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(BPT) - The holidays are almost here! It means parties and events, hustle and bustle ... and figuring out what to buy for everyone on your list. Sometimes it's hard to get inspired with great ideas that your nears and dears will love at a price you can afford, right? The good news? Inspiration + savings are covered this year. One of the top gifts of Holiday 2024 is technology, and there are a lot of deals out there right now. Done and done! Here are 5 ideas for hot tech gifts for everyone on your list. Smartphones for the family T-Mobile is running a hot deal right now. Get four new smartphones at T-Mobile — this includes Samsung Galaxy S24 and other eligible devices — and four lines for just $100/month . It doesn't get better than that! These new Galaxy phones are tech-tastic, too, with features like AI, Circle to Search with Google, which can be used to help solve math problems and translate entire pages of text in a different language, and Note Assist with Galaxy AI, which lets you focus on capturing your notes and then Note Assist will summarize, format and even translate them for you. High tech spiral notebook for students We've got to admit, this is pretty cool. The Rocketbook looks (a bit) like a regular spiral, paper notebook. Here's the high tech twist: You can take notes, capture ideas, brainstorm, draw — whatever you do on paper — on the pad, and the Rocketbook digitizes your doodles and saves to the cloud device of your choice. Then you simply wipe the pad clean and it's good to go. Look for Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales at your favorite online retailer. Wrist-worthy smartwatches for athletes (or those who want to be) Everyone loves smartwatches (if you're not already tracking your sleep and heart rate, where have you been?) and the Google Pixel Watch 3 (41mm & 45mm) takes it to the next level with features for athletes or anyone who may be setting fitness goals for the coming year. The watch has workout prompts like Real Time Guidance — audio and haptic cues for when to sprint, cool down or maintain pace. It gives you the ability to program your workouts and even monitors your cadence and stride. It also has Offline Maps, with driving navigation, search and maps. Here's the deal of the century: Get it for free at T-Mobile when adding a qualifying watch line. Cute wireless keyboard for people who are all thumbs Who else is annoyed by typing email or texts or social posts on a smartphone? The Logitech Multi-Device Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard solves that problem with style! It comes in sweet colors like lavender, it's wireless, it's small and portable, and it works with just about any device. Pop it into your backpack or purse and you'll never have to thumb-out a message again. Speakers perfect for hosting and giving Have a music lover in your life or need the perfect hosting gift? T-Mobile has you covered. For a limited time, you can get the JBL Clip 5 for free when you pick up a Harman Kardon Onyx Studio 9 . The JBL Clip 5 is an ultra-portable Bluetooth speaker perfect for those on the go and the Onyx Studio 9's sleek design and booming sound will take care of all your holiday hosting needs. For more tech-tastic holiday gift inspiration, check out T-Mobile's holiday gift guide at t-mobile.com/devices/tech-gifts .Decisive votes against extending President Joe Biden’s nominee to the National Labor Relations Board by two outgoing independent senators provoked an immediate stream of reaction Wednesday from political observers across social media. The internet began to chime in after it became clear that Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV) and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) effectively cost Democrats control of the labor board through 2026 with their “no” votes. “Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema just delivered a crushing blow to the labor agenda,” Democratic strategist Chris Jackson wrote in a social media post . “Their votes effectively hand Donald Trump the keys to the board the moment he takes office again. This is a betrayal of working families — and a gift to corporate interests, which is par for the course for these two.” X user Alex Guiden, a Media Matters analyst, shared a similar opinion. ALSO READ: Agenda 47: Alarm sounded about Trump’s dystopian plans for his second term “Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema just voted against Biden’s #NLRB nominee, blocking Democrats from securing control of the labor board through 2026," he wrote . "Their betrayal hands Trump control of the NLRB at the expense of working people. They should be ashamed." “If you want to know why Democrats have lost ground with unions and lost the working class look no further than Democrats like Manchin and Sinema,” Jared Schablein added to his followers . But while many Democrats seethed over the latest uproar stirred up by the two Democratic-turned-independent senators who have remained a thorn in the side of their former party, Republicans weren’t nearly as distraught. “Great news!! Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema blocked Democrat activist Lauren McFerran’s re-nomination to the National Labor Relations Board,” far-right activist Charlie Kirk wrote to his followers on X . “Trump and the Republican controlled Senate will now be able to confirm two nominees to the board, giving them a one-seat advantage.” Kirk added that the NLRB “is massively important as it settles disputes between big business and labor unions.” Greg Price, a Trump 2024 deputy rapid response director, also noted that Democrats would have controlled the NLRB if the two senators had voted for Biden's nominee. He added to his social media followers : “Now Donald Trump will appoint her replacement.” “Good,” said X user Jennifer Grady, who while critical of both Manchin and Sinema, also criticized the Democratic Party in her post. “People need to feel it. Talking is not working.”
