By MICHELLE L. PRICE NEW YORK (AP) — Chad Chronister, Donald Trump’s pick to run the Drug Enforcement Administration, said Tuesday he was withdrawing his name from consideration, becoming the second person selected by the president-elect to bow out quickly after being nominated for a position requiring Senate confirmation. Sheriff Chronister, the top law enforcement officer in Hillsborough County, Florida, said in a post on X that he was backing away from the opportunity, which he called “the honor of a lifetime.” “Over the past several days, as the gravity of this very important responsibility set in, I’ve concluded that I must respectfully withdraw from consideration,” Chronister wrote. He did not elaborate, and Trump’s transition team did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Chronister follows former Republican congressman Matt Gaetz , Trump’s first pick to serve as attorney general, in withdrawing his name for a post in the administration. Gaetz withdrew following scrutiny over a federal sex trafficking investigation that cast doubt on his ability to be confirmed as the nation’s chief federal law enforcement officer. Trump’s pick of Chronister for the DEA job drew backlash from conservatives, who raised concerns over his actions during the COVID-19 pandemic and his saying that his office “does not engage in federal immigration enforcement activities.” In March 2020, Chronister arrested the pastor of a megachurch who held services with hundreds of people and violated a safer-at-home order in place aimed at limiting the spread of the Covid virus. “Shame on this pastor, their legal staff and the leaders of this staff for forcing us to do our job. That’s not what we wanted to do during a declared state of emergency,” Chronister said at the time. “We are hopeful that this will be a wakeup call.” U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky, was among those airing public complaints, saying Chronister should be “disqualified” for the arrest. Others flagged comments Chronister made in a video about Florida’s immigration laws that he released in 2023 that circulated again online after Trump named him last weekend. Related Articles National Politics | Trump team signs agreement to allow Justice to conduct background checks on nominees, staff National Politics | President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers urge judge to toss his hush money conviction National Politics | Democrats stick with Schumer as leader, their strategy for countering Trump is far less certain National Politics | Trump vows to block Japanese steelmaker from buying US Steel, pledges tax incentives and tariffs National Politics | Democrats’ outgoing chair says Trump’s win forces party to reassess how it reaches voters In the video, Chronister praised the “rich diversity” of his community and called it “a place where people from all walks of life come together.” He said it was important to note his office “does not engage in federal immigration enforcement activities. We do not target individuals based on their immigration status. That’s the authority of federal agencies.” Trump has made a sweeping crackdown on immigration a central focus of his campaign and his aims for his coming administration. Associated Press writer Adriana Gomez Licon in Fort Lauderdale, Florida contributed to this report.First Drive: Toyota’s new Land Cruiser is here to provide no-nonsense driving
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — John Elway says any remorse over bypassing Josh Allen in the 2018 NFL draft is quickly dissipating with rookie Bo Nix's rapid rise, suggesting the Denver Broncos have finally found their next franchise quarterback. Elway said Nix, the sixth passer selected in April's draft, is an ideal fit in Denver with coach Sean Payton navigating his transition to the pros and Vance Joseph's defense serving as a pressure release valve for the former Oregon QB. "We've seen the progression of Bo in continuing to get better and better each week and Sean giving him more each week and trusting him more and more to where last week we saw his best game of the year," Elway said in a nod to Nix's first game with 300 yards and four touchdown throws in a rout of Atlanta. For that performance, Nix earned his second straight NFL Rookie of the Week honor along with the AFC Offensive Player of the Week award. People are also reading... "I think the sky's the limit," Elway said, "and that's just going to continue to get better and better." In a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press, Elway also touted former coach Mike Shanahan's Hall of Fame credentials, spoke about the future of University of Colorado star and Heisman favorite Travis Hunter and discussed his ongoing bout with a chronic hand condition. Elway spent the last half of his decade as the Broncos' GM in a futile search for a worthy successor to Peyton Manning, a pursuit that continued as he transitioned into a two-year consultant role that ended after the 2022 season. "You have all these young quarterbacks and you look at the ones that make it and the ones that don't and it's so important to have the right system and a coach that really knows how to tutelage quarterbacks, and Sean's really good at that," Elway said. "I think the combination of Bo's maturity, having started 61 games in college, his athletic ability and his knowledge of the game has been such