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WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats reelected Chuck Schumer as party leader on Tuesday as the party moves into a deeply uncertain time, with no real consensus on a strategy as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office. From left, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., gather after Senate Democratic leadership elections for the next session of Congress on Tuesday in Washington. Schumer faced no opposition in the party leadership elections, in which Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin was also reelected to the No. 2 spot and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar became the new No. 3. In a statement, Schumer, of New York, said he was honored to move the party forward “during this crucial period for our country.” “Our preference is to secure bipartisan solutions wherever possible and look for ways to collaborate with our Republican colleagues to help working families,” Schumer said. “However, our Republican colleagues should make no mistake about it, we will always stand up for our values.” While Schumer remains popular with his colleagues, it is a bleak moment for Senate Democrats, who were hopeful that they could hold the majority for the third election in a row. Instead they lost four seats and will be in the minority, 53-47, as Trump takes office and pressures the Senate to quickly confirm his Cabinet nominees. Unlike eight years ago, when opposition to Trump’s narrow election win fueled enthusiasm in their party, Democratic lawmakers and many of their voters are exhausted and looking for answers. So far, Democrats have stayed relatively quiet on Trump’s nominees and plans for office – a stark contrast from the loud opposition to Trump when he was elected eight years ago. Schumer has declined to comment on specifics of any nominees, instead allowing Republican reaction to dominate the conversation. On Monday, Schumer wrote a public letter to South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the incoming Republican majority leader, asking him to resist Trump’s pressure to allow him to appoint some of his nominees without a Senate vote and to insist on full FBI background checks for all nominees. But he has said little else about Trump’s upcoming presidency. While some have been more aggressive — Washington Sen. Patty Murray, a former chairwoman of the Senate Health, Labor, Education and Pensions Committee, said that Trump’s nomination of Robert Kennedy Jr. to lead the Health and Human Services Department is “dangerous” and “nothing short of disaster” — several Democratic senators say they are saving their strength and figuring out a focus. “Everybody’s in kind of a wait-and-see mode right now,” said Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, who is part of Schumer’s leadership team. “Under the previous Trump administration, there was chaos all the time, all the time. And I do think it is important to pick your battles.” It’s still unclear which battles they will pick. And Democrats have differing opinions on how to fight them. Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz, who is also in Democratic leadership, says that “anyone who has a grand strategy is full of crap,” but thinks that Democrats, for now, “need to keep things simple.” “We need to talk about people, protect people, advocate for people,” Schatz said. “Do not talk about protecting institutions. Do not talk about advocating for institutions. It’s a not just a rhetorical shift, but an attitudinal shift. We have to remind ourselves, that we’re not fighting for programs and projects and line items and agencies or norms. We’re fighting for people.” Virginia Sen. Mark Warner said that he’s spent a lot of time reflecting, and “I don’t think anyone can claim this was a policy election,” and Democrats need to look at cultural issues. Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman says Democrats just need to “pace ourselves” and avoid the “massive freakout” of Trump's last term. Democrats should be preparing, says Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal. He says Schumer is picking his battles “very thoughtfully and strategically.” “We’re thinking about how we protect against using the FBI, or the prosecutorial authority of the Justice Department for retribution against critics,” said Blumenthal. “How we elevate these issues in a way that American people understand them.” Democrats know better now, after eight years, “the extraordinary challenges we’re going to face,” Blumenthal said. Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the U.S. compete in the ice dance rhythm dance program at the Grand Prix of Figure Skating series competition in Tokyo, Japan, Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae) A discarded plastic bag floats in the waters of Botafogo beach in Rio de Janeiro, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado) China's President Xi Jinping, left center, and Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, walk into the Alvorada palace after attending a welcoming ceremony in Brasilia, Brazil, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) Slovakia's Rebecca Sramkova competes against Great Britain's Katie Boulter during a Billie Jean King Cup semi-final match at Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez) President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., closes a door to a private meeting with Vice President-elect JD Vance and Republican Senate Judiciary Committee members, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) A surfer rides on an artificial wave in the river 'Eisbach' at the 'Englischer Garten' (English Garden) downtown in Munich, Germany, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) A woman carries a gift basket as she arrives at a park to attend a friend's birthday party, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024, in Kampala, Uganda. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Tania hugs her brother-in-law Baruc after rescuing some of their belongings from their flooded house after the floods in Paiporta, Valencia, Spain, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris looks at a monitor backstage, just before taking the stage for her final campaign rally, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) President-elect Donald Trump listens during an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) President Joe Biden meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) A resident returns to his burned village, Monday Nov. 25, 2024, one day after a fire broke out leaving about 2,000 families homeless at a slum area in Manila, Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) Isaac Young rests his cheek on the family horse Rusty's forehead during farm chores before homeschooling, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Sunbury, Ohio. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) Students from anti-discrimination movements attack an Awami League supporter in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahmud Hossain Opu) A young girl holds a "Black Voters for Harris-Walz" sign outside of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris' election night watch party at Howard University, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Terrance Williams) A man looks from a damaged building a day after it was hit by a rocket fired from Lebanon, in Ramat Gan, central Israel, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty) Visitors walk through the 'Cathedral' on the Christmas light trail as it returns for its12th year with a showcase of new installations set within the UNESCO World Heritage Site landscape of Kew Gardens in London, England, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) Venezuelan migrant Alvaro Calderini carries his niece across a river near Bajo Chiquito, Panama, after walking across the Darien Gap from Colombia on their way north to the United States, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) An aerial view shows a packed parking lot at Citadel Outlets in Commerce, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024, as early Black Friday shoppers arrive at the mall. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) Israeli soldiers holding their weapons bathe with residents in a hot water pool coming from a drilling project which exposed a subterranean hydrothermal spring near Mount Bental in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, on the first day of the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) Voters stand in line outside a polling place at Madison Church, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Phoenix, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York) Molten lava flows on the road to the Blue Lagoon, Grindavik, after the volcanic eruption that started Wednesday, on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco di Marco) Firefighters and sheriff's deputies push a vintage car away from a burning home as the Mountain Fire burns in Camarillo, Calif., on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Noah Berger) Supporters of the Frente Amplio (Broad Front) celebrate the victory of candidate Yamandú Orsi in the presidential run-off election in Montevideo, Uruguay, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) People gather at the site where former Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was killed by Israeli airstrikes late September during a memorial ceremony in Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla) Katia, 11, with her grandmother and mother sit in an armored minivan during en evacuation by the "White Angels" police unit in Kurakhove, Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Nov. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Anton Shtuka) People clean mud from a house affected by floods, in Algemesi, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez) Cattle stand on a heap of textile waste at the Old Fadama settlement of Accra, Ghana, Oct. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu) Family members accompany the coffin that contain the remains of Mexican actress Silvia Pinal, during a memorial service at the Palacio de Bellas Artes, in Mexico City, Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. Pinal, an actress from Mexico's Golden Age of cinema in the 1940s and 50s, died Thursday. She was 93. (AP Photo/Aurea Del Rosario) A family arrive to cross into Lebanon through the Jousieh border crossing, between Syria and Lebanon, Nov. 28, 2024, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki) Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.

