Wade Financial Advisory Inc lessened its holdings in shares of Amazon.com, Inc. ( NASDAQ:AMZN – Free Report ) by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,988 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock after selling 180 shares during the quarter. Wade Financial Advisory Inc’s holdings in Amazon.com were worth $929,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Amazon.com by 9.7% during the 3rd quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 184,594 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $34,395,000 after purchasing an additional 16,392 shares in the last quarter. Zhang Financial LLC increased its holdings in Amazon.com by 12.9% during the 3rd quarter. Zhang Financial LLC now owns 51,091 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $9,520,000 after purchasing an additional 5,828 shares in the last quarter. BayBridge Capital Group LLC increased its holdings in Amazon.com by 51.8% during the 3rd quarter. BayBridge Capital Group LLC now owns 14,368 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $2,677,000 after purchasing an additional 4,905 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in Amazon.com by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,847,177 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $550,217,000 after purchasing an additional 14,766 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Amazon.com by 19.2% during the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 119,205 shares of the e-commerce giant’s stock worth $22,211,000 after purchasing an additional 19,231 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 72.20% of the company’s stock. Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of equities analysts have issued reports on AMZN shares. Monness Crespi & Hardt increased their target price on Amazon.com from $225.00 to $245.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $230.00 price objective on shares of Amazon.com in a report on Monday, October 7th. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and issued a $235.00 price objective on shares of Amazon.com in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $197.00 price objective on shares of Amazon.com in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price objective on Amazon.com from $245.00 to $246.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, forty-one have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Amazon.com has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $236.20. Amazon.com Trading Up 2.9 % Shares of AMZN stock opened at $227.03 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $197.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $188.12. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The company has a market capitalization of $2.39 trillion, a PE ratio of 48.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.16. Amazon.com, Inc. has a 12-month low of $143.64 and a 12-month high of $227.15. Amazon.com ( NASDAQ:AMZN – Get Free Report ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The e-commerce giant reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.14 by $0.29. Amazon.com had a net margin of 8.04% and a return on equity of 22.41%. The company had revenue of $158.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $157.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.85 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 11.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Amazon.com, Inc. will post 5.29 earnings per share for the current year. Insider Activity In other news, CEO Matthew S. Garman sold 15,260 shares of Amazon.com stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.19, for a total value of $3,054,899.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 349,261 shares in the company, valued at approximately $69,918,559.59. The trade was a 4.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link . Also, insider Jeffrey P. Bezos sold 2,996,362 shares of Amazon.com stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.85, for a total transaction of $625,790,203.70. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 917,416,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $191,602,535,437.60. The trade was a 0.33 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 6,030,183 shares of company stock worth $1,252,883,795. Corporate insiders own 10.80% of the company’s stock. Amazon.com Company Profile ( Free Report ) Amazon.com, Inc engages in the retail sale of consumer products, advertising, and subscriptions service through online and physical stores in North America and internationally. The company operates through three segments: North America, International, and Amazon Web Services (AWS). It also manufactures and sells electronic devices, including Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TVs, Echo, Ring, Blink, and eero; and develops and produces media content. Featured Articles Five stocks we like better than Amazon.com What Are Earnings Reports? Fast-Growing Companies That Are Still Undervalued Do Real Estate Investment Trusts Deserve a Place in Your Portfolio? Top Cybersecurity Stock Picks for 2025 Trading Stocks: RSI and Why it’s Useful Archer or Joby: Which Aviation Company Might Rise Fastest? Receive News & Ratings for Amazon.com Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Amazon.com and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Nigel Farage has said he will take action against Kemi Badenoch unless she apologises for accusing him of publishing fake Reform membership data. The Reform leader said he had opened up his database to media organisations after Badenoch claimed the rival party had coded an online counter to tick up automatically. Farage had been celebrating surpassing more than 130,000 Reform members on Boxing Day – surpassing the number of Tory members when Badenoch was elected as party leader in the autumn. Badenoch reacted with a thread on X accusing Farage and Reform of “manipulating” the public and presenting fake figures with an online ticker that was automated and not based on real people joining. On Friday, Farage said the allegations were “disgraceful” and he was demanding an apology. “I’m going to take some action in the next couple of days,” he told journalists. “I’ve got to decide exactly what it is, but