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In the wake of President-elect Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential victory, Big Tech companies became central hubs of the so-called “resistance” against him, firing up censorship and deplatforming campaigns, culminating in the then-former president’s banishment from Facebook and Twitter after the Jan. 6, 2021 riot. Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Google founder Sergei Brin famously led thousands of employees in protest against Trump’s immigration policies. During the 2020 campaign, Big Tech platforms even censored discussions of the Hunter Biden laptop story in order to curry favor with his father and Trump’s opponent — former Vice President Joe Biden. But since Trump’s reelection in November, Big Tech executives appear to be bending the knee rather than trying to kneecap their former foe. Pichai and Brin, for instance, traveled to Mar-a-Lago to dine with Trump. Apple CEO Tim Cook and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos followed suit in getting face time with Trump, the New York Times reported . The month before, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg met with the former and incoming president at Mar-a-Lago. The knee-bending continued when Meta , Amazon and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman each announced donations to Trump’s inaugural fund within days of one another, further cementing tech’s shift away from the anti-Trump banner. “I do see it as this overt, if not explicit, apology for them meddling in things they ought not be meddling, which is with our democratic elections,” Joel Thayer, a D.C.-based tech and telecom lawyer, told the Daily Caller News Foundation, referring to rampant social media and search engine censorship in the 2020 elections. “And on the other end, they’re acknowledging that the population has shifted,” Thayer said. “The way we think about Trump-like policies is actually fairly good for the American worker and just individuals in general. And you saw that through the popular vote.” Before the recent outpouring of support from the likes of Zuckerberg and Pichai, Elon Musk’s endorsement of Trump proved to be a game-changer. According to former PayPal CEO Peter Thiel, one of Trump’s early backers in 2016, Musk made other tech executives feel “safer” in coming out to support the former president during the campaign. Tech investors David Sacks and Marc Andreesen were among the relative handful of tech world notables who supported Trump in the general election. Andreessen recently told Bari Weiss of The Free Press that the tech moguls’ new embrace of Trump can be boiled down to the Biden Administration’s “anti-capitalist” policies that showed a “seething contempt” for the tech industry. “I don’t think there’s been an administration this radical on economic and tech policy I don’t think in like — ever,” Andreessen said, adding that President Joe Biden’s office has had an “extreme level of anti-business, anti-tech animus.” The Biden-Harris plan to increase taxes on unrealized gains, for example, had the potential to kill small businesses and prevent new tech startups which had historically driven the industry, he argued on Weiss’ Honestly podcast. This move would particularly harm the rapidly-growing AI industry, which is heavily reliant on private innovation. The Biden Administration wanted tight oversight of the sector, placing sweeping restrictions on AI via executive order in 2023, while Trump has vowed to allow the industry to “freely develop.” Andreessen told Weiss he was left “very scared” for the AI industry after meeting with the Biden Administration. “They said, ‘look, AI is a technology basically that the government is going to completely control,'” Andreessen said. “They actually said flat out to us, ‘don’t do AI startups like, don’t fund AI startups, it’s not something that we’re going to allow to happen, they’re not going to be allowed to exist.'” Andreessen was told that the administration was considering classifying all AI science, allowing it only to be developed by the federal government. congrats to President Trump. i wish for his huge success in the job. — Sam Altman (@sama) November 6, 2024 Biden similarly moved to place heavy restrictions on cryptocurrency and advocated for a federally- controlled digital dollar. Not long after Trump was elected, he nominated pro-crypto Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chair Paul Atkins — cryptocurrency stocks suddenly skyrocketed in response. The Biden Administration has largely targeted Big Tech, slapping Google , Amazon, Meta and Apple with antitrust lawsuits within his single term, aiming to crack down on their market dominance. Amazon previously made no effort to hide its left-leaning bias, removing books from its site that criticized the transgender movement and Covid-19 vaccines . In September it was forced to address an “error” in which Amazon’s Alexa apparently expressed support for Vice President and former Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris over Trump. Despite this, Bezos and Amazon CEO Andy Jassy both came out in support of Trump following the election. “Congratulations to President-elect @realDonaldTrump on a hard-fought victory,” Jassy wrote in an X post. “We look forward to working with you and your administration on issues important to our customers, employees, communities, and country.” Big congratulations to our 45th and now 47th President on an extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory. No nation has bigger opportunities. Wishing @realDonaldTrump all success in leading and uniting the America we all love. — Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) November 6, 2024 “Every company is going to want to just talk to the leaders and see how things are going to shape up and potentially even influence some of those policies,” Thayer said. “I think it’s an acknowledgment that the Overton window has shifted a bit, and it’s shifted in a way that seems to align with Trump-like priorities.” At least some tech companies may be worried about Trump’s trade agenda, Thayer explained. Trump’s proposed tariffs on Chinese goods in particular could have monumental impacts on the tech world. (RELATED: Trump Sends Clear Message To Big Tech With His Pick For Top DOJ Spot) “Apple will probably make a very hard case that it should be exempted from all of these tariffs,” Thayer told the DCNF. “And so I imagine that they are almost certainly trying to beg and plead to fall outside the scope of some of those interactions.” As recently as 2023, Forbes reported that over 95% of Apple products are manufactured in China. Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly asked Trump under his previous administration to take a softer stance on immigration to allow the company to source more foreign tech workers. Cook met with the president-elect earlier this month, according to The New York Times. “Apple and Google in particular are certainly trying to cater to Trump a little more aggressively than other tech companies, mainly because they’re in the hot seat,” Thayer said. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew quickly followed suit and met with the president-elect on Monday at Mar-a-Lago as a ban on the Chinese-owned app looms near, CNN reported . During Trump’s first term in office the then-president deemed the video sharing platform a national security threat and pledged to ban the app unless TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, abandoned ownership and sold it to a U.S. company. Biden has since followed through on the promise, and a ban of the app is set to go into effect in 2025. Despite his position during his first term, Trump has seemingly softened his stance on TikTok, suggesting he may consider ways to reverse the ban . This shift is possibly due to narrowing public support for the ban, especially among young voters, with whom Trump has gained appeal. Trump has also touted his popularity on the platform leading up to the election, jokingly stating in a speech Sunday, “Maybe we got to keep this sucker [TikTok] around for a little while.” For the historically Democrat Silicon Valley, the tides appear to be shifting at least in part due to the policies of the Biden Administration. The tech industry, which has experienced significant growth in recent decades that has been largely driven by private innovation and small startups, may struggle under strict government control, and Trump could be seen as a potential solution to its challenges. “They were very cozy with the Democratic Party for a very long time, and now I think they’re starting to recognize that there’s now an overt majority of folks who just flat out don’t agree with Democratic priorities, and so at the end of the day, they are going to have to come back and talk to the other people in power,” Thayer said. 