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Men lose 17 minutes of life with every cigarette they smoke while a woman’s life is cut short by 22 minutes with each cigarette, experts have estimated. This is more than previous estimates, which suggest that each cigarette shortens a smoker’s life by 11 minutes. The new estimates, which suggest that each cigarette leads to 20 minutes loss of live on average across both genders, are based on more up-to-date figures from long-term studies tracking the health of the population. Researchers from University College London said that the harm caused by smoking is “cumulative” and the sooner a person stops smoking, and the more cigarettes they avoid smoking, the longer they live. The new analysis, commissioned by the Department for Health and Social Care, suggests that if a 10-cigarettes-a-day smoker quits on January 1, then by January 8 they could “prevent loss of a full day of life”. By February 20, their lives could be extended by a whole week. And if their quitting is successful until August 5, they will likely live for a whole month longer than if they had continued to smoke. The authors added: “Studies suggest that smokers typically lose about the same number of healthy years as they do total years of life. Make 2025 the year you quit smoking for good. There’s lots of free support available to help you. Find out more 🔽 https://t.co/J0ehnoRM1D pic.twitter.com/LQpUp6HJBm — WHH 🏥 (@WHHNHS) December 27, 2024 “Thus smoking primarily eats into the relatively healthy middle years rather than shortening the period at the end of life, which is often marked by chronic illness or disability. “So a 60-year-old smoker will typically have the health profile of a 70-year-old non-smoker.” The analysis, to be published in the Journal of Addiction, concludes: “We estimate that on average, smokers in Britain who do not quit lose approximately 20 minutes of life expectancy for each cigarette they smoke. “This is time that would likely be spent in relatively good health. “Stopping smoking at every age is beneficial but the sooner smokers get off this escalator of death the longer and healthier they can expect their lives to be.” Dr Sarah Jackson, principal research fellow from the UCL Alcohol and Tobacco Research Group, said: “It is vital that people understand just how harmful smoking is and how much quitting can improve their health and life expectancy. “The evidence suggests people lose, on average, around 20 minutes of life for each cigarette they smoke. “The sooner a person stops smoking, the longer they live. “Quitting at any age substantially improves health and the benefits start almost immediately. “It’s never too late to make a positive change for your health and there are a range of effective products and treatments that can help smokers quit for good.” There are so many reasons to quit smoking this New Year – for your health, for more money, and for your family. Make a fresh quit for 2025 – find tips and support at https://t.co/GyLk65o8kS or https://t.co/iW6WLxTL00 pic.twitter.com/KxPZ5N378y — North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust (@NTeesHpoolNHSFT) December 27, 2024 Health officials have said that smokers can find advice, support and resources with the NHS Quit Smoking app, as well as the online Personal Quit Plan. Public health minister Andrew Gwynne said: “Smoking is an expensive and deadly habit and these findings reveal the shocking reality of this addiction, highlighting how important it is to quit. “The new year offers a perfect chance for smokers to make a new resolution and take that step.” Commenting on the paper, Professor Sanjay Agrawal, special adviser on tobacco at the Royal College of Physicians, said: “Every cigarette smoked costs precious minutes of life, and the cumulative impact is devastating, not only for individuals but also for our healthcare system and economy. “This research is a powerful reminder of the urgent need to address cigarette smoking as the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the UK.”
Smarter Homes Start Here: Save Big on 3i S10 Ultra Robot Vacuum This Holiday Season!Columbia Financial, Inc. Announces Appointment of New Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating OfficerThe Denver Nuggets are "eager" to "shake things up" this season and despite their limitations, they are ready to offer power forward Zeke Nnaji, according to NBA Insider Marc Stein of The Stein Line. Nnaji does not offer much, with a modest $8.9 million salary through 2027-2028 that decreases in value each season. However, the Nuggets are likely to "sweeten" deals with draft compensation, per Stein. This article will be updated soon to provide more information and analysis. For more from Bleacher Report on this topic and from around the sports world, check out our B/R app , homepage and social feeds—including Twitter , Instagram , Facebook and TikTok .
WASHINGTON — Special counsel Jack Smith moved to abandon two criminal cases against Donald Trump on Monday, acknowledging that Trump’s return to the White House will preclude attempts to federally prosecute him for retaining classified documents or trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat. The decision was inevitable, since longstanding Justice Department policy says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution. Yet it was still a momentous finale to an unprecedented chapter in political and law enforcement history, as federal officials attempted to hold accountable a former president while he was simultaneously running for another term. Trump emerges indisputably victorious, having successfully delayed the investigations through legal maneuvers and then winning re-election despite indictments that described his actions as a threat to the country's constitutional foundations. FILE - Special counsel Jack Smith speaks to the media about an indictment of former President Donald Trump, Aug. 1, 2023, at an office of the Department of Justice in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) “I persevered, against all odds, and WON," Trump exulted in a post on Truth Social, his social media website. He also said that “these cases, like all of the other cases I have been forced to go through, are empty and lawless, and should never have been brought.” The