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MONTREAL - More than a dozen groups have refused to vacate a community centre in Montreal’s Ahuntsic neighbourhood despite an eviction order from their landlord, Quebec’s largest school service centre. The community groups were supposed to clear out by 5 p.m. Friday, but there were no moving trucks in sight. Rémy Robitaille, director of Solidarité Ahuntsic, which represents the 13 groups in the building, said they haven’t budged because they simply don’t have anywhere else to go. Robitaille said the organizations provide vital services for immigrants, refugees and seniors, as well as food bank services and French language classes for newcomers — a total of 25,000 people each year. It will take an emergency eviction order from a judge to expel the 13 groups, which he said they would contest in court. “Who will give those services?” he said Friday. “We expect a reaction from the government.” The Centre de services scolaire de Montréal, which owns the building, said it has rented out the space to organizations serving the community but now needs the building to provide urgently needed French language courses for newcomers. It added that it needs to relocate French language services offered at William-Hingston Centre in Parc-Extension, another neighbourhood farther east, because of renovations to that building. “In order to fulfil our primary mission of providing schooling, and to avoid a disruption in services in the absence of another real estate solution to accommodate all our students, we must regain full possession of the building,” the CSSDM said in a statement. It also accused Solidarité Ahuntsic of refusing to sign a lease since 2018. Robitaille responded by saying the CSSDM raised the monthly rent for the whole building from about $8,000 to $24,000 — an increase the community groups have refused to pay. Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough Mayor Émilie Thuillier said she has tried to help them find another location over the past year, with no luck. Thuillier, Ahuntsic-Cartierville MP Mélanie Joly and other elected officials have called on the Quebec government to allow the 13 organizations to stay in the building for five more years. “The services they offer to the residents of the riding are essential to ensuring the social safety net of the sector. In a context of inflation, food insecurity and housing crisis, many citizens resort to the assistance offered by these resources,” Joly said in a press release in May. “What we’re saying to the government is that we want five years more so that the 13 organizations can stay in the building while we are constructing another one,” Thuillier said, explaining that the borough has already identified a new location suitable for a community centre nearby but it will not be ready to house the organizations for a few years. In the meantime, the mayor is asking the provincial government to give the CSSDM more funding so that it can rent spaces elsewhere for its French courses. Thuillier added that French language classes are currently offered in the building but that its state of disrepair means there will be a three-to four-year wait for those courses if the school service centre does take over. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 28, 2024.NEW YORK — Several of President-elect Donald Trump 's Cabinet picks and appointees have been targeted by bomb threats and "swatting attacks," Trump's transition said Wednesday. "Last night and this morning, several of President Trump's Cabinet nominees and Administration appointees were targeted in violent, unAmerican threats to their lives and those who live with them," Trump transition spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said in a statement. She said the attacks "ranged from bomb threats to 'swatting.' In response, law enforcement and other authorities acted quickly to ensure the safety of those who were targeted. President Trump and the entire Transition team are grateful for their swift action." President-elect Donald Trump arrives to speak at a meeting of the House GOP conference, followed by Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Swatting entails generating an emergency law enforcement response against a target victim under false pretenses. The FBI said in a statement that it is "aware of numerous bomb threats and swatting incidents targeting incoming administration nominees and appointees, and we are working with our law enforcement partners. We take all potential threats seriously, and as always, encourage members of the public to immediately report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement." Among those targeted was New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump's pick to serve as the next ambassador to the United Nations. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is seated before President-elect Donald Trump arrives at a meeting of the House GOP conference, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) Her office said that, Wednesday morning, she, her husband, and their 3-year-old son were driving home from Washington for Thanksgiving when they were informed of a bomb threat to their residence in Saratoga County. "New York State, County law enforcement, and U.S. Capitol Police responded immediately with the highest levels of professionalism," her office said in a statement. "We are incredibly appreciative of the extraordinary dedication of law enforcement officers who keep our communities safe 24/7." In Florida, meanwhile, the Okaloosa County sheriff's office said in an advisory posted on Facebook that it "received notification of a bomb threat referencing former Congressman Matt Gaetz's supposed mailbox at a home in the Niceville area around 9 a.m. this morning." While a family member resides at the address, they said "former Congressman Gaetz is NOT a resident. "The mailbox however was cleared and no devices were located. The immediate area was also searched with negative results." Gaetz was Trump's initial pick to serve as attorney general, but he withdrew from consideration amid allegations that he paid women for sex and slept with underage women. Gaetz has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and said last year that a Justice Department investigation into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls had ended with no federal charges against him. The threats follow a political campaign marked by unusual violence. In July, a gunman opened fire at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, grazing the then-candidate in the ear with a bullet and killing one of his supporters. The U.S. Secret Service later thwarted a subsequent assassination attempt at Trump's West Palm Beach, Florida, golf course when an agent spotted the barrel of a gun poking through a perimeter fence while Trump was golfing. Among President-elect Donald Trump's picks are Susie Wiles for chief of staff, Susie Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Trump to be secretary of state, making a former sharp critic his choice to be the new administration's top diplomat. Rubio, 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket last summer. Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” Trump said of Rubio in a statement. The announcement punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom the senator called a “con man" during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. And as Trump campaigned for the presidency a third time, Rubio cheered his proposals. For instance, Rubio, who more than a decade ago helped craft immigration legislation that included a path to citizenship for people in the U.S. illegally, now supports Trump's plan to use the U.S. military for mass deportations. Pete Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend” and has been a contributor with the network since 2014, where he developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. Hegseth lacks senior military or national security experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises — ranging from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea. Hegseth is also the author of “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” published earlier this year. Trump tapped Pam Bondi, 59, to be attorney general after U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration. She was Florida's first female attorney general, serving between 2011 and 2019. She also was on Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020. Considered a loyalist, she served as part of a Trump-allied outside group that helped lay the groundwork for his future administration called the America First Policy Institute. Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. A fierce defender of Trump, she also frequently appears on Fox News and has been a critic of the criminal cases against him. Trump picked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a well-known conservative who faced sharp criticism for telling a story in her memoir about shooting a rambunctious dog, to lead an agency crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda. Noem used her two terms leading a tiny state to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics. South Dakota is usually a political afterthought. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions that other states had issued and instead declared her state “open for business.” Trump held a fireworks rally at Mount Rushmore in July 2020 in one of the first large gatherings of the pandemic. She takes over a department with a sprawling mission. In addition to key immigration agencies, the Department of Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service, and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports. The governor of North Dakota, who was once little-known outside his state, Burgum is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump, and spent months traveling to drum up support for him, after dropping out of the race. Burgum was a serious contender to be Trump’s vice presidential choice this summer. The two-term governor was seen as a possible pick because of his executive experience and business savvy. Burgum also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs. Trump made the announcement about Burgum joining his incoming administration while addressing a gala at his Mar-a-Lago club, and said a formal statement would be coming the following day. In comments to reporters before Trump took the stage, Burgum said that, in recent years, the power grid is deteriorating in many parts of the country, which he said could raise national security concerns but also drive up prices enough to increase inflation. “There's just a sense of urgency, and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration,” Burgum said. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president as a Democrat, than as an independent, and . He's the son of Democratic icon Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated during his own presidential campaign. The nomination of Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services alarmed people who are concerned about . For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Scott Bessent, 62, is a former George Soros money manager and an advocate for deficit reduction. He's the founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management, after having worked on-and-off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary. He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trump’s campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending. “This election cycle is the last chance for the U.S. to grow our way out of this mountain of debt without becoming a sort of European-style socialist democracy,” he said then. Oregon Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her reelection bid this month, but received strong backing from union members in her district. As a potential labor secretary, she would oversee the Labor Department’s workforce, its budget and put forth priorities that impact workers’ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employer’s rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities. Chavez-DeRemer is one of few House Republicans to endorse the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and would add penalties for companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws that allow employees in more than half the states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their places of employment. Scott Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he’s yet selected for his administration, with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” Sean Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, “Fox and Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children. A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Write is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking — a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. Wright also has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.” The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States. Wright also won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump’s first term. President-elect Donald Trump tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump promised to dismantle. McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s initial term from 2017 to 2019 and twice ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut. She’s seen as a relative unknown in education circles, though she expressed support for charter schools and school choice. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. Brooke Rollins, who graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural development, is a longtime Trump associate who served as White House domestic policy chief during his first presidency. The 52-year-old is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration. She previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Trump chose Howard Lutnick, head of brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and a cryptocurrency enthusiast, as his nominee for commerce secretary, a position in which he'd have a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs. Trump made the announcement Tuesday on his social media platform, Truth Social. Lutnick is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team, along with Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration. Both are tasked with putting forward candidates for key roles in the next administration. The nomination would put Lutnick in charge of a sprawling Cabinet agency that is involved in funding new computer chip factories, imposing trade restrictions, releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. It is also a position in which connections to CEOs and the wider business community are crucial. Doug Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial, which centered on U.S. assistance for Ukraine. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential nomination, but he was acquitted by the Senate. Collins has also served in the armed forces himself and is currently a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command. "We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need," Trump said in a statement about nominating Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Karoline Leavitt, 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. The White House press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps. Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, was a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. In 2022, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term before she became communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump's choice for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard to be director of national intelligence, keeping with the trend to stock his Cabinet with loyal personalities rather than veteran professionals in their requisite fields. Gabbard, 43, was a Democratic House member who unsuccessfully sought the party's 2020 presidential nomination before leaving the party in 2022. She endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him this fall. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community,” Trump said in a statement. Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions. Trump has picked John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who served as director of national intelligence during his first administration, to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his next. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump's first term, leading the U.S. government's spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. “I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation's highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement, calling him a “fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans” who would ensure “the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.” Trump has chosen former New York Rep. to serve as his pick to lead the . Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on , “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.” “We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,” he added. During his campaign, Trump often attacked the Biden administration's promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referring to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often told his audiences during the campaign his administration would “Drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration. In a statement, Trump said Zeldin “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.” Trump has named Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, as the new chairman of the agency tasked with regulating broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband. Carr is a longtime member of the commission and served previously as the FCC’s general counsel. He has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate three times and was nominated by both Trump and President Joe Biden to the commission. Carr made past appearances on “Fox News Channel," including when he decried Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' pre-Election Day appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” He wrote an op-ed last month defending a satellite company owned by Trump supporter Elon Musk. Rep. Elise Stefanik is a and one of Trump's staunchest defenders going back to his first impeachment. Elected to the House in 2014, Stefanik was selected by her GOP House colleagues as House Republican Conference chair in 2021, when former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after publicly criticizing Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election. Stefanik, 40, has served in that role ever since as the third-ranking member of House leadership. Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile. If confirmed, she would represent American interests at the U.N. as Trump vows to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine begun in 2022. He has also called for peace as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon to target Hezbollah. A Republican congressman from Michigan who served from 1993 to 2011, Hoekstra was ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump's first term. “In my Second Term, Pete will help me once again put AMERICA FIRST,” Trump said in a statement announcing his choice. “He did an outstanding job as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands during our first four years, and I am confident that he will continue to represent our Country well in this new role.” Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah. “He loves Israel, and likewise the people of Israel love him,” Trump said in a statement. “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East.” Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland. Trump has been praised by some in this important Republican voting bloc for moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Trump on Tuesday named real estate investor Steven Witkoff to be special envoy to the Middle East. The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect's golf partner and was golfing with him at Trump's club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination. Witkoff “is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy,” Trump said of Witkoff in a statement. “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud." Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee. Trump said Wednesday that he will nominate Gen. Keith Kellogg to serve as assistant to the president and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as National Security Advisor to Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence. For the America First Policy Institute, one of several groups formed after Trump left office to help lay the groundwork for the next Republican administration, Kellogg in April wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.” (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) Trump asked Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, Trump announced in a statement Tuesday. The move puts Waltz in the middle of national security crises, ranging from efforts to provide weapons to Ukraine and worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah. “Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda,” Trump's statement said, "and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!” Waltz is a three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs. He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population. Stephen Miller, an , was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump's priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump's first administration. Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump's policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families. Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation's economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people who are in the United States illegally. Since Trump left office in 2021, Miller has served as the president of America First Legal, an organization made up of former Trump advisers aimed at challenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others over issues such as free speech and national security. Thomas Homan, 62, with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history. Homan, who served under Trump in his first administration leading U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was widely expected to be offered a position related to the border, an issue Trump made central to his campaign. Though Homan has insisted such a massive undertaking would be humane, he has long been a loyal supporter of Trump's policy proposals, suggesting at a July conference in Washington that he would be willing to "run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.” Democrats have criticized Homan for his defending Trump's “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border. Dr. Mehmet Oz, 64, is a former heart surgeon who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show,” a long-running daytime television talk show. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of Trump, who endorsed Oz's bid for elected office. Elon Musk, left, and Vivek Ramaswamy speak before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at an Oct. 27 campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York. Trump on Tuesday said Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency" — which is not, despite the name, a government agency. The acronym “DOGE” is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said Musk and Ramaswamy will work from outside the government to offer the White House “advice and guidance” and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.” He added the move would shock government systems. It's not clear how the organization will operate. Musk, owner of X and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been a constant presence at Mar-a-Lago since Trump won the presidential election. Ramaswamy suspended his campaign in January and threw his support behind Trump. Trump said the two will “pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” Russell Vought held the position during Trump’s first presidency. After Trump’s initial term ended, Vought founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as “renew a consensus of America as a nation under God.” Vought was closely involved with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that he tried to distance himself from during the campaign. Vought has also previously worked as the executive and budget director for the Republican Study Committee, a caucus for conservative House Republicans. He also worked at Heritage Action, the political group tied to The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Scavino, whom Trump's transition referred to in a statement as one of “Trump's longest serving and most trusted aides,” was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign, as well as his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president. Scavino had run Trump's social media profile in the White House during his first administration. He was also held in contempt of Congress in 2022 after a month-long refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Blair was political director for Trump's 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee. He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and assistant to the president. Blair was key to Trump's economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign this year, a driving force behind the candidate's “Trump can fix it” slogan and his query to audiences this fall if they were better off than four years ago. Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again, Inc., a super PAC that supported Trump's 2024 campaign. He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president. Budowich also had served as a spokesman for Trump after his presidency. McGinley was White House Cabinet secretary during Trump's first administration, and was outside legal counsel for the Republican National Committee's election integrity effort during the 2024 campaign. In a statement, Trump called McGinley “a smart and tenacious lawyer who will help me advance our America First agenda, while fighting for election integrity and against the weaponization of law enforcement.” Trump has chosen Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health. Bhattacharya is a physician and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, and is a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates. He promoted the idea of herd immunity during the pandemic, arguing that people at low risk should live normally while building up immunity to COVID-19 through infection. The National Institutes of Health funds medical research through competitive grants to researchers at institutions throughout the nation. NIH also conducts its own research with thousands of scientists working at its labs in Bethesda, Maryland. Trump is turning to two officials with experience navigating not only Washington but the key issues of income taxes and tariffs as he fills out his economic team. He announced he has chosen international trade attorney Jamieson Greer to be his U.S. trade representative and Kevin Hassett as director of the White House National Economic Council. While Trump has in several cases nominated outsiders to key posts, these picks reflect a recognition that his reputation will likely hinge on restoring the public’s confidence in the economy. Trump said in a statement that Greer was instrumental in his first term in imposing tariffs on China and others and replacing the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, “therefore making it much better for American Workers.” Hassett, 62, served in the first Trump term as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. He has a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and worked at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute before joining the Trump White House in 2017. Associated Press writers Alanna Durkin Richer and Eric Tucker contributed to this report from Washington. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.
