Obama to avoid "Carter Syndrome," which he described as "weakness and indecision" and "incoherence and reversals." Carter personally responded in a letter that listed accomplishments on the Camp David accords, China, the Soviet Union and human rights, while describing the fall of Iran's shah as "obviously unpredictable." "Although it is true that we did not become involved in military combat during my presidency, I do not consider this a sign of weakness or reason for apology," he wrote.
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VICTORIA — British Columbia Premier David Eby says his fellow premiers and the federal government have hatched a game plan to fight U.S. tariffs, with conservative premiers lobbying Republican counterparts, left-leaning provincial leaders courting the Democrats, and Ottawa focusing on president-elect Donald Trump. The premiers and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau talked about using their political diversity and connections to thwart the prospect of Trump’s proposed 25 per cent tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, Eby said Thursday in a year-end interview. He said it was discussed that conservative premiers Danielle Smith in Alberta, Doug Ford in Ontario and Nova Scotia’s Tim Houston are well-placed to lobby Republican governors and business leaders. Eby said as a New Democrat he will likely have more in common with Democrat governors and business leaders from the West Coast states. “I can easily have conversations with governors and businesses down the West Coast of the U.S., where we have close relationships and our politics are very similar,” he said. “Premier Smith can have conversations with Republican governors. That would be more challenging for me, and (she) would have more connections potentially with the Trump administration than an NDP administration in B.C. would.” He said a meeting last week between the premiers and Trudeau discussed Canada’s diversity of representation, and how it could bring leverage and advantages in tariff talks. “It’s interesting, there was a lot of talk about what unity means in terms of Canada’s response to the tariffs,” he said. “There’s obviously a diversity of views around the Council of the Federation table of all the premiers. Certainly, mine is not the same as Premier Smith’s or Premier Ford’s or Premier Houston’s, and that diversity of views is actually potentially a significant strength for us as we enter into these discussions.” Eby also said he was prepared to appear on American’s right-leaning Fox News TV network, as did premiers Ford and Smith. “Anything that I can do to support the national effort to protect the families in Canada from the impact of tariffs and also families in the U.S. from those unjustified tariffs,” he said. “Absolutely, if I thought it was helpful.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2024. Dirk Meissner, The Canadian Press
A major health insurance provider is backtracking on plans to cap anesthesia coverage for patients in at least one state. Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield announced last month that starting in 2025 it would stop covering anesthesia during patient surgeries in Connecticut, Missouri and New York if the procedure exceeds a certain time limit. The change was slated to take effect starting Feb. 1, 2025. RELATED STORY | Doctors perform kidney transplant on awake patient, who is out of hospital in 1 day However, Connecticut Comptroller Sean Scanlon said Thursday that Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield is scrapping the proposal in his state following widespread backlash over the policy change. "After hearing from the people across the state about this concerning policy, my office reached out to Anthem, and I'm pleased to share this policy will no longer be going into effect here in Connecticut," Scanlon said in a statement. While the health insurance provider announced the policy change in November, it gained renewed attention following the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, who was fatally shot Wednesday in what is being described as a targeted attack outside a New York City hotel. The incident sparked widespread criticism of the U.S. health care system. RELATED STORY | Manhunt intensifies following 'targeted' killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Anthem said people under the age of 22 and those who are receiving maternity-related care are exempt from the change in anesthesia coverage. The company also said people who disagree with claim reimbursement decisions can dispute claim denials. "If you disagree with a claim reimbursement decision, please follow the claim dispute process as outlined in the provider manual," Anthem said in the announcement. "Documentation to support your request will be required." While Anthem has already reversed plans to limit anesthesia coverage for patients in Connecticut, it remains unclear whether the company will do the same for patients in Missouri and New York.Some quotations from Jimmy Carter: We have a tendency to exalt ourselves and to dwell on the weaknesses and mistakes of others. I have come to realize that in every person there is something fine and pure and noble, along with a desire for self-fulfillment. Political and religious leaders must attempt to provide a society within which these human attributes can be nurtured and enhanced. — from 1975 book “Why Not the Best?” Our government can express the highest common ideals of human beings — if we demand of government true standards of excellence. At this Bicentennial time of introspection and concern, we must demand such standards. — “Why Not the Best?” I am a Southerner and an American, I am a farmer, an engineer, a father and husband, a Christian, a politician and former governor, a