OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 26, 2024-- Boston Omaha Corporation (NYSE: BOC) (the “Company”) announced today that Bradford B. Briner will resign from the Company’s Board of Directors, effective December 31, 2024 as he assumes the position of Treasurer of the State of North Carolina effective January 1, 2025. Mr. Briner was elected by the citizens of North Carolina to the position of Treasurer in the November 2024 general election. Adam K. Peterson, the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, noted that “Brad has been an invaluable member of our Board of Directors. His business sense, foresight, intelligence and analytical skills have earned him the respect of our Board and officers and employees. We are excited for the people of North Carolina who will benefit from having Brad as the Treasurer of North Carolina and we wish him the very best in his future endeavors.” Mr. Briner observed that “I am excited by this new role serving the people of North Carolina. Leaving the Board of Boston Omaha is difficult as I have greatly enjoyed working with Adam, the Boston Omaha management team and with my fellow Board members. I will miss this interaction. I am excited by Boston Omaha’s future and look forward to continuing as a long-term stockholder of Boston Omaha.” About Boston Omaha Corporation Boston Omaha Corporation is a public holding company with four majority owned businesses engaged in outdoor advertising, broadband telecommunications services, surety insurance and asset management. To receive Boston Omaha news, visit investor.bostonomaha.com/news . Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical fact are “forward-looking statements” for purposes of this press release on Form 8-K, including, our expectations regarding future growth and general business and market conditions, all of which may affect the Company’s long-term performance; and any statements or assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as “may,” “will,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” or the negative thereof or other comparable terminology. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements contained herein are reasonable, such expectations or any of the forward-looking statements may prove to be incorrect and actual results could differ materially from those projected or assumed in the forward-looking statements. Important factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, and its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release. Any such forward-looking statements represent management’s estimates as of the date of this press release. While the Company may elect to update such forward-looking statements at some point in the future, it disclaims any obligation to do so, except as required by law, even if subsequent events cause its views to change. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241226195072/en/ CONTACT: Boston Omaha Corporation Josh Weisenburger, 402-210-2633 contact@bostonomaha.com KEYWORD: NORTH CAROLINA NEBRASKA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TELECOMMUNICATIONS INSURANCE FINANCE ASSET MANAGEMENT ADVERTISING COMMUNICATIONS PROFESSIONAL SERVICES TECHNOLOGY SOURCE: Boston Omaha Corporation Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/26/2024 04:04 PM/DISC: 12/26/2024 04:02 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241226195072/enWhy blockbuster Christmas movies are missing the true magic of Santa
LOS ANGELES – Hannah Hidalgo scored 24 points and No. 6 Notre Dame defeated JuJu Watkins and third-ranked Southern California 74-61 on Saturday in a marquee matchup on the West Coast. Watkins and the Trojans (4-1) fell behind early and were down 21 points in the fourth quarter. She had 24 points, six rebounds and five assists. Recommended Videos Hidalgo came out shooting well, hitting 5 of 8 from the floor in the first quarter and had 16 points at the break. She added six rebounds and eight assists. Hidalgo's backcourt mate, Olivia Miles, added 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Fighting Irish (5-0). Even though Hidalgo outshone her, Watkins’ imprint was all over the game. A documentary about her life aired on NBC leading into the nationally televised game. A buzz arose when Snoop Dogg walked in shortly before tipoff wearing a jacket in USC colors with Watkins' name and number on the front and back. Her sister, Mali, sang the national anthem. Takeaways Notre Dame: The Irish struck quickly, racing to a 20-10 lead in the opening quarter. Even after cooling off a bit, they never trailed and stayed poised when the Trojans got within three in the second and third quarters. USC: The Trojans were without starting guard Kennedy Smith, whose defense on Hidalgo would have proven valuable. It was announced shortly before tipoff that she had a surgical procedure and will return at some point this season. Key moment The Trojans got within three points three times but the Irish remained poised and never gave up the lead. Key stats Notre Dame's defense forced the Trojans into 21 turnovers, which led to 22 points for the Irish. Watkins, Kaleigh Heckel and Talia von Oelhoffen had five each. USC was just 1 of 13 from 3-point range Up next Notre Dame plays TCU on Nov. 29 in the Cayman Islands Classic. USC plays Seton Hall in the Women's Acrisure Holiday Invitational on Nov. 27 in Palm Desert, California. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketballAbortions are up in the US. It's a complicated picture as women turn to pills, travel By GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press and KEVIN S. VINEYS Associated Press Abortion has become slightly more common despite bans or deep restrictions in most Republican-controlled states, and the legal and political fights over its future are not over yet. It's now been two and a half years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and opened the door for states to implement bans. The policies and their impact have been in flux ever since the ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. Here's a look at data on where things stand: Overturning Roe and enforcing abortion bans has changed how woman obtain abortions in the U.S. But one thing it hasn't done is put a dent in the number of abortions being obtained. There have been slightly more monthly abortions across the country recently than there were in the months leading up to the June 2022 ruling, even as the number in states with bans dropped to near zero. "Abortion bans don't actually prevent abortions from happening," said Ushma Upadhyay, a public health social scientist at the University of California San Francisco. But, she said, they do change care. For women in some states, there are major obstacles to getting abortions — and advocates say that low-income, minority and immigrant women are least likely to be able to get them when they want. For those living in states with bans, the ways to access abortion are through travel or abortion pills. As the bans swept in, abortion pills became a bigger part of the equation. They were involved in about half the abortions before Dobbs. More recently, it's been closer to two-thirds of them, according to research by the Guttmacher Institute. The uptick of that kind of abortion, usually involving a combination of two drugs, was underway before the ruling. But now, it's become more common for pill prescriptions to be made by telehealth. By the summer of... GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press , KEVIN S. VINEYS Associated PressIsraeli attorney general orders probe into report that alleged Netanyahu's wife harassed opponents
Alyssa Nakken, first full-time female coach in MLB history, leaving Giants to join Guardians'We need new leadership': Atlantic Liberal caucus calls for Trudeau's resignationOil & Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL), Pakistan’s largest exploration and production company, has successfully revived and enhanced oil production from the Pasakhi-5 well, located in Hyderabad district of Sindh. According to a new release, the well is part of the Pasakhi Development & Production Lease (D&PL), with OGDCL holding a 100% working interest. As part of a strategic optimization initiative, OGDCL deployed a rig to install an artificial lift system (ESP) at the well to enhance oil production. Previously, the well was producing 480 barrels of oil per day (BPD) on natural flow. Following the installation, oil production from the well has increased significantly to 900 BPD, marking an impressive increase of 420 BPD. OGDCL’s initiative aligns with its broader strategy to optimize energy output and ensure sustainable energy supply, contributing to Pakistan’s energy security and economic growth. By leveraging innovative technologies, the company is striving to enhance operational efficiency and unlock the full potential of the nation’s hydrocarbon resources. The company is committed to driving progress in the oil and gas sector, exploring new opportunities, and ensuring a reliable energy supply for the country’s industrial and economic development.