I’m certainly not going to take it lying down. “I think it’s an absolutely outrageous thing for her to have said. I know she’s got a very bad temper. I know she’s well known for lashing out at people, but I am not at all happy, and I’m going to take some action.” But a Tory source told Sky News: “[Farage] is clearly rattled that his Boxing Day publicity stunt is facing serious questions ... Like most normal people around the UK, Kemi is enjoying Christmas with her family and looking forward to taking on the challenges of renewing the Conservative party in the new year.” The row appears to have further boosted Reform’s membership numbers with more than 143,000 people signed up, according to its website. The Conservative party had 131,680 members as of the November leadership contest, while Labour had 366,604 members as of March 2024.Rutgers' attempt to ice kicker backfires as Illinois hits 40-yard game-winning TD on next playAbu Dhabi T10 League 2024 Live Streaming in India: Watch Deccan Gladiators vs Team Abu Dhabi and Live Telecast of T10 Cricket Match
Oklahoma Democrats mourn Fred Harris, former US senator and presidential candidateNo. 23 Texas A&M aims to hand Oregon first loss at Players EraThings can go sour in life, but there's often a way to make those situations better. That's why insurance upstart Lemonade ( LMND 2.22% ) chose its quirky name. Lemonade shareholders should be feeling a bit sweeter these days. After three quarters of ups and downs, the stock is now up 180% year to date as we get close to the end of 2024. However, it's still 74% off of its all-time highs. Here's what's happening now, and how to think about this growth stock going into the new year. No more sour lemons Lemonade electrified the market when it went public in July 2020 -- but many other tech stocks did too during that period's bull market. Valuations went through the roof in the excitement, Lemonade's along with them. Then came the 2022 tech slump, and the stock was quickly and deeply humbled, falling by more than 90% from its peak. Since then, the stock has plodded along, largely moving sideways. But recently, its business has displayed incredible momentum, and that has translated into fantastic share price gains. The market's new enthusiasm stems from Lemonade's improving loss ratio and profitability. For years, the company has touted its artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms, claiming that its system gave it significant advantages over legacy insurers. But as it produced unexceptional results and mounting losses, that was starting to look like wishful thinking. Now, it's finally beginning to deliver on the hype. It's still reporting robust growth, with in-force premiums up 24% year over year in the third quarter, and a 17% increase in customer count. But its loss ratio went down by 10 percentage points to 73% -- a level within Lemonade's target long-term range. It also generated $16 million in cash from operations and $48 million in net cash flow . Stocks tend to move based on quarterly reports, but something Lemonade noted in the latest report was that its trailing-12-month loss ratio was 77%, down 11 percentage points, and it was the fifth consecutive decrease in the trailing-12-month figure. That's a more telling metric, signaling that the quarterly improvement was not a fluke. However, loss ratios are down for the entire industry as inflation eases, and Lemonade's loss ratio movement is still something for investors to keep an eye on. Sweetening the deal Lemonade just had its first investor meeting in two years, and while there were many highlights, the most exciting part was that management is expecting to 10x its business, boosting its in force premiums to $10 billion, in the same amount of time it took to reach $1 billion -- about 10 years. It made a compelling argument. The company noted that insurance is one of the biggest industries there is, and disrupters have a meaningful shot at becoming its new leaders. Since the industry is dominated by centuries-old companies, Lemonade -- built around new digital systems -- has a structural advantage. From the beginning, it maintained that it would take time for its platform to get enough data and perform enough modeling to start demonstrating superior results. The company is just getting into that phase, and as its revenue growth exceeds its expenses, it expects to become not just profitable, but massively profitable. This chart offers investors a sense of how this is playing out. IFP is the average total premium in-force in a given period of time, Opex refers to operating expense, and CAC is customer-acquisition costs. Lemonade has kept headcount flat even as it achieved steady growth. That's because it relies on technology to do the heavy lifting. But this chart is focused on fixed expenses and leaves out Lemonade's biggest expense, CAC. Lemonade will reach a level of scale when sales outdo expenses, including CAC. Management is expecting growth to accelerate over the next two years and for the company to report positive net income in 2027. The stock's recent jump already reflects the improved performance and confidence in the future. But if one tries to peer far into the future -- say, 20 years -- it's easy to imagine that Lemonade's platform could be completely outperforming the models of traditional insurance companies. Is there more upside? After a share price run-up like the one Lemonade has enjoyed in the past few months, investors might be worried that there's not much more upside potential. No one can know what will happen in the near term, but the long-term opportunity looks very exciting. Lemonade's valuation might still be called reasonable. It's not a regular insurance company because it has the tech element and it's a growth stock, and it's not profitable, so it's not easy to value. It trades at 5.5 book value, which is in line with some other insurance companies, although price-to-book value has soared along with Lemonade's price. It's trading at 6 times trailing-12-month sales , which isn't objectively cheap, but it's nowhere near the astronomical ratios of more than 50 that it traded at back at the stock's peak. Don't expect linear upward movement from this stock, but if you have some appetite for risk and a long-term investing horizon, Lemonade should be on your buy list.
