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MIAMI , Dec. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today at Art Basel Miami, Blue Square X proudly announced an expansion of its art curation services to further elevate the Vision X LED series. Building on its success with collaborations featuring artists like ThankYouX, Nick Thomm , Brooke Einbender , JN Silva, and institutions such as Art Republic and BlackDove, the company continues to lead at the intersection of art and technology. Past installations include Leila Pinto at Pace Gallery, Jennifer Steinkamp at Lehmann Maupin Gallery, and Anthony Samaniego of Art Republic. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
A new study published by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reveals significant workplace discrimination against Israeli-Americans and Jews in the U.S. According to the research, Israeli-American job seekers are required to submit 39% more applications to receive the same number of positive responses as their Western European counterparts applying for identical positions. For Jewish-American job seekers, the figure is 24% more applications. The city with the most significant disparity for Israelis is Seattle, the tech and coffee capital, home to major companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Costco and Starbucks. The study, conducted by Dr. Brian Tomlin, an economist at California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI), was based on an experiment in which 3,000 job applications were sent for administrative positions. The applications included identical resumes, except for details revealing the candidate's origin— whether they were Jewish, Israeli or Western European. The results show that cultural or religious backgrounds can be a significant barrier to employment opportunities, even when qualifications are identical. In addition to geographic differences, the study found that how information was presented on resumes had an impact. For instance, resumes with names strongly associated with Jewish or Israeli identities (e.g., "Lia Abraham" and "Rebecca Cohen") led to clear disparities in responses. Other factors, such as the use of Hebrew as a second language or listing an Israeli-associated workplace, contributed to the discrimination. The study also revealed local variations. Israeli-Americans received notably better responses in cities like New York and Philadelphia, where their positive response rates were similar to or slightly higher than Western European candidates. However, researchers note that the differences were not statistically significant, making it unclear whether this was due to genuine openness or random employer patterns. In contrast, Seattle showed a particularly negative disparity, where Israeli candidates received only a 6.8% positive response rate, compared to 23.1% for Western European candidates. Researchers suggest further study is needed to understand the underlying causes. 3 View gallery In Seattle, only 6.8% of Israeli candidates received positive responses to their job applications ( Photo: Shutterstock ) In most cities examined, Israeli-American and Jewish-American candidates faced some level of discrimination, though its severity varied across regions. In cities with higher unemployment rates, the disparities were more pronounced, likely due to increased competition for jobs, leading to more stringent candidate screening. Additionally, in cities with higher average salaries, Israeli and Jewish candidates were more likely to be rejected, hinting that employers in those areas tend to be particularly selective. These findings suggest that a combination of high competition and high wages may exacerbate discrimination against certain groups, even when candidates' skills and experience are equivalent. Cities with the most noticeable bias against Israelis and Jews included Atlanta, Baltimore, Portland, Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Denver, Houston, Miami, Phoenix and San Diego. On the other hand, cities where Israelis and Jews were treated more equally or even favorably included Los Angeles, Austin, Dallas, Boston, Trenton, San Francisco, San Antonio and Las Vegas. 3 View gallery Miami ( Photo: Shutterstock ) According to Tomlin, the data shows that Jewish and Israeli candidates are forced to prove themselves beyond typical expectations but are not treated fairly. "It is difficult, if not impossible, to prove discrimination in the job market—especially when it comes to Israelis or Jews, who are not defined as an ethnic minority group protected in the U.S.," he said. "However, the findings show that people lose job opportunities because of their identity, not due to a lack of qualifications." The study also found that some employers who identified Israeli candidates responded in Hebrew or made direct references to their Israeli background, such as offering greetings like "Good luck!" In contrast, no similar responses were recorded for Jewish or Western European candidates. The researchers noted that this indicates employers view an applicant's Israeli background as significant, either positively or negatively. Get the Ynetnews app on your smartphone: Google Play : https://bit.ly/4eJ37pE | Apple App Store : https://bit.ly/3ZL7iNv The study underscores a broader trend of increasing antisemitic incidents in the U.S. According to the ADL, more than 3,000 antisemitic events, including physical assaults, property damage, and verbal harassment, were recorded in the first three months of 2024 alone. Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the ADL, called the findings "unprecedented evidence of antisemitic discrimination in the job market." He added, "In addition to the rise in antisemitic incidents and beliefs, the study highlights the urgent need to combat prejudice against Jews and Israelis in the workplace. Beyond the legal aspects, organizations must recognize their social responsibility and ensure an inclusive work environment." >Movie Review: Brave, mesmerizing Amy Adams triumphs over frustratingly odd script in ‘Nightbitch’
