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777 play casino games Home for the Holidays: Lost bulldog found in Natchez, reunited with Houston owner after a yearSaints hope to ride the Rizzi factor back to relevance after their bye weekBlack Friday brings some great deals on advent calendars, and with December approaching, now's the perfect time to grab one. Whether you're shopping for kids, pets or yourself, these calendars offer more exciting surprises than your typical chocolate-behind-a-door option. I've rounded up calendars that bring something different to the countdown experience. From LEGO builds to daily tea tastings, these picks make the wait until Christmas more fun. Here are my favorite options, all offering good value for their unique contents. Quick links Best advent calendar deals

BLUE BELL, PA — Unisys (NYSE: UIS) has been named a winner in Fast Company’s 2024 Next Big Things in Tech list under the “Enduring Impact: 15+ Years in Business” category. This recognition highlights the company’s long-standing dedication to technological advancement, particularly its transformative role in the travel and transportation sectors through the Unisys Logistics OptimizationTM solution. The solution leverages advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and quantum computing to optimize cargo loading, routing, and warehousing operations. With near-real-time dynamic planning and exception management capabilities, Unisys Logistics Optimization sets a new standard in logistics efficiency for airlines and freight forwarders, helping businesses improve operations in a competitive, fast-paced digital landscape. One notable case demonstrating the solution’s impact is MAB Kargo, an airline client that implemented Unisys Logistics Optimization to increase cargo capacity utilization and reduce ground labor costs. The result was a five percent boost in utilization, underscoring the tangible benefits of the platform. “We are deeply honored to receive this prestigious recognition from Fast Company, which highlights Unisys’ unwavering pursuit of innovation and our transformative impact on the logistics industry,” said Chris Arrasmith, Senior Vice President of Enterprise Computing Solutions at Unisys. “With a proven track record and a bold vision for the future, Unisys is dedicated to driving efficiency and growth for our clients worldwide.” This acknowledgment by Fast Company marks a milestone for Unisys and spotlights its role as a leader in innovative tech solutions that redefine logistics management. Unisys stated that it remains committed to advancing efficiency and delivering value to the transportation industry, driven by cutting-edge technology and a client-focused approach. For the latest news on everything happening in Chester County and the surrounding area, be sure to follow MyChesCo on Google News and MSN .Topcliffe, a village in North Yorkshire, has been identified as the coldest spot in England on Wednesday night with temperatures plunging to -9.4C, making it the chilliest November night since 2010. This was highlighted by BBC weatherman Paul Hudson on social media, where he remarked: "Minus 9.4C at Topcliffe in North Yorkshire last night is the lowest November temperature anywhere in England since 2010." Topcliffe is about 30 miles south of Middlesbrough , and five miles south-west of Thirsk The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow and ice across large parts of the country, including Yorkshire, cautioning that "Wintry showers and icy patches are expected this evening and overnight, perhaps leading to some travel disruption." Teesside has had numerous warnings for snow and ice during the cold spell, but has yet to hit by any serious snowfall. Storm Bert is set to hit the region at the weekend, bringing strong wind to the area. Huddersfield's own weather expert Paul Stevens suggests the weekend could bring stormy conditions, with potential gusts hitting 50-60mph, accompanied by heavy rain and possibly snow from Saturday, reports Yorkshire Live .. The record for the lowest temperature in England still stands from January 10, 1982, when Newport, Shropshire saw the mercury drop to -26.1C, while Braemar in east Scotland experienced a bone-chilling -27.2C on the same day. For daily news from Teesside's courts direct to your inbox, go here to sign up to our free court newsletter Teesside Live is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our community. Through the app, we'll send you the latest breaking news, top stories, exclusives and much more straight to your phone. To join our community group, you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is click this link and select 'Join Community' . No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Teesside Live team. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'Exit group'. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice . Click here to join our WhatsApp community .