PLAINS, Ga. — Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has died at his home in Plains, Georgia. His death comes more than a year after the former president entered hospice care. He was 100 years old. Here are some significant events in Jimmy Carter's life: — Oct. 1, 1924: James Earl Carter Jr. is born in Plains, Georgia, son of James Sr. and Lillian Gordy Carter. — June 1946: Carter graduates from the U.S. Naval Academy. — July 1946: Carter marries Rosalynn Smith, in Plains. They have four children, John William (“Jack”), born 1947; James Earl 3rd (“Chip”), 1950; Donnel Jeffrey (Jeff), 1952; and Amy Lynn, 1967. — 1946-1953: Carter serves in a Navy nuclear submarine program, attaining rank of lieutenant commander. — Summer 1953: Carter resigns from the Navy, returns to Plains after father’s death. — 1953-1971: Carter helps run the family peanut farm and warehouse business. — 1963-1966: Carter serves in the Georgia state Senate. — 1966: Carter tries unsuccessfully for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. — November 1970: Carter is elected governor of Georgia. Serves 1971-75. — Dec. 12, 1974: Carter announces a presidential bid. Atlanta newspaper answers with headline: “Jimmy Who?” — January 1976: Carter leads the Democratic field in Iowa, a huge campaign boost that also helps to establish Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucus. — July 1976: Carter accepts the Democratic nomination and announces Sen. Walter Mondale of Minnesota as running mate. — November 1976: Carter defeats President Gerald R. Ford, winning 51% of the vote and 297 electoral votes to Ford’s 240. — January 1977: Carter is sworn in as the 39th president of the United States. On his first full day in office, he pardons most Vietnam-era draft evaders. —September 1977: U.S. and Panama sign treaties to return the Panama Canal back to Panama in 1999. Senate narrowly ratifies them in 1978. — September 1978: Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Carter sign Camp David accords, which lead to a peace deal between Egypt and Israel the following year. — June 15-18, 1979: Carter attends a summit with Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev in Vienna that leads to the signing of the SALT II treaty. — November 1979: Iranian militants storm the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking 52 hostages. All survive and are freed minutes after Carter leaves office in January 1981. — April 1980: The Mariel boatlift begins, sending tens of thousands of Cubans to the U.S. Many are criminals and psychiatric patients set free by Cuban leader Fidel Castro, creating a major foreign policy crisis. — April 1980: An attempt by the U.S. to free hostages fails when a helicopter crashes into a transport plane in Iran, killing eight servicemen. — Nov. 4, 1980: Carter is denied a second term by Ronald Reagan, who wins 51.6% of the popular vote to 41.7% for Carter and 6.7% to independent John Anderson. — 1982: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter co-found The Carter Center in Atlanta, whose mission is to resolve conflicts, protect human rights and prevent disease around the world. — September 1984: The Carters spend a week building Habitat for Humanity houses, launching what becomes the annual Carter Work Project. — October 1986: A dedication is held for The Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta. The center includes the Carter Presidential Library and Museum and Carter Center offices. — 1989: Carter leads the Carter Center’s first election monitoring mission, declaring Panamanian Gen. Manuel Noriega’s election fraudulent. — May 1992: Carter meets with Mikhail and Raisa Gorbachev at the Carter Center to discuss forming the Gorbachev Foundation. — June 1994: Carter plays a key role in North Korea nuclear disarmament talks. — September 1994: Carter leads a delegation to Haiti, arranging terms to avoid a U.S. invasion and return President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power. — December 1994: Carter negotiates tentative cease-fire in Bosnia. — March 1995: Carter mediates cease-fire in Sudan’s war with southern rebels. — September 1995: Carter travels to Africa to advance the peace process in more troubled areas. — December 1998: Carter receives U.N. Human Rights Prize on 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. — August 1999: President Bill Clinton awards Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter the Presidential Medal of Freedom. — September 2001: Carter joins former Presidents Ford, Bush and Clinton at a prayer service at the National Cathedral in Washington after Sept. 11 attacks. — April 2002: Carter’s book “An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood” chosen as finalist for Pulitzer Prize in biography. — May 2002: Carter visits Cuba and addresses the communist nation on television. He is the highest-ranking American to visit in decades. — Dec. 10, 2002: Carter is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his “untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” — July 2007: Carter joins The Elders, a group of international leaders brought together by Nelson Mandela to focus on global issues. — Spring 2008: Carter remains officially neutral as Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton battle each other for the Democratic presidential nomination. — April 2008: Carter stirs controversy by meeting with the Islamic militant group Hamas. — August 2010: Carter travels to North Korea as the Carter Center negotiates the release of an imprisoned American teacher. — August 2013: Carter joins President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton at the 50th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech and the March on Washington. — Oct. 1, 2014: Carter celebrates his 90th birthday. — December 2014: Carter is nominated for a Grammy in the best spoken word album category, for his book “A Call To Action.” — May 2015: Carter returns early from an election observation visit in Guyana — the Carter Center’s 100th — after feeling unwell. — August 2015: Carter has a small cancerous mass removed from his liver. He plans to receive treatment at Emory Healthcare in Atlanta. — August 2015: Carter announces that his grandson Jason Carter will chair the Carter Center governing board. — March 6, 2016: Carter says an experimental drug has eliminated any sign of his cancer, and that he needs no further treatment. — May 25, 2016: Carter steps back from a “front-line” role with The Elders to become an emeritus member. — July 2016: Carter is treated for dehydration during a Habitat for Humanity build in Canada. — Spring 2018: Carter publishes “Faith: A Journey for All,” the last of 32 books. — March 22, 2019: Carter becomes the longest-lived U.S. president, surpassing President George H.W. Bush, who died in 2018. — September 18, 2019: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter deliver their final in-person annual report at the Carter Center. — October 2019: At 95, still recovering from a fall, Carter joins the Work Project with Habitat for Humanity in Nashville, Tennessee. It’s the last time he works personally on the annual project. — Fall 2019-early 2020: Democratic presidential hopefuls visit, publicly embracing Carter as a party elder, a first for his post-presidency. — November 2020:The Carter Center monitors an audit of presidential election results in the state of Georgia, marking a new era of democracy advocacy within the U.S. — Jan. 20, 2021: The Carters miss President Joe Biden’s swearing-in, the first presidential inauguration they don’t attend since Carter’s own ceremony in 1977. The Bidens later visit the Carters in Plains on April 29. — Feb. 19, 2023: Carter enters home hospice care after a series of short hospital stays. — July 7, 2023: The Carters celebrate their 77th and final wedding anniversary. — Nov. 19, 2023: Rosalynn Carter dies at home, two days after the family announced that she had joined the