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TORONTO — Mark Scheifele scored a hat trick and an assist while Kyle Connor collected two goals and an assist to spark the NHL-leading Winnipeg Jets to a 5-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday. The Jets enter the Christmas break with back-to-back wins, while the Maple Leafs dropped their second in a row at Scotiabank Arena without wounded captain Auston Matthews, out with an upper-body injury. Connor scored late in the first period on the power play and early in the second to give the Jets a two-goal lead. Gabriel Vilardi picked up his second assist of the night with a brilliant pass to Scheifele in front at 3:27 of the third, giving the Jets a 3-1 advantage. Scheifele banged in a loose puck for his 20th midway through the third period and added an empty-netter for his hat trick. John Tavares scored twice for the Maple Leafs. Winnipeg out-shot the Leafs 27-25, with Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck making 23 saves before a crowd of 18,923 fans. Joseph Woll stopped 22 shots in the Toronto net. Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey also notched two assists to reach 30 for the season. The win avenged the Maple Leafs' 6-4 victory in Winnipeg on Oct. 28, which ended the Jets' eight-game win streak to start the season. Maple Leafs forward William Nylander extended his point streak to seven games with assists on the Tavares goals. Takeaways Toronto: Defender Chris Tanev missed his first game this year with a lower-body ailment after skating in the pre-game warmup. Winnipeg: As impressive as the Jets (25-10-1) have played before the break, they are only one point ahead of the 36-game pace of 23-9-4 set a year ago. Key moment After Jets defenceman Neal Pionk had his shot blocked, the puck bounded to Marner for a breakaway. Pionk hustled back to lift Marner's stick to foil his shot attempt early in the second period to preserve Winnipeg's 2-0 lead. Key stat The Maple Leafs have gone 7-4-0 with Matthews on the sidelines this season and 42-23-2 in his career. Up next Toronto returns to action after the holiday break on Friday, visiting the Detroit Red Wings. On Saturday, the Jets play host to the Ottawa Senators. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 23, 2024. Tim Wharnsby, The Canadian PressDell Technologies Inc. and HP Inc. reported quarterly financial results that suggest a long-awaited recovery of the personal computer market is stalling. The shares of each company dropped in extended trading. NSE Revenue generated by Dell’s PC business declined 1% to $12.1 billion in the fiscal third quarter, falling short of estimates. While sales in HP’s PC unit rose 2% to $9.59 billion in the similar three-month period, that too missed the average analyst estimate. “The PC refresh cycle is pushing into next year,” Dell Chief Financial Officer Yvonne McGill said Tuesday on a call with analysts after the results. HP Chief Executive Officer Enrique Lores said in an interview that the release of Microsoft Corp.’s new edition of Windows software hasn’t fueled PC sales from corporate clients as quickly as in previous releases. The market had seen a historic decline in recent years after a burst of demand for new laptops in the early months of the pandemic when students and corporate employees were stuck at home. While signs of a rebound began to materialize this year, shipments again dipped in the third quarter, industry analyst IDC said in October. PC makers had hoped that new machines touted as better for artificial intelligence workloads would spur demand. But “buyers have yet to see clear benefits or business value,” Mikako Kitagawa, an analyst at Gartner Inc., said in report last month. Dell shares fell about 10% in late trading after closing at $141.74 in New York. The stock had gained 85% this year through Tuesday’s close. HP shares declined about 8% after closing at $39.10. HP stock had increased 30% this year. Dell is best known for its computer business, but the Round Rock, Texas-based company has enjoyed a renaissance of investor interest due to its high-powered servers for artificial intelligence workloads. Earlier this month, Dell announced it was shipping servers with Nvidia Corp.’s new Blackwell semiconductors to cloud infrastructure provider CoreWeave. Sales in Dell’s infrastructure unit including servers rose 34% to $11.4 billion in the period ended November 1, the company said in a statement. That’s just ahead of the $11.3 billion anticipated by analysts. Total revenue increased 10% to $24.4 billion, missing the average analyst estimate of $24.6 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The company shipped $2.9 billion in AI-optimized servers in the quarter, executives said. The metric was a step down from the $3.1 billion reported in the preceding period. “AI is a robust opportunity for us with no signs of slowing down,” Dell Chief Operating Officer Jeff Clarke said in the statement. He touted orders of AI servers in the quarter hitting $3.6 billion and growth “across all customer types.” For the quarter ending in February, Dell gave a revenue outlook of about $24.5 billion. Analysts, on average, projected $25.4 billion. Adjusted earnings will be $2.40 a share to $2.60, compared with the average estimate of $2.66. HP’s outlook also failed to impress. Earnings, excluding some items, will be 70 cents to 76 cents a share in the period ending in January, the Palo Alto, California-based company said. Analysts, on average, projected 86 cents. “Weaker-than-expected Personal Systems sales and profit were the biggest drag on HP’s fiscal 4Q results, and its below-consensus 1Q EPS guidance suggests little improvement in PC demand in the seasonally stronger December quarter,” Woo Jin Ho, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, said in a note after the results.WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — First it was Canada, then the Panama Canal. Now, Donald Trump again wants Greenland. The president-elect is renewing unsuccessful calls he made during his first term for the U.S. to buy Greenland from Denmark, adding to the list of allied countries with which he's picking fights even before taking office on Jan. 20. In a Sunday announcement naming his ambassador to Denmark, Trump wrote that, "For purposes of National Security and Freedom throughout the World, the United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity." Trump again having designs on Greenland comes after the president-elect suggested over the weekend that the U.S. could retake control of the Panama Canal if something isn't done to ease rising shipping costs required for using the waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. He's also been suggesting that Canada become the 51st U.S. state and referred to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as "governor" of the "Great State of Canada." Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia, said Trump tweaking friendly countries harkens back to an aggressive style he used during his days in business. "You ask something unreasonable and it's more likely you can get something less unreasonable," said Farnsworth, who is also author of the book "Presidential Communication and Character." Greenland, the world's largest island, sits between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. It is 80% covered by an ice sheet and is home to a large U.S. military base. It gained home rule from Denmark in 1979 and its head of government, Múte Bourup Egede, suggested that Trump's latest calls for U.S. control would be as meaningless as those made in his first term. "Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale," he said in a statement. "We must not lose our years-long fight for freedom." Trump canceled a 2019 visit to Denmark after his offer to buy Greenland was rejected by Copenhagen, and ultimately came to nothing. He also suggested Sunday that the U.S. is getting "ripped off" at the Panama Canal. "If the principles, both moral and legal, of this magnanimous gesture of giving are not followed, then we will demand that the Panama Canal be returned to the United States of America, in full, quickly and without question," he said. Panama President José Raúl Mulino responded in a video that "every square meter of the canal belongs to Panama and will continue to," but Trump fired back on his social media site, "We'll see about that!" The president-elect also posted a picture of a U.S. flag planted in the canal zone under the phrase, "Welcome to the United States Canal!" The United States built the canal in the early 1900s but relinquished control to Panama on Dec. 31, 1999, under a treaty signed in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter. The canal depends on reservoirs that were hit by 2023 droughts that forced it to substantially reduce the number of daily slots for crossing ships. With fewer ships, administrators also increased the fees that shippers are charged to reserve slots to use the canal. The Greenland and Panama flareups followed Trump recently posting that "Canadians want Canada to become the 51st State" and offering an image of himself superimposed on a mountaintop surveying surrounding territory next to a Canadian flag. Trudeau suggested that Trump was joking about annexing his country, but the pair met recently at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Florida to discuss Trump's threats to impose a 25% tariff on all Canadian goods. "Canada is not going to become part of the United States, but Trump's comments are more about leveraging what he says to get concessions from Canada by putting Canada off balance, particularly given the precarious current political environment in Canada," Farnsworth said. "Maybe claim a win on trade concessions, a tighter border or other things." He said the situation is similar with Greenland. "What Trump wants is a win," Farnsworth said. "And even if the American flag doesn't raise over Greenland, Europeans may be more willing to say yes to something else because of the pressure."
