Jones, Mellott help Montana State run over Montana 34-11ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fluence Energy, Inc. FLNC ("Fluence" or the "Company"), a global market leader delivering intelligent energy storage, operational services, and asset optimization software, today announced its intention to offer, subject to market and other conditions, $300.0 million aggregate principal amount of convertible senior notes due 2030 (the "Notes") in a private offering that is exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act. Fluence also expects to grant the initial purchasers of the Notes an option to purchase, for settlement within a period of 13 days from, and including, the date the Notes are first issued, up to an additional $45.0 million aggregate principal amount of the Notes. The Notes will be senior, unsecured obligations of Fluence, will accrue interest payable semi-annually in arrears and will mature on June 15, 2030, unless earlier repurchased, redeemed or converted. Before March 15, 2030, noteholders will have the right to convert their Notes in certain circumstances and during specified periods. From and after March 15, 2030, noteholders may convert their Notes at any time at their election until the close of business on the second scheduled trading day immediately before the maturity date. Fluence will settle conversions by paying or delivering, as applicable, cash, shares of its Class A common stock ("Class A common stock") or a combination of cash and shares of its Class A common stock, at Fluence's election. The Notes will be redeemable, in whole or in part (subject to certain partial redemption limitations), at Fluence's option at any time, and from time to time, on or after December 20, 2027 and on or before the 50th scheduled trading day immediately before the maturity date, at a cash redemption price equal to the principal amount of the Notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to, but excluding, the redemption date, but only if (i) the Notes are "freely tradable", and all accrued and unpaid additional interest, if any, has been paid in full, as of the date of the related redemption notice, and (ii) the last reported sale price per share of Fluence's Class A common stock exceeds 130% of the conversion price for a specified period of time. The final terms of the Notes, including the interest rate, initial conversion rate and certain other terms of the Notes, will be determined at the pricing of the offering. If certain events that constitute a "fundamental change" occur, then, subject to a limited exception, noteholders may require Fluence to repurchase their Notes at a cash repurchase price equal to the principal amount of the Notes to be repurchased, plus accrued and unpaid special interest, if any, to, but excluding, the applicable repurchase date. In connection with the pricing of the Notes, the Company intends to enter into privately negotiated capped call transactions (the "capped call transactions") with one or more of the initial purchasers and/or their respective affiliates and/or other financial institutions (the "counterparties"). The capped call transactions will cover, subject to customary adjustments, the number of shares of the Company's Class A common stock that will initially underlie the Notes. The Company anticipates that the cap price of the capped call transactions will initially represent a premium over the last reported sale price of the Company's Class A common stock on the pricing date of the offering of the Notes. The capped call transactions are generally expected to offset the potential dilution to the Class A common stock and/or offset any cash payments the Company is required to make in excess of the principal amount of converted Notes, with such offset subject to a cap, as the case may be, as a result of any conversion of the Notes. If the initial purchasers exercise their option to purchase additional Notes, the Company expects to enter into additional capped call transactions with the counterparties. In connection with establishing their initial hedge of these capped call transactions, the Company has been advised that the counterparties (i) may enter into various over-the-counter cash-settled derivative transactions with respect to the Class A common stock and/or purchase the Class A common stock in secondary market transactions concurrently with, or shortly after, the pricing of the Notes; and (ii) may enter into or unwind various over-the-counter derivatives and/or purchase the Class A common stock in secondary market transactions following the pricing of the Notes. These activities could have the effect of increasing or preventing a decline in the price of the Class A common stock concurrently with or following the pricing of the Notes and under certain circumstances, could affect the ability to convert the Notes. In addition, we expect that the counterparties may modify or unwind their hedge positions by entering into or unwinding various derivative transactions and/or purchasing or selling the Class A common stock or other securities of the Company in secondary market transactions following the pricing of the Notes and prior to maturity of the Notes (and are likely to do so (x) during any observation period related to a conversion of the Notes or following any redemption or fundamental change repurchase of the Notes, (y) following any other repurchase of the Notes if the Company unwinds a corresponding portion of the capped call transactions in connection with such repurchase and (z) if the Company otherwise unwinds all or a portion of the capped call transactions). The effect, if any, of these transactions and activities on the market price of the Class A common stock or the Notes will depend in part on market conditions and cannot be ascertained at this time, but any of these activities could adversely affect the value of the Class A common stock and the value of the Notes, and potentially the value of the consideration that a noteholder will receive upon the conversion of the Notes and could affect a noteholder's ability to convert the Notes. Fluence intends to use a portion of the net proceeds from the offering to fund the cost of entering into the capped call transactions. If the initial purchasers exercise their option to purchase additional Notes, Fluence expects to use a portion of the net proceeds from the sale of additional Notes to fund the cost of entering into additional capped call transactions. Fluence intends to transfer the remaining net proceeds of the offering directly to purchase an intercompany subordinated convertible promissory note issued by Fluence Energy, LLC, the proceeds of which Fluence Energy, LLC intends to use for working capital needs, upgrading one of its battery cell production lines from 305 amp hour cells to 530 amp hour cells, and general corporate purposes. The offer and sale of the Notes and any shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of the Notes have not been, and will not, be registered under the Securities Act or any other securities laws, and the Notes and any such shares cannot be offered or sold except to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers in reliance on the exemption from registration provided by Rule 144A under the Securities Act. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, the Notes or any shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of the Notes, nor shall there be any sale of the Notes or any such shares, in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. Any offers of the Notes will be made only by means of a private offering memorandum. There can be no assurances that the offering of the Notes will be completed as described herein or at all. About Fluence: Fluence Energy, Inc. FLNC is a global market leader delivering intelligent energy storage and optimization software for renewables and storage. The Company's solutions and operational services are helping to create a more resilient grid and unlock the full potential of renewable portfolios. With gigawatts of projects successfully contracted, deployed and under management across nearly 50 markets, the Company is transforming the way we power our world for a more sustainable future. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements The statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In particular, statements regarding our future results of operations and financial position, operational performance, anticipated growth and business strategy, future revenue recognition and estimated revenues, future capital expenditures and debt service obligations, projected costs, prospects, plans, and objectives of management for future operations, including, among others, statements regarding expected growth and demand for our energy storage solutions, services, and digital application offerings, relationships with new and existing customers and suppliers, introduction of new energy storage solutions, services, and digital application offerings and adoption of such offerings by customers, assumptions relating to the Company's tax receivable agreement, expectations relating to backlog, pipeline, and contracted backlog, current expectations relating to legal proceedings, and anticipated impact and benefits from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and related domestic content guidelines on us and our customers as well as any other proposed or recently enacted legislation, are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you may identify forward-looking statements by terms such as "may," "will," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "could," "seeks," "intends," "targets," "projects," "contemplates," "grows," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential", "commits", or "continue" or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. Accordingly, we caution you that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, assumptions, and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Among those risks and uncertainties are market conditions and the satisfaction of the closing conditions related to the offering of the Notes and the consummation of the capped calls transactions. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable as of the date made, actual results may prove to be materially different from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, our relatively limited operating and revenue history as an independent entity and the nascent clean energy industry; anticipated increasing expenses in the future and our ability to maintain prolonged profitability; fluctuations of our order intake and results of operations across fiscal periods; potential difficulties in maintaining manufacturing capacity and establishing expected mass manufacturing capacity in the future; risks relating to delays, disruptions, and quality control problems in our manufacturing operations; risks relating to quality and quantity of components provided by suppliers; risks relating to our status as a relatively low-volume purchaser as well as from supplier concentration and limited supplier capacity; risks relating to operating as a global company with a global supply chain; changes in the cost and availability of raw materials and underlying components; failure by manufacturers, vendors, and suppliers to use ethical business practices and comply with applicable laws and regulations; significant reduction in pricing or order volume or loss of one or more of our significant customers or their inability to perform under their contracts; risks relating to competition for our offerings and our ability to attract new customers and retain existing customers; ability to maintain and enhance our reputation and brand recognition; ability to effectively manage our recent and future growth and expansion of our business and operations; our growth depends in part on the success of our relationships with third parties; ability to attract and retain highly qualified personnel; risks associated with engineering and construction, utility interconnection, commissioning and installation of our energy storage solutions and products, cost overruns, and delays; risks relating to lengthy sales and installation cycle for our energy storage solutions; risks related to defects, errors, vulnerabilities and/or bugs in our products and technology; risks relating to estimation uncertainty related to our product warranties; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; risks related to our current and planned foreign operations; amounts included in our pipeline and contracted backlog may not result in actual revenue or translate into profits; risks related to acquisitions we have made or that we may pursue; events and incidents relating to storage, delivery, installation, operation, maintenance and shutdowns of our products; risks relating to our impacts to our customer relationships due to events and incidents during the project lifecycle of an energy storage solution; actual or threatened health epidemics, pandemics or similar public health threats; ability to obtain financial assurances for our projects; risks relating to whether renewable energy technologies are suitable for widespread adoption or if sufficient demand for our offerings do not develop or takes longer to develop than we anticipate; estimates on size of our total addressable market; barriers arising from current electric utility industry policies and regulations and any subsequent changes; risks relating to the cost of electricity available from alternative sources; macroeconomic uncertainty and market conditions; risk relating to interest rates or a reduction in the availability of tax equity or project debt capital in the global financial markets and corresponding effects on customers' ability