online gambling forums
The second season of the “ Star Wars ” series “ Ahsoka ” is moving its film production from Los Angeles to the United Kingdom, and at present, its studio Lucasfilm does not have any film or series projects currently slated to film in LA, IndieWire has confirmed. A studio insider disputed the idea that all film and TV production for Lucasfilm would relocate to the UK, adding that no hard and fast decision has been made. Lucasfilm has a long UK history dating back to George Lucas’ original “Star Wars” trilogy as well as films like “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” which recently wrapped and is slated for release in 2026, became the first “Star Wars” project to shoot entirely in California. The film earned one of the largest tax credits ever issued by the state , with over $21 million in conditional tax credits. However, many streaming series on Disney+ were shot in Los Angeles County at Manhattan Beach Studios including “The Mandalorian,” “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” and the just-released “Skeleton Crew.” Lucasfilm utilized Industrial Light & Magic’s “volume stage” technology — stages with wraparound digital LED screens encompassing the set — with technicians based on the West Coast. Other shows like “The Acolyte,” “Andor,” and “Willow,” which didn’t make use of the tech, were generally shot in the UK. In the case of “Ahsoka” Season 2 , which is tentatively set to begin filming in April 2025, IndieWire has learned the show will utilize multiple different film techniques. The first was shot entirely on volume stages. Lucasfilm has a number of TV projects in development, but “Ahsoka” is the only Lucasfilm project in active pre-production. Lucasfilm had no comment for this story. The UK relocation for “Ahsoka” is the latest blow to the Los Angeles film industry. The most recent report from FilmLA showed production shoot days in Los Angeles this past summer were the second-lowest they’ve ever been, with levels even lower than they were during the 2023 strikes when scripted production was largely shut down. Although 1 in 4 film industry workers live in Los Angeles, according to FilmLA, fewer than 1 in 5 scripted productions were shot here . California Governor Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass recently proposed a drastic increase in the cap to the state’s annual tax credit program, raising it from its current level of $325 million to $750 million in incentives allocated for filming . While other states such as New Jersey or Nevada are aggressively ramping up, other states such as Louisiana and Georgia — which offers one of the largest, uncapped tax credits anywhere — are fighting fight to keep their tax programs intact. Deadline reported this week that the unscripted and syndicated series “Hot Bench,” which shot in Los Angeles for 11 seasons, is moving the production to Connecticut in an effort to save $3.5 million on its $12 million annual production costs.
NORAD's Santa Tracker 2024 is now live — Watch Santa's sleigh fly
This month, Nobel Prize winner Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain turns 100. One of the 20th century’s towering literary achievements, it is a sweeping critique of the dangerous totalitarian political forces that shaped – and very nearly destroyed – Europe in Mann’s lifetime. The novel also reflects Mann’s own dramatic public and political evolution. Initially politically reserved, he became an ardent patriot at the outbreak of World War I, only to become disillusioned by the rise of political extremism in postwar Germany. This shift set Mann on a collision course with Adolf Hitler and the Nazis – and ultimately led to him fleeing Germany in 1933. This intellectual novel is interested in the weightiest of topics – time, love, mortality, culture – and the fragility of civilisation. There are worrying parallels between 1924, when Mann’s magnum opus was published, and 2024, when we’re seeing a worldwide resurgence of these same impulses. There is the rise of the far-right in France , Austria and Germany . And then, American president-elect Donald Trump’s apparent admiration for dictatorial and authoritarian modes of governance. These forces loom ominously over our own era, threatening the democratic ideals Mann ultimately embraced. Things you’ve never dreamed of This encyclopedia of a novel (nearly 800 pages) opens in transit: An unassuming young man was travelling, in midsummer, from his native city of Hamburg to Davos-Platz in the Canton of the Grisons, on a three weeks’ visit. It is August 1907. Hans Castorp, a “perfectly ordinary” 23-year-old from an upwardly mobile merchant family is journeying to meet his cousin, Joachim Ziemssen – a patient at a tuberculosis sanitarium, located (Mann’s narrator estimates) 1,600 metres above sea level in the Swiss Alps. Mann’s amenable, omniscient narrator outlines the effect on the novel’s youthful protagonist: This being carried upward into regions where he had never before drawn breath, and where he knew that unusual living conditions prevailed, such as could only be described as sparse or scanty – it began to work upon him, to fill him with a certain concern. Home and regular living lay not only far behind, they lay fathoms deep beneath him, and he continued to mount above them. Poised between them and the unknown, he asked himself how he was going to fare. This is a sign of things to come. Joachim, who has already been at the Berghof Sanatorium for five months, implores Castorp to get properly “acclimatized” when he meets him at the train station. He continues: it isn’t so easy, you’ll see. And the climate isn’t the only queer thing about us. You’re going to see some things you’ve never dreamed of – just wait. Joachim advises his cousin to disabuse himself of the “class of ideas” typical of those who dwell at sea level “down below” – especially assumptions about time. He openly scoffs at Castorp’s woefully naïve assertion that he’ll be “going home in three weeks”. Soon after his arrival, Castorp catches a cold. Berghof’s medical director spies a suspicious dark spot on his lung and recommends he extend his stay indefinitely. Castorp spends the next seven years living at altitude. Time warps and wends in increasingly strange ways, and the pace of daily life gradually grinds to a near total halt. Seasons change. Visitors come and go. Some of the patients die. Castorp falls in love with a Russian temptress resident. When he isn’t pining for her, he spends his time in conversation, gorging on elaborate and seemingly endless meals, listening to records, and occasionally attempting to commune with the spirits. In one memorable and symbolically charged moment, he gets hopelessly lost in a life-threatening blizzard. It takes the outbreak of World War I to finally shatter the spell the mountain has cast over him. The reader parts company with Castorp on a Flanders battlefield in 1914. The odds of survival don’t seem to be stacked in his favour. Of course, potted plot summaries of this sort cannot hope to do justice to the sheer ambition, thematic richness and formal rigour of The Magic Mountain. Origins: world war and political awakenings The novel’s origins can be traced to May 1912, when Thomas Mann embarked on a three-week trip to Davos, Switzerland. His wife, Katia, had been falsely diagnosed with tuberculosis and was staying at the recently opened Wald Sanatorium . Mann’s stay served as the catalyst for a new literary venture. Initially conceived as a satire, The Enchanted Mountain was meant to be a comedic counterweight to his just-published Death in Venice , which traces the tragic obsession of Gustav von Aschenbach, an ageing author, with a beautiful young boy during a vacation in cholera-racked Venice. Mann started in on what should have been a fairly straightforward, small-scale undertaking. But world history had other ideas. On August 4 1914, German troops flooded into neutral Belgium, bringing the British Empire into the week-old World War I – and shattering the cultural ideals and intellectual suppositions of pre-war Europe. Mann was 39 when the fighting broke out. A prominent figure in the German cultural establishment, Mann, who lived in Munich at the time, was in many senses a model bourgeois citizen. As intellectual historian Mark Lilla observes, Mann attended concerts, he befriended composers, he read Goethe, he sent his children to the Volksschule , and he never expressed any views about politics. That is, until 1914. “From one month to the next Mann became an intransigent and inflammatory defender of the German cause internationally,” Lilla adds, “writing articles and giving speeches that made him a favorite on the volkish nationalist right”. Rabid patriot to fleeing Nazi Germany The conflict seems to have absorbed all of Mann’s energy and focus. In 1915, he abandoned work on his novella, which had by then expanded significantly in both scope and size. Instead, he turned his attention to Reflections of a Nonpolitical Man . Published in October 1918, this 600-page tirade is a reactionary, rabid screed in which Mann lashes out at the progressive political forces and institutions he believed were intent on nothing less than the destruction of the German nation. Indeed, he goes as far as to admit that from the very start of the war, he had been consumed by a patriotic feeling