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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday that he has chosen Keith Kellogg, a highly decorated retired three-star general, to serve as his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, who is one of the architects of a staunchly conservative policy book that lays out an “America First” national security agenda for the incoming administration, will come into the role as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its third year in February. Trump, making the announcement on his Truth Social account, said, “He was with me right from the beginning! Together, we will secure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, and Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN!” Kellogg, an 80-year-old retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as national security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence , was chief of staff of the National Security Council and then stepped in as an acting security adviser for Trump after Michael Flynn resigned. As special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Kellogg will have to navigate an increasingly untenable war between the two nations. The Biden administration has begun urging Ukraine to quickly increase the size of its military by drafting more troops and revamping its mobilization laws to allow for the conscription of those as young as 18. The White House has pushed more than $56 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s February 2022 invasion and expects to send billions more before Biden leaves office in less than two months. The U.S. has recently stepped up weapons shipments and has forgiven billions in loans provided to Kyiv. Trump has criticized the billions the Biden administration has spent in supporting Ukraine and has said he could end the war in 24 hours, comments that appear to suggest he would press Ukraine to surrender territory that Russia now occupies. As a co-chairman of the American First Policy Institute’s Center for American Security, Kellogg wrote several of the chapters in the group’s policy book. The book, like the Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025,” is designed to lay out a Trump national security agenda and avoid the mistakes of 2016 when he entered the White House largely unprepared. Kellogg in April wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.” Trump's proposed national security adviser , U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz of Florida, tweeted Wednesday that “Keith has dedicated his life to defending our great country and is committed to bringing the war in Ukraine to a peaceful resolution.” Kellogg featured in multiple Trump investigations dating to his first term. He was among the administration officials who listened in on the July 2019 call between Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in which Trump prodded his Ukrainian counterpart to pursue investigations into the Bidens. The call, which Kellogg would later say did not raise any concerns on his end, was at the center of the first of two House impeachment cases against Trump, who was acquitted by the Senate both times. On Jan. 6, 2021, hours before pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, Kellogg, who was then Pence’s national security adviser, listened in on a heated call in which Trump told his vice president to object or delay the certification in Congress of President Joe Biden ’s victory. He later told House investigators that he recalled Trump saying to Pence words to the effect of: “You’re not tough enough to make the call.” Baldor reported from Washington. AP writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.
From ‘I don’t even know who that is,’ to ‘I don’t care about the dude at all,’ Steelers’ Pickens spawns war of words with Browns
Popular Thanksgiving Staple in U.S. Banned in European Countries Due to Ingredients Being Linked to CancerTrump selects longtime adviser Keith Kellogg as special envoy for Ukraine and Russia
BRASILIA (Reuters) - A committee in Brazil's lower chamber of Congress approved a bill on Wednesday that would ban abortion in Brazil in all cases including those currently allowed such as fetal deformation, rape or when the mother's health is in danger. The Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committee, where conservatives have a majority, voted 35-15 to approve a proposal for a constitutional amendment to establish that the inviolability of the right to life applies from the moment of conception and not at birth. The sponsor of the legislation, Chris Tonietto of the right-wing Liberal Party, said the amendment would "ensure that unborn children will enjoy the right to life." The proposed bill will now go to a special committee set up for the issue and discussions are expected to take place early next year. Progressive lawmakers criticized the amendment, calling it a "secular setback" and an attack on women's rights. They said the measure will paralyze research into stem cells and rule out procedures such as in vitro fertilization. "It's a provocation. It is shameless and perverse to say that this is a defense of anyone's life," said Samia Bomfim of the Socialism and Liberty Party. (Reporting by Maria Carolina Marcello; Writing by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Alistair Bell)Texas lawmakers are scrutinizing university professors’ influence