judge in the election case granted prosecutors' dismissal request. A decision in the documents case was still pending on Monday afternoon. The outcome makes it clear that, when it comes to a president and criminal accusations, nothing supersedes the voters' own verdict. In court filings, Smith's team emphasized that the move to end their prosecutions was not a reflection of the merit of the cases but a recognition of the legal shield that surrounds any commander in chief. “That prohibition is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the Government’s proof, or the merits of the prosecution, which the Government stands fully behind,” prosecutors said in one of their filings. They wrote that Trump’s return to the White House “sets 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.” In this situation, “the Constitution requires that this case be dismissed before the defendant is inaugurated,” they concluded. Smith’s team said it was leaving intact charges against two co-defendants in the classified documents case — Trump valet Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira — because “no principle of temporary immunity applies to them.” Steven Cheung, Trump's incoming White House communications director, said Americans “want an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and we look forward to uniting our country.” Trump has long described the investigations as politically motivated, and he has vowed to fire Smith as soon as he takes office in January. Now he will start his second term free from criminal scrutiny by the government that he will lead. The election case brought last year was once seen as one of the most serious legal threats facing Trump as he tried to reclaim the White House. He was indicted for plotting to overturn his defeat to Joe Biden in 2020, an effort that climaxed with his supporters' violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. President-elect Donald Trump arrives before the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024 in Boca Chica, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Pool via AP) But the case quickly stalled amid legal fighting over Trump’s sweeping claims of immunity from prosecution for acts he took while in the White House. The U.S. Supreme Court in July ruled for the first time that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution, and sent the case back to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to determine which allegations in the indictment, if any, could proceed to trial. The case was just beginning to pick up steam again in the trial court in the weeks leading up to this year’s election. Smith’s team in October filed a lengthy brief laying out new evidence they planned to use against him at trial, accusing him of “resorting to crimes” in an increasingly desperate effort to overturn the will of voters after he lost to Biden. In dismissing the case, Chutkan acknowledged prosecutors' request to do so “without prejudice,” raising the possibility that they could try to bring charges against Trump when his term is over. She wrote that is “consistent with the Government’s understanding that the immunity afforded to a sitting President is temporary, expiring when they leave office.” But such a move may be barred by the statute of limitations, and Trump may also try to pardon himself while in office. immunity afforded to a sitting President is temporary, expiring when they leave office. The separate case involving classified documents had been widely seen as legally clear cut, especially because the conduct in question occurred after Trump left the White House and lost the powers of the presidency. The indictment included dozens of felony counts accusing him of illegally hoarding classified records from his presidency at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, and obstructing federal efforts to get them back. He has pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing. The case quickly became snarled by delays, with U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon slow to issue rulings — which favored Trump’s strategy of pushing off deadlines in all his criminal cases — while also entertaining defense motions and arguments that experts said other judges would have dispensed with without hearings. In May, she indefinitely canceled the trial date amid a series of unresolved legal issues before dismissing the case outright two months later. Smith’s team appealed the decision, but now has given up that effort. Trump faced two other state prosecutions while running for president. One them, a New York case involving hush money payments, resulted in a conviction on felony charges of falsifying business records. It was the first time a former president had been found guilty of a crime. The sentencing in that case is on hold as Trump's lawyers try to have the conviction dismissed before he takes office, arguing that letting the verdict stand will interfere with his presidential transition and duties. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office is fighting the dismissal but has indicated that it would be open to delaying sentencing until Trump leaves office. Bragg, a Democrat, has said the solution needs to balance the obligations of the presidency with “the sanctity of the jury verdict." Trump was also indicted in Georgia along with 18 others accused of participating in a sprawling scheme to illegally overturn the 2020 presidential election there. Any trial appears unlikely there while Trump holds office. The prosecution already was on hold after an appeals court agreed to review whether to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over her romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she had hired to lead the case. Four defendants have pleaded guilty after reaching deals with prosecutors. Trump and the others have pleaded not guilty. Associated Press writers Colleen Long, Michael Sisak and Lindsay Whitehurst contributed to this story. ___ Special Counsel Jack Smith plans to step down before Trump’s inauguration, according to The New York Times. Among President-elect Donald Trump's picks are Susie Wiles for chief of staff, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, former Democratic House member Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general. Susie Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Trump named Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state, making a former sharp critic his choice to be the new administration's top diplomat. Rubio, 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket last summer. Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” Trump said of Rubio in a statement. The announcement punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom the senator called a “con man" during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. And as Trump campaigned for the presidency a third time, Rubio cheered his proposals. For instance, Rubio, who more than a decade ago helped craft immigration legislation that included a path to citizenship for people in the U.S. illegally, now supports Trump's plan to use the U.S. military for mass deportations. Pete Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend” and has been a contributor with the network since 2014, where he developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. Hegseth lacks senior military or national security experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises — ranging from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea. Hegseth is also the author of “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” published earlier this year. Trump tapped Pam Bondi, 59, to be attorney general after U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration. She was Florida's first female attorney general, serving between 2011 and 2019. She also was on Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020. Considered a loyalist, she served as part of a Trump-allied outside group that helped lay the groundwork for his future administration called the America First Policy Institute. Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. A fierce defender of Trump, she also frequently appears on Fox News and has been a critic of the criminal cases against him. Trump picked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a well-known conservative who faced sharp criticism for telling a story in her memoir about shooting a rambunctious dog, to lead an agency crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda. Noem used her two terms leading a tiny state to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics. South Dakota is usually a political afterthought. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions that other states had issued and instead declared her state “open for business.” Trump held a fireworks rally at Mount Rushmore in July 2020 in one of the first large gatherings of the pandemic. She takes over a department with a sprawling mission. In addition to key immigration agencies, the Department of Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service, and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports. The governor of North Dakota, who was once little-known outside his state, Burgum is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump, and spent months traveling to drum up support for him, after dropping out of the race. Burgum was a serious contender to be Trump’s vice presidential choice this summer. The two-term governor was seen as a possible pick because of his executive experience and business savvy. Burgum also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs. Trump made the announcement about Burgum joining his incoming administration while addressing a gala at his Mar-a-Lago club, and said a formal statement would be coming the following day. In comments to reporters before Trump took the stage, Burgum said that, in recent years, the power grid is deteriorating in many parts of the country, which he said could raise national security concerns but also drive up prices enough to increase inflation. “There's just a sense of urgency, and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration,” Burgum said. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president as a Democrat, than as an independent, and then endorsed Trump . He's the son of Democratic icon Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated during his own presidential campaign. The nomination of Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services alarmed people who are concerned about his record of spreading unfounded fears about vaccines . For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Scott Bessent, 62, is a former George Soros money manager and an advocate for deficit reduction. He's the founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management, after having worked on-and-off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary. He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trump’s campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending. “This election cycle is the last chance for the U.S. to grow our way out of this mountain of debt without becoming a sort of European-style socialist democracy,” he said then. Sean Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, “Fox and Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children. A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Write is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking — a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. Wright also has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.” The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States. Wright also won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump’s first term. President-elect Donald Trump tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump promised to dismantle. McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s initial term from 2017 to 2019 and twice ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut. She’s seen as a relative unknown in education circles, though she expressed support for charter schools and school choice. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. Brooke Rollins, who graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural development, is a longtime Trump associate who served as White House domestic policy chief during his first presidency. The 52-year-old is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration. She previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Trump chose Howard Lutnick, head of brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and a cryptocurrency enthusiast, as his nominee for commerce secretary, a position in which he'd have a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs. Trump made the announcement Tuesday on his social media platform, Truth Social. Lutnick is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team, along with Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration. Both are tasked with putting forward candidates for key roles in the next administration. The nomination would put Lutnick in charge of a sprawling Cabinet agency that is involved in funding new computer chip factories, imposing trade restrictions, releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. It is also a position in which connections to CEOs and the wider business community are crucial. Doug Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial, which centered on U.S. assistance for Ukraine. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential nomination, but he was acquitted by the Senate. Collins has also served in the armed forces himself and is currently a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command. "We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need," Trump said in a statement about nominating Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Karoline Leavitt, 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. The White House press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps. Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, was a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term before she became communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump's choice for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has been tapped by Trump to be director of national intelligence, keeping with the trend to stock his Cabinet with loyal personalities rather than veteran professionals in their requisite fields. Gabbard, 43, was a Democratic House member who unsuccessfully sought the party's 2020 presidential nomination before leaving the party in 2022. She endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him this fall. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community,” Trump said in a statement. Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions. Trump has picked John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who served as director of national intelligence during his first administration, to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his next. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump's first term, leading the U.S. government's spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. “I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation's highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement, calling him a “fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans” who would ensure “the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.” Trump has chosen former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to serve as his pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency . Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on X , “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.” “We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,” he added. During his campaign, Trump often attacked the Biden administration's promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referring to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often told his audiences during the campaign his administration would “Drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration. In a statement, Trump said Zeldin “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.” Trump has named Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, as the new chairman of the agency tasked with regulating broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband. Carr is a longtime member of the commission and served previously as the FCC’s general counsel. He has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate three times and was nominated by both Trump and President Joe Biden to the commission. Carr made past appearances on “Fox News Channel," including when he decried Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' pre-Election Day appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” He wrote an op-ed last month defending a satellite company owned by Trump supporter Elon Musk. Rep. Elise Stefanik is a representative from New York and one of Trump's staunchest defenders going back to his first impeachment. Elected to the House in 2014, Stefanik was selected by her GOP House colleagues as House Republican Conference chair in 2021, when former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after publicly criticizing Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election. Stefanik, 40, has served in that role ever since as the third-ranking member of House leadership. Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile. If confirmed, she would represent American interests at the U.N. as Trump vows to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine begun in 2022. He has also called for peace as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon to target Hezbollah. President-elect Donald Trump says he's chosen former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO. Trump has expressed skepticism about the Western military alliance for years. Trump said in a statement Wednesday that Whitaker is “a strong warrior and loyal Patriot” who “will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended” and “strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability.” The choice of Whitaker as the nation’s representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an unusual one, given his background is as a lawyer and not in foreign policy. A Republican congressman from Michigan who served from 1993 to 2011, Hoekstra was ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump's first term. “In my Second Term, Pete will help me once again put AMERICA FIRST,” Trump said in a statement announcing his choice. “He did an outstanding job as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands during our first four years, and I am confident that he will continue to represent our Country well in this new role.” Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah. “He loves Israel, and likewise the people of Israel love him,” Trump said in a statement. “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East.” Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland. Trump has been praised by some in this important Republican voting bloc for moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Trump on Tuesday named real estate investor Steven Witkoff to be special envoy to the Middle East. The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect's golf partner and was golfing with him at Trump's club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination. Witkoff “is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy,” Trump said of Witkoff in a statement. “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud." Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee. Trump asked Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, Trump announced in a statement Tuesday. The move puts Waltz in the middle of national security crises, ranging from efforts to provide weapons to Ukraine and worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah. “Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda,” Trump's statement said, "and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!” Waltz is a three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs. He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population. Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner , was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump's priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump's first administration. Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump's policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families. Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation's economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people who are in the United States illegally. Since Trump left office in 2021, Miller has served as the president of America First Legal, an organization made up of former Trump advisers aimed at challenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others over issues such as free speech and national security. Thomas Homan, 62, has been tasked with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history. Homan, who served under Trump in his first administration leading U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was widely expected to be offered a position related to the border, an issue Trump made central to his campaign. Though Homan has insisted such a massive undertaking would be humane, he has long been a loyal supporter of Trump's policy proposals, suggesting at a July conference in Washington that he would be willing to "run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.” Democrats have criticized Homan for his defending Trump's “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border. Dr. Mehmet Oz, 64, is a former heart surgeon who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show,” a long-running daytime television talk show. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of Trump, who endorsed Oz's bid for elected office. Elon Musk, left, and Vivek Ramaswamy speak before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at an Oct. 27 campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York. Trump on Tuesday said Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency" — which is not, despite the name, a government agency. The acronym “DOGE” is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said Musk and Ramaswamy will work from outside the government to offer the White House “advice and guidance” and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.” He added the move would shock government systems. It's not clear how the organization will operate. Musk, owner of X and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been a constant presence at Mar-a-Lago since Trump won the presidential election. Ramaswamy suspended his campaign in January and threw his support behind Trump. Trump said the two will “pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” Scavino, whom Trump's transition referred to in a statement as one of “Trump's longest serving and most trusted aides,” was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign, as well as his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president. Scavino had run Trump's social media profile in the White House during his first administration. He was also held in contempt of Congress in 2022 after a month-long refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Blair was political director for Trump's 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee. He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and assistant to the president. Blair was key to Trump's economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign this year, a driving force behind the candidate's “Trump can fix it” slogan and his query to audiences this fall if they were better off than four years ago. Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again, Inc., a super PAC that supported Trump's 2024 campaign. He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president. Budowich also had served as a spokesman for Trump after his presidency. McGinley was White House Cabinet secretary during Trump's first administration, and was outside legal counsel for the Republican National Committee's election integrity effort during the 2024 campaign. In a statement, Trump called McGinley “a smart and tenacious lawyer who will help me advance our America First agenda, while fighting for election integrity and against the weaponization of law enforcement.” Associated Press writer Colleen Long contributed to this story. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.
