cockfighting ring
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Pathstone Holdings LLC Has $3.94 Million Holdings in Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)It’s a testament to the energy and drive of Elon Musk that he’s now a key adviser to an incoming president of the United States that he helped elect this year — and this is a side project for him. What stamp-collecting is to most us — something we make time for when not engaged in our day jobs — influencing the future direction of the United States government is to Musk. This is not to minimize his significance. Far from it. The revolutionary businessman represents a distinctive and unexpected contribution to the Trump coalition. From the perspective of a decade ago, if you had said the most visionary and wealthy entrepreneur on the planet was at the right hand of a Republican president-elect, promising to cut a couple of trillion of dollars from the federal budget and bring massive innovation to the economy, you might have assumed Paul Ryan or someone in his ideological camp had gotten elected. The former Speaker of the House and vice-presidential nominee was a relentless advocate of entrepreneurship, economic dynamism and a slimmed-down government. Within the GOP, the rise of Trump the populist put the political squeeze on the likes of Ryan, whose business-oriented, free-market creed suddenly felt stale and out-of-touch. Now, a version of that worldview has returned via Musk. To be sure, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX is a different animal. He has an in-your-face persona, a bit of a Silicon Valley version of Trump. He’s been radicalized on immigration, becoming a fierce opponent of Joe Biden’s open border. He’s cultural warrior seeking to destroy what he calls “the woke mind virus.” And he is hated with a passion by the other side, which would shut him down if it could. The Biden SEC has notably clashed with him, and is trying to sanction him for how he acquired Twitter. All of this, and especially that acquisition, have made him a populist hero in his own right, even as he champions an economic dynamism that would have thrilled conventional Republicans from the pre-Trump era. Trump contains multitudes. Part of him is an inward-looking protectionist who believes, almost no matter what, that we are getting ripped off by foreign countries. Part of him is also a champion of endless possibility. Part of him is a tribune of the working class. Part of him is also inclined to make the stock market the economic measure of all things. He’ll talk of American carnage, and of an American golden age. This is a protean mix, and subject to change depending on circumstances and who is around Trump at any given point. A danger of populism is that it can succumb to pure nostalgia and become overly defensive, giving in to a distrust of technology, big companies and economic change. So long Musk is a major player in Trump’s world, there is a strong counter to this tendency. Musk is the paladin of a future ripped from the covers of paperback science-fiction novels circa 1950 — rocket ships, futuristic cars, robots and giant tunnel-boring machines. He has almost single-handedly changed Republican attitudes toward Big Tech. He’s proven that you can be a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and not be woke or a cowardly fellow-traveler with left-wing politics. There’s still plenty of contempt of and distrust for tech companies on the right, but now it is Democrats who talk more of ideas like repealing Section 230 to hobble social-media companies. At the same time, Musk’s DOGE has made talk of cutting government fashionable again on the right, when this priority had mostly lost out to other concerns since the advent of the Trump era. The hope that DOGE will cut as much as $2 trillion from the budget is unrealistic, but any savings and efficiencies would be welcome. Who knows how effective Musk will be in his role as a change agent confronting government, the most difficult institution to change? Sending a man to Mars might be easier. But Musk brings a boundless optimism and can-do verve to the effort, and he’s a healthy new ingredient to Trump’s populist mix. Twitter: @RichLowry
Musk vs. MAGA: Trump supporters battle over role of immigrant labor and American workersAmericans Don’t Just Blame Killer for UnitedHealthcare CEO Murder
President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he intends to nominate cryptocurrency advocate Paul Atkins to chair the Securities and Exchange Commission. Trump said Atkins, the CEO of Patomak Partners and a former SEC commissioner, was a “proven leader for common sense regulations.” In the years since leaving the SEC, Atkins has made the case against too much market regulation. “He believes in the promise of robust, innovative capital markets that are responsive to the needs of Investors, & that provide capital to make our Economy the best in the World. He also recognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The commission oversees U.S. securities markets and investments and is currently led by Gary Gensler, who has been leading the U.S. government’s crackdown on the crypto