so profound, he would not want to live anymore if Germany were beaten by the West, humbled, her belief in herself broken so that she would have to “conform” and accept the rationale of her enemies. Mann’s jingoistic fervour persisted even after Germany’s defeat, carrying over into the spring of 1919, when he finally returned to The Magic Mountain. However, everything had changed for Mann by 1922. Appalled by the waves of extremist political violence coursing through Germany, Mann was forced to take stock and reappraise his beliefs. That year, in an unprecedented move that shocked his supporters and critics, he wrote and delivered his speech, On the German Republic . In it, he publicly embraced the postwar Weimar Republic and the principles of its democracy, distancing himself from the types of authoritarian nationalism he had so passionately defended just a few years earlier. This remarkable development, which led to him fleeing Nazi Germany, left an indelible mark on the development of The Magic Mountain. Europe teetering on the abyss By the time he finished writing, the work had been transformed from a satirical novella into a sweeping Bildungsroman , focused on moral education and psychological development. It was now also an allegory of European civilisation teetering on the abyss – a “world festival of death”, as Mann puts it in the novel’s final sentence. Specifically, the phrase is a reference to World War I. More broadly – and just as powerfully – it reflects the sense of postwar disillusionment and social malaise that shaped the novel. The intense intellectual debates that unfold in The Magic Mountain, particularly between charismatic humanist Lodovico Settembrini and nihilistic, “terroristic” Jesuit communist Leo Naphta, offer Mann the means to reflect and comment on the totalitarian forces that were threatening to tear the world asunder. A century after the novel first appeared, its nuanced discussions of ideological conflict, the dangers of extremism and the fragility of civilisation remain, depressingly, as pertinent as ever. In 2024, the far-right has taken a firm foothold across Europe and the rest of the world, challenging the very democratic principles Mann came – albeit reluctantly – to value to champion. One can’t help but wonder what Mann, who wrote while the skies were slowly closing in over Europe, might have made of this situation. Read more: Germany's post-Holocaust moral remaking is being challenged by wars in Gaza and Ukraine – and the rise of the far-right History repeating? Would he, for instance, discern echoes of the same forces he grappled with in his modernist masterpiece, now manifesting in new, yet strangely familiar ways? And would he recognise the dangers of cultural and political polarisation and the allure of authoritarian forms of thought and activity that are currently casting increasingly long shadows over our own precarious moment? I suspect he might. In any case, these are just some of the questions worth asking as we mark the anniversary of a novel that, much like its creator, challenges us to confront the currents of history and their unsettling tendency to repeat. Near the end of the book, Mann writes: “These were such singular times.” Viewed from the perspective of 2024, I’m not so sure.Feds suspend ACA marketplace access to companies accused of falsely promising ‘cash cards’
It’s been decades in the making. On Friday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the European Union (EU) and Mercosur, the South American economic bloc comprising Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, had struck a major trade agreement. The deal, which would create a free trade area covering more than 780 million people, came over vocal opposition from France and still needs to be approved by a qualified majority of EU member states and by a majority in the European Parliament before it goes into effect. What are the economic and political implications of this massive trade agreement? And what hurdles remain before it can be finalized and implemented? Our experts freely exchange their insights below. 1. Why is the deal moving forward now? On the one hand, this agreement has been in process for a long time, so at some point, the EU just has to move forward, and a fresh start with a new European Commission is a good excuse and as good a time as any. On the other hand, it’s hard to ignore that the main opponent of the agreement, France, is in a weak position politically, as is Germany, and that the portfolio structure of the new Commission gives von der Leyen more power to advance her priorities. Therefore, there is likely an element of “striking while the iron is hot” to the timing of the agreement. — L. Daniel Mullaney is a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center and GeoEconomics Center. He served as assistant US trade representative for Europe and the Middle East in the Office of the United States Trade Representative from 2010 to 2023. Both sides clearly felt the global circumstances made the deal even more important for their respective interests. From an EU perspective, it’s about having new destinations for EU exports if President-elect Donald Trump raises US tariffs and the Chinese economic slump continues. More broadly, it’s a win for the EU’s longstanding approach to economic security: instead of using economic coercion, the EU prefers to use the attractiveness of its single market to secure bilateral deals on market access. But this approach has become less and less fashionable, including in the EU, so von der Leyen felt the months ahead were the last chance to get a Mercosur deal ratified. But its passage is still far from certain. — Charles Lichfield is the deputy director and C. Boyden Gray senior fellow of the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Center. The deal is moving forward now in large part because the negotiations have produced a text that most parties believe they can live with; the deal is “ripe,” so to say. But three other factors have been influential in why the deal is being signed right now: The most vocal opponent of the deal, French President Emmanuel Macron, has been politically wounded, perhaps mortally, by the collapse of Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s government, although it remains to be seen whether he can marshal a blocking minority in the European Council. Von der Leyen is in a strong political position, and she knows there will be opposition, so she might as well get this done early in her term. This also allows her to give a gift to the country she knows best—Germany—which looks to the Mercosur countries as a valuable market. The Commission is well aware that it needs to be seen as engaging with developing countries, and it needs to bring them on as economic and political partners, especially as relations with the United States could become difficult. If you see this as, in part, a signal to Trump, you are probably right. — Frances Burwell is a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center and a senior director at McLarty Associates. The current geopolitical landscape—marked by rising global protectionism and economic uncertainties—has created momentum for finalizing the deal. Both blocs view this agreement as a strategic move to bolster economic ties and secure a stronger position in global trade. — Abrão Neto is a nonresident fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center and a former secretary of foreign trade of Brazil. 2. What are the pros and cons for Mercosur members? For Mercosur nations, the agreement unlocks significant access to the European market, a major importer of key Mercosur exports, such as food and critical minerals. It also positions these economies to attract greater investment, driven by the EU’s stringent criteria. On the other hand, the influx of European manufactured goods will challenge Mercosur industries to modernize, digitalize, and boost efficiency to stay competitive. — Valentina Sader is a deputy director at the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center, where she leads the Center’s work on Brazil, gender equality, and diversity, and manages the Center’s Advisory Council. The agreement improves market access for Mercosur exports, reduces costs for importing essential inputs and machinery, attracts foreign investment, and fosters economic growth and job creation. However, local industries might face heightened competition from EU manufacturers, and there is concern that EU-imposed environmental and sustainability standards could disproportionately affect Mercosur producers, potentially offsetting some benefits. — Abrão Neto 3. What are the pros and cons for the EU and EU member states? Improving trade integration with a significant part of the Western Hemisphere will be a useful diversification of the EU trade portfolio, as US-China and US-EU trade relations shift to a potentially more disruptive period with the incoming US administration. The other side of the coin is that providing agricultural market access to Mercosur has been very controversial, particularly in France (whose government is weakened, perhaps only temporarily, by political challenges from the left and the right). Some of the “sustainability” practices in Mercosur countries have also drawn controversy. So while this may be a wise economic choice, it could