By Burnett Munthali Kafukufuku watsopano wofalitsidwa pa 6 December ndi gulu la Afrobarometer wawonetsa kuti Malawi akuyenda mochita kuzemba ndipo akulowera kolakwika. Zotsatira za kafukufukuyu zikuwonetsa kusakhutira kwa anthu ndi kayendetsedwe ka boma komanso kuwunika komwe kwatsimikiza kuti chipani cha Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chili ndi mwayi waukulu wopambana pa chisankho cha 2025. Malinga ndi kafukufuku, ambiri mwa anthu omwe anafunsidwa akuwonetsa kukhumudwa ndi momwe zinthu zilili mdzikolo. Zinthu ngati kuchuluka kwa mtengo wa moyo, kusowa kwa ntchito, ndi umbanda wazachuma (corruption) zalengezedwa ngati zinthu zomwe zikulepheretsa chitukuko cha dziko lino. Mmodzi mwa akatswiri omwe atchulidwa m’nkhaniyo akuti: “Ngati zinthu sizisintha posachedwa, Malawi akuyenda mosalekeza ku chigwembe cha chuma ndi ndale zosakhazikika.” Zotsatira za kafukufukuyu zikuwonetsa kuti chipani cha DPP, chomwe chili m’mpando wotsutsa, chikuyembekezera kuchita bwino pa chisankho cha 2025. Afrobarometer yati kuchuluka kwa zovuta zomwe boma likukumana nazo pansi pa utsogoleri wa Tonse Alliance ndi chimodzi mwazifukwa zomwe anthu ambiri akuonera mwayi wa chipani cha DPP kuti achite bwino. Chipani cha DPP chalandiridwa ndi anthu ambiri ngati njira yothandizira kuti zinthu zibwerere m’malo, ngakhale akatswiri ena akuchenjeza kuti chipani chili chilinso ndi mbiri ya mavuto omwe angakhudze mwayi wake. Malinga ndi Afrobarometer, zotsatira za kafukufuku zimanena za malingaliro a anthu pa nthawi yomwe kafukufuku wachitikira, zomwe sizitanthauza kuti zotsatira zake ndi zomveka pa nthawi yonse. Komabe, zotsatira izi zikupereka chithunzithunzi cha momwe chisankho chikhoza kuyendera ngati zinthu sizisintha. Kafukufukuyu akuwonjezanso kufunikira kwa atsogoleri a dziko lino kuganizira kwambiri za zomwe zikukhudza anthu tsiku ndi tsiku, monga kuchepetsa mtengo wa moyo, kulimbikitsa ntchito, ndi kuthana ndi umbanda wa zachuma. Zotsatira za kafukufuku wa Afrobarometer zimapereka chenjezo lalikulu kwa atsogoleri a boma ndi m’mbali zonse za ndale mdziko muno. Ngakhale anthu ena akhoza kuona mwayi mwa chipani cha DPP, zambiri mwa zomwe zikufunikira ndi kusintha kwa kayendetsedwe ka zinthu kuti dziko liziwonanso tsogolo labwino. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .None
Emanuel Wallace, 27, from east London, is better known as Big Manny by his 1.9 million followers on TikTok, where he shares videos explaining various science experiments from his back garden while using Jamaican Patois phrases and London slang. In early December, Mr Wallace won the Education Creator of the Year award at the TikTok Awards ceremony, which he said is a “symbol that anything that you put your mind to you can achieve”. The content creator began making videos during the coronavirus pandemic when schools turned to online learning but has since expanded his teaching from videos to paper after releasing his debut book Science Is Lit in August. He believes his “unconventional” teaching methods help to make his content relatable for younger audiences by using slang deriving from his Jamaican and British heritage. “The language that I use, it’s a combination between Jamaican Patois and London slang because I have Jamaican heritage,” the TikToker, who holds a bachelors and masters degree in biomedical science, told the PA news agency. “That’s why in my videos sometimes I might say things like ‘Wagwan’ or ‘you dun know’. I just want to connect with the young people more, so I speak in the same way that they speak. “The words that I use, the way that I deliver the lesson as well, I would say that my method of teaching is quite unconventional. I speak in a way that is quite conversational.” Examples of his videos include lithium batteries catching fire after being sandwiched inside a raw chicken breast, as well as mixing gold with gallium to create blue gold, earning millions of views. Mr Wallace hopes his content will help make the science industry more diverse, saying “the scientists that I was taught about, none of them look like me”. “Now me being a scientist is showing young people that they can become one as well, regardless of the background that they come from, the upbringing that they’ve had,” he said. “I just want to make it seem more attainable and possible for them because if I can do it, and I come from the same place as you, there’s no reason why you can’t do it as well.” The TikToker has seen a shift in more young people turning to the app as a learning resource and feels short-form videos will soon become a part of the national curriculum in schools. “I’m seeing (young people) using that a lot more – social media as a resource for education – and I feel like in the future, it’s going to become more and more popular as well,” he said. “I get a lot of comments from students saying that my teacher showed my video in the classroom as a resource, so I feel like these short form videos are going to be integrated within the national curriculum at some point in the near future.” He also uses his platform to raise awareness of different social issues, which he said is “extremely important”. One of his videos highlighted an anti-knife campaign backed by actor Idris Elba, which earned more than 39 million views, while his clip about the banning of disposable vapes was viewed more than 4.6 million times. He said there is some pressure being a teacher with a large following online but hopes he can be a role model for young people. “I’m aware that I am in the public eye and there’s a lot of young people watching me,” he said. “Young people can be impressionable, so I make sure that I conduct myself appropriately, so that I can be a role model. “I always have the same message for young people, specifically. I tell them to stay curious. Always ask questions and look a little bit deeper into things.” His plans for 2025 include publishing a second Science Is Lit book and expanding his teaching to television where he soon hopes to create his own science show.Judge in Alex Jones' bankruptcy case orders new hearing on The Onion's bid for Infowars