Stock market today: Tech stocks and AI pull Wall Street to more records5 doctors suspended after pregnant woman's death in RajouriCooking up trouble
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Jet crash disaster in South Korea marks another setback for BoeingTo The New York Times, it was a standard journalistic practice done in the name of fairness — asking someone involved in a story for comment. To the mother of the nominee for secretary of defense, it constituted a threat. On Wednesday, Pete Hegseth's mother accused the Times of making “threats” by calling about its story on an email she had sent to her son six years earlier that criticized his treatment of women. Penelope Hegseth sought and received an interview on Fox News Channel to support her son, whose confirmation chances are threatened by a series of damaging stories about his personal conduct. At one point, she said she wanted to directly tell President-elect Trump that her son “is not that man he was seven years ago.” People are also reading... She also called the Times “despicable” and attacked a basic tenet of journalism: giving someone the chance to speak for a story about actions that could be seen in a negative light. The Times' story, published Saturday , quoted from a private email that Penelope Hegseth sent to her son in 2018 while he was in the midst of divorcing his second wife. She criticized his character and treatment of women, suggesting that he get some help. “I have no respect for any man that belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around and uses women for his own power and ego,” she wrote to her offspring. “You are that man (and have been for many years).” His mother said the message was sent in a moment of anger She told the Times for its story that she had sent the email in a moment of anger and followed it up two hours later with an apology. She disavows its content now. When the Times called her for comment on the story, Hegseth told Fox News that, at first, she did not respond. She said she perceived the calls as a threat — “they say unless you make a statement we will publish it as is and I think that's a despicable way to treat anyone,” she said. “I don't think a lot of people know that's the way they operate,” she said, speaking about the story. She accused the newspaper of being in it "for the money. And they don't care who they hurt, families, children. I don't believe that's the right way to do things.” Charles Stadtlander, a spokesman for the Times, said Hegseth's claim “is flatly untrue,” and she was in no way threatened. “The Times did what it always does in reporting out a story, simply reaching out and asking for a comment, which we included,” he said. Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | SoundStack | All Of Our Podcasts Such a call is the opposite of a threat — it's an attempt to be fair, said Tom Rosenstiel, a University of Maryland professor and co-author of “Elements of Journalism: What News People Should Know and What the Public Should Expect.” “She's basically saying that brake lights are a threat because they alert you that the car ahead of you is about to stop," he said. But many Americans would perceive that call as a threat, or certainly as rude and a violation of privacy, said Tim Graham, director of media analysis at the conservative Media Research Center. “She didn't write that email to be on the front page of The New York Times,” he said. What are the ethics of publishing a private email between mother and son? A secondary question is the newsworthiness of publishing the content of the private email, one that Hegseth said she almost immediately regretted sending and doesn't reflect how she perceives her son. Graham suggested that the newspaper wouldn't do the same for the nominee of a Democratic president-elect. “The New York Times is out to destroy these nominees,” he said. In its initial story, the Times wrote that it had obtained a copy of the email “from another person with ties to the Hegseth family.” “This was a piece of independently reported journalism published in the name of public awareness of the nominee to lead the largest department in the federal government,” Stadtlander said. “We stand behind it completely.” In many circumstances, an email from a mother to her son would be considered a private matter and out of bounds to a news organization, Rosenstiel said. But in this case, Hegseth, a former Fox News weekend host chosen by Trump to lead the Pentagon, has built himself into a public figure and is up for a very important job — and one that leads the military, which involves waging war and in which character is considered a fundamental trait. “It makes this news, honestly,” Stadtlander said. The Times wrote about Penelope Hegseth's Fox interview on Wednesday, leading with her saying her son “was not the same man he was in 2018 when she fired off an email