American 64, UMKC 60Trae Young, Hawks hoping to win big in Vegas at the NBA Cup semifinalsSupreme Court will take up a challenge related to California's tough vehicle emissions standards WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says it will take up a business-backed appeal that could make it easier to challenge federal regulations, acting in a dispute related to California’s nation-leading standards for vehicle emissions. The justices agreed Friday to hear an appeal filed by fuel producers who object to a waiver granted to California in 2022 by the Environmental Protection Agency during Joe Biden’s presidency. The waiver allows California to set more stringent emissions limits than the national standard. The case won’t be argued until the spring, when the Trump administration is certain to take a more industry-friendly approach to the issue. Musk says US is demanding he pay penalty over disclosures of his Twitter stock purchases DETROIT (AP) — Elon Musk says the Securities and Exchange Commission wants him to pay a penalty or face charges involving what he disclosed — or failed to disclose — about his purchases of Twitter stock before he bought the social media platform in 2022. In a letter, Musk’s lawyer Alex Spiro tells the outgoing SEC chairman, Gary Gensler, that the commission’s demand for a monetary payment is a “misguided scheme” that won’t intimidate Musk. The letter also alleges that the commission reopened an investigation this week into Neuralink, Musk’s computer-to-human brain interface company. The SEC has not released the letter. Nor would it comment on it or confirm whether it has issued such a demand to Musk. Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is pushing toward a vote on legislation that would provide full Social Security benefits to millions of people. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer began the process on Thursday for a final vote on the bill, known as the Social Security Fairness Act. It would eliminate policies that currently limit Social Security payouts for roughly 2.8 million people. The legislation has passed the House. The bill would add more strain on the Social Security Trust funds, which are already estimated to be unable to pay out full benefits beginning in 2035. The measure would add an estimated $195 billion to federal deficits over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Saudi Arabia banned film for 35 years. The Red Sea festival is just one sign of the industry's rise JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — “My Driver and I” was supposed to be made in 2016, but was scuttled amid Saudi Arabia’s decades-long cinema ban. Eight years later, the landscape for film in the kingdom looks much different. And the star of “My Driver and I” now has an award. Roula Dakheelallah was named the winner of the Chopard Emerging Saudi Talent award at the Red Sea International Film Festival on Thursday. Both the award and the glitzy festival itself are signs of Saudi Arabia’s commitment to shaping a new film industry. The reopening of cinemas in 2018 after 35 years marked a cultural turning point for Saudi Arabia. Trump offers support for dockworkers union by saying ports shouldn't install more automated systems WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is offering his support for the dockworkers union before their contract expires next month at Eastern and Gulf Coast ports. He posted on social media Thursday that he met with union leaders and that any further “automation” of the ports would harm workers. He wrote that the “amount of money saved is nowhere near the distress, hurt, and harm it causes for American Workers.” The International Longshoremen’s Association has until Jan. 15 to negotiate a new contract with the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents ports and shipping companies. The Maritime Alliance says the technology will improve worker safety and strengthen our supply chains, among other things. IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power WASHINGTON (AP) — IRS leadership on Thursday announced that the agency has recovered $4.7 billion in back taxes and proceeds from a variety of crimes. The announcement comes under the backdrop of a promised reckoning from Republicans who will hold a majority over both chambers of the next Congress and have long called for rescinding the tens of billions of dollars in funding provided to the agency by Democrats. IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel said improvements made to the agency will help the incoming administration and new Republican majority congress achieve its goals of administering an extension of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Unique among 'Person of the Year' designees, Donald Trump gets a fact-check from Time magazine Donald Trump got something this year that no other person designed Time magazine's Person of the Year had ever received. He got a fact-check of claims that the president-elect made in the interview accompanying the magazine's piece. Trump earned the recognition of the year's biggest