Saints hope to ride the Rizzi factor back to relevance after their bye week

Wake up the ghosts! Texas, Texas A&M rivalry that dates to 1894 is rebornWe have much to be thankful for this year. One of those things is the defeat of Proposition 5, which would have made it easier to raise property taxes. Affecting homes, apartment buildings and commercial real estate, Prop. 5 would have burdened Californians with a higher cost of housing and a higher cost of living. We can all be grateful that voters resoundingly said no to that. It is also a good reminder of why we Californians should be thankful for Proposition 13, the 1978 initiative that put sensible limits on increases in property taxes, and put those limits into the state constitution. Prior to Proposition 13, property taxes were out of control. The tax rate throughout California averaged 2.67% of assessed value, and assessed value was regularly updated to match current market value. As inflation and market factors pushed property values higher and higher, homeowners received property tax bills based on their “paper profits,” with no limits on annual increases. Some properties were reassessed 50 to 100 percent higher in just one year, so their owners’ tax bills skyrocketed, often beyond the homeowners’ ability to pay. In one year in Los Angeles County alone, 400,000 people had not paid their property tax because they didn’t have the money, running the risk of being forced out of their homes. Retired people on fixed incomes were among the hardest hit. Many had paid off their mortgages yet faced losing their homes because they couldn’t afford the annual property tax bill. Then, just as millions of Californians were at risk of being driven out of their homes, Howard Jarvis gathered more than 1.5 million signatures to qualify a statewide initiative that would finally end excessive taxation and protect the security of property ownership — Proposition 13. An overwhelming majority of Californian voters voted for Proposition 13 despite a campaign of scare tactics. It turned out that nothing scared Californians more than opening their property tax bill. Proposition 13 made property taxes predictable and manageable. First, Prop. 13 cut the property tax rate from a statewide average of 2.67% down to 1%. To this day, even new homeowners are saving money compared to what they would have been paying. Check out the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association’s calculator at GuessingGame.org for a look at how much you’d be paying in annual property taxes if Prop. 13 had never passed. Second, it limits the annual increase in assessed value to the rate of inflation, capped at 2%. Under Prop. 13, even if a property doubles in market value in a single year, its “taxable value,” against which the assessor applies the 1% tax rate, can only be increased a maximum of 2% per year. Related Articles Opinion Columnists | Gavin Newsom should stop showboating and just do his job as governor of California Opinion Columnists | Will Trump double down on or fix Biden’s antitrust insanity? Opinion Columnists | Rafael Perez: Americans really need to relax and stop taking national politics so seriously Opinion Columnists | Elon Musk gets it: America’s legal immigration process need to change Opinion Columnists | Susan Shelley: The mundane reality of UFOs Third, Prop. 13 requires reassessment of property when it changes hands. This provides local governments with a stable and predictable source of tax revenue, which has grown virtually every year since 1978 in percentages that exceed inflation and population growth. Proposition 13 also protected taxpayers by requiring a two-thirds vote of the state legislature to raise taxes and by giving Californians the right to vote on local tax increases, with a two-thirds vote required to pass certain tax hikes. The two-thirds vote is particularly critical when it comes to property taxes. Because people can lose their homes if they can’t pay the property tax bill, the vote threshold must be higher than a simple majority of voters, many of whom are voting on a tax they won’t personally have to pay, at least not directly. It’s this two-thirds protection that Proposition 5 attempted to destroy. It’s hard enough to pay the bills in this state without politicians trying to raise taxes in every election. We’re thankful that Proposition 13 is protecting Californians, every day. Jon Coupal is president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.