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PHOENIX — Donald Trump suggested Sunday that his new administration could try to regain control of the Panama Canal that the United States “foolishly” ceded to its Central American ally, contending that shippers are charged “ridiculous” fees to pass through the vital transportation channel linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. President-elect Donald Trump speaks at AmericaFest on Sunday in Phoenix. Panama's conservative president José Raúl Mulino, who was elected in April on a pro-business platform, roundly rejected that notion as an affront to his country's sovereignty. The Republican president-elect's comment came during his first major rally since winning the White House on Nov. 5. He also used his comments to bask in his return to power as a large audience of conservatives cheered along. It was a display of party unity at odds with a just-concluded budget fight on Capitol Hill where some GOP lawmakers openly defied their leader's demands. Addressing supporters at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest in Arizona, Trump pledged that his “dream team Cabinet” would deliver a booming economy, seal U.S. borders and quickly settle wars in the Middle East and Ukraine. “I can proudly proclaim that the Golden Age of America is upon us,” Trump said. “There’s a spirit that we have now that we didn’t have just a short while ago.” His appearance capped a four-day pep rally that drew more than 20,000 activists and projected an image of Republican cohesion despite the past week's turbulence in Washington with Trump pulling strings from his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida as Congress worked to avoid a government shutdown heading into the Christmas holiday. House Republicans spiked a bipartisan deal after Trump and Elon Musk, his billionaire ally, expressed their opposition on social media. Budget hawks flouted Trump's request to raise the nation’s debt ceiling, which would have spared some new rounds of the same fight after he takes office Jan. 20, 2025, with Republicans holding narrow control of the House and Senate. The final agreement did not address the issue and there was no shutdown. Trump, in his remarks in Phoenix, did not mention the congressional drama, though he did reference Musk's growing power. To suggestions that "President Trump has ceded the presidency to Elon,” Trump made clear, “No, no. That’s not happening.” “He’s not gonna be president,” Trump said. The president-elect opened the speech by saying that "we want to try to bring everybody together. We’re going to try. We’re going to really give it a shot." Then he suggested Democrats have “lost their confidence” and are “befuddled” after the election but eventually will ”come over to our side because we want to have them.” A cargo ship traverses the Agua Clara Locks of the Panama Canal on Sept. 2 in Colon, Panama. Atop a list of grievances — some old, some new — was the Panama Canal. “We’re being ripped off at the Panama Canal,” he said, bemoaning that his country ”foolishly gave it away.” The United States built the Panama Canal in the early 1900s, as it looked for ways to facilitate the transit of commercial and military vessels between its coasts. Washington relinquished control of the waterway to Panama on Dec. 31, 1999, under a treaty signed in 1977 under President Jimmy Carter. The canal depends on reservoirs to operate its locks and was heavily affected by 2023 Central American droughts that forced it to substantially reduce the number of daily slots for crossing ships. With fewer ships using the canal each day, administrators also increased the fees that are charged all shippers for reserving a slot. With weather returning to normal in the later months of this year, transit on the canal has normalized. But price increases are still expected for next year. Mulino, Panama's president, has been described as a conservative populist who aligns with Trump on many issues. Panama is a strong U.S. ally and the canal is crucial for its economy, generating about one-fifth of that government’s annual revenue. Still, Trump said, that, once his second term is underway, "If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America, in full, quickly and without question.” “I’m not going to stand for it," Trump said. "So to the officials of Panama, please be guided accordingly.” He did not explain how that would be possible. A short time after Trump's speech, Mulino released a video declaring that “every square meter of the canal belongs to Panama and will continue to belong” to his country. Without mentioning Trump by name, Mulino addressed the president-elect's complaints over rising fees for ships crossing the canal, saying that they are set by experts who take into account operational costs, and supply and demand factors. “The tariffs are not set on a whim” Mulino said. He noted that Panama has expanded the canal over the years to increase ship traffic “on its own initiative,” and added that shipping fee increases help pay for improvements. “Panamanians may have different views on many issues” Mulino said. “But when it comes to our canal, and our sovereignty, we will all unite under our Panamanian flag.” The canal aside, Trump’s appearance at Turning Point’s annual gathering affirmed the growing influence the group and its founder, Charlie Kirk, have had in the conservative movement. Kirk’s organization hired thousands of field organizers across presidential battlegrounds, helping Trump make key gains among infrequent voters and other groups of people that have trended more Democratic in recent decades, including younger voters, Black men and Latino men. ”You had Turning Point’s grassroots armies,” Trump said. “It’s not my victory, it’s your victory.” Earlier Sunday, Trump said that Stephen Miran, who worked at the Treasury Department in Trump's first term, was his choice to lead the Council of Economic Advisers. 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. Oregon Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her reelection bid this month, but received strong backing from union members in her district. As a potential labor secretary, she would oversee the Labor Department’s workforce, its budget and put forth priorities that impact workers’ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employer’s rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities. Chavez-DeRemer is one of few House Republicans to endorse the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and would add penalties for companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws that allow employees in more than half the states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their places of employment. Scott Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he’s yet selected for his administration, with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” 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. FILE - Former Rep. Doug Collins speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign event at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, Oct. 15, 2024, in Atlanta. 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.” Kash Patel spent several years as a Justice Department prosecutor before catching the Trump administration’s attention as a staffer on Capitol Hill who helped investigate the Russia probe. Patel called for dramatically reducing the agency’s footprint, a perspective that sets him apart from earlier directors who sought additional resources for the bureau. Though the Justice Department in 2021 halted the practice of secretly seizing reporters’ phone records during leak investigations, Patel said he intends to aggressively hunt down government officials who leak information to reporters. 