The Herzfeld Caribbean Basin Fund, Inc. Announces Retirement of Thomas J. Herzfeld from the Board of Directors and Named Chairman Emeritus; Names Cecilia Gondor Chairperson; Brigitta Herzfeld Named to the BoardMILAN, Italy (AP) — Atalanta went to the top of Serie A when Ademola Lookman scored with three minutes remaining to beat AC Milan 2-1 on Friday. Atalanta’s ninth win in a row was a fitting gift to coach Gian Piero Gasperini, who was awarded the coach of the month award earlier in the day for guiding his team to a perfect record in November.Corruption case filed against officials, contractors in DHBVN tender scam

Stock Funds Rallied 7.5% in NovemberSyria's Bashar Assad regime was at stake as Syrian anti-regime forces rallied toward the capital Damascus after capturing the key city of Homs on Saturday. Since the groups swept into Aleppo a week ago, regime defenses have crumbled at a dizzying speed as anti-regime fighters seized a string of major cities and rose up in places where the rebellion had long seemed over. The twin threats to strategically vital Homs and the capital Damascus now pose an existential danger to the Assad family's five-decade reign over Syria and the continued influence there of its main regional backer Iran. A Homs resident, and army and opposition sources said the fighters had breached government defenses from the north and east of the city. A commander said they had taken control of an army camp and villages outside the city. State television reported that the insurgents had not penetrated Homs although it said they were on the city outskirts, where it said the military was striking them with artillery and drones. Anti-regime forces have seized almost the entire southwest within 24 hours, and they have advanced to within 30 kilometers (20 miles) of Damascus as government forces fell back, sources said. Underscoring the possibility of an uprising in the capital, protesters took to the streets in several Damascus suburbs, ripping up Assad posters and tearing down a statue of his father, Hafez Assad, uncontested by army or police. Some were joined by soldiers who had changed into civilian clothes and deserted, residents said. However, the state news agency reported that Assad remains in Damascus and the military said it was reinforcing around the capital and south. The pace of events has stunned Arab capitals and raised fears of a new wave of regional instability. Syria's civil war, which erupted in 2011 as an uprising against Assad's rule, dragged in big outside powers and sent millions of refugees into neighboring states. Assad had long relied on allies to subdue the rebels, with bombing by Russian warplanes while Iran sent allied forces including Lebanon's Hezbollah and Iraqi militia to bolster the Syrian military and storm anti-regime strongholds. But Russia has been focused on the war in Ukraine since 2022 and Hezbollah has suffered big losses in its own grueling war with Israel, significantly limiting its ability or that of Iran to bolster Assad. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said the U.S. should not be involved in the conflict and should "let it play out." The foreign ministers of Russia, Iran and Türkiye met Saturday and agreed on the importance of Syria's territorial integrity and restarting a political process. However, there was no indication they agreed on any concrete steps, with the situation inside Syria changing by the hour. Russia has a naval base and airbase in Syria that have not only been important for its support of Assad but also for its ability to project influence in the Mediterranean and Africa. Moscow has been supporting regime forces with intense airstrikes but it was not clear if it could easily step up this campaign. Iran has said it would consider sending forces to Syria but any immediate extra assistance would likely depend on Hezbollah and Iraqi militias. The Lebanese group sent some "supervising forces" to Homs on Friday but any significant deployment would risk exposure to Israeli airstrikes, Western officials said. Iran-backed Iraqi militias are on high alert, with thousands of heavily armed fighters ready to deploy to Syria, many of them amassed near the border. Iraq does not seek military intervention in Syria, a government spokesman said Friday. Britain warned Assad that any chemical weapons use was a red line and would be met with "appropriate action." The Homs resident said he had seen the rebels advance past a Syrian Air Force base in the north of the city that was considered a major defensive area. The resident later said fighting was audible in the city outskirts. An opposition figure in touch with rebel command and a Syrian army source both also said the anti-regime forces were inside the city. Seizing Homs, an important crossroads between the capital and the Mediterranean, would cut off Damascus from the coastal stronghold of Assad's minority Alawite sect, and from Russia's air and naval base. In the south, the rapid collapse of government control could allow a concerted assault on the capital, the seat of Assad's power, where residents said electricity cut out on Saturday. The regime military pulled back as far as Saasa 30 kilometers (20 miles) from Damascus to regroup, a Syrian army officer said. Jarmana, where protesters pulled down a statue of Hafez Assad, is in the city's southern suburbs. Soldiers were deserting in the former rebel stronghold of Daraya and in Mezzeh, near a major airbase, residents said. The main anti-regime group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, said it had a duty to protect governmental, international and U.N. offices in Syria. In a sign of government forces' collapse in the east, around 2,000 Syrian soldiers crossed the border into Iraq to seek sanctuary, the mayor of Iraqi border town al-Qaem said. Earlier the SDF terrorist group had captured eastern Deir ez-Zour on Friday, jeopardizing Assad's land connection to allies in Iraq.Capture, Celebrate, and Save Big: Reolink's Holiday Deals and #reocap Fun!When Sen. Elizabeth Warren begins her third term in the U.S. Senate next month, the dynamics in Washington, D.C., will change dramatically, and the outspoken Democrat is concerned about what Donald Trump's second term could mean for Massachusetts. During an interview for Sunday's episode of "On The Record," Warren spoke about the effort to lock down federal funding for the Sagamore Bridge replacement so it cannot be blocked or revoked by the incoming Trump administration. She shared that the Massachusetts delegation and Gov. Maura Healey's team are working together to ensure that all necessary steps are taken to finalize nearly $2 billion in federal funding. Because the total was pieced together through a number of grants and programs, she said it's not as simple as getting one check written. "With any other administration, of course, it would be guaranteed. It's already been allocated and so on," Warren said. "What we are working feverishly to do is literally to lock the doors and windows so there's no way to pull the money back." Warren also acknowledged that the funding they are working to ensure applies only to the Sagamore Bridge. Replacing its twin, the Bourne Bridge, will require the development of entirely new funding. The senator also stressed a political point about the fear of political retribution that the incoming Trump administration creates for so-called blue states like Massachusetts. "In the four years that Joe Biden was president and the eight years that Barack Obama was president, a lot more money actually went to red states on things like infrastructure and health care because the need was greater. The idea that what will happen in a Trump administration is just strike back simply because we are a blue state, I think it really tells us of a level of corruption — it's another form of corruption — it's about a political corruption that infects this administration and it troubles me deeply," Warren said.