industry. The poor performance of General Motors’ Chinese joint ventures is forcing the company to write down assets and take a restructuring charge totaling more than $5 billion in the fourth quarter of this year. The Detroit automaker said in a filing Wednesday that it will cut the value of its equity stake in the ventures by $2.6 billion to $2.9 billion when it reports its results early next year. In addition, GM will take $2.7 billion worth of restructuring charges, most of it during the fourth quarter. The noncash charges will reduce the company’s net income, but they will not affect adjusted pretax earnings, GM said in the filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.Times News Network Ludhiana: Almost everywhere you go in the city, witty slogans of MC election candidates are likely to catch your eye. Some of these are, “Sada ward sada parivar” (our ward our family), “sada maa ward” (our mother ward), “kam kita kam karange” (we have worked we will work) etc. The slogans are not very complicated and easily lodge in people’s minds, which is what the candidates want. AAP candidates use the slogan, “AAP di sarkar AAP da councillor.” They drop the hint that electing a councillor from the ruling party would lead to dividends in terms of development. Former councillors are using slogans like “sewa kiti hai, sewa karange,” “aapka bharosa hamari takat” etc. Independent candidate from ward number 34, Ravinder Singh Rawat gave a particularly creative slogan. It goes, “Sabhi dalon mein dal dal, sabse badhiya bedal.” His stance is that people are unhappy with political parties and independents should be given a chance. Ruling party MLA Gurpreet Gogi fielded his wife from ward number 61, from where he used to contest elections. Besides the slogan, “AAP da MLA, AAP da MC,” he has used, the “sada maa ward” slogan. He says that he describes the ward as mother as he got everything from it. He assured that he would also take care of basic amenities. We also published the following articles recently Work begins for Woraiyur ward office Construction has begun on a new multi-purpose ward office in Trichy's Woraiyur area, aiming to enhance civic service accessibility. The 25 lakh facility on Puthur High Road will house ward-level officials, an e-seva center, and dedicated councillor space. Expected completion is within three months. Delhi elections: Inspired by 'Pushpa 2', BJP attacks AAP's 'Kejriwal Jhukega Nahi' slogan with 'Rappa-Rappa' dialogue Delhi's upcoming assembly elections have ignited a poster war between AAP and BJP, using the film "Pushpa 2" as their battleground. AAP's poster features Kejriwal as the protagonist, declaring "Kejriwal Jhukega Nahi", while BJP's poster portrays Sachdeva vowing to end corruption. Ward strikes right notes English hockey star Samuel Ward, known for his incredible comeback from a near career-ending eye injury, is ready to make his debut in the Hockey India League (HIL). Joining UP Rudras, Ward will play alongside Indian captain Hardik Singh and other international stars. Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , and Mini Crossword .
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes continues to build great chemistry with his tight end — just not the one you might think. Mahomes threw two touchdown passes to Noah Gray for the second straight week as the Kansas City Chiefs held off the Carolina Panthers 30-27 on Sunday. A week after losing at Buffalo, the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs (10-1) maintained their position atop the AFC. Mahomes completed a 35-yard touchdown strike to Gray on the game’s opening possession and found him again for an 11-yard TD in the second quarter. Gray has four touchdown catches in the last two weeks — twice as many as nine-time Pro Bowler Travis Kelce has all season — and has become a weapon in the passing game for the Chiefs, who lost top wide receiver Rashee Rice to a season-ending knee injury in Week 4. Kelce was still a factor Sunday with a team-high six catches for 62 yards, although the four-time All-Pro looked dejected after dropping one easy pass. Kelce has 62 receptions for 507 yards this season, while Gray has 26 catches for 249 yards. But Gray's development is a good sign for the Chiefs — and he's on the same page with Mahomes. On his second TD, Gray said Mahomes “gave me the answer to the test there” before the play. “He told me what coverage it was pre-snap," said Gray, who had four receptions for 66 yards. “That’s just the blessing you have of playing with a quarterback like that. Offensive line did a great job blocking that up and the receivers did a great job running their routes to pop me open. Really just a group effort right there on that touchdown.” Gray said that's nothing new. “Pat’s preparation, his leadership is just something that I’m fortunate enough to play alongside,” Gray said. "I love it. It gets me motivated every time we go out there for a long drive. Having a leader like that, that prepares every single week in-and out, knows defenses, knows the game plans. “I’m just fortunate enough to play alongside a guy like that.” Mahomes completed 27 of 37 passes for 269 yards and three TDs, and he knew what to do on the second TD to Gray. “It's not just me, it's the quarterback coaches and the players, we go through certain checks you get to versus certain coverages,” Mahomes said. “I was able to see by the way they lined up they were getting into their cover-zero look. I alerted the guys to make sure they saw what I saw and I gave the check at the line of scrimmage.” AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Avior Wealth Management LLC Has $119,000 Stock Position in Southern Copper Co. (NYSE:SCCO)