Sports, pop culture, and the weather: What’s next for betting markets after exploding in popularity during the 2024 electionCHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes continues to build great chemistry with his tight end — just not the one you might think. Mahomes threw two touchdown passes to Noah Gray for the second straight week as the Kansas City Chiefs held off the Carolina Panthers 30-27 on Sunday. A week after losing at Buffalo, the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs (10-1) maintained their position atop the AFC. Mahomes completed a 35-yard touchdown strike to Gray on the game’s opening possession and found him again for an 11-yard TD in the second quarter. Gray has four touchdown catches in the last two weeks — twice as many as nine-time Pro Bowler Travis Kelce has all season — and has become a weapon in the passing game for the Chiefs, who lost top wide receiver Rashee Rice to a season-ending knee injury in Week 4. Kelce was still a factor Sunday with a team-high six catches for 62 yards, although the four-time All-Pro looked dejected after dropping one easy pass. Kelce has 62 receptions for 507 yards this season, while Gray has 26 catches for 249 yards. But Gray's development is a good sign for the Chiefs — and he's on the same page with Mahomes. On his second TD, Gray said Mahomes “gave me the answer to the test there” before the play. “He told me what coverage it was pre-snap," said Gray, who had four receptions for 66 yards. “That’s just the blessing you have of playing with a quarterback like that. Offensive line did a great job blocking that up and the receivers did a great job running their routes to pop me open. Really just a group effort right there on that touchdown.” Gray said that's nothing new. “Pat’s preparation, his leadership is just something that I’m fortunate enough to play alongside,” Gray said. "I love it. It gets me motivated every time we go out there for a long drive. Having a leader like that, that prepares every single week in-and out, knows defenses, knows the game plans. “I’m just fortunate enough to play alongside a guy like that.” Mahomes completed 27 of 37 passes for 269 yards and three TDs, and he knew what to do on the second TD to Gray. “It's not just me, it's the quarterback coaches and the players, we go through certain checks you get to versus certain coverages,” Mahomes said. “I was able to see by the way they lined up they were getting into their cover-zero look. I alerted the guys to make sure they saw what I saw and I gave the check at the line of scrimmage.” AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflAnti-fraud efforts meet real-world test during ACA enrollment period
resident-elect Donald Trump met with moderator Kristen Welker for his first televised broadcast network interview since his win in the November presidential election against Vice President Kamala Harris. As the U.S. and the rest of the world prepares for Trump’s return to the White House in January, there is much discussion about what the President-elect plans to do once he takes office alongside his Vice President, J.D. Vance. In the sit-down interview, which took place on Friday, Dec. 6 and aired on Sunday, Dec. 8, Trump covered a range of high-profile topics, including his plans related to abortion, immigration, tariffs, and his controversial Administration selections. He also spoke about his foreign policy plans. Here are some of the key topics Trump spoke out about in his televised interview as he prepares for his second presidency. Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned in 2022, Trump has often applauded himself for the ruling. Throughout the 2024 election, abortion played a large role as the Trump-Vance ticket went head-to-head with Harris and her VP pick, Tim Walz. Trump argued he would not sign a federal ban on abortion when elected, while the Harris-Walz ticket argued that Trump would further restrict abortion rights if re-elected. When asked whether he would restrict abortion pill access, Trump told Welker: “I’ll probably stay with exactly what I’ve been saying for the last two years. And the answer is no." This comes after Vance tried to seem more moderate on abortion in the vice presidential debate, Standing on the podium, Vance said that the Republican party needs "to do so much better of a job at earning the American people’s trust back on this issue where they frankly just don’t trust us.” Welker asked Trump, who was convicted during a high-profile earlier this year, whether he plans to pardon Jan. 6 rioters when in office. Trump stated that he will give “first day” consideration of whether he will pardon people convicted of crimes related to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. “We're going to look at individual cases, but I'm going to be acting very quickly," he said, adding that he'll be looking at this his "first day" as the “people have been in there [jail] for years.” Amid reports that political figures who could be in Trump’s crosshairs, the President-elect spoke out once again against the Jan. 6 committee, including Liz Cheney, saying: "For