to finance energy storage systems and demand for our energy storage solutions; reduction, elimination, or expiration of government incentives or regulations regarding renewable energy; decline in public acceptance of renewable energy, or delay, prevent, or increase in the cost of customer projects; severe weather events; increased attention to ESG matters; restrictions set forth in our current credit agreement and future debt agreements; uncertain ability to raise additional capital to execute on business opportunities; ability to obtain, maintain and enforce proper protection for our intellectual property, including our technology; threat of lawsuits by third parties alleging intellectual property violations; adequate protection for our trademarks and trade names; ability to enforce our intellectual property rights; risks relating to our patent portfolio; ability to effectively protect data integrity of our technology infrastructure and other business systems; use of open-source software; failure to comply with third party license or technology agreements; inability to license rights to use technologies on reasonable terms; risks relating to compromises, interruptions, or shutdowns of our systems; changes in the global trade environment; potential changes in tax laws or regulations; risks relating to environmental, health, and safety laws and potential obligations, liabilities and costs thereunder; failure to comply with data privacy and data security laws, regulations and industry standards; risks relating to potential future legal proceedings, regulatory disputes, and governmental inquiries; risks related to ownership of our Class A common stock; risks related to us being a "controlled company" within the meaning of the NASDAQ rules; risks relating to the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws; risks relating to our relationship with our Founders and Continuing Equity Owners; risks relating to conflicts of interest by our officers and directors due to positions with Continuing Equity Owners; risks related to short-seller activists; we depend on distributions from Fluence Energy, LLC to pay our taxes and expenses and Fluence Energy, LLC's ability to make such distributions may be limited or restricted in certain scenarios; risks arising out of the Tax Receivable Agreement; unanticipated changes in effective tax rates or adverse outcomes resulting from examination of tax returns; risks relating to improper and ineffective internal control over reporting to comply with Sarbanes-Oxley Act; risks relating to changes in accounting principles or their applicability to us; risks relating to estimates or judgments relating to our critical accounting policies; and the factors described under the headings Part I, Item 1A. "Risk Factors" and Item 7. "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024. If one or more events related to these or other risks or uncertainties materialize, or if our underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual results may differ materially from what we anticipate. Many of the important factors that will determine these results are beyond our ability to control or predict. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. We qualify all forward-looking statements contained in this press release by these cautionary statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and, except as otherwise required by law, we do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict which will arise. In addition, we cannot assess the impact of each factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.

Iowa quarterback Cade McNamara released a statement Friday slamming the "100% false" media reports that suggested he had thrown his final pass for the Hawkeyes. McNamara has been sidelined since sustaining a concussion during the Oct. 26 win against Northwestern. Backup quarterback Brendan Sullivan has started the last two games for the Hawkeyes (6-4, 4-3 Big Ten) but is out with an ankle injury for Saturday's game at Maryland (4-6, 1-6). Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said earlier this week that Jackson Stratton will be the likely starter against the Terrapins if McNamara is unavailable. McNamara's cloudy status prompted speculation on a podcast this week that he was "not mentally ready to play." The podcast hosts from the Des Moines Register and The Athletic also suggested that McNamara -- who played three years at Michigan (2020-22) before transferring to Iowa -- is not "fit to play quarterback in the Big Ten right now." "We don't want to bury his career yet, but it does seem like that interception against Northwestern was his last snap as a Hawkeye," Leistikow said. McNamara, who passed for 1,017 yards with six touchdowns and five interceptions in eight games this season, released a statement updating his current status. "My status is the same as it's always been -- a proud member of this football team," he said. McNamara said he has not yet been cleared to play. He said he was cleared to practice on Sunday but suffered an "adverse reaction" and was unable to practice this week and therefore unable to travel with the team to Maryland. "I have been working with the University of Iowa doctors and trainers, a concussion specialist focused on vision training, as well as engaging in hyperbaric treatments as frequently as possible," McNamara said. "I have every intention to play versus Nebraska next Friday night and I am confident that my teammates will return from Maryland with a win." Including his time with the Wolverines, McNamara has completed 60.9 percent of his passes for 4,703 yards with 31 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 34 games. --Field Level MediaWASHINGTON D.C., DC — As a former and potentially future president, Donald Trump hailed what would become Project 2025 as a road map for “exactly what our movement will do” with another crack at the White House. As the blueprint for a hard-right turn in America became a liability during the 2024 campaign, Trump pulled an about-face . He denied knowing anything about the “ridiculous and abysmal” plans written in part by his first-term aides and allies. Now, after being elected the 47th president on Nov. 5, Trump is stocking his second administration with key players in the detailed effort he temporarily shunned. Most notably, Trump has tapped Russell Vought for an encore as director of the Office of Management and Budget; Tom Homan, his former immigration chief, as “border czar;” and immigration hardliner Stephen Miller as deputy chief of policy . Those moves have accelerated criticisms from Democrats who warn that Trump's election hands government reins to movement conservatives who spent years envisioning how to concentrate power in the West Wing and impose a starkly rightward shift across the U.S. government and society. Trump and his aides maintain that he