From here on out, it gets real for the Washington Huskies. That’s not to suggest the first two months of the college basketball season didn’t matter, but the caliber of opponents will exponentially increase for the UW men, who clobbered New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) 90-53 on Sunday afternoon in their nonconference finale. The Highlanders (2-12), who have lost 14 straight road games, were overmatched and undermanned against Washington, which executed a flawless paint-by-numbers performance in front of 6,779 at Alaska Airlines Arena. The largest blowout of the season for UW allowed Sprinkle to rest starters, empty the bench and get a long look at seldom-used reserves. The Huskies also welcomed back senior forward Wilhelm Breidenbach who finished with 10 points and five rebounds in his first outing since sustaining a concussion on Dec. 18. “I was having symptoms right after and I couldn't play in our last game and was just getting back into practice,” said Breidenbach who converted 3 of 4 shots, including two 3-pointers. “But it's been fine. It's a good group of guys, so it's easy to easy to get back into the group.” Washington missed Breidenbach during its previous game when they lost 79-70 to Seattle U and was outrebounded 36-33. “We're totally different and you can see how much we missed him against Seattle U,” Sprinkle said. “Everything flows better with him in the game. We're a more normal team offensively, and then defensively we're way better because he knows coverages. He's played a lot of basketball. He rebounds and his size.” Forward Great Osobor added: “He just changes us in a way, like he's one of our highest IQ players and he’s 6-10. He just makes reads that come natural to him. ... It's stuff you can't teach he does, and he just makes us a better team.” Before his earliest departure of the season, Osobor, who had team-high tying 12 points and six rebounds in 17 minutes, connected on his first three-pointer of the season after missing eight attempts. Osobor also orchestrated the game’s biggest highlight when he pushed the pace on a fast break and delivered a pass through a thicket of defenders to a streaking Tyler Harris who flushed a crowd-pleading two-hand dunk for a 58-30 lead with 15:52 left. “When I got the rebound, my mind says, ‘Just go’,” Osobor said. “It’s just natural for me and I've been doing it my whole life. ... I see Tyler rim running. I’d already had one or two turnovers at that point, and the gap was kind of tight. “Then I thought, ‘Is this a bad pass?’ Maybe and then I just threw anyway and it got to where it needed to go and Tyler did the rest.” Speaking of firsts, backup center KC Ibeweke, who appeared in just four games before Sunday, scored for the first time and finished with nine points on 3-for-5 shooting in 16 minutes. “I thought he played hard,” Sprinkle said. “He did a really good job in ball screen defense. He did a lot of stuff the casual fan, they have no idea because they don't know what we're supposed to do defensively. “He executed all those and I'm proud of him, because we're going to need him. We’re going to need his size and his girth, In Big Ten play, he's got to play meaningful minutes for us.” Following a sporadic start, it took Washington about 10 minutes to seize control. After Osobor spun free for a layup, guard Tyree Ihenacho drove to the rim for a basket and collected a steal for a fastbreak layup that capped a 6-0 run, which put UW up 32-18 with 6:30 left in the first half. Minutes later, freshman guard Jase Butler drained an open 3-pointer off a feed from Butler that gave the Huskies a 42-22 lead just before the break. Washington led 46-26 at halftime and outscored NJIT 44-27 in the second half thanks in large part to freshman guard Zoom Diallo who finished with a career-high five assists and had 10 of his 12 points after the intermission. Sebastian Robinson had 16 points, Tim Moore 14 and Ari Fulton 11 for the Highlanders, which shot 37.3% from the field and converted 3 of 17 three-pointers. Meanwhile, Washington shot 55.7% on field goals, including 10 of 24 on 3-pointers and converted 12 of 14 free throws. The Huskies has more rebounds (33-29), assists (21-5), steals (12-2), bench points (47-4) and fewer turnovers (5-13). “We didn't get sloppy today,” Sprinkle said. “Sometimes in those games, you can get sloppy and guys try to do too much, but I thought we did a great job sharing the basketball and only had five turnovers. ... When we're passing the ball well and making the extra pass, those are the games where we go 10 of 24 from three.” Immediately after the game, the Huskies (9-4, 0-2) began preparing for Thursday’s pivotal matchup at home against Maryland (11-2, 1-1), which starts an 18-game trek through the Big Ten. “As a staff, we’ll get going tonight,” Sprinkle said. “I want our guys to get away, relax, get some treatment and enjoy this win. Like I said, winning at this level is hard. You have to be able to enjoy it. But once midnight hits, we got to, we got to turn our attention to Maryland.” The Terrapins are ranked 10 th in the NET and have rarely been tested while outscoring opponents by 26.2 points, which is tops among Division I teams. Maryland boasts a high-powered offense that ranks 10 th in the country in scoring (87.2 points per game) as well as a resilient defense that’s 13 th nationally in points allowed (61.1). “Obviously, it’s great team coming in,” Osobor said. “We already know they've been killing it all year and it's exciting. It’s why you come to Washington. So, I'm excited. “I feel like our team, we've had ups and downs, but one thing is, we’ve learned each game is who we are. And as long as we can keep establishing our identity and doing things we want to do, then I think we'll take it head on and handle these game one game at a time.” Note: --- UW fifth-year center Franck Kepnang who has played two games this season due to a knee injury is expected to return in 2-3 weeks, Sprinkle said. --- UW freshman forward Dominique Diomonde, who signed last week, is in France and awaiting a visa, which would allow him to travel to Seattle and play for the Huskies. “I wish I knew an exact date,” Sprinkle said. “It could be tomorrow he gets on a plane or it could be in two weeks. It just depends when the embassy over there give him his visa.” BOX SCOREHow would you feel, if someone added another 10 years to your mortgage? (Or, if you don't have one, or have paid yours off, let me ask it another way: How would you feel about signing up to pay off a home over 40 long years?) Because that's the offer being made by finance company, Pepper Money, which is rolling out a brand new 40-year mortgage. That sound you just heard is my brain exploding. Now, let's deal with why it's being offered. Here's how 's Wealth Editor, James Kirby, put it: Indeed, in that same article, comparison site Finder's data is cited, thus: Bear in mind, that's 5 more years. And that's the average loan, meaning