NoneWorld Cup selection drives US sevens star Maher's move to Bristol
Cintas Corp. stock underperforms Monday when compared to competitorsFormer Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew from his nomination to become President-elect Donald Trump's attorney general on Thursday. The announcement has raised questions: What does Gaetz' career look like moving forward, what happens now? Gaetz announced his withdrawal from the role in an X post on Thursday morning, "While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition. There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I'll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General." Trump nominated Gaetz to become his attorney general on Nov. 13, one week after winning his re-election campaign, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump took to his social media platform , Truth Social, to respond, sharing his respect for Gaetz' decision: "Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!" Dig deeper: Matt Gaetz withdraws his name as Trump's nominee for attorney general Did Gaetz resign from Congress? Yes, Gaetz issued his resignation from Congress the same day Trump nominated him to serve as his attorney general. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson announced the news of Gaetz's resignation during a news conference on Nov. 13, adding that the move was effective immediately. Could Gaetz get his seat in Congress back? Yes, in theory, Gaetz could get his seat back in Congress, though his political future was uncertain as of Thursday. On Nov. 5, Gaetz won re-election to the new, 119th Congress , which begins on Jan. 3, 2025. He resigned during the 118th Congress, which began in January 2023 and will cease in January 2025. Gaetz reportedly wrote in his House resignation letter that he did "not intend to" take the oath of office in the new Congress. By federal law, Gaetz could get his seat back in Congress if he were re-elected during a special election. According to the Congressional Research Service, a special election to fill a House vacancy must be issued by the corresponding state's governor. In this case, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis must issue the special election. The scheduling procedures for these special elections differ from state to state, but Florida law does not provide a mandatory timeline. The day after Gaetz issued his resignation from Congress, DeSantis announced on X that he had instructed Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd to formulate and announce a schedule for an upcoming special election. A date had yet to be announced for this election, as of Thursday afternoon. Gaetz's wife, Ginger, posted a picture of the couple on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, saying, "The end of an era." Why did Gaetz withdraw his AG nomination? Gaetz did not cite a specific reason for his withdrawal, but over the past week, controversy of his bid swelled due to allegations of sex trafficking minors. The Justice Department, which Gaetz would have led if he were attorney general, investigated allegations that Gaetz committed statutory rape by paying for sex with a 17-year-old and for her to travel with him across state lines. The investigation was dropped without charges. But recently, the House Ethics Committee, a bipartisan panel made up of Democrats and Republicans, began investigating the allegations. The committee had planned to vote on whether to release a report of its findings two days after Gaetz resigned from his seat on Congress last week. Who will Trump nominate for AG next? It is unclear who Trump will nominate for attorney general in Gaetz' place. The president-elect has not made an announcement. Riley Beggin and C.A. Bridges contributed to this reporting. Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com .
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NoneNEW YORK (AP) — Technology stocks pulled Wall Street to another record amid a mixed Monday of trading. The S&P 500 rose 0.2% from its all-time high set on Friday to post a record for the 54th time this year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 128 points, or 0.3%, while the Nasdaq composite gained 1%. Super Micro Computer, a stock that’s been on an AI-driven roller coaster, soared 28.7% to lead the market. Following allegations of misconduct and the resignation of its public auditor , the maker of servers used in artificial-intelligence technology said an investigation found no evidence of misconduct by its management or by the company’s board. It also said that it doesn’t expect to restate its past financials and that it will find a new chief financial officer, appoint a general counsel and make other moves to strengthen its governance. Big Tech stocks also helped prop up the market. Gains of 1.8% for Microsoft and 3.2% for Meta Platforms were the two strongest forces pushing upward on the S&P 500. Intel was another propellant during the morning, but it lost an early gain to fall 0.5% after the chip company said CEO Pat Gelsinger has retired and stepped down from the board. Intel is looking for Gelsinger’s replacement, and its chair said it’s “committed to restoring investor confidence.” Intel recently lost its spot in the Dow Jones Industrial Average to Nvidia, which has skyrocketed in Wall Street’s frenzy around AI. Stellantis, meanwhile, skidded following the announcement of its CEO’s departure . Carlos Tavares steps down after nearly four years in