Now more than two weeks out for his ankle injury, Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Alex Highsmith said he’s “feeling much better” and did not rule out a return to game action at the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. During his weekly news conference Tuesday, coach Mike Tomlin said Highsmith was “leaning in on a return.” “We’ll let his participation and the quality of that participation be our guide in terms of whether he gets back in or what degree he gets back in,” Tomlin said. Highsmith suffered a sprain to the “lower” part of his left ankle late during the Nov. 10 win at the Washington Commanders. He has missed two games and not practiced since . The Steelers held a light practice Tuesday. Highsmith did not confirm he participated, but he did say he felt better “running around” Tuesday than he did last week before the Steelers’ mini-bye. “I really have been attacking rehab every single day,” Highsmith said. “I’ve been here doing extra, doing as much as I can just trying to get back Less than a week prior to Highsmith’s injury, the Steelers acquired veteran edge defender Preston Smith. Nick Herbig made a return from a hamstring injury in the interim, and those two have filled Highsmith’s shoes opposite star T.J. Watt on the edge of the Steelers defense. “Progressing every day, that’s my goal,” Highsmith said. “I am aiming to try to get back out there. I’ve got to be confident that I can play on (the ankle).” Trice, Adams on way back? A pair of defensive players who remain on the injured reserve list are respectively “working their way back to us,” Tomlin said. Cornerback Cory Trice is coming up on two weeks since he returned to practice since he suffered a hamstring injury in September. Defensive tackle Montravius Adams has been on IR since Oct. 22 because of a knee injury, and Tomlin hinted that Adams could be cleared to practice this week. “We’ll leave the door open for those guys,” Tomlin said. Once a player on IR returns to practice he has a 21-day window in which his team must activate him if he is to return to game action this season.Greg Gumbel dies at 78: Sports world reacts to death of CBS Sports broadcaster, voice of Selection Sunday | Sporting News

Older siblings everywhere could appreciate John Harbaugh's refusal to concede an inch against his younger brother Jim. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * Older siblings everywhere could appreciate John Harbaugh's refusal to concede an inch against his younger brother Jim. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? Older siblings everywhere could appreciate John Harbaugh’s refusal to concede an inch against his younger brother Jim. Even when his Baltimore Ravens faced fourth down at their 16-yard line in the second quarter, John wasn’t giving up the ball without a fight. The Ravens converted that fourth down and two others on their way to a 30-23 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night, giving their coach a third victory in three matchups against his brother. It was the first time they’d faced off since Baltimore beat San Francisco — then coached by Jim Harbaugh — in the Super Bowl at the end of the 2012 season. “We grew up in the same room and have always lived our life side by side, but that’s not what the game is about,” John Harbaugh said. “The game really is about the players, and the players are always going to win the game or lose the game or whatever.” On this night, it was Baltimore’s players who shined. Specifically Derrick Henry, who rushed for 140 yards. Lamar Jackson threw a couple of touchdown passes, and the defense was solid, allowing touchdowns on the first and last Los Angeles drives but not much in between. “I’m proud of our guys,” John Harbaugh said. “I’m proud of the way they came out and responded after the first 10 points — we were down 10-0, and our guys stepped up.” After converting fourth-and-1 at their 16 late in the second quarter, the Ravens scored on a 40-yard pass from Jackson to Rashod Bateman, taking the lead for good at 14-10. Baltimore’s other two fourth-and-1 conversions came on a 14-play touchdown drive that spanned the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth. “We’re just confident that we’ll end up converting on those fourth downs, and we did a great job blocking,” said Henry, who converted the last two of the fourth downs. “All we had to do was make a play, and we did.” What’s working The Ravens got back to their identity a bit, rushing for 212 yards. And it wasn’t just Henry and Jackson contributing. Justice Hill broke free for a 51-yard touchdown that made it 30-16 in the fourth. “Nobody wants to stand in front of (Derrick Henry) every single play, every single run,” Hill said. “You can do it one time, two times, three times, but when you have to do it 20 to 25 times, it starts to wear down. I’m glad we stuck with the run game this game, and it played out for us.” What needs help There were still too many penalties, with the Ravens flagged nine times for 102 yards. Baltimore played a pretty clean game until the fourth quarter, so several of those flags came after the Ravens had the game reasonably under control, but this is still an area of concern. Stock up With star linebacker Roquan Smith out because of a hamstring injury, Malik Harrison led the Ravens with a dozen tackles. “It’s a lot of people that doubted me coming into this game, so I’m happy I was able to ball out and show them that I can be in this league, and I can play at a high level,” Harrison said. Stock down There was a time when Isaiah Likely seemed as if he might be supplanting Mark Andrews as Baltimore’s top tight end threat, but Likely went without a catch Monday. He did, however, recover the onside kick that effectively ended the game. Injuries Although Smith was out, DT Travis Jones (ankle) and C Tyler Linderbaum (back) were able to start. Key number Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Jackson has now thrown 22 touchdown passes with no interceptions on Monday nights, with a passer rating of 124.3. Next steps The Ravens have one more game before their open date, and it’s a showdown this weekend against a Philadelphia team that has won seven in a row. Saquon Barkley (1,392) of the Eagles and Henry (1,325) have both surpassed 1,300 yards rushing already. Nobody else in the NFL has more than 1,000. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Advertisement AdvertisementRavens’ running game was crucial in a big win over the Chargers, especially on 4th down

FREMONT, Calif., Dec. 10, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ACM Research, Inc. (“ACM”) (NASDAQ: ACMR), a leading supplier of wafer processing solutions for semiconductor and advanced packaging applications, today announced the qualification of its Ultra Fn A Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition (PEALD) Furnace tool. The tool has achieved process qualification at a mainland China semiconductor customer, and is now entering mass production. ACM also announced that its Ultra Fn A Thermal Atomic Layer Deposition (Thermal ALD) Furnace tool, introduced in 2022, has successfully completed process qualification with another leading mainland China customer, demonstrating performance parameters that it believes match or exceed competitive tools. “Modern integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing increasingly relies on the deposition of ultra-thin films with excellent step coverage and high quality,” said Dr. David Wang, ACM’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Addressing the complexity of depositing materials such as silicon carbon nitride, silicon nitride films, and low-k film requires true innovation, and ACM’s R&D team has delivered with its ALD platforms and processes. We believe ACM’s proprietary design is differentiated from other suppliers and enables us to address challenges faced in advanced 3D structure manufacturing.” Both the Thermal ALD and PEALD configurations of ACM’s Ultra Fn A Furnace ALD products can perform various film deposition tasks such as hard mask, barrier, spacer, and sidewall protection layers, supporting a range of requirements of target process applications. Both configurations feature a six-unit system capable of batch processing up to one-hundred 300mm wafers. The tools also include four loadport systems with oxygen concentration control in the loading area, an Integrated Gas Supply system (IGS), and in-situ dry cleaning, all designed to meet SEMI standards. Ultra Fn A PEALD Tool ACM’s Ultra Fn A PEALD tool is designed for the deposition of ultra-thin silicon nitride (SiN) films. It features a double-layer tube with airflow balancing technology, which significantly improves both wafer-in-wafer (WIW) and wafer-to-wafer (WTW) uniformity. Using plasma-enhanced technology, the tool effectively reduces the device's thermal budget. Furthermore, the critical dimensions and pattern profiles of devices can be precisely controlled by fine-tuning the precursors storage and release amount to reaction tube. Ultra Fn A Thermal ALD Tool ACM’s Ultra Fn A Thermal ALD Tool has been qualified for the deposition of silicon carbon nitride (SiCN) films. It enables ultra-thin, void-free film deposition with precise control over film thickness, achieving atomic-level deposition accuracy. The tool also ensures precise carbon doping, enhancing film hardness and improving corrosion resistance. Additionally, it includes an in-situ dry cleaning step to maintain particle stability, even when the film reaches low accumulated thickness. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements contained in this press release are not historical facts and may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “plans,” “expects,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “designed,” and similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on ACM management’s current expectations and beliefs and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and that could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated or implied by the forward-looking statements. A description of certain of these risks, uncertainties and other matters can be found in filings ACM makes with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, all of which are available at www.sec.gov. Because forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, actual results and events may differ materially from results and events currently expected by ACM. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. ACM undertakes no obligation to publicly update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof or to reflect any change in its expectations with regard to these forward-looking statements or the occurrence of unanticipated events. About ACM Research, Inc. ACM develops, manufactures and sells semiconductor process equipment for single-wafer or batch wet cleaning, electroplating, stress-free polishing, vertical furnace processes, Track and PECVD, which are critical to advanced semiconductor device manufacturing and packaging. ACM is committed to delivering customized, high-performance, cost-effective process solutions that semiconductor manufacturers can use in numerous manufacturing steps to improve productivity and product yield. For more information, visit www.acmr.com . © ACM Research, Inc. ULTRA Fn and the ACM Research logo are trademarks of ACM Research, Inc. For convenience, these trademarks appear in this press release without TM symbols, but that practice does not mean ACM will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, its rights to such trademarks. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s recent dinner with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in policy and diplomacy. They were also prime trolling opportunities for Trump. Throughout his first term in the White House and during his campaign to return, Trump has spun out countless provocative, antagonizing and mocking statements. There were his belittling nicknames for political opponents, his impressions of other political figures and the plentiful memes he shared on social media. Now that's he's preparing to return to the Oval Office, Trump is back at it, and his trolling is attracting more attention — and eyerolls. On Sunday, Trump turned a photo of himself seated near a smiling first lady Jill Biden at the Notre Dame ceremony into a social media promo for his new perfume and cologne line, with the tag line, “A fragrance your enemies can’t resist!” The first lady’s office declined to comment. When Trudeau hastily flew to Florida to meet with Trump last month over the president-elect's threat to impose a 25% tax on all Canadian products entering the U.S., the Republican tossed out the idea that Canada become the 51st U.S. state. The Canadians passed off the comment as a joke, but Trump has continued to play up the dig, including in a post Tuesday morning on his social media network referring to the prime minister as “Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada.” After decades as an entertainer and tabloid fixture, Trump has a flair for the provocative that is aimed at attracting attention and, in his most recent incarnation as a politician, mobilizing fans. He has long relished poking at his opponents, both to demean and minimize them and to delight supporters who share his irreverent comments and posts widely online and cheer for them in person. Trump, to the joy of his fans, first publicly needled Canada on his social media network a week ago when he posted an AI-generated image that showed him standing on a mountain with a Canadian flag next to him and the caption “Oh Canada!” After his latest post, Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Tuesday: “It sounds like we’re living in a episode of South Park." Trudeau said earlier this week that when it comes to Trump, “his approach will often be to challenge people, to destabilize a negotiating partner, to offer uncertainty and even sometimes a bit of chaos into the well established hallways of democracies and institutions and one of the most important things for us to do is not to freak out, not to panic.” Even Thanksgiving dinner isn't a trolling-free zone for Trump's adversaries. On Thanksgiving Day, Trump posted a movie clip from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” with President Joe Biden and other Democrats’ faces superimposed on the characters in a spoof of the turkey-carving scene. The video shows Trump appearing to explode out of the turkey in a swirl of purple sparks, with the former president stiffly dancing to one of his favorite songs, Village People’s “Y.M.C.A." In his most recent presidential campaign, Trump mocked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, refusing to call his GOP primary opponent by his real name and instead dubbing him “Ron DeSanctimonious.” He added, for good measure, in a post on his Truth Social network: “I will never call Ron DeSanctimonious ‘Meatball’ Ron, as the Fake News is insisting I will.” As he campaigned against Biden, Trump taunted him in online posts and with comments and impressions at his rallies, deriding the president over his intellect, his walk, his golf game and even his beach body. After Vice President Kamala Harris took over Biden's spot as the Democratic nominee, Trump repeatedly suggested she never worked at McDonalds while in college. Trump, true to form, turned his mocking into a spectacle by appearing at a Pennsylvania McDonalds in October, when he manned the fries station and held an impromptu news conference from the restaurant drive-thru. Trump’s team thinks people should get a sense of humor. “President Trump is a master at messaging and he’s always relatable to the average person, whereas many media members take themselves too seriously and have no concept of anything else other than suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome,” said Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director. “President Trump will Make America Great Again and we are getting back to a sense of optimism after a tumultuous four years.” Though both the Biden and Harris campaigns created and shared memes and launched other stunts to respond to Trump's taunts, so far America’s neighbors to the north are not taking the bait. “I don’t think we should necessarily look on Truth Social for public policy,” Miller said. Gerald Butts, a former top adviser to Trudeau and a close friend, said Trump brought up the 51st state line to Trudeau repeatedly during Trump’s first term in office. “Oh God,” Butts said Tuesday, “At least a half dozen times.” “This is who he is and what he does. He’s trying to destabilize everybody and make people anxious,” Butts said. “He’s trying to get people on the defensive and anxious and therefore willing to do things they wouldn’t otherwise entertain if they had their wits about them. I don’t know why anybody is surprised by it.” Gillies reported from Toronto. Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.12 Health Care Stocks Moving In Tuesday's Pre-Market Session

Vardy helps Van Nistelrooy to first win with Leicester as Guehi defies the FA with religious message