trigger significant political backlash. —L. Daniel Mullaney The pros are clear. In addition to better market access terms to Latin America for EU goods, the bloc hopes to access the critical minerals available in the ground in Mercosur countries and stymie China’s increasing influence in that sector. The cons are supposedly a glut of cheap Argentine beef and Brazilian bananas. But there are tough quotas in the deal, including a limit equivalent to one Mercosur steak per EU citizen per year. So European farmers’ objections are not entirely justified, although the complaint that they have to follow more constraints (on emissions and the use of fertilizer and pesticides) than Mercosur farmers do is probably more reasonable. —Charles Lichfield This agreement has the potential to bring serious economic benefits to the EU in terms of new markets. In 2023, the EU had a slight trade surplus vis-à-vis Mercosur, and certain European countries had a significant surplus. Germany’s surplus was nine billion euros, Belgium’s was three billion euros, and even France had a two-billion-euro surplus. These countries are all in a position to benefit from the Mercosur arrangement. But in every trade deal, there are winners and losers, and clearly some of the losers in France, especially the farmers, are very powerful politically. It is also true that critics of Mercosur have ignored some of the provisions in the deal that answer their concerns, such as a ban on imports of hormone-fed beef. In this partisan environment, the economic advantages of the deal may be cancelled out by the political disadvantages. The signature today will only exacerbate the anger of those in Europe who believe the Commission acts in its own interests and fails to protect the interests of European citizens. While the German government and mainstream parties may support the EU-Mercosur arrangement, there are many in that country who feel left out economically and who are likely to see this as another reason to vote for a Euroskeptic party. Thus, while the agreement brings many economic benefits, these might be outweighed by the political costs. —Frances Burwell 4. What do the next steps look like for the deal? The process involves legal scrubbing, translation into multiple languages, formal signing, and ratification by national parliaments in both blocs. While this agreement represents a historic milestone, significant political and stakeholder debates are anticipated, presenting challenges before full implementation. — Abrão Neto In the EU, the next steps are a likely challenging process of approval from the member states and consent by the European Parliament. The debate over the positive and negative aspects of this initiative will play out very publicly among relatively new actors in the EU institutions and member states. In the meantime, France’s and Germany’s political challenges may or may not endure. Fasten your seat belts and pass the popcorn! —L. Daniel Mullaney Further reading
Broncos, left tackle Garett Bolles agree on 4-year extension to protect rookie quarterback Bo NixNFL action will kick off on Wednesday, which means an early picks stocking-stuffer for those who celebrate Christmas. More importantly, a full breakdown of another 16-game slate for anyone looking to make extra cash during the holiday season. Bleacher Report's NFL expert panel, which includes analysts Brad Gagnon, Gary Davenport, Brent Sobleski, and Maurice Moton, along with editors Wes O'Donnell, Ian Hanford, and Vince Michelino from B/R Betting Strategy, took a tough blow last week, falling short of the .500 mark on their consensus picks. But they hit on some big swings, going 4-2 with their lone-wolf selections. As many of you travel for the holiday, our experts are riding with five road underdogs this week. There are three lone-wolf picks, all in favor of home underdogs. Will our panel benefit from fading favorites in Week 17? Before you read their reasons for going against the grain, check out our leaderboard standings. ATS Standings 1. O'Donnell: 132-104-4 (9-7) 2. Hanford: 130-106-4 (7-9) 3. Sobleski: 127-109-4 (6-10) 4. Michelino: 126-110-4 (9-7) 5. Moton: 124-112-4 (9-7) 6. Davenport: 122-114-4 (7-9) 7. Knox: 121-115-4 (7-9) 8. Gagnon 114-122-4 (7-9) Consensus picks: 112-88-2 (7-8) Lines are from DraftKings as of Tuesday, Dec. 24, at 4 p.m. ET. Check DraftKings for the latest odds info. Information on public betting trends is courtesy of the Action Network . ATS records are provided by Team Rankings . DraftKings Line: Kansas City -2.5 The Kansas City Chiefs have covered the spread in consecutive weeks, and a victory on Wednesday or a Buffalo Bills loss on Sunday would give them home-field advantage in the AFC. If the Chiefs lock up the No. 1 seed, they may sit their starters in Week 18, an extra incentive to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers. Although Patrick Mahomes didn't show any lingering effects from his ankle injury in last week's game, he could use the rest. The same goes for Chris Jones, who exited that contest with a calf injury. The Chiefs will face a tough challenge in Pittsburgh, though. George Pickens (hamstring) has gone through full practices, indicating that he will return from a three-game absence. With him, the Steelers offense will get a much-needed boost after the unit scored just 30 points over the last two weeks. With Pickens and safety DeShon Elliott likely to play on Wednesday, Hanford took the Steelers to win outright. "Reinforcements should come for Pittsburgh on Christmas in the form of George Pickens and DeShon Elliott," Hanford said. "This game caps off a brutal three games in an 11-day stretch that has already featured losses to the Eagles and the Ravens, but I see this as a get-right opportunity for Mike Tomlin's squad. "The Chiefs do not boast the same kind of explosive offense that either Baltimore or Philadelphia currently have, and the Steelers have the pass rush to exploit Kansas City's shaky play at offensive tackle. "I expect Jaylen Warren's expanded role to continue and George Pickens to have a major impact in his (likely) return to the field. The Chiefs have walked a fine line all season long, but the Steelers get it done at home and win a tight one. Predictions Davenport: Chiefs Gagnon: Chiefs Hanford: Steelers Knox: Chiefs Michelino: Steelers Moton: Chiefs O'Donnell: Steelers Sobleski: Steelers ATS Consensus: None Score Prediction: Steelers 23, Chiefs 21 DK Line: Baltimore -5.5 Following a Week 13 bye, the Baltimore Ravens have outscored their opponents 69-31. They still have a chance to win the AFC North title. On the road, the Ravens will face an injury-riddled Houston Texans squad. Texans wide receiver Tank Dell will miss the remainder of the season with a dislocated kneecap and a torn ACL. Guard Shaq Mason is week-to-week with a knee injury. Already without wideout Stefon Diggs, Houston may be concerned about the pileup of injuries before its wild-card matchup. If that's the case, the Ravens could run away with this game, and they may play with more urgency if the Pittsburgh Steelers lose in the first Christmas Day contest. If Pittsburgh loses, Baltimore would control its destiny toward a division title. Hanford sided with Baltimore because he has no faith in Houston keeping pace with its key injuries on offense. "I just don't see Houston putting up the points necessary to beat Baltimore here. The Ravens average around seven points per game more than Houston on the season, and C.J. Stroud just lost another weapon after Tank Dell suffered a devastating injury last week. "The Ravens are fighting for the AFC North crown and are 5-2 against the spread as a road favorite this season. I see this as a repeat of last year's playoff matchup and don't think Houston is quite ready to score with the Ravens' prolific offense. Ravens win by a touchdown." Predictions Davenport: Texans Gagnon: Ravens Hanford: Ravens Knox: Ravens Michelino: Ravens Moton: Ravens O'Donnell: Texans Sobleski: Ravens ATS Consensus: Ravens -5.5 Score Prediction: Ravens 28, Texans 22 DK Line: Seattle -3 Although the Seattle Seahawks have lost consecutive games, they're still in the mix for the NFC West title. Seattle is getting three points against the team with the second-longest active losing streak. On the road, Seattle is 5-1 straight up and 4-1-1 ATS . Meanwhile, the Bears' interim staff has been outcoached since they fired Matt Eberflus. Gagnon couldn't make a case to back the home underdogs. He's sided with the Seahawks, who have traveled well this season. "It's pretty tough to get behind the Bears with only a few points in one's back pocket at this stage," Gagnon said. "They haven't won since mid-October, and they looked shot in Week 16 despite another decent showing from Caleb Williams. "The Seahawks have something to play for here, and the Seahawks haven't lost on the road since September. They should take care of business in this spot." Predictions Davenport: Bears Gagnon: Seahawks Hanford: Seahawks Knox: Seahawks Michelino: Seahawks Moton: Seahawks O'Donnell: Seahawks Sobleski: Bears ATS Consensus: Seahawks -3 Score Prediction: Seahawks 24, Bears 17 DK Line: Los Angeles -4.5 Last Thursday, the Los Angeles Chargers won a crucial contest with the Denver Broncos, and they're one win away from a playoff berth. As road favorites, the Chargers are 3-1 ATS , and their offense