accusing him of routinely abusing women and lacking decency and character.” There was some question about whether Hegseth would appear for an interview at his former network on Wednesday, after CNN's Kaitlan Collins posted on X the night before that “multiple people” said that was expected. A Fox News representative said that no such interview had been scheduled, and the nominee was on Capitol Hill meeting with senators. He has faced a flurry of other damaging reports, including stories about a sexual assault allegation reported to police in 2017. No charges were filed then, and Hegseth said the relationship was consensual. The New Yorker magazine wrote about reports of financial mismanagement , sexist behavior and excessive drinking when Hegseth ran a veterans' organization, and NBC News wrote about people at Fox News concerned about his alcohol use. David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox!Adityanath recalls Vajpayee’s virtues on eve of late PM’s birth centenary
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Cade Klubnik threw for three touchdowns, backup running back Jay Haynes scored twice on the ground and defensive tackle Payton Page had a 57-yard pick-6 score as No. 17 Clemson routed The Citadel 51-14 Saturday to move to 39-0 all-time against FCS opponents. The Tigers (9-2) won their third straight and still held on to feint hopes of reaching the Atlantic Coast Conference title game and the College Football Playoff. Clemson, which finished ACC play at 7-1 with last week's 24-20 win at Pittsburgh, needs No. 11 Miami to lose at Syracuse next week to play for a league crown for the eighth time in 10 seasons. Clemson cranked it up early in this one, looking a lot like the offense that averaged better than 48 points during a six-game win streak earlier this season instead of the one that had not surpassed 24 points in any of its past three contests. Klubnik connected with Antonio Williams for a 30-yard TD to start the scoring and then the 315-pound Page stretched out for an interception and rumbled along the left sidelines — losing momentum with each step — for Clemson's first score from a defensive lineman in four years and a 14-0 lead. And Page wasn't the only defender to score. Clemson's All-American linebacker Barrett Carter playing his next-to-last home game, had a 4-yard TD run on Senior Day to end the Tigers' scoring. The Citadel (5-7), of the FCS Southern Conference, went on to its 19th straight loss to Clemson since 1932. Klubnik completed 12 of 16 passes for 198 yards. He headed to the sidelines after his second TD pass to Williams that gave the Tigers a 42-0 lead in the third quarter. Haynes got the bulk of the work after starter Phil Mafah achieved his 1,000-yard rushing season with three first-quarter runs. Haynes had scoring runs of 70 and 9 yards. The Citadel: The Bulldogs are the leaders among FCS teams in victories over FBS opponents with nine since the college football split into Division I and Division I-AA in 1978. They couldn't stay competitive, but did roll up a season-high 288 yards rushing and scored a touchdown against Clemson for the first time in the past four games in the series. Clemson: The Tigers reached nine wins in a season for the 14th-straight time. Only Alabama, which entered the season with 16 straight nine-win seasons, had a longer current streak. The Citadel's season is complete. Clemson closes the regular season with its rivalry game with South Carolina on Saturday. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballFor years, school bus driver Herman Cruse would drop off Middle Township, New Jersey, students in the morning and then find ways to pass the time until his next run to pick them up at the end of the school day. Cruse lives too far from the school district to return home between routes, and he wanted to do something more meaningful than running errands, working out or napping between shifts. Overhearing one of the kindergartners on the bus talking about troubles with a reading assignment, Cruse approached the student’s teacher at Middle Township Elementary School No. 1 in Cape May Court House to ask if he could help. It was 2021, and Alex Bakley had Cruse meet with the student to read. The two connected, and word spread at the sprawling school. Other students and teachers requested reading time with Cruse. “It caught on quickly,” said Cruse, 56. “It took on a life of its own.” Since he started reading to that first boy three years ago, Cruse estimates that he has read with hundreds of students, mostly kindergartners and first graders. The students have been dubbed “Mr. Herman’s Kids,” and they view Cruse as a beloved mentor, role model and father figure. Some ride the yellow school bus Cruse drives. “He’s not just picking up kids,” said Principal Chris Paskalides. “He’s just taken it to another level. He really cares about the kids.” A section in the kindergarten wing has been designated as “Mr. Herman’s Kids Corner.” Sitting at a round table, Cruse reads with students one-on-one for about 20 to 30 minutes during their school day three times a week. Students may select a title from a bookshelf stocked by Cruse or a book from their classroom. On a recent morning, Cruse had about 2 1⁄2 hours between shifts and reported for his reading assignments. Cruse listened patiently as Octavia Hebron, 6, read aloud from “I’m Thankful Each Day.” He gently offered assistance when she stumbled over a word, encouraging her to sound it out as she followed with