NoneLANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Austin Seibert missed his second extra point of the game with 21 seconds left after Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin connected on an 86-yard touchdown, Juanyeh Thomas returned the ensuing onside kick attempt for a touchdown and the Dallas Cowboys pulled out a 34-26 victory Sunday that extended the Washington Commanders’ skid to three games. Seibert, who missed the previous two games with a right hip injury, was wide left on the point-after attempt following a low snap. Thomas then took the kick back 43 yards as the Cowboys (4-7) ended their losing streak at five in improbable fashion. Part of that was the play of backup Cooper Rush, who threw for 247 yards and two TDs in his third start in place of starter Dak Prescott. Part was also the defense forcing two turnovers, as Chauncey Golston ripped the ball out of Brian Robinson Jr.’s hands for what was called an interception of Daniels in the second quarter, and Donovan Wilson stripped John Bates midway through the fourth. KaVonte Turpin provided the fireworks with a spinning, 99-yard kickoff return TD seconds after Daniels found Zach Ertz in the end zone and scored on a 2-point conversion to cut the deficit to three with 3:02 left. In the final three minutes alone, the Commanders (7-5) scored 10 points and allowed Thomas’ TD. All that after the score was 10-9 through three quarters before madness ensued. CHIEFS 30, PANTHERS 27 CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns , Spencer Shrader kicked a 31-yard field goal as time expired and Kansas City beat Carolina to reach double-digit wins for the 10th straight season. Noah Gray caught two TD passes as the Chiefs (10-1) bounced back from last week’s 30-21 loss at Buffalo and won at the buzzer yet again in a season of narrow escapes. DeAndre Hopkins also had a touchdown catch for the two-time defending Super Bowl champions, who scored on their first five possessions. Bryce Young finished 21 of 35 for 262 yards and a touchdown for the Panthers (3-8), who had their two-game winning streak snapped. David Moore had six receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown. Trailing 27-19, Young completed a fourth-down pass to Adam Thielen to move the chains, then went deep for the veteran receiver, who drew a pass-interference penalty on Chamarri Conner. That set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Chuba Hubbard. LIONS 24, COLTS 6 INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for two scores and David Montgomery added a third touchdown run, leading Detroit to a victory over Indianapolis. Gibbs finished with 21 carries for 90 yards as the Lions (10-1) extended their league-high winning streak to nine straight. Detroit has its been 11-game record since the franchise’s inaugural season in 1934. Jared Goff continued his sensational season, too, completing 26 of 36 throws for 269 yards. The Colts (5-7) lost their second straight home game and for the fourth time in their past five games. Anthony Richardson was 11 of 28 with 172 yards while rushing 10 times for 61 yards. While Indy managed to hold the NFL’s highest-scoring offense largely in check Sunday, it was doomed by its inability to finish drives with touchdowns. BUCCANEERS 30, GIANTS 7 EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Baker Mayfield catapulted into the end zone on a spectacular 10-yard scramble for one of Tampa Bay’s four rushing touchdowns, and the Buccaneers beat the Giants and new starting quarterback Tommy DeVito, snapping a four-game losing streak and extending New York’s skid to six. The Giants’ decisions this week to bench and then release quarterback Daniel Jones did nothing to help the NFL’s lowest-scoring offense. DeVito threw for 189 yards, mostly in the second half with New York well on its way to its sixth straight loss at home, where it is winless. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers dominated in every phase in a near-perfect perfect performance that featured TD runs of 1 yard by Sean Tucker, 6 yards by Bucky Irving and 1 yard by Rachaad White. After recent losses to the Ravens, 49ers and Chiefs, Tampa Bay (5-6) moved within one game of idle Atlanta in the NFC South. Tampa Bay scored on five of its on first six possessions to open a 30-0 lead, and none was more exciting than Mayfield’s TD run with 12 seconds left in the first half. On a second-and-goal from the 10, he avoided pressure and went for the end zone. He was hit by Cor’Dale Flott low and Dru Phillips high around the 2-yard line, and he was airborne when he crossed the goal line. The ball came loose when he hit the turf but he jumped up and flexed — seemingly mocking DeVito’s go-to celebration — as the Bucs took a 23-0 lead. DOLPHINS 34, PATRIOTS 15 MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Tua Tagovailoa threw for 317 yards and four touchdowns, including two scores to running back De’Von Achane, and Miami routed New England. The Dolphins (5-6) have a thin margin for error the rest of the season but have kept themselves afloat with a three-game winning streak. With their win at New England (3-9) in Week 5, the Dolphins have swept their division rivals in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1999-2000. Tagovailoa, who moved to 7-0 in his career against New England, entered the game with a league-high 73.4% completion rate and went 29 for 40. Backup Skylar Thompson replaced Tagovailoa with about 11 minutes left in what was already a blowout, but a bad handoff on his first play resulted in a fumble that was recovered by cornerback Christian Gonzalez and returned 63 yards for a touchdown. It cut New England’s deficit to 31-15, and Tagovailoa returned the next drive. TITANS 32, TEXANS 27 HOUSTON (AP) — Will Levis threw for 278 yards and his 70-yard touchdown pass to Chig Okonkwo put Tennessee on top in the fourth quarter and the Titans held on for