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Public support has been key for Canada Post workers as they halted mail delivery across the country, but maintaining that support had been getting harder as the strike dragged on, experts say. “As strikes wear on, they become more difficult to sustain, and if the public is not rallying behind you, it can be demoralizing for the union,” said Brock University labour professor Larry Savage. More than 55,000 postal workers have been off the job in a strike that has lasted more than four weeks. However, an end may be in sight. With the two sides seemingly still far apart, federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon said on Friday that he's asking the Canada Industrial Relations Board to look into whether a negotiated deal is possible before the end of the year. If the board decides it's not possible, MacKinnon is asking that it order workers back on the job and extend the terms of the current collective agreements until May 22, 2025. In the meantime, a commission would examine the dispute and provide recommendations on how new deals can be reached. Canadian Union of Postal Workers negotiator Jim Gallant says on the picket lines, Canada Post workers have been getting the support they need — plus coffee, doughnuts, fried chicken, knitted hats and socks, and even turkeys from citizens. But Savage said he feels overall public opinion has been mixed so far on the strike. “It’s not clear to me that either party is winning the war of public opinion,” he said. “(It) seems like a good chunk of people seem to not care about the strike, but those who do seem evenly split between Canada Post and the union. And I think lots of people are just frustrated and surprised that the strike has lasted this long.” That divide was reflected in a recent Angus Reid poll, though it was conducted during the third week of the work stoppage. The survey of just over 3,000 Canadians found 34 per cent sided with Canada Post and its demands, while 29 per cent stood with the union. The rest were unsure, or didn't support either side. Social media posts reflect the mixed opinions, with some people expressing frustration with the disruption and others proclaiming their support for striking postal workers. Adam King, an assistant professor in the labour studies department at the University of Manitoba, said online discourse doesn’t tell the whole story. “It takes very little effort to post a comment on a story, but it takes much more to show up to a picket line,” he said. On the picket lines King has seen in Winnipeg, “CUPW has received lots of support,” he said, from the labour movement and the public. King and Savage said there’s been a broader trend of higher public support for striking workers in recent years. “The fact that Canada Post isn't a profit-making, billionaire-owned company complicates it a little bit, because it's easier to go after a grocery baron, for example, than Canada Post,” said Savage. But both said even for the public sector, which Canadians historically have had less support for amid labour disputes, the public has been surprisingly onside over the past couple of years. “I think the public has been generally very understanding and receptive of workers' demands coming out of the pandemic,” said King. “I think there was a level of understanding that maybe wasn't there in previous years, that people really do understand that people are in a crunch, union members are in a cost of living squeeze, and they're sympathetic to their demands.” As the Canada Post strike dragged on, "I think there might be maybe some shifts in public opinion, and it might be harder to maintain, especially as the Christmas season approaches,” said King. But for the most part, “I would fit this strike into that longer pattern" of stronger support for striking workers, he said. Gallant said as the strike continued, there has been a lot of pressure on both sides to reach a deal. “We don't want to be the people that ruin Christmas,” he said. Business associations had called for government intervention, saying the strike was harming business owners during the key holiday season. The day the strike started, Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke posted on X that Canada Post is an essential service and shouldn’t be allowed to go on strike. But strikes are meant to disrupt “business as usual,” Savage pointed out — the anger of customers and business owners is intended to pressure employers to reach a deal. However, strikes “also risk alienating the public,” added Savage. “The trick is for the union to align its demands with the interests of the public. And that is like ... walking a tightrope,” said Savage. Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labour Congress, said public support is important for workers during strikes because it not only boosts morale on the picket line, it puts pressure on the employer to come to the table. "I mean, they are really stuck, but there's pressure all the way around. There's pressure on the employer, and there's pressure on the union as well," she said. When a strike goes on for multiple weeks, "it's harder to see the end of the road," said Bruske. Groups within the labour movement like the Canadian Labour Congress try to keep the momentum going through social media, email campaigns and speaking to the media, she said. "Making sure that you maintain that momentum and that public support for the issue is critically important." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 13, 2024. Rosa Saba, The Canadian Press
WASHINGTON >> Donald Trump has urged the U.S. Supreme Court to pause a federal TikTok law that would ban the popular social media app or force its sale, with the President-elect arguing that he should have time after taking office to pursue a “political resolution” to the issue. TikTok and its owner ByteDance are fighting to keep the popular app online in the United States after Congress voted in April to ban it unless the app’s Chinese parent company sells it by Jan. 19. They have sought to have the law struck down, and the Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case. But if the court does not rule in ByteDance’s favor and no divestment occurs, the app could be effectively banned in the United States on Jan. 19, one day before Trump takes office. “This case presents an unprecedented, novel, and difficult tension between free-speech rights on one side, and foreign policy and national security concerns on the other,” Trump said in a filing today. “Such a stay would vitally grant President Trump the opportunity to pursue a political resolution that could obviate the Court’s need to decide these constitutionally significant questions,” the filing added. Free speech advocates separately told the Supreme Court today that the U.S. law against Chinese-owned TikTok evokes the censorship regimes put in place by the United States’ authoritarian enemies. Trump indicated earlier this week that he favored allowing TikTok to keep operating in the United States for at least a little while, saying he had received billions of views on the social media platform during his presidential campaign. The U.S. Justice Department has argued that Chinese control of TikTok poses a continuing threat to national security, a position supported by most U.S. lawmakers. TikTok says the Justice Department has misstated the social media app’s ties to China, arguing that its content recommendation engine and user data are stored in the United States on cloud servers operated by Oracle Corp while content moderation decisions that affect U.S. users are made in the United States as well.