The Ministry of Labour (MoL), in collaboration with Microsoft, announced the launch of MOL360 Initiative, on Wednesday. This marks a key milestone in the Ministry's digital transformation journey and a significant step towards achieving the goals of the Qatar National Vision 2030. This strategic collaboration underscores the MoL's commitment to revolutionizing labour market operations and setting new standards for excellence in public sector innovation. By leveraging Microsofts state-of-the-art cloud and AI technologies, including the advanced capabilities of Azure OpenAI, the MOL360 Initiative will introduce a comprehensive, secure platform designed to provide unprecedented insights into the labour market. Furthermore, enabling data-driven decision-making and forecasting future trends will enhance workforce planning, improve employment services, and promote transparency across Qatar's labour sector. Assistant Undersecretary for Migrant Labour at the Ministry of Labour, Sheikha Najwa al-Thani, emphasized that the MOL360 initiative represents a significant milestone in the journey toward digital excellence and innovation, underlining that by leveraging the latest technological advancements in collaboration with Microsoft, MoL is empowering Qatar's labour market with the tools to drive efficiency, enhance transparency, and foster informed decision-making. This initiative also aligns with Qatar's broader vision for digital transformation and reaffirms our commitment to building a sustainable and future-ready workforce. The MOL360 Initiative includes the implementation of the 360 Platform, a unified system designed to seamlessly integrate internal and external services for ministry employees and clients. This platform will enable ministry employees to manage their daily tasks more efficiently, including human resources, IT support, and correspondence, all within a centralized system. It will also provide personalized services tailored to the unique needs of individuals and organizations, offering features such as real-time communication with the ministry via live chat and surveys, as well as automated reminders for critical requirements such as Qatarisation levels. Additionally, the platforms advanced analytics capabilities will deliver valuable insights into the labour market, empowering organizations to make data-driven decisions. To safeguard sensitive information, Microsoft has implemented robust privacy and security measures, ensuring strict compliance with international best practices and local regulatory requirements, she highlighted. General Manager of Microsoft Qatar, Lana Khalaf, said she is thrilled to collaborate with MoL on the MOL360 initiative, emphasizing that this groundbreaking platform harnesses the power of Microsoft's latest cloud and AI technologies to revolutionize labour market operations in Qatar. Additionally, by providing a secure and data-driven environment, MOL360 will empower MoL to make informed decisions, enhance service delivery, and create a more agile and responsive labour market. This initiative aligns perfectly with Qatar's National Vision 2030 and the National Digital Agenda, setting new standards for excellence in public sector innovation. Strategic Planning and Digital Transformation Advisor at the Ministers Office, Salim al-Barami, explained that this initiative represents a transformative approach to conceptualizing and implementing government portals, placing human experience at the centre. He noted that by harnessing cutting-edge technologies such as Large Language Models (LLMs) and graph knowledge, the solution caters to a wide spectrum of users, including Ministry employees, citizens aspiring to join the private sector, and expatriates managing or owning businesses. The 360 Platform personalizes its services to each users role and needs, ensuring a seamless, user-centric experience that fosters innovation, inclusivity, and efficiency. Related Story Microsoft unveils new features to increase Edge’s Overall Performance
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I was initially attracted to Endlight , a weird indie game about getting hoops, by its intense, almost overwhelming trailer, but what hooked me were the less obvious but very clever bits lying beneath its sensory onslaught: Levels are punctuated by odd, sometimes very funny chunks of text that made me feel as though developer Jim McGinley was watching and talking in the background as I played. I also loved the game's central conceit: Every level can only be completed once. After it's gone, it's gone forever. The twist is that once a year, Endlight offers a "Right to Replay" challenge , the reward being an in-game "coupon" allowing the holder to play Endlight again—but just once, from the very beginning—at any time over the following 12 months. It's twisted, completely counter-intuitive, and to McGinley, extremely funny: He acknowledged that a lot of players would hate the idea, but added, "I think people will come around to appreciating the humour." Some no doubt did. Endlight has a "positive" user rating on Steam, which is good: The bad is, that rating comes from just 28 reviews. Endlight launched on Steam in July 2023, and put up an all-time peak concurrent player count of—it almost physically hurts to say this— three . Endlight, McGinley said earlier this year, has more levels than players. "Still the case!" he told me in a more recent chat. "After returns, we're at ~325 sales. Endlight has 16 seasons, 400 levels." Endlight's launched with 100 levels, but they're very short: Some of them can be completed in a matter of seconds if you're lucky. McGinley's plan to keep people playing was to release monthly "seasons" of 25 levels each, all of them free, bringing the total number of Endlight levels up to 500 when all were finally out. I wondered if he might be having second thoughts, since nobody's playing them anyway—two people have made it to the end of season eight, just one has completed everything so far—but that's not happening: McGinley committed to 20 seasons, and he's doing 20 seasons. It's not just a sense of duty or bloody-mindedness keeping him on the job—there's a practical justification, too. "Since you can't replay Endlight, we committed to providing free seasons," McGinley explained. "After a year, we're still supporting a failure—a