the top spot of the automaker, which owns car brands like Jeep, Citroën and Ram, amid an ongoing struggle with slumping sales and an inventory backlog at dealerships. The world’s fourth-largest automaker’s stock fell 6.3% in Milan. The majority of stocks in the S&P 500 likewise fell, including California utility PG&E. It dropped 5% after saying it would sell $2.4 billion of stock and preferred shares to raise cash. Retailers were mixed amid what’s expected to be the best Cyber Monday on record and coming off Black Friday . Target, which recently gave a forecast for the holiday season that left investors discouraged , fell 1.2%. Walmart , which gave a more optimistic forecast, rose 0.2%. Amazon, which looks to benefit from online sales from Cyber Monday, climbed 1.4%. All told, the S&P 500 added 14.77 points to 6,047.15. The Dow fell 128.65 to 44,782.00, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 185.78 to 19,403.95. The stock market largely took Donald Trump’s latest threat on tariffs in stride. The president-elect on Saturday threatened 100% tariffs against a group of developing economies if they act to undermine the U.S. dollar. Trump said he wants the group, headlined by Brazil, Russia, India and China, to promise it won’t create a new currency or otherwise try to undercut the U.S. dollar. The dollar has long been the currency of choice for global trade. Speculation has also been around a long time that other currencies could knock it off its mantle, but no contender has come close. The U.S. dollar’s value rose Monday against several other currencies, but one of its strongest moves likely had less to do with the tariff threats. The euro fell amid a political battle in Paris over the French government’s budget . The euro sank 0.7% against the U.S. dollar and broke below $1.05. In the bond market, Treasury yields gave up early gains to hold relatively steady. The yield on the 10-year Treasury climbed above 4.23% during the morning before falling back to 4.19%. That was just above its level of 4.18% late Friday. A report in the morning showed the U.S. manufacturing sector contracted again last month, but not by as much as economists expected. This upcoming week will bring several big updates on the job market, including the October job openings report, weekly unemployment benefits data and the all-important November jobs report. They could steer the next moves for Federal Reserve, which recently began pulling interest rates lower to give support to the economy. Economists expect Friday’s headliner report to show U.S. employers accelerated their hiring in November, coming off October’s lackluster growth that was hampered by damaging hurricanes and strikes. “We now find ourselves in the middle of this Goldilocks zone, where economic health supports earnings growth while remaining weak enough to justify potential Fed rate cuts,” according to Mark Hackett, chief of investment research at Nationwide. In financial markets abroad, Chinese stocks led gains worldwide as monthly surveys showed improving conditions for manufacturing, partly driven by a surge in orders ahead of Trump’s inauguration next month. Both official and private sector surveys of factory managers showed strong new orders and export orders, possibly partly linked to efforts by importers in the U.S. to beat potential tariff hikes by Trump once he takes office. Indexes rose 0.7% in Hong Kong and 1.1% in Shanghai. AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.
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NEW YORK (Reuters): U.S. TikTok users spent heavily to buy merchandise from a range of vendors on the e-commerce platform TikTok Shop so far this holiday shopping season, according to TikTok estimates and a Reuters analysis of spending patterns measured by data from Facteus. The patterns show that TikTok Shop, which launched in the U.S. in September 2023, has likely gained market share in e-commerce at a critical moment. TikTok Shop serves as an e-commerce channel for major brands such as e.l.f. Cosmetics, Ninja Kitchen, among other products. TikTok Shop said in a press release in late November that its sales had reached $100 million on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, when bargain-hunting American consumers spent heavily online. Previously, it said the number of people purchasing goods on TikTok Shop each month had nearly tripled. Reuters could not independently verify its claims. A U.S. federal appeals court on Friday upheld a law requiring Chinese-based ByteDance to divest TikTok in the U.S. by early next year or face a ban. A ban of the popular short video app, if it happens, could extend to TikTok Shop, too. “TikTok Shop is a new distribution channel and brands are doing really well on it,” said Erik Huberman, CEO of marketing agency Hawke Media, which has clients that sell products through the feature. “Honestly, there isn’t an alternative. It will be a lost revenue stream.” Like its rivals Shein and Temu, TikTok Shop showcases merchandise from third-party vendors, some which ship items from China, competing fiercely on price. Each of the platforms have tried to lure more U.S. sellers with lower fees to help with shipping speeds. Capitalizing on the popularity of the TikTok social media app, TikTok Shop merchants typically use ads and sponsored “influencers” to market their products to TikTok’s 170 million U.S. users. Merchants on TikTok Shop fulfill shoppers’ orders directly, sometimes using third-parties