AP Sports SummaryBrief at 4:17 p.m. EST

Confident Bucs gear up for stretch run against lighter season-ending scheduleStock market today: Dow hits another record as stocks rise

A UK ticket-holder has won £177 million in Tuesday’s EuroMillions draw. A UK ticket-holder has won £177 million in Tuesday’s EuroMillions draw. But it is not the largest prize a person has won in this country. Here are the 10 biggest UK lottery winners – all from EuroMillions draws – and what some of them did with their fortunes. – Anonymous, £195,707,000 A UK ticket-holder scooped the record EuroMillions jackpot of £195 million on July 19 2022 – the biggest National Lottery win of all time. – Joe and Jess Thwaite, £184,262,899.10 Joe and Jess Thwaite, from Gloucester, scooped a then record-breaking £184,262,899 with a Lucky Dip ticket for the draw on May 10 2022. At the time, Joe was a communications sales engineer, and Jess ran a hairdressing salon with her sister. – Unclaimed ticket holder, £177 million Tuesday’s winner is wealthier than former One Direction member Harry Styles and heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua, who are both worth £175 million, according to the latest Sunday Times Rich List. Players have been urged to check their tickets to see if they can claim the prize. – Anonymous, £170,221,000 The fourth biggest winner of the National Lottery to date scooped £170 million in October 2019, after matching all the numbers in a Must Be Won draw. – Colin and Chris Weir, £161,653,000 Colin and Chris Weir, from Largs, North Ayrshire, bagged their historic winnings in July 2011, making them the biggest UK winners at the time. Colin used £2.5 million of his fortune to invest in his beloved Partick Thistle Football Club, which led to one of the stands at the stadium being named after him. He later acquired a 55% shareholding in the club, which was to be passed into the hands of the local community upon his death. He died in December 2019, aged 71. The couple also set up the Weir Charitable Trust in 2013 and donated £1 million to the Scottish independence referendum in 2014. They divorced in the same year as Colin’s death. – Adrian and Gillian Bayford, £148,656,000 Adrian and Gillian won 190 million euros in a EuroMillions draw in August 2012, which came to just over £148 million. The couple bought a Grade II listed estate in Cambridgeshire, complete with cinema and billiards room, but it was sold in 2021, some years after the pair divorced, as reported by The Mirror. – Anonymous, £123,458,008 The seventh biggest National Lottery winner won a Superdraw rollover jackpot in June 2019, and decided not to go public with their success. – Anonymous, £122,550,350 After nine rollovers, one lucky anonymous ticket-holder bagged more than £122 million in April 2021. – Anonymous, £121,328,187 Another of the UK’s top 10 lottery winners found their fortune through a Superdraw jackpot rollover, this time in April 2018. – Frances and Patrick Connolly, £114,969,775 Former social worker and teacher Frances set up two charitable foundations after she and her husband won almost £115 million on New Year’s Day 2019. She estimates that she has already given away £60 million to charitable causes, as well as friends and family. She considers helping others to be an addiction, saying: “It gives you a buzz and it’s addictive. I’m addicted to it now.”Trump calls Biden pardon a ‘Miscarriage of Justice’South Carolina's highways remain some of the deadliest in the nation, despite post-COVID drops in 2023 and 2022, and even the 2023 number of traffic deaths was still up 34% , at 1,028, from a decade earlier. If we hope for real improvement, we need to try new and different things, or at least new and different for us. That's why state lawmakers need to give cities and counties more flexibility to use cameras to help reduce this danger, just as local governments do in most other states. Many already have the technology. North Charleston has installed cameras to capture images of vehicles along its highly traveled roads as a measure to reduce crime, and Beaufort County Council recently approved a $262,291 request from its sheriff to buy and install 26 cameras in high-crime areas. Columbia, Florence and many other jurisdictions have them as well. What they don't have — but should — is the ability to use the cameras to crack down on speeding, running red lights and other driving behavior that endangers us all in a way similar to a criminal on the loose. Behavior that essentially is a criminal on the loose — in a car. Nationally, more than 1,100 people were killed in 2022 by drivers running red lights . Technology won't replace police officers or sheriff's deputies or state troopers who patrol our roads, and the use of cameras to enforce speeding and other traffic laws should be implemented with caution, particularly since camera