a tremendous help for him,'" Elway added. "But also Vance Joseph's done a heck of a job on the defensive side to where all that pressure's not being put on Bo and the offense to score all the time." Payton and his staff have methodically expanded Nix's repertoire and incorporated his speed into their blueprints. Elway lauded them for "what they're doing offensively and how they're breaking Bo into the NFL because it's a huge jump and I think patience is something that goes a long way in the NFL when it comes down to quarterbacks." Elway said he hopes to sit down with Nix at some point when things slow down for the rookie. Nix, whose six wins are one more than Elway had as a rookie, said he looks forward to meeting the man who won two Super Bowls during his Hall of Fame playing career and another from the front office. "He's a legend not only here for this organization, but for the entire NFL," Nix said, adding, "most guys, they would love to have a chat with John Elway, just pick his brain. It's just awesome that I'm even in that situation." Hall of Fame Orange Crush linebacker Randy Gradishar joined Elway in the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year, something Elway called "way, way overdue." Elway suggested it's also long past time for the Hall to honor Shanahan, who won back-to-back Super Bowls in Denver with Elway at QB and whose footprint you see every weekend in the NFL because of his expansive coaching tree. Sanders & Hunter Elway called University of Colorado stars Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders "both great athletes." He said he really hopes Sanders gets drafted by a team that will bring him along like the Broncos have done with Nix, and he sees Hunter being able to play both ways in the pros — but not full time. Elway said he thinks Hunter will be primarily a corner in the NFL but with significant contributions on offense: "He's great at both. He's got great instincts, and that's what you need at corner." Hand condition It's been five years since Elway announced he was dealing with Dupuytren's contracture, a chronic condition that typically appears after age 40 and causes one or more fingers to permanently bend toward the palm. Elway's ring fingers on both hands were originally affected and he said now the middle finger on his right hand is starting to pull forward. So, he'll get another injection of a drug called Xiaflex, which is the only FDA-approved non-surgical treatment, one that he's endorsing in an awareness campaign for the chronic condition that affects 17 million Americans. The condition can make it difficult to do everyday tasks such as shaking hands or picking up a coffee mug. Elway said what bothered him most was "I couldn't pick up a football and I could not imagine not being able to put my hand around a football." Be the first to knowHow To Foster Productivity And Engagement Within Remote Tech TeamsPM Modi leaves for home after concluding Kuwait visit
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AI technology is evolving at a rapid pace. This unique new technology has helped coders, businesses, mapping technologies, financial planners and, unfortunately, scammers. A recent report from Bolster.ai states there has been a 94 per cent increase in AI based scams, with a projected loss of more than $10.5 trillion by 2025. If you’ve been anywhere on Facebook marketplace in the last little while you may have noticed a frequent rise in complaints about purchases leading to fake addresses, non-delivered items or even entirely fake pages. This rise in scammers is mostly due to the availability and the advancement of AI. With a couple prompts and some patience a person can make dozens of fake accounts with photos, frequent posts and even post interactions with other AI accounts owned by the scammer. Outside of Facebook Marketplace, these scammers can use fake accounts to send phishing links. These are malicious links that when clicked on can track your online and personal information with data mining software. These links can be sent over Facebook or even to your personal email if listed. Make sure to never click on a link unless it is posted or sent by someone you have met outside the internet. Here are some things to keep in mind when it comes to browsing marketplace safely: If you have trouble identifying AI-generated photos or text, there are websites that can identify them for you. These include but aren’t limited to sightengine, Is It AI?, Quillbot and GPTzero. AI isn’t just used by Facebook scammers. There is a world of scams that use AI tools to catch you off guard. One new scam stems from AI voice calls. Have you ever gotten a call in which the other end was completely silent and then quickly hung up? These calls are the first step in tricking you into giving away your hard-earned cash to scammers. These calls are looking to get one thing from you: Your speech and voice patterns. In most cases, these calls are not made by humans. They are mostly bot calls where the only thing on the other end is a recorder that will feed your voice into an AI system. Reports say that it only takes around 30 seconds of decent audio to replicate someone’s voice. After this system gets enough information it will call your relatives and friends seeking more personal information or requesting money. A common method to obtain this money is by applying pressure to the possible victim. This