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. Trump said Atkins, the CEO of Patomak Partners and a former SEC commissioner, was a “proven leader for common sense regulations.” In the years since leaving the SEC, Atkins has made the case against too much market regulation. “He believes in the promise of robust, innovative capital markets that are responsive to the needs of Investors, & that provide capital to make our Economy the best in the World. He also recognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The commission oversees U.S. securities markets and investments and is currently led by Gary Gensler, who has been leading the U.S. government’s crackdown on the crypto industry. Gensler, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, announced last month that he would be stepping down from his post on the day that Trump is inaugurated — Jan. 20, 2025. Atkins began his career as a lawyer and has a long history working in the financial markets sector, both in government and private practice. In the 1990s, he worked on the staffs of two former SEC chairmen, Richard C. Breeden and Arthur Levitt. Jared Isaacman, 41, is a tech billionaire who bought a series of spaceflights from Elon Musk’s SpaceX and conducted the first private spacewalk . He is the founder and CEO of a card-processing company and has collaborated closely with Musk ever since buying his first chartered SpaceX flight. He took contest winners on that 2021 trip and followed it in September with a mission where he briefly popped out the hatch to test SpaceX’s new spacewalking suits. 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. President-elect Donald Trump tapped former Sen. David Perdue of Georgia to be ambassador to China, saying in a social media post that the former CEO “brings valuable expertise to help build our relationship with China.” Perdue lost his Senate seat to Democrat Jon Ossoff four years ago and ran unsuccessfully in a primary against Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. Perdue pushed Trump's debunked lies about electoral fraud during his failed bid for governor. 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. Guilfoyle is a former California prosecutor and television news personality who led the fundraising for Trump's 2020 campaign and became engaged to Don Jr. in 2020. Trump called her “a close friend and ally” and praised her “sharp intellect make her supremely qualified.” Guilfoyle was on stage with the family on election night. “I am so proud of Kimberly. She loves America and she always has wanted to serve the country as an Ambassador. She will be an amazing leader for America First,” Don Jr. posted. The ambassador positions must be approved by the U.S. Senate. Guilfoyle said in a social media post that she was “honored to accept President Trump’s nomination to serve as the next Ambassador to Greece and I look forward to earning the support of the U.S. Senate.” 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 said Wednesday that he will nominate Gen. Keith Kellogg to serve as assistant to the president and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as National Security Advisor to Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence. For the America First Policy Institute, one of several groups formed after Trump left office to help lay the groundwork for the next Republican administration, Kellogg in April wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.” (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) 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. Customs and Border Protection, with its roughly 60,000 employees, falls under the Department of Homeland Security. It includes the Border Patrol, which Rodney Scott led during Trump's first term, and is essentially responsible for protecting the country's borders while facilitating trade and travel. Scott comes to the job firmly from the Border Patrol side of the house. He became an agent in 1992 and spent much of his career in San Diego. When he was appointed head of the border agency in January 2020, he enthusiastically embraced Trump's policies. After being forced out under the Biden administration, Scott has been a vocal supporter of Trump's hard-line immigration agenda. He appeared frequently on Fox News and testified in Congress. He's also a senior fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Former Rep. Billy Long represented Missouri in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2023. Since leaving Congress, Trump said, Long “has worked as a Business and Tax advisor, helping Small Businesses navigate the complexities of complying with the IRS Rules and Regulations.” Former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler was appointed in January 2020 by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and then lost a runoff election a year later. She started a conservative voter registration organization and dived into GOP fundraising, becoming one of the top individual donors and bundlers to Trump’s 2024 comeback campaign. Even before nominating her for agriculture secretary, the president-elect already had tapped Loeffler as co-chair of his inaugural committee. 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.” Russell Vought held the position during Trump’s first presidency. After Trump’s initial term ended, Vought founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as “renew a consensus of America as a nation under God.” Vought was closely involved with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that he tried to distance himself from during the campaign. Vought has also previously worked as the executive and budget director for the Republican Study Committee, a caucus for conservative House Republicans. He also worked at Heritage Action, the political group tied to The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Trump says he’s picking Kari Lake as director of Voice of America, installing a staunch loyalist who ran unsuccessfully for Arizona governor and a Senate seat to head the congressionally funded broadcaster that provides independent news reporting around the world. Lake endeared herself to Trump through her dogmatic commitment to the falsehood that both she and Trump were the victims of election fraud. She has never acknowledged losing the gubernatorial race and called herself the “lawful governor” in her 2023 book, “Unafraid: Just Getting Started.” Dan Scavino, deputy chief of staff 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. James Blair, deputy chief of staff 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. Taylor Budowich, deputy chief of staff 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. Jay Bhattacharya, National Institutes of Health Trump has chosen Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health. Bhattacharya is a physician and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, and is a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates. He promoted the idea of herd immunity during the pandemic, arguing that people at low risk should live normally while building up immunity to COVID-19 through infection. The National Institutes of Health funds medical research through competitive grants to researchers at institutions throughout the nation. NIH also conducts its own research with thousands of scientists working at its labs in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Marty Makary, Food and Drug Administration Makary is a Johns Hopkins surgeon and author who argued against pandemic lockdowns. He routinely appeared on Fox News during the COVID-19 pandemic and wrote opinion articles questioning masks for children. He cast doubt on vaccine mandates but supported vaccines generally. Makary also cast doubt on whether booster shots worked, which was against federal recommendations on the vaccine. Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Surgeon General Nesheiwat is a general practitioner who serves as medical director for CityMD, a network of urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey. She has been a contributor to Fox News. Dr. Dave Weldon, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Weldon is a former Florida congressman who recently ran for a Florida state legislative seat and lost; Trump backed Weldon’s opponent. In Congress, Weldon weighed in on one of the nation’s most heated debates of the 1990s over quality of life and a right-to-die and whether Terri Schiavo, who was in a persistent vegetative state after cardiac arrest, should have been allowed to have her feeding tube removed. He sided with the parents who did not want it removed. Jamieson Greer, U.S. trade representative Kevin Hassett, Director of the White House National Economic Council Trump is turning to two officials with experience navigating not only Washington but the key issues of income taxes and tariffs as he fills out his economic team. He announced he has chosen international trade attorney Jamieson Greer to be his U.S. trade representative and Kevin Hassett as director of the White House National Economic Council. While Trump has in several cases nominated outsiders to key posts, these picks reflect a recognition that his reputation will likely hinge on restoring the public’s confidence in the economy. Trump said in a statement that Greer was instrumental in his first term in imposing tariffs on China and others and replacing the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, “therefore making it much better for American Workers.” Hassett, 62, served in the first Trump term as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. He has a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and worked at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute before joining the Trump White House in 2017. Ron Johnson, Ambassador to Mexico Johnson — not the Republican senator — served as ambassador to El Salvador during Trump's first administration. His nomination comes as the president-elect has been threatening tariffs on Mexican imports and the mass deportation of migrants who have arrived to the U.S.