Sign up for The Brief , The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. As leaders of the East Central Independent School District regroup from the failure of several big revenue-generating proposals on the Nov. 5 ballot, they now join a long list of Texas districts that face fewer and fewer options to support rapidly growing student growth. Across Texas, voters rejected 20 of 35 school district bond propositions put forward by 19 school districts this November — underscoring a broad skepticism about public school funding and echoing the increasing influence of state-level politics on local education decisions. It’s a befuddling problem to East Central ISD leaders, who face explosive enrollment growth, infrastructure needs and other funding woes — exacerbated in part by the Texas Legislature’s withholding of additional resources last year. The district’s enrollment, now at 11,501 students, is projected to grow to 13,215 by next year and nearly double to 25,617 within a decade. But in Texas, schools are limited in the amount of money they can collect on a local basis, with excess funds from high property values or property growth being “recaptured” by the state. If districts need more money, they have to seek voter approval to get it. East Central leaders warned before the Nov. 5 election if voters didn’t approve extra funds, they wouldn’t be able to compete with other districts in terms of teacher salaries, and that facility repairs would continue to become more expensive. Despite that urgency, voters rejected all three bond propositions and a proposed five-cent property tax rate increase , causing the district’s projected $2.4 million budget shortfall to balloon to roughly $9 million in the coming years, according to the district’s administration. “We didn’t get the result we hoped for, but we look forward to reengaging with our Facilities Committee and gathering additional feedback from the broader community,” East Central ISD Superintendent Roland Toscano said in the aftermath of the defeat. In the meantime, the district’s growth has created urgent demands for new schools and infrastructure repairs, compounded by a teacher shortage and inflationary pressures, according to district officials. With construction costs projected to rise by 10-15% annually, the district risks further financial strain if critical projects are delayed. East Central’s funding quagmire — which is playing out across the state in growing districts — highlights mounting tensions over public school funding, local control and Texas’ evolving political landscape. So what comes next? And what could this mean for education in a state with more than 5.5 million public school students ? A tougher landscape East Central leaders entered the November election clear-eyed about the challenge of getting voters on board with revenue increases. A bond proposal focused on school buildings had already failed in 2021, while a different proposal was approved the following year. Leading up to this election, Brandon Oliver, a district spokesperson, engaged with voters on Facebook leading up to the election, sharing information about the expanding district enrollment and the limited funding allotted to the district by the state, regardless of how much property growth occurred in the region. But unlike in 2022, voters weren’t convinced. Public comments on East Central ISD’s social media accounts shared concerns about the increased taxes and subpar academic outcomes as reasons they were skeptical of the bond requests. “Our kids deserve better, but will ECISD provide that?” one user identified as Cassandra Hernandez wrote in response to the election results. “I remember when I was going there. It was one of the top schools. Now it’s considered garbage, and I feel bad that my kids have to go there. I don’t think any amount of money can make ECISD better.” In response, East Central ISD has pledged to refine its proposals and engage more deeply with the community to build consensus on future initiatives. Toscano emphasized that addressing overcrowding, safety concerns and teacher retention requires urgent action. But as state politics increasingly shape the financial realities of local districts, the path forward remains fraught. Closing off other revenue streams The November election came as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has been on a mission to allow parents of private school students to take their taxpayer dollars away from public schools and use it to subsidize their tuition, books or other education expenses. Last session, that effort included withholding funding that lawmakers had approved for public schools as a means to bring them on board with his school voucher plan. The effort failed, and public schools entered the school year without money for teacher raises, mandatory school safety initiatives and other expenses. A similar deal is on the table when state lawmakers return to work in January. At the same time, buoyed by a 2023 legislative session that delivered $18 billion in property tax cuts, Abbott has signaled his intention to further curtail local taxing authorities. Speaking at a campaign event in San Antonio just days before the Nov. 5 election, Abbott said he was already working to line up support for such a plan, though he presented few details, and his office did not respond to a request for more information. “School districts, that’s where your property tax bill largely comes from,” Abbott said. “... Walking into this next session we’re going to have at least a $20 billion budget surplus. I want to work with these legislators ... and make sure we pass another huge property tax cut.” “In addition to passing that property tax cut, we’re going to do this year what we did not do last year,” he continued. “We’ve got to close the loophole that allows these taxing entities to be able to go back behind our back and raise those property taxes.” For school districts like East Central, this rhetoric — and the legislative changes it may bring — poses a possible threat to their ability to fund critical projects through bonds or tax rate increases. They’re also cut out of the benefits of local economic development efforts, because the legislature caps what they can collect from the growth in property value. At a recent meeting of the Bexar County Commissioners Court, Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai lamented the fact that a county-incentivized housing development would be a boon to the hospital district and the river authority — but less so to the schools that could use that money. “Although we increase the value [of the property]... more revenue does not automatically go dollar-for-dollar for the school district,” Sakai said. “That’s problematic because school districts don’t get the benefit that the other taxing entities get.” Public education under siege? Abbott, for his part, has insisted that public schools will get their funding next session. But skeptics of his plan see these developments as part of a broader campaign to undermine Texas public schools, which have increasingly found themselves in crosshairs of the state’s culture wars . Public school advocates, including a contingent of rural Republicans, have argued for years that allowing taxpayer money to fund private school education could siphon critical funding from public schools, limiting districts’ ability to serve growing student populations. State House Rep. Steve Allison , R-Alamo Heights, who lost his seat for voting against Abbott’s private school voucher plan, said the governor’s promises are clouded by special interests funding the school choice movement who don’t want to see public schools succeed. “You can’t escape the fact that some of the extreme interests in the voucher program, their ultimate goal is to get rid of the public education system,” he said while campaigning for the Democrat running to fill his seat, who ultimately lost to a supporter of school vouchers . At a different campaign event in San Antonio this month, Democrat Wendy Davis, who represented Fort Worth in the Texas Senate and ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2014, described her personal evolution on the matter like this: “When I first started ... I believed that we were having honest disagreements with Republicans about the way that [school funding cuts] should go,” said Davis, who served on the Senate’s Education Committee. “Someone said to me, ‘You know, they are trying to dismantle public education,’ and I thought, ‘Oh, my God, that’s so cynical,'” said Davis, who served on the Senate’s Education Committee. “But I’m telling you, I believe it. I believe it in my core right now.” Disclosure: Facebook has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here .It was a fine first win for Ruud van Nistelrooy , and perhaps one final defeat for Julen Lopetegui. Leicester marked Van Nistelrooy’s first match in charge of the team by surging to a 3-1 win over Lopetegui's West Ham in the Premier League on Tuesday. Van Nistelrooy, the former Manchester United striker, is back in English soccer this time as a manager, with Leicester taking something of a gamble on the Dutchman after his brief and impressive spell as interim coach at United this season following Erik ten Hag's departure. He faces the tough task of keeping Leicester, one of the top candidates for