By Haleluya Hadero | The Associated Press Amazon has introduced a handful of robots in its warehouses that the e-commerce giant says will improve efficiency and reduce employee injuries . Two robotic arms named Robin and Cardinal can lift packages that weigh up to 50 pounds. A third, called Sparrow, picks up items from bins and puts them in other containers. Proteus, an autonomous mobile robot that operates on the floor, can move carts around a warehouse. The bipedal, humanoid robot Digit is being tested to help move empty totes with its hands. And there’s also Sequoia, a containerized storage system that can present totes to employees in a way that allows them to avoid stretching or squatting to grab inventory. Amazon says Robin is currently being used in dozens of warehouses. The others are in a testing stage or haven’t been rolled out widely. But the company says it’s already seeing benefits, such as reducing the time it takes to fulfill orders and helping employees avoid repetitive tasks. However, automation also carries drawbacks for workers , who would have to be retrained for new positions if the robots made their roles obsolete. In October, Amazon held an event at a Nashville, Tennessee, warehouse where the company had integrated some of the robots. The Associated Press spoke with Julie Mitchell, the director of Amazon’s robotic sortation technologies, about where the company hopes to go from here. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Q: When you’re working on robotics, how long does it typically take to roll out new technology? A: This journey that we’ve been on has taken a couple of years. Luckily for us, we’ve been at this for over a decade. So we have a lot of core technology that we can build on top of. We started these particular robots – Cardinal and Proteus – in this building in November 2022. We came in and began playing around with what it would look like to pack and move a production order. Less than two years later, we are at scale and shipping 70% of the items in this building through that robotics system. Q: So, two years? A: We talk about “build, test and scale” and that’s about a two-year cycle for us right now. Q: It’s challenging to build robots that can physically grab products. How does Amazon work through that? A: As you can probably imagine, we have so many items, so it’s an exceptional challenge. We rely on data and putting our first prototype in a real building, where we expose it to all the things we need it to do. Then we drive down all the reasons that it fails. We give it a lot of sample sizes in a very short period of time. For example, a couple of years ago, we launched our Robin robotics arm – a package manipulation robot – and we’re at 3 billion picks. So the ability to launch into our network, rapidly collect data, scale and iterate has enabled us to go fast. The challenge itself can be boiled down to three simple things: you need to perceive the scene, plan your motion and then execute. Today, those are three different parts of our system. Artificial intelligence is going to help us change all of that, and it’s going to be more outcome-driven, like asking it to pick up a bottle of water. We’re on the verge, so that’s why I’m personally excited to be here at the onset of generative AI and use it to dramatically improve the performance of our robotics. Q: How do you think about the impact of automation on Amazon’s workforce as you’re developing the technology? A: With the technology we’ve deployed here, we’re creating new roles for individuals that can acquire new skills to fulfill those roles. And these new skills are not something that is too difficult to achieve. You don’t need an engineering degree, Ph.D. or any really technical skills to support our robotics systems. We designed the systems so they’re easy to service and train on the job to be a reliability maintenance engineer. We are working backwards from the idea that we want to employ more skilled labor. These opportunities are obviously higher paid than the entry level jobs in our buildings. And partnering with MIT has helped us understand what matters most to our team as we’re deploying these technologies across our network. Q: Are you experiencing any challenges as you introduce these robots in your warehouses? A: Not in the adoption. We’re integrating it. But these are complex systems and this is the real world, so things go wrong. For example, we had bad weather due to the storms in the Southeast. When I look at the robotics systems data, I can tell the weather is bad outside because that dramatically affects how the ship dock works. When trucks don’t arrive on time or when they can’t leave, you see bottlenecks in the building in strange ways. Containers build up, we have to put them in different places, and then humans need to recover them. So communication between what our robotics system is doing and what we need employees in the building to do to recover is important. It’s a collaboration of automation and humans to deal with real-world problems. It’s not a matter of having robotics take over but making it one system of humans and robotics working together to accomplish the goal of shipping the product.
Trump asks Supreme Court to delay TikTok ban so he can weigh in after he takes officeCRANFORD, N.J. , Dec. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Citius Oncology, Inc. ("Citius Oncology" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: CTOR), a specialty biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel targeted oncology therapies, today reported business and financial results for the fiscal full year ended September 30, 2024 . Fiscal Full Year 2024 Business Highlights and Subsequent Developments Financial Highlights "Reflecting on 2024, Citius Oncology has achieved pivotal milestones that underscore our commitment to advancing cancer therapeutics," stated Leonard Mazur , Chairman and CEO of Citius Oncology. "The FDA's approval of LYMPHIR for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma marks a significant advancement in providing new options for patients battling this challenging disease. It is the only targeted systemic therapy approved for CTCL patients since 2018 and the only therapy with a mechanism of action that targets the IL-2 receptor. Additionally, the successful merger forming Citius Oncology, now trading on Nasdaq under the ticker CTOR, strengthens our position in the oncology sector. We expect it to facilitate greater access to capital to fund LYMPHIR's launch and the Company's future growth. With a Phase I investigator-initiated clinical trial combining LYMPHIR with pembrolizumab demonstrating promising preliminary results, indicating potential for enhanced treatment efficacy in recurrent solid tumors, and preliminary results expected from a second investigator trial with CAR-T therapies in 2025, we remain excited about the potential of LYMPHIR as