-Mexico border. Johnson is also a former U.S. Army veteran and was in the Central Intelligence Agency. Tom Barrack, Ambassador to Turkey Barrack, a wealthy financier, met Trump in the 1980s while helping negotiate Trump’s purchase of the renowned Plaza Hotel. He was charged with using his personal access to the former president to secretly promote the interests of the United Arab Emirates, but was acquitted of all counts at a federal trial in 2022. Trump called him a “well-respected and experienced voice of reason.” Andrew Ferguson, Federal Trade Commission Ferguson, who is already one of the FTC's five commissioners, will replace Lina Khan, who became a lightning rod for Wall Street and Silicon Valley by blocking billions of dollars worth of corporate acquisitions and suing Amazon and Meta while alleging anticompetitive behavior. “Andrew has a proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship, and protecting Freedom of Speech in our Great Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding, “Andrew will be the most America First, and pro-innovation FTC Chair in our Country’s History.” Jacob Helberg, undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment Dan Bishop, deputy director for budget at the Office of Budget and Management Leandro Rizzuto, Ambassador to the Washington-based Organization of American States Dan Newlin, Ambassador to Colombia Peter Lamelas, Ambassador to Argentina Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.India News | Akhilesh Yadav Extends Heartfelt Congratulations to Priyanka Gandhi for Emphatic Win in Wayanad

After the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, Senator Lindsey Graham , a South Carolina Republican , warned allies of the United States on Friday that if they attempt to enforce it, the U.S. will "crush your economy." The ICC, which is seated in The Hague, Netherlands, issued multiple warrants on Thursday for those involved in the ongoing Israel-Gaza war. This included warrants for the arrest of Netanyahu, his former defense minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas military leader, Mohammed Deif. The court has accused them of war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the war in Gaza, which followed Hamas' October 7, 2023, surprise attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw the abduction of 250 others. Since then, Israel's military ground and air campaigns in Gaza have killed over 44,000 people , according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ICC has found that Netanyahu and his former defense minister "each bear criminal responsibility for the following crimes as co-perpetrators for committing the acts jointly with others: the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts," as well as bearing criminal responsibility as "civilian superiors for the war crime of intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population." Netanyahu has called the ICC's arrest warrant an "antisemitic decision" and said, "Israel utterly rejects the false and absurd charges of the ICC, a biased and discriminatory political body." Several countries including U.S allies such as Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Lithuania, Canada, Ireland, South Africa, Turkey, Jordan, Norway and Sweden, have said they will comply with the ICC's arrest warrant or are open to it. During an interview appearance on Fox News with host Sean Hannity on Friday, Graham, an ally of President-elect Donald Trump , condemned the warrants. "If you are going to help the ICC as a nation and force the arrest warrant against Bibi and Gallant, the former defense minister, I will put sanctions on you as a nation. You're going to have to pick the rogue ICC versus America. I'm working with [Senator] Tom Cotton to have legislation passed as soon as we can to sanction any country that aids and abets the arrest of any politician in Israel. So, to any ally, Canada, Britain, Germany, France, if you try to help the ICC, we're going to sanction you," Graham said. Senator Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, suggested in a post on X, formerly Twitter , on Thursday that the U.S. could invade the Netherlands, one of the countries that said they would comply with the ICC, if Netanyahu is arrested and brought there to face trial. "The ICC is a kangaroo court and [chief prosecutor] Karim Khan is a deranged fanatic. Woe to him and anyone who tries to enforce these outlaw warrants. Let me give them all a friendly reminder: the American law on the ICC is known as The Hague Invasion Act for a reason. Think about it," he wrote, referring to the American Service-Members' Protection Act, which gives the president the legal authority to use "all means necessary and appropriate to bring about the release of any U.S. or allied personnel being detained or imprisoned by, on behalf of, or at the request of the International Criminal Court." Hannity then interjected to say that he wants "every ally" on notice, adding, "And you saw little Justin in Canada and his position. What should the penalty be?" Graham responded: "If you help the ICC, we're going to crush your economy." Hannity concluded: "Friends and allies, you better beware because this has to happen." Newsweek has reached out to Graham's office, the White House and Trump's campaign via email for comment. On Thursday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government will abide by the rules and regulations of the ICC. "It's really important that everyone abide by international law; this is something we have been calling on since the beginning of the conflict," he told a reporter. The ICC is recognized by 124 member nations, all of which in theory would arrest Netanyahu if he were to visit those countries. However, the ICC lacks its own enforcement mechanisms and the court depends on member nations to cooperate in executing arrest warrants, which they are obligated to enforce. Responding to the ICC, President Joe Biden called the warrants "disgraceful." The U.S. is a strong ally of Israel and neither country is a member of the ICC.Ventive Hospitality Ltd shares were trading in the green after the company made its made its debut on both the BSE and NSE on Monday, December 30, 2024, after its initial public offering (IPO) garnered a strong response. At 10:20 am on Monday, the company's shares were trading at ₹ 742.55 on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). This was 24.40 points or 3.40% into the green. The opening price was ₹ 718.15, with the highest the stock rose so far being ₹ 748.80 Also Read: Who is Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin? Details of the Ventive Hospitality IPO The ₹ 1,600-crore IPO was open between December 20 and 24, with the allotment finalised on December 26. The company's shares was part of Special Pre-open Session (SPOS), with the stock available for trading from 10:00 am IST. The IPO's price band was set between ₹ 610 and ₹ 643 per share, comprising entirely of a fresh issue of 2.49 crore equity shares. Also Read: 4 IPOs, including six new listings, coming up this week: Details here It got oversubscribed by 9.82 times, getting bids for 14.17 crore equity shares against the original size of 1.44 crore shares. Retail investors booked their portion 5.94 times, Non Institutional Investors (NII) subscribed their portion 13.87 times, and Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs) oversubscribed 9.08 times. Prior to debut, Ventive Hospitality's Grey Market Premium (GMP) was ₹ 70 per share, according to reports. Also Read: EV-maker Ola Electric's CMO, CTO resign citing ‘personal reasons’ JM Financial, Axis Capital, HSBC Securities & Capital Markets, ICICI Securities, IFL Securities, Kotak Mahindra Capital Company, SBI Capital Markets were the book running lead managers for the Ventive Hospitality IPO, while Kfin Technologies is the IPO registrar. Details of Ventive Hospitality Ventive Hospitality, incorporated in 2002 as the hospitality division of Panchshil Realty, is a Pune-based a real estate/ hospitality company, focussing primarily on luxury offerings across the commercial, retail, luxury residential and data center segments. Its assets are operated by or franchised from global operators, including Marriott, Hilton, Minor and Atmosphere and in 2017, saw a 50% acquisition by BRE Asia (formerly known as Xander Investment Holding XVI), which is an affiliate of Blackstone.None