relegation, in the top division. For that to happen, he’s likely to need goals from Jamie Vardy — and the 37-year-old former England international delivered immediately. Nine years after breaking Van Nistelrooy’s record for scoring in consecutive games, Vardy scored the first goal of the Dutchman’s tenure at Leicester by beating the offside trap and slotting home a finish with less than two minutes gone. Morocco midfielder Bilal El Khannouss supplied the pass for Vardy’s goal and scored himself with a low shot in the 61st minute to make it 2-0. Patson Daka added a third for Leicester in the 90th minute, before a stoppage-time consolation by West Ham substitute Niclas Füllkrug. “We are very happy with the new manager," El Khannouss said of Van Nistelrooy. “He arrived two days ago, and there’s a new dynamic in the group.” Van Nistelrooy praised the “spirit and energy” in his team. “The foundation for us going forward is everyone working their socks off, fighting for every inch and defending together,” he said. “We can look further then, and they did that in an unbelievable way.” This dismal result for West Ham came three days after its 5-2 thrashing at home by Arsenal , which piled more pressure of Lopetegui early in the former Spain and Real Madrid coach's first season with the London club. West Ham's disgruntled traveling fans chanted "You’re getting sacked in the morning” toward Lopetegui during the second half — even if his team dominated large parts of the game but only had one goal to show from 31 shots on goal. “We're very frustrated but in the same way I can say nothing about the players — they fight until the end,” Lopetegui said. "It’s not easy to explain football some days.” West Ham has lost seven of its 14 games so far and is in 14th place in the 20-team league, one spot above Leicester. Crystal Palace won for just the second time in the league this season, beating relegation rival Ipswich 1-0 to pull clear of the bottom three. Jean-Philippe Mateta scored the goal in the 59th minute. Palace’s only other league victory was against Tottenham in October. While Ipswich stayed in next-to-last place, Palace moved three points above the relegation zone. Much of the focus ahead of the game was on the teams’ captains , Sam Morsy of Ipswich and Marc Guehi of Palace, during another round when the Premier League was celebrating LGBTQ+ inclusion in its campaign to promote equality and diversity. For the second straight game, Morsy chose against wearing a rainbow armband issued to the captain of each of the 20 teams in the league. He has made the decision “due to his religious beliefs,” Ipswich says. Guehi did wear the rainbow armband but defied Football Association rules by writing a religious message on the item. The message read “Jesus loves you” — using a heart sign instead of the word “loves.” During the match against Newcastle on Saturday, Guehi wrote “I love Jesus” — and was later contacted by the FA for acting in contravention of its regulations. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Dec. 10, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — today announced that the Company has secured a membership position within the Alberta, Canada-based ’s “ (the “Working Group”), a collection of , private, and non-profit sector stakeholders that are seeking to stem the proliferation of orphaned and marginal oil and gas wells throughout the province. Zefiro first acknowledged the Company’s involvement in the Working Group while appearing alongside Government of Alberta Assistant Deputy Minister for Air, Climate, and Clean Technology Patrick McDonald as a presenter and panelist at the ’s (“IETA”) event at the (“COP29”) in Baku, Azerbaijan. As part of Zefiro’s efforts within the Working Group, Dr. Debs and will lend their expertise and determine how the company can help promote the acceleration of abandoned oil and gas well remediation and marginal well management projects throughout Alberta. Specifically, Zefiro’s to forge that is partly funded by a diverse, will be an integral part of the high-level discussions regarding confronting the estimated that can leak methane gas. Methane gas is capable of being to as carbon dioxide emissions in terms of trapping heat in the atmosphere. Zefiro Founder and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Talal Debs commented, “From site identification to gas leak testing to permanent well plugging projects, the demand for our unique suite of methane abatement services continues to increase in key markets across North America. Our investment in forging a dedicated team of experts has provided us with decades’ worth of institutional knowledge across the entire Zefiro operation, and I look forward to collaborating with our colleagues in the Working Group to bolster ambitious new initiatives that can help more communities throughout Alberta address this legacy issue.” Zefiro’s contribution to the Working Group is the latest in a series of high-profile appearances, speaking engagements, and trade association memberships that have bolstered the Company’s position as a methane abatement sector thought leader. These opportunities and initiatives have ranged from Dr. Debs serving as a featured speaker at the UN COP29 ‘Sustainable Innovation Forum’, to members of Zefiro’s senior leadership team hosting an event and participating in a number of sanctioned panel discussions at , to the , to addressing attendees of the . Zefiro is an environmental services company, specializing in methane abatement. Zefiro strives to be a key commercial force towards Active Sustainability. Leveraging decades of operational expertise, Zefiro is building a new toolkit to clean up air, land, and water sources directly impacted by methane leaks. The Company has built a fully integrated ground operation driven by an innovative monetization solution for the emerging methane abatement marketplace. As an originator of high-quality U.S.-based methane offsets, Zefiro aims to generate long-term economic, environmental, and social returns. On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Company, “Talal Debs” Talal Debs, Founder & CEO Zefiro Investor Relations 1 (800) 274-ZEFI (274-9334) Rich Myers – Profile Advisors (New York) +1 (347) 774-1125 This news release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as “seeks”, “believes”, “plans”, “expects”, “intends”, “estimates”, “anticipates” and statements that an event or result “may”, “will”, “should”, “could” or “might” occur or be achieved and other similar expressions. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information including statements regarding: the Company’s intention to reduce emissions from end-of-life oil and gas wells and eliminate methane gas; the Company’s partnerships with industry operators, state agencies, and federal governments; the Company’s expectations for continued increases in revenues and EBITDA growth as a result of these partnerships; the Company’s intentions to build out its presence in the United States; the anticipated federal funding for orphaned well site plugging, remediation and restoring activities; the Company’s expectations to become a growing environmental services company; the Company’s ability to provide institutional and retail investors alike with the opportunity to join the Active Sustainability movement; the Company’s ability to generate long-term economic, environmental, and social returns; and other statements regarding the Company’s business and the industry in which the Company operates. The forward-looking information reflects management’s current expectations based on information currently available and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause outcomes to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed timeframes or at all. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: (i) adverse general market and economic conditions; (ii) changes to and price and volume volatility in the carbon market; (iii) changes to the regulatory landscape and global policies applicable to the Company’s business; (iv) failure to obtain all necessary regulatory approvals; and (v) other risk factors set forth in its Prospectus dated April 8, 2024 under the heading “Risk Factors”. The Company operates in a rapidly evolving environment where technologies are in the early stage of adoption. New risk factors emerge from time to time, and it is impossible for the Company’s management to predict all risk factors, nor can the Company assess the impact of all factors on Company’s business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking information. Forward-looking information in this news release is based on the opinions and assumptions of management considered reasonable as of the date hereof, including, but not limited to, the assumption that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information. The forward-looking information included in this news release is made as of the date of this news release and the Company expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Disclosures relating to investor relations firms retained by Zefiro Methane Corp. can be found under the Company’s profile on SEDAR+ at . A photo accompanying this announcement is available at