French lawmakers on Wednesday voted to oust the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier after just three months in office, a historic move which hurled the country further into political uncertainty. For the first time in over sixty years, the National Assembly lower house toppled the incumbent government, approving a no-confidence motion that had been proposed by the hard left but which crucially was backed by the far-right headed by Marine Le Pen. Barnier's rapid ejection from office comes after snap parliamentary elections this summer which resulted in a hung parliament with no party having an overall majority and the far-right holding the key to the government's survival. President Emmanuel Macron now has the difficult task of picking a viable successor with over two years of his presidential term left. He is to address the nation at 1900 GMT on Thursday, the Elysee said. Earlier in the day, Macron is to receive Barnier at 0900 GMT who will submit the resignation of the government. The National Assembly debated a motion brought by the hard left in a standoff over next year's austerity budget, after the prime minister on Monday forced through a social security financing bill without a vote. With the support of the far-right, a majority of 331 MPs in the 577-member chamber voted to oust the government. - 'Calling on Macron to go' - Macron flew back into Paris just ahead of the vote after wrapping up his three-day state visit to Saudi Arabia, an apparent world away from the domestic crisis. He strolled earlier Wednesday through the desert sands of the Al-Ula oasis, an iconic tourist project of the kingdom, marvelling at ancient landmarks. After landing, he headed direct to the Elysee Palace. "We are now calling on Macron to go," Mathilde Panot, the head of the parliamentary faction of the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party told reporters, urging "early presidential elections" to solve the deepening political crisis. But taking care not to crow over the fall of the government, Le Pen said in a television interview that her party -- once a new premier is appointed -- "would let them work" and help create a "budget that is acceptable for everyone". Laurent Wauquiez, the head of right-wing deputies in parliament, said the far-right and hard-left bore the responsibility for a no-confidence vote that would "plunge the country into instability". - 'His failure' - Macron on Tuesday had rejected calls to resign, saying such a scenario amounted to "political fiction". With markets nervous and France bracing for public-sector strikes against the threat of cutbacks, action that will shut schools and hit air and rail traffic, there is a growing sense of crisis. The unions have called for civil servants, including teachers and air traffic controllers, to strike on Thursday over separate cost-cutting measures proposed by their respective ministries this autumn. Meanwhile, Macron is due to host a major international event Saturday, with the reopening of the Notre-Dame cathedral after the 2019 fire, with guests including Donald Trump on his first foreign trip since he was elected to be the next US president. "His failure," was left-wing daily Liberation's front-page headline, with a picture of Macron, whose term runs until 2027. - 'Shattered strategy' - In an editorial, Le Monde said Le Pen's move risked upsetting her own supporters, such as retirees and business leaders, by toppling the government. "In the space of a few minutes, she shattered the strategy of normalisation she had consistently pursued," the daily said. Some observers have suggested that Le Pen, 56, is seeking to bring down Macron before his term ends by ousting Barnier. Le Pen is embroiled in a high-profile embezzlement trial. If found guilty in March, she could be blocked from participating in France's next presidential election. But if Macron stepped down soon, an election would have to be called within a month, potentially ahead of the verdict in her trial. Candidates for the post of premier are few, but loyalist Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu and Macron's centrist ally Francois Bayrou are possible contenders. On the left, Macron could turn to former Socialist premier and interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve, a contender in September. Macron is minded to appoint the new premier rapidly, several sources told AFP. It was the first successful no-confidence vote since a defeat for Georges Pompidou's government in 1962, when Charles de Gaulle was president. The lifespan of Barnier's government is also the shortest of any administration since the Fifth Republic began in 