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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Dez White's 26 points helped Missouri State defeat UCSB 68-56 on Sunday. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Dez White's 26 points helped Missouri State defeat UCSB 68-56 on Sunday. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Dez White’s 26 points helped Missouri State defeat UCSB 68-56 on Sunday. White shot 6 for 11 (3 for 5 from 3-point range) and 11 of 12 from the free-throw line for the Bears (7-5). Vincent Brady II scored 13 points while going 4 of 8 and 4 of 6 from the free-throw line and added seven rebounds. Michael Osei-Bonsu finished 5 of 8 from the floor to finish with 10 points. Kenny Pohto led the way for the Gauchos (7-5) with 20 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Cole Anderson added 11 points for UCSB. Deuce Turner finished with seven points. Missouri State took the lead with 6:05 left in the first half and did not give it up. The score was 31-25 at halftime, with White racking up 17 points. Missouri State pulled away with an 8-0 run in the second half to extend a four-point lead to 12 points. They outscored UCSB by six points in the final half, as White led the way with a team-high nine second-half points. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. AdvertisementSingapore stocks saw little change on Monday morning—STI edged up 0.03%Is Laufey a jazz artist, or a bona fide pop star? The qualified answer, with asterisks to spare, is “both.” And that’s part of the fun in discussing everyone’s favorite Icelandic-Asian-American singer-songwriter-guitarist-pianist-cellist. Genre discussions can be a drag for artists and fans alike, but they’re suddenly a lot more fun when the overriding question is whether to talk about someone in the same terms as we would an Ella Fitzgerald or push her more toward the Taylor Swift side of the ledger. Good thing that, with Laufey, we don’t really have to choose. Laufey is being honored at Variety’s 2024 Hitmakers event as the Crossover Artist of the Year. Much of the jazz world seems pleased enough to claim her, as there was no resistance when her sophomore album, “Bewitched,” came out in 2023 and made history as the first album ever to top both Billboard’s jazz and traditional jazz charts in its very first week of release. But follow the audience into any one of her shows — which are instant sellouts — and you’d be hard-pressed to be sure you weren’t in line for the Eras Tour, with an average age in the early 20s. An exception to that was the show she did this past summer with the LA Phil at the Hollywood Bowl, where an older demo of subscribers mingled happily with the Gen-Z fans who usually snap up her tickets the moment they go on sale. That mixture of both genres and generations is captured in her new Imax concert movie, “A Night at the Symphony: Hollywood Bowl” (directed by Sam Wrench, who, not incidentally, also helmed Swift’s smash concert film). Laufey (pronounced lay-vay ) grew up in Iceland as a multi-instrumentalist kid prodigy, schooled in classical as well as jazz. Now, living in L.A., she’s one of our unlikeliest as well as most talented pop stars, not to mention a fashion icon for a lot of her followers, the most devoted of which can be spotted with their clearly Laufey-inspired looks at her shows. This has to be the sole modern instance in which we see that kind of rabid fandom on a mass scale and, thanks to songs like “From the Start,” we can truly blame it on the bossa nova. In advance of her honor at the Hitmakers event, Variety spoke with her again about what makes her such a one-of-one — and her eagerness to do culture-crossing shows like her appearance with the Chicago Philharmonic at this year’s Lollapalooza. You don’t claim jazz as your genre, strictly. And yet you have impact in that field in small or big ways, from doing an intimate show at Hollywood’s Catalina Jazz Club last year to having your album debut at No. 1 on the jazz chart. What does it mean for you to be a part of that world, even though you’re also very much a pop artist? I have so much respect for jazz music, and there’s no question that that is where most of my influences come from, especially when it comes to vocal performance and chord writing — that is really very obvious. I think one of the reasons I don’t fully call myself a jazz artist is because I don’t think every single one of my songs falls directly under that category, and it could be insulting to those who do full jazz to say that it is a fully jazz album. That being said, there are lots of tracks in my discography and on “Bewitched” that do resemble jazz standards and would be very, very at home in a jazz setting. So it’s so hard to put me under any kind of category. If I were in a pop category, I wouldn’t feel completely at home, either. So that’s kind of the only reason I haven’t claimed it. I grew up listening mostly to classical and jazz, and jazz music is where all my vocal inspiration has come from. And I’m a trained jazz singer; that’s what I studied. So (topping that chart) was such an honor. I really would’ve never believed it, and especially not with an audience as young as mine, and an audience of listeners that don’t typically listen to jazz music. I think that’s what made it so cool. It would be interesting to take a survey some time of the younger part of your audience and ask them, “What do you consider this music to be?” I wonder how many of them think, “Oh yeah, I’m getting into jazz singing through Laufey,” or whether categories matter so little anymore that that doesn’t enter their minds at all. Right? Yeah, I don’t know. I think there’s definitely kids that will listen to maybe “Valentine” or “Dreamer” or “From the Start” or something like that and think “I’m listening to jazz.” Because in comparison to the other music they’re listening to, it has a lot more color in the chords and it has a lot more of a kind of old sensibility and is played by jazz musicians and is very directly inspired by jazz music. And I’m sure that is the closest thing that resembles jazz that they’ve listened to, and they’ll consider that jazz. But then I think the majority just listens to it and thinks it’s just music, and it’s cozy, or it feels maybe like old-soul music or rain music. You know, I think they connect to it much more with a vibe or an energy rather than a genre. I don’t think many kids my age or even younger are compartmentalizing the music they listen to that much into genre. Just from the way I’ve seen younger fans react to the music at shows, for a lot of them it seems like it might not be in a totally different genre than Taylor Swift or something. I also think that kids nowadays compartmentalize music by lyrics a lot more than they do by sound: lyrics that are happy, lyrics that are sad, or lyrics that are wistful, that have longing. I think because music has become such a visual form with social media, lyrics actually are what people categorize it into. So yeah, for example, when I’m in a setting standing with Olivia (Rodrigo) and Chappell (Roan, on the red carpet at Rodrigo’s recent film premiere), I don’t think people are like, “Whoa, what’s this random jazz singer doing here?” I think also because of my age and the way that I present and market my music, I’m just music for a different vibe, definitely, but I don’t think it’s like a completely different thing. I think to them I am a modern musician. With the classic influences that you do have, how have you adapted that to your modern writing style lyrically? There is a conversational tone that pops up in moments where you sing “blah, blah, blah” — which the audience shouts along with! — in “From the Start.” But the jazz singing that you’ve been influenced