Giants face challenge in hosting Ravens, trying to end 8-game skid

MILAN : Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi applauded his side after they held on for a slender 1-0 home win against RB Leipzig on Tuesday to go top of the Champions League standings. An own goal by RB Leipzig defender Castello Lukeba put Inter in front in the 27th minute before the Italian champions let their guard down in the second half and the visitors threatened an equaliser. "We are satisfied, we knew the importance of tonight's match," Inzaghi told Sky Sport. "We were playing against a valuable team, who until Sunday had the best defence in the Bundesliga. We played a great game, we were always balanced and it's not easy with them. "It's a shame we didn't score the second goal, but the team suffered relatively little." Denzel Dumfries misfired when presented with a good chance just after the restart and Henrikh Mkhitaryan thought he had doubled Inter's lead in stoppage time, but the goal was ruled out for a foul in the buildup. "There is clearly satisfaction, but to get into the top eight we still need a small step," Inzaghi said. Inter top the table with 13 points from five games, one point above second-placed Barcelona and third-placed Liverpool, who host defending champions Real Madrid on Wednesday. The top eight teams in the competition's new league phase qualify automatically for the last 16, and the next 16 go into a two-legged playoff to join them. "We've had an excellent run, four consecutive victories and five games without conceding a goal," Inzaghi added. "I was afraid of tonight's game, but the team is mature and knew not to be influenced by Leipzig's zero points." Leipzig, who are third in the Bundesliga, have not won a game in November and are still searching for their first European points after five consecutive defeats.

Kennedy Center pays tribute to Coppola, the Grateful Dead, Raitt, Sandoval, The ApolloGREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — Pjay Smith Jr. scored 23 points as Furman beat Princeton 69-63 on Saturday. Smith also added eight rebounds and four steals for the Paladins (9-1). Garrett Hien scored 10 points while going 5 of 10 and 0 of 4 from the free-throw line and added seven rebounds. Nick Anderson shot 3 for 9 from beyond the arc to finish with nine points. The Tigers (7-4) were led by Xaivian Lee, who posted 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Princeton also got 13 points and four assists from Dalen Davis. Caden Pierce also had 11 points and four steals. NEXT UP Up next for Furman is a Saturday matchup with South Carolina State at home, and Princeton hosts Monmouth on Tuesday. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .Smith scores 23 in Furman's 69-63 win against Princeton