won a mandate to overhaul Washington. But they maintain the specifics are his alone. “President Trump never had anything to do with Project 2025,” said Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt in a statement. “All of President Trumps' Cabinet nominees and appointments are whole-heartedly committed to President Trump's agenda, not the agenda of outside groups.” Here is a look at what some of Trump's choices portend for his second presidency. The Office of Management and Budget director, a role Vought held under Trump previously and requires Senate confirmation, prepares a president's proposed budget and is generally responsible for implementing the administration's agenda across agencies. The job is influential but Vought made clear as author of a Project 2025 chapter on presidential authority that he wants the post to wield more direct power. “The Director must view his job as the best, most comprehensive approximation of the President’s mind,” Vought wrote. The OMB, he wrote, “is a President’s air-traffic control system” and should be “involved in all aspects of the White House policy process,” becoming “powerful enough to override implementing agencies’ bureaucracies.” Trump did not go into such details when naming Vought but implicitly endorsed aggressive action. Vought, the president-elect said, “knows exactly how to dismantle the Deep State” — Trump’s catch-all for federal bureaucracy — and would help “restore fiscal sanity.” In June, speaking on former Trump aide Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast, Vought relished the potential tension: “We’re not going to save our country without a little confrontation.” The strategy of further concentrating federal authority in the presidency permeates Project 2025's and Trump's campaign proposals. Vought's vision is especially striking when paired with Trump's proposals to dramatically expand the president's control over federal workers and government purse strings — ideas intertwined with the president-elect tapping mega-billionaire Elon Musk and venture capitalist Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a “Department of Government Efficiency.” Trump in his first term sought to remake the federal civil service by reclassifying tens of thousands of federal civil service workers — who have job protection through changes in administration — as political appointees, making them easier to fire and replace with loyalists. Currently, only about 4,000 of the federal government's roughly 2 million workers are political appointees. President Joe Biden rescinded Trump's changes. Trump can now reinstate them. Meanwhile, Musk's and Ramaswamy's sweeping “efficiency” mandates from Trump could turn on an old, defunct constitutional theory that the president — not Congress — is the real gatekeeper of federal spending. In his “Agenda 47,” Trump endorsed so-called “impoundment,” which holds that when lawmakers pass appropriations bills, they simply set a spending ceiling, but not a floor. The president, the theory holds, can simply decide not to spend money on anything he deems unnecessary. Vought did not venture into impoundment in his Project 2025 chapter. But, he wrote, “The President should use every possible tool to propose and impose fiscal discipline on the federal government. Anything short of that would constitute abject failure.” Trump's choice immediately sparked backlash. “Russ Vought is a far-right ideologue who has tried to break the law to give President Trump unilateral authority he does not possess to override the spending decisions of Congress (and) who has and will again fight to give Trump the ability to summarily fire tens of thousands of civil servants,” said Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, a Democrat and outgoing Senate Appropriations chairwoman. Reps. Jamie Raskin of Maryland and Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico, leading Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, said Vought wants to “dismantle the expert federal workforce” to the detriment of Americans who depend on everything from veterans' health care to Social Security benefits. “Pain itself is the agenda,” they said. Trump’s protests about Project 2025 always glossed over overlaps in the two agendas . Both want to reimpose Trump-era immigration limits. Project 2025 includes a litany of detailed proposals for various U.S. immigration statutes, executive branch rules and agreements with other countries — reducing the number of refugees, work visa recipients and asylum seekers, for example. Miller is one of Trump's longest-serving advisers and architect of his immigration ideas, including his promise of the largest deportation force in U.S. history. As deputy policy chief, which is not subject to Senate confirmation, Miller would remain in Trump's West Wing inner circle. “America is for Americans and Americans only,” Miller said at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally on Oct. 27. “America First Legal,” Miller’s organization founded as an ideological counter to the American Civil Liberties Union, was listed as an advisory group to Project 2025 until Miller asked that the name be removed because of negative attention. Homan, a Project 2025 named contributor, was an acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement director during Trump’s first presidency, playing a key role in what became known as Trump's “family separation policy.” Previewing Trump 2.0 earlier this year, Homan said: “No one’s off the table. If you’re here illegally, you better be looking over your shoulder.” John Ratcliffe, Trump's pick to lead the CIA , was previously one of Trump's directors of national intelligence. He is a Project 2025 contributor. The document's chapter on U.S. intelligence was written by Dustin Carmack, Ratcliffe's chief of staff in the first Trump administration. Reflecting Ratcliffe's and Trump's approach, Carmack declared the intelligence establishment too cautious. Ratcliffe, like the chapter attributed to Carmack, is hawkish toward China. Throughout the Project 2025 document, Beijing is framed as a U.S. adversary that cannot be trusted. Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, wrote Project 2025's FCC chapter and is now Trump's pick to chair the panel. Carr wrote that the FCC chairman “is empowered with significant authority that is not shared” with other FCC members. He called for the FCC to address “threats to individual liberty posed by corporations that are abusing dominant positions in the market,” specifically “Big Tech and its attempts to drive diverse political viewpoints from the digital town square.” He called for more stringent transparency rules for social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube and “empower consumers to choose their own content filters and fact checkers, if any.” Carr and Ratcliffe would require Senate confirmation for their posts.