technology may identify a vehicle but not the driver. Given that, there's room to debate how steep the penalties should be for tickets based solely on license-plate readers, but "nothing" shouldn't be the answer. This is new territory, and the effectiveness of red-light camera programs is still a point of debate. But if South Carolina were to empower its municipalities and counties to begin experimenting with this technology, that would further expand our understanding of how effective it can be. And if it doesn't seem to be effective, the experiment can be ended. Surveys have found strong support for cameras that catch those running red lights — an infraction that puts others at risk. And indeed, one of the biggest values of such cameras might not be ticketing vehicle owners but discouraging drivers from taking the risk in the first place, since many — especially the local ones — will understand they're risking a fine. Half of the states allow communities to use cameras to crack down on running red lights, including Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety . And at least 341 communities have opted to do so since New York led the way in 1992. This is no surprise, as camera technology has gotten better and less expensive. Only six states prohibit both red-light and speeding cameras: Our ban took effect more than a decade ago, when the Legislature passed a law prohibiting direct camera enforcement of traffic laws in response to the town of Ridgeland's use of cameras in 2010 to ticket speeders along Interstate 95. Revisiting this and giving local governments more flexibility to experiment with camera enforcement could save lives. Click here for more opinion content from The Post and Courier.WASHINGTON (AP) — Thomas Sorber's 22 points helped Georgetown defeat Coppin State 83-53 on Saturday. Sorber also had 12 rebounds and four blocks for the Hoyas (11-2). Drew Fielder scored 20 points while shooting 6 of 7 from the field and 8 for 8 from the line and added 13 rebounds. Malik Mack finished with 15 points. The Eagles (1-13) were led in scoring by Toby Nnadozie, who finished with 22 points. Julius Ellerbe added 12 points and six steals for Coppin State. Zahree Harrison finished with nine points and four steals. Georgetown took the lead with 19:44 left in the first half and did not give it up. The score was 37-30 at halftime, with Sorber racking up 13 points. Georgetown pulled away with a 21-2 run in the second half to extend a seven-point lead to 26 points. They outscored Coppin State by 23 points in the final half, as Mack led the way with a team-high nine second-half points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

When the NCAA's playing rules oversight committee this past spring approved the use of coach-to-player helmet communications in games for the 2024 season, Kolpacki, Michigan State's head football equipment manager, knew the Spartans' QBs and linebackers were going to have a problem. "There had to be some sort of solution," he said. As it turns out, there was. And it was right across the street. Kolpacki reached out to Tamara Reid Bush, a mechanical engineering professor who not only heads the school's Biomechanical Design Research Laboratory but also is a football season ticket-holder. Kolpacki "showed me some photos and said that other teams had just put duct tape inside the (earhole), and he asked me, 'Do you think we can do anything better than duct tape,?" Bush said. "And I said, 'Oh, absolutely.'" Bush and Rylie DuBois, a sophomore biosystems engineering major and undergraduate research assistant at the lab, set out to produce earhole inserts made from polylactic acid, a bio-based plastic, using a 3D printer. Part of the challenge was accounting for the earhole sizes and shapes that vary depending on helmet style. Once the season got underway with a Friday night home game against Florida Atlantic on Aug. 30, the helmets of starting quarterback Aidan Chiles and linebacker Jordan Turner were outfitted with the inserts, which helped mitigate crowd noise. DuBois attended the game, sitting in the student section. "I felt such a strong sense of accomplishment and pride," DuBois said. "And I told all my friends around me about how I designed what they were wearing on the field." All told, Bush and DuBois have produced around 180 sets of the inserts, a number that grew in part due to the variety of helmet designs and colors that are available to be worn by Spartan players any given Saturday. Plus, the engineering folks have been fine-tuning their design throughout the season. Dozens of Bowl Subdivision programs are doing something similar. In many cases, they're getting 3D-printed earhole covers from XO Armor Technologies, which provides on-site, on-demand 3D printing of athletic wearables. The Auburn, Alabama-based company has donated its version of the earhole covers to