seems like it's back on track. Last week, Los Angeles scored more than 17 points for the first time in about a month. The Chargers opened up running back J.K. Dobbins' 21-day practice window, though he may be a long shot to play on Thursday. Regardless, Davenport sided with the Chargers, who have more at stake than the playoff-eliminated New England Patriots. "A pretty good argument can be made here for taking New England and the points at home—it's a sizable spread for a team traveling east for an early game on a Saturday," Davenport said. "The Pats also hung around for most of last week's game against the Bills before eventually losing by a field goal. "But the Bolts are coming off an impressive win over Denver. The Chargers are playing for something besides pride and screwing up their draft slot (Looking at you, Raiders. Looking. Right. At. You.). And while the Los Angeles run game remains a concern, a combination of Justin Herbert's right arm and a stout L.A. defense will propel the Chargers to a seven-point win and cover." Predictions Davenport: Chargers Gagnon: Patriots Hanford: Chargers Knox: Chargers Michelino: Patriots Moton: Chargers O'Donnell: Chargers Sobleski: Chargers ATS Consensus: Chargers -4.5 Score Prediction: Chargers 26, Patriots 20 DK Line: Cincinnati -3 The Cincinnati Bengals must win to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Bengals need their sixth-ranked scoring offense to produce at a high level in a tough matchup to cover the spread. Joe Burrow leads the NFL in passing yards (4,229) and touchdowns (39). His top receiver, Ja'Marr Chase, is the No. 1 pass-catcher in receptions (108), receiving yards (1,510) and touchdowns (16). On the other hand, the Bengals also need their 28th-ranked scoring defense to make crucial stops, which may be an issue for them. Davenport backed Denver to win outright because he thinks its fourth-ranked scoring defense will slow down Cincinnati's high-powered offense. "This spread indicates that Vegas sees these teams as fairly evenly matched, which is a bit surprising. The Bengals still have a faint chance of making the playoffs after their best defensive performance of the season against the Browns last week, but said performance says a lot more about how abjectly awful Dorian Thompson-Robinson is than any defensive improvement by Cincinnati. "Seriously, Cleveland. Just roll out Sal the Nacho Vendor at quarterback. It would be less embarrassing for the franchise. An M1 Abrams isn't that obvious a tank. "Denver gave up 34 last week in Los Angeles, but it still has a far superior defense—and the Broncos pass rush should have success against a suspect Cincinnati line. "Joe Cool and Ja'Marr Chase will get theirs, but Denver's offense isn't cat food. The Bengals aren't going to look so stout against a quarterback capable of forward passes. "Denver locks down a playoff spot while making the Bengals feel like that person who decides to try fruitcake and then spends 36 hours in the bathroom." Predictions Davenport: Broncos Gagnon: Bengals Hanford: Bengals Knox: Broncos Michelino: Broncos Moton: Bengals O'Donnell: Broncos Sobleski: Bengals ATS Consensus: None Score Prediction: Broncos 30, Bengals 27 DK Line: Los Angeles -5.5 Like last year, the Los Angeles Rams are on a hot streak in the latter half of the season. In 2023, the Rams lost one regular-season game after their Week 10 bye. They're on a four-game winning streak and have beaten five of their last six opponents. Meanwhile, the Arizona Cardinals have faded over the past several weeks. Following their Week 11 bye, they have lost four of five contests. Though overall, Cardinals two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Kyler Murray has disappointed as a passer this season, throwing for 16 touchdowns while averaging 219.2 passing yards in 15 games. As these teams trend in opposite directions, Knox expects the Rams to even their season series with the Cardinals. "I'm always leery of divisional games, and the Cardinals did win the first meeting convincingly. However, Los Angeles has become a markedly better—and healthier—team since then, while Arizona has declined," Knox said. "I think coaching and preparation will make the difference here. "The Rams keep showing up big for pivotal games, while the Cardinals have repeatedly appeared ill-prepared. With nothing left to play for, I just don't see Jonathan Gannon's squad putting up the fight we're likely to see out of the Rams this week." Predictions Davenport: Cardinals Gagnon: Rams Hanford: Rams Knox: Rams Michelino: Rams Moton: Rams O'Donnell: Rams Sobleski: Cardinals ATS Consensus: Rams -5.5 Score Prediction: Rams 31, Cardinals 24 DK Line: Buffalo -9.5 The Buffalo Bills' streak of dominance hit a speed bump last week, but they edged out the New England Patriots with a 24-21 victory. Some bettors who saw the Bills struggle with the Patriots at home will be hesitant to back them against the New York Jets, who have improved on the offensive side of the ball before a nine-point clunker last week. However, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport , Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers' status is uncertain due to a knee injury. Rodgers told reporters he's dealing with a "little" MCL injury and will play on Sunday. O'Donnell saw the Bills' letdown ATS coming last week, but he's back on them to cover on Sunday. "The Bills predictably had their slip-up this past week against New England, winning only by three against a 14-point spread. The Jets think they have been 'better' of late, thanks to Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams reminiscing enough to put up some statistics. "In reality, they're still a mess, only capable of a couple of fantasy football-managers-care type plays. This matchup historically plays a bit tighter than a two-score game, but I'll roll my dice with Josh Allen and the Bills imposing their will after the previous week's lackluster performance." Predictions Davenport: Bills Gagnon: Bills Hanford: Jets Knox: Jets Michelino: Bills Moton: Bills O'Donnell: Bills Sobleski: Jets ATS Consensus: Bills -9.5 Score Prediction: Bills 31, Jets 21 DK Line: Indianapolis -8 The Indianapolis Colts have lost a lot of trust among our panel in recent weeks. They're 1-3 ATS in their previous four outings and nearly lost the cover to a rallying Tennessee Titans team that scored 23 unanswered points last week. Yet the Colts will play the New York Giants, who are 4-11 ATS this season. At home, they're 2-6 ATS . O'Donnell knows that the Colts' blunders could allow the Giants to tighten the score, but he believes they match up well against Big Blue's biggest weakness. "There's no reasonable number of points to be spotted that will make me feel comfortable taking the Giants. The Colts are the type of team to do something stupid enough to make this closer than it should be, but hopefully, they can lean on Jonathan Taylor and Anthony Richardson and attempt as few passes as possible. "Running wild on the league's second-worst rushing defense seems like something Indy should be more than capable of doing while thwarting whatever Big Blue thinks is an offensive game plan these days. Two weeks in a row of conservative vs. inept—and I'll stick with conservative." Predictions Davenport: Giants Gagnon: Giants Hanford: Colts Knox: Giants Michelino: Colts Moton: Colts O'Donnell: Colts Sobleski: Giants ATS Consensus: None Score Prediction: Colts 24, Giants 15 DK Line: Tampa Bay -8 The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost control of their pathway to the playoffs in a loss to the Dallas Cowboys, but they can regain the top spot in the NFC South with a win and an Atlanta Falcons loss to the Washington Commanders. Though the Buccaneers field the fifth-ranked scoring offense, they're way too careless with the football, committing 10 turnovers in their last five games. Fittingly, they fumbled away the game against the Cowboys. The Buccaneers will likely play a cleaner game after a crucial loss, and the Panthers are tied for 20th in takeaways. Remember, though, these teams battled into overtime in Week 13. Tampa Bay barely beat Carolina 26-23. Sobleski noted the Panthers' recent strides despite their poor record. He expects Carolina to make Tampa Bay sweat it out through four quarters. "Credit needs to go where it's due, and the Panthers have been playing relatively well," Sobleski said with applause. "Carolina has remained mostly competitive since the team's Week 11 bye. Don't let the 1-4 record during that stretch fool you. "The upcoming contest against the Buccaneers has an eight-point spread, while the Panthers' average margin of loss since their bye week is seven, which is skewed by a 16-point defeat at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys. "Bryce Young and Co. are starting to figure it out, and this contest should be close." Predictions Davenport: Panthers Gagnon: Panthers Hanford: Panthers Knox: Panthers Michelino: Panthers Moton: Buccaneers O'Donnell: Buccaneers Sobleski: Panthers ATS Consensus: Panthers +8 Score Prediction: Buccaneers 31, Panthers 26 DK Line: Minnesota -2 A couple of days ago, the Green Bay Packers shut out the New Orleans Saints 34-0. Now, they'll focus on a critical road matchup with the Minnesota Vikings. In the first meeting between these teams, Green Bay fell behind 28-0 by the second