Daily Horoscope for Monday, December 30, 2024, for all zodiac signs by astrologer Vinayak Vishwas KarandikarMicroStrategy Tumbles After Citron Research Shorts the Stock - Yahoo Finance

For the second straight Major League Baseball offseason, a norm-shattering contract has been the talk of the winter , with Juan Soto agreeing with the New York Mets on a $765 million, 15-year deal that's the richest in baseball history. It comes almost exactly one year after the Los Angeles Dodgers forked out a princely sum of $700 million on a 10-year, heavily deferred deal for two-way Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani. They are believed to be the two richest contracts in pro sports history. The way it's going, a contract approaching $1 billion doesn't seem out of the question. But several factors are working against it — at least in the near future. There's reason to believe the megadeals for Ohtani and Soto are unicorns in the baseball world. Both players are uniquely talented, surely, but both also had unusual circumstances propelling their value into the stratosphere. Ohtani is the greatest two-way player in baseball history, capable of improving any team on both sides of the ball. He's also the rare baseball player who has true international appeal . His every move ( like his unexpected marriage announcement ) is followed closely in his native Japan, adding another 125 million potential fans who buy merchandise, watch him play and help fill the Dodgers' coffers. Then there's Soto — a four-time All-Star and on-base machine who won a World Series with the Washington Nationals in 2019. The X-factor for him is he became a free agent at the prime age of 26, which is extremely hard to do under current MLB rules. Players have to be in the big leagues for six years before testing free agency. The precocious Soto debuted at 19 with the Nats, making him part of a rare group of players who reached the highest level of professional baseball as a teenager. That accelerated his free agency timeline. It's rare for players to debut that young, and rarer still for them to develop into stars and test the open market the first chance they get. Two recent examples are Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, who both reached free agency in 2019. Machado signed a free-agent record $300 million contract with San Diego, and Harper overtook him days later with a $330 million contract to join the Phillies. Most players debut in the big leagues from ages 22 to 26, which means free agency comes in their late 20s or early 30s. A typical example is Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who is one of this generation's great players but didn't hit the market until he was 30. Judge played three seasons of college baseball for Fresno State before getting drafted by the Yankees in 2013 at age 21 — already two years older than Soto was when he made his MLB debut. It took a few years for the budding superstar to reach the majors, and he was 25 when he had his breakout season in 2018, smashing 52 homers to earn AL Rookie of the Year honors. By the time he reached free agency after the 2022 season, he had already passed age 30. It's a major factor that led to him signing a $360 million, nine-year deal with the Yankees, which seems downright reasonable these days after the Ohtani and Soto deals. Two major trends are colliding that will make it harder for guys like Soto to hit free agency in their mid 20s. First, MLB teams have been more likely in recent years to take college players early in the draft, betting on more experienced talents. Just 10 high school players were drafted among the top 30 picks in the 2024 draft . Second, teams are more eager to lock up young, premium talent on long-term deals very early in their careers, well before they hit free agency. Sometimes before they even reach the majors. Since Soto, just two players have debuted in MLB before their 20th birthday — Elvis Luciano and Junior Caminero. Luciano hasn't been back to the majors since his 2019 cup of coffee. Caminero is now 21 and has only played in 50 big league games. Among those that debuted at 20: Fernando Tatis Jr. signed a $340 million, 14-year deal with San Diego in 2021, years before reaching the open market. Milwaukee's Jackson Chourio got an $82 million, eight-year deal before even reaching the big leagues. Young stars Corbin Carroll ($111 million, eight years with Arizona), Bobby Witt Jr. ($288 million, 11 years with Kansas City) and Julio Rodriguez ($209.3 million, 12 years with Seattle) also got massive guarantees early in their 20s to forgo an early free agency. The exception and wild card: Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be a 26-year-old free agent next offseason. Guerrero hasn't been as consistent in his young career as Soto, but a standout 2025 season could position him to threaten Soto's deal. More likely is that the player to pass Soto isn't in the majors yet — and might not even be in pro baseball. When 25-year-old Alex Rodriguez signed his record $252 million, 10-year deal with Texas in 2001, it took over a decade for another player to match that total, when Albert Pujols got $240 million over 10 years from the Angels in 2012. For many players, passing up life-changing money in their early or mid 20s is too enticing, even if it means that they might not maximize their value on the free agent market later in their careers. Soto was determined to test the market. He famously turned down a $440 million, 15-year offer to stay with the Washington Nationals in 2022, betting that he could make even more as a free agent. Not many players would turn down that kind of cash. Then again, that's what makes Soto so unique. And it's also why his $765 million deal could be the industry standard for some time. AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlbWhen Jimmy Carter was elected in 1976, he did something no other Democrat has been able to accomplish since — win Texas. Part of his victory can be chalked up to where the state was politically at the time. “We should understand the 1976 election in Texas as part of a gradual transformation that occurred over several decades,” Mark Lawrence, the director of the LBJ Presidential Library, told The Texas Newsroom. It was President Dwight Eisenhower, a Republican, who won Texas in both presidential elections in the 1950s. But the next decade was a different story. In the 1960s it was three Democratic candidates — President John F. Kennedy, President Lyndon B. Johnson, and Hubert Humphrey — who won Texas’ popular vote. “But thereafter you see that the state really shifted pretty dramatically toward the Republicans,” Lawrence said. “The one exception was 1976 when Jimmy Carter won by a small margin.” Carter snagged Texas from