A ceasefire deal that could end more than a year of cross-border fighting between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah militant group won backing from Israeli leaders Tuesday, raising hopes and renewing difficult questions in a region gripped by conflict. Hezbollah leaders also signaled tentative backing for the U.S.-brokered deal, which offers both sides an off-ramp from hostilities that have driven more than 1.2 million Lebanese and 50,000 Israelis from their homes. An intense bombing campaign by Israel has killed more than 3,700 people, many of them civilians, Lebanese officials say. But while the deal, set to take effect early Wednesday, could significantly calm the tensions that have inflamed the region, it does little directly to resolve the much deadlier war that has raged in Gaza since the Hamas attack on southern Israel in October 2023 that killed 1,200 people. Hezbollah, which began firing scores of rockets into Israel the following day in support of Hamas, has previously said it would keep fighting until there was a stop to the fighting in Gaza. Here’s what to know about the tentative ceasefire agreement and its potential implications: The agreement reportedly calls for a 60-day halt in fighting that would see Israeli troops retreat to their side of the border while requiring Hezbollah to end its armed presence in a broad swath of southern Lebanon. President Joe Biden said Tuesday that the deal is set to take effect at 4 a.m. local time on Wednesday (9 p.m. EST Tuesday). Under the deal, thousands of Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers are to deploy to the region south of the Litani River. An international panel lead by the U.S. would monitor compliance by all sides. Biden said the deal “was designed to be a permanent cessation of hostilities.” Israel has demanded the right to act should Hezbollah violate its obligations. Lebanese officials have rejected writing that into the proposal. Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz insisted Tuesday that the military would strike Hezbollah if the U.N. peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL , does not provide “effective enforcement” of the deal. A Hezbollah leader said the group's support for the deal hinged on clarity that Israel would not renew its attacks. “After reviewing the agreement signed by the enemy government, we will see if there is a match between what we stated and what was agreed upon by the Lebanese officials,” Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of Hezbollah’s political council, told the Qatari satellite news network Al Jazeera. “We want an end to the aggression, of course, but not at the expense of the sovereignty of the state” of Lebanon, he said. The European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said Tuesday that Israel’s security concerns had been addressed in the deal also brokered by France. After months of cross-border bombings, Israel can claim major victories, including the killing of Hezbollah’s top leader, Hassan Nasrallah, most of his senior commanders and the destruction of extensive militant infrastructure. A complex attack in September involving the explosion of hundreds of walkie-talkies and pagers used by Hezbollah was widely attributed to Israel, signaling a remarkable penetration of the militant group. The damage inflicted on Hezbollah has come not only in its ranks, but to the reputation it built by fighting Israel to a stalemate in the 2006 war. Still, its fighters managed to put up heavy resistance on the ground, slowing Israel’s advance while continuing to fire scores of rockets, missiles and drones across the border each day. The ceasefire offers relief to both sides, giving Israel’s overstretched army a break and allowing Hezbollah leaders to tout the group’s effectiveness in holding their ground despite Israel’s massive advantage in weaponry. But the group is likely to face a reckoning, with many Lebanese accusing it of tying their country’s fate to Gaza’s at the service of key ally Iran, inflicting great damage on a Lebanese economy that was already in grave condition. Until now, Hezbollah has insisted that it would only halt its attacks on Israel when it agreed to stop fighting in Gaza. Some in the region are likely to view a deal between the Lebanon-based group and Israel as a capitulation. In Gaza, where officials say the war has killed more than 44,000 Palestinians, Israel’s attacks have inflicted a heavy toll on Hamas, including the killing of the group’s top leaders. But Hamas fighters continue to hold scores of Israeli hostages, giving the militant group a bargaining chip if indirect ceasefire negotiations resume. Hamas is likely to continue to demand a lasting truce and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in any such deal. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas offered a pointed reminder Tuesday of the intractability of the war, demanding urgent international intervention. “The only way to halt the dangerous escalation we are witnessing in the region, and maintain regional and international stability, security and peace, is to resolve the question of Palestine,” he said in a speech to the U.N. read by his ambassador.The Prime Minister has welcomed a ceasefire in Lebanon and urged for the agreement to evolve into a "lasting political solution" for the ongoing turmoil. Announced Tuesday evening, the pact stipulates a 60-day cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-supported militants, requiring a pullout from southern Lebanon. The truce, orchestrated by the United States and France, aims to definitively halt the fighting, as highlighted by US President Joe Biden. However, Israeli officials have made it clear that military action on Lebanon would recommence should Hezbollah violate the ceasefire conditions. This arrangement does not extend to the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Sir Keir Starmer heralded the ceasefire as "long overdue", recognising its potential to bring solace to civilians in both Lebanon and northern Israel who have been tormented by the recent dreadful warfare. He added: “Now, this deal must be turned into a lasting political solution in Lebanon, based on Security Council Resolution 1701, that will allow civilians to return permanently to their homes and for communities on both sides of the border to rebuild." Anticipating an active role for Britain and its allies, Sir Keir stressed their commitment to disrupting the enduring cycle of violence and fostering durable serenity in the Middle East. "We must see immediate progress towards a ceasefire deal in Gaza, the release of all hostages and the removal of restrictions on desperately needed humanitarian aid," he said. The ceasefire deal announcement followed a day of intense Israeli air strikes on Beirut, which local authorities report claimed at least 24 lives. At the same time Hezbollah continued its rocket attacks into northern Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has recommended the ceasefire to his cabinet, arguing that it would isolate Hamas in Gaza and allow Israel to concentrate on Iran, widely recognised as a supporter of both Hamas and Hezbollah — factions that have launched hostilities against Israel recently. As humanitarian organisations express their approval of the ceasefire, they insist on its permanence and an expansion that includes Gaza. Amelia Whitworth, head of policy, campaigns and youth at Plan International UK, stated: "It is essential that all parties respect this ceasefire so that vital humanitarian aid can be delivered to the children and families that desperately need it."HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is underscoring his intention to block the purchase of U.S. Steel by Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel Corp. , and he's pledging to use tax incentives and tariffs to strengthen the iconic American steelmaker. Trump had vowed early in the presidential campaign that he would “instantaneously” block the deal, and he reiterated that sentiment in a post on his Truth Social platform on Monday night. “I am totally against the once great and powerful U.S. Steel being bought by a foreign company” and will use tax incentives and tariffs to make U.S. Steel “Strong and Great Again, and it will happen FAST!” he wrote. “As President," he continued, "I will block this deal from happening. Buyer Beware!!!” President Joe Biden , like Trump, also opposes