The Miami Hurricanes, who once appeared to be a near-lock for the College Football Playoff, are not playing for a national title. Instead, they will play in the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando. That bowl berth against Iowa State is a let-down for fans with dreams of a sixth national title in their minds, as well as players hoping to compete for a championship. However, Miami’s trip to Orlando and the lead-up to it are still crucial periods for the Hurricanes for multiple reasons. First, it’s a chance for the program to achieve something it has not done in more than two decades: win 11 games. Although the 11th win won’t get them closer to a championship, it is a good sign of the program’s progress over Mario Cristobal’s tenure. It would also end UM’s five-game losing streak in bowls. “We’re not satisfied,” Cristobal said. “We want to win every single game. We won 10. We were close on the other two, but close isn’t good enough. We want progress. We’re hungry and driven to get better, and so that’s what our focus is on: to improving as a football program, to getting better, to moving into the postseason with an opportunity against a great football team like this and putting our best on the field.” People are also reading... Berry Tramel: Will Mike Gundy now learn to get along with his bosses? Bill Haisten: There still is no resolution, but a Gundy-OSU divorce seems imminent Court 'bulldozes' tribal law in Tulsa case over jurisdiction, attorney says How did Oklahoma flip Cowboys QB commit less than 48 hours before signing day? Bill Haisten: As OSU regents meet, Mike Gundy’s contract should be a hot topic Berry Tramel: Jackson Arnold shows OU should save its high-end shopping for the portal Deep into Week 2, new names emerge in Tulsa football coaching search 10 potential candidates to replace Kasey Dunn as offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State These 11 new restaurants are coming to the Tulsa area soon — and 8 that just opened Cooper Parker secures Bixby's seventh consecutive state title in OT thriller versus Owasso Meet the 2024 Tulsans of the Year: These people worked hard to make Tulsa better Stitt fires Cabinet secretary at odds with governor's stance on poultry lawsuit Final OU football bowl projections before Sooners' postseason destination is revealed Meet Oklahoma's complete 2025 class. 5-star OT commits to Oklahoma Jenks football coach Keith Riggs resigns; DC Adam Gaylor named Trojans head coach There are signs the Hurricanes will show up at close to full strength for the bowl game. Running back Damien Martinez announced he was going to play, and star quarterback Cam Ward said in a video call posted on social media that he intends to play, as well. “We’re trying to win our first bowl game in 20 years,” Ward said in the video, mistaking the length of UM’s long bowl losing streak. “We’re going hard.” Playing in the bowl game also provides the opportunity for the Hurricanes to get in several practices between now and the game. That means Miami can develop its young players and prepare them for next season during both the practices and the bowl game itself. “It’s extremely valuable,” Cristobal said. “You really don’t have many opportunities throughout the course of the year — time is limited more and more each season with your student-athletes. I want to state this and be very clear: it’s very important, it’s ultra-important for the University of Miami to continue to develop and grow and progress by stressing the importance of offseason opportunities ... You learn a lot about your team and learn a lot about your people and your program when you head to the postseason.” Of course, there are potential negatives. Players can get hurt; Mark Fletcher Jr. suffered a foot injury in the Pinstripe Bowl last year that cost him all of spring practice. A poor performance can also potentially set the tone for next season, like how Florida State, fresh off a playoff snub last year, suffered a devastating loss against Georgia in the Orange Bowl and went on to a dismal 2-10 season this year. “This is the ending of ’24 and the beginning of ’25,” Cristobal said. “This is the last opportunity to be on the field and carry some momentum into the offseason. So it is, in essence, it is the most important game because it’s the next game. “There’s a lot of excitement in the form of opportunity for our guys. Our guys love to play football. The chance to play one more time with this special group — this is a special group of guys now. They’ve worked hard to really change the trajectory of the University of Miami, and they want to continue to elevate the status and the culture at the University of Miami. So certainly a ton to play for.” ____Australia's House of Representatives passes bill banning children younger than age 16 from social media