the equipment managers of programs ranging from Georgia and Clemson to Boise State and Arizona State in the hope the schools would consider doing business with XO Armor in the future, said Jeff Klosterman, vice president of business development. XO Armor first was approached by the Houston Texans at the end of last season about creating something to assist quarterback C.J. Stroud in better hearing play calls delivered to his helmet during road games. XO Armor worked on a solution and had completed one when it received another inquiry: Ohio State, which had heard Michigan State was moving forward with helmet inserts, wondered if XO Armor had anything in the works. "We kind of just did this as a one-off favor to the Texans and honestly didn't forecast it becoming our viral moment in college football," Klosterman said. "We've now got about 60 teams across college football and the NFL wearing our sound-deadening earhole covers every weekend." The rules state that only one player for each team is permitted to be in communication with coaches while on the field. For the Spartans, it's typically Chiles on offense and Turner on defense. Turner prefers to have an insert in both earholes, but Chiles has asked that the insert be used in only one on his helmet. Chiles "likes to be able to feel like he has some sort of outward exposure," Kolpacki said. Exposure is something the sophomore signal-caller from Long Beach, California, had in away games against Michigan and Oregon this season. Michigan Stadium welcomed 110,000-plus fans for the Oct. 26 matchup between the in-state rivals. And while just under 60,000 packed Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, for the Ducks' 31-10 win over Michigan State three weeks earlier, it was plenty loud. "The Big Ten has some pretty impressive venues," Kolpacki said. "It can be just deafening," he said. "That's what those fans are there for is to create havoc and make it difficult for coaches to get a play call off." Something that is a bit easier to handle thanks to Bush and her team. She called the inserts a "win-win-win" for everyone. "It's exciting for me to work with athletics and the football team," she said. "I think it's really exciting for our students as well to take what they've learned and develop and design something and see it being used and executed."

Wake up the ghosts! Texas, Texas A&M rivalry that dates to 1894 is rebornAfter a loss in their season opener, the Center Point Pirates came ready to redeem themselves as they took on the Nueces Canyon Panthers, claiming victory, 48-31. “We got a lot of guys involved and rebounded better,” Coach Brent Rider said. “The offense took better care of the ball.” In the first quarter, the Pirates were able to get on top, 6-0, with two baskets by junior Din Arreola and one by senior Jesse Segura, before the Panthers were able to get on the board. With 2:49 left in the first quarter, the two teams were tied at eight points each. The defense was able to hold the Panthers to one point in the second quarter, and the Pirates were able to dominate for the remainder of the half, going into halftime with a 23-12 lead. The Panthers were able to score 11 points to the Pirates 12 in the third quarter. However, they had a tough time with free throws in the fourth quarter, missing all six. With 3:10 left in the game, junior Leighton Johnson was able to steal and run the ball down the court for a lay-up. The Pirates were up, 41-23. With 69 seconds left in the game, junior Jadin Segura was able to steal the ball and pass it to senior Slade Newcomb, who was able to capitalize on a score. The game ended, 48-31. “Overall, we did a good job closing up the lane,” Rider said. The win puts the Pirates at 2-1 for the season. They host Comfort at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3.The Rise of Sustainable Fashion: Si-TPV Elastomeric Materials Shape the Future of Innovation in the Leather Belt Industry 11-22-2024 11:38 PM CET | Associations & Organizations Press release from: ABNewswire The fashion industry, known for its rapid production cycles and significant environmental impact, is undergoing a transformative shift toward sustainability. Among the many facets of this industry, the leather belt, a timeless fashion staple, has adorned waists for centuries. 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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 RedditPOFMA order issued to activist group for false statement on 3 death row prisoners