Nippon Steel's purchase of Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel. Biden’s White House in September said that it had yet to see a report from the secretive Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States , which was reviewing the transaction for national security concerns. The committee, which is chaired by the treasury secretary and includes other Cabinet members, can recommend that the president block a transaction, and federal law gives the president that power. Ahead of the November election, the proposed merger carried political importance in Pennsylvania, a critical swing state that Trump eventually won. Biden publicly sided with the United Steelworkers, the labor union, in seeking to reject the deal. When he announced his opposition in a March statement, Biden said: “U.S. Steel has been an iconic American steel company for more than a century, and it is vital for it to remain an American steel company that is domestically owned and operated.” Nippon Steel has said it is the only company that can make the necessary investment in U.S. Steel's factories and strengthen the American steel industry. Both Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel on Tuesday released statements in support of the acquisition. "This transaction should be approved on its merits. The benefits are overwhelmingly clear. Our communities, customers, investors, and employees strongly support this transaction, and we will continue to advocate for them and adherence to the rule of law," U.S. Steel said. The deal follows a long stretch of protectionist U.S. tariffs that analysts say has helped reinvigorate domestic steel, including U.S. Steel. U.S. Steel's shareholders have approved the deal, but the United Steelworkers oppose it. In a statement Tuesday, the union said the deal carries “serious long-term implications for U.S. economic and national security.” “It’s clear that President Trump understands the vital role a strong domestic steel industry plays in our national security, as well as the importance of the jobs and communities the industry supports," the union said. The deal has drawn bipartisan opposition in the U.S. Senate, including from the incoming vice president, Republican Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, although the federal government's objections to the deal have drawn criticism that the opposition is political. Some U.S. Steel workers would prefer Nippon Steel acquire the company, given that it appears to have a better financial balance sheet than another potential buyer, Cleveland-Cliffs. U.S. Steel “provided a very, very good life for our families for a lot of years,” said Jack Maskil, a vice president at the Steelworkers local branch in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania. “And we feel that with the Nippon deal that a lot more families for futures to come will be able to share the same.” West Mifflin Mayor Chris Kelly said he met with Nippon Steel executives and found himself satisfied by their commitments. Located southeast of Pittsburgh, West Mifflin is home to U.S. Steel's Mon Valley Works–Irvin Plant. “There’s no question in my mind that it’s the best deal moving forward,” Kelly said at a panel hosted on Tuesday by the conservative think tank Hudson Institute, where Maskil was also speaking. The Biden administration committee vetting the merger is scheduled later this month to decide on the acquisition or possibly extend the ongoing review. William Chou, a deputy director at the Hudson Institute specializing in relations with Japan, said that "President-elect Trump's view on the deal are important." But given the upcoming deadline, “It's up to President Biden to recognize how this deal will advance the interests of future generations of U.S. Steel union steelworkers.” Trump’s statement came two weeks after Nippon Steel’s vice chairman, Takahiro Mori, visited Pittsburgh and Washington to meet with lawmakers, local officials and workers in an ongoing persuasion campaign. That campaign has included Nippon Steel's promises to boost its capital commitments beyond the original deal and, more recently, a pledge that it won’t import steel slabs that would compete with U.S. Steel’s blast furnaces. As part of its proposed $14.9 billion purchase of U.S. Steel, Nippon Steel also pledged to invest at least $1.4 billion in USW-represented facilities, not to conduct layoffs or plant closings during the term of the basic labor agreement, and to protect the best interests of U.S. Steel in trade matters. Boak reported from Washington.

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The following is a list of incidents reported to police agencies on Dec. 2; however, the call may have resulted in something other than what was originally reported. BECKLEY POLICE DEPARTMENT 911 hangup: 1800 block Harper Road, South Kanawha Street (Raleigh County Commission on Aging), Bypass Plaza (Staples), Johnstown Road, Stanaford Road (Academy of Careers and Technology), Beckley Avenue Attempt to locate: Johnstown Road Burglar alarm: Robert C. Byrd Drive (Tractor Supply), South Kanawha Street (WVU Tech Robert C. Byrd Learning Resource Center), New River Drive (Busy Bees Daycare) Check welfare: North Eisenhower Drive (Game Stop), Hylton Lane (Best Western Plus), Harper Road (Smart Hotel) Civil matter: Klaus Street, 100 block Hickory Drive, Harper Road (Melton Mortuary), Paint Street, Stanley Street Deceased/found body: Woodlawn Avenue Drug violation in progress: Quarry Street Eloped/walked away: Harper Road (Raleigh General Hospital) Extra patrol: North Eisenhower Drive (Lowe’s) (3), 100 block Appalachian Drive, Ewart Avenue (Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine), Neville Street (Beckley Intermodal Gateway parking garage) (2), 100 block Elkins Street (2), 100 block Maxwell Hill Road, 1900 block Harper Road, Robert C. Byrd Drive (Sheetz) (2), 100 block Temple Street, Prince Street (New River Transit) (2), 200 block Neville Street, 100 block Grey Flats Road, North Eisenhower Drive (Walmart) (2), North Eisenhower Drive (Sam’s Club) (2), 100 block Main Street, 400 block Scott Avenue, 200 block Larew Avenue, 500 block Neville Street, 1400 block North Eisenhower Drive, 200 block Beckley Plaza (2), 200 block Main Street (2), Robert C. Byrd Drive (Dollar General), 200 block Sisson Street, Rails to Trails Follow-up call: East C Street, Allen Avenue, Harper Road (IHOP) Fugitive from justice: Neville Street (Beckley City Police Department) Harassment: Paint Street K9 unit request: New River Drive (Busy Bees Daycare) Larceny: 2nd Street (Creager Tire), South Heber Street (Charles House), Harper Road Magistrate detail: Main Street (Beckley Judicial Annex) Mail run: Neville Street (Beckley City Police Department) Motor vehicle accident in private lot: South Kanawha Street (Beckley Mayor’s Office) Motor vehicle accident with injuries: 3300 block Robert C. Byrd Drive, 1000 block Clarence W. Meadows Memorial Boulevard Motor vehicle accident without fluids/injuries: Robert C. Byrd Drive and 3rd Avenue, Fairview Avenue Noise complaint: 100 block Combs Street Parking complaint: Hull Street, Orchard Avenue Road hazard: Hartley Avenue and Hunter Street Runaway juvenile: East C Street Special assignment: South Kanawha Street (Beckley City Hall) Suspicious person: North Eisenhower Drive (Lowe’s) Threats: Davis Street, Allen Avenue Traffic stop: 100 block Appalachian Drive, Robert C. Byrd Drive (Lidari Floors), Neville Street (DHHR), 700 block South Fayette Street (3), West Virginia Street and Beaver Avenue, Highland Street and Beaver Avenue, South Fayette Street and Beaver Avenue, South Fayette Street (Family Dollar), 1000 block South Fayette Street Unwanted person: Main Street (Executive Manor) Warrant served: Neville Street (Beckley City Police Department) (2) ––– RALEIGH COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE No report provided.Trump’s DEA nominee withdraws from consideration

NoneSupreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is checking off another item on her bucket list: Broadway. Jackson will appear in a one-night performance of the musical comedy “& Juliet” on Saturday, according to an Instagram post from the Broadway show. The role is a walk-on, which does not typically include any lines of dialogue. Jackson will also participate in a special “talkback” after the performance, according to the social media post. RELATED STORY | Could Democrats pressure Justice Sotomayor to step down for replacement? In her recently published memoir, "Lovely One," Jackson wrote about her dreams of becoming the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court and appear on a Broadway stage. Now, it seems that her once-teenage dreams will come true. The show begins at 8 p.m. ET on Dec. 14 at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre in New York City.