by tends to come out of songs with a little bit more of a formal writing style. Was it ever challenging for you to kind of find the balance between that sort of formality that you grew up versus the kind of confessional lyrics that pop fans of your generation tend to love? No, because actually, I would almost argue that I am more lyrically inspired by the lyrics of jazz standards than lyrics in pop music. The lyrics that I love the most are these lyrics in Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and Gershwin songs that are a little funny. There’s a bit of irony to them and they’re very descriptive of what’s going on around the singer. It’s also very first-person, because they’re taken from musicals. So it’s very literal. And especially if the song comes from a musical comedy, then the lyrics are often humorous. And I think that’s actually what I borrow a lot from. But instead of using lingo from the ‘40s that maybe Cole Porter was using, I just exchange it with lingo from my time that I would say. But if you asked a Gen Z-er about the lyrics in my songs, I think a lot of people would think they’re also old-fashioned. Like, it strikes a balance. I actually lyrically am really inspired by the musical theater writers whose songs turned into standards of the ‘30s, ‘40s, ‘50s. I think there’s a level of humor and irony to them that is now creeping into pop. Even three or four years ago, there was less of that. That’s interesting. It’s true, in pop singers of your generation, there really has been a lot more of a sense of humor lately, just looking at Taylor, Sabrina, Olivia and Chappell, for starters. Oh yeah. I mean, that is kind of the common denominator, I think, between music that is really popular nowadays. But I’ve kind of been trying to infuse humor in since I started. You can kind of hear that from even my first EP (2022’s “Everything I Know About Love”), but my influences didn’t come from the current climate. They came from, honestly, songs like “Makin’ Whoopee” (from the 1920s). I’m so obsessed with songs where it’s like you don’t really know what they’re singing about, but if you dig further, you find out that the song is about something like quite racy or funny. Sometimes in some of your songs, there’s a little bit of whimsy in the fact that, while you are taking love so seriously, there’ll be some aspect to the way you express it that’s sort of taking the piss out of it a little bit too. Always, always. And that’s what I like to call Nordic sarcasm. Like, I think Icelanders can never take themselves too seriously. Nothing can be too serious. So, you know, I’ll say something insane like, “Oh, I’ve never been so heartbroken before,” and then follow it up with a line that’s like some humorous line to take a piss at it or diffuse it, and that’s a very Icelandic thing. By the same token, you certainly have written dead serious songs. I don’t know if it portended a new direction or not, but the song “Goddess” you did as a sort of semi-title song for the deluxe edition of “Bewitched” was very emotionally raw. I didn’t know if that was kind of a one-off because that’s how you felt at the time, or whether you were trying to shift your songwriting style in a different direction. No, I mean, “Goddess” came out in tandem with a song called “Bored,” which is maybe one of my most sarcastic songs. With the songs that had been popular — “From the Start,” “Valentine,” “Falling Behind” — so many of the lyrics were so funny and unserious, and I wanted to show a side of myself that was a little more looking in the mirror and facing the facts, you know? I just wanted to showcase that side of my storytelling, and I guess I also just wanted to tell the story of something that was close to my heart. On the so-called crossover front, you’re obviously not on the classical charts and not likely to be, but you did grow up as part of that world, and people do feel at least a bit of that influence when you do your concerts. You always make it a point to perform at least one number on the cello each night. Yeah, it’s something I definitely don’t ignore. And, you know, the amount of classical influences in my music is actually almost just as much as the jazz influences, and I have all these hidden classical little references. I allude to a lot of my favorite classical pieces in “Bewitched,” they’re just quite hidden. And if you know the music, you can find it, but if you don’t know it... You know, I never want to seem unrelatable. But I really have a lot of fun infusing my favorite classical music in, and yeah, I do a lot of the concerts with symphonies or with orchestras. I do really want to make more of an effort also in the coming years to collaborate more with classical musicians, doing something more on the classical front. We released a rework of my song “Bewitched” with the classical pianist Vikingur Olafsson. He’s Icelandic, and is I think one of the greatest living pianists. He has a big following right now, and coincidentally, we went to the same conservatory growing up in Iceland. You should go listen to it if you haven’t. It’s so beautiful, very austere, recorded on three pianos. All of his recordings are just extremely classical, so this was a fun one to dip into. But yeah, I think more things like that are really important to me, and it’s something that I really don’t ignore and really hope to do more in that space in the coming years. And then there’s the idea of crossing over into different spaces. You did the Hollywood Bowl, obviously, as seen in your new concert movie, and Radio City Music Hall was another iconic venue. But doing Lollapalooza sounds like it might have been amazing. You probably don’t like to think of yourself as an ambassador, but there has to a little bit of aspect of that when you’re at Lollapalooza — so far astray, in a good way, from most of what’s there, and certainly in the sheer physicality of having an orchestra there. Was that a pretty cool thing for you? It was so cool. I was so scared. I’ve been very careful with festivals like that because, as much as I may belong to a lot of the same playlists as the other artists playing there ... I don’t know. My idea of a festival is people going to have fun and maybe being with their friends and being a little rowdy and having a drink. But also, I just literally had never visited a festival before, so I didn’t know what it would be like or how it would be received. My thought with having an orchestra there was, at the very least, I’m doing something memorable, and hopefully even if I’m turning one person on to maybe go listen to the Chicago Philharmonic next week, or just introducing that soundscape to even one person, I will have done a good job. That was kind of my goal with it. Like, people will either love it and they’ll remember it, or they’ll hate it and remember it, but either way it will be remembered. So it was definitely scary, but it turned out really well in the end, and I’ll definitely try to do it again at different festivals. Before getting on the Zoom with you, I did check your tour schedule and saw it was clear, so I wondered if you might be working on stuff in the studio. Yeah, I’m literally, as we speak, outside the studio where I’m working on my third album. I’m happy to have a little break from touring to make music and breathe and live a little bit. But I’m super, super excited about this next one and really curious to see how... I feel like this is the first year where I am needing to look for some sort of growth. I never want to stay stagnant, but also want to stay true to myself and true to my sound... I’m not going to do anything insanely different, but an artist always wants to grow. So that’s kind of the balance I’m trying to strike right now — in a very happy and exciting way, not in like a scary way. Just in a “this is a really exciting puzzle ahead” way, if you will. You haven’t released a full Christmas album, but you add some holiday songs to your recorded repertoire every year. Yeah, I wrote my first original Christmas song, “Christmas Magic,” for this film “Red One,” and it’s very classic and very playful, in the vein of Ella Fitzgerald and Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole. So there’s that one as well as “Santa Baby” this year. “Christmas Magic” is the first time I’ve also written a song for a movie, which is exciting to me regardless. But the fact that it’s a Christmas song just feels super appropriate given that I love Christmas and I love Christmas music. It is the one time of year that I do feel like the whole world listens to my favorite genre of music.