Republican candidate Gerald Ford by just 4 points. Overall, Carter received 297 electoral votes to Ford’s 240. So, why was Carter the exception? Lawrence cited several elements that contributed to Carter’s victory here, including “Carter’s stature as a white Southerner.” “I think Texas voters, like voters across the South, were inclined to give him a close look, because he looked like them, sounded like them, came from the South — which was somewhat unusual in the history of the United States after the Civil War,” Lawrence said. From left, President Gerald Ford, Lady Bird Johnson and President Jimmy Carter at the LBJ Presidential Library on April 13, 2000. Natasha Altema McNeely, an associate professor of political science at University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, said Carter was also able to win because he garnered the Black and Hispanic votes in states across the South. “His success in Texas is a more specific example of his success across the South,” McNeely said, adding that he also earned the vote of southern non-Hispanic voters and unions. But Carter’s presidency was as short-lived as his support from Texas voters. In his 1980 reelection bid, Carter lost to Republican Ronald Reagan by a landslide. Reagan beat Carter by 14 points in Texas. McNeely said the 1980 political environment created new difficulties for Carter. It was a controversial — and transitional — time in America. “With the candidacy of Ronald Reagan, you have Republicans really emphasizing religious beliefs ... smaller government, more effective government ... states rights,” McNeely said. In contrast, McNeely said Carter’s focus on human rights and social welfare “didn't quite appeal to many voters across the South, including Texas.” Another key moment McNeely said led to Carter’s defeat was the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis. That’s when, as the U.S. Department of State describes it, “Iranian students seized the embassy and detained more than 50 Americans, ranging from the Chargé d’Affaires to the most junior members of the staff, as hostages.” The Americans were held hostage for 444 days. Many sharply criticized Carter for how he handled the hostage negotiations, including his Republican opponent. While McNeely acknowledges Carter’s significant impact on American politics, she believes his greatest legacy — particularly in Texas — happened after he left the Oval Office. For 35 years, Carter partnered with Habitat for Humanity to build homes for people. In Texas, they built homes after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. “He was here in Texas in 2014 in Dallas, helping to build houses and repair houses,” McNeely said. “So, I think that was one of the many lasting components of his legacy outside of his political career." Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request.

eGain extends stock repurchase program to 2025

US President-elect Donald Trump's proposals to impose sweeping tariffs on imports could counter earlier efforts to cool inflation, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Tuesday, warning that consumer prices could rise. Her comments at the Wall Street Journal's CEO Council Summit come as Trump has vowed broad tariffs of at least 10 percent on all imports, and higher rates on goods from China, Canada and Mexico. Imposing broad-based tariffs could "raise prices significantly for American consumers and create cost pressures on firms" which rely on imported goods, Yellen said when asked about Trump's plans. She cautioned that this could weigh on the competitiveness of certain sectors and increase costs to households. "This is a strategy I worry could derail the progress that we've made on inflation, and have adverse consequences on growth," she said. But she defended efforts by President Joe Biden's administration to impose targeted tariffs on Chinese goods to counter unfair trade practices by Beijing. She has previously raised concern over China's industrial overcapacity -- which risks a flood of underpriced goods into global markets and could undermine the development of key US industries. On Tuesday, Yellen also expressed regret that the United States has not made more progress on the country's deficit, saying she believes it "needs to be brought down, especially now that we're in an environment of higher interest rates." She stressed the importance of an independent Federal Reserve too, saying that countries perform better economically when central banks are allowed to exercise their best judgment without political influence. Trump has said that he would like "at least" a say over setting the Fed's interest rate. "I think it's a mistake to become involved in commenting on the Fed and certainly taking steps to compromise its independence," said Yellen. "I believe it tends to undermine the confidence of financial markets and, ultimately, of Americans in an important institution," she added. Yellen noted that she has spoken with Trump's Treasury chief nominee, billionaire hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, congratulating him on his nomination. bys/bjt

Sebastian Gorka Appointed White House Senior Counterterrorism Adviser to President TrumpWe already knew that the tensions and scares were going to ramp up in season 2 of , and the latest trailer provides a deeper glimpse into what to expect — along with teasing answers to some important (and weird) questions. The show follows a megacorporation called Lumon Industries, which utilizes a new procedure called severance that allows workers to spatially split their brains, creating two selves: one who works for Lumon, and another who lives life on the outside. The new clip shows the return of four Lumon employees — Mark (Adam Scott), Dylan (Zach Cherry), Helly (Britt Lower), and Irving (John Turturro) — who are back in the office after managing to bridge those two different worlds. However, it’s unclear if they’re actually in trouble for their actions; instead, they’ve turned into celebrities of sorts. That doesn’t mean that the vibes are any less unsettling, though, with the always-intense supervisor Milchick (Tramell Tillman) saying things like, “I’m tightening the leash.” More than anything, the new trailer promises answers to some of ’s strangest questions. There’s the mystery of what actually goes down in Lumon’s basement, which we’re told “will be remembered as one of the greatest moments on this planet” as well as just what the hell is going on with all of the goats. The trailer also introduces an unexpected new question: how could a child be an office manager? Clearly, there’s a lot going on in season 2, and it’s not too far off now. The new season of starts streaming on January 17th. In the meantime, here are some excellent new posters.