quarter. The Packers made a run to close the deficit, but they lost 31-29 at home. The Packers are a different team now, though. After throwing an interception in his first eight games of the season, Love hasn't turned the ball over since Week 11. Green Bay is also leaning on running back Josh Jacobs who's scored 10 touchdowns over the last six weeks. The Minnesota Vikings' second-ranked run defense will challenge the Packers' surging ground game. The Vikings have also won eight in a row. Michelino focused on Green Bay's passing game. He thinks Love will have a much better performance than his first one against the Vikings and lead his team to victory. "It was all fireworks the last time these two met when Minnesota won at Lambeau Field after nearly blowing a 28-0 lead," Michelino recalled. "The Vikings held on to win 31-29 in a shootout, but Jordan Love made things very interesting in the second half after shaking off the rust in his return. "It turned out to be a sign of things to come as both teams are now destined for the playoffs. It's easy to fall in love with the Vikings when Darnold is playing like a bonafide MVP candidate, and Justin Jefferson continues to showcase why he's the best receiver in the league. "But when the calendar flips to December, in the midst of Toyotathon , Jordan Love elevates his game like no other. The Vikings deserve to be favored at home as the better all-around team, but the Packers are rolling, and they've played great on the road this year. I love getting the points here, I'll take them and run. Predictions Davenport: Vikings Gagnon: Packers Hanford: Vikings Knox: Vikings Michelino: Packers Moton: Packers O'Donnell: Packers Sobleski: Packers ATS Consensus: Packers +2 Score Prediction: Packers 28, Vikings 26 DK Line: New Orleans -1.5 The New Orleans Saints couldn't get anything going against the Green Bay Packers last Monday. They went scoreless, with backup quarterback Spencer Rattler filling in for an injured Derek Carr. Saints running back Alvin Kamara missed that game with a groin injury. The team opened up wideout Chris Olave's 21-day practice window, which gives him a chance to return soon. With all the Saints' injuries on the offensive side of the ball, Moton likes the Raiders to win back-to-back games. "Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce made it clear that he doesn't care about a 2025 draft pick," Moton said. "And even though he leads a flawed team (check the record), his players still exert maximum effort on the field. "While we can debate which team is worse, the Raiders' key offensive playmakers are healthy. Budding star tight end Brock Bowers and wide receiver Jakobi Meyers will be the difference in this game. "The Silver and Black win consecutive contests, knocking off an injury-riddled Saints squad that will struggle to score points twice this week." Predictions Davenport: Raiders Gagnon: Saints Hanford: Raiders Knox: Raiders Michelino: Raiders Moton: Raiders O'Donnell: Raiders Sobleski: Raiders ATS Consensus: Raiders +1.5 Score Prediction: Raiders 20, Saints 13 DK Line: Jacksonville -1 As one would expect, three-win division rivals have a pick 'em line. In Week 14, the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Tennessee Titans 10-6 in an uneventful game. This contest won't spur much offensive excitement, but the near-even line will make bettors sweat. Moton believes the Titans' quarterback switch from Will Levis to Mason Rudolph gives them the edge in another low-scoring contest. "Will Levis isn't a franchise quarterback, but he's good enough to move the ball against one of the league's worst pass defenses," Moton said. "Over the last two weeks, Rudolph has thrown for 461 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions. Of course, he will likely turn the ball over one or two times, but the Titans should be able to generate enough offensive production to overcome their mistakes. They have scored 57 points in their last two outings. "Tennessee will avenge its Week 14 loss to the Jacksonville." Predictions Davenport: Jaguars Gagnon: Jaguars Hanford: Titans Knox: Titans Michelino: Titans Moton: Titans O'Donnell: Titans Sobleski: Titans ATS Consensus: Titans +1 Score Prediction: Titans 21, Jaguars 19 DK Line: Miami -6.5 The Miami Dolphins are clinging to faint playoff hopes that could go up in smoke if the Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos win their games on Saturday. For now, they have extra motivation to play their best ball in hopes of creeping through the backdoor of the playoffs. Without wideout Jaylen Waddle (knee) last week, the Dolphins beat an injury-riddled San Francisco 49ers squad 29-17. As Sobleski noted, the Dolphins won't have to deal with cold weather, so he expects them to knock off the Cleveland Browns with their third-string quarterback. "Typically, the weather report isn't a big discussion point in these comments. However, the Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa isn't a cold-weather quarterback. It's a good thing the team's late December trip to Cleveland will be unseasonably warm. Current weather projections have the temperature rising to the mid-50s. "Aside from that factor, Cleveland can't muster any offense with its current setup, led by second-year quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Whereas the Dolphins can definitely score points, with 29 or more in four of the last six contests." Predictions Davenport: Dolphins Gagnon: Dolphins Hanford: Browns Knox: Dolphins Michelino: Dolphins Moton: Dolphins O'Donnell: Dolphins Sobleski: Dolphins ATS Consensus: Dolphins -6.5 Score Prediction: Dolphins 26, Browns 16 DK Line: Philadelphia -9.5 Despite the uncertainty around quarterback Jalen Hurts, oddsmakers gave the Philadelphia Eagles a massive edge with this line. Nonetheless, the Eagles were on a hot streak, winning 10 consecutive games before a disheartening loss to the Washington Commanders last week. Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys haven't checked out of a losing season. Even after a Commanders win eliminated them from playoff contention, the Cowboys upset the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win their fourth game in five weeks, with backup quarterback Cooper Rush filling in for an injured Dak Prescott. Bettors should wait for news on Hurts to take a strong stance on this matchup, but Michelino will side with Dallas regardless of the Eagles' quarterback situation. "What a difference a week makes! Despite contrasting records and playoff outlook, it almost feels like the momentum has completely reversed for the Cowboys and Eagles heading into this matchup. It's been a lost season for Dallas, but that doesn't mean there isn't still plenty to play for in terms of pride and effort. "It would've been easy to roll over after losing Dak for the season, but Mike McCarthy still has this team playing hard, scheming up creative ways to win (and keeping Jerry Jones happy in the process). "The short-term outlook for Philly is a little more blurred, as we still don't know if Jalen Hurts (concussion) will be cleared to play for Week 17. The Kenny Pickett experience dampers both the outlook for the Eagles' prospects and Saquon's chance to break the rushing record. "With the Cowboys playing spirited football and Micah Parsons' ability to wreck a game, it's hard to pass up taking that many points in this division matchup, even with Hurts under center. I think they give Jerry another reason to smile this week." Predictions Davenport: Cowboys Gagnon: Eagles Hanford: Cowboys Knox: Cowboys Michelino: Cowboys Moton: Cowboys O'Donnell: Eagles Sobleski: Cowboys ATS Consensus: Cowboys +9.5 Score Prediction: Eagles 24, Cowboys 20 DK Line: Washington -5 In a matchup between teams with rookie quarterbacks and playoff implications, the Washington Commanders will host the Atlanta Falcons for Sunday Night Football . With a win, the Commanders can clinch a playoff berth, while the Falcons need a victory to stay ahead of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the top spot in the NFC South. Jayden Daniels' electric play has re-energized Washington's franchise. He's helped change the outcome of two contests on game-winning plays, throwing a last-second Hail Mary touchdown pass to beat the Chicago Bears in Week 8 and a late touchdown pass to Jamison Crowder last week. In the short term, Michael Penix Jr. has brought new life to the Falcons' aerial attack. In his debut last week, he threw for 202 yards and an interception, though tight end Kyle Pitts deserves the blame for bobbling a pass that led to the turnover. Penix looked poised in his first career start though. Atlanta injected him into the starting lineup amid a playoff push, and he doesn't look rattled under center. Knox took extra time to think about his lean for this game, and he trusts Commanders head coach Dan Quinn more than a rookie quarterback in his second start. "This is a far tougher call than it would have been with Kirk Cousins behind center for Atlanta. The Falcons again control their own destiny in the NFC South, and they are a more threatening team offensively with Penix at quarterback. However, I expect Dan Quinn to have a plan to throw off the rookie while getting another strong performance from his own first-year signal-caller. "Jayden Daniels and the Commanders just cut through an Eagles defense