feat even No Man's Sky can't claim. "At launch we planned for this failure scenario by creating 80% of the free seasons ahead of time (400 unpolished but playable levels, ~3 years of work). The idea being any demoralization caused by lack of sales would be offset by the need to ensure all that upfront DLC work didn't go to waste. That plan is working! Without this DLC albatross, we would have run far, far away—at least as far as $2,430CDN can carry us." The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. It's not just new levels that are being worked on: McGinley is also following through on the Right to Replay challenge—in fact, work on that has delayed the release of Endlight's final four seasons. Roughly 50 people tried the 2023 challenge but nobody was able to finish it, so he's toning things down so someone might actually get it done this year. His rationale for tuning a challenge in a game with no players is very similar to his reason for persisting with Endlight seasons: "Implementing that challenge took roughly two months of work (coding, Q&A, tweaking, making it unhackable) and I can't let all that good work go to waste simply because no one will play it." Any demoralization caused by lack of sales would be offset by the need to ensure all that upfront DLC work didn't go to waste. That plan is working! Without this DLC albatross, we would have run far, far away—at least as far as $2,430CDN can carry us." McGinley's sense of humor shines throughout our conversation, and can also be seen in an ongoing Reddit thread detailing Endlight's failure, where he shares sales figures, player numbers, and other thoughts. ("The comments are much more civil than when I first started," he said. "No sales, but I'm winning hearts and minds!") But he's under no illusions about the current state of the indie game business, which he said has changed dramatically in recent years, in part because platforms like Fortnite and Roblox enable game development without the learning curve involved with conventional game engines like Godot and Unreal. "There are already indie devs creating hit games with huge audiences [on those platforms] that dwarf the traditional indie game space," McGinley said. "Could you create a successful Endlight within one of those ecosystems? I'm betting yes. I'm not sure where that leaves indie game developers working on Steam and console. I'm guessing more and cooler projects experiencing less and less success." Despite Endlight's failure and a shift back to his "real skillset" as a commercial full stack engineer, McGinley said he's "not finished with this videogame nonsense." Along with wrapping up the remaining four seasons of Endlight, he's also looking for a publisher for an all-levels-included console edition, and dabbling with a VR version. And at the end of the day, he has no regrets, except that nobody bought the thing. "While Endlight definitely (by ANY measure) did NOT work out, I'm insanely proud of how the game turned out," he said. "No regrets—likely because there's nothing we would have done differently. Most things that failed (reputable publishers weren't interested, no money to pay influencers, no coverage, the indiepocalypse) were out of our hands. Would I do it all over again? YES. Alas, finances are stopping me. "Working on Endlight was a dream job. Not everyone gets that chance." Endlight's 2024 Right to Replay challenge will be open throughout December 9. Beat it and you'll win the right to replay the game—biff it, and you'll have the right to try again in December 2025.
EV charging stocks hit the brakes in November, down 21% over the past month, trailing both broader market indices and the EV sector average . Yet, JPMorgan analyst Bill Peterson sees a bright spot in EVgo Inc EVGO , which continues to pull ahead of peers despite the industry’s sluggish growth. EV Deployments: Running On Fumes The U.S. EV market saw marginal progress last month, with EV penetration inching up to 8.8%. Total charging installations grew 1.5% month-over-month, but this represented a slowdown from October's 4.4% gain. Level 2 chargers lagged with just a 1.1% increase, while DC Fast chargers showed stronger momentum, rising 3.6%. Still, the overall growth trajectory hints at persistent headwinds, particularly for commercial and fleet-charging deployments. Read Also: EVgo Powers On Despite Trump Shake-Up: Analyst Projects 16% US Battery EV Penetration By 2030 EVgo Powers Ahead Amid the challenges, EVgo has emerged as a standout performer. The company added 780 DC Fast ports year-to-date and is on track to meet its 800-port target for 2024. EVgo's stock has soared 72% YTD, fueled by its $1 billion Department of Energy loan, which provides a competitive edge through improved operating leverage. In contrast, ChargePoint Holdings Inc CHPT has struggled, down 50% YTD. Peterson notes that while ChargePoint's cost-cutting measures are positive, the company's unclear path to profitability casts a shadow over its prospects. Tesla's Supercharger Dominance Intact Tesla Inc 's TSLA Supercharger network remains the leader, holding 56.2% of the fast-charging market share despite trimming investments. Electrify America and EVgo maintain smaller shares, at 9.1% and 7.2%, respectively, but EVgo's consistent growth and expanding customer base signal a shift in dynamics. EVgo's Playbook For Success Peterson is bullish on EVgo. He cites its ability to capitalize on higher utilization rates, extended charging sessions from rideshare users, and customer acquisition—including Tesla drivers. Even if EV sales slow due to policy uncertainties, EVgo's scaling strategy positions it well to weather the storm. For EVgo, the future looks electrifying. For the rest of the sector, the road ahead remains uncertain. Read Next: Plug Power, EVgo Among JPMorgan’s Top Sustainable Picks For 2025 Photo: Shutterstock © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.Women’s advocates say provincial and federal governments need to step up efforts to create housing for people escaping gender-based violence because too many women are forced to remain in unsafe situations after being abused. A study released last week by Women’s Shelters Canada says the country’s housing crisis is preventing many people from finding affordable and safe housing after leaving their abuser. Of the 381 shelters and transition houses that responded, 94 per cent of emergency shelters and 83 per cent of transition homes said victims were staying longer than they had in the past while searching for housing. The report also said when people do leave the facilities, about half return to their abusers because they have no other options. More than two-thirds of the women end up in housing situations considered precarious, which meant they were living with friends or families or trading work for rent. A full 36 per cent experience homelessness at some point. Anna Morgan, manager of programs and services at Ernestine’s Women’s Shelter in Etobicoke, Ont., says her organization has seen enormous demand for services as rents in the Greater Toronto Area soar. Her shelter is meant to provide short-term accommodation for women escaping violence, but it has become more like a transition house as people struggle to find a new place to live. READ MORE: Sooke Transition House sounds alarm over lack of options for women with pets fleeing domestic abuse “We’re over capacity,” Morgan said in a phone interview this week. “The shelter system is becoming basically transitional housing for people, and they (the shelters) are really not set up to be housing.” She said the shelter had to turn away 312 people in the fiscal year that ended March 31, and it is on track to turn away a high number again this year. The shelter helps women and gender-diverse people from all racial and ethnic backgrounds. Many people come from the GTA and neighbouring communities, but Morgan says sometimes people arrive from out of province or even as refugees. The vast majority of people coming to the shelter are “deeply poor,” she says, either on social assistance or working minimum wage jobs. The average rent in Toronto is $3,091 for a two-bedroom apartment, according to Rentals.com, and the wait for social housing is 10 years after getting on the wait-list. Morgan said the report’s findings ring true. In her experience, it’s common for people leaving the shelter system to either couch-surf or get back together with their abusers or into “other precarious, exploitative situations.” “They’re getting stuck in that cycle of experiencing gender-based violence and housing instability and precarity,” she said. As well, private landlords sometimes discriminate against people looking to rent based on their race, gender or sexual orientation. Morgan says many landlords also don’t want to rent to people with children, adding further barriers. Outside of Canada’s major urban hubs, smaller communities are also seeing high rates of gender-based violence and increased demand for help. In Moose Jaw, Sask., Jenn Angus of the Moose Jaw Transition House says the lack of affordable housing has driven up the length of stays for clients in her shelter every year for the last five years. “It’s disheartening,” Angus said in a phone interview this week, adding that it is becoming more common for people to stay between 50 and 70 days, when in previously people could find housing within three weeks. Women with children experience the longest stays, Angus added. SEE ALSO: ‘One is too many’: Vigil held to remember the women killed by femicide Angus added she’s noticed a growing trend of people seeking affordable shelter leaving Moose Jaw — a city of about 40,000 people with what she called a good slate of social services — for rural areas, where there are fewer support services. Saskatchewan had the highest rate of police-reported domestic violence among the provinces in 2023 according to Statistics Canada. Jessica Montgomery of the Jessica Martel Memorial Foundation in Morinville, Alta., said finding affordable housing can be difficult for women leaving their abusers because they often leave with little more than “the clothes on their back” and a suitcase. “A lot of survivors coming to us have also experienced economic abuse,” she said, explaining their abusers either had control over their finances or didn’t allow them to work. “It makes them harder to leave because they don’t have the resources to establish a new life.” Montgomery and Angus said the cost of setting up a new home — hooking up utilities, stocking the pantry, finding furniture — is an obstacle for victims trying to make a fresh start. They both said there’s an urgent need for governments at the federal and provincial levels to add funding to housing projects specifically for survivors of gender-based violence and to cut down on wait times for people applying for social assistance programs. In Nova Scotia, the commission of inquiry into the 2020 mass shooting — which began with the gunman brutally assaulting his spouse — called for “epidemic-level funding” to deal with domestic violence. And in September, the province’s legislature adopted a bill naming domestic violence an epidemic. Caira Mohamed of YWCA Halifax says there isn’t necessarily a dollar figure that represents epidemic-level funding. Instead, it involves a consistent level of assistance from the provincial and federal governments for shelters, transition houses and non-profits looking to end gender-based violence. “More programs which are targeted towards survivors of gender-based and intimate-partner violence will start to address some of these gaps (in services) we’re seeing and hopefully meet that threshold of epidemic-level funding,” she said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2024.