what they did, honestly, they should go to jail." Trump defended his controversial pick of Fox News host Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense, a selection that has been marked . “He's a very smart guy,” Trump told Welker, saying he had confidence Hegseth would be confirmed by the Senate. “I’ve had a lot of senators call me up to say he's fantastic.” He also defended his pick of as Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), who has been deeply critical of the FBI in the past. In an interview last year with former White House Chief Strategist and right-wing agitator (conducted before Bannon’s incarceration), Patel said he “will go out to find the conspirators not just in government but in the media.” When asked by Welker if he will fire current FBI Director Christopher Wray, who still has three years remaining in his 10-year term, in order for Patel to take charge, Trump said he is “not happy with him.” “It would sort of seem pretty obvious that if Kash gets in, he’s going to be taking someone’s place,” Trump continued. Trump continued to defer to Patel and his pick for Attorney General, Pam Bondi, when pushed by Welker to say whether he will go after his political opponents, including investigator Jack Smith, saying he wants Bondi to do “what she wants to do.” Trump was also asked if he has plans to direct Patel to go after President Joe Biden, to which the President-elect said, “I’m really looking to make our country successful; I’m not looking to go back into the past... Retribution will be through success.” He stated that he would not appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Biden, something he proposed on , “unless I find something that I think is reasonable.” He also called out Biden’s recent choice to after previously stating that he would not, saying: “I always knew he was going to give him a pardon.” Trump will be the oldest U.S. President by the end of his term—and , particularly when it was Biden going head-to-head with Trump. When Harris took over the race from Biden, she to the public, in which her physician said she “possesses the physical and mental resiliency required to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency.” The Harris campaign called on Trump to be equally transparent about sharing his medical records, but he did not do so during the election. The most recent medical report publicly shared by Trump was featured in a post, which included a screenshot of a letter from Dr. Bruce Aronwald, sharing little detail but saying the former President was in “excellent health.” Welker asked Trump if he plans on releasing his full medical records, rather than just a letter. “I would and I think anybody should,” he said, before adding: “Sure, I have no problem with it.” On wider matters of health care, Trump continued to express his dissatisfaction with Obamacare, but did not elaborate on a moment in his September with Harris, in which when Trump was asked whether he had a plan for health care reform, his answer was: “I have concepts of a plan.” “Obamacare stinks,” he said on . “If we come up with a better answer, I would present that answer to Democrats and to everybody else and I’d do something about it.” Trump has caused much discussion with his on all products imported from America’s trading partners: Mexico, Canada, and China. When Welker pointed out that experts have said such tariffs could impact the prices of a range of imported goods, from cars to electronics, Trump defended his idea. “I’m a big believer in tariffs. I think tariffs are the most beautiful word. I think they're beautiful. It's going to make us rich,” he said. When asked if he could guarantee the tariffs would not impact pricing for the average American he said: “I can’t guarantee anything, I can’t guarantee tomorrow.” Trump emphasized that immigration will be one of the first things he will begin working on when he returns to the White House. Throughout the campaign, Trump promised a slew of new policies regarding immigration, including mass deportations, ending birthright citizenship, and reinstating the “ policy. Trump doubled down on some of these policies, arguing that he will be focused on deporting migrants who came to America illegally and have criminal records first, but that eventually the aim would be for all illegal immigrants to be deported. “Well, I think you have to do it... it’s a very tough thing to do. But you have to have, you know, you have rules, regulations, laws. They came in illegally,” he said. “The people who have been treated very unfairly are the people who have been online for 10 years [waiting] to come into the country.” When asked by Welker about mixed immigration families—some whereby the parents might be in the U.S. illegally but the children are there legally—and if the plan is to deport the families together, Trump said, “I don’t want to be breaking up families, so the only way you don’t break up the family is you keep them together and you have to send them all back.” On the topic of Dreamers—undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents—Trump said he was willing to work with Democrats on a plan, and that he wants to see them remain in the country. “We're talking many years ago, they were brought into this country many years ago, some of them are no longer young people, and in many cases, they become successful,” he said. “We’re going to have to do something with them.”Adams' 25 help CSU Northridge down Utah Tech 89-79