her finger. “Good job! Awesome!” Cruse told her, giving her a high-five. Cruse recruited another bus driver, Dan O’Connell, 70, to help with reading to reach more students. Both men voluntarily use their downtime for reading with students. The school has about 700 students in pre-K through second grade. Sitting on a mini-size chair across the room from Cruse, O’Connell read to students or let them read to him. He chuckled when 5-year-old Melody Roberto-Hammond wanted to read a second book. “We’re not reading them all,” O’Connell told her. “Maybe next time.” Experts say reading helps with language comprehension, vocabulary building and story structure. With Cruse, reading also acts as a relationship-building activity, particularly important with a male role model when most children are exposed to female teachers in lower grades, said Valarie G. Lee, an associate professor in the critical literacy, technology, and multilingual education department at Rowan University. “I think what they’re doing is wonderful. The evidence is in kids wanting to read with him,” Lee said. “Building that foundation early on is really critical.” Veteran teacher Linda Bakley said Cruse has a special knack with students. Sometimes they ask to read with him instead of her, she said, laughing. Some of them refer to Cruse as “Pop Pop.” “This man is loving and caring. The kids feel it,” Linda Bakley said. “The kids do adore him. When they say it takes a village, he is the village.” Cruse reinforces skills that students learn in the classroom, and he questions them about what they’ve read to build comprehension, Bakley said. He also asks how they are doing outside of school, which has built their trust, she said. A grandfather and father of five adult children, Cruse said he became an avid reader at a young age. His mother purchased an encyclopedia set for the family, and he devoured the reference books, along with books, maps and atlases, he said. “I read pretty much everything I could put my hands on,” he recalled. Cruse passed on that love of reading to his own children. He applies the same approach to the students at Middle Township. “I want to nurture every gift these children are exuding in these classrooms,” he said. “Whatever they learn from me, whatever they get, I hope they just go further, do more and be more as they grow.” Get local news delivered to your inbox!
NoneWhite House says at least 8 US telecom firms, dozens of nations impacted by China hacking campaignMarcus Hayes: Nick Sirianni’s finest hour: Without Jalen Hurts, coach leads depleted Eagles to NFC East title, 41-7, over the Cowboys
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WASHINGTON — A top White House official said Wednesday at least eight U.S. telecom firms and dozens of nations were impacted by a Chinese hacking campaign. Deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger offered new details about the breadth of the sprawling Chinese hacking campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans. Neuberger divulged the scope of the hack a day after the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued guidance intended to help root out the hackers and prevent similar cyberespionage in the future. White House officials cautioned that the number of telecommunication firms and countries impacted could grow. The U.S. believes the hackers were able to gain access to communications of senior U.S. government officials and prominent political figures through the hack, Neuberger said. “We don’t believe any classified communications has been compromised,” Neuberger added during a call with reporters. She added that Biden was briefed on the findings and the White House “made it a priority for the federal government to do everything it can to get to the bottom this.” US officials recommend encrypted messaging apps amid "Salt Typhoon" cyberattack, attributed to China, targeting AT&T, Verizon, and others. The Chinese embassy in Washington rejected the accusations that it was responsible for the hack Tuesday after the U.S. federal authorities issued new guidance. “The U.S. needs to stop its own cyberattacks against other countries and refrain from using cyber security to smear and slander China,” embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said. The embassy did not immediately respond to messages Wednesday. White House officials believe the hacking was regionally targeted and the focus was on very senior government officials. Federal authorities confirmed in October that hackers linked to China targeted the phones of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, along with people associated with Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris. The number of countries impacted by the hack is currently believed to be in the “low, couple dozen,” according to a senior administration official. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity under rules set by the White House, said they believed the hacks started at least a year or two ago. The suggestions for telecom companies released Tuesday are largely technical in nature, urging encryption, centralization and consistent monitoring to deter cyber intrusions. If implemented, the security precautions could help disrupt the operation, dubbed Salt Typhoon, and make it harder for China or any other nation to mount a similar attack in the future, experts say. Trump's pick to head the Federal Bureau of Investigation Kash Patel was allegedly the target of cyberattack attempt by Iranian-backed hackers. Neuberger pointed to efforts made to beef up cybersecurity in the rail, aviation, energy and other sectors following the May 2021 ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline . “So, to prevent ongoing Salt Typhoon type intrusions by China, we believe we need to apply a similar minimum cybersecurity practice,” Neuberger said. The cyberattack by a gang of criminal hackers on the critical U.S. pipeline, which delivers about 45% of the fuel used along the Eastern Seaboard, sent ripple effects across the economy, highlighting cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the nation’s aging energy infrastructure. Colonial confirmed it paid $4.4 million to the gang of hackers who broke into its computer systems as it scrambled to get the nation's fuel pipeline back online. Picture this: You're on vacation in a city abroad, exploring museums, tasting the local cuisine, and people-watching at cafés. Everything is going perfectly until you get a series of alerts on your phone. Someone is making fraudulent charges using your credit card, sending you into a panic. How could this have happened? Cyberattacks targeting travelers are nothing new. But as travel has increased in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, so has the volume of hackers and cybercriminals preying upon tourists. Financial fraud is the most common form of cybercrime experienced by travelers, but surveillance via public Wi-Fi networks, social media hacking, and phishing scams are also common, according to a survey by ExpressVPN . Spokeo consulted cybersecurity sources and travel guides to determine some of the best ways to protect your phone while traveling, from using a VPN to managing secure passwords. Online attacks are not the only type of crime impacting travelers—physical theft of phones is also a threat. Phones have become such invaluable travel aids, housing our navigation tools, digital wallets, itineraries, and contacts, that having your phone stolen, lost, or compromised while abroad can be devastating. Meanwhile, traveling can make people uniquely vulnerable to both cyber and physical attacks due to common pitfalls like oversharing on social media and letting your guard down when it comes to taking risks online. Luckily, there are numerous precautions travelers can take to safeguard against cyberattacks and phone theft. Hackers can—and do—target public Wi-Fi networks at cafés and hotels to gain access to your personal information or install malware onto your device, particularly on unsecured networks. Travelers are especially vulnerable to these types of cybersecurity breaches because they are often more reliant on public Wi-Fi than they would be in their home countries where they have more robust phone plans. This reliance on public, unsecured networks means travelers are more likely to use those networks to perform sensitive tasks like financial transfers, meaning hackers can easily gain access to banking information or other passwords. One easy way to safeguard yourself against these breaches is to use a virtual private network, or VPN, while traveling. VPNs are apps that encrypt your data and hide your location, preventing hackers from accessing personal information. An added bonus is that VPNs allow you to access websites that may be blocked or unavailable in the country you are visiting. To use a VPN, simply download a VPN app on your phone or computer, create an account, choose a server, and connect. Pickpockets, scammers, and flagrant, snatch-your-phone-right-out-of-your-hand thieves can be found pretty much everywhere. In London, for instance, a staggering 91,000 phones were reported stolen to police in 2022 , breaking down to an average of 248 per day, according to the BBC. Whether you're visiting a crowded tourist attraction or just want peace of mind, travel experts advise taking precautions to make sure your phone isn't physically stolen or compromised while traveling. There are several antitheft options to choose from. If you want a bag that will protect your phone from theft, experts recommend looking for features like slash-resistant fabric, reinforced shoulder straps, hidden zippers that can be locked, and secure attachment points, like a cross-body strap or a sturdy clip. For tethers, look for those made of tear-resistant material with a reinforced clip or ring. If your phone falls into the wrong hands, there's a good chance you won't be getting it back. Out of those 91,000 phones stolen in London in 2022, only 1,915 (or about 2%) were recovered. The good news is that you can take precautions to make the loss of your phone less devastating by backing up your data before you travel. With backed-up data, you can acquire a new device and still access your photos, contacts, messages, and passwords. Moreover, if you have "Find My Device" or "Find My Phone" enabled, you can remotely wipe your stolen phone's data so the thief cannot access it. It's safest to back up your data to a hard drive and not just the cloud. That way, if you have to wipe your device, you don't accidentally erase the backup, too. In order for the previous tip on this list to work, "Find My Phone" must be turned on in advance, but remotely wiping your device isn't the only thing this feature allows you to do. The "Find My Phone" feature enables you to track your device, as long as it's turned on and not in airplane mode. This is particularly helpful if you misplaced your phone or left it somewhere since it can help you retrace your steps. While this feature won't show you the live location of a phone that has been turned off, it will show the phone's last known location. With "Find My Phone," you can also remotely lock your phone or enable "Lost Mode," which locks down the phone, suspends any in-phone payment methods, and displays contact information for returning the phone to you. If your phone was stolen, experts caution against taking matters into your own hands by chasing down the thief, since this could land you in a potentially dangerous situation and is unlikely to result in getting your phone back. Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.GRAND FORKS, N.D. (AP) — Treysen Eaglestaff's 19 points helped North Dakota defeat Waldorf College 97-57 on Sunday night. Eaglestaff shot 6 of 11 from the field, including 2 for 4 from 3-point range, and went 5 for 6 from the line for the Fightin' Hawks (6-9). Mier Panoam added 13 points and six rebounds. Zach Kraft had 12 points on 4-for-7 shooting from 3-point range. Gene Noble led the way for the Warriors with 12 points and six rebounds. Emmanuel Ferguson scored 10 and Ugo Ejiofor pitched in with nine points, 11 rebounds and two blocks. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
NoneAppTech Payments Corp. ( NASDAQ:APCX – Get Free Report ) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 459,500 shares, an increase of 122.3% from the November 30th total of 206,700 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,510,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.1 days. Approximately 1.9% of the company’s shares are sold short. Institutional Trading of AppTech Payments A hedge fund recently bought a new stake in AppTech Payments stock. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of AppTech Payments Corp. ( NASDAQ:APCX – Free Report ) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 52,002 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $49,000. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.21% of AppTech Payments at the end of the most recent reporting period. 5.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. AppTech Payments Trading Down 14.8 % NASDAQ:APCX opened at $0.73 on Friday. AppTech Payments has a 52 week low of $0.31 and a 52 week high of $2.30. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $0.58 and its 200-day moving average is $0.76. The firm has a market cap of $20.05 million, a P/E ratio of -1.51 and a beta of 0.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a quick ratio of 0.06 and a current ratio of 0.06. About AppTech Payments AppTech Payments Corp., a financial technology company, provides electronic payment processing technologies and merchant services in the United States. Its merchant transaction services offer processing payments for credit and debit cards through point-of-sale equipment, e-commerce gateways, periodic automatic clearing house payments, and gift and loyalty programs. See Also Receive News & Ratings for AppTech Payments Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for AppTech Payments and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .None
Gaetz's withdrawal highlights how incoming presidents often lose Cabinet nominees MARTIN, Tenn. (AP) — Losing a Cabinet nominee to the confirmation process isn’t unheard of for incoming presidents — including for Donald Trump when he was elected the first time. Matt Gaetz’s decision to pull his name Thursday from consideration for attorney general — amid continued fallout over a federal sex trafficking investigation — represents the first indication of resistance that the president-elect could face from his own party to picks facing allegations of sexual misconduct or other questions. Other Trump picks have drawn negative attention as well, including Pete Hegseth for defense secretary and Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence. Vance takes on a more visible transition role as he works to boost Trump's most controversial picks WASHINGTON (AP) — After several weeks working behind closed doors, Vice President-elect JD Vance returned to Capitol Hill this week in a new, more visible role. He's been helping Donald Trump’s most contentious Cabinet picks try to win confirmation in the Senate, where he has served for the last two years. Vance spent part of Wednesday at the Capitol with Rep. Matt Gaetz sitting in on meetings with Trump’s controversial choice for attorney general. On Thursday, Vance was back, this time accompanying Pete Hegseth. Vance is expected to accompany other nominees for meetings over the coming weeks as he tries to leverage the two years he has spent in the Senate to help push through Trump’s picks. Beyond evangelicals, Trump and his allies courted smaller faith groups, from the Amish to Chabad Donald Trump’s lock on the white evangelical vote is legendary, but he didn't focus exclusively on large religious voter blocs. He and his allies also wooed smaller religious groups, away from the mainstream. He posted a tribute to Coptic church members on social media and met with members of Assyrians for Trump — two smaller Christian communities with Middle Eastern roots. He visited the grave of the revered late leader of an Orthodox Jewish movement. His allies sought votes from the separatist Amish community. While Trump won decisively, the outreaches reflected aggressive campaigning in what was expected to be a tight race. NATO and Ukraine to hold emergency talks after Russia's attack with new