Article content The dulcet tones of the “Dawson’s Creek” theme song are enough to get any millennial’s pulse racing, and when Joshua Jackson heard the chorus start playing during the Emmy Awards in September, he burst out laughing. He was walking onstage with Matt Bomer to present an award when Paula Cole’s “I Don’t Want to Wait” started blasting through the speakers, and Jackson – one of the stars of the WB teen drama that ran from 1998 until 2003 – grinned broadly and shook his head as he arrived at the microphone. Recommended Videos “Ah, yes,” he said to the audience. “This song.” Clips of his charming reaction racked up millions of views on social media, with many comments noting that Jackson, 46, was “aging like fine wine.” Around the same time, Adam Brody sat for interviews where he was asked repeatedly about starring on “The O.C.,” the 2003-2007 Fox teen soap. Brody, 44, stammered adorably when the “Today” show hosts asked about a New York Times profile that said he had carved out a niche as a “Jewish heartthrob” since his “O.C.” days. Later, he good-naturedly responded to Jimmy Kimmel, who said the show’s fans were “thirsting” for Brody to return to TV: “Perhaps! Hopefully.” The actors were making the rounds to promote projects that, coincidentally, debuted on Sept. 26: Brody as a hot rabbi who falls in love with Kristen Bell in the Netflix romantic-comedy series “Nobody Wants This,” and Jackson as the alluring cruise ship doctor in the ABC medical drama “Doctor Odyssey.” Brody and Jackson have been successful working actors for years, but now we’ve arrived at a new point in a future that millennials maybe weren’t quite ready for, populated by middle-aged versions of old TV crushes. “Nobody Wants This” became a viral sensation and a boost to the rom-com genre, while “Doctor Odyssey” turned into a streaming hit laden with “Lost”-level conspiracy theories. Throw in Josh Hartnett, 46 (the star of movies such as 2002 sex comedy “40 Days and 40 Nights”), making a pivot as a serial killer in M. Night Shyamalan’s thriller “Trap,” and it was suddenly a perfect storm of nostalgia and memes that turbocharged another chapter in a current obsession with reliving the early aughts. Online, the reaction was focused on Brody and Jackson, mostly with wistfully excited posts: “Seeing Adam Brody and Joshua Jackson back on screen brings back so many memories of our favorite teen dramas. They really defined that era for us.” There were squabbles between age groups: “These two are GenX. You’re welcome to borrow them, but they must be returned to our shelf.” And perhaps most importantly, dreamy reminiscing: “One day, you’re a kid crushing on Joshua Jackson and Adam Brody’s fictional characters and the next thing you know, you’re an adult crushing on Joshua Jackson and Adam Brody’s fictional characters!” The word “renaissance” has been tossed around, like it always is, this time maybe as a Brodyssance. And it doesn’t hurt that they seem like nice guys in real life: Brody is married and has two children with “Gossip Girl” star Leighton Meester, making it the marriage of millennial dreams, while Jackson shares adorable anecdotes about the young daughter he co-parents with ex-wife Jodie Turner-Smith. Sharon Klein, the head of casting for Disney Entertainment Television (the company’s 20th Television produces “Nobody Wants This” and “Doctor Odyssey”), said the resurgence of these late 1990s and early 2000s stars sounds like a brilliant idea in hindsight, though it was not intentional. It’s a situation that just worked out quite well for everyone involved. Viewers are thrilled to see the evolution of Brody and Jackson into “true leading men,” Klein said, then added the obvious addendum: “sexy” leading men. (People magazine agreed, featuring them both in the Sexiest Man Alive issue this month.) “Both of these guys, ... not only are they exceptional actors, but they are incredible number ones now on a call sheet. They bring a sense of community to the set and confidence to their performances, which has come from working for 20, 25 years,” Klein said. “They are themselves, and I think people are connecting to that as much as anything.” These “icon teen fantasy guys” essentially grew up alongside their millennial fans, Klein said, and now they are all adults who share the same sense of sentimentality. Some actors do not like to be reminded of their first shows and would not find it funny if a producer played their old show’s theme song during a fancy awards show. “That’s what distinguishes these two guys: ... They both understand how to continue their audience, and they appreciate their audience,” Klein said. “I would say 90 percent of people who are still working who are successful actors do have that understanding – but not everybody. And these two in particular do.” “Dawson’s Creek” shaped ideas of high school romance and friendship for millions of students who ignored their homework Wednesday nights to watch the love triangles of small-town teens Dawson (James Van Der Beek), Joey (Katie Holmes) and Jen (Michelle Williams), along with Jackson, who played Pacey Witter. “The O.C.,” set in wealthy Southern California, had enormous influence on music, fashion and pop culture as it chronicled the misadventures of high-schoolers Ryan (Ben McKenzie), Summer (Rachel Bilson), Marissa (Mischa Barton) and Brody’s Seth Cohen. Pacey and Seth may have seemed different – Pacey an underachiever, Seth a book smart comics obsessive – but both had a witty, sometimes dark sense of humor that could mask a sweeter, more vulnerable side