What both sides are saying about ceasefire deal between Israel and HezbollahWASHINGTON (AP) — One year after the , U.S. Capitol attack, Attorney General Merrick Garland the Justice Department was committed to holding accountable all perpetrators “at any level” for “the assault on our democracy.” That bold declaration won’t apply to at least one person: Donald Trump. Special counsel Jack Smith’s move on Monday to abandon the against Trump means jurors will likely never decide whether the president-elect is criminally responsible for his attempts to cling to power after losing the 2020 campaign. The decision to walk away from the election charges and the separate against Trump marks an abrupt end of the Justice Department’s unprecedented legal effort that once threatened his liberty but appears only to have galvanized his supporters. The abandonment of the cases accusing Trump of endangering American democracy and national security does away with the most serious legal threats he was facing as he returns to the White House. It was the culmination of a monthslong defense effort to delay the proceedings at every step and use the criminal allegations to Trump’s political advantage, putting the final word in the hands of voters instead of jurors. “We always knew that the rich and powerful had an advantage, but I don’t think we would have ever believed that somebody could walk away from everything,” said Stephen Saltzburg, a George Washington University law professor and former Justice Department official. “If there ever was a Teflon defendant, that’s Donald Trump.” While prosecutors left the door open to the possibility that federal charges could be re-filed against Trump after he leaves office, that seems unlikely. Meanwhile, Trump’s presidential victory has thrown into question the future of the two state criminal cases against him in New York and Georgia. Trump was supposed to be sentenced on Tuesday after his , but it’s possible the sentencing could be delayed until after Trump leaves office, and the defense is pushing to dismiss the case altogether. Smith’s team stressed that their decision to abandon the federal cases was not a reflection of the merit of the charges, but an acknowledgement that they could not move forward under longstanding Justice Department policy that says sitting presidents cannot face Trump’s presidential victory set “at odds two fundamental and compelling national interests: On the one hand, the Constitution’s requirement that the President must not be unduly encumbered in fulfilling his weighty responsibilities . . . and on the other hand, the Nation’s commitment to the rule of law,” prosecutors wrote in court papers. The move just weeks after Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris underscores the immense personal stake Trump had in the campaign in which he turned his legal woes into a political rallying cry. Trump accused prosecutors of bringing the charges in a bid to keep him out of the White House, and he promised revenge on his perceived enemies if he won a second term. “If Donald J. Trump had lost an election, he may very well have spent the rest of his life in prison,” Vice President-elect JD Vance, wrote in a social media post on Monday. “These prosecutions were always political. Now it’s time to ensure what happened to President Trump never happens in this country again.” After the Jan. 6 attack by Trump supporters that left more than 100 police officers injured, Republican leader Mitch McConnell and several other Republicans said it was up to the justice system to hold Trump accountable. The Jan. 6 case brought last year in Washington alleged an increasingly desperate criminal conspiracy to subvert the will of voters after Trump’s 2020 loss, accusing Trump of using the angry mob of supporters that attacked the Capitol as “a tool” in his campaign to pressure then-Vice President and obstruct the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory. Hundreds of Jan. 6 rioters — many of whom have said they felt called to Washington by Trump — have pleaded guilty or been convicted by juries of federal charges at the same courthouse where Trump was supposed to stand trial last year. As the trial date neared, officials at the courthouse that sits within view of the Capitol were busy making plans for the crush of reporters expected to cover the historic case. But Trump’s argument that he from prosecution quickly tied up the case in appeals all the way up to the Supreme Court. The high court ruled in July that , and sent the case back to the trial court to decide which allegations could move forward. But the case was dismissed before the trial court could get a chance to do so. Related Articles The other indictment brought in Florida accused Trump of at his Mar-a-Lago estate sensitive documents on nuclear capabilities, enlisting aides and lawyers to help him hide records demanded by investigators and cavalierly showing off a Pentagon “plan of attack” and classified map. But U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon . Smith appealed to the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, but abandoned that appeal on Monday. Smith’s team said it would continue its fight in the appeals court to revive