The CPM has launched an agitation demanding an investigation into the suicide of Vijayan. One of the documents being circulated is an agreement of Vijayan with a person showing a transaction of Rs 30 lakhs in return for jobs in the cooperative banks ruled by the Congress. Wayanad: All is certainly not well for the Congress party at its bastion, Wayanad. The Congress leadership in Wayanad has been caught in an embarrassing situation with bribe for job scam allegation following the suicide of Wayanad District Congress Committee (DCC) treasurer N M Vijayan and his son Jijesh few days ago. CPM leader P R Jayaprakash alleged that Vijayan ended his life because he was unable to repay the huge sums received as bribes by Congress leaders from various persons offering jobs in the Cooperative Urban Bank, Sulthan Bathery ruled by the Congress. He said that CPM would launch an agitation against the rampant corruption in the Urban Bank, Sulthan Bathery and expose the true colours of the Congress leaders. CPM has announced a protest march to the office of tainted MLA I C Balakrishnan at Sulthan Bathery on Monday. Events that transpired It was after few documents that have surfaced which show that Vijayan had allegedly taken bribe for securing jobs in cooperative banks ruled by Congress. The CPM has launched an agitation demanding an investigation into the suicide of Vijayan. One of the documents being circulated is an agreement of Vijayan with a person showing a transaction of Rs 30 lakhs in return for jobs in the cooperative banks ruled by the Congress. A letter allegedly written by Vijayan to KPCC president K Sudhakaran demanding urgent intervention in the matter has also emerged, leaving the Congress party on a weak spot. Agreement letter that exposed the Congress leadership in Wayanad According to an agreement dated October 9, 2019, reportedly signed by the late Vijayan with Peter Master, a native of Ambalavayal, an amount of Rs 30 lakh was received from Peter by Vijayan to provide a job for his son to the first vacancy that emerged in any of the cooperative banks ruled by the Congress including the Service Cooperative Bank, Madakkimala, Cooperative Urban Bank, Sulthan Bathery and Service Cooperative Bank, Poothadi. The amount was given to Vijayan on the assurance given by Balakrishnan, who was also the then DCC president, shows the document. If the son of Peter failed to get the job, Vijayan would ensure that the amount would be returned with 7 per cent interest to Peter and for assurance a blank cheque from Vijayan was given to Peter, according to the document. It was this document that has been now in the possession of the Wayanad CPM leadership that has put the Congress in a tight spot. The case has been now taken up and is being probed by Wayanad Dysp. Click for more latest Kerala news . Also get top headlines and latest news from India and around the world at News9. Vivek Narayanan is currently working in TV9 Network as a Special Correspondent contributing towards the various developments in Kerala covering all domains ranging from local issues, sports to political developments. Sports, especially football, is one sport he always look to cover and discuss. He has nearly 10 years of experience in print, broadcast and digital journalism. His flair for socio-political developments, sports and environment kept him floating and hitched towards journalism. He is always looking for positive developments that while reported could make a difference in the life of people around. Latest News

{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "NewsArticle", "dateCreated": "2024-12-22T12:15:10+02:00", "datePublished": "2024-12-22T12:15:10+02:00", "dateModified": "2024-12-22T12:15:08+02:00", "url": "https://www.newtimes.co.rw/article/22769/news/rwanda/stay-safe-this-festive-season-why-road-safety-is-everyones-responsibility", "headline": "Stay safe this festive season: Why road safety is everyones responsibility", "description": "The festive season is a time when many people travel for holidays, visit family, or travel for vacation. During this period, the increased number of...", "keywords": "", "inLanguage": "en", "mainEntityOfPage":{ "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://www.newtimes.co.rw/article/22769/news/rwanda/stay-safe-this-festive-season-why-road-safety-is-everyones-responsibility" }, "thumbnailUrl": "https://www.newtimes.co.rw/thenewtimes/uploads/images/2024/12/22/66882.jpg", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.newtimes.co.rw/thenewtimes/uploads/images/2024/12/22/66882.jpg" }, "articleBody": "The festive season is a time when many people travel for holidays, visit family, or travel for vacation. During this period, the increased number of journeys and activities often lead to mistakes that cause fatal road accidents. The Traffic Police Spokesperson, SP Emmanuel Kayigi, told The New Times that road accidents during the festive season are often caused by a combination of risky behaviours. ALSO READ: Careless driving responsible for 50% of Rwanda's traffic accidents “One major issue is distracted driving such as using mobile phones to text or make calls while driving. Others drive recklessly as they rush to work or earn extra money, especially during this busy season,” he said. Many drivers exceed the speed limit because they are eager to earn more money for holiday festivities, he said. ALSO READ: Bars, nightclubs opening hours extended during festive season “The mindset during the festive period tends to differ from regular days, leading to risky behaviours on the road.” Drinking and driving becomes more common during the holidays as people celebrate and enjoy themselves, Kayigi said. “Unfortunately, some drivers forget that it is dangerous and illegal to drive under the influence of alcohol, despite the presence of police and traffic cameras monitoring roads.” ALSO READ: Six ways govt plans to mitigate road accidents Improvement Kayigi said that when comparing this year to last year, there have been noticeable changes in road safety. “Although the number of vehicles has increased, accidents involving property damage such as cars colliding without injuries, have risen. However, accidents that resulted in injuries have decreased by 2 per cent, and fatal accidents reduced by 1 per cent,” he said. He emphasised that the improvement did not happen by chance. Authorities made significant efforts to ensure road safety through awareness campaigns, the use of technology, and initiatives aimed at preventing accidents. Additionally, he said that drivers have begun to change their attitude and developed a better understanding of road safety rules. ALSO READ: Hit-and-run: When is fleeing accident scene justifiable? “While we are not yet where we want to be; where people follow rules out of responsibility rather than fear of being monitored, we are making progress.” Shared responsibility Kayigi stressed that the goal is to create a culture where road users, drivers and pedestrians, are vigilant and committed to protecting lives. “Road safety is a shared responsibility. If we managed to reduce injury-related accidents to 51 per cent last year, why not aim for 20 per cent this year?” To achieve this, everyone has a role to play, he said. “Drivers must adhere to speed limits, avoid distractions, and never drive under the influence. Pedestrians must also stay vigilant and follow road safety rules. Together, we can ensure safer roads for everyone during the festive season and beyond.” Fils Dushime, a resident of Nyarugenge District, emphasised that while drivers are often blamed for accidents, pedestrians also have a responsibility in ensuring their own safety. I don't think we can blame drivers only. As pedestrians, we must also be cautious. Even on regular days, when I go home late, I always make sure to cross the road properly, especially at zebra crossings. It's not safe to cross the road just anywhere; those designated crossings are there for a reason, he said. Sandrine Tuyishimire, another resident of Kicukiro District, noted that there is also “foot traffic” during the festive season as people head to the markets for Christmas shopping and other activities. She emphasised the vulnerability of pedestrians but stressed that