former president in receiving hospice care. — Oct. 1, 2024 — Carter becomes the first former U.S. president to reach 100 years of age , celebrating at home with extended family and close friends. — Oct. 16, 2024 — Carter casts a Georgia mail ballot for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, having told his family he wanted to live long enough to vote for her. It marks his 21st presidential election as a voter. — Dec. 29, 2024: Carter dies at home.NoneSavitri Sagar is CEO of Kenzo Infotech . The global digital healthcare market is expected to grow from $260.9 billion in 2023 to $1920.9 billion by 2033 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.10%. This staggering growth highlights the rapid adoption of innovative technologies and the increasing demand for accessible, personalized healthcare solutions. Having developed mobile apps for the healthcare domain, I’ve seen firsthand the challenges involved—and what it will take for mobile health tech companies/telehealth companies to succeed moving forward. Key Trends In Digital Healthcare Platforms One of the main trends in the mobile health app space is arguably telehealth. For a large number of patients, telehealth is their preferred way to seek care. According to one study , 43% of U.S. adults with healthcare visits in 2022 turned to telemedicine. Some of the biggest names in the mobile health app space offer a way for patients to manage at least some aspects of their care virtually, such as by enabling them to check their symptoms and access a physician directory and by giving them a way to quickly access their medical records and more. Another significant trend in the health app space? The use of artificial intelligence. I foresee that increasingly, AI will be leveraged by health apps. For example, some mobile health apps are leveraging AI to scan user’s bodies and pinpoint issues, such as potential skin cancer . Blockbuster Musical ‘Wicked’ Gets Digital Streaming Premiere Date Google User Data Purge Underway—What You Need To Know Dark Web Facial ID Farm Warning—Hackers Build Identity Fraud Database Recognizing The Limitations Of Health Apps Health apps can help patients. In particular, telehealth and AI alike have various benefits in patient care. However, health apps have their limitations as well. For instance, not every medical issue is diagnosable virtually, and AI won’t always provide accurate scan results. Health apps can offer great starting points for care, but patients should not solely rely on them. Predictions For The Future Of Digital Healthcare Platforms Technology and other factors are shaping the industry’s future: 1. AI-Powered Diagnostics AI in healthcare is projected to grow at a CAGR of 38.5% between from 2024 to 2030. AI stands to significantly contribute to diagnostics, with AI tools analyzing data with greater speed and accuracy to predict health conditions early and aid with decision-making. 2. Seamless Telehealth Integration The telehealth market was estimated to be valued at $101.15 billion in 2023—and from 2024 to 2030, is expected to grow at a CAGR of 24.3% . Virtual consultations, IoT devices, and remote monitoring systems stand to revolutionize care, making hybrid healthcare models the norm and reducing patient wait times. 3. Personalization Through Big Data The global healthcare analytics market is predicted to grow at a CAGR of 21.1% from 2024 to 2030, enabling platforms to deliver hyper-personalized care. Big data will provide actionable insights, ensuring patients receive tailored treatment plans. In turn, this can improve patient outcomes. 4. Blockchain For Data Security Blockchain in healthcare is expected to grow at a CAGR of 63.3% from 2024 to 2030. This technology will revolutionize data security, ensuring patient records are immutable and accessible across interoperable systems, reducing breaches. 5. The Rise Of Preventive Care Wearable tech, which accounts for a significant portion of the digital health market, is projected to grow at a CAGR of 14.6% from 2023 to 2030. These devices, paired with predictive analytics, will empower individuals to monitor health metrics and prevent chronic conditions, potentially significantly reducing hospital visits. 6. Expanded Mental Health Solutions The mental health app market, valued at $6.25 billion in 2023, is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 15.2% from 2024 to 2030. Virtual therapy and AI-powered mental wellness tools will make mental health support more accessible, addressing the global mental health crisis . 7. Integration With Insurance And Payments The global healthcare IT market, including payment and claims processing, has an expected CAGR of 15.8% from 2024 to 2030, and can simplify administrative processes and improve cost transparency. Real-time pricing tools will help reduce unexpected healthcare expenses, a key pain point for many patients. 8. Global Accessibility Digital healthcare platforms are closing the healthcare gap in underserved regions. Mobile-first platforms are expected to increase global access , bringing essential services to rural and low-income areas. 9. Sustainability Through Smart Systems The healthcare industry’s carbon footprint (which data indicates is “ between 4.4 and 5.2 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions ”) can be reduced significantly through smart platforms. By adopting AI and automation, healthcare systems could lower operational costs and environmental impact. Patient-Centric Approach: Empowerment And Protection As health apps move into the future, in addition to focusing on solving the right problems, being patient-centric and providing integrated solutions, they should keep patient empowerment and protection top of mind. Patient empowerment comes down to education. Health apps should connect patients with the resources they need to make informed decisions about the next steps in their care, such as offering in-app guides to different conditions, live chat options with registered nurses, robust technical support and so forth. As for patient protection, health apps should do their due diligence to make sure they are in full compliance with applicable data privacy and security laws, such as HIPAA in the United States and GDPR in Europe. Ultimately, by taking a patient-first approach as they design and implement their health apps, health apps can create solutions that help vast amounts of people get the care they need in an accessible way. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
NEW YORK (AP) — No ex-president had a more prolific and diverse publishing career than Jimmy Carter . His more than two dozen books included nonfiction, poetry, fiction, religious meditations and a children’s story. His memoir “An Hour Before Daylight” was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2002, while his 2006 best-seller “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid” stirred a fierce debate by likening Israel’s policies in the West Bank to the brutal South African system of racial segregation. And just before his 100th birthday, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation honored him with a lifetime achievement award for how he wielded “the power of the written word to foster peace, social justice, and global understanding.” In one recent work, “A Full Life,” Carter observed that he “enjoyed writing” and that his books “provided a much-needed source of income.” But some projects were easier than others. “Everything to Gain,” a 1987 collaboration with his wife, Rosalynn, turned into the “worst threat we ever experienced in our marriage,” an intractable standoff for the facilitator of the Camp David accords and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. According to Carter, Rosalynn was a meticulous author who considered “the resulting sentences as though they have come down from Mount Sinai, carved into stone.” Their memories differed on various events and they fell into “constant arguments.” They were ready to abandon the book and return the advance, until their editor persuaded them to simply divide any disputed passages between them. “In the book, each of these paragraphs is identified by a ‘J’ or an ‘R,’ and our marriage survived,” he wrote. Here is a partial list of books by Carter: “Keeping Faith: Memoirs of a President” “The Blood of Abraham: Insights into the Middle East” (With Rosalynn Carter) “Everything to Gain: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life” “An Outdoor Journal: Adventures and Reflections” “Turning Point: A