hypersonic missile KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — NATO and Ukraine will hold emergency talks Tuesday after Russia attacked a central city with a hypersonic ballistic missile that escalated the nearly 33-month-old war. Ukraine's parliament canceled a session Friday over the security threat. In a stark warning to the West, President Vladimir Putin said in a nationally televised speech Thursday that the attack with the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile was retaliation for Kyiv’s use of U.S. and British longer-range missiles capable of striking deeper into Russian territory. Putin said Russia is launching production of the Oreshnik, saying it's so powerful that several of them fitted with conventional warheads could be as devastating as a strike with strategic — or nuclear — weapons. Texas education board approves optional Bible-infused curriculum for elementary schools AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas’ education board has voted to allow Bible-infused teachings in elementary schools. The approval Friday follows other Republican-led states that have pushed this year to give religion a larger presence in public classrooms. The curriculum adopted by the Texas State Board of Education is optional for schools to adopt, but they’ll receive additional funding if they do so. Parents and teachers who opposed the curriculum say the lessons will alienate students of other faith backgrounds. Supporters argue the Bible is a core feature of American history and that teaching it will enrich learning. 2 men convicted of charges related to human smuggling after scheme led to an Indian family’s death FERGUS FALLS, Minn. (AP) — A prosecution spokesperson says a jury has convicted two men of charges related to human smuggling for their roles in an international operation that led to the deaths of a family of Indian migrants who froze while trying to cross the Canada-U.S. border during a 2022 blizzard. Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel and Steve Shand each faced four charges related to human smuggling before being convicted Friday. Patel is an Indian national. Shand is an American from Florida. They were arrested after the family froze while trying to cross the desolate border during a 2022 blizzard. Northern California gets record rain and heavy snow. Many have been in the dark for days in Seattle FORESTVILLE, Calif. (AP) — A major storm with heavy snow and record rain that's moving through Northern California has toppled trees, closed roads and prompted evacuations in some areas after knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of people in Washington and Oregon. Forecasters warn that the risk of flash flooding and rockslides will continue through Friday. The National Weather Service has extended a flood watch for areas north of San Francisco as a plume of moisture known as an atmospheric river inundates Northern California and the Pacific Northwest. Up to 16 inches of rain is forecast in Northern California and southwestern Oregon. The storm system unleashed winds earlier this week that left two people dead and hundreds of thousands without power in Washington. Colorado funeral home owners accused of letting 190 bodies decay plead guilty to corpse abuse COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Colorado funeral home owners accused of stashing 190 decaying bodies and giving grieving families fake ashes have pleaded guilty to corpse abuse. Jon and Carie Hallford entered the plea on Friday. Prosecutors say the owners of the Return to Nature funeral home began improperly storing bodies in a building outside Colorado Springs as far back as 2019. They allege the couple gave grieving families dry concrete in place of their loved ones’ cremains. Over the years, the Hallfords spent lavishly, buying luxury cars and laser body sculpting. That ended when the bodies were discovered last year. Archaeologists discover 4,000-year-old canals used to fish by predecessors of ancient Maya WASHINGTON (AP) — Using drones and Google Earth imagery, archaeologists have discovered a 4,000-year-old network of earthen canals in what’s now Belize. The research published Friday in Science Advances shows that long before the ancient Maya built temples, their predecessors were already altering the landscape of Central America’s Yucatan peninsula. The ancient fish canals were used to channel and catch freshwater species such as catfish. These structures were used for around 1,000 years — including during the “formative” period when the Maya began to settle in permanent farming villages and a distinctive culture started to emerge. Noodles and wine are the secret ingredients for a strange new twist in China's doping saga Blame it on the noodles. That's what one Chinese official suggested when anti-doping leaders were looking for answers for the doping scandal that cast a shadow over this year's Olympic swim meet. Earlier this year, reports that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for a banned heart medication emerged. None were sanctioned because Chinese authorities determined the swimmers were contaminated by traces of the drug spread about a hotel kitchen. In a strange twist, the leader of China's anti-doping agency suggested this case could have been similar to one in which criminals were responsible for tainting noodles that were later eaten by another Chinese athlete who also tested positive for the drug.Purdue Fort Wayne defeats Green Bay 83-67