An online debate over foreign workers in tech shows tensions in Trump’s political coalitionEthan Taylor scores 21 as Air Force takes down Mercyhurst 82-48PETE Wicks has said it's 'not his dancing' keeping him in Strictly Come Dancing after being saved by the public. The former TOWIE star was left stunned on Sunday night as he and pro dancer Jowita were kept in the competition. Advertisement 2 Pete Wicks has said it's 'not his dancing' keeping him in Strictly Come Dancing Credit: BBC 2 The former TOWIE star left fans fuming as he was saved by the public vote again Credit: BBC Strictly fans watched as Jamie Borthwick and his partner Michelle Tsiakkas were eliminated . It came after they faced the dance-off alongside Montell Douglas and Johannes Radebe. But as fans fumed that Pete Wicks was saved, he himself has acknowledged his miraculous save. Speaking to Claudia Winkleman after hearing the news, Pete, 36, said: "There is literally only two reasons I'm still here and that is for people at home. Advertisement more on strictly come dancing NOT TO TROT Furious Strictly fans insist judges 'plotted to get couple axed' STRICTLY VOTE SHOCK Strictly fans shocked as favourite to get boot is SAVED by public vote "I've never done anything like this and I am so overwhelmed people are supporting us like genuinely, it's certainly not down to the dancing, but also Jowita. "If I had been with anyone else I wouldn't be here, they're all amazing but she's become like a best friend to me. Like I'm so pleased I get to spend another week doing this with you." Following Pete's save, fans took to social media, with one saying: "Seriously people please please stop voting for Pete enough is enough." A second wrote: "Pete Wicks seems like a nice enough chap but I can't believe people are voting for him over Montell." Advertisement Most read in News TV BEACH BABE Jean Johansson flaunts incredible toned figure & endless legs on Barbados beach HOST'S PAIN BBC's Glenn Campbell makes shock admission as he gives tumour battle update COMIC'S CASTLE Still Game star takes £150,000 hit to offload luxury £4m Scots castle THAT'S A WRAP The Simpsons Milhouse actor retires after 35 years on hit show "I love Pete, he's a laugh and he's trying and he's what it's about. But I'm sorry what the f**k," said a third. While a fourth commented: "They will not let Pete near the dance off." Strictly fans stunned by shock elimination as they fume 'wrong' person went Strictly stars at risk of the axe in 2025 Gorka Marquez joined Strictly Come Dancing as a professional dancer in 2016 when he was partnered with EastEnders actress Tameka Empson. The following year he was partnered with singer Alexandra Burke. They reached the final and finished as one of the runners-up. In 2020, he was partnered with actress Maisie Smith. Again, he made it to the final and finished as a runner-up. He failed to make it third time lucky in 2022, finishing runner-up again with Helen Skelton. Nadiya Bychkova joined the show in 2017 with EastEnders actor Davood Ghadami. The pair reached Week 11, finishing in 6th place. Her best performance to date came in 2021 when she finished fifth with Dan Walker. Neil Jones has been without a celebrity partner more times than he's had one since joining in 2016. His best finish was with ex-footballer Alex Scott in 2019, finishing in fifth. Katya Jones was another 2016 addition and made an instant impression with politician Ed Balls. Their Gangnam Style routine is still a favourite to this day. In 2017 she lifted the Glitterball with Joe McFadden. The following year she was at the heart of a show scandal after snogging her dance partner, the comedian Seann Walsh. Karen Hauer has been an ever-present since 2012. Despite her lengthy association with the show, she's never lifted the Glitterball. The closest she came was in 2020 when she finished runner-up with Jamie Laing.U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin bids farewell to Capitol Hill with criticism of Democrats and calls for a third party