1958. bur-jh-sjw/rlp Originally published as French government falls in historic no-confidence vote Breaking News Don't miss out on the headlines from Breaking News. Followed categories will be added to My News. More related stories Breaking News ‘No guard rails’: State’s vow on drug reform One state has moved to tackle a “pervasive” issue at a major health summit, with promises there will be “no guard rails” placed on those trying to address problems with drug reforms. Read more Hockey Olympic great calls time on career A five-time Olympian has made his final appearance for the Kookaburras after announcing his international retirement. Read moreAvior Wealth Management LLC Has $119,000 Stock Position in Southern Copper Co. (NYSE:SCCO)CELH Investors Have Opportunity to Lead Celsius Holdings, Inc. Securities Fraud LawsuitThe Department of Corrections (DoC) has confirmed the release of Apichart Jansakulporn, better known as Sia Piang, a businessman sentenced to 48 years in prison for his involvement in the rice-pledging scandal. Apichart was released on Oct 9 after serving seven years. DoC director-general Sahakarn Phetnarin confirmed yesterday to a TV news channel that Apichart was granted a special release due to severe illness. He is currently undergoing treatment at Ramathibodi Hospital and is not required to wear an electronic monitoring (EM) bracelet. Apichart, convicted in 2015 for corruption related to government-to-government rice sale deals, was initially sentenced to 48 years in prison. However, multiple royal pardons reduced his sentence to 12 years, 8 months, and 12 days. His sentence is now set to officially end on July 27, 2034. Former Democrat Party MP Watchara Phetthong, who brought attention to Apichart's early release, has raised concerns about the transparency of the decision. He has filed a petition with Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, urging an investigation into the DoC's handling of the case. Mr Watchara has requested that Ms Paetongtarn report the investigation's findings to the public within 15 days and demanded that any government officials involved in facilitating Apichart's release must be held accountable. Mr Watchara also criticised the DoC's lack of public disclosure, arguing that the case remains of national interest due to its significant financial impact on the state. He further questioned whether all of Apichart's legal and financial obligations, including the 16.9-billion-baht compensation with accrued interest owed collectively by defendants in the case, had been settled before his release. This development follows the recent releases of other high-profile convicts in the same case. Former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyaphirom, sentenced to 48 years for his role in the rice-pledging scandal, served only seven years before receiving royal pardons. He was granted a suspended sentence and returned to his home in Chiang Mai on Monday. Similarly, his deputy, Poom Sarapol, initially sentenced to 36 years, was released in September after serving seven years. Observers have linked these releases to broader political implications, speculating that they could be part of efforts to facilitate the return of former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra.
LeBlanc and Joly offer little details about visit with Trump's team in Florida
Duncan teams fall in first rounds of home SOI
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes continues to build great chemistry with his tight end — just not the one you might think. Mahomes threw two touchdown passes to Noah Gray for the second straight week as the Kansas City Chiefs held off the Carolina Panthers 30-27 on Sunday. A week after losing at Buffalo, the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs (10-1) maintained their position atop the AFC. Mahomes completed a 35-yard touchdown strike to Gray on the game’s opening possession and found him again for an 11-yard TD in the second quarter. Gray has four touchdown catches in the last two weeks — twice as many as nine-time Pro Bowler Travis Kelce has all season — and has become a weapon in the passing game for the Chiefs, who lost top wide receiver Rashee Rice to a season-ending knee injury in Week 4. Kelce was still a factor Sunday with a team-high six catches for 62 yards, although the four-time All-Pro looked dejected after dropping one easy pass. Kelce has 62 receptions for 507 yards this season, while Gray has 26 catches for 249 yards. But Gray’s development is a good sign for the Chiefs — and he’s on the same page with Mahomes. RELATED COVERAGE NBC’s Mike Tirico calls Eagles-Rams game after suffering Achilles injury last Monday Rams once again fall flat in prime time with a chance to move into a tie atop the NFC West Brandon Graham expects to miss rest of season after tearing triceps in Eagles’ win over Rams On his second TD, Gray said Mahomes “gave me the answer to the test there” before the play. “He told me what coverage it was pre-snap,” said Gray, who had four receptions for 66 yards. “That’s just the blessing you have of playing with a quarterback like that. Offensive line did a great job blocking that up and the receivers