Candidate, a State, and a Nation Come of Age” “Always a Reckoning, and Other Poems” (With daughter Amy Carter) “The Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer” “Living Faith” “The Virtues of Aging” “An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood” “Christmas in Plains: Memories” “The Hornet’s Nest: A Novel of the Revolutionary War” “Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis” “Faith & Freedom: The Christian Challenge for the World” “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid” “A Remarkable Mother” “Beyond the White House” “We Can Have Peace in the Holy Land: A Plan That Will Work” “White House Diary” “NIV Lessons from Life Bible: Personal Reflections with Jimmy Carter” “A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power” “A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety”by Susantha Hewa Surely, racism has caused enough damage to us to warrant its erasure from our midst with the condemnation it deserves, without leaving it more room to further flourish in deceptively benign ways. As showcased by the November 14 election results, many Tamils and Muslims, not forgetting Catholics and Hindus, have voted to power the NPP, led by the JVP, which they might have previously labelled, and avoided, as a ‘Sinhalese’ party. This turning of tables has obviously been triggered by the country’s worsening political and economic conditions, but the story should not end there because people’s unprecedented shift of faith strongly indicates the relaxing of the rigid social and cultural postures which may prove to be more important in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society. This is because, if used wisely and sensitively, it has the potential to be directed towards the evolution of a society where there wouldn’t be much room for further social fragmentation, hitherto sustained by the biases felt at the deepest levels of our sense of ‘self and other’. Dr. Jehan Perera in his article titled “Reading demands for change” ( The Island, November 19, 2024) says, “Unlike in the case of economic recovery for which there are no short-term panaceas, the solution to the ethnic conflict is one that can be resolved soon as it has been discussed, negotiated and publicised on several occasions, but not implemented due to the failure of leadership”. The government may seize the opportunity to “make hay while the sun shines”. The mercurial nature of ‘identity’ and ‘self’ is well-known. They are a topic of discussion in neuroscience, psychology, humanities, social sciences, religions and, notably, in Buddhism. In humanities and social sciences, ‘identity’ is used to refer to one’s social ‘face’. According to psychology, ‘self’ is a multi-dimensional concept that “includes cognitive and affective judgments about ourselves”. Simply put, it is a social construct and “is shaped by interactions with others, and how a person views themselves in relation to their culture, history, gender, class, and more”. In other words, ‘self’ and ‘identity’ are social constructs; they may not be sufficiently understood as entities independent of the dynamic links between the individual and society. Given the above insights, it is not hard to understand that our collective gut feeling of ‘identity’ has much room for updating and improvement for us to move ahead as a united nation. It’s not difficult to understand that unity is more conducive to social wellbeing than prudish affirmation of our different identities. In particular, Buddhists shouldn’t find it much difficult to understand ‘identity’ as an illusion, because in Buddhism, “The ‘I’ or sense of self is considered an illusion, and is viewed as fluid and ever-changing”. However, many of us Buddhists don’t seem to have taken this illusory nature of self all that seriously. Of course, one may argue, that it is too deep a concept to be grasped by ‘ prthagjana’ (not sufficiently enlightened) people. Perhaps the argument is more expedient than sincere, for it can readily be used to silence those who wantonly accuse us of being wicked. Humour apart, surely, we all have among our acquaintances, those who seem to have understood this concept to the extent that they can view ‘identities’ with more detachment thus contributing to enhance a sense of togetherness, at least in their small circles. And, among them are people of all ethnicities and faiths – Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, Hindus and even those who refuse to follow any established religion; the late Dr. E.W. Adikaram comes to mind easily. Our tendency to cling to the rigid cast of ‘self and other’ comes from the habit of finding security in our accustomed ‘comfort zones’. That is, we thrive in the feeling of togetherness in small communes. In other words, being immersed in the feeling of belonging to this or that ethnicity, religion, caste, gender, etc., is too appealing and reassuring to be got rid of with the weapons of knowledge, judgement and reason you acquire as you grow up. Such cast-iron ‘identity’ jackets we are proud to wear would do little to help forge a more cohesive society. In all these years, we have had little help from our society, its various institutions, cultures, customs and religions to think in terms of an integrated society, despite all the rhetoric and popularized cosmetic programmes that were made to be soothing to the ear and the eye. The uselessness of all these haphazard and dispersed projects often surfaces when our ‘naturalized’ social instincts begin to assert themselves against wiser counsels. Up to the present, all our political potentates have never lost an opportunity to wax inspirational about ‘unity in diversity’. Their sincerity is in public display today, courtesy their spirited scuffles to enter Parliament through National Lists. Despite their usual bombast on peace building, our past is scattered with loud assertions of our ‘purity of stock’ where political collusion was too apparent to escape notice. We have not forgotten those horror stories about ‘ wanda kottu’, ‘wanda sethkam’ , etc. – all supposedly ‘neutering missions’ that stirred communal disharmony. Had the years of political sermonizing, pontification, programmes, launched with much sound and fury to purportedly promote ethnic cohesion, been able to make us any less susceptible to our ancestral instincts? By the way, how about gender-based discrimination, which most of us are unconcerned about? We have enough academic interest in such fields but not much of it goes to help to subdue the persistent feelings of women who feel being oppressed and discriminated. Of course, it goes without saying that not many religions have addressed the social and cultural oppression of women in a ‘language’ which has made any sufficient dent in our deep-rooted gender biases. As we have seen above, it is the same with other forms of oppression that we have perpetuated and unwittingly fostered at our own peril. Let’s think for a moment about the rumblings felt in some segments of society about their ‘underrepresentation’ in the new government’s power hierarchy. There is no doubt that these are genuine feelings of disaffection coming from their dormant feelings of being subject to discrimination; for example, with regard to Muslim representation and female representation. There is no doubt that it is better for all of us to assuage these deeply felt hurts as they arise in society to create uproar. However, at what level do we have to address them? Surely, not at the highest levels of their visibility and urgency, which has resulted from prolonged neglect. They should be addressed at their most rudimentary levels for us to get rid of these ‘anomalies’. Instead of thinking of quick fixes, as has been the practice in the past, it is time we grasped the nettle. The solution to women’s problems is not to find a few more slots for them in Parliament and other powerful positions, although it would instantly satisfy the disgruntled parties. The underrepresentation of women in privileged positions is just a sign of the basic problem of their culturally imposed subservience in the family. It’s not different from the subjugation of social groups on the basis of hoary divisions shielded to perpetuate power structures in different parts of the world. For examples, women’s subservient state in the family is extolled by platitudes about their unrestricted maternal love, sacrifice, self-denial, abstinence, etc., which indirectly help their subjugation effected by overtly discriminatory means. In trying to