many, many people are paying even more. And Pepper is offering to extend the mortgage term by not 5, but 10 years. It's not easy to do the maths yourself, by the way: the first dozen loan calculators that Google served me up wouldn't let me use more than 30 years. So... I did it myself, and check out these numbers. If you borrowed $625,000 at 6% for 30 years, you'd pay: $3,747 per month $724,000 in interest $1.349 million in total repayments Reckon that's a lot? Check out the numbers over 40 years: $3,438 per month ($308 less) $1.025m in interest ($302,000 more) $1.651 million in total repayments Yep, you'd pay more than $1 million in interest , on top of the repayment of the principal.. And more than $300,000 more than a 30-year term over the life of the loan! I don't know about you, but I reckon that's a lot to pay, just to save $308 per month! But wait... there's more. See, this probably gets a worse. Before we get to that, let's remember that proponents of this sort of loan would say it increases access for those who don't have the monthly income. Which is a little bit true. Only a little bit? Well, yes – I doubt there are many who could afford $3,438 per month, but not $3,747. Meaning the size of the group that this 'helps' is small. (Oh, and remember: the financial institutions benefit from all of that lovely extra interest. It's possible that's part of the motivation...). So, the 'it gets worse' bit? Well, we know that buying a house is a competitive process. That's most obvious at auctions, but it happens for private sales, too – the agent and the seller set the price as high as they think the keenest buyers will pay. Now, let's go back to our example. Let's say the person who can currently pay $3747 a month (and who would currently take a 30 year loan) goes to a banker offering a 40 year mortgage. Here's what happens now: And when there are 40 year mortgages? It'll go like this: Sure, some people will just take a 30-year mortgage and borrow less. But most people? Well, here's one I prepared earlier: Standard mortgage terms used to be 25 years. When was the last time you heard of a borrower who asked the bank to calculate their borrowing capacity over 25, and not 30, years? Exactly. Once 40 years becomes the standard loan length, everyone will use it by default. And the person who asks the bank for a 30 year mortgage will take their $625,000 loan with them when they try to buy a house, only to be outbid by those with longer mortgage terms and $680,000 in the back pocket. In other words? In other words, this approach which is supposed to help 'affordability' is very, very likely to result in: – Monthly repayments remaining the same – Loan terms being longer – Total repayments being much higher – Interest bills being much higher – House prices being much higher ... and those who can't afford the current 30 year mortgage being locked out of the market, . Oh, and finance company profits being higher. Funnily enough. How's that for a neat trick? Seriously, this isn't an affordability measure. At it's a well-meaning mistake and a sign of desperation from buyers who feel locked out of the housing market. But, as I've hopefully shown, 40 year mortgage terms would be a disaster for everyone except banks and sellers – two groups who are entitled to make a buck, but who don't need the generosity of first home buyers. This is one 'innovation' that should be nipped in the bud... before it becomes the norm. Fool on!
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If given the choice, most dogs would prefer to stay with their grandparents over their owners because of the endless treats. But because they don't have a choice, one dog showed his true feelings in a recent TikTok. Calvin the cavapoo—a mix between a Cavalier King Charles spaniel and a toy poodle —spent the weekend with his grandparents. It only took a few days for Calvin to taste the sweet life: treats, extra food, endless snuggles. He learned that he could do no wrong at his grandparents' house. Realizing his worth, he wanted to make a change when he returned to his home. In the November 13 TikTok video posted under the account @cavapoo.named.cal, Calvin sat with his parents in the living room. A seriousness overcame his demeanor as he readied to address his unfair treatment. His eyes peered into their souls. He had been unimpressed with the spoiledness level his parents had been giving him compared to his grandparents. The text on the video read Calvin's "expectations are higher now." And to show them he meant business, he stomped on the ground. They needed to step up their game or else he would go live with his grandparents. Cal's hilarious reaction amassed 860,700 views, 55,300 likes and 316 comments as of Friday. TikTok users immediately stood up for the injustice Calvin had been receiving with his owners. Newsweek reached out to @cavapoo.named.ca via email for additional comment. "The little stomp to indicate he was finally 'putting his foot down!'" commented a viewer. Another added: "Calvin ain't having it!!! He said level up!" Other owners know firsthand how dogs come home unimpressed after being with their grandparents: "Omg same I pick up my doodle and he's like, 'Wait I got to do whatever I wanted all night with grandma.'" Someone else pointed out: "And they come back a lil chunkier bc the grandparents think you're starving them." The owner responded: "Exactly! My mom said, 'You sure you are feeding him correctly?' Like ma'am he's fine." However, one cannot necessarily blame grandparents for always spoiling their human or furry grandchildren. An article from Scientific Origin reported that the bond between grandparents and grandchildren is rooted in emotional fulfillment, psychological rewards and social dynamics. The connection allows them to have unconditional love without the direct stress of parenting. Grandparents might also see their grandbabies as a "reward for successfully raising children." They feel accomplished seeing their children grow into adults and start their own families. Plus, grandparents typically have more time on their hands versus when they were raising their children. This gives them an opportunity to make up for lost time they might've felt they lost with their own children. Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