charges against Trump’s two co-defendants because “no principle of temporary immunity applies to them.” In New York, jurors spent weeks last spring hearing evidence in a state case alleging a Trump scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through who said the two had sex. New York prosecutors recently expressed openness to delaying sentencing until after Trump’s second term, while Trump’s lawyers are fighting to have the conviction dismissed altogether. In Georgia, a trial while Trump is in office seems unlikely in a state case charging him and more than a dozen others with conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. The case has been on hold since an appeals court agreed to review whether to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over her with the special prosecutor she had hired to lead the case.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are having an enchanted holiday break with good friends. The pair was spotted out on a double date at BondST restaurant in New York City Dec. 27 with the Grammy winner's longtime pal and collaborator Jack Antonoff and his wife, actress Margaret Qualley . Taylor wore an oversized, beige tweed, crystal-embroidered Stella McCartney blazer, paired with what appeared to be a black skirt, sheer, diamond-patterned black Sheertex tights and Marc Jacobs ankle-length platform boots, as seen in photos published by the Daily Mail . Travis matched the "Style" singer with a beige cardigan, paired with a black shirt, tan pants, dark shoes, glasses and a black cap. He and Taylor were photographed leaving the eatery, with the NFL star leading his girlfriend by the hand. Margaret bundled up in a dark coat with black tights, while Jack wore a yellow zip-up top, black jacket and jeans. Taylor had attended the couple's wedding in August 2023, weeks before she was first photographed at one of the Kansas City Chiefs tight end's games following romance rumors between the two. She and the NFL star have now been dating for over a year. They have supported each other's careers consistently, with him attending more than a dozen concerts on her Eras tour, which ended Dec. 8, and Taylor being spotted at more than a dozen of Travis' games, most recently Dec. 21, when the Chiefs beat the Houston Texans . While the "Blank Space" singer was absent from the Kansas City team's Christmas Day game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, she did publicly express support for her boyfriend after he scored his 77th receiving touchdown—to break a record previously held by Chiefs legend Tony Gonzalez —by liking several social posts celebrating the feat. Travis had also celebrated Taylor's career milestone—her Eras Tour, which began in March 2023 and included 149 concerts held in 51 cities, had set a world record to become the highest-grossing music tour by generating more than $1 billion in revenue. The athlete threw the singer a star-studded, Eras-tour-themed party . He also gave her a shoutout on his and brother Jason Kelce 's podcast. "Obviously, it’s her music, her tour and everything but that was a full production, man," Travis said on the Dec. 11 episode of New Heights . "It was the best tour in the world because of a lot of people.” He added, "And mostly because of Taylor." Look back at Taylor and Travis' romance... July 2023: So, Make the Friendship Bracelets Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce 's love story began in July 2023, when the singer's Eras Tour made a stop at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. As a huge Swiftie, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end caught the show with hopes of giving Taylor a friendship bracelet with his number on it . However, he failed to complete the pass due to her pre-show rituals. "I was disappointed that she doesn't talk before or after her shows because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs that she sings," Travis shared on the July 26 episode of his New Heights podcast. "So, I was a little butt-hurt I didn't get to hand her one of the bracelets I made for her." Summer 2023: This Is Him Trying After publicly recounting his fumble—a move Taylor would later describe as "metal as hell" —Travis decided to shoot his shot and invite the Grammy winner to watch the Chiefs play at Arrowhead Stadium. "I threw it out there, I threw the ball in her court," he shared on The Pat McAfee Show . "I told her, you know, 'I've seen you rock the stage in Arrowhead, you might have to come see me rock the stage in Arrowhead and see which one's a little more lit.' So, we'll see what happens in the near future." August 2023: Enchanted to Meet You Travis was rocking a mustache—which he debuted in August during training camp—when he was first introduced to Taylor . As he later noted of the era, "That 'stache and the 87 jersey was pretty iconic there for