did a great job running their routes to pop me open. Really just a group effort right there on that touchdown.” Gray said that’s nothing new. The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . “Pat’s preparation, his leadership is just something that I’m fortunate enough to play alongside,” Gray said. “I love it. It gets me motivated every time we go out there for a long drive. Having a leader like that, that prepares every single week in-and out, knows defenses, knows the game plans. “I’m just fortunate enough to play alongside a guy like that.” Mahomes completed 27 of 37 passes for 269 yards and three TDs, and he knew what to do on the second TD to Gray. “It’s not just me, it’s the quarterback coaches and the players, we go through certain checks you get to versus certain coverages,” Mahomes said. “I was able to see by the way they lined up they were getting into their cover-zero look. I alerted the guys to make sure they saw what I saw and I gave the check at the line of scrimmage.” ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflTeenage defender Dean Huijsen became Bournemouth's youngest Premier League goalscorer by heading his side to a 1-0 victory over Tottenham at the Vitality Stadium. Andoni Iraola's Cherries had upset title hopefuls Arsenal and Manchester City in two of their previous three fixtures on home soil. Spain U21 international Huijsen, aged 19 years and 235 days, secured a further scalp for the south-coast club with a 17th-minute winner on Thursday as inconsistent Spurs suffered another setback of a patchy season so far. Bournemouth leapfrogged Ange Postecoglou's visitors into ninth position following a deserved success which should have been more comfortable. Ryan Christie struck the woodwork and the impressive hosts failed to capitalise on a host of chances, while toothless Tottenham created little going forward. Inconsistent Spurs hammered champions Manchester City 4-0 in their previous away fixture but that was their only win in five games in all competitions ahead of the trip to Dorset. Dominic Solanke was passed fit to face his former club after missing Sunday's 1-1 draw at home to Fulham due to illness, with captain Son Heung-min dropping to the bench as part of three changes. The north London club started in the ascendancy and, after the recalled Dejan Kulusevski shot straight at Cherries goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, Solanke fired wastefully over, having been released by stand-in skipper James Maddison. Bournemouth looked lively on the counter-attack and edged ahead. Spurs goalkeeper Fraser Forster initially produced a fine save to deny Evanilson following dithering from Radu Dragusin but, from the resultant inswinging corner taken by Marcus Tavernier, Huijsen, a summer signing from Juventus, arrived unmarked at the back post to nod home. Tavernier had the ball in the net 14 minutes after the opener but was clearly offside, before later seeing a close-range header from Milos Kerkez's cross clawed away by Forster. Despite Tottenham's shortcomings, Postecoglou opted against changes at the break. His team resumed on the front foot, albeit still looking susceptible on the break, with Justin Kluivert, who hit a hat-trick of penalties in Saturday's 4-2 win at Wolves, coming close to doubling the Cherries' lead. Son replaced Pape Sarr in the 57th minute and immediately increased the tempo of Tottenham's play. The South Korea international finished on the rebound two minutes after his introduction following Kulusevski's initial effort but was denied by an offside flag, before later slipping in Maddison, who curled narrowly wide. Fellow substitute Pedro Porro tested Kepa with a thumping low drive, prior to Christie striking the base of the left post at the other end. Tottenham survived a major scare 18 minutes from time when Evanilson's close-range finish was disallowed for offside after Forster's risky pass to Kulusevski was intercepted. Bournemouth should have put the game beyond Spurs, with Tavernier and substitute Dango Ouattara each squandering excellent opportunities by firing over. The misses ensured plenty of tension during six minutes of added time but mattered little in the end as Spurs could not muster a meaningful attempt to snatch a point. At Craven Cottage, Alex Iwobi scored twice as Fulham marched into the top half of the league with a 3-1 win over Brighton. The Cottagers were pegged back after Iwobi's quickfire opener by Carlos Baleba's fine strike early in the second half. But Matt O'Riley's own goal gifted them the lead again and Iwobi hit his second to ensure Brighton have still never beaten Fulham in the Premier League.Merchants Bancorp ( NASDAQ:MBIN – Get Free Report ) and F & M Bank ( OTCMKTS:FMBM – Get Free Report ) are both small-cap finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their profitability, analyst recommendations, dividends, risk, earnings, valuation and institutional ownership. Insider & Institutional Ownership 24.6% of Merchants Bancorp shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 3.9% of F & M Bank shares are owned by institutional investors. 