that is far more consistent than Atlanta's. The Eagles may still have lost that game if Jalen Hurts had stayed on the field for Philly, but the confidence the Commanders gained from the win can propel them to a very strong finish." Predictions Davenport: Commanders Gagnon: Falcons Hanford: Commanders Knox: Commanders Michelino: Commanders Moton: Falcons O'Donnell: Commanders Sobleski: Falcons ATS Consensus: Commanders -5 Score Prediction: Commanders 28, Falcons 21 DK Line: Detroit -4 Entering Week 16, the Detroit Lions seemed like a team that could lose its edge on the Philadelphia Eagles for the NFC's No. 1 seed. Following a loss to the Buffalo Bills, the Lions found out that running back David Montgomery suffered a knee injury that will sideline him indefinitely. Yet the Lions doubled up on the Chicago Bears in a 34-17 win. The Eagles lost to the Washington Commanders, so Detroit has sole possession of the NFC's No. 1 spot again. On Monday, the Lions will face the San Francisco 49ers in a rematch of the 2023 NFC Championship Game. Entering Week 16, these teams were among the clubs with the most players on injured reserve , but the Lions still have enough offensive firepower to score 30-plus points. The 49ers have scored 23 points over the last two weeks. Gagnon believes the 49ers, with all of their injuries, have run out of gas at this point of the season. He sees another decisive win for the Lions on Monday night. "Detroit made a statement last week, while the 49ers look like they have nothing left. Five of their last six losses have come by at least six points, while the Lions already have seven double-digit-point victories this season. They'll likely make that eight on Monday night." Predictions Davenport: Lions Gagnon: Lions Hanford: Lions Knox: Lions Michelino: 49ers Moton: Lions O'Donnell: Lions Sobleski: Lions ATS Consensus: Lions -4 Score Prediction: Lions 30, 49ers 17 If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL). Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ/WV/PA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), or call or text the TN REDLINE: 800-889-9789 (TN). 21+. NJ/PA/WV/IN/IA/CO/IL/TN only. In partnership with Meadows Racetrack & Casino. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.
South Korean law enforcement officials have requested a court warrant to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol. They are investigating whether his short-lived martial law decree earlier this month amounted to rebellion. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, which is leading a joint investigation with police and military authorities into the power grab that lasted only a few hours, confirmed it requested the warrant on Monday. Investigators plan to question Mr Yoon on charges of abuse of authority and orchestrating a rebellion. Mr Yoon has dodged several requests by the joint investigation team and public prosecutors to appear for questioning and has also blocked searches of his offices. It is not clear whether the court will grant the warrant or whether Mr Yoon can be compelled to appear for questioning. Under the country’s laws, locations potentially linked to military secrets cannot be seized or searched without the consent of the person in charge and it is unlikely Mr Yoon will voluntarily leave his residence if he faces detainment. Mr Yoon’s presidential powers were suspended after the National Assembly voted to impeach him on December 14 over his imposition of martial law that lasted only hours but has triggered weeks of political turmoil, halted high-level diplomacy and rattled financial markets. His fate lies with the Constitutional Court, which has begun deliberations on whether to uphold the impeachment and formally remove Mr Yoon from office or reinstate him. Mr Yoon has defended the martial law decree as a necessary act of governance, describing it as a warning against the liberal opposition Democratic Party, which has been bogging down his agenda with its majority in the parliament. Parliament voted last week to also impeach Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who had assumed the role of acting president after Mr Yoon’s powers were suspended, over his reluctance to fill three Constitutional Court vacancies ahead of the court’s review of Mr Yoon’s case. The country’s new interim leader is Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, who is also finance minister.
LOS ANGELES — After another loss, this one of the 37-20 variety to the Philadelphia Eagles , Rams head coach Sean McVay was once again asked about his offense’s third-down conversion rate. It’s been a recurring issue for the Rams (5-6) this season, especially in the previous three games in which the Rams failed to convert more than 25% of their attempts on third downs. But Sunday marked a new low, as the Rams went 0-for-8, their first time failing to convert a single third down all season. “There’s a lot of different reasons. It wasn’t one thing in particular,” McVay said. “But that hasn’t been successful enough. It’s been an area that we have to be better at, no doubt about it.” The Rams rank 31st in the NFL, ahead of only Cleveland, in third-down conversion percentage with a 31.71% mark. They are similarly 31st in estimated points added (EPA) on third downs at -0.287 per play. The Rams actually have a respectable success rate when running the ball on third down at 54.5%. But they aren’t getting into enough and-short situations to justify handoffs on third downs, as evidenced by Sunday’s performance. The Rams lined up for 11 third downs on Sunday, though three were nullified by penalty. They faced an average distance of 9.4 yards on those plays. This number is slightly inflated by two 10-yard penalties committed by the Rams on third downs; as far as what distance the Rams had earned through their work on first and second downs, the number is 7.9 yards. On their eight third-down plays that were allowed to stand, the Rams ran seven pass plays and one run, a white-flag handoff on third-and-13 that gained 8 yards. On the seven drop backs, quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 2 of 4 passes for 10 yards while being sacked three times, all on to-go distances of 9 or greater yards in which Philadelphia’s pass rushers knew what was coming. “We didn’t put ourselves in a lot of favorable ones today,” Stafford said. “You don’t do that against that defense, it’s going to be difficult. No doubt there are some that we can convert on, look back on but it takes great execution by everybody to convert on third down. We just gotta do a better job.” The Rams actually did move the sticks after one third down, a third-and-16, but did not get credit for it in the stat book because it came via a Philadelphia pass interference penalty. So then, what did the Rams do to put themselves in these unfavorable situations? Let’s take a look at the first and second downs in the second quarter or later, given the Rams did not reach third down until the second quarter. The Rams ran the ball 10 times and dialed up 24 drop backs on first and second downs after the first quarter; given the nature of the blowout loss, the imbalance in play calls is not surprising. On the 10 carries, the Rams managed 23 yards and allowed three tackles for loss. Stafford was also sacked twice while completing 14 of 22 attempts. And this is where inconsistent execution in the run game is hurting the Rams, a team that wants to power the ball down defenses’ throats using their big bodies on the line and duo blocking. The Rams have made a heavy investment in this aspect of the team over the last two years. The second-round pick spent on guard Steve Avila. Big contracts paid to interior linemen Kevin Dotson and Jonah Jackson. The addition of Blake Corum in the third round in April to take some of the load off starting back Kyren Williams. Related Articles Los Angeles Rams | Alexander: Rams-Eagles was Saquon Barkley’s show Los Angeles Rams | Rams running out of time to fix offense after loss to Eagles Los Angeles Rams | Rams prepare for primetime Eagles game as NFC West heats up Los Angeles Rams | Philadelphia Eagles at Rams: Who has the edge? Los Angeles Rams | Rams’ ultra-competitive pass rush thrives working ‘five as one’ But 11 games into the season, injuries and shuffling rotations along the offensive line have made that goal difficult to achieve. But that doesn’t stop the Rams in believing it can still be their identity. “I think we know what we’re really about and how to get where we want to get. I think we’ll lean a little bit more on the run,” Dotson said in the post-game locker room Sunday. “I feel like our run game is a little I guess underrated. I feel like we run it pretty good when we actually get it all set. It’s just the matter of fact of getting ourselves in situations where running is better.” “When you’re looking at a lot of third-and-longs and the opportunity for a rush to kind of play with their hair set on fire, it definitely presents a lot of difficulties for anybody in this league,” receiver Puka Nacua added. “It’s the physical game of football that has been playing for a long time and it starts in the trenches and being able to make sure that we can protect our back and not allowing safeties to kind of cap off on some of our hits and stuff like that, being able to get to that second level with a great push.”