a win over the Texans. Okonkwo grabbed a short pass and rumbled for the touchdown to put the Titans (3-8) up 30-27 with 91⁄2 minutes remaining. Safety Eric Murray missed a tackle that would have stopped him near midfield. The Texans (7-5) had a chance to tie it with less than two minutes remaining, but Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 28-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide left. He fell to the ground after the miss before getting up and slamming his helmet on the field. Titans coach Brian Callahan held both hands in the air and smiled after watching the miss that allowed his team to win on a day it had three turnovers. The Texans forced a three-and-out, but couldn’t move the ball after that and Harold Landry sacked C.J. Stroud in the end zone for a safety to make it 32-27 and allow Tennessee to snap a two-game skid. VIKINGS 30, BEARS 27, OT CHICAGO (AP) — Sam Darnold threw for 90 of his 330 yards in overtime to set up Parker Romo’s game-ending 29-yard field goal , and Minnesota outlasted Chicago after giving up 11 points in the final 22 seconds of regulation. Darnold threw two touchdown passes, Jordan Addison caught eight passes for a career-high 162 yards and a touchdown, and T.J. Hockenson had 114 yards receiving for the Vikings (9-2), who remained one game behind Detroit in the rugged NFC North. Caleb Williams threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns for the Bears (4-7), who lost their fifth straight. Minnesota appeared to have the game in hand, leading 27-16 with 1:56 left after Romo kicked a 26-yard field goal. But the Bears weren’t finished. Deandre Carter made up for a muffed punt that led to a touchdown in the third quarter with a 55-yard kickoff return to the 40. Williams took it from there, capping an eight-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Keenan Allen. A 2-point conversion pass to DJ Moore made it 27-24 with 22 seconds remaining. The Bears recovered the onside kick and Williams hit Moore over the middle for a 27-yard gain to the 30 before spiking the ball. Cairo Santos made a 48-yard field goal as time expired.
Congressional Republicans and former Trump appointees have spent the last year building out their response to the movement protesting Israel’s war in Gaza , and now that Donald Trump is returning to the White House they warn that protest leaders, activists and those who help them raise money could face an onslaught of federal investigations and possible indictments. An NBC News review of congressional hearings and letters, along with lawsuits filed by organizations led by former Trump officials, provides a preview of which federal laws a second Trump administration could use when pursuing investigations and potential prosecutions. Judging from what has been pushed thus far, there are several legal measures most likely to be used once Trump returns to Washington. One would be deporting foreign college students in the U.S. on a visa after they’re found to have openly advocated for Hamas or another U.S.-designated terror group, or after they participated in an unauthorized campus protest and were suspended, expelled or jailed. Another measure would be to pursue federal prosecutions of demonstrators who block synagogue entrances or disrupt Jewish speakers at events. A third approach is to charge protest leaders and nonprofits that aid in fundraising for protest groups with failing to register with the U.S. Justice Department as an “agent of a foreign principal.” And a fourth avenue is to open investigations into protest leaders who are in direct contact with U.S.-designated terror groups while advocating on their behalf. The multifaceted law enforcement approach is a marked departure from the Biden administration’s response to the protest movement. Some of the nation’s leading civil rights groups told NBC News that they are gearing up for a flood of legal battles to protect the protesters. “Trying to predict what Trump will do is a fool’s errand. We have to be prepared for the most extreme version of what he’s threatened,” said Ben Wizner, the director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Speech, Privacy and Technology Project. “We have to take him both literally and seriously.” ‘A new sheriff in town’ Biden administration officials have told NBC News that prosecuting speech-related crimes related to the anti-war protests is not a high priority for the current Justice Department, nor is seeking out student protesters on foreign visas a top concern for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “President Trump will enforce the law,” said Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, in an email to NBC News. Ernst recently asked the FBI to open an investigation into a pro-Hamas student group at Columbia University called Columbia University Apartheid Divest. A member had threatened “Zionists” on social media , which the organization had initially distanced itself from after a strong public outcry but later supported in an Instagram post . CUAD also has handed out pro-Hamas flyers that circulated around campus featuring masked men holding weapons. “There is a new sheriff in town,” Ernst said. The FBI has yet to respond to Ernst’s request, her office said. An FBI spokesperson did not immediately respond to request for comment. A Columbia University spokesperson said CUAD is not a recognized organization by the school and the flyers were under investigation. Members of CUAD declined to comment. Reed Rubinstein, who held high-ranking positions in both the Justice Department and the U.S. Education Department in the first Trump administration, is now a senior vice president at America First Legal, a public policy law firm in Washington, D.C., founded by former Trump adviser Stephen Miller. (Miller is expected to return to the White House as a deputy chief of staff for policy.) Under Rubinstein, America First Legal has in the past