( MENAFN - GlobeNewsWire - Nasdaq) TORONTO, Dec. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Blockmate Ventures Inc. (TSX.V: MATE) (OTCQB: MATEF) (FSE: 8MH1) (“ Blockmate ” or the“ Company ”) is pleased to announce that it has closed its strategic investment (the“ Offering ”) involving a group of strategic investors led by Antanas Guoga (Tony G) for gross proceeds of $1,400,000. This strategic funding supports Blockmate's pursuit of industry leadership in blockchain innovation and underscores our commitment to sustainable and transformative technology. In connection with completion of the Offering, the Company has issued 14,000,000 units (each, a“ Unit ”) at a price of $0.10 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one common share, and one common share purchase warrant exercisable to acquire a further common share at a price of $0.50 until December 23, 2027. All securities issued in connection with the Offering are subject to statutory restrictions on resale until April 24, 2025, in accordance with applicable securities laws. In addition, Tony G has voluntarily agreed to restrict resale of the 10,000,000 Units he acquired in the Offering until December 23, 2025. No finders' fees or commissions were paid by the Company in connection with completion of the Offering. Incentive Grant The Company also announces that it has granted 5,275,000 incentive stock options (the“ Options ”), 1,200,000 restricted share units (the“ RSUs ”) and 5,000,000 deferred share units (the“ DSUs ”) in accordance with its omnibus incentive plan (the“ Incentive Plan ”) adopted by shareholders at the annual general and special meeting held on November 23, 2023. 625,000 of the Options vest immediately and are exercisable at a price of $0.21 for a period of thirty-six months. The remaining 5,000,000 Options vest quarterly over a twenty-four month period, and are exercisable at a price of $0.21 for a period of forty-eight months. The RSUs vest and will be settled in common shares of the Company after twelve months. The DSUs vest after twelve months but will only be settled in common shares of the Company upon the departure of the holder from the Company. 2,725,000 of the Options and all of the DSUs exceed the available room under the Incentive Plan. The Company intends to seek approval of shareholders to increase the size of the Incentive Plan at the next annual general meeting and will at that time seek ratification from shareholders for the additional Options and the DSUs. Until such time as shareholder ratification has been received, the additional Options and DSUs will not vest and will not be eligible for exercise or settlement. In the event shareholders elect not to ratify the grant, and room within the Incentive Plan is not available at the time, the additional Options and DSUs will be cancelled. Early Warning Disclosure In connection with the incentive grant, Domenic Carosa, a director of the Company, has been issued 5,000,000 Options and 5,000,000 DSUs. Prior to the grant, Mr. Carosa controlled 17,252,400 common shares, 1,500,000 incentive stock options, and 3,000,000 common share purchase warrants, of the Company, all of which are held by Carosa Corporation B.V., a holding company controlled by Domenic Carosa. The common shares controlled by Mr. Carosa prior to the grant represent approximately 15.1% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company. Following the grant, Mr. Carosa has control and direction over 17,252,400 common shares, 6,500,000 Options, 3,000,000 common share purchase warrants and 5,000,000 DSUs of the Company. Assuming the exercise and conversion of all of the Options, share purchase warrants and DSUs controlled by Mr. Carosa, he would have control and direction over 31,752,400 common shares of the Company representing approximately 19.8% of the then outstanding common shares of the Company. Mr. Carosa has acquired the securities for investment purposes and in connection with his compensation as a director of the Company and, as disclosed in the accompanying Early Warning Report, may in the future acquire or dispose of securities of the Company, through the market, privately or otherwise, as circumstances or market conditions warrant. A copy of the Early Warning Report filed with the applicable securities regulators regarding the above acquisition will be available under the profile for the Company on SEDAR+ ( ). About Blockmate Ventures Inc. Blockmate is a venture creator focussing on building fast-growing technology businesses relating to cutting edge sectors such as blockchain and renewable energy. Working with prospective founders, projects in incubation can benefit from the Blockmate ecosystem that offers tech, services, integrations and advice to accelerate the incubation of projects towards monetization. Recent projects include Hivello (download our free passive income app at ) and Sunified, digitising solar energy. The leadership team at Blockmate have successfully founded successful tech companies from the Dotcom era through to the social media era. Learn more about being a Blockmate at: . ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Justin Rosenberg, Chief Executive Officer Blockmate Ventures Inc. href="" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="">.. (+1-580-262-6130) Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release Forward-Looking Information This news release contains“forward-looking statements” or“forward-looking information” (collectively,“forward-looking statements”) within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on the assumptions, expectations, estimates and projections as of the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements contained herein. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Raindrop disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. MENAFN23122024004107003653ID1109025226 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
When Katja Vogt considers a Jaguar, she pictures a British-made car purring confidently along the Italian coastline — a vision of familiarity that conveys “that dreaming, longing feeling we all love.” She’s not sure what to think about Jaguar now after the 89-year-old company announced a radical rebranding that featured loud colors and androgynous people — but no cars. Jaguar, the company says, will now be JaGUar. It will produce only electric vehicles beginning in 2026. Say goodbye to British racing green, Cotswold Blue and black. Its colors are henceforth electric pink, red and yellow, according to a video that sparked backlash online. Its mission statement: “Create exuberance. Live vivid. Delete ordinary. Break moulds.” “Intrigued?” @Jaguar posted on social media. “Weird and unsettled” is more like it, Vogt wrote on Instagram. “Especially now, with the world feeling so dystopian,” the Cyprus-based brand designer wrote, “a heritage brand like Jaguar should be conveying feelings of safety, stability, and maybe a hint of rebellion — the kind that shakes things up in a good way, not in a way that unsettles.” Jaguar was one of several iconic companies that announced significant rebrandings in recent weeks, upending a series of commercial — and cultural — landmarks by which many modern human beings sort one another, carve out identities and recognize the world around them. Campbell’s, the 155-year-old American icon that artist Andy Warhol immortalized in pop culture decades ago, is ready for a new, soupless name. Comcast’s corporate reorganization means there will soon be two television networks with “NBC” in their name — CNBC and MSNBC — that will no longer have any corporate connection to NBC News, a U.S. legacy news outlet. One could even argue the United States itself is rebranding with the election of former President Donald Trump and Republican majorities in the House and Senate. Unlike Trump’s first election in 2016, he won the popular vote in what many called a national referendum on American identity. Are we, then, the sum total of our consumer decisions — what we buy, where we travel and whom we elect? Certainly, it’s a question for those privileged enough to be able to afford such choices. Volumes of research in the art and science of branding — from “brandr,” an old Norse word for burning symbols into the hides of livestock — say those factors do contribute to the modern sense of identity. So rebranding, especially of heritage names, can be a deeply felt affront to consumers. “It can feel like the brand is turning its back on everything that it stood for — and therefore it feels like it’s turning its back on us, the people who subscribe to that idea or ideology,” said Ali Marmaduke, strategy director with the Amsterdam-based Brand Potential. He said cultural tension — polarization — is surging over politics, wars in Russia and the Mideast, the environment, public health and more, creating what he said is known as a “polycrisis”: the idea that there are several massive crises converging that feel scary and complex. “People are understandably freaked out by that,” he said. “So we are looking for something that will help us navigate this changing, threatening world that we face.” Trump’s “Make America Great Again” qualifies. So did President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” slogan. Campbell’s soup itself — “Mmm Mmm Good” — isn’t going anywhere, CEO Mark Clouse said. The company’s new name, Campbell’s Co., will reflect “the full breadth of our portfolio,” which includes brands like Prego pasta sauce and Goldfish crackers. None of the recent activity around heritage brands sparked a backlash as ferocious as Jaguar’s. The company stood as a pillar of tradition-loving British identity since World War II. Jaguar said its approach to the rebrand was rooted in the philosophy of its founder, Sir William Lyons, to “copy nothing.” What it’s calling “the new Jaguar” will overhaul everything from the font of its name to the positioning of its famous “leaper” cat. “Exuberant modernism” will “define all aspects of the new Jaguar world,” according to the company. The approach is thought to be aimed at selling fewer cars at a six-figure price point to a more diverse customer base. The reaction ranged from bewilderment to hostility. Memes sprouted up likening the video to the Teletubbies, a Benetton ad and — perhaps predictably — a bow to “woke” culture as the blowback intersected with politics. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Brazil’s Bolsonaro planned and participated in a 2022 coup plot, unsealed police report alleges
A user opens SK Telecom's conversational AI agent adot.ai service via a smartphone. Courtesy of SK Telecom SK Telecom topped the industry-wide National Customer Satisfaction Index (NCSI) rankings for the 27th year, according to the Korea Productivity Center (KPC) on Friday. Securing over 80 points this year, the company has topped the mobile carrier category for 27 years since the KPC started the list in 1998. “SK Telecom has continuously done its best to satisfy the needs of our customers," SK Telecom said in a press release. “We believe the list has reflected our long(-term) efforts.” In a bid to maximize its customers' experience with artificial intelligence (AI), SK Telecom updated its conversational AI service, adot.ai, in August. The update includes upgrading its large language model (LLM) to offer a more natural conversation experience with users, strengthening its calendar scheduling service and revamping the app’s user interface. Thanks to the upgrade, customers can now use the world’s cutting-edge LLM agents such as Perplexity, ChatGPT, Claude and A.X. The adot.ai agent also allows them to use customized services in music and media recommendations as well as stock investment. In September, SK Telecom also released the iOS version of the ZEM app, a self-monitoring app for customers aged under 14. Via the app, users can plan how much they will use their smartphone and what apps they will use during the day. Up to five guardians, who install the ZEM-For Parents app, can monitor the amount of time their kids spend on their smartphones and which apps they use. SK Telecom is the only mobile carrier that provides such services both on iOS and Android platforms. Last year, it also introduced a service plan exclusively designed for customers aged under 34 to offer up to 50 percent more 5G data in its package along with various coffee and movie ticket vouchers. According to the mobile carrier, seven out of 10 customers under 24 are using the plan. Hy Central Laboratory in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province / Courtesy of hy Dairy producer hy also topped the NCSI rankings for the 27th year in the milk/fermented milk category, the KPC said. It has held the top position on the list since the KPC began announcing rankings in 1998. The company stated in a press release that its relentless efforts to strengthen its probiotic technology are the reason behind its dominant position on the list. “Hy has continuously worked on its probiotics technology to compete in the global market,” hy Central Laboratory head Lee Jae-hwan said. “Hy has been the No. 1 brand in fermented milk. We will continue our efforts to introduce better products in the future.” Hy was the nation's first food company to establish a research center focused on dairy production technologies in 1976. Approximately 90 percent of the company's workforce hold master's or doctoral degrees. In a bid to strengthen its competitiveness, it also formed the Future Insight Advisory Committee, a joint study group with outside scholars to comprehensively analyze the dairy producer’s various probiotics. Renowned scholars, including Kim Yeon-soo, former Seoul National University Hospital head, and Gloria Kim, a cognitive science professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, are part of the group’s advisory members. Samsung Card's promotional image for its new credit card lineup / Courtesy of Samsung Card Samsung Card also secured the top position in the industry-wide NCSI rankings in the credit card category for the 11th consecutive year, according to the KPC. The company’s strong performance reflects its unwavering commitment to safeguarding customers from the possibility of fraud. The credit card issuer also provides a comprehensive expenditure monitoring service to customers via its recently renovated in-app user interface. Collecting related data from its sister firms, Samsung Life, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance and Samsung Securities, it allows customers to get a wide range of financial analytic services in consumption, insurance, investment and pensions. In 2021, Samsung Card introduced the Samsung iD Card, a custom-made credit card designed by each cardholder. Each card is made with reusable plastic and low-carbon paper, a measure to fulfill its commitment to conserving environmental resources. To assist hearing-impaired customers, Samsung Card has provided an instant messaging service and a video-calling service. For disabled and older adult customers, its employees visit their houses during the credit card application review process. Samsung Securities employees consult a customer in asset management. Courtesy of Samsung Securities Samsung Securities claimed the top spot in the NCSI in the overall Securities and consignment trading category, according to the KPC. The brokerage said in a statement that it offered differentiated asset management services for customers thanks to its diverse investment experts at home and abroad. “Samsung Securities specializes in asset management for corporate customers,” a Samsung Securities official said. “We also provide networking events for CEOs and chief financial officers of renowned businesses here.” It also offers custom-made digitalized asset management services for the mid and lower-income brackets as well as those in younger generations who just landed a job. Studying and analyzing each customer’s income and consumption flow, the firm’s one-stop digitalized consulting agent offers an ideal financial product for each customer. The brokerage also regularly collects each customer’s feedback to optimize the firm’s service structure, the official added. NCSI logo Surveying over 300 companies, colleges and state-run institutions in over 80 industry sectors, the KPC has collected and studied related data to release the NCSI rankings with customer evaluations of products and services since 1998. This year’s overall customer satisfaction index averaged 78 points in 2024, down 0.2 points from the previous year. “The NCSI has experienced a decline in two consecutive years,” the KPC said in a press release. “The prolonged downturn followed by low consumption adversely influenced the figure." To remove this article -Boney Kapoor shares hair restoration success at Eugenix event
Dee Devlin just went scorched earth on Conor McGregor 's sexual assault accuser ... lighting her up in a series of Instagram posts on Tuesday afternoon. In the IG Stories, the UFC superstar's longtime partner called Nikita Ni Lamhain -- who just won her civil case against McGregor in Ireland last week -- a liar ... and said straight up, "My sons will be warned women like you exist in the world." Devlin claimed that back in 2018, prior to Ni Lamhain's suit against McGregor, Ni Lamhain would send "messages and pictures of herself over and over to my man" ... despite knowing he was in a committed relationship. She also said Ni Lamhain made up her allegations against McGregor -- claiming surveillance footage following Ni Lamhain's now-infamous '18 encounter with McGregor backs up her beliefs. "CCTV DOES NOT LIE," she wrote. "I look forward [to] the day the world will see the footage of you on that night and the carry on of you." "Not a bother on you having the time of your life. This is the real evidence, video footage no one knew was being taken in the moment which you miraculously don't remember? To me it looks like you're the one sexually assaulting in the lift. To me it looks like everyone is trying to get away from you." In a separate post on the social media app, Devlin shared a snap of McGregor and their family ... making it clear she's fully in his corner despite the jury's ruling last Friday. "I love him I trust him and I BELIEVE HIM!" she wrote. "Our four beautiful children whose smiling faces and happy hearts are testimony to the man he is and who we are!" "No one is entitled to comment on our relationship -- we trust one another and love one another. Nothing will change that. Our family stands strong!" Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media. For Conor's part, he's been adamant that his intercourse with Ni Lamhain was nothing but consensual ... and he issued a public apology to Devlin for his actions in a statement on his X page on Monday. On Tuesday, he also re-shared one of Devlin's posts, captioning it with a couple emojis. As for the result of the civil case, McGregor has vowed to appeal the decision.NoneIPO Buzz: 2 New Offers And 6 Listings To Wrap Up Record-Breaking Year
NoneBy ALEXANDRA OLSON and CATHY BUSSEWITZ NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart’s sweeping rollback of its diversity policies is the strongest indication yet of a profound shift taking hold at U.S. companies that are revaluating the legal and political risks associated with bold programs to bolster historically underrepresented groups in business. The changes announced by the world’s biggest retailer followed a string of legal victories by conservative groups that have filed an onslaught of lawsuits challenging corporate and federal programs aimed at elevating minority and women-owned businesses and employees. The risk associated with some of programs crystalized with the election of former President Donald Trump, whose administration is certain to make dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs a priority. Trump’s incoming deputy chief of policy will be his former adviser Stephen Miller , who leads a group called America First Legal that has aggressively challenged corporate DEI policies. “There has been a lot of reassessment of risk looking at programs that could be deemed to constitute reverse discrimination,” said Allan Schweyer, principal researcher the Human Capital Center at the Conference Board. “This is another domino to fall and it is a rather large domino,” he added. Among other changes, Walmart said it will no longer give priority treatment to suppliers owned by women or minorities. The company also will not renew a five-year commitment for a racial equity center set up in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd. And it pulled out of a prominent gay rights index . Schweyer said the biggest trigger for companies making such changes is simply a reassessment of their legal risk exposure, which began after U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June 2023 that ended affirmative action in college admissions. Since then, conservative groups using similar arguments have secured court victories against various diversity programs, especially those that steer contracts to minority or women-owned businesses. Most recently, the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty won a victory in a case against the U.S. Department of Transportation over its use of a program that gives priority to minority-owned businesses when it awards contracts. Companies are seeing a big legal risk in continuing with DEI efforts, said Dan Lennington, a deputy counsel at the institute. His organization says it has identified more than 60 programs in the federal government that it considers discriminatory, he said. “We have a legal landscape within the entire federal government, all three branches — the U.S. Supreme Court, the Congress and the President — are all now firmly pointed in the direction towards equality of individuals and individualized treatment of all Americans, instead of diversity, equity and inclusion treating people as members of racial groups,” Lennington said. The Trump administration is also likely to take direct aim at DEI initiatives through executive orders and other policies that affect private companies, especially federal contractors. “The impact of the election on DEI policies is huge. It can’t be overstated,” said Jason Schwartz, co-chair of the Labor & Employment Practice Group at law firm Gibson Dunn. With Miller returning to the White House, rolling back DEI initiatives is likely to be a priority, Schwartz said. “Companies are trying to strike the right balance to make clear they’ve got an inclusive workplace where everyone is welcome, and they want to get the best talent, while at the same time trying not to alienate various parts of their employees and customer base who might feel one way or the other. It’s a virtually impossible dilemma,” Schwartz said. A recent survey by Pew Research Center showed that workers are divided on the merits of DEI policies. While still broadly popular, the share of workers who said focusing on workplace diversity was mostly a good thing fell to 52% in the November survey, compared to 56% in a similar survey in February 2023. Rachel Minkin, a research associated at Pew called it a small but significant shift in short amount of time. There will be more companies pulling back from their DEI policies, but it likely won’t be a retreat across the board, said David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at New York University. “There are vastly more companies that are sticking with DEI,” Glasgow said. “The only reason you don’t hear about it is most of them are doing it by stealth. They’re putting their heads down and doing DEI work and hoping not to attract attention.” Glasgow advises organizations to stick to their own core values, because attitudes toward the topic can change quickly in the span of four years. “It’s going to leave them looking a little bit weak if there’s a kind of flip-flopping, depending on whichever direction the political winds are blowing,” he said. One reason DEI programs exist is because without those programs, companies may be vulnerable to lawsuits for traditional discrimination. “Really think carefully about the risks in all directions on this topic,” Glasgow said. Walmart confirmed will no longer consider race and gender as a litmus test to improve diversity when it offers supplier contracts. Last fiscal year, Walmart said it spent more than $13 billion on minority, women or veteran-owned good and service suppliers. It was unclear how its relationships with such business would change going forward. Organizations that that have partnered with Walmart on its diversity initiatives offered a cautious response. The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, a non-profit that last year named Walmart one of America’s top corporation for women-owned enterprises, said it was still evaluating the impact of Walmart’s announcement. Pamela Prince-Eason, the president and CEO of the organization, said she hoped Walmart’s need to cater to its diverse customer base will continue to drive contracts to women-owned suppliers even if the company no longer has explicit dollar goals. “I suspect Walmart will continue to have one of the most inclusive supply chains in the World,” Prince-Eason wrote. “Any retailer’s ability to serve the communities they operate in will continue to value understanding their customers, (many of which are women), in order to better provide products and services desired and no one understands customers better than Walmart.” Walmart’s announcement came after the company spoke directly with conservative political commentator and activist Robby Starbuck, who has been going after corporate DEI policies, calling out individual companies on the social media platform X. Several of those companies have subsequently announced that they are pulling back their initiatives, including Ford , Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s and Tractor Supply . Walmart confirmed to The Associated Press that it will better monitor its third-party marketplace items to make sure they don’t feature sexual and transgender products aimed at minors. The company also will stop participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual benchmark index that measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees. A Walmart spokesperson added that some of the changes were already in progress and not as a result of conversations that it had with Starbuck. RaShawn “Shawnie” Hawkins, senior director of the HRC Foundation’s Workplace Equality Program, said companies that “abandon” their commitments workplace inclusion policies “are shirking their responsibility to their employees, consumers, and shareholders.” She said the buying power of LGBTQ customers is powerful and noted that the index will have record participation of more than 1,400 companies in 2025.
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PSV staged a dramatic Champions League comeback against 10-man Shakhtar Donetsk in Eindhoven, winning 3-2 from two goals down in the 87th minute. The visitors went in front after just eight minutes from a quick breakaway, with Yukhym Konoplia setting up Danylo Sikan, whose shot squeezed beyond PSV keeper Walter Benítez. Oleksandr Zubkov doubled Shakhtar’s lead with a superb curling finish in the 37th minute, putting the Ukrainians in control of the match. Despite PSV having numerous efforts on goal, Shakhtar looked largely untroubled until Pedro Henrique was sent off for a dangerous challenge on Johan Bakayoko in the 69th minute. That allowed the hosts to pile on the pressure, but they were kept out until Malik Tillman’s free kick squeezed past Dmytro Riznyk at the near post. Tillman brought Peter Bosz’s side level on 90 minutes with a thumping strike from outside the area. With Shakhtar’s defence all at sea, Ricardo Pepi finished off a passing move with a shot that went in off the post, his 95th-minute winner sparking delirium among the home supporters. Benfica came from behind twice to end 10-man Monaco ’s unbeaten Champions League start, scoring two late headers to grab a thrilling 3-2 away win. Monaco’s Eliesse Ben Seghir got his side off to the perfect start, breaking the deadlock in the 13th minute by rifling home from Aleksandr Golovin’s cut-back. Ángel Di María and Nicolás Otamendi both went close for Benfica before half time, with Monaco’s Breel Embolo smacking a shot off the post soon after the restart. That miss that proved costly when Benfica’s Vangelis Pavlidis made the most of Caio Henrique’s weak header to steal the ball and equalise. Both sides then had goals ruled out for offside by VAR, before Monaco defender Wilfried Singo picked up his second yellow card just before the hour mark. Despite that setback, Monaco retook the lead as substitute Soungoutou Magassa charged on to Christian Mawissa’s angled pass and drilled home for his first goal for the club. But Di María had the final say, crossing for Arthur Cabral to level in the 84th minute, then picking out Zeki Amdouni to head home the winner four minutes later. Borussia Dortmund eased past hosts Dinamo Zagreb 3-0 to stay firmly on course for a top-eight finish and an automatic place in the last 16. Jamie Gittens fired last year’s finalists into a deserved lead in the 41st minute, finishing well after Danijel Zagorac had spectacularly kept out Donyell Malen’s point-blank header. Ramy Bensebaini headed in Dortmund’s second goal from a corner early in the second half. Forward Serhou Guirassy, back after a short illness, got on the scoresheet late in the game. The substitute broke clear of the Zagreb defence and ran on a deflected pass before slotting the ball through the keeper’s legs. Lille boosted their bid for a top-eight finish with a 2-1 away win at Bologna , whose hopes of reaching the knockout rounds look slim. Ngal’ayel Mukau opened the scoring for the visitors just before the break, and while Jhon Lucumi got Bologna’s first Champions League goal in the 63rd minute, Mukau struck again just three minutes later to earn victory. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Earlier on Wednesday, Red Star Belgrade came from a goal down to thrash visitors Stuttgart 5-1 and earn their first league-phase points in emphatic fashion. Ermedin Demirovic volleyed in from close range to give the visitors a fifth-minute lead but Silas, on loan from Stuttgart, levelled for the hosts seven minutes later. With Red Star’s fans growing louder, their team took the lead in the 31st minute with a fierce volley from Rade Krunic. Red Star were able to break through Stuttgart’s high line at will, wasting chances with two consecutive counters before Silas firing over the bar from close range. Mirko Ivanic then headed in at the far post in the 65th minute to make it 3-1 before another Nemanja Radonjic added gloss to the scoreline with two goals off the bench. Girona ’s struggles in the competition continued as they lost 1-0 at Sturm Graz in Wednesday’s other early kick-off. Mika Biereth’s second-half goal, scored on the rebound after Paulo Gazzaniga’s save, secured the hosts’ first points of the league phrase and their first win over a Spanish side in Europe.Pair of original MLS clubs to play for Cup title