NYT ‘Connections’ Hints And Answers For Wednesday, December 25
Prophet Nigel Gaisie, a prominent Ghanaian pastor and staunch supporter of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has urged fellow clergy members to vote against the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the upcoming 2024 elections. Gaisie, who has frequently criticized the current government, claims that offerings in churches have seen a significant decline under the NPP administration. He emphasized that pastors must take action to address the economic challenges affecting their congregations, which he believes are directly linked to the government’s policies. “Take a good look at your church’s offering and attendance,” Gaisie advised fellow pastors. “If things are not going well, it’s time to vote massively against this government.” With Ghana’s general election set for December 7, 2024, the NPP is hoping to break the country’s tradition of alternating power every eight years, seeking a historic third consecutive term in office.
A federal appeals court panel on Friday unanimously upheld a law that could lead to a ban on TikTok in a few short months, handing a resounding defeat to the popular social media platform as it fights for its survival in the U.S. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied TikTok's petition to overturn the law — which requires TikTok to break ties with its China-based parent company ByteDance or be banned by mid-January — and rebuffed the company's challenge of the statute, which it argued had ran afoul of the First Amendment. “The First Amendment exists to protect free speech in the United States,” said the court's opinion, which was written by Judge Douglas Ginsburg. “Here the Government acted solely to protect that freedom from a foreign adversary nation and to limit that adversary’s ability to gather data on people in the United States.” TikTok and ByteDance — another plaintiff in the lawsuit — are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court, though its unclear whether the court will take up the case. “The Supreme Court has an established historical record of protecting Americans’ right to free speech, and we expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue," TikTok spokesperson Michael Hughes said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the TikTok ban was conceived and pushed through based upon inaccurate, flawed and hypothetical information, resulting in outright censorship of the American people,” Hughes said. Unless stopped, he argued the statute “will silence the voices of over 170 million Americans here in the US and around the world on January 19th, 2025.” Though the case is squarely in the court system, its also possible the two companies might be thrown some sort of a lifeline by President-elect Donald Trump, who tried to ban TikTok during his first term but said during the presidential campaign that he is now against such action . The law, signed by President Joe Biden in April, was the culmination of a years-long saga in Washington over the short-form video-sharing app, which the government sees as a national security threat due to its connections to China. The U.S. has said it’s concerned about TikTok collecting vast swaths of user data, including sensitive information on viewing habits , that could fall into the hands of the Chinese government through coercion. Officials have also warned the proprietary algorithm that fuels what users see on the app is vulnerable to manipulation by Chinese authorities, who can use it to shape content on the platform in a way that’s difficult to detect — a concern mirrored by the European Union on Friday as it scrutinizes the video-sharing app’s role in the Romanian elections. TikTok, which sued the government over the law in May, has long denied it could be used by Beijing to spy on or manipulate Americans. Its attorneys have accurately pointed out that the U.S. hasn’t provided evidence to show that the company handed over user data to the Chinese government, or manipulated content for Beijing’s benefit in the U.S. They have also argued the law is predicated on future risks, which the Department of Justice has emphasized pointing in part to unspecified action it claims the two companies have taken in the past due to demands from the Chinese government. Friday’s ruling came after the appeals court panel, composed of two Republican and one Democrat appointed judges, heard oral arguments in September. In the hearing, which lasted more than two hours, the panel appeared to grapple with how TikTok’s foreign ownership affects its rights under the Constitution and how far the government could go to curtail potential influence from abroad on a foreign-owned platform. On Friday, all three of them denied TikTok’s petition. In the court's ruling, Ginsburg, a Republican appointee, rejected TikTok's main legal arguments against the law, including that the statute was an unlawful bill of attainder or a taking of property in violation of the Fifth Amendment. He also said the law did not violate the First Amendment because the government is not looking to "suppress content or require a certain mix of content” on TikTok. “Content on the platform could in principle remain unchanged after divestiture, and people in the United States would remain free to read and share as much PRC propaganda (or any other content) as they desire on TikTok or any other platform of their choosing,” Ginsburg wrote, using the abbreviation for the People’s Republic of China. Judge Sri Srinivasan, the chief judge on the court, issued a concurring opinion. TikTok’s lawsuit was consolidated with a second legal challenge brought by several content creators - for which the company is covering legal costs - as well as a third one filed on behalf of conservative creators who work with a nonprofit called BASED Politics Inc. Other organizations, including the Knight First Amendment Institute, had also filed amicus briefs supporting TikTok. “This is a deeply misguided ruling that reads important First Amendment precedents too narrowly and gives the government sweeping power to restrict Americans’ access to information, ideas, and media from abroad,” said Jameel Jaffer, the executive director of the organization. “We hope that the appeals court’s ruling won’t be the last word.” Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, lawmakers who had pushed for the legislation celebrated the court's ruling. "I am optimistic that President Trump will facilitate an American takeover of TikTok to allow its continued use in the United States and I look forward to welcoming the app in America under new ownership,” said Republican Rep. John Moolenaar of Michigan, chairman of the House Select Committee on China. Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who co-authored the law, said “it's time for ByteDance to accept” the law. To assuage concerns about the company’s owners, TikTok says it has invested more than $2 billion to bolster protections around U.S. user data. The company has also argued the government’s broader concerns could have been resolved in a draft agreement it provided the Biden administration more than two years ago during talks between the two sides. It has blamed the government for walking away from further negotiations on the agreement, which the Justice Department argues is insufficient. Attorneys for the two companies have claimed it’s impossible to divest the platform commercially and technologically. They also say any sale of TikTok without the coveted algorithm - the platform’s secret sauce that Chinese authorities would likely block under any divesture plan - would turn the U.S. version of TikTok into an island disconnected from other global content. Still, some investors, including Trump’s former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and billionaire Frank McCourt, have expressed interest in purchasing the platform. Both men said earlier this year that they were launching a consortium to purchase TikTok’s U.S. business. This week, a spokesperson for McCourt’s Project Liberty initiative, which aims to protect online privacy, said unnamed participants in their bid have made informal commitments of more than $20 billion in capital.Pepsi's New Holiday Flavor Leaves Fans Scrambling to Snag the Extremely Limited Offering
Knights silence Flames for 6th straight win
Ifedi starts at left tackle for Browns in prime-time matchup against AFC North-leading SteelersThe combined contracts of a few sports stars could rival state budgets