can come in the form of an AI voice requesting money for bail, money to pay back angry debtors, money for a lawyer, and even money for a ransom for themselves or another loved one. This because stress and pressure tactics can stop a person from stepping back and more closely examining the situation or checking with other loved ones to confirm. Scammers have even been known to use AI voicing to urge victims to not tell other family members about the fake incident out of embarrassment or due to legal issues. So how do you avoid these scams? First and foremost, it’s always a good idea to double-check. If you do get a call saying a family member is in jail and needs money, just hang up and call back or call another family member to confirm. Sometimes that’s all it takes to avoid someone taking advantage of you. Another good way to avoid these scams is to avoid picking up calls from unknown numbers. If you do end up taking a call from a suspicious source wait a while, if there is no reply followed by a dropped call, its likely you just avoided a possible scam. Scammers can get your number from a lot of sources for example, if your number is publicly listed, if you click on a phishing link, or if you use torrenting and pirating sites, these can all be used to get a hold of your personal phone number. Other ways to avoid falling victim to these calls or other similar scams include: Avoid giving or posting any unnecessary personal details over the phone or social media. (names of friends, events you are attending, place of business, etc) However, the most important advice to take away for these new scams, comes from an old, time-tested phrase: If it seems too good to be true, it usually is.
Fake Aadhaar, voter IDs, and a counterfeit website: How a gang helped illegal Bangladeshi immigrants settle in India
Doncic has 37 points and 12 rebounds as Mavericks rally late to beat Grizzlies 121-116RIVERDALE — Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024 was a special day for Clayton County Board of Education Chair Dr. Jessie Goree. It not only was her 70th birthday but it was a day that Clayton County Public Schools broke ground on the Riverdale Early Learning Center, a project that has long been a priority for Goree. Goree said there is a need in the northern part of Clayton County and a need to provide something for children before pre-kindgergarten. “This is going to be a fabulous building,” Goree said. The facility at the old Riverdale Elementary School site at 6630 Camp St. will not only provide educational services for young children but it will offer wrap-around services for the community. Some of the wrap-around services will include vision and dental care, employment services and social services. “This is one of the most unique educational initiatives in the state of Georgia and I’m so proud that it is happening right here in Clayton County,” Clayton County School Superintendent Dr. Anthony Smith said. The facility will have a capacity of 500 and will include four classroom pods with six classrooms each and collaboration space. The construction also includes a media center; a STEM lab; play, art and music room and a fully-functional kitchen and cafeteria. The two-story administration wing will include offices and conference rooms. In August, the School Board approved a bid from MEJA Construction and the total cost is expected to be just under $49 million.New Delhi, Dec 25 (PTI) Delhi Police Crime Branch arrested a total of 114 hardened criminals in 2024, including 40 parole jumpers, 40 wanted offenders, an official said on Wednesday. The other arrested criminals included 18 interim bail jumpers, nine proclaimed offenders, four carrying a reward on their head and three non-bailable warrant evaders, the officer added. Also Read | Bharat Ratna for Nitish Kumar: Union Minister Giriraj Singh Demands India's Highest Civilian Award for Bihar CM and Former Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik. The Crime Branch is a dedicated unit of Delhi Police focused on apprehending hardened criminals and solving difficult cases registered at police stations. "A year of tireless effort and precision, the Crime Branch adopted a multifaceted approach, combining advanced technological tools and traditional intelligence methods. With the use of technical surveillance, CDR and IPDR analysis, and informant networks, various dedicated teams traced and captured offenders who had evaded arrest for years," said Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) Devesh Chandra Srivastva. Also Read | IndiGo Flight 6E 6021 Flyer Develops Health Emergency Mid-Air, Timely Intervention by Doctor Saves His Life. He added that among the arrested individuals, six had been absconding for over 10 years, three had evaded capture for 8 years, five had been on the run for 5 years, and 14 had been at large for 1–3 years. Additionally, 60 individuals were apprehended within a year of their absconding. Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sanjay Bhatia noted that the operations were not confined to Delhi but extended across India, highlighting the Crime Branch's tenacity and capability to operate at a pan-India level. Each arrest was the result of meticulous groundwork, including analysis of technical data, deployment of informants, and field operations in diverse locations, he said. (This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)