newsmaker for the second time, also winning it in 2016 the first time he was elected president. But in a piece described as a “12-minute” read, Time called into question more than a dozen statements Trump made when speaking to the magazine's reporters, on issues like border size, autism and crowd size at a rally. Time said it has fact-checked other interviews in the past, but not for this annual feature. OpenAI's legal battle with Elon Musk reveals internal turmoil over avoiding AI 'dictatorship' A 7-year-old rivalry between tech leaders Elon Musk and Sam Altman over who should run OpenAI and best avoid an artificial intelligence ‘dictatorship’ is now heading to a federal judge as Musk seeks to halt the ChatGPT maker’s ongoing conversion into a for-profit company. Musk, an early OpenAI investor and board member, sued the artificial intelligence company earlier this year. Musk has since escalated the dispute, adding new claims and asking for a court order that would stop OpenAI’s plans to convert itself into a for-profit business more fully. OpenAI is filing its response Friday. OpenAI's Altman will donate $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund LOS ANGELES (AP) — OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is planning to make a $1 million personal donation to President-Elect Donald Trump’s inauguration fund, joining a number of tech companies and executives who are working to improve their relationships the incoming administration. A spokesperson for OpenAI confirmed the move on Friday. The announcement comes one day after Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said it donated $1 million to the same fund. Amazon also said it plans to donate $1 million. China signals it's prepared to double down on support for the economy as Trump tariffs loom BANGKOK (AP) — Chinese leaders met this week to plot economic policy for the coming year and sketched out plans to raise government spending and relax Beijing's monetary policy. Analysts said the broad-brush plans from the annual Central Economic Work Conference were more of a recap of current policy than ambitious new initiatives at a time when the outlook is clouded by the President-elect Donald Trump's threats to sharply raise tariffs once he takes office. The ruling Communist Party did commit to raising China's deficit and to doing more to encourage consumer spending by bringing wage increases in line with the pace of economic growth. Here's a look at China's main priorities and their potential implications.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana 's Republican-controlled Legislature approved a constitutional amendment on Friday that would allow them to expand the number of crimes in which juveniles between 14 and 16 years old could be tried as adults. The state's constitution currently outlines 15 violent juvenile offenses, such as rape, murder and armed robbery, which prosecutors can handle in adult courts. Any changes to that list of crimes must be approved by voters. But the constitutional amendment sponsored by Republican Sen. Heather Cloud — which require voter approval in March 29 elections to take effect — would allow legislators the power by a two-thirds vote to decide what juvenile crimes can be transferred to adult courts. It's part of a wider push in Louisiana, which already has the second-highest incarceration rate in the country behind Mississippi , to implement tough-on-crime policies under Republican Gov. Jeff Landry. Since taking office in January, Landry has passed laws to treat 17-year-olds as adults in the criminal justice system, largely eliminate parole and allow surgical castration as punishment for certain sex crimes against children. Supporters of the measure to make it easier to expand prosecution of juveniles as adults — backed only by Republican legislators — say it will grant lawmakers more flexibility to give prosecutors the tools they need to increase public safety. Vesting authority in the constitution "has hamstringed Louisiana from being able to address changes in an ever-changing juvenile crime landscape,” Cloud said on the Senate floor on Nov. 14. Opponents, including Democrats, social workers and criminal justice reform advocates, said specific offenses routing juveniles to adult courts should remain part of the constitution to keep this power in the hands of voters. “We’re taking the people’s voice away over how children should be treated in this state,” Democratic Sen. Katrina Jackson-Andrews said. Critics also argue the changes fail to confront the root causes of juvenile crime, namely poverty and underinvestment in education. Transferring juveniles into adult court would also prevent them from accessing age-appropriate rehabilitative services, criminal justice reform advocates and social workers testified during the legislative session. Related: “I can view this in no other way than just giving up on children,” Democratic Sen. Royce Duplessis said on the Senate floor. “We’re going to say we’re just going to treat them all as adults, and we’re not going to do our part as a society, as policymakers, to