39.7% of Merchants Bancorp shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 10.7% of F & M Bank shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term. Analyst Ratings This is a breakdown of recent ratings and target prices for Merchants Bancorp and F & M Bank, as provided by MarketBeat.com. Dividends Merchants Bancorp pays an annual dividend of $0.36 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. F & M Bank pays an annual dividend of $1.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.0%. Merchants Bancorp pays out 6.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. F & M Bank pays out 66.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Profitability This table compares Merchants Bancorp and F & M Bank’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Risk & Volatility Merchants Bancorp has a beta of 1.12, suggesting that its stock price is 12% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, F & M Bank has a beta of 0.4, suggesting that its stock price is 60% less volatile than the S&P 500. Valuation and Earnings This table compares Merchants Bancorp and F & M Bank”s revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation. Merchants Bancorp has higher revenue and earnings than F & M Bank. Merchants Bancorp is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than F & M Bank, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Summary Merchants Bancorp beats F & M Bank on 14 of the 16 factors compared between the two stocks. About Merchants Bancorp ( Get Free Report ) Merchants Bancorp operates as the diversified bank holding company in the United States. It operates through three segments: Multi-family Mortgage Banking, Mortgage Warehousing, and Banking. The Multi-family Mortgage Banking segment engages in the mortgage banking, which originates and services government sponsored mortgages, including bridge financing products to refinance, acquire, or reposition multi-family housing projects, and construction lending for multi-family and healthcare facilities. This segment also offers customized loan products for need-based skilled nursing facilities, such as independent living, assisted living, and memory care; and tax credit equity syndicator service. The Mortgage Warehousing segment funds agency eligible residential loans, as well as commercial loans to non-depository financial institutions. The Banking segment offers a range of financial products and services to consumers and businesses, which includes retail banking, commercial lending, agricultural lending, retail and correspondent residential mortgage banking, and small business administration lending. Merchants Bancorp was founded in 1990 and is headquartered in Carmel, Indiana. About F & M Bank ( Get Free Report ) F & M Bank Corp. operates as the bank holding company for Farmers & Merchants Bank that provides financial products and services to consumers and businesses in Virginia. The company offers commercial and individual demand and time deposit accounts, savings accounts, money market accounts, internet and mobile banking services, and drive-in banking services. It also provides construction loans, including residential, and land acquisition and development loans; commercial real estate loans; business loans; consumer loans, such as personal loans, automobile loans, deposit account loans, installment and demand loans, and home equity loans; residential mortgage loans; credit cards; dealer finance; farmland loans; multi-family loans; and commercial and industrial loans. In addition, the company offers brokerage services and commercial and personal insurance products. Further, it originates conventional and government agency sponsored mortgages; and offers title insurance and real estate settlement services. The company was founded in 1908 and is headquartered in Timberville, Virginia. 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Note: This article may contain affiliate links. Lovin can receive a commission if items are purchased through a link from this post.Authored by James Fanell and Bradley Thayer via American Greatness, Whether American presidents are successes or failures is measured by their major foreign and domestic actions. That has been the historical standard by which they are weighed and which defines their legacy. Some presidents are outstanding in every respect. Washington defined the American presidency. Lincoln saved the Union and kept foreign powers, most importantly Great Britain, from intervening to aid the South. Most presidents are heavily mixed; Buchanan employed the Army to suppress the Mormon Rebellion, but his monumental failure was that he did not act to stop the Civil War. Lyndon Johnson’s failure in Vietnam defined his presidency. Richard Nixon had many successes in foreign policy, but Watergate was his demise. Jimmy Carter failed abroad and at home. With just over 40 days left, Americans are nearing the end of the Biden administration, and so it is fitting to provide an assessment of it and to place it in historical context. By any metric from American history and by any objective standard used to measure his predecessors in the White House, the Biden administration has been a catastrophic failure for the American people. Were that