that made them more accessible to younger viewers. “Those characters were so important to people growing up,” said Nikki Griffin, who had a recurring role on “The O.C.” as a troubled party girl and once worked as an extra on “Dawson’s Creek.” Griffin, now a talent manager, joined “The O.C.” when the series was already a hit in its second season and on its way to becoming a phenomenon. She theorized that watching shows about high school at a formative time in your own life makes the characters even more significant. (She went through something similar with “90210.”) Plus, Brody and Jackson played the respective “sidekicks” who cracked jokes alongside their stereotypically handsome and brooding friends. “I think what’s so great about these characters in particular is they were written as ‘the best friend’ and they were funny and sardonic and sarcastic – and super cute,” Griffin said. “Obviously there’s people that had crushes on them, but now people realize those are the guys you want: the nice guys, the funny guys, the smart guys.” Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, an author and journalist whose latest book, “So Fetch,” is about the making of 2004’s “Mean Girls,” noticed a similar dynamic with Jonathan Bennett, 43, who had his breakout role in the classic film as dreamy senior athlete Aaron Samuels. His character had to have the sort of appeal to drive the movie’s plot as Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams battled for his attention, Armstrong said, and he did so by being kind, sensitive and smart enough that he could pretend to be a math tutor, instead of just a popular, dumb jock. Bennett has had a steady career as a TV personality and Hallmark star – he came out as gay in 2017 and starred in the network’s first holiday movie led by a same-sex couple – and is now hosting new Hallmark Plus reality competition “Finding Mr. Christmas.” “There’s not an alpha-male thing happening,” Armstrong said, which goes for many of the early-2000s actors who are back in the headlines. “There’s a new model of masculinity at play here. ... These guys have more dimensions, a softness and an accessibility to them.” Because viewers can stream them any time they like, “The O.C.” and “Dawson’s Creek” have remained in the public consciousness. Fans still fondly remember Jackson’s and Brody’s characters even as they move on to new roles. Jackson was a standout on Fox’s spooky sci-fi series “Fringe” from 2008 to 2013 and Showtime’s twisty relationship drama “The Affair,” which ran from 2014 to 2019. Brody has appeared as a faux-nice guy in the 2020 film “Promising Young Woman” and as an eternal bachelor in the 2022 miniseries “Fleishman Is in Trouble.” In such roles, both men were allowed the opportunity to embark on more mature content, distancing themselves from the teenagers they once played. “Something about seeing Pacey – part of you still clocks that, even seeing him do different things,” Armstrong said. “When [actors] can sort of both transcend a previous role and keep a little feeling of it with them, there’s something really powerful about that.” The level of nostalgia toward this programming, of course, would not be remotely the same without social media: The popularization of the GIF was instrumental in keeping “Mean Girls” at the forefront of our minds, Armstrong said. The obsession with going back to our youth has become an entire industry. Erin Miller is a digital creator and nostalgia historian on TikTok with 2.7 million followers to her account the promise of Josh Hartnett. (In a WB-sponsored post, Miller did just that.) Miller, an “O.C.” obsessive in high school, said she watched “Nobody Wants This” because Brody is in it and noted that there’s something intriguing about seeing stars such as him, Jackson and Hartnett play fathers or men who are dating in their 30s and 40s. “These were our teen idols back in the day. We had posters of them on our walls and ripped them out of magazines,” Miller said. “They’re bringing all of this experience and depth they gained over the years and bringing it to new projects.” For creators, one of the most unexpected – but joyous – parts of such public reminiscing is bonding with others who feel just as passionately. Mary Gagliardi and Kelsey Labrot, both born in 1991, launched the “When They Popped” podcast about Y2K pop culture after they went to a Backstreet Boys concert a couple of years ago; the boy band continues to play to packed crowds years after the release of their platinum-selling albums. “We felt like we were sort of always searching for that serotonin hit that came from attending that concert,” Labrot said. Gagliardi agreed that the best part of the podcast has been meeting people who want to build a similar community: “This is our passion project, but just because of all the relationships and friendships we’ve made along the way, it’s really been quite special.” As they pointed out, TV characters can be very personal, because they help young viewers figure out their own identities: Were you a Seth girl or a Ryan girl? Did you like Dawson or Pacey? And it’s especially satisfying when the actors themselves grasp why people still gravitate to their early work. “I think, hopefully, we’re now in a place where no one would be embarrassed about being in a dramatic teen soap opera, and really embrace the important role that it had in people’s lives,” Labrot said. If anything, such work should be celebrated: “It was meaningful to people then, and it can still be meaningful to them now.” – Emily Yahr, The Washington Post