Russian state news agencies say ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad is in Moscow and given asylum DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Russian state news agencies say the ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad has arrived in Moscow with his family and been given asylum, hours after close ally Russia said he left Syria after negotiations with rebel groups. The Russian agencies, Tass and RIA, cited an unidentified Kremlin source. The Associated Press is not immediately able to verify the reports but has contacted the Kremlin for comment. Assad reportedly left Syria early Sunday, and Syrians have been pouring into streets echoing with celebratory gunfire after a stunning rebel advance reached the capital, ending the Assad family’s 50 years of iron rule. The fall of Bashar Assad after 13 years of war in Syria brings to an end a decades-long dynasty BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian President Bashar Assad has fled the country. Assad’s departure on Sunday brings to a dramatic close his nearly 14-year struggle to hold onto power in a brutal civil war that became a proxy battlefield for regional and international powers. Assad’s exit stood in stark contrast to his first months as Syria’s unlikely president in 2000, when many hoped he would be a young reformer after three decades of his father’s iron grip. But faced with protests of his rule that erupted in March 2011, Assad turned to his father's brutal tactics to crush dissent. A long stalemate was quickly broken when opposition groups in northwest Syria launched a surprise offensive late last month. Who is Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of the insurgency that toppled Syria's Assad? BEIRUT (AP) — Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the militant leader who led the stunning insurgency that toppled Syria’s President Bashar Assad, has spent years working to remake his public image and that of his fighters. He renounced longtime ties to al-Qaida and depicts himself as a champion of pluralism and tolerance. The extent of that transformation from jihadi extremist to would-be state builder is now put to the test. The 42-year-old al-Golani is labeled a terrorist by the United States. He has not appeared publicly since Damascus fell early Sunday. But he and his insurgent force, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, stand to be a major player in whatever comes next. Trump says he can't guarantee tariffs won't raise US prices and won't rule out revenge prosecutions WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump says he can’t guarantee his promised tariffs on key U.S. foreign trade partners won’t raise prices for American consumers. And he's suggesting once more that some political rivals and federal officials who pursued legal cases against him should be imprisoned. The president-elect made the comments in a wide-ranging interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday. He also touched on monetary policy, immigration, abortion and health care, and U.S. involvement in Ukraine, Israel and elsewhere. Trump often mixed declarative statements with caveats, at one point cautioning “things do change.” Trump calls for immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and says a US withdrawal from NATO is possible WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump is pushing Russian leader Vladimir Putin to act to reach an immediate ceasefire with Ukraine. Trump describes it as part of his active efforts as president-elect to end the war despite being weeks from taking office. Trump also said he would be open to reducing military aid to Ukraine and pulling the United States out of NATO. Those are two threats that have alarmed Ukraine, NATO allies and many in the U.S. national security community. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says any deal would have to pave the way to a lasting peace. The Kremlin's spokesman says Moscow is open to talks with Ukraine. The hunt for UnitedHealthcare CEO's elusive killer yields new evidence, but few answers NEW YORK (AP) — Police don’t know who he is, where he is, or why he did it. As the frustrating search for UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s killer got underway for a fifth day Sunday, investigators reckoned with a tantalizing contradiction: They have troves of evidence, but the shooter remains an enigma. One conclusion they are confident of, however: It was a targeted attack, not a random one. On Sunday morning, police declined to comment on the contents of a backpack found in Central Park that they believe was carried by the killer. South Korean prosecutors detain ex-defense chief over martial law imposition SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean prosecutors have detained a former defense minister who allegedly recommended last week’s brief but stunning martial law imposition to President Yoon Suk Yeol. Local media say that ex-Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun voluntarily appeared on Sunday at a Seoul prosecutors’ office, where he had his mobile phone confiscated and was detained. A law enforcement official says Kim was later sent to a Seoul detention facility. Kim's detention came a day after Yoon avoided an opposition-led bid to impeach him, with most ruling party lawmakers boycotting a floor vote to prevent a two-thirds majority needed to suspend his presidential powers. Trump's return may be a boon for Netanyahu, but challenges abound in a changed Middle East TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is jubilant about President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House. Trump's first term policies skewed heavily in favor of Israel, and he has picked stalwart Israel supporters for key positions in his administration. But much has transpired since Trump left office in early 