it was otherwise. An old man suffering from the horrors of dementia is a tragedy. Biden is not only a dementia patient but also President of the United States. It is clear that now he is more dementia victim than he is president. He cannot stay awake at international meetings and other fora, and he seems to willingly accept the deliberate snubs. Accordingly, as hard as it is to acknowledge, given that he is the President of the United States, world leaders, and Americans know that he has no business being in the nation’s highest office. This impacts all Americans and U.S. national security, and it is important to recognize facts that impact national security as they are, rather than as we would desire them to be. In the years to come, the fiasco of the Biden administration will be explained by multiple factors. We may certainly anticipate that presidential historians will argue that his dementia was debilitating and precluded him from effective leadership, or that his presidency was just a Potemkin Village. Others may assess that Barack Hussein Obama was actually in control through his direct intervention and via surrogates like Susan Rice—who overreached in pushing a radical Marxist agenda. At this point, no matter the causes, it is essential to document the Biden administration’s failures and to learn from them as a cautionary tale about the disastrous impacts of the worst president in American history. Of course, we note that his greatest catastrophes may be yet to come. In domestic policy, Biden destroyed the economy, inflation returned with a vengeance, and America’s borders were opened intentionally. This caused a flood of illegal immigration. Immigration took an unprecedented turn, even an unimaginable one; the U.S. government entered the business of importing people, some 12 to 15 million, and thereby funded the cartels and other criminals and criminal organizations. The true numbers will not be known until Trump comes into office and reveals how this happened and the true impact and parameters of the problem. Another domestic failure has been the massive increase in the federal deficit—one that impacts every American, as well as our national security posture. Likewise, energy security was compromised, and America’s energy independence was lost. These domestic disasters reveal the spirit of the American people was targeted deliberately—in order to usher in a new world order based on the tenets of collectivism and top-down control rather than the principles of individualism, freedom, and liberty. In the realm of foreign policy, the Biden Administration will be remembered for their disastrous and deadly retreat from Afghanistan to the benign neglect of checking the People’s Republic of China (PRC) across the Indo-Pacific. By failing to deter the Russian invasion of Ukraine and by laboring to simultaneously sustain and escalate the war, rather than pressuring both sides to end the conflict, Biden will be held responsible for the deaths and displacement of many millions. Even the recent collapse of governments in Germany and France can be laid at Biden’s doorstep due to his waffling approach to great power politics and NATO’s ineptitude. The Middle East went from stability to war as Israel fights against multiple threats in the wake of the horrific terror attacks on October 7, 2023. In the Indo-Pacific, Xi Jinping, the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), treated Biden as a supplicant. In no small part because Xi knew that Joe Biden’s administration was compromised via millions from the PRC that flowed in and enriched the Biden family’s coffers. Xi instructed Biden on how to behave, and the Biden administration went along with it when it mattered, such as not laboring to overthrow the CCP at a time of great peril for it. The opportunity cost of the Biden administration was massive. Their actions precluded other strategic choices, priorities, and paths that the U.S. might have taken. For example, the strategic airfield in Bagram, Afghanistan would not have been lost to Chinese influence and occupation. The war in Ukraine might have been deterred, and millions alive and billions of dollars saved for American citizens being hit by deadly hurricanes in North Carolina or fires in Maui. Moreover, America’s arsenal of stockpiled weapons would not have been depleted. Likewise, the CCP would be on the run through a concerted and consistent whole-of-government agenda to roll back the PRC’s advances in their declared “People’s War” against the U.S. Fundamentally, Biden was the return to and the last of the post-Cold War presidents—Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama—those who could do anything they wanted in the domestic and international realms because they were living off the capital their predecessors had accumulated—a strong and prosperous America. In his first term, Trump was different and labored mightily to change course. Now America faces genuine peril at home and abroad. The warnings from the Biden administration are myriad. However, at root, the lesson is how could it have been otherwise when a vile and loathsome individual intent on enriching himself be permitted to be used as