address what’s really failing — this is not going to do a single thing to deter crime." Some lawmakers said that juveniles committing violent crimes had been deprived of care from a young age and were past the point of rehabilitation, blaming their families as opposed to societal factors. READ: “Some of these kids are already lost when they’re 2 years old,” said Republican Rep. Tony Bacala in a House committee hearing. Unless they are transferred to an adult court, young people tried in juvenile court can only be imprisoned until age 21 according to state law. The effect of the proposed constitutional change will be to open the door for Republican lawmakers to give prosecutors the power to hand down lengthy prison sentences to 14- to 16-year-olds, including for less severe crimes, said Bruce Reilly, deputy director of the Louisiana-based criminal justice reform advocacy group Voice of the Experienced. The Louisiana District Attorneys Association and the Louisiana Sheriffs' Association said they supported the measure. But New Orleans Sheriff Susan Hutson said she was concerned the measure would “almost certainly further strain our already short staff” in the jail system. Federal law still considers 17-year-olds and younger as juveniles and requires them to be kept separate from adult inmates. District Attorney Tony Clayton, who represents West Baton Rouge and two other parishes, said he would not try a juvenile as an adult for having “marijuana in his wallet,” but for violent crimes. Violent crimes are on the decline nationwide according to the latest data from FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting. Since mid-2023, most violent crime has also been down in New Orleans, which in 2022 had the highest homicide rate among large cities nationwide. Conservative lawmakers argued this was the result of tough-on-crime penalties passed this year and Republican Gov. Jeff Landry's decision to send state troops to New Orleans. Lawmakers supporting the amendment have focused on high-profile violent crimes by juveniles, such as a deadly New Orleans carjacking case committed by teenagers — who were charged as adults — in which an elderly woman was beaten and dragged to her death. Louisiana is one of five states that classifies 17-year-olds as adults in the criminal justice system, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. _____ Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Brook on the social platform X: @jack_brook96 Copyright 2024 The Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Trae Young, Hawks hoping to win big in Vegas at the NBA Cup semifinals
Grab It Before It’s Gone! Why Everyone Wants Intel’s Arc B580 GPU.Middle East latest: Syrians celebrate Assad's fall as US seeks a peaceful political transitionCLEVELAND (AP) — The NFL has closed an investigation into sexual assault allegations against Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson, who is ending the season on injured reserve for the second year in a row. The league , trying to determine whether Watson should be punished. “The matter is closed,” league spokesman Brian McCarthy said Friday in an email to The Associated Press. “There was insufficient evidence to support a finding of a violation of the personal conduct policy.” Watson, who served an 11-game suspension in 2022, was accused of assault in Texas by a woman in September. She was seeking more than $1 million in damages before the sides reached a confidential settlement. Watson strongly denied the allegations through his attorney, Rusty Hardin. The 29-year-old Watson suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon rupture in October. He's been rehabbing the injury in hopes of returning next season. The Browns still owe Watson $46 million in each of the next two seasons after they traded three first-round picks to Houston and signed him to a five-year, fully guaranteed $230 million contract that has backfired. Watson has only played in 19 games over three seasons due to the suspension and injuries. He was acquired by the Browns, who were comfortable with his character despite Watson being accused of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage therapy sessions while he played for the Texans. While he's in the clear with the league, Watson's future with Cleveland isn't so certain. His massive contract — and its salary-cap ramifications — has put the Browns in a bind in terms of trying to improve their roster. Cleveland has had a disappointing season after making the playoffs a year ago and could move on from Watson, but the cost would be exorbitant if the team just releases him. The Browns signed Jameis Winston for one season to be Watson's backup. Winston has gone 2-3 as a starter since taking over and he's put some life into Cleveland's offense, which didn't score 20 points or gain 300 yards with Watson before his injury. His 2023 season was ended by a broken bone in his shoulder, requiring surgery. Winston has indicated he would come back, and he could be a viable option as a starter even if the Browns draft a young QB. ___ AP NFL: Tom Withers, The Associated Press