1 Stock to Buy, 1 Stock to Sell This Week: Burlington Stores, Kohl’s

Nvidia ( NVDA -2.09% ) and Palantir ( PLTR -3.72% ) have been two of the best-performing stocks on the market this year, and artificial intelligence is the major reason. Nvidia needs little introduction at this point. The chip stock has come to dominate the market for data center GPUs (graphics processing units) in the AI boom, which has driven its stock price up roughly 10 times since the start of 2024. Palantir, meanwhile, has emerged as the biggest winner in software from AI as its experience with deep data mining, known as data fusion, has paid off, especially since the launch of its artificial intelligence platform (AIP) last year. As the chart below shows, both stocks have soared this year. PLTR data by YCharts So, which is the better buy today? Let's get into the details on what each stock has to offer. Business model: Nvidia vs. Palantir? Nvidia has established itself as the leading chip design company, thanks to its prowess in AI and its investments in areas like its CUDA software library, which give it a competitive advantage. As a result of its wide lead in AI-focused components like the new Blackwell platform, Nvidia currently generates massive profit margins with a generally accepted accounting principles ( GAAP ) operating margin of 62% in the third quarter. The company has built an all-star culture focused on innovation, and it seems likely to remain ahead of the competition on AI chips. It depends on foundries like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company for manufacturing and is vulnerable to cyclicality and broader concerns about a bubble in AI. The semiconductor industry is notoriously cyclical and prices and inventory levels can change quickly. Therefore, Nvidia's greatest risk is likely a change in industry dynamics that would threaten its growth rather than a competitive threat. Palantir got its start serving U.S. intelligence agencies after 9/11, helping them connect data points to find threats they otherwise would have missed. Palantir has since expanded its product suite to specialize in a wide range of business needs, including cryptocurrency, data protection, and the prevention of money laundering. Its principal software platforms include Gotham, Foundry, Apollo, and Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP). Gotham and Foundry are focused on taking massive amounts of information and making it into a useful dataset. Apollo is a layer for commercial customers that allows them to run their software in nearly any environment, and AIP works with Gotham and Foundry to use machine learning to accelerate insights. Palantir has a relatively small number of high-paying customers, meaning it deals in large contracts. The size and complexity of its contracts mean the company faces relatively little competition from other software companies. Instead, it sees the internal software development efforts of its customers as its biggest competitor. Like Nvidia, Palantir is also at risk of a sectorwide pullback, though its competitive position seems resilient, given the specialized nature of its business. Financials: Nvidia vs. Palantir? Both Nvidia and Palantir have delivered impressive results, but one company is clearly growing faster than the other. Nvidia reported 94% revenue growth in the third quarter to $35.1 billion, with $19.3 billion in net income, up 109% from the year before. Palantir, on the other hand, reported 30% revenue growth to $726 million with strong results in the U.S. and its commercial segment. Net income jumped 103% to $149.3 million as its margins rapidly scaled up. Valuation: Nvidia vs. Palantir? Palantir's explosive growth this year has come largely from multiple expansions. As a result, the stock is trading at a sky-high valuation. Palantir now trades at a price-to-sales ratio of 75 and a price-to-earnings ratio of 411 based on GAAP earnings. Nvidia stock looks more reasonable. It currently trades at a price-to-sales ratio of 31 and a price-to-earnings ratio of 55. Which is the better buy? Both of these companies have a lot to offer investors, especially if demand for AI continues to grow, but looking at both stocks holistically, Nvidia is the better buy. Palantir's business is certainly intriguing. It's demonstrated its value to customers and seems to have a meaningful competitive advantage. However, its valuation presents a significant risk as the stock could easily plunge if it misses expectations. Nvidia, on the other hand, also looks poised for similar growth but with less downside risk.Children told refugees ‘enrich our country’ and drive ‘growth’ in Usborne bookBURLINGTON, Mass. and FRISCO, Texas , Dec. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Keurig Dr Pepper (NASDAQ: KDP) announced today that its Board of Directors has declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.23 per share, payable in U.S. dollars, on the Company's common stock. The regular quarterly dividend will be paid on January 17, 2025 to shareholders of record on January 3, 2025 . Investor Contacts: Investor Relations T: 888-340-5287 / IR@kdrp.com Media Contact: Katie Gilroy T: 781-418-3345 / katie.gilroy@kdrp.com ABOUT KEURIG DR PEPPER Keurig Dr Pepper ( Nasdaq : KDP ) is a leading beverage company in North America , with a portfolio of more than 125 owned, licensed and partner brands and powerful distribution capabilities to provide a beverage for every need, anytime, anywhere. With annual revenue of approximately $15 billion , we hold leadership positions in beverage categories including soft drinks, coffee, tea, water, juice and mixers, and have the #1 single serve coffee brewing system in the U.S. and Canada . Our innovative partnership model builds emerging growth platforms in categories such as premium coffee, energy, sports hydration and ready-to-drink coffee. Our brands include Keurig ® , Dr Pepper ® , Canada Dry ® , Mott's ® , A&W ® , Snapple ® , Peñafiel ® , 7UP ® , Green Mountain Coffee Roasters ® , Clamato ® , Core Hydration ® and The Original Donut Shop ® . Driven by a purpose to Drink Well. Do Good., our 28,000 employees aim to enhance the experience of every beverage occasion and to make a positive impact for people, communities and the planet. For more information, visit www.keurigdrpepper.com and follow us on LinkedIn. View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/keurig-dr-pepper-declares-quarterly-dividend-302328016.html SOURCE Keurig Dr Pepper Inc.