they also have a responsibility in ensuring road safety. We should always remain vigilant, especially when walking at night. It can be very risky because a driver may not see you, depending on the road conditions, she added. To stay safe, she advised pedestrians to take extra precautions. If you're walking on a dark road, I would recommend carrying a torch at least, to make yourself visible. Daniel Ntirenganya, the Public Relations Officer at Kacyiru Hospital, said that during the festive season, the hospital tends to see more cases of people injured in fights than those involved in road accidents. While road accidents are still a concern, Ntirenganya noted that extended opening hours during the festive season could contribute to more reckless driving. On December 10, Rwanda Development Board (RDB) announced its decision to extended operating hours for hospitality activities during the festive season, so as to encourage festive celebrations while maintaining respect for community well-being. The new temporary operating hours took immediate effect and will run until January 5, 2025. “With longer drinking hours, some individuals might drive carelessly at night, and in their attempts to avoid the police, or hide, they often end up on bad roads, which can lead to accidents,” he added, urging the public to be cautious and prioritise their health during the festive season. “Festivities are a time for joy but it’s important to stay vigilant, especially on the roads and during long travels,” he said. He also called on the police to intensify security measures during this period, stressing that “as the number of people on the roads increases, the efforts to ensure safety should be reinforced.”", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alice Umutesi" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "The New Times", "url": "https://www.newtimes.co.rw/", "sameAs": ["https://www.facebook.com/TheNewTimesRwanda/","https://twitter.com/NewTimesRwanda","https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuZbZj6DF9zWXpdZVceDZkg"], "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "/theme_newtimes/images/logo.png", "width": 270, "height": 57 } }, "copyrightHolder": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "The New Times", "url": "https://www.newtimes.co.rw/" } }4 Tokens Ready for Massive Growth to Outdo Shiba Inu (SHIB) in the Next Bull RunCII seeks priority sector lending for new and emerging sectorsIndia News | Hemant-Kalpana – Power Couple Behind JMM's Spectacular Performance in Jharkhand

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Broncos are 0-4 in Las Vegas, but in a matchup of teams heading in opposite directions, Denver has more at stake than trying to end a series skid. A victory over the Raiders puts the Broncos that much closer to an unexpected playoff berth, playing with a rookie quarterback and just a year after they went 8-9. The Broncos are 6-5 and coming off a 38-6 victory over the Atlanta Falcons , and would be in the playoff field if the season ended entering Week 12. Not bad for a team given a win total of 5 1/2 games at BetMGM Sportsbook. “Everyone understands the significance of where we are at this point in the season,” Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton said. The situation is quite different for the Raiders. They are 2-8, on a six-game losing streak and decimated by injuries. Las Vegas could enter this game without its top two running backs and a reshuffled line on offense, and defensively, the Raiders could have two linemen, three cornerbacks and a safety out of action. “Just been having some bad breaks, but nobody feels sorry for us,” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said. "Nobody feels sorry for me. You’ve got to roll out there with 11 players, and that’s what we’re going to do come Sunday.” The Raiders are badly in a need of a franchise quarterback and are in a logjam for the top pick in next year's NFL draft. Denver showed with this year's draft how valuable landing such a QB can be to an organization. Bo Nix was selected 12th — one spot ahead of the Raiders — and he is pushing for AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. He was this week's top AFC player and rookie after completing 28 of 33 passes for 307 yards and four touchdowns in the rout of the Falcons. “I think as we’ve gone on, Coach (Sean Payton) and I have found a good rhythm of what we both like, what we can kind of put out there on the field and what we can execute," Nix said. "Then the guys have kind of adapted to it, found our roles within the offense and executed at a high level. It’s just all about slowing the game down and processing things in a manner that you can handle.” Nix's competition? Raiders tight end Brock Bowers also could have a say in who wins the season's top offensive rookie award. He is second in the NFL with 70 catches and his 706 yards receiving is 10th among all receivers. His numbers from a historical perspective are even more impressive. Bowers, the 13th pick in this year's draft , is fourth all time among all tight ends in catches through the first 11 weeks and he and Jeremy Shockey in 2002 are the only rookies at that position to have more than one game with at least 10 receptions. “This week's a brand new week,” Bowers said. “I've always got something to prove.” Crowded backfield Payton still isn't entirely comfortable splitting carries between running backs Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin and rookie Audric Estime. Asked how he determines the right balance in his rotation, Payton said, “That's the $6 million question. It’s difficult. We know kind of what we have with those three players. I think it’s always hard to feed three. "I'm used to — and it’s easy — to feed two. So we kind of do that a little bit. I thought Javonte had some really good runs (last week). Certainly the game ends and we’re like, ‘Gosh, we have to get Jaleel more touches.’ So it’s a tough, but a good problem to have.” Starting mindset With injuries to running backs Alexander Mattison (ankle) and Zamir White (quadriceps), 10-year veteran Ameer Abdullah could get the start for the Raiders this weekend. He has just 17 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown this season and started just one game his previous six seasons. “I see myself as a starter,” Abdullah said. “I think every guy in the room does. I consider myself the best back on this team just like every back does. This is my opportunity to go out there and put my best foot forward.” Certain Surtain Patrick Surtain II had a pair of interceptions, including one he returned for 100 yards and a touchdown, in the team's first meeting this season and that fueled the Broncos' 34-18 win in Denver . Both of the passes were intended for Bowers, who caught a 57-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter. Surtain isn't expecting the Raiders to avoid him Sunday, however. “You don't want to go into a game thinking they're not gonna throw it your way,” Surtain said, “because it's the pros at the end of the day, everybody's ready, everybody's capable.” AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Stapleton in Englewood, Colorado, contributed to this report. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Dez White's 26 points helped Missouri State defeat UCSB 68-56 on Sunday. White shot 6 for 11 (3 for 5 from 3-point range) and 11 of 12 from the free-throw line for the Bears (7-5). Vincent Brady II scored 13 points while going 4 of 8 and 4 of 6 from the free-throw line and added seven rebounds. Michael Osei-Bonsu finished 5 of 8 from the floor to finish with 10 points. Kenny Pohto led the way for the Gauchos (7-5) with 20 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Cole Anderson added 11 points for UCSB. Deuce Turner finished with seven points. Missouri State took the lead with 6:05 left in the first half and did not give it up. The score was 31-25 at halftime, with White racking up 17 points. Missouri State pulled away with an 8-0 run in the second half to extend a four-point lead to 12 points. They outscored UCSB by six points in the final half, as White led the way with a team-high nine second-half points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .