The 2024 NFL trade deadline passed a month ago, but the Washington Commanders could still be involved in a major swap. Maryland's U.S. senators, Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, have proposed a trade that would allow the District of Columbia to develop a stadium to lure the Washington Commanders from their current home at Northwest Stadium (formerly FedEx Field), according to . The proposed swap: : Maryland senators not opposing a bill that would allow the District to redevelop the RFK Stadium site, potentially for a new home for the Commanders : one of D.C.'s two Air National Guard squadrons (and the only one with fighter jets), a public statement from the Commanders about their preferred location for their next stadium and assurances about what would be built in place of Northwest Stadium It's a trade you don't see every day, but it's also the kind of thing that can happen when professional football, military spending and the tangled mess of D.C. politics intersect. Last we left D.C. in its attempt to lure the Commanders from Maryland, . The D.C. RFK Memorial Stadium Campus Revitalization Act simply grants control of the RFK Stadium site to D.C., to do with it how it pleases. That could be a mixed-use development site, a multi-billion dollar NFL stadium or something else. The bill received opposition from Maryland lawmakers in both the House and Senate for obvious reasons. The Commanders and their tax money are currently in Maryland, which also has to fight Virginia in its battle to retain the team. The proposed trade would further open the door for D.C. to land the Commanders, but it would at least get Maryland something, akin to a situation many NFL teams experience with pending free agents. Maryland is reportedly the only state without a National Guard flying mission next year, due to U.S. Air Force plans to convert the state's existing squadron into one with cyber responsibilities on the ground. Eleanor Holmes, D.C.'s non-voting Congressional delegate, released a statement to the Post signaling concern about the proposed swap: “Transfer would leave the DCNG with no aviation units, forcing it to be reliant on the goodwill of other National Guards for common aviation matters that arise in D.C., such as intercepting aircraft, patrolling the skies and rescuing or evacuating people in emergencies,” Norton said in a statement Tuesday. “While D.C. could request assistance from other National Guards, there is no guarantee the air assets would be provided in a timely manner — or at all. “D.C. rightly deserves to benefit from the land where RFK Stadium sits falling into disrepair and the exchange for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over the campus to D.C. should not come at the expense of the DCNG’s aviation resources,” Norton’s statement said. The situation also reflects D.C.'s inability to govern itself, despite being home to more people than Vermont and Wyoming. The District has no votes in Congress, and the two chambers hold authority over its affairs, which makes for an awkward situation when competing with actual states for anything.
Chad Chronister, Donald Trump’s pick to run the DEA, withdraws name from considerationWith our daily tarot card reading, you will not only feel the energies that will be influencing your day but will also bring you messages to give you clarity for the day ahead. Here's what the day has in store for you, based on your zodiac sign. Aries At work you will achieve your goals with self efforts. Travel plans made today will be well budgeted. Singles will come across alliances who are talented. On the health front you are likely to take control of your health. Jobseekers will come across opportunities in organizations that will expect them to undertake multiple responsibilities. Taurus Stress will increase. At work you will be lost in thoughts. Travel plans made today will be slow. Singles will come across alliances who are sluggish. Jobseekers will be asked to wait or will face delays in interviews. On the health front you are likely to not take initiatives or will experience a slow down in your body. Gemini Avoid getting involved into others matters. On the health front you are likely to be addicted or consume something that will create habit formation. Jobseekers will come across opportunities in IT, social media and or in AI sector. Travel plans made today will be affected due to someone’s negligence. Cancer At work you will achieve a lot of opportunities to achieve your goals. Travel plans will be expensive on pocket. On the health front you are likely to do multiple things at a time. Jobseekers will come across opportunities in organizations of choice. Singles will get physically to attracted to someone. Leo Someone will try to manipulate you. Travel plans made today will be expensive on pocket. Jobseekers will come across opportunities in sales and marketing fields. On the health front you are likely to have issues due to blood pressure. Singles will come across alliances who are flirtatious or have the habit of lying. Virgo Jobseekers will come across opportunities in organizations that will be family businesses. At work you will be able to complete your tasks. On the health front expect some changes. Travel plans will be well researched. Singles will come across alliances who are financially struggling. Libra At work you will have setbacks due to difference of opinions with others. Jobseekers will come across opportunities in departments like customer care. On the health front you are likely to have issues related to blood pressure. Singles will come across alliances who are their twin flames. Scorpio At work someone will push you harder to achieve your goal or organizational targets. Travel plans made today will be will come across opportunities in organizations that are male dominated. On the health front you are likely to be ignorant about your health matters. Jobseekers will come across opportunities in lifestyle and luxury category. Singles will come across alliances who are spendthrift. Sagittarius Avoid getting into people’s matters or signing any papers. Travel plans can suffer documentation issues. On the health front you are likely to have issues related to blood pressure or may suffer spasm issues. Jobseekers will come across opportunities in organizations that are into delivery, security services, legal firms and or in housekeeping. Singles should avoid getting into show off. Capricorn At work you will achieve your targets. On the health front you are likely to have issues related to sleep or stress. Singles will come across alliances who will either be from foreign country or will be fraud in nature. Jobseekers will come across opportunities in home appliance categories. Travel plans made today will be influenced by women or working professionals. Aquarius At work you will set long term goals. On the health front you are likely to benefit by Ayurvedic and or herbal medicines. Travel plans made today will be to long distance places. Jobseekers will come across opportunities in multinational companies. Singles will come across alliances who are from different city or state. Pisces At work you will receive a lot of tasks to complete. On the health front you are suggested to set health goals and take baby steps to achieve them. Travel plans made today will be expensive on pocket. Singles will come across alliances who are emotionally imbalanced. Jobseekers will come across opportunities in organizations that won’t offer a good hike. Also See: Horoscope Predictions for 2025Aries Horoscope 2025Taurus Horoscope 2025Gemini Horoscope 2025Cancer Horoscope 2025Leo Horoscope 2025Virgo Horoscope 2025Libra Horoscope 2025Scorpio Horoscope 2025Sagittarius Horoscope 2025Capricorn Horoscope 2025Aquarius Horoscope 2025Pisces Horoscope 2025 Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Astrology and around the world.
Majority Supports Social Media Ban For ChildrenA 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook a large area of Northern California on Thursday, knocking items off grocery store shelves, sending children scrambling under desks and prompting a brief for 5.3 million people along the U.S. West Coast. The quake struck at 10:44 a.m. west of Ferndale, a small city in coastal Humboldt County, about 130 miles (209 km) from the Oregon border, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was felt as far south as San Francisco, some 270 miles (435 km) away, where residents felt a rolling motion for several seconds. It was followed by multiple smaller aftershocks. There were no immediate reports of major damage or injury. The tsunami warning was in effect for roughly an hour. It was issued shortly after the temblor struck and covered nearly 500 miles (805 km) of coastline, from the edge of California’s Monterey Bay north into Oregon. “It was a strong quake, our building shook, we’re fine but I have a mess to clean up right now,” said Julie Kreitzer, owner of Golden Gait Mercantile, a store packed with food, wares and souvenirs that is a main attraction in Ferndale. “We lost a lot of stuff. It’s probably worse than two years ago. I have to go, I have to try and salvage something for the holidays because it’s going to be a tough year,” Kreitzer said before hanging up. The region — known for its redwood forests, scenic mountains and the three-county Emerald Triangle’s — was struck by that left thousands of people without power and water. The northwest corner of California is the most seismically active part of the state since it’s where three tectonic plates meet, seismologist Lucy Jones said on the social media platform BlueSky. Shortly after the quake, phones in Northern California buzzed with the tsunami warning from the National Weather Service that said: “A series of powerful waves and strong currents may impact coasts near you. You are in danger. Get away from coastal waters. Move to high ground or inland now. Keep away from the coast until local officials say it is safe to return.” Numerous cities urged people to evacuate to higher ground as a precaution, including Eureka. In Santa Cruz, authorities cleared the main beach, taping off entrances with police tape. Aerial footage showed cars bumper-to-bumper heading to higher ground Thursday morning on California highways 1 and 92 in the Half Moon Bay area south of San Francisco. “I thought my axles had fallen apart,” said Valerie Starkey, a Del Norte County supervisor representing Crescent City, a town of fewer than 6,000 near the Oregon border. “That’s what I was feeling ... ‘My axles are broken now.’ I did not realize it was an earthquake.” Cindy Vosburg, the executive director for the Crescent City-Del Norte County Chamber of Commerce, said she heard alarms sound just before shaking began and the city’s cultural center downtown started to creak. “The earthquake seemed to go on for quite a few seconds. It was a rolling earthquake,” Vosburg said. “Just as it would start to subside, the building would roll again.” Vosburg, a former resident of the San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Valley, said it was the strongest earthquake she felt since the struck Northern California. Gov. Gavin Newsom said he has signed off on a state of emergency declaration to quickly move state resources to impacted areas along the coast. State officials were concerned about damages in the northern part of the state, Newsom said. White House Spokesperson Jeremy Edwards said President Joe Biden was briefed on the earthquake and that FEMA officials are in touch with their state and local counterparts in California and Oregon. Crews in Eureka, the biggest city in the region, were assessing if there was any major damage from the quake, Eureka Mayor Kim Bergel said. Bergel, who works as a resource aid at a middle school, said lights were swaying and everyone got under desks. “The kids were so great and terrified. It seemed to go back and forth for quite a long time,” she said. Some children asked, “Can I call my mom?” The students were later sent home. In nearby Arcata, students and faculty were urged to shelter in place at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt. The campus in was not in the tsunami hazard zone and after inspections, “all utilities and building systems are normal and operational,” the university said in a statement. Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal said residents experienced some cracks in their homes’ foundations, as well as broken glass and windows, but nothing severe. There also have been no major infrastructure problems, building collapses or roadway issues, and no major injuries or deaths have been reported, he said. Honsal said he was in his office in the 75-year-old courthouse in downtown Eureka when he felt the quake. “We’re used to it. It is known as ‘earthquake country’ up here,” he said. “It wasn’t a sharp jolt. It was a slow roller, but significant.” Michael Luna, owner of a Grocery Outlet in Eureka, said that besides a few items falling off shelves, the store on Commercial Street was unscathed by the earthquake. “We didn’t have any issues but a couple of deodorants fall off.... I think the way the earthquake rumbled this time, it was a good thing for our store because the last earthquake was a huge mess,” he said. They evacuated customers and closed their doors temporarily until officials lifted the tsunami warning, he said, rushing off the phone to attend to a growing line of customers at check-out. The San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, known as BART, stopped traffic in all directions through the underwater tunnel between San Francisco and Oakland, and the San Francisco Zoo’s visitors were evacuated. Dave Snider, tsunami warning coordinator for the Tsunami Warning Center in Alaska, said the computer models indicated that this was the type of earthquake that was unlikely to cause a tsunami and gauges that monitor waves then confirmed it, so forecasters canceled the warning. This quake was a strike-slip type of temblor that shifts more horizontally and is less prone to cause tsunamis, unlike the more vertical types, said National Weather Service tsunami program manager Corina Allen in Washington state. The California Geological Survey says the state’s shores have been struck by more than 150 tsunamis since 1800, and while most were minor, some have been destructive and deadly. On March 28, 1964, a tsunami triggered by a powerful earthquake in Alaska smashed into Crescent City hours later. Much of the business district was leveled and a dozen people were killed. More recently, a tsunami from a 2011 earthquake in Japan caused about $100 million in damages along the California coast, much of it in Crescent City.
RLD to mark Charan Singh’s birth anniv with social harmony campaignFAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — An Atlanta man has been arrested and charged with fraud after George Mason University's men's basketball team was forced to cancel a trip to the Bahamas earlier this year after it paid for travel that was never actually booked. Charges against Maurice Smith, 44, the CEO of the Eugene Toriko travel agency, were unsealed Thursday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va. According to an FBI affidavit, George Mason paid nearly $160,000 for a team trip to the Bahamas in August that was to include a pair of exhibition games and sightseeing excursions like a catamaran tour. The money was paid to a sports marketing firm that subcontracted with Smith's company, according to the affidavit. The team canceled the trip a day before the scheduled departure after learning all of its travel reservations had lapsed for nonpayment. The FBI affidavit alleges that Smith ran his travel company like a Ponzi scheme and that the money the Virginia university paid was used by Smith on personal expenses and to provide partial refunds to previous clients who similarly had their travel plans canceled. An email to Smith's company was not returned Friday. Court records do not list an attorney. The affidavit states that Smith wrote a letter to the university in September attributing the cancellation to a “logistical error” and saying that he was “committed to learning from this experience and implementing stricter controls and procedures to prevent any future occurrences.” Prosecutors say the George Mason University Foundation has still not been reimbursed. George Mason, located in Fairfax, Virginia, and a member of the Atlantic 10 conference, is currently 7-3.
The Associated Press FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A boat explosion at a South Florida marina has left one person dead and five others injured, officials said. The explosion occurred Monday night at the Lauderdale Marina, Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue said in a social media post. Rescue workers transported five people to local hospitals, three with traumatic injuries, officials said. A sixth person was found dead in the water several hours later by the Broward Sheriff’s Office. Fire rescue officials said they didn’t immediately know what caused the explosion.Stock market today: Wall Street rallies ahead of Christmas
ST Picks: Journey to the capital of ceramics in ChinaCOSTA MESA, Calif. , Dec. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Automatic, a leading fintech firm specializing in facilitating seamless connections between used independent car dealerships and lenders, today announced a strategic partnership with MeridianLink, Inc. (NYSE: MLNK), a leading provider of modern software platforms for financial institutions and consumer reporting agencies. This collaboration leverages Automatic's robust dealership network technology and MeridianLink's advanced decisioning capabilities to empower financial institutions within the automotive lending sector. Automatic's platform serves as a pivotal link for lenders across its expansive independent dealer network, offering tailored solutions that optimize loan aggregation and enhance operational efficiencies. MeridianLink's innovative Advanced Decisioning capabilities, integrated within Automatic's framework, augments decision-making for lenders across a vast network of dealerships. This integration enables real-time loan analysis, improves risk management capabilities, and facilitates faster, more precise lending decisions tailored to specific borrower profiles. "Partnering with MeridianLink ® marks a significant milestone for Automatic as we continue to innovate within the automotive financing landscape," said Eric Burney , CEO of Automatic. "Our mission to foster an 'Open Marketplace' is further realized through this collaboration, empowering lenders with tools to access new clients in a safe way." Financial institutions already integrated with MeridianLink will gain seamless access to Automatic's platform, empowering them to further streamline their lending processes, in the used independent space, enhancing member satisfaction, and capitalizing on market opportunities. For more information about Automatic and its comprehensive auto financing solutions, visit https://www.automaticusa.com . About Automatic Automatic is a pioneering fintech company dedicated to facilitating efficient connections between automotive lenders and independent pre-owned vehicle dealerships. Automatic's platform serves as a cost-effective solution for the automotive financing sector, fostering an open marketplace for stakeholders. About MeridianLink MeridianLink ® (NYSE: MLNK) empowers financial institutions and consumer reporting agencies to drive efficient growth. MeridianLink's cloud-based digital lending, account opening, background screening, and data verification solutions leverage shared intelligence from a unified data platform, MeridianLink ® One, to enable customers of all sizes to identify growth opportunities, effectively scale up, and support compliance efforts, all while powering an enhanced experience for staff and consumers alike. For more than 25 years, MeridianLink has prioritized the democratization of lending for consumers, businesses, and communities. Learn more at www.meridianlink.com . For media inquiries, please contact: nikki@automaticusa.co View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/automatic-partners-with-meridianlink-to-revolutionize-lender-dealership-connectivity-302331536.html SOURCE AutomaticHow to track Santa Claus with NORAD’s flight tracker