planner, a businessman, a nuclear physicist, a naval officer, a canoeist, and among other things a lover of Bob Dylan’s songs and Dylan Thomas’s poetry. — “Why Not the Best?” Christ said, “I tell you that anyone who looks on a woman with lust has in his heart already committed adultery.” I’ve looked on a lot of women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times. This is something that God recognizes I will do — and I have done it — and God forgives me for it. But that doesn’t mean that I condemn someone who not only looks on a woman with lust but who leaves his wife and shacks up with somebody out of wedlock. — Interview, November 1976 Playboy. This inauguration ceremony marks a new beginning, a new dedication within our Government, and a new spirit among us all. A President may sense and proclaim that new spirit, but only a people can provide it. — Inaugural address, January 1977. It’s clear that the true problems of our nation are much deeper — deeper than gasoline lines or energy shortages, deeper even than inflation and recession. ... All the legislation in the world can’t fix what’s wrong with America. ... It is a crisis of confidence. — So-called “malaise” speech, July 1979. But we know that democracy is always an unfinished creation. Each generation must renew its foundations. Each generation must rediscover the meaning of this hallowed vision in the light of its own modern challenges. For this generation, ours, life is nuclear survival; liberty is human rights; the pursuit of happiness is a planet whose resources are devoted to the physical and spiritual nourishment of its inhabitants. — Farewell Address, January 1981. We appreciate the past. We are grateful for the present and we’re looking forward to the future with great anticipation and commitment. — October 1986, at the dedication of the Carter Presidential Library and Museum. War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn to live together in peace by killing each other’s children. — December 2002, Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech. Fundamentalists have become increasingly influential in both religion and government, and have managed to change the nuances and subtleties of historic debate into black-and-white rigidities and the personal derogation of those who dare to disagree. ... The influence of these various trends poses a threat to many of our nation’s historic customs and moral commitments, both in government and in houses of worship. — From 2005 book “Our Endangered Values.” I think that this breakthrough by Barack Obama has been remarkable. When he made his speech (on race) a few months ago in Philadelphia, I wept. I sat in front of the television and cried, because I saw that as the most enlightening and transforming analysis of racism and a potential end of it that I ever saw in my life. — August 2008, commenting on then-Sen. Barack Obama’s candidacy. I think it’s based on racism. There is an inherent feeling among many in this country that an African-American should not be president. ... No matter who he is or how much we disagree with his policies, the president should be treated with respect. — September 2009, reacting to Rep. Joe Wilson’s shout of “You lie!” during a speech to Congress by President Barack Obama. I’m still determined to outlive the last guinea worm. — 2010, on The Carter Center’s work to eradicate guinea worm disease. You know how much I raised to run against Gerald Ford? Zero. You know how much I raised to run against Ronald Reagan? Zero. You know how much will be raised this year by all presidential, Senate and House campaigns? $6 billion. That’s 6,000 millions. — September 2012, reacting to the 2010 “Citizens United” U.S. Supreme Court decision permitting unlimited third-party political spending. I have become convinced that the most serious and unaddressed worldwide challenge is the deprivation and abuse of women and girls, largely caused by a false interpretation of carefully selected religious texts and a growing tolerance of violence and warfare, unfortunately following the example set during my lifetime by the United States. — From 2014 book “A Call to Action.” I don’t think there’s any doubt now that the NSA or other agencies monitor or record almost every telephone call made in the United States, including cellphones, and I presume email as well. We’ve gone a long way down the road of violating Americans’ basic civil rights, as far as privacy is concerned. — March 2014, commenting on U.S. intelligence monitoring after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks We accept self-congratulations about the wonderful 50th anniversary – which is wonderful – but we feel like Lyndon Johnson did it and we don’t have to do anything anymore. — April 2014, commenting on racial inequality during a celebration of the Civil Rights Act’s 40th anniversary. I had a very challenging question at Emory (University) the other night: “How would you describe the United States of America today in one word?” And I didn’t know what to say for a few moments, but I finally said, “Searching.” I think the country in which we live is still searching for what it ought to be, and what it can be, and I’m not sure we’re making much progress right at this moment. — October 2014 during a celebration of his 90th birthday. The life we have now is the best of all. We have an expanding and harmonious family, a rich life in our church and the Plains community, and a diversity of projects at The Carter Center that is adventurous and exciting. Rosalynn and I have visited more than 145 countries, and both of us are as active as we have ever been. We are blessed with good health and look to the future with eagerness and confidence, but are prepared for inevitable adversity when it comes. — From 2015 book, “A Full Life.”