2021. The turmoil in the Middle East, the lofty ambitions of Netanyahu’s far-right governing coalition and Netanyahu’s own personal relationship with the president-elect could dampen that enthusiasm and complicate what on the surface looks like a seamless alliance. A farming project in South Africa is helping deaf people build skills and find jobs JOHANNESBURG (AP) — In South Africa, where the general unemployment rate is over 32%, deaf people face even steeper hurdles. Unlike their counterparts who can hear and speak, they must struggle to communicate in sign language while trying to gain opportunities for jobs and skills development. Now a deaf entrepreneur who quit her job at one of the biggest banks in the country has created an organization where the deaf can be trained in agriculture, develop their skills and earn a sustainable living. The farming sector is emerging as a solace for those with disabilities who also face the dire levels of unemployment in Africa’s most developed economy. First 12-team College Football Playoff set, Oregon seeded No. 1 and SMU edges Alabama for last spot SMU captured the last open spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff, bumping Alabama to land in a bracket that placed undefeated Oregon at No. 1. The selection committee preferred the Mustangs (11-2), losers of a heartbreaker in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game, who had a far less difficult schedule than Alabama (9-3) of the SEC but one fewer loss. The first-of-its-kind 12-team bracket marks a new era for college football, though the Alabama-SMU debate made clear there is no perfect formula. The tournament starts Dec. 20-21 with four first-round games. It concludes Jan. 20 with the national title game in Atlanta.
‘Telltale Games’: Missing a Pioneer of Narrative ExcellencePITTSBURGH (TNS) — There's a lot of NFL football on over the next few days while the Steelers thankfully get a break from filling the airwaves. Nose tackle Keeanu Benton plans on watching some games, but first, he needs to spend time with his family in town for the holidays. They didn't exactly get the best version of Benton when he came home Wednesday from Acrisure Stadium after the Steelers' 29-10 loss to the Chiefs. "I was kind of grouchy on Christmas," Benton said. "I was the Grinch." All is not well in Whoville. The 6-foot-4, 309-pound Benton is somewhat of a jolly giant and he was trying to put a smile on in a solemn Steelers locker room the morning after their latest dismantling at the hands of the Chiefs. Most are trying to find the balance between consternation over a three-game losing skid and confidence that they can right the ship. Thursday afternoon on the South Side was nearly as quiet as Wednesday evening on the North Shore. Russell Wilson was there armed with his usual positivity. Hopefully, he was able to keep that disposition a little later in the day when the Steelers met as a team and turned on the film of their latest double-digit defeat. "I'm not even gonna want to watch the film right now," special teams captain Miles Killebrew said. "But you have to do things you don't want to do. Gotta get ahead on the Bengals, and that's what needs to be done." Killebrew did Christmas with his wife and kids Thursday before heading to the practice facility. The Broncos losing to the Bengals, the Chargers being upset by the Patriots or both would be a fantastic present for the Steelers to unwrap Saturday, but the reality is they've lost control of their playoff destination. They went 0-for in their three-game stretch over 11 days. Now they get 10 days off on the back end to regroup, fix their issues and prepare for the postseason. "No one likes to lose," Killebrew said. "We're on a little bit of a losing streak here, so just got to get in the lab and figure out a way to turn this ship around." Rookie right guard Mason McCormick is not accustomed to this kind of swoon late in a season. His South Dakota State teams won back-to-back national championships in his final two years there, doing so in dominant fashion. Because of those deep FCS playoff pushes into January, McCormick insists he doesn't feel any sort of rookie wall hitting him or vice versa. But he knows the Steelers aren't peaking at the right time. "Obviously, we're frustrated," McCormick said. "You want to be playing your best football right now, and we've got some stuff to clean up. I feel like we're ready to go attack this process and get better. But, obviously, it's got to be quick." McCormick and the offense are a relatively inexperienced unit with a few veterans to lean on, mostly Wilson. The star-laden defense is the group pounding the table for accountability, trusting each other and intestinal fortitude. Communication, tough conversations and honesty might need to come to the forefront in that Chiefs film session. But to go back to the Grinch, Benton is adamant that their hearts aren't three sizes too small to still make a run. "I think guys are still hungry, to be honest," Benton said. "We've still got ball to play, so we can't do nothing but be hungry. We've got to go out there and get it."