a little bit, and I had it when I met Taylor for the first time." September 2023: Sparks Fly By early September, a source close to the situation told E! News that Travis and Taylor were " texting and talking here and there ." "It's been very low-key," the insider explained, "as he's been in season." September 2023: Cheer Captain Accepting Travis' invite, Taylor joined the athlete's mom Donna Kelce at Arrowhead Stadium to watch him and the Chiefs take on the Chicago Bears. After the game, Taylor and Travis were seen packing PDA at a local bar . Though folklore had it that it was the couple's first in-person meeting, the "Karma" singer later clarified the two had spent a "significant amount of time" getting to know each other beforehand. As Taylor noted, "We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date." October 2023: Team Up As an indication that the relationship was heating up, Taylor brought her squad —including friends Blake Lively , Ryan Reynolds , Sophie Turner , Hugh Jackman , Sabrina Carpenter and Antoni Porowski —to watch the Chiefs play against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. October 2023: It's Nice to Have a Friend Another sign that Travis could be The 1 ? Taylor started bonding with Brittany Mahomes —the wife of Travis' BFF and teammate Patrick Mahomes —in and outside of NFL games . October 2023: Welcome to New York The couple took their romance to TV, making a surprise appearance on the Oct. 14 episode of Saturday Night Live . Their Big Apple takeover also included the after-party for the NBC sketch show and a date night at the Waverly Inn . November 2023: Karma Is Her Boyfriend During a bye week, Travis traveled down to Argentina to catch the South American leg of Taylor's Eras Tour. Not only did the NFL star bond with Taylor's dad , Scott Swift , at the Nov. 11 show in Buenos Aires, but he also got a special shoutout from the stage. " Karma is that guy on the Chiefs ," Taylor sang, "coming straight home to me." After the show, the Midnights artist was seen running up to Travis backstage and greeting him with a passionate kiss . December 2024: Speak Now Taylor addressed the lavender craze surrounding her appearances at Travis' games. "I'm going to see him do what he loves, we're showing up for each other, other people are there and we don't care," she told Time . "The opposite of that is you have to go to an extreme amount of effort to make sure no one knows that you're seeing someone." December 2023: You, Who Charmed Her Dad The music superstar turned Travis' Dec. 17 game into a family affair, bringing her dad to cheer on her man . January 2024: All the Midnights Taylor and Travis spent their first New Year's Eve together, sharing a romantic kiss when the clock struck midnight on Jan. 1. January 2024: Chosen Family Continuing to bond with Travis' family, Taylor hung out with his brother Jason Kelce and sister-in-law Kylie Kelce at the Chiefs' game against the Buffalo Bills. January 2024: Saved by the Perfect Kiss Taylor joined Travis on the football field when the Chiefs won the AFC Championship , a victory that cemented the team's spot in the 2024 Super Bowl . The couple shared a celebratory kiss before exchanging the L-word . "Tay, I'm gonna enjoy with the guys," he told her. "I love you—so much it's not funny." February 2024: Super Bowl Champs The pair locked lips on the field after Travis led the Kansas City Chiefs to victory on Feb. 11, 2024 in Las Vegas. February 2024: TikTok Official Taylor posted footage of Travis on social media for the first time Feb. 12, poking fun at how she took her parents clubbing with the athlete after the Super Bowl. June 2024: Instagram Official Taylor's first Instagram pic featuring Travis was a selfie of the two with Prince William and his and wife Kate Middleton 's eldest kids Prince George and Princess Charlotte backstage at the singer's Eras tour show at Wembley Stadium in London. June 2024: Travis' Eras Tour Stage Debut While attending his seventh Eras tour concert, and second show at London's Wembley Stadium, the NFL star joined his girlfriend onstage as a backup performer during her performance of "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart." September 2024: Back in the Game Taylor joined Travis for the Chief's first game of the regular 2024-25 season and appeared to re-enact a PDA moment from October 2023 in this photo shared by Chariah Gordon , who is pictured with her boyfriend, Chiefs wide receiver Mecole Hardman . September 2024: Wedding Date The two attended model Karen Elson 's wedding to Electric Lady Studios owner Lee Foster in New York City. September 2024: U.S. Open Date The next day, the pair attended the men's singles final match at the U.S. Open . October 2024: Double Date The two stepped out for a double dinner date with Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds in NYC.