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes fell Thursday following some potentially discouraging data on the economy . The S&P 500 slipped 0.5% for its fourth loss in the last six days. It’s a pause for the index, which has been rallying toward one of its best years of the millennium . The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 234 points, or 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 0.7% from its record set the day before. A report early in the morning said more U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week than expected. A separate update, meanwhile, showed that inflation at the wholesale level, before it reaches U.S. consumers, was hotter last month than economists expected. Neither report points to imminent disaster, but they dilute one of the hopes that’s driven the S&P 500 to 57 all-time highs so far this year : Inflation is slowing enough to convince the Federal Reserve to keep cutting interest rates, while the economy is remaining solid enough to stay out of a recession. Of the two reports, the weaker update on the job market may be the bigger deal for the market, according to Chris Larkin, managing director, trading and investing, at E-Trade from Morgan Stanley. A surge in egg prices may have been behind the worse-than-expected inflation numbers. “One week doesn’t negate what has been a relatively steady stream of solid labor market data, but the Fed is primed to be sensitive to any signs of a softening jobs picture,” he said. Traders are widely expecting the Fed will ease its main interest rate at its meeting next week. If they’re correct, it would be a third straight cut by the Fed after it began lowering rates in September from a two-decade high. It’s hoping to support a slowing job market after getting inflation nearly all the way down to its 2% target. Lower rates would give a boost to the economy and to prices for investments, but they could also provide more fuel for inflation. A cut next week would have the Fed following other central banks, which lowered rates on Thursday. The European Central Bank cut rates by a quarter of a percentage point, as many investors expected, and the Swiss National Bank cut its policy rate by a steeper half of a percentage point. Following its decision, Switzerland’s central bank pointed to uncertainty about how U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s victory will affect economic policies, as well as about where politics in Europe is heading. Story continues below video Trump has talked up tariffs and other policies that could upend global trade. He rang the bell marking the start of trading at the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday to chants of “USA.” On Wall Street, Adobe fell 13.7% and was one of the heaviest weights on the market despite reporting stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The company gave forecasts for profit and revenue in its upcoming fiscal year that fell a bit shy of analysts’. Warner Bros. Discovery soared 15.4% after unveiling a new corporate structure that separates its streaming business and film studios from its traditional television business. CEO David Zaslav said the move “enhances our flexibility with potential future strategic opportunities,” raising speculation about a spinoff or sale. Kroger rose 3.2% after saying it would get back to buying back its own stock now that its attempt to merge with Albertsons is off . Kroger’s board approved a program to repurchase up to $7.5 billion of its stock, replacing an existing $1 billion authorization. All told, the S&P 500 fell 32.94 points to 6,051.25. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 234.55 to 43,914.12, and the Nasdaq composite sank 132.05 to 19,902.84. In stock markets abroad, European indexes held relatively steady following the European Central Bank’s cut to rates. Asian markets were stronger. Indexes rose 1.2% in Hong Kong and 0.8% in Shanghai as leaders met in Beijing to set economic plans and targets for the coming year. South Korea’s Kospi rose 1.6% for its third straight gain of at least 1%, as it pulls back following last week’s political turmoil where its president briefly declared martial law. In the bond market, the 10-year U.S. Treasury yield rose to 4.33% from 4.27% late Wednesday. AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.This week marks the 10th Christmas Canadians have endured under Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government — 10 years of our Dec. 25-born prime minister acting as if he’s our very own personal Jesus, without the humility, common sense, or moral clarity his birthday might suggest. From the get-go, Trudeau’s been a means to an end for Liberal party power — a famous name, flowing hair, a convenient professionally-good-looking object many lonely Canadian wives cast their adoring gazes upon — but otherwise, intellectually and morally vacuous. Thankfully, there is a solution. Pierre Poilievre will bring the common sense and moral clarity Canada so desperately needs. On Christmas eve, Pierre Poilievre, leader of the Opposition, tweeted out a promise to Canadians and we should hold him to it: “I will defund wokism and fight antisemitism. And stand with our friends in Israel against terror.” It included a link to a statement from a telephone interview he gave last week to the Winnipeg Jewish Review . I will defund wokism and fight antisemitism. And stand with our friends in Israel against terror. https://t.co/hTEdzAPP14 In the statement , Poilievre did not mince words. He promised to “defund” “all of those with a woke anti-Semitic agenda.” His promise applies to “everything that the federal government controls,” and anyone “imposing a radical, terrifying, toxic ideology.” He promised to “fire government officials throughout (his) administration who are imposing a toxic woke ideology.” This would include universities, museums, and government-funded projects. “The (Canadian Museum of Human Rights) will be there to honour our history and to tell our stories, not to impose toxic woke ideologies against our people,” he assured the Winnipeg Jewish Review. Poilievre seems to inherently understand that a self-effacing people are not a people at all. Sadly, the same common sense cannot be attributed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who constantly apologizes for Canada and Canadians, whether it’s warranted to do so or not. As prime minister, Justin Trudeau will forever be known as Canada’s constant underminer. Poilievre, on the other hand, pointed out that he and his government would never fund antisemites, like Trudeau’s Liberals did when they awarded Laith Marouf’s advocacy group with more than $133,000, supposedly to combat racism. The total amount granted to Marouf was about $500,000. It was the same Laith Marouf who shamelessly took to social media to post : “You know all those loud mouthed bags of human feces, a.k.a. the Jewish White Supremacists; when we liberate Palestine and they have to go back to where they come from, they will return to being low voiced bitches of thier (sic) Christian/Secular White Supremacist Masters” and who boasted he’d form “Zionist-Hunter squads” among other colourful threats. Marouf was eventually fired from his government contract, but remained employed for a whole month after Diversity and Inclusion Minister Ahmed Hussen had been aware of Marouf’s extremism. You see, news of his extremism hadn’t hit the news yet. And no one appears to have been fired for hiring Marouf in the first place — a move Canadians can be confident Poilievre has the common sense and moral clarity to make. Other moral-clarity illustrating promises Poilievre made during his interview include: •Lifting the nonsensical ban on the sale of military equipment to Israel, •Reversing the Liberal government’s promise to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a war criminal, if he were to land on Canadian soil, based on the International Criminal Court’s ridiculous charge he was starving civilians as a method of warfare, while aid trucks were pouring into Gaza and being captured by Hamas, •And defunding UNRWA, which the Liberals disingenuously pretended to pause, and whose schools are known to indoctrinate Palestinian children to murder Jews and whose members are becoming harder and harder to distinguish from Hamas itself. Poilievre also promised to make Canada safer, by performing the much-needed security screening our current government apparently doesn’t deem necessary or finds boring. “We will also screen incoming immigrants” in an effort to ensure they “have no terrorist links,” he said on the call. He followed up with a promise to address what we’ve been seeing in our streets since October 7: “there will be a crackdown on all terrorist networks that Trudeau has allowed on our streets.” To accomplish this, he told Winnipeg Jewish Review that laws will be passed and serious consequences will be doled out. Tackling radicalism in the streets will no doubt prove tricky to pull off. But this strong message, one we could never expect from our current mealy-mouthed leader, will no doubt be appreciated by those tired and frightened by chants for “intifada” in our streets. It will take a common sense leader with moral clarity to, without apologies, return Canada to its rightful status of nation and to begin its redefinition. Because, if we as a nation fail to define ourselves, someone else, will happily do it for us. National Post tnewman@postmedia.com X: @TLNewmanMTL