a puppet by Obama and the CCP? Biden neither has the merit nor the mettle to be president. He is a vessel filled with personal ambition but does not possess the acumen or virtue to realize his ambition. It had to be given to him by Obama. His legacy is a grotesque one: he proved the “Peter Principle” wrong—that you actually can rise far beyond your level of incompetence. He did his best to destroy the country. He leaves for his successor a dangerous world and an economy in an equally precarious position. Thankfully, Trump and his administration will be up for such a massive task.THE past 12 months will go down in history for many things – but it was the year Ireland broke all of its own records at the Olympic Games. The Paris spectacular made superstars out of everyone from swim king Daniel Wiffen to track queen Rhasidat Adeleke, as Team Ireland came home with four gold and three bronze medals – our best ever showing. In the United States, Donald Trump dominated the headlines all year long before edging out Kamala Harris to reclaim the White House. And abroad, Israel laid siege on Gaza and Lebanon while Russia continued to wage war on Ukraine in another year marked by global instability and a shift in many countries to the right. We went to the polls in November and despite a disastrous campaign for Fine Gael and Simon Harris, the party looks set to go back into government following its third place finish. Our footballers had a year to forget – the men failed to make much progress under a new manager and the women missed out on a place at next summer’s Euros. The GAA season was marked by a changing of the guard in football and a glorious hurling season, ending with a desperate bid to change the rules of football which had become a hard watch for fans. But how much of it do you remember? Try the Irish Sun mini quiz of the year. 1) Which veteran singer became the first to win an Emmy, Golden Globe, Oscar and Tony in January? 2) Name the Putin critic who died in a Siberian prison in February? 3) Which team won back to back Super Bowls in February? 4) Beyonce became the first black female artist to top which charts in February? 5) Which epic movie won SEVEN Oscars including Best Picture in March? 6) What did Jon Voight and Megan Fox achieve that same month? 7) In March, why did Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, cause a major storm? 8) Which Titanic prop involved in the rescue of Kate Winslet’s character sold for over $700,000 at auction? 9) In which US city did a bridge collapse killing six people in April? 10) Larry David brought an end to what in April? 11) Which singer put on a free gig in Rio de Janeiro for 1.6million fans in May? 12) Which US politician survived two assassination attempts in just two months? 13) May saw Ireland do well in Eurovision for the first time in years — where did Bambie Thug finish? 14) Who pipped Bryson DeChambeau to win the US PGA golf major in May? 15) Also in May, which company did Scarlett Johansson say used her voice without her permission? 16) Which Wikileaks founder was freed from a British prison in June? 17) Also that month Dick Van Dyke became the oldest winner of a what for his role in Days Of Our Lives? 18) Which county sent the defending champions Dublin flying from the GAA senior men’s football championship in June? 19) Who did Keir Starmer replace as UK Prime Minister back in July? 20) Which country temporarily banned Elon Musk’s X/Twitter in July? 21) Name the Icelander who took over as Ireland’s senior men’s soccer team in July? 22) Kellie Harrington fought at the August Olympics, but how many gold medals has the Irish boxer won? 23) Rhasidat Adeleke, Phil Healy, Sophie Becker and who went agonisingly close to winning bronze in the 4x400m relay in Paris in August? (Hint, there’s a clue above!) 24) What was unusual about how gold medal winners Fintan McCarthy and Paul O’Donovan, and Team Ireland member Natalie Long got home to Cork from Dublin after the Olympics in August? 25) Which September hurricane was the costliest in US history? 26) How did Claudia Sheinbaum make history in October? 27) Also that month, which Sinn Fein TD resigned from the party, later to run in the general election as an Independent? 28) Which US music legend and former Michael Jackson producer died aged 91 in November? 29) Ireland finally went to the polls in November — name the former Health Minister who lost his seat? 30) Which pop star’s world tour grossed $2billion in December? 1) Elton John, 2) Alexei Navalny, 3) Kansas City Chiefs, 4) US country, 5) Oppenheimer, 6) Worst actors at the Razzies, 7) She admitted editing a family portrait, 8) Door she was floating on, 9) Baltimore, 10) Curb Your Enthusiasm, 11) Madonna, 12) Donald Trump, 13) Sixth, 14) Xander Schauffele, 15) Open AI, 16) Julian Assange, 17) A Daytime Emmy, 18) Galway, 19) Rishi Sunak, 20) Brazil, 21) Heimer Hallgrimsson, 22) Two, 23) Sharlene Mawdsley, 24) They got a lift from a fellow airline passenger, 25) Helene, 26) First woman President of Mexico, 27) Brian Stanley, 28) Quincy Jones, 29) Stephen Donnelly, 30) Taylor Swift
Despite Star Goalie Shesterkin's Strong Play, Rangers' Defense Hasn't Been Good Enough