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Pou washed away by Cyclone Gabrielle set to return home after two years at seaMELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia's House of Representatives passes bill banning children younger than age 16 from social media.

The Baltimore Ravens picked up a nice bounce-back win in Week 12, defeating the Los Angeles Chargers 30-23. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense looked to get back on the same page and they did just that. Jackson threw for 177 yards and two touchdowns. Mark Andrews was the first recipient, making an acrobatic catch in the back of the endzone. The second one was a ridiculous catch by Rashod Bateman, who was fouled during the play but still came down with the ball from 40 yards away. Jackson ended up rushing for a touchdown of his own, while Derrick Henry rushed for 140 yards. The biggest run play didn't come from either of those two however, as Justice Hill broke off for a 51 yard touchdown. A performance like this should've gotten them back into the top 5 in power rankings, right? Wrong, according to Bleacher Report , who put the Ravens at No.7. Baltimore got back to winning on Monday night and did so by dominating in the running game. For as explosive as Lamar Jackson and the passing game can be, leading with the run needs to be the Ravens' plan moving forward. Controlling the clock is the best way for Baltimore to allow its defense to rest, and Baltimore's secondary is still a liability—eschewing the punt multiple times on Monday night also helped with the task of extending drives.If the Ravens can keep things rolling with Jackson, Derrick Henry and the ground game, they'll be a tough out in January. If they can't, poor pass defense could cause them to go home early. The Ravens came in one spot lower than the week before, a little head-scratching considering they shredded the league's best scoring defense in the Chargers on primetime.

Tommy Mellott has career day in No. 1 Montana State win over UT Martin in FCS second roundWhat happens when 'The Simpsons' join 'Monday Night Football'? Find out during Bengals-CowboysKennedy Center pays tribute to Coppola, the Grateful Dead, Raitt, Sandoval, The Apollo

MONTREAL — Montreal Canadiens defenceman Mike Matheson was not available for Tuesday's game against the Utah Hockey Club due to a lower-body injury. The Canadiens announced his injury half an hour before puck drop. Jayden Struble took his place in the lineup as Montreal (7-11-2) faced Utah (8-10-3) for the first time. Matheson participated in the morning skate but missed practice on Monday. The 30-year-old from nearby Pointe-Claire, Que., leads all Montreal blueliners with 13 points (one goal, 12 assists) in 20 games as the lone defenceman on the team's top power-play unit. Struble has one goal and three assists in 15 games this season. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 26, 2024. The Canadian Press

Mr Donald Trump’s (left) transition team has signed a long-awaited agreement with President Joe Biden’s administration. WASHINGTON – Donald Trump’s transition team has signed a long-awaited agreement with President Joe Biden’s administration to begin the formal process of bringing the president-elect’s nominees into federal government agencies. But Trump is still rebuffing many of the standard procedures of a transition. He will not use government facilities or email accounts, and instead will raise private funds, his team said. “After completing the selection process of his incoming Cabinet, President-elect Trump is entering the next phase of his administration’s transition,” Trump’s chief of staff Susie Wiles said in a statement on Nov 26. “This engagement allows our intended cabinet nominees to begin critical preparations, including the deployment of landing teams to every department and agency, and complete the orderly transition of power.” The agreement allows the formal transition process to begin ahead of Trump’s second inauguration on Jan 20, 2025. It also allows for the transition team to conduct Federal Bureau of Investigation background checks on Trump appointees, but the president-elect’s team suggested it won’t use them. “The transition already has existing security and information protections built in, which means we will not require additional government and bureaucratic oversight,” it said in a statement. The Trump transition said it also has a legally required ethics plan in place. The General Services Administration, the main agency that oversees the logistics of presidential transitions, posted the document on its website shortly after the agreement was announced. The plan covers individuals working on the transition, who pledge to avoid conflicts of interest and safeguard both classified and confidential information. They can’t be registered to lobby while working for the transition, or work for a foreign government or political party. They also agree to a six-month cooling-off period after their work for the transition ends, and not lobby any federal agency over specific matters they worked on while helping assemble Trump’s team. Trump has gotten an unusually early jump on announcing his picks for the cabinet and other top posts, but delayed a formal agreement with the Biden administration that would allow those picks and their “landing teams” to enter federal agencies and receive briefings. By law, those agreements were supposed to be in place by Oct 1. The campaign of Vice-President Kamala Harris , Trump’s general-election rival, signed one in September. BLOOMBERG Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you. Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards Spin the wheel nowMincey scores 27, UMass-Lowell knocks off UMass 96-83