or TikTok’s e-commerce fulfillment services. For shoppers like Jasmine Whaley, 31, of York, Pennsylvania, TikTok Shop has provided a new place to find clothes, skin care products and Crocs. She’s spent almost $700 on the platform this year after seeing videos from influencers and advertisers about merchandise. TikTok has “cracked the code” on curating content and products that she likes, Whaley said. Her TikTok Shop orders often are delivered to her more quickly than orders she places on Amazon, she said. For merchants and influencers, TikTok Shop offers what it calls “LIVE,” live-video streams from which shoppers can purchase merchandise directly. Nico Le Bourgeois, head of U.S. Operations for TikTok Shop, said in a statement to Reuters that the number of Live sessions hosted monthly has nearly tripled over the past year in the U.S. According to third-party data firm Facteus, U.S. spending on TikTok Shop exceeded spending on Shein and Temu in the seven days leading up to Cyber Monday, Dec. 2, a heavy online shopping day. Facteus said its data comes from 140 million consumer debit and credit cards representing 7% to 10% of all U.S. spending.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Ian Schieffelin had 18 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists in leading Clemson to a 75-67 win over Penn State on Tuesday and the championship of the Sunshine Slam Beach Division. Chase Hunter added 17 points, Chauncey Wiggins 14 and Del Jones 10 for the Tigers (6-1), who shot 44% and made 9 of 19 3-pointers led by Hunter's three. Ace Baldwin Jr. scored 20 points and had 11 assists, Yanic Konan Niederhauser added 14 points and Nick Kern Jr. 11 for the Nittany Lions (6-1), who shot 46% and were just 4 of 18 from the arc. Neither team had a double-digit lead in the game and it was tied with seven minutes to go. But Penn State had a six-minute drought without a field goal while committing three turnovers and the Tigers went up by six. A hook shot from Schieffelin with a minute to go made it a five-point lead and free throws sealed it from there. The eight-point final margin was the largest of the game. Konan Niederhauser's dunk to open the second half tied the game but a Hunter 3-pointer gave the lead back to Clemson. Penn State took its first lead of the second half on a 9-0 run, seven coming from Baldwin, to go up 57-54 with midway through the period. Penn State had its largest lead of seven in the first half but three consecutive 3s put Clemson ahead with three minutes to go and the Tigers led at 38-36 at halftime. Clemson had a 16-9 edge on points off turnovers. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
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TORRANCE, Calif., Dec. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Robinson Helicopter Company (RHC), the world’s leading manufacturer of civil helicopters, secured approval from EASA authority, Argentina, Japan, and India for its improved empennage on all Robinson helicopter models. This follows the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) prior approval of the same configuration for the R66 in 2023 and R44 and R22 in 2024. The new empennage includes a symmetrical horizontal stabilizer and tailcone, is now standard on all newly manufactured Robinson helicopters. Since securing approval from the FAA, the company has delivered nearly 700 retrofit kits, in addition to about 250 new production aircraft with the new empennage. Robinson Helicopter is currently offering a retrofit kit for existing R22, R44, and R66 aircraft at a discounted rate of $3,600 USD through the end of December 2025. Horizontal stabilizers can be purchased through authorized dealers, service centers, or by calling Robinson Helicopter customer service. The symmetrical horizontal stabilizer is a key improvement that enhances the safety and performance of Robinson helicopters. By improving roll stability, particularly during high-speed flights, it contributes to a smoother and safer flight experience. Additionally, the symmetrical stabilizer helps reduce the right-rolling tendency when the aircraft is operated outside of the approved flight envelope. “This is a significant milestone in our commitment to continuous safety, reliability, and customer satisfaction around the world,” said David Smith, president and CEO of Robinson Helicopter Company. “This certification is a testament to our team’s tireless pursuit in enhancing the Robinson flying experience and setting new standards for safety and performance in the industry.” About Robinson Helicopter Company For more than 50 years, Robinson Helicopter Company has been at the forefront of the helicopter industry by delivering safety-enhancing technologies, including OEM-designed crash-resistant fuel cells, 4K cockpit video cameras, autopilot systems, and NVG-compatible cockpits. Robinson is committed to developing, manufacturing, and supporting the most reliable and efficient helicopters in the industry. For additional information, visit www.robinsonheli.com . Contact: Robyn E. Eagles Robyn.eagles@robinsonheli.com 323-547-5102 Photos accompanying this announcement are available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/97e6f39f-6622-4025-bce0-525932cca657 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/03fc0ff4-fd26-4c7b-a23d-41f34c25d5a0 https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/be56e968-42b5-41df-b62a-a17690dc55f0 This press release was published by a CLEAR® Verified individual.