expose the wrappings of India’s age-old caste system, Arundhati Roy says, “ it [casteism] has come to be so fused with ... so much that is seen to be kind and good—mysticism, spiritualism, non-violence, tolerance, vegetarianism, Gandhi, yoga, backpackers, the Beatles—that, at least to outsiders, it seems impossible to pry it loose and try to understand it.” As for oppressive systems, casteism is not alone in its capacity for working in complicity with most prevalent forms of human engagement. Can’t we see a similar congruence of seemingly uplifting cultural interventions with regard to deifying ‘motherhood’, which obscures the cultural oppression of women in society. With regard to the current misgivings about underrepresentation in politics attributed to the lack of concern about ethnicity/religion and gender, perhaps easy solutions will be effective in the short term but they are likely to help perpetuate the basic problems crying for a lasting solution. The unsatisfactory visibility of women in higher ranks, in politics or elsewhere, has to be addressed at the roots by taking awareness to the people of the sociocultural character of the issue. Same applies to any unfairness, whether it is perceived by any community – be it concerning the majority or a minority. The political and social context we find ourselves in today is a good opportunity which shouldn’t be left unexploited, if we don’t wish to postpone any further the possibility of ushering in a more friendly society with less unwarranted enmities.
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SUVs may be the pick of the bunch right now, but there's a lot to love about the handful of small passenger cars still on offer. or signup to continue reading Our rewind through 2024 has brought us to these small cars, and we've compiled a list of the top five highest-rated models we reviewed throughout the year. We've kept budget in mind here, as the cars here are only found in the small for less than $40,000 category on the VFACTS sales charts. We of course reviewed multiple more premium cars too, but this article will focus on the more palatable cheaper alternatives. Some of these models have been reviewed on multiple occasions this year, so we've only featured the variant that achieved the highest rating. Prices are based on each manufacturer's configurators using a Victorian postcode, which should provide a representative estimate of what the average Australian buyer will end up paying. The cheapest Corolla proved to be a solid car as a sedan, evidenced by marketplace editor James Wong's class-leading score of 8.5 out of 10. We praised the Corolla for its efficiency and interior practicality, the latter of which is particularly strong in the Ascent Sport sedan we reviewed. It also scored well on cost of ownership and safety, while its ride comfort, handling dynamics, and value for money were identified as general strengths. We also expect it to be "endlessly reliable" given its Toyota construction, something that will be a benefit for new Corolla buyers. Its uninspiring nature was listed as a negative though, and supply constraints at the time of our original review also put a question mark over the Japanese brand's ability to meet demand. We felt its performance wasn't quite up to scratch either, but we thought it was overall a strong iteration into the traditionally safe Corolla range. Given the size of the i30 range we had loads of reviews of the various variants published over 2024, four of which shared in the same score of 8.4. The only hatchback to receive 8.4 in 2024 was the N Line, which is the entry to the updated i30 Hatch range. We liked its sporty handling and surprisingly peppy engine, but it lost marks for value as it's too expensive for an "entry" model. Then there was the base i30 Sedan, which opens the entire range by sneaking under $30,000 drive-away. We appreciated the space available in the second row as well as its engine and transmission combo, but felt it was cheap in places and was hindered by its annoying speed limit assist. Equally, the i30 Sedan N Line was praised for its interior space, as well as its "great pricing and specs" and its "sharp looks". It suffered from the same drawbacks as the standard sedan, and we weren't impressed by its "terrible shut lines". At the top of the range is the i30 Sedan N, which was commended for its blistering performance, handling, and its ability to make you "smile from ear to ear". Again the speed limit assist and interior plastics cropped up as complaints, and we felt it also had a poor turning circle. Marketplace journalist Josh Nevett was a fan of the BYD Dolphin, as evidenced by his score of 8.2 for the top-spec Premium. Though we think it's an "acquired taste", we liked the Dolphin's interior layout and were impressed by its extensive list of standard gear. Its interior practicality and space scored highly, along with its efficiency and cost of ownership. As for its 150kW/310Nm electric powertrain, we felt it had plenty of poke and did well to get the car moving at a reasonable pace. We weren't as keen on its driver assist technology, as the semi-autonomous driving system was found to be twitchy and struggled to stay in its lane on the freeway. In the same setting, we also thought there was too much wind noise. Its mix of interior materials wasn't ideal either, but the Dolphin proved to be a solid option in the budget electric hatch world. Mazda's second-smallest hatch may not be what it once was, but it's still a competitive option in the segment and was given a rating of 8.0 by marketplace journalist Max Davies. We feel it's a good-looking car backed up with loads of tech for both infotainment and safety, which was bolstered by the inclusion of the Vision Technology Package on our mid-spec tester. Our car was also the most expensive Mazda 3 variant to be fitted with a 2.0-litre engine, which meant its performance was merely acceptable rather than being anything impressive. It at least handled confidently with sporty inclinations, something that reflected positively on the car's driving experience and overall score. If you could get past a slightly smaller cabin and some hiccups with its driver monitoring, we'd say the Mazda 3 was still a good buy for the segment. The final car to crack the top five was the Subaru Impreza, which in its base 2.0L guise scored 7.8. Subaru has cemented the Impreza in its lineup over the years, and its 2.0-litre naturally aspirated boxer with all-wheel drive is a formula it continues to stick with. For that reason we felt it had a comfortable ride and benefited from well-calibrated safety tech, while it had strong interior tech despite its base model leanings. Its price is also among the lowest on this list, another selling point for Subaru's smallest hatch. While its drivetrain is a tried-and-tested setup, its boxer engine was deemed to merely be adequate with uninspiring performance. Like the Mazda 3, it's just enough to get the car moving comfortably without being anything too flashy. Its boot space is also compromised, and we were disappointed you get a urethane steering wheel instead of a leather-wrapped option. The Impreza is overall a solid car, but not particularly exciting. Content originally sourced from: Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. We care about the protection of your data. Read our . AdvertisementWASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that he will nominate former White House aide Brooke Rollins to be his agriculture secretary, the last of his picks to lead executive agencies and another choice from within his established circle of advisers and allies. The nomination must be confirmed by the Senate, which will be controlled by Republicans when Trump takes office Jan. 20. Rollins would succeed Tom Vilsack , President Joe Biden’s agriculture secretary who oversees the sprawling agency that controls policies, regulations and aid programs related to farming, forestry, ranching, food quality and nutrition. Then-President Donald Trump looks to Brooke Rollins, president and CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation, as she speaks during a Jan. 11, 2018, prison reform roundtable in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. Rollins, who graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural development, is a longtime Trump associate who served as White House domestic policy chief during his first presidency. The 52-year-old is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration. Rollins previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. People are also reading... Recap: Here's how Joey Graziadei will win 'Dancing with the Stars' Zitel bound over to district court in death of child They fell in love with Beatrice. So they opened a store in downtown. At the courthouse, Nov. 16, 2024 Kidnapping in Nebraska prompted police chase that ended with 3 dead on I-29 in Missouri Chamberlain among seven inducted into Nebraska Baseball HOF No change in bond amounts in child abuse death case Harmonizers to perform Just Askin': Dana Holgorsen noncommittal on future, ranking a big week for Nebraska Athletics Clabaugh family presents Outstanding Educator award Inside Nebraska volleyball’s finishing kick for a Big Ten title: First up, Wisconsin Courthouse lighting ceremony planned for Sunday Historical society appoints board members, elects officers Believers bought airplane for dead preacher thinking he’d rise from grave to fly in it How one Virginia woman persevered through abuse, oppression in Christian 'cult' The pick completes Trump’s selection of the heads of executive branch departments, just two and a half weeks after the former president won the White House once again. Several other picks that are traditionally Cabinet-level remain, including U.S. Trade Representative and head of the small business administration. Trump taps Bessent for Treasury, Chavez-DeRemer for labor, Turner for housing FATIMA HUSSEIN, CHRIS RUGABER, JOSH BOAK and CHRIS MEGERIANAssociated Press Brooke Rollins, assistant to the president and director of the Domestic Policy Council at the time, speaks during a May 18, 2020, meeting with restaurant industry executives about the coronavirus response in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington. Rollins, speaking on the Christian talk show “Family Talk" earlier this year, said Trump was an “amazing boss” and confessed that she thought in 2015, during his first presidential campaign, that he would not last as a candidate in a crowded Republican primary field. “I was the person that said, ‘Oh, Donald Trump is not going to go more than two or three weeks in the Republican primary. This is to up his TV show ratings. And then we’ll get back to normal,’” she said. “Fast forward a couple of years, and I am running his domestic policy agenda.” Trump didn’t offer many specifics about his agriculture policies during the campaign, but farmers could be affected if he carries out his pledge to impose widespread tariffs. During the first Trump administration, countries like China responded to Trump’s tariffs by imposing retaliatory tariffs on U.S. exports like the corn and soybeans routinely sold overseas. Trump countered by offering massive multibillion-dollar aid to farmers to help them weather the trade war. Brooke Rollins speaks at an Oct. 27 campaign rally for then-Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at Madison Square Garden in New York. President Abraham Lincoln founded the USDA in 1862, when about half of all Americans lived on farms. The USDA oversees multiple support programs for farmers; animal and plant health; and the safety of meat, poultry and eggs that anchor the nation’s food supply. Its federal nutrition programs provide food to low-income people, pregnant women and young children. And the agency sets standards for school meals. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, has vowed to strip ultraprocessed foods from school lunches and to stop allowing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program beneficiaries from using food stamps to buy soda, candy or other so-called junk foods. But it would be the USDA, not HHS, that would be responsible for enacting those changes. In addition, HHS and USDA will work together to finalize the 2025-2030 edition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. They are due late next year, with guidance for healthy diets and standards for federal nutrition programs. Gomez Licon reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Associated Press writers Josh Funk and JoNel Aleccia contributed to this report. Here are the people Trump has picked for key positions so far President-elect Donald Trump Among President-elect Donald Trump's picks are Susie Wiles for chief of staff, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, former Democratic House member Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general. Susie Wiles, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Marco Rubio, Secretary of State Trump named Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state, making a former sharp critic his choice to be the new administration's top diplomat. Rubio, 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket last summer. Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” Trump said of Rubio in a statement. The announcement punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom the senator called a “con man" during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. And as Trump campaigned for the presidency a third time, Rubio cheered his proposals. For instance, Rubio, who more than a decade ago helped craft immigration legislation that included a path to citizenship for people in the U.S. illegally, now supports Trump's plan to use the U.S. military for mass deportations. Pete Hegseth, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend” and has been a contributor with the network since 2014, where he developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. Hegseth lacks senior military or national security experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises — ranging from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea. Hegseth is also the author of “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” published earlier this year. Pam Bondi, Attorney General Trump tapped Pam Bondi, 59, to be attorney general after U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration. She was Florida's first female attorney general, serving between 2011 and 2019. She also was on Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020. Considered a loyalist, she served as part of a Trump-allied outside group that helped lay the groundwork for his future administration called the America First Policy Institute. Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. A fierce defender of Trump, she also frequently appears on Fox News and has been a critic of the criminal cases against him. Kristi Noem, Secretary of Homeland Security Trump picked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a well-known conservative who faced sharp criticism for telling a story in her memoir about shooting a rambunctious dog, to lead an agency crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda. Noem used her two terms leading a tiny state to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics. South Dakota is usually a political afterthought. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions that other states had issued and instead declared her state “open for business.” Trump held a fireworks rally at Mount Rushmore in July 2020 in one of the first large gatherings of the pandemic. She takes over a department with a sprawling mission. In addition to key immigration agencies, the Department of Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service, and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports. Doug Burgum, Secretary of the Interior The governor of North Dakota, who was once little-known outside his state, Burgum is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump, and spent months traveling to drum up support for him, after dropping out of the race. Burgum was a serious contender to be Trump’s vice presidential choice this summer. The two-term governor was seen as a possible pick because of his executive experience and business savvy. Burgum also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs. Trump made the announcement about Burgum joining his incoming administration while addressing a gala at his Mar-a-Lago club, and said a formal statement would be coming the following day. In comments to reporters before Trump took the stage, Burgum said that, in recent years, the power grid is deteriorating in many parts of the country, which he said could raise national security concerns but also drive up prices enough to increase inflation. “There's just a sense of urgency, and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration,” Burgum said. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president as a Democrat, than as an independent, and then endorsed Trump . He's the son of Democratic icon Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated during his own presidential campaign. The nomination of Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services alarmed people who are concerned about his record of spreading unfounded fears about vaccines . For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Scott Bessent, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, 62, is a former George Soros money manager and an advocate for deficit reduction. He's the founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management, after having worked on-and-off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary. He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trump’s campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending. “This election cycle is the last chance for the U.S. to grow our way out of this mountain of debt without becoming a sort of European-style socialist democracy,” he said then. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Labor Secretary Oregon Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her reelection bid this month, but received strong backing from union members in her district. As a potential labor secretary, she would oversee the Labor Department’s workforce, its budget and put forth priorities that impact workers’ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employer’s rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities. Chavez-DeRemer is one of few House Republicans to endorse the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and would add penalties for companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws that allow employees in more than half the states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their places of employment. Scott Turner, Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he’s yet selected for his administration, with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” Sean Duffy, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, “Fox and Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children. Chris Wright, Secretary of Energy A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Write is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking — a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. Wright also has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.” The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States. Wright also won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump’s first term. Linda McMahon, Secretary of Education President-elect Donald Trump tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump promised to dismantle. McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s initial term from 2017 to 2019 and twice ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut. She’s seen as a relative unknown in education circles, though she expressed support for charter schools and school choice. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. Brooke Rollins, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, who graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural development, is a longtime Trump associate who served as White House domestic policy chief during his first presidency. The 52-year-old is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration. She previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Commerce Trump chose Howard Lutnick, head of brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and a cryptocurrency enthusiast, as his nominee for commerce secretary, a position in which he'd have a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs. Trump made the announcement Tuesday on his social media platform, Truth Social. Lutnick is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team, along with Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration. Both are tasked with putting forward candidates for key roles in the next administration. The nomination would put Lutnick in charge of a sprawling Cabinet agency that is involved in funding new computer chip factories, imposing trade restrictions, releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. It is also a position in which connections to CEOs and the wider business community are crucial. Doug Collins, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial, which centered on U.S. assistance for Ukraine. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential nomination, but he was acquitted by the Senate. Collins has also served in the armed forces himself and is currently a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command. "We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need," Trump said in a statement about nominating Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Karoline Leavitt, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. The White House press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps. Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, was a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term before she became communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump's choice for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Tulsi Gabbard, National Intelligence Director Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has been tapped by Trump to be director of national intelligence, keeping with the trend to stock his Cabinet with loyal personalities rather than veteran professionals in their requisite fields. Gabbard, 43, was a Democratic House member who unsuccessfully sought the party's 2020 presidential nomination before leaving the party in 2022. She endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him this fall. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community,” Trump said in a statement. Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions. John Ratcliffe, Central Intelligence Agency Director Trump has picked John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who served as director of national intelligence during his first administration, to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his next. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump's first term, leading the U.S. government's spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. “I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation's highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement, calling him a “fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans” who would ensure “the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.” Lee Zeldin, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Trump has chosen former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to serve as his pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency . Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on X , “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.” “We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,” he added. During his campaign, Trump often attacked the Biden administration's promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referring to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often told his audiences during the campaign his administration would “Drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration. In a statement, Trump said Zeldin “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.” Brendan Carr, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission Trump has named Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, as the new chairman of the agency tasked with regulating broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband. Carr is a longtime member of the commission and served previously as the FCC’s general counsel. He has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate three times and was nominated by both Trump and President Joe Biden to the commission. Carr made past appearances on “Fox News Channel," including when he decried Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' pre-Election Day appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” He wrote an op-ed last month defending a satellite company owned by Trump supporter Elon Musk. Elise Stefanik, Ambassador to the United Nations Rep. Elise Stefanik is a representative from New York and one of Trump's staunchest defenders going back to his first impeachment. Elected to the House in 2014, Stefanik was selected by her GOP House colleagues as House Republican Conference chair in 2021, when former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after publicly criticizing Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election. Stefanik, 40, has served in that role ever since as the third-ranking member of House leadership. Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile. If confirmed, she would represent American interests at the U.N. as Trump vows to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine begun in 2022. He has also called for peace as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon to target Hezbollah. Matt Whitaker, Ambassador to NATO President-elect Donald Trump says he's chosen former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO. Trump has expressed skepticism about the Western military alliance for years. Trump said in a statement Wednesday that Whitaker is “a strong warrior and loyal Patriot” who “will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended” and “strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability.” The choice of Whitaker as the nation’s representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an unusual one, given his background is as a lawyer and not in foreign policy. Pete Hoekstra, Ambassador to Canada A Republican congressman from Michigan who served from 1993 to 2011, Hoekstra was ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump's first term. “In my Second Term, Pete will help me once again put AMERICA FIRST,” Trump said in a statement announcing his choice. “He did an outstanding job as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands during our first four years, and I am confident that he will continue to represent our Country well in this new role.” Mike Huckabee, Ambassador to Israel Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah. “He loves Israel, and likewise the people of Israel love him,” Trump said in a statement. “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East.” Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland. Trump has been praised by some in this important Republican voting bloc for moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Steven Witkoff, Special Envoy to the Middle East Trump on Tuesday named real estate investor Steven Witkoff to be special envoy to the Middle East. The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect's golf partner and was golfing with him at Trump's club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination. Witkoff “is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy,” Trump said of Witkoff in a statement. “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud." Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee. Mike Waltz, National Security Adviser Trump asked Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, Trump announced in a statement Tuesday. The move puts Waltz in the middle of national security crises, ranging from efforts to provide weapons to Ukraine and worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah. “Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda,” Trump's statement said, "and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!” Waltz is a three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs. He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population. Stephen Miller, Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner , was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump's priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump's first administration. Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump's policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families. Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation's economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people who are in the United States illegally. Since Trump left office in 2021, Miller has served as the president of America First Legal, an organization made up of former Trump advisers aimed at challenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others over issues such as free speech and national security. Tom Homan, ‘Border Czar’ Thomas Homan, 62, has been tasked with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history. Homan, who served under Trump in his first administration leading U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was widely expected to be offered a position related to the border, an issue Trump made central to his campaign. Though Homan has insisted such a massive undertaking would be humane, he has long been a loyal supporter of Trump's policy proposals, suggesting at a July conference in Washington that he would be willing to "run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.” Democrats have criticized Homan for his defending Trump's “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border. Dr. Mehmet Oz, Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, 64, is a former heart surgeon who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show,” a long-running daytime television talk show. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of Trump, who endorsed Oz's bid for elected office. Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to advise White House on government efficiency Elon Musk, left, and Vivek Ramaswamy speak before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at an Oct. 27 campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York. Trump on Tuesday said Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency" — which is not, despite the name, a government agency. The acronym “DOGE” is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said Musk and Ramaswamy will work from outside the government to offer the White House “advice and guidance” and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.” He added the move would shock government systems. It's not clear how the organization will operate. Musk, owner of X and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been a constant presence at Mar-a-Lago since Trump won the presidential election. Ramaswamy suspended his campaign in January and threw his support behind Trump. Trump said the two will “pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” Russell Vought, Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought held the position during Trump’s first presidency. After Trump’s initial term ended, Vought founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as “renew a consensus of America as a nation under God.” Vought was closely involved with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that he tried to distance himself from during the campaign. Vought has also previously worked as the executive and budget director for the Republican Study Committee, a caucus for conservative House Republicans. He also worked at Heritage Action, the political group tied to The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Additional selections to the incoming White House Scavino, whom Trump's transition referred to in a statement as one of “Trump's longest serving and most trusted aides,” was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign, as well as his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president. Scavino had run Trump's social media profile in the White House during his first administration. He was also held in contempt of Congress in 2022 after a month-long refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Blair was political director for Trump's 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee. He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and assistant to the president. Blair was key to Trump's economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign this year, a driving force behind the candidate's “Trump can fix it” slogan and his query to audiences this fall if they were better off than four years ago. Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again, Inc., a super PAC that supported Trump's 2024 campaign. He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president. Budowich also had served as a spokesman for Trump after his presidency. McGinley was White House Cabinet secretary during Trump's first administration, and was outside legal counsel for the Republican National Committee's election integrity effort during the 2024 campaign. In a statement, Trump called McGinley “a smart and tenacious lawyer who will help me advance our America First agenda, while fighting for election integrity and against the weaponization of law enforcement.” Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.