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — El Salvador's Congress approved Monday a law that would lift the country’s seven-year-old ban on mining for metals. The law, proposed by President Nayib Bukele and passed on a 57 to 3 vote, would allow mining everywhere except nature reserves and sensitive watersheds. It's expected to go into law with his approval. The law bans the use of toxic mercury in gold mining, and would require private companies to enter a type of joint venture with the government to open mines. Environmentalists and the Roman Catholic church oppose the resumption of mining, citing potential damage to ecosystems, but Bukele called the ban “absurd” earlier this year. Archbishop José Luis Escobar Alas recently asked the president not to reverse the ban, which has been in place since 2017. Get the latest breaking news as it happens. By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy . “It will damage this country forever,” Msgr. Escobar Alas said in a homily. That view was also voiced by about 100 civic and environmental activists who protested near Congress. “They are giving us a gift, on Dec. 23, 2024, of pollution for our water, our land,” said Adalberto Blanco, of the Permanent Roundtable on Risk Management. A poll released by Central American University José Simeón Cañas suggested that a majority of Salvadorans feel mining is not appropriate for their country. In November, the highly popular Bukele proposed mining gold. The county's unmined gold could be “wealth that could transform El Salvador,” he wrote on the social platform X. He has estimated the country's gold reserves are worth $3 trillion. At this point, exploration has revealed deposits of gold and silver, but has been was no large-scale metal mining. It’s unclear what how large the country's gold reserves could be. Bukele’s party controls El Salvador’s Congress by a wide margin and his political opposition has been devastated.MONTREAL — Laurentian Bank of Canada reported fourth-quarter profits that were up from a year ago, while it reported a loss for 2024 as a whole. The Montreal-based bank said Friday its quarterly profits amounted to $40.7 million, up from $30.6 million a year ago. For the fiscal year, it reported a loss of $5.5 million, compared with a net income of $181 million the year before, as it took charges related to its turnaround efforts. Impairment charges for the year totalled $228.4 million, including a $155.9 million writedown on the value of its personal and commercial banking segment, and $72.5 million in restructuring charges. In the fourth quarter, the bank reported $7.8 million in severance charges and a $5.7 million writedown in the value of its software and licences, plus impairments on its office space and leases. The efforts are part of a turnaround that chief executive Éric Provost said in a statement was going well. "Six months after presenting our strategic plan, I am pleased with the progress we’ve made." Profits in the fourth quarter amounted to 88 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Oct. 31, up from a profit of 67 cents per diluted share in the same quarter last year. Revenue for the quarter totalled $250.8 million, up from $247.4 million a year earlier. The bank's provision for credit losses for the quarter amounted to $10.4 million compared with $16.7 million a year ago. On an adjusted basis, Laurentian says it earned 89 cents per diluted share in its latest quarter, down from an adjusted profit of $1 per diluted share in the same quarter last year. The average analyst estimate had been for an adjusted profit of 87 cents per share, according to data provided by LSEG Data & Analytics. Scotiabank analyst Meny Grauman said the bank's low provisions for credit loss were impressive, especially given its commercial-heavy loan book as businesses face pressure. "It should highlight for investors the underlying quality of this bank’s commercial franchise at least from an underwriting perspective," he said in a note. Laurentian shares were up nine per cent in early trading Friday on the Toronto Stock Exchange while they were up around 4.6 per cent by late afternoon. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2024. Companies in this story: (TSX:LB) The Canadian Press
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Former South Carolina Sen. Kay Patterson, who rose from cleaning offices at the segregated Statehouse to serving as a state legislator for over 30 years died Friday. He was 93. The South Carolina Democratic Party announced Patterson's death saying he “left an indelible mark on our state. Senator Patterson commanded everyone’s attention with his wit and wisdom.” The statement did not list a cause of death. Patterson was born in 1931 in Darlington County and raised by his grandmothers. They recalled his hardheaded spirit early, recommending he not take jobs as a golf caddy or shoe shiner because he was likely to mouth off to white people in segregated 1940s South Carolina and get in trouble. Instead, Patterson served in the military and then got his teaching