( ) stock tumbled late Tuesday despite the computer hardware company reporting fiscal fourth quarter earnings that met expectations and better-than-expected sales. The company's profit guidance was lower than expected. HP said in a news release that it earned an adjusted 93 cents per share on sales of $14.05 billion, up 1.7% year-over-year, for the October-ended quarter. Analysts polled by FactSet projected the Palo Alto, Calif.-based company would post adjusted earnings of 93 cents per share on sales of $13.99 billion. For the same period a year earlier, HP posted adjusted earnings of 90 cents per share on sales of $13.82 billion. "We are pleased with our Q4 performance where we saw revenue growth for the second consecutive quarter, driven by steady progress in Personal Systems and Print," President and CEO Enrique Lores said in a news release. For the current quarter, HP guided for adjusted earnings of 73 cents per share at the midpoint of its range. Analysts were projecting 85 cents per share adjusted earnings for the January-ending quarter, according to FactSet. HP said in a news release that its guidance excludes 13 cents per share "primarily related to restructuring and other charges." On the , HP stock shed more than 7% to 36.09 in recent after-hours action. HP Stock Up 30% This Year Prior to earnings, HP stock fell a half-percent in regular Tuesday trading. Shares have gained 30.4% this year, helped by optimism that AI will help restart following an industry slump in 2022 and . HP's previous July-ended quarter ended a streak of eight quarters where sales declined. Coming into the report, HP stock had an IBD Composite Rating of 55 out of 99, according to . The score combines five separate proprietary ratings into one rating. The best growth stocks have a Composite Rating of 90 or better. Further, HP's IBD Relative Strength Rating was 81 out of 99. The RS Rating means that HP has outperformed 81% of all stocks in IBD's database over the past year. HP stock broke out above a 39.52 consolidation pattern buy point on Monday but closed below that level Tuesday, according to .
Volkswagen is moving forward with plans to begin manufacturing a whole new class of vehicles under the Scout Motors brand. Scout was originally a sub-brand of International Harvester, with all the technological sophistication that name implies. The company started as a manufacturer of farming equipment and machinery, which means its products were tough and rugged but looked like they were created by people who designed tractors and combines for a living. That is not a knock on those original vehicles, whose market was not country club poseurs but farmers and people who needed vehicles that were as capable off road as on . There was a movement in the early ’60s toward such off-road capable machines. Ford brought the first Bronco to market and it was a tough as nails backwoods basher. Chevy countered with the original Blazer. They all were designed to counter the popularity of the Jeep and the thing they all had in common was four-wheel drive and a transfer case that allowed the driver to select between high-range and low-range operation. In low-range, the fairly modest four-cylinder engines were capable of ripping tree stumps out of the ground on demand. All of them were utilitarian in the extreme, with vinyl seats, rubber floor mats, and painted dashboards. After a hard day on the farm or out in the woods, you could wash the muck and mire out with a hose. They weren’t meant to be waxed, they were meant to work long hours with no complaints. That type of inherent ruggedness is what Volkswagen hopes to recapture with its new Scout-branded vehicles. The original plan was to make two models, a pickup truck and an SUV, both of which would be powered by batteries. But recently the company has announced it will also offer range-extender engines to calm the fears of those who worry about running out of battery charge without an EV charger — or an electrical outlet — nearby. Another part of the plan was to sell the new Scout vehicles directly to customers online the way Tesla does. That second part does not sit well with Volkswagen dealers in the US. In California, the dealers have hired legal counsel who have fired a warning shot across the bow of the parent company by sending a strongly worded cease and desist letter to the Volkswagen legal team. Cease and desist letters are how lawyers threaten each other’s clients without the expense and aggravation of actually filing suit. Autoblog reports that the California New Car Dealers Association claims the direct sales strategy violates a 2023 amendment to California’s State Vehicle Code which prevents automakers and their affiliates from bypassing their franchise dealerships. Here is the relevant part of that letter: Under Vehicle Code section 11713.3(o), automobile manufacturers and their affiliates are forbidden from competing with their own vehicle franchisees. Scout is an affiliate of VW under California law. Vehicle Code section 11713.3(z) defines ‘affiliate’ as “a person who directly oindirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under commonb control with, another person.” Since as early as 2022, VW has been directly band substantively involved in Scout’s development and revitalization of its vehicles, including VW’s investment of billions of dollars into a Scout production plant in South Carolina. The letter goes on to explain some of the background that preceded the passage of that section of the vehicle code by the California legislature: As background, Vehicle Code section 11713.3(o) was amended in 2023 by Assembly Bill 473 to prohibit automakers like VW from establishing affiliate brands to compete with dealers by directly selling vehicles. Scout was active throughout the legislative process, and the legislature adopted amendments in response to some of Scout’s arguments. On April 24, 2023, the California Assembly Committee on Transportation wrote: “Scout Motors is opposing [AB 473], arguing the anti-competition language in the bill ‘would serve to prohibit Scout Motors [...] from using newly appointed [independent] dealers, using existing independent dealers, or selling direct to California [residents.]’ To address this concern the author amended the bill to permit competition so long as the vehicle is being sold using new or existing franchisees to sell and service those vehicles. “[AB 473] would still prohibit Scout Motors or any new vehicle line from a manufacturer with a dealership network in California from being sold directly to bconsumers. Volkswagen, the parent company of Scout Motors, could sell Scout vehicles in the state if they sell them at any of their other vehicle line company’s bdealerships like Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, Bentley or Lamborghini. Volkswagen Group could also create a new franchise network for Scout Motors if they want tonkeep a separate brand distinct from their other models. This provision would not affect Tesla, which does not have a dealership network to directly compete against. After the AB 473’s language was finalized, Mr. Sitron (Scout’s General Counsel) acknowledged that the law would prohibit Scout from selling Scout vehicles directly to California consumers: “AB 473, as amended, could effectively prohibit Scout Motors (or any other new to-the market manufacturer seeking to introduce new EV line-makes) from entering the California market. Under this language, a new-to-the-market manufacturer with new and innovative EVs would be statutorily banned from deciding its distribution model in California, potentially killing off any reasonable opportunity to operate in the state.” Scout Motors has argued that it operates independently from Volkswagen , a claim it says is central to its direct sales plan. The CNCDA disputes this, citing Volkswagen’s financial and operational involvement, including funding Scout’s new production facility in South Carolina. These connections, the association contends, make Scout an affiliate of Volkswagen rather than an independent startup like Tesla. A crucial difference may be that Tesla is grandfathered in the 2023 amendment to the California law whereas Scout Motors is not. In addition, Tesla had no existing vehicle manufacturing operation when it began selling electric cars. The piety of the new car dealers is questioned by Carscoops , which reports one Volkswagen dealer in the Golden State has slapped a $35,000 “market adjustment” on a Volkswagen ID. Buzz it has in stock. It’s hard to be sanctimonious when you are acting like a jerk in public. One of the reasons why Volkswagen wants to sell Scout vehicles directly to customers is because many people would prefer a root canal to arm wrestling with a dealer. That antipathy to the traditional dealer experience is why Hyundai has elected to begin selling its cars in selected markets through Amazon. Hyundai dealers are still part of the sales process, but the pricing is done online. That way, the usual haggling is eliminated, which will please many people but not those who think they can walk into a dealership every two or three years and do a better job of negotiating than those who do it for a living every day. Putting the legal shenanigans aside, we here at CleanTechnica intergalactic headquarters have to wonder how distinct the Scout vehicles will be. Are they being built on a new platform or on a version of the existing MEB platform or upcoming SSP platform? Will they use batteries that are materially different from what Volkswagen Group uses in its other electric models? And will they use different software than other cars from the group? If the answer to those questions is “no,” it is hard to see how Volkswagen can support its claim that Scout Motors is a “new to the market” manufacturer. There have already been hints that the new software partnership with Rivian could influence the design of the software package that will be incorporated into Scout vehicles. We don’t normally have good things to say about dealers, but it seems they have a legitimate complaint, at least in California. Dealers in other states are preparing to join the battle as well. Mike Stanton, the CEO of the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA), has said his association is ready to challenge Scout “in courthouses and statehouses across the country.” He predicts that Scout’s plans to manage every aspect of the ownership experience through its app “will fail.” Daniel Crane, a professor at the University of Michigan Law School thinks dealer associations will pick states where they are the strongest to push back against the direct-to-consumer sales strategy. Scout vehicles will not even be for sale for several years. The factory is under construction and testing of prototypes has barely begun. Challenges to dealer franchise laws have been going on since Tesla first began selling the Model S online in 2012. Even Tesla has yet to win the right to sell directly to consumers in several states, including its home state of Texas. What Volkswagen is doing is a thumb in the eye to its US dealers, who have been clamoring for more models to sell — especially a pickup truck — for years. It has been thin times for Volkswagen dealers in America for several years, and right when the company has some exciting new models in the pipeline, it wants to cut its long-suffering dealers out of the loop. Is pushing for direct sales the right path for Scout Motors and Volkswagen or a poorly thought out strategy that is doomed to fail? We would love to hear what our readers have to say on that question. CleanTechnica's Comment Policy LinkedIn WhatsApp Facebook Bluesky Email RedditChess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen returns to a tournament after a dispute over jeans is resolvedPrairie premiers urge action on security to fend off Trump's tariff threats