Rocket Pharmaceuticals shares slip on proposed $150M public offeringWith the Kings dealing with some injuries, they’re looking to sign some depth on their roster. The Kings are nearing a contract with former Celtics forward Jae Crowder, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania . The Kings are currently 8-10 to start the season as they’re also on a four-game losing streak. So they’re looking for some potential minutes from the 13-year veteran in Crowder. Crowder played for the Bucks last season, playing in 50 games (25 starts). He averaged 6.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in 23.1 minutes per game as he’s been a bench piece for the past several years. The Kings likely aren’t going to need heavy minutes from Crowder, but they can use the depth after a slow start to the season. Crowder will play for his ninth team as long as the deal with the Kings goes through. He has played for the Mavericks, Celtics, Cavaliers, Jazz, Grizzlies, Heat, Suns and Bucks in that order throughout his career. He has played in 803 career games with 434 starts during his NBA career. More Celtics content

SINGAPORE: In November, shocking news broke that the police were investigating teenage students from the Singapore Sports School for generating and circulating deepfake nude photos of their female schoolmates. Later that month, five ministers in Singapore and over 100 public servants across 31 government agencies received extortionary emails , demanding cryptocurrency payment in return for not publishing doctored images of them in compromising positions. These are Singapore’s latest cases of artificial intelligence (AI)-created deepfake sexual content – they will certainly not be the last, not here, not globally. In 2017, a Reddit thread offering fake videos of “Taylor Swift” having sex amassed 90,000 subscribers before being taken down eight weeks later. Last year in a small Spanish town, more than 20 young girls found their AI-generated nude photos circulating, created by teen boys accessing innocent photos off social media. AI may be trumpeted as the next big revolution, but the threat it poses is deeply nefarious. SINGAPORE TAKES ACTION Even before the Sports School incident, authorities in Singapore were girding against this new wave of online assault, with legislation passed or proposed along three prongs. The first is to regulate platforms where online content is accessed. The Broadcasting Act was amended in 2023, allowing the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) to direct social media services – the gatekeepers of our cyber world – to block or remove egregious content within specified timelines and direct them to adhere to an online Code of Practice. Second, crimes in the analogue world but with a digital element can now be more effectively targeted, prevented and prosecuted. The Online Criminal Harms Act passed last year empowers authorities to issue directions to online service providers to restrict Singapore users’ exposure to online criminal content and activity. These include directions to prevent offending content from reaching, and restrict offending accounts from interacting with, persons in Singapore. WHAT THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY IS DOING But these would still not be a complete solution because the proliferation of deepfakes is a borderless problem. The international community needs to build consensus and cooperation on adopting and enforcing appropriate laws – to stem both the creation and spread of such content. Other nations have come at the problem from different angles. Australia has arguably the most developed governmental response to the online scourge, with an e-safety commission that was first established to tackle cyber harm against children. It passed a law on Nov 28 to ban children from social media until their 16th birthdays – the world’s first such legislation. While politically popular, a complete ban will be hard to enforce: It ignores that children today are digital natives. Virtual Private Network (VPN) access is an easy workaround. Bubble-wrapping kids is not the answer to developing resilient and discerning adults. The United Kingdom recently proposed measures to stop harmful deepfakes being created in the first place. For example, developers of AI models can apply filters to remove certain types of data from their training data sets and to prevent output with harmful content. A model can also be trained to reject prompt requests to create malicious or harmful deepfakes. These proposals pose their own challenges, including enforcement against rogue developers. China already has expansive rules requiring that manipulated material bear digital signatures or watermarks – while a potentially useful tool to help users identify AI-generated content, it offers cold comfort where pornographic deepfake content is circulated. BROADER IMPACT OF ONLINE HARMS Disturbingly, studies suggest that online harms are becoming increasingly normalised, with users thinking they are par for the course. In 2023, a survey by local non-profit SG Her Empowerment found that 20 per cent of respondents reported being “unaffected” because online harms were a “normal part of life”, while 66 per cent have taken to self-censorship. Instead of fighting the playground bully, people are staying away from the sandpit, and not understanding the harm being inflicted. If the internet brings with it the promise of equality through education and engagement, we are stumbling in our march of progress because of threats in cyberspace. And this is before we start to count the cost in mental health terms suffered by victims who find deepfake videos of themselves, no matter how speedily removed. From a gender perspective, the story is even bleaker. It is estimated that 95 per cent of deepfake porn is of women. Women are being disproportionately targeted online, potentially setting back progress made in gender equality. LAW ENFORCEMENT CAN ONLY GO SO FAR Law enforcement, by definition, comes in after the offending action – and the harm – has occurred. Enforcement is tough – creators of harmful content may be out of the territorial reach of our authorities and enjoy the anonymity the internet facilitates. Prevention is obviously even more challenging. What can individuals and the community do? First, the big DON’T – never share an offensive post even if it is to denounce it. Every repost is a fresh assault on the victim. Second, as a community we need to signal what are appropriate behaviours. The teenagers who created the deepfake nudes may well consider it a mere lark, without a real appreciation of the enormity of the harm. It is not enough to say “boys will be boys” – that simply avoids accountability. We need to have more conversations and agree, as a community, the boundaries of respectful conduct towards one another. Just as importantly, we need to think about what restorative justice would look like here. What kind of corrective training would be effective for perpetrators? Finally, victims should not be afraid to call out the perpetrator. Where a crime has been committed, report it to the authorities. If you know someone who has been the target, encourage them to take action. Survivors should not feel embarrassed; it is important that they take back control. While it looks like AI is here to stay, the true measure of society's progress is not in technology, but how we treat each other. Let's educate ourselves and act decisively before more victims become statistics in this alarming trend. Stefanie Yuen Thio is Joint Managing Partner and Stephanie Chew is Associate Director at TSMP Law Corporation.