degree through the GI Bill at Allen University. While in college, he cleaned offices at the segregated capitol where he and other Black people couldn't be unless they were working. "When I was a janitor, Black people couldn’t go in the Statehouse," Patterson said in a 2004 interview with the University of South Carolina. “And then one day I came back down here as a member of the House and then in '84, I came back sitting in the Senate as a senator. Now that’s a hell of a long way to come.” Patterson spent 30 years in education and was elected to the South Carolina House in 1974 and the Senate 10 years later after U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn urged him to run for the upper chamber seat. In a statement, Clyburn called Patterson “a trusted leader, a tireless champion for civil rights, and a treasured friend. He was a person of strength, determination, wisdom, and a long proponent of removing the Confederate flag from the South Carolina Statehouse dome .” Patterson was also the first Black person to serve on the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees since Reconstruction. Patterson was a key member of both the House and Senate, He served on the budget committees in both chambers and was a major voice in support of civil rights, public education and helping poor people. He adamantly demanded the Confederate flag be removed from atop the Statehouse dome and inside the House and Senate chambers long before they were taken down in 2000. The lifelong Democrat said the final years of his political career were the toughest after Republicans took over state government. His seniority no longer mattered and he felt many newer Republicans were religious hypocrites who claimed to help others but only cared for people just like themselves. A few years before he retired from the Statehouse, Patterson said it was important to respect elders and supervisors, but not be afraid to speak up if bothered or something was on one's mind. “That’s just my hallmark ever since I was a little child. It will get you in trouble now, but you can sleep well at night. And learn to treat everybody as human beings with respect,” Patterson said in the interview with the university's Champions of Civil and Human Rights in South Carolina program. “You can sleep real good at night. Right now, I’m 73 years old and sleep like a log when I go to bed because I know I’ve done no wrong to my fellow man,” Patterson said. Jeffrey Collins, The Associated PressNew Delhi: New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) is planning to extensively improve its school infrastructure, starting with the transformation of Navyug School, Pandara Road into a model institution. Initially, there was a plan to carry out a detailed revamp of Navyug School at Vinay Marg and Sarojini Nagar separately. However, it was realised that repair works were pending in 13 other schools under the building maintenance department-II, and both proposals were merged. NDMC is now working on a revised proposal to enhance the infrastructure at 15 schools. The proposal for administrative approval and expenditure sanction of Rs 9.5 crore for the comprehensive improvement of the schools will be placed soon in a council meeting. "A proposal was presented in the last council meeting on Thursday. However, considering that the project for undertaking civil work was first proposed in 2021, the department was asked to specify reasons for the delay while tabling the budget again," said an NDMC official. The schools include Aadarsh Atal Bal Vidhyalaya at Mandir Marg, Moti Marg, Netaji Nagar, B Avenue, DG Block and Babu Market; Navyug School Northwest Moti Bagh; Aanchal School; Kautilya Marg School; and Kitchner Road School. The proposed works include flooring, painting, kota stone work, waterproofing treatment, and repairing walls and roofs. In July 2021, Navyug School, Sarojini Nagar was first inspected by the former NDMC chairman along with its secretary and the director (education), and the department was asked to carry out various civil works. "Accordingly, tenders were invited in June 2022, but the project could not be materialised as the validity of the tender expired. Later, a revised estimate of Rs 3.8 crore was prepared in Dec 2022, and a separate plan for 13 more schools was prepared. Later on, all projects were compiled, and 15 schools were proposed to be revamped for Rs 9.5 crore," the proposal stated. The process has also started to convert all primary classes from I to V into smart ones. "It includes learning through technological tools and the integration of technology and education, and involves the use of visual and audio modes," said an official. The project is in the tendering phase for setting up 346 smart classrooms across all 43 NDMC and Navyug schools, with the work expected to start in the fiscal year 2024-25. NDMC has also approved the procurement of over 6,000 tablets for the students of classes X to XII, said the official. Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , and Mini Crossword .
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