Fresh off its biggest win of the season, Penn State plays its first true road game Tuesday when it visits Rutgers in Piscataway, N.J. Aces will be wild for the Nittany Lions (8-1, 1-0 Big Ten) and the Scarlet Knights (5-4, 0-1) as Penn State's Ace Baldwin Jr. will square off against Ace Bailey of Rutgers. Baldwin is the Nittany Lions' leading scorer at 15.1 points per game and dishes out 8.1 assists -- fourth in the nation entering Monday's action. He registered 17 points and six assists Thursday in an 81-70 victory over then-No. 8 Purdue in a game where Penn State led by as many as 27. Freddie Dilione V chipped in 14 points for the Nittany Lions, who had not defeated a Top 10 team since 2019. "A win like that's a statement win," Dilione said. "I just think it's going to put everybody on notice. We're just a walkover team. We're always going be the underdogs, and that's our mentality. We've just got to come in every game and just punch everybody in the mouth." Penn State must be careful not to suffer a letdown against a talented Rutgers squad led by freshmen Dylan Harper (23.1 points per game) and Bailey (17.9). The duo combined for 30 points in the Scarlet Knights' last game -- an 80-66 setback at Ohio State. The defeat was the fourth in the last five games for Rutgers, which plays seven of its next eight in New Jersey. "We've got to get better," Scarlet Knights coach Steve Pikiell said. "We got to get some more consistency out of a lot of things, especially our defense. Can't give up 80 points on the road and expect to win in this league." In last season's meeting with Penn State, it was offense that was Rutgers' biggest issue. The Scarlet Knights shot just 1-of-17 from 3-point range and 34 percent overall in a 61-46 home defeat. "(It's about) finding ways of how to bounce back as a team and staying together," Harper said. "Even though we lose, we're still going to find a way." --Field Level Media

The midseason four-game winning streak that lifted the Arizona Cardinals into the playoff picture seemed as though it happened fast. Their subsequent free fall has been even more jarring.In the world of Canadian financial stocks, ( ) and ( ) are top dividend payers. While both are , their market performance and future growth potential diverge. TD Bank has been stuck in a sideways range for over two years, while Manulife has surged following a breakout in late 2023. But which stock is the best buy right now? Let’s compare these financial giants and see which might offer better investment opportunities for different types of investors. Manulife’s long-term recovery: A dividend-growth story For years, Manulife was overshadowed by its 2008 global financial crisis woes, which caused a significant drop in its stock price. It took years for investors to warm up to Manulife stock again. It began increasing its dividend in 2014, but it wasn’t until late 2023 that Manulife broke out of its long sideways trend, signalling renewed investor confidence and a positive outlook. Its stock price only recently returned to pre-crisis levels. At around $45 per share at writing, Manulife trades at a of about 12, which is relatively reasonable considering its growth prospects. Analysts predict a steady earnings growth rate of at least 7% annually over the next couple of years, providing a solid foundation for future stock appreciation. Furthermore, with a dividend yield of nearly 3.6% and a solid 10-year dividend-growth rate of 10.9%, Manulife continues to reward investors. It is expected to raise its dividend again in February, which is in line with its historical schedule. Other than earnings growth, the key to Manulife’s future growth lies in its dividend payout ratio, which stands at a sustainable 42%. This gives investors confidence that the company can continue to boost its dividend in the coming years, with the potential to be roughly a 7% increase next year. In short, Manulife is on solid footing, offering a mix of steady income and capital appreciation potential for patient, long-term investors. TD Bank: A value play with a steady yield TD Bank has been trading sideways for over two years. With its strong market presence both in Canada and the United States, TD offers investors a solid foundation in the retail banking sector. However, the stock has struggled to regain momentum, and no one knows when the current stagnation will end. Despite this, TD’s long-term outlook remains promising. TD’s current dividend yield of 5.2% is highly attractive, especially for income-focused investors. The bank boasts a solid track record of paying out healthy dividends, with a 10-year dividend-growth rate of 9%. While its earnings growth and dividend growth may be somewhat capped in the short to medium term — especially due to regulatory limitations in its U.S. operations — the bank’s stability makes it a great option for value investors who are willing to wait for the potential upside. TD’s valuation is on the lower end compared to its big Canadian bank peers, making it an intriguing choice for those looking for a stock with a potential multi-year turnaround. As with Manulife, TD’s sustainable payout ratio and consistent earnings growth ensure that the dividend will remain intact, providing ongoing returns while the stock waits for its next phase of growth. Which stock should you choose? So, which is the better stock to buy right now: TD or Manulife? If you’re an income-seeking investor who values a higher dividend yield and can tolerate short- to medium-term market stagnation, TD may be the better pick. With its solid dividend history and long-term stability, it offers a reliable income stream while waiting for a potential rebound. If you’re looking for growth momentum and a stock that appears to be poised for further appreciation, Manulife could be the ideal choice. The company has shown impressive recovery and continues to trade at a reasonable valuation, all while maintaining a healthy dividend growth trajectory. Ultimately, the best choice depends on your investment style — whether you’re after value and have patience with TD or growth and momentum with Manulife.Presbyterian wins 71-61 over Monmouth