a combination immunotherapy." "These accomplishments reflect the dedication of our team and the trust of our investors. As we look ahead, we remain steadfast in our mission to develop innovative therapies that improve the lives of cancer patients worldwide," added Mazur. FULL YEAR 2024 FINANCIAL RESULTS: Research and Development (R&D) Expenses R&D expenses were $4.9 million for the full year ended September 30, 2024 , compared to $4.2 million for the full year ended September 30, 2023 . The increase reflects development activities completed for the resubmission of the Biologics License Application of LYMPHIR in January 2024 , which were associated with the complete response letter remediation. General and Administrative (G&A) Expenses G&A expenses were $8.1 million for the full year ended September 30, 2024 , compared to $5.9 million for the full year ended September 30, 2023 . The increase was primarily due to costs associated with pre-commercial and commercial launch activities of LYMPHIR including market research, marketing, distribution and drug product reimbursement from health plans and payers. Stock-based Compensation Expense For the full year ended September 30, 2024 , stock-based compensation expense was $7.5 million as compared to $2.0 million for the prior year. The primary reason for the $5.5 million increase was due to the amounts being realized over 12 months in the year ended September 30, 2024 , as compared to three months post-plan adoption in the year ended September 30, 2023 . Net loss Net loss was $21.1 million , or ($0.31) per share for the year ended September 30, 2024 , compared to a net loss of $12.7 million , or ($0.19) per share for the year ended September 30, 2023 . The $8.5 million increase in net loss was primarily due to the increase in our operating expenses. About Citius Oncology, Inc. Citius Oncology specialty is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel targeted oncology therapies. In August 2024 , its primary asset, LYMPHIR, was approved by the FDA for the treatment of adults with relapsed or refractory CTCL who had had at least one prior systemic therapy. Management estimates the initial market for LYMPHIR currently exceeds $400 million , is growing, and is underserved by existing therapies. Robust intellectual property protections that span orphan drug designation, complex technology, trade secrets and pending patents for immuno-oncology use as a combination therapy with checkpoint inhibitors would further support Citius Oncology's competitive positioning. Citius Oncology is a publicly traded subsidiary of Citius Pharmaceuticals. For more information, please visit www.citiusonc.com Forward-Looking Statements This press release may contain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such statements are made based on our expectations and beliefs concerning future events impacting Citius Oncology. You can identify these statements by the fact that they use words such as "will," "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "plan," "should," and "may" and other words and terms of similar meaning or use of future dates. Forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could negatively affect our business, operating results, financial condition and stock price. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated, and, unless noted otherwise, that apply to Citius Oncology are: our ability to raise additional money to fund our operations for at least the next 12 months as a going concern; our ability to commercialize LYMPHIR and any of our other product candidates that may be approved by the FDA; the estimated markets for our product candidates and the acceptance thereof by any market; the ability of our product candidates to impact the quality of life of our target patient populations; our dependence on third-party suppliers; our ability to procure cGMP commercial-scale supply; risks related to research using our assets but conducted by third parties; our ability to obtain, perform under and maintain financing and strategic agreements and relationships; uncertainties relating to preclinical and clinical testing; market and other conditions; risks related to our growth strategy; patent and intellectual property matters; our ability to identify, acquire, close and integrate product candidates and companies successfully and on a timely basis; government regulation; competition; as well as other risks described in our Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") filings. These risks have been and may be further impacted by any future public health risks. Accordingly, these forward-looking statements do not constitute guarantees of future performance, and you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Risks regarding our business are described in detail in our SEC filings which are available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov , including in Citius Oncology's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2024 , filed with the SEC on December 27, 2024 , as updated by our subsequent filings with the SEC. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof, and we expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in our expectations or any changes in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by law. Investor Contact: Ilanit Allen ir@citiuspharma.com 908-967-6677 x113 Media Contact: STiR-communications Greg Salsburg Greg@STiR-communications.com -- Financial Tables Follow – CITIUS ONCOLOGY, INC. CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS SEPTEMBER 30, 2024 AND 2023 2024 2023 Current Assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 112 $ — Inventory 8,268,766 — Prepaid expenses 2,700,000 7,734,895 Total Current Assets 10,968,878 7,734,895 Other Assets: In-process research and development 73,400,000 40,000,000 Total Other Assets 73,400,000 40,000,000 Total Assets $ 84,368,878 $ 47,734,895 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY Current Liabilities: Accounts payable $ 3,711,622 $ 1,289,045 License payable 28,400,000 — Accrued expenses — 259,071 Due to related party 588,806 19,499,119 Total Current Liabilities 32,700,429 21,047,235 Deferred tax liability 1,728,000 1,152,000 Note payable to related party 3,800,111 — Total Liabilities 38,228,540 22,199,235 Stockholders' Equity: Preferred stock - $0.0001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized: no shares issued and outstanding — — Common stock - $0.0001 par value; 100,000,000; 71,552,402 and 67,500,000 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively 7,155 6,750 Additional paid-in capital 85,411,771 43,658,750 Accumulated deficit (39,278,587) (18,129,840) Total Stockholders' Equity 46,140,339 25,535,660 Total Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity $ 84,368,878 $ 47,734,895 CITIUS ONCOLOGY, INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE YEARS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2024 AND 2023 2024 2023 Revenues $ — $ — Operating Expenses: Research and development 4,925,001 4,240,451 General and administrative 8,148,929 5,915,290 Stock-based compensation – general and administrative 7,498,817 1,965,500 Total Operating Expenses 20,572,747 12,121,241 Loss before Income Taxes (20,572,747) (12,121,241) Income tax expense 576,000 576,000 Net Loss $ (21,148,747) $ (12,697,241) Net Loss Per Share – Basic and Diluted $ (0.31) $ (0.19) Weighted Average Common Shares Outstanding – Basic and Diluted 68,053,607 67,500,000 CITIUS ONCOLOGY, INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS FOR THE YEARS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2024 AND 2023 2024 2023 Cash Flows From Operating Activities: Net loss $ (21,148,747) $ (12,697,241) Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating activities: Stock-based compensation expense 7,498,817 1,965,500 Deferred income tax expense 576,000 576,000 Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Inventory (2,133,871) - Prepaid expenses (1,100,000) (5,044,713) Accounts payable 2,422,577 1,196,734 Accrued expenses (259,071) (801,754) Due to related party 14,270,648 14,805,474 Net Cash Provided By Operating Activities 126,353 - Cash Flows From Investing Activities: License payment (5,000,000) - Net Cash Used In Investing Activities (5,000,000) - Cash Flows From Financing Activities: Cash contributed by parent 3,827,944 - Merger, net (2,754,296) - Proceeds from issuance of note payable to related party 3,800,111 - Net Cash Provided By Financing Activities 4,873,759 - Net Change in Cash and Cash Equivalents 112 - Cash and Cash Equivalents – Beginning of Year - - Cash and Cash Equivalents – End of Year $ 112 $ - Supplemental Disclosures of Cash Flow Information and Non-cash Activities: IPR&D Milestones included in License Payable $ 28,400,000 $
Wild give up 2025 first-round pick to get defenseman David Jiricek from Columbus Blue JacketsCleveland Browns add bruising tight end for Steelers gameMany veterans, service members and officials in the Defense Department worry that decades of progress could be unraveled in a matter of months if Pete Hegseth , President-elect Donald Trump's pick for defense secretary , is confirmed by the Senate. Army veterans who spoke to CBS News are concerned Hegseth would seek to reinstate a ban that would bar women from serving in ground-based combat units. Hegseth contends he wants tougher standards that both men and women would have to achieve and maintain, but he has written about and spoken extensively against the inclusion of women in ground-based direct combat roles. "I would love for him [Hegseth] to look into the eyes of the loved ones of the women who were killed in action in Afghanistan and Iraq and tell them that they were not in combat or that their loved ones were not worthy of putting it all on the line or putting themselves in the line of fire to serve our country," said Allison Jaslow, a former Army captain and CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, the post-9/11 nonprofit veterans organization. After the Gulf War in the early 1990s, Republicans and Democrats in Congress recognized the role women played in the conflict by repealing an exclusionary statute from 1948 that barred women from positions where they potentially could be exposed to combat, and lawmakers did so over the objections of most senior military leaders and Pentagon officials at the time. The rescinded ban in 1993 opened the door for women to serve in air and naval combat units. Eleven years ago, the direct combat exclusion rule was lifted and by 2015, women began reporting to ground combat units, including infantry and special operations. Allowing women in combat roles has been widely embraced in the U.S. The majority of voters from both major political parties and independents supported the change and said it would not harm military effectiveness, the Pew Research Center found in 2013. Hegseth — an Army veteran-turned-Fox News host — and his defenders contend the criticism and concern expressed by Jaslow and others is baseless. Over the past few weeks, Hegseth and his lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, also a Navy veteran, have sought to clarify his position. "Everybody is taking the initial click-bait headline of 'I'm straight-up saying no women in combat,' and they're just stopping there. [They] don't listen to the rest. What does he mean by that? It doesn't matter, we're offended by the broad sweeping statement, and you don't see there really is more nuance to it," Parlatore told CBS News by phone. Following Trump's announcement that Hegseth was his pick for defense secretary, a video clip of Hegseth on former Navy SEAL Shawn Ryan's podcast lit a firestorm about the issue of women serving in combat roles. "I'm straight-up just saying we should not have women in combat roles," said Hegseth on the podcast in early November. "It hasn't made us more effective, hasn't made us more lethal, has made fighting more complicated." He added, "I'm not even talking about pilots...I'm talking about the physical, labor intensive-type jobs ... [Navy] SEALs, [Army] Rangers, [Army] Green Berets, you know, MARSOC [Marine Forces Special Operations Command], infantry battalions, armor, artillery ... I'm talking something where strength is the differentiator." In his book, "The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free," published in June, Hegseth details myriad reasons he believes women should not serve in ground-based, direct combat roles in a chapter titled "The (Deadly) Obsession with Women Warriors." Hegseth elaborated on his views of women in combat and suggested what his approach to the issue would be if he's confirmed by the Senate. "Dads push us to take risks," Hegseth wrote. "Moms put the training wheels on our bikes. We need moms. But not in the military, especially in combat units." Hegseth, who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan, contends that the integration of women into ground-based combat units that have historically been male-dominated, combined with "our loss of a Christian ethos for God's creation," have incorrectly reduced men and women to a state of parity, despite the difference between the sexes in physical strength. Hegseth believes this integration is "dangerous" when it comes to direct combat roles. Moreover, Hegseth argues that training women to kill in war runs counter to a woman's "core instincts" of motherhood. Here's what he wrote about this idea: Women are life givers, regardless of what the abortion industry might want us to think. This role was embedded in human beings and was one of the clear reasons why the only, even mythologically articulated, successful women in combat narratives involve separatist societies of nonchildbearing women who live apart from men. To create a society of warrior women you must separate them first from men, and then from the natural purposes of their core instincts. He says allowing women to serve in combat roles subverts the norms of a civilized society where men are "trained to treat women differently than we treat men." "Women in combat forces men to ignore those civilized instincts. If you train a group of men to treat women equally on the battlefield then you will be hard pressed to ask them to treat women differently at home," Hegseth said in his book. Hegseth does not seem to object to women serving in the military in general or in supportive combat roles, such as those in the medical or aviation fields. At one point, he celebrated Army soldier Leigh Ann Hester, who received the Silver Star for her actions in Iraq, making her the first woman in the military to receive the third-highest award for combat valor since World War II. However, he also said another woman was awarded the Silver Star because of "an agenda." Hegseth stressed that soldiers like Hester are outliers when it comes to ground combat. He proposes a single standard for a given job in the military that both men and women alike must achieve, with additional standards to maintain membership in specialty roles. In his book, Hegseth complained that the military has quietly made it easier for women to meet its standards, to the detriment of some branches. For instance, he mentioned the Army Airborne School's daily five-mile run, which had been a staple for its troops (though not a requirement) and once served to weed out weaker candidates. "Too many women were washing out, so the run went away," he wrote. The Army dropped the five mile run from airborne school in 2018, according to Task & Purpose, a news website which covers the U.S. military and veteran community. An Army colonel told the news outlet, "Analysis found the physical training requirements did not correlate with meeting any course learning objectives related to static line parachute operations such as safely donning a parachute, exiting a high-performance aircraft, controlling descent, or performing a parachute landing fall." Retired Army Command Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey Mellinger, who was interviewed for the article, said some service members believe making training less difficult equates to lowering standards. He noted that many soldiers had also protested years ago when the Army allowed soldiers to run in shoes, rather than boots. That change was made to stem running injuries. The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment before this report published, but in a speech at West Point in early December, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin dismissed the idea that women should not be in combat roles. "So look, if I get a little fired up about this, it's just because this isn't 1950. It isn't 1948. It is 2024," Austin said, according to the Associated Press. "And any military that turns away tough, talented patriots — women or men — is just making itself weaker and smaller. So enough already." An Army officer who spoke with CBS News said she didn't object to unisex standards, but she is concerned that Hegseth would work to eliminate equality of opportunity for women in the military who want to be in ground-based combat units. The Army officer, who's an artillery operator, spoke under the condition of anonymity because she's not authorized to speak publicly, due to Defense Department media regulations. "I've thought more about getting out of the Army in the last three months than I ever have in my life, but honestly, they would have to force me out," the officer told CBS News. "I'm an artilleryman or I'm not in the Army. ... I wish we could just be in the Army and have a good time and do our job, but I keep having to defend my existence to people who don't care if I live or die. ... But they're going to have to drag me out of the artillery field." Hegseth's attorney maintains these fears are unfounded. "None of Pete Hegseth's policies would prevent a Second Lieutenant Jodi Ernst from being a combat veteran," Parlatore told CBS News, pointing to GOP Sen. Jodi Ernst of Iowa as an example. He added, "It's going to make it a bit more difficult for Second Lieutenant Jodi Ernst to become a Green Beret because she's going to have to meet the unisex standard." Ernst served in Iraq and Kuwait and retired from the Iowa Army National Guard at the rank of lieutenant colonel after 23 years of service. On Tuesday, Ernst seemed to suggest she was more comfortable with Hegseth as a defense secretary nominee and said she looked forward to a fair hearing, and one that she said would not rely on anonymous sources. Ernst, who is the first female combat veteran elected to the Senate, also said in a statement: "Pete committed to completing a full audit of the Pentagon and selecting a senior official who will uphold the roles and value of our servicemen and women — based on quality and standards, not quotas." Army Maj. Gen. Tammy Smith, who retired in 2021, told CBS News that Hegseth seems to be overly concerned with tactical issues over a strategic vision for the Defense Department. "I find that [views on women in combat roles] to be a tactical viewpoint in a position that is supposed to have the greatest influence on our long term strategy," said Smith. "I think his approach to some of these tactical issues doesn't convey a background in experience that is required to lead the largest organization in our government, and so it's my armchair quarterback assessment that he doesn't have the background, managerial or character skills in order to lead the institution that he's being nominated to lead." She added, "It really disappoints me in the lack of seriousness that the president-elect is conveying by this particular selection to be our secretary of defense...I know that there are people out there who meet all the conservative requirements that an administration gets to choose from when they win an election." For now, Hegseth continues to enjoy strong support from Trump and others, as he continues to meet with the GOP Senate lawmakers on Capitol Hill who will be critical to his confirmation prospects. Reports that Trump was considering potentially replacing Hegseth with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis amid allegations of alcohol abuse, sexual misconduct and financial mismanagement of two veterans' groups seem to have subsided. More than 30 military veterans who are House Republicans signed a letter expressing their "strong support" for Hegseth, Fox News reported Wednesday. Parlatore told CBS News that Hegseth is focused on communicating his defense policy visions to senators: "He's going to be a great defense secretary for the rank-and-file." Pete Hegseth Defense Department James LaPorta is a verification producer with CBS News Confirmed. He is a former U.S. Marine infantryman and veteran of the Afghanistan war.
Penn State has won a closely watched trademark fight over an online retailer’s use of its vintage sports logos and images. A Pennsylvania jury awarded Penn State $28,000 in damages on Wednesday over products made and sold by Vintage Brand and Sportswear Inc., two firms co-founded by former minor league baseball player Chad Hartvigson. Penn State accused them of selling “counterfeit” clothing and accessories, while the defendants said their website makes clear they are not affiliated with the university. At least a dozen other schools have sued the defendants on similar grounds, including Purdue, Stanford and UCLA, Penn State said in its 2021 lawsuit. However, the Penn State case was the first to go to trial and seen by some as a test case in the sports merchandising industry. “It addresses an important issue with trademark law — whether or not the mark owner is able to prevent third parties from using its marks on T-shirts and paraphernalia without permission,” said Tiffany Gehrke, a trademark lawyer in Chicago who was not involved in the case. The verdict, she said, maintains the status quo, while a victory for Vintage Brand “could have shaken things up.” It followed a six-day trial in federal court in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, overseen by Chief U.S. District Judge Matthew W. Brann. It was not immediately clear if the defendants planned to appeal. Phone and email messages left with their lawyers on Thursday were not immediately returned. Penn State, in a statement, called its trademarks “critical” to the school’s brand, and said it was grateful for the verdict. “The university appreciates this result as it relates to the many hundreds of licensees with whom the university works and who go through the appropriate processes to use Penn State’s trademarks,” the statement said. Penn State, founded in 1855, adopted the Nittany Lion as its mascot in 1904 and has been using various images of the animal, along with the school’s seal and other logos, for decades, the lawsuit said. The school now has more than 100,000 students at 24 campuses. Never miss a moment with the WHYY Listen App! Play, pause, and rewind the live radio stream, access on-demand audio features, and dive into podcasts from both local and national sources. WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.Ireland's two large centre-right parties look on course to be returned to power but they will likely need at least one smaller partner to secure a majority, raising questions about the stability of the next government. or signup to continue reading That could leave the parties facing prolonged negotiations or an unstable coalition ahead of the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, whose pledge to slash corporate tax and impose tariffs poses a threat to the Irish economy. After voters went to the polls on Friday, governing parties Fine Gael and Fianna Fail were on 20.5 per cent and 21.9 per cent of first-preference votes respectively, according to a tally by Virgin Media News with left-wing Sinn Fein on 19.1 per cent. With the two centre-right parties ruling out a deal with Sinn Fein, the main question was how close to the 88 seats needed for a majority the pair can get - and whether they would need one or two more coalition parties to get over the line. "Clearly there is a route there to government," Fianna Fail's leader and deputy prime minister, Micheal Martin, told state broadcaster RTE when asked about a deal with Fine Gael and another party. "But a lot will depend ... on how many seats the respective parties get." It was "far too early" to discuss possible coalition partners or whether he might be the next prime minister, he said. Fianna Fail could get as many as 48 seats and Fine Gael could take 39, leaving them on the cusp of 88 seats, former Trinity College Dublin political science professor Michael Gallagher told RTE, citing vote tallies. The most obvious candidates for a coalition partner would be centre-left parties Labour and the Social Democrats, who Gallagher said could take eight seats each. But if those numbers are lower when votes are counted under Ireland's complex system of proportional representation, four parties could be needed to form a government, making it much more fragile. A clear outline of final seat numbers was not expected to emerge until Sunday. The current junior coalition party, the Greens, were in danger of losing all 12 of their seats, party leader Roderic O'Gorman said. Prime Minister Simon Harris called the election on the heels of a 10.5 billion euro ($A17 billion) giveaway budget that began to put money into voters' pockets during the campaign, largesse made possible by billions of euros of foreign multinational corporate tax revenues. However, a campaign full of missteps for his Fine Gael party, culminating last weekend in a viral clip of Harris walking away from an exasperated care worker, cost them their pre-election lead. The government parties also faced widespread frustration during the campaign at their inability to turn the healthiest public finances in Europe into better public services. Sinn Fein, the former political wing of the Irish Republican Army, appeared on course to lead the next government a year ago but suffered a slide in support from 30 per cent to 35 per cent, in part due to anger among its working-class base at relatively liberal immigration policies. Fine Gael and Fianna Fail, former rivals that have between them led every government since the foundation of the state almost a century ago, agreed to share the role of prime minister during the last government, switching roles halfway through the five-year term. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. 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ESPN’s Pete Thamel was the first to report the move, which will see Malzahn to leave to take the offensive coordinator job at Florida State. Malzahn previously worked with FSU coach Mike Norvell during their time at Tulsa under then-coach Todd Graham from 2007-08. The Knights ended a disappointing 4-8 season in which they lost eight of their last nine games, the longest losing streak since 2015. Malzahn, 59, was in the fourth year of a contract through 2028. His buyout, it is reported, would have been $13.75 million. He finished 27-25 at UCF but lost 16 of his last 22 games and was a dismal 4-14 in two seasons in the Big 12. After back-to-back nine-win seasons in 2021-22, the Knights went 6-7 in 2023 and 4-8 in 2024. This season started with high expectations as Malzahn made sweeping changes to the program. He retooled the strength and conditioning department and hired Ted Roof and Tim Harris Jr. as defensive and offensive coordinators, respectively. He also added nearly 50 new players to the roster, leaning heavily on the transfer market. UCF started by winning its first three games against New Hampshire, Sam Houston and a thrilling comeback at TCU, but offensive struggles saw the Knights tumble through a TBD-game losing streak to finish the season. Terry Mohajir hired Malzahn on Feb. 15, 2021, six days after he was hired to replace Danny White. The move came eight weeks after Malzahn had been fired at Auburn after eight seasons of coaching the Tigers. The two briefly worked together at Arkansas State in 2012 before Malzahn left for the Auburn job. “When he [Mohajir] offered the job, I was like, ‘I’m in.’ There wasn’t thinking about or talking about ...,” Malzahn said during his introductory press conference. “This will be one of the best programs in college football in a short time. This is a job that I plan on being here and building it.” UCF opened the 2021 season with non-conference wins over Boise State and Bethune-Cookman before traveling to Louisville on Sept. 17, where quarterback Dillon Gabriel suffered a fractured collarbone in the final minute of a 42-35 loss. Backup Mikey Keene would finish out the season as Gabriel announced his intention to transfer. The Knights would finish the season on the plus side by accepting a bid to join the Big 12 Conference in September and then by defeating Florida 29-17 in the Gasparilla Bowl. Malzahn struck transfer portal gold in the offseason when he signed former Ole Miss quarterback John Rhys Plumlee. Plumlee, a two-sport star with the Rebels, helped guide UCF to the American Athletic Conference Championship in its final season. However, Plumlee’s injury forced the Knights to go with Keene and freshman Thomas Castellanos. The team finished with losses to Tulane in the conference championship and Duke in the Military Bowl. Plumlee would return in 2023 as UCF transitioned to the Big 12 but would go down with a knee injury in the final minute of the Knights’ 18-16 win at Boise State on Sept. 9. He would miss the next four games as backup Timmy McClain took over the team. Even on his return, Plumlee couldn’t help UCF, on a five-game losing streak to open conference play. The Knights got their first Big 12 win at Cincinnati on Nov. 4 and upset No. 15 Oklahoma State the following week, but the team still needed a win over Houston in the regular-season finale to secure a bowl bid for the eighth straight season. From the moment Malzahn stepped on campus, he prioritized recruiting, particularly in Central Florida. “We’re going to recruit like our hair’s on fire,” Malzahn said at the time. “We’re going to go after the best players in America and we’re not backing down to anybody.” From 2007 to 2020, UCF signed 10 four-star high school and junior college prospects. Eight four-star prospects were in the three recruiting classes signed under Malzahn. The 2024 recruiting class earned a composite ranking of 39 from 247Sports, the highest-ranked class in school history. The 2025 recruiting class is ranked No. 41 and has commitments from three four-star prospects. Malzahn has always leaned on the transfer market, signing 60 players over the past three seasons. Some have paid huge dividends, such as Javon Baker, Lee Hunter, Kobe Hudson, Tylan Grable, Bula Schmidt, Amari Kight, Marcellus Marshall, Trent Whittemore, Gage King, Ethan Barr, Deshawn Pace and Plumlee. Others haven’t been as successful, such as quarterback KJ Jefferson, who started the first five games of this season before being benched for poor performance. Jefferson’s struggles forced the Knights to play musical chairs at quarterback, with true freshman EJ Colson, redshirt sophomore Jacurri Brown and redshirt freshman Dylan Rizk all seeing action at one point or another this season. This season’s struggles led to several players utilizing the NCAA’s redshirt rule after four games, including starting slot receiver Xavier Townsend and kicker Colton Boomer, who have also entered the transfer portal. Defensive end Kaven Call posted a letter to Malzahn on Twitter in which he accused the UCF coaching staff of recently kicking him off the team when he requested to be redshirted. ©2024 Orlando Sentinel. Visit orlandosentinel.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The Los Angeles Dodgers haven't had much go wrong for them since Game 3 of the National League Division Series, but free agency could knock them down a peg or two. Last winter, everything the Dodgers touched turned to gold. The headliner was the $700 million deal for Shohei Ohtani, but Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Teoscar Hernández, and Tyler Glasnow were marquee additions that all paid dividends as well. One savvy move they made the previous offseason made an enormous difference, too. The Dodgers had signed relief pitcher Blake Treinen to an $8 million deal with a $1 million club option for 2024. They exercised that option and the rest, as they say, is history. After Treinen served as the de facto closer on the Dodgers' World Series-winning roster, LA now has to decide whether or not to bring Treinen back. And this time, they won't have the option of offering him just $1 million. Competition could be fierce for such a proven veteran reliever on the open market, too. Recently, Zach Pressnell of FanSided named the Chicago Cubs as a team that could threaten the Dodgers' chances of keeping Treinen this winter. "The Cubs have an opportunity to fill the gaping hole at closer with a very reliable veteran coming off one of his best seasons yet. This best season includes a 1.93 ERA, 1.4 WAR, seven wins and a World Series ring with the Los Angeles Dodgers," Pressnell said. "Giving Treinen the clear-cut role as a closer would be a solid selling point, but Chicago can also keep their hands clean with a one- or two-year contract worth a lot less money than players like Tanner Scott or Carlos Estevez are rumored to get." Treinen, 36, is in the twilight of his career, but he's proven he still has something in the tank. He can certainly expect a raise on his 2024 salary, and though the Dodgers are bigger spenders than the Cubs nowadays, one never knows who the highest bidder will be on a one-year contract. Should the Dodgers do everything in their power to keep Treinen out of Chicago's grasp? That's a question for Andrew Friedman and the front office to ponder in the coming weeks. More MLB: Dodgers predicted to lose $69 million fan-favorite to Tigers in free agency surpriseMarcus Rashford takes up new sport to keep in top condition for Man Utd
I WANT Marcus Rashford to succeed, to be the player we know he can be. But we are now on a slippery slope of performances dropping at Manchester United — and nothing is changing from new manager to new manager. So, I have to ask him: Do you even want to do this? Do you want to play football? It’s not an easy game, or an easy life. People think it is because of the amount of money and all that but there is a lot of nonsense that goes on in the background, a lot of stresses. And I don’t see a scenario in the next few months, or years, where he flips it on his head and all of a sudden comes good. Or he turns around and says: ‘I’m gonna prove you all wrong’. That makes me genuinely sad, especially because I know this will be weighing on him mentally long-term. Can you still get something out of him? I’m not sure. He needs a strict hand on him, but even that doesn’t seem to work sometimes. He’s 27 — his peak years. He’s got all the attributes you’d want for a modern-day winger or a striker, but he’s currently got the appetite of a 35-year-old. Compare it to the attitude and desire of Jamie Vardy at 37. It is chalk and cheese. BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKER S Rashford looks like he is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Everything is always everybody else’s fault and his application stinks. He is still capable of moments. It wouldn’t surprise me if he goes and scores the winner against Manchester City this weekend and then goes missing for the next few weeks. He knows he can live off these ‘moments’ and nothing more, and that isn’t good enough. But United have bought this problem on themselves. They have created this person by continuing to reward rubbish behaviour and performances with massive, unwarranted contracts. He has been brought through as the academy favourite, the golden boy, yet when adversity hits, he thinks everyone is against him, instead of facing up and focusing on himself. So, I have to ask him: Do you even want to do this? Do you want to play football? And it is the same old cycle. A new manager comes in and for three of four games you see a ‘new Rashford’ and then he slips back into his old ways and old form. He then begins to get dropped. We saw it on Thursday night, subbed off against Viktoria Plzen and already United boss Ruben Amorim looks fed up with him. Look, I’ve been there. It’s not nice when that is happening. As a striker you want to be left on to build some momentum, but I was at the Emirates when he came on against Arsenal last week. He was a disgrace. Amorim summed it up best when he joined, telling Rashford he will get full support but it is up to him as a player, a person. That’s where the problem lies. Nobody wants Rashford to fail, but if he keeps delivering these substandard performances then we will all keep on saying the same things. Some people say it is the environment at United that is a negative impact, but that’s a poor excuse. You don’t see Harry Maguire or Bruno Fernandes acting out or not giving everything, do you? Another academy graduate like Kobbie Mainoo isn’t acting up because he has good role models around him in his position. He is hungry to improve. So, at what point do you take responsibility for your own actions and say: It’s on me. You can only fake it for so long if you are not a hard worker, you’re not sticking to a professional regime and you’re heart isn’t in it any more. At the moment Rashford is nothing more than an academy symbol of the past, a local lad that United are too scared to move on because of what the reaction from the fan base might be. Man Utd have created this person by continuing to reward rubbish behaviour and performances with massive, unwarranted contracts. But why would anyone in England want to take Rashford on? Why would boss Mikel Arteta risk ruining all his hard work at Arsenal of building a culture of elite professionals and high standards for him? Chelsea have a young, energetic squad that could revitalise him, but I reckon most of those players would look at him now and think: Well you’re a waste of time. And no one is going to pay his current wages — he is rewarded like he is one of the best three players in the Prem yet he wouldn’t get into any of the top SIX starting XIs right now. If I was advising him, I’d tell him to go abroad but even then I’m not sure how that would go. I do feel sorry for Marcus, but he has had enough bad examples of players around him, or in his age bracket, who have gone down a similar path. It should be enough to motivate you not to become one of them, someone like Jesse Lingard. But Rashford is not seeing the warning signs all around him. THE blame game has another victim as things go from bad to worse at Old Trafford. Manchester United’s first sporting director, Dan Ashworth, arrived in the summer and is gone before Christmas. SunSport exclusively revealed last month that there was trouble at mill. That the new senior management team were already blaming each other for the mess the club were in. Chief executive Omar Berrada and Ashworth were trying to wash their hands of it all, claiming they had arrived too late after serving their gardening leave. New part owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe said making decisions was all down to them. Meanwhile, Jason Wilcox thought it was all a mess under previous boss Erik ten Hag but was part of the team that encouraged him to stay after every other candidate ran for cover. There is word Ashworth did not favour appointing his successor and new head coach Ruben Amorim, preferring an English manager with more experience in our game. Perhaps that was why ex-England gaffer Gareth Southgate’s name was always mentioned after they worked together at the FA. Either way, Saturday’s showing against Nottingham Forest, after their second-half capitulation at Arsenal a few days previously, proved too much.Thomas Frank unhappy with officials in game with Brighton
US goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher is retiring from international soccerNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed his country will “invariably support” Russia’s war in Ukraine as he met Russia's defense chief, the North’s state media reported Saturday. A Russia military delegation led by Defense Minister Andrei Belousov arrived in North Korea on Friday, amid growing international concern about the two countries’ expanding cooperation after North Korea sent thousands of troops to Russia last month. The official Korean Central News Agency said that Kim and Belousov reached “a satisfactory consensus” on boosting strategic partnership and defending each country’s sovereignty, security interests and international justice in the face of the rapidly-changing international security environments in a Friday meeting. Kim said that North Korea “will invariably support the policy of the Russian Federation to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity from the imperialists’ moves for hegemony,” KCNA said. North Korea has supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, calling it a defensive response to what both Moscow and Pyongyang call NATO’s “reckless” eastward advance and U.S.-led moves to stamp out Russia’s position as a powerful state. Kim slammed a U.S. decision earlier in November to let Ukraine strike targets inside Russia with U.S.-supplied longer-range missiles as a direct intervention in the conflict. He called recent Russian strikes on Ukraine “a timely and effective measure" demonstrate Russia's resolve, KCNA said. According to U.S., Ukrainian and South Korean assessments, North Korea has sent more than 10,000 troops to Russia and some of them have already begun engaging in combat on the frontlines. U.S., South Korean and others say North Korea has also shipped artillery systems, missiles and other conventional weapons to replenish Russia’s exhausted weapons inventory. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov watch a performance to welcome Russian military delegation in Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP) Both North Korea and Russia haven’t formally confirmed the North Korean troops’ movements, and have steadfastly denied reports of weapons shipments. South Korea , the U.S. and their partners are concerned that Russia could give North Korea advanced weapons technology in return, including help to build more powerful nuclear missiles. Last week, South Korean national security adviser Shin Wonsik told a local SBS TV program that that Seoul assessed that Russia has provided air defense missile systems to North Korea. He said Russia also appeared to have given economic assistance to North Korea and various military technologies, including those needed for the North’s efforts to build a reliable space-based surveillance system. Belousov also met North Korean Defense Minister No Kwang Chol on Friday. During a dinner banquet later the same day, Belousov said the the two countries' strategic partnership was crucial to defend their sovereignty from aggression and the arbitrary actions of imperialists, KCNA said. In June, Kim and Putin signed a treaty requiring both countries to provide immediate military assistance if either is attacked. It's considered the two countries’ biggest defense deal since the end of the Cold War.