year filed four lawsuits that provide a glimpse into how the Trump administration could differ from its predecessor. America First Legal alleges in the suits that the State Department, the Justice Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Education have protected pro-Hamas extremists. In court papers and in letters to several federal oversight officials, America First Legal has also said it believes the Justice Department should have forced several leaders of pro-Palestinian groups to report themselves under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, known as FARA, which requires individuals acting as “an agent of a foreign principal” to register themselves with the Justice Department. It has also accused the Department of Education of not following Title VI regulations, which prohibits schools that accept federal funding from allowing on-campus discrimination based on race, shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics including being Jewish. “There’s a difference between lawful speech and unlawful conduct,” Rubinstein told NBC News. “Law enforcement has an obligation to act.” Although the lawsuits haven’t progressed in court, they provide a possible road map for how Trump-minded prosecutors could respond to the protest movement. So far, only the Education Department has responded to the allegations, court papers show, and said the agency doesn’t have sufficient evidence to respond to the claims that policies aren’t being enforced. The Justice Department didn’t respond to a request for comment. Spokespeople at the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Education all said they can’t comment on pending litigation. Rubinstein in an interview brought up an additional law he expects a second Trump administration could enforce. Known as the FACE Act , the law prohibits people from using force, threats or intimidation while blocking entrances of places of worship. Earlier this month, protesters with SJP Chicago gathered at the Chicago Loop Synagogue to demonstrate against an Arab Israeli speaker who had served in the Israeli military. Videos posted to social media showed demonstrators blocking the synagogue’s entrance, banging on the windows and getting inside. “You do not have the right to deny somebody the ability to congregate in a church or synagogue,” Rubinstein said. “We would like to see the Department of Justice do its job.” A spokesman for the FBI’s Chicago office said its policy is not to confirm or deny the existence of an investigation. The Chicago Police Department said it arrested two protesters and charged them with trespassing and one with property damage, both misdemeanor charges. SJP Chicago did not respond to a request for comment. But in an Instagram post, it said protesters were not being anti-Jewish. “Zionist have scrambled to throw together a narrative that these acts were anti-semetic and fueled by hate (what’s new).” An expected flood of legal battles Some of the nation’s leading free speech and civil rights groups say they are gearing up to fight a new Trump administration and any attempts to go after protesters or their funders. Since 9/11, organizations including the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), along with the ACLU, the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Knight First Amendment Institute have represented Muslim Americans and pro-Palestinian activists in cases involving free speech, surveillance or abuse. Edward Ahmed Mitchell, CAIR’s deputy executive director, argued that the Biden administration failed to enforce FARA against leaders of pro-Israel groups. Mitchell said both Trump and President Joe Biden single out pro-Palestinian activists with either a lack of enforcement or with too much enforcement. “Just as Americans who peacefully marched, protested and lobbied against segregation, the Vietnam War and South African apartheid were not deterred when government agencies spied upon, smeared, arrested and brutalized them,” Mitchell said, “the college students, human rights activists and everyday Americans peacefully opposing the Gaza genocide have not been deterred by such government abuses and, God willing, will not be deterred by such abuses in the future.” Both CCR and the ACLU told NBC News that their concerns go beyond what the administration could do to crack down on just the protests. They pointed to the possibility that a Republican-led Congress could pass a bill currently under consideration that would strip away the tax-exempt status of nonprofits that a Trump appointed treasury secretary designates as providing material support to “terrorist supporting organizations.” CCR also said it worries a second Trump administration could wrongly level accusations of failing to register as foreign agents against protest leaders and nonprofits that aid protest groups with collecting donations. CCR is also watching whether a Trump Justice Department will charge certain activists accused of supporting Hamas and other U.S.-designated terror organizations with violating a U.S. anti-terror law that prohibits advocating for terror groups while in coordination with them. “We are prepared for the Trump administration coming in and changing the game, particularly around the question, ‘Where does speech fit into this?’” said Vince Warren, CCR’s executive director. “To the extent that the Biden administration drew a line between speech and actionable conduct, we don’t think that the Trump administration will do that at all.” CCR is also concerned about the plans laid out in Project Esther , an initiative backed by the Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank that published Project 2025 . Project Esther urges law enforcement to use a plethora of federal and state laws to dismantle what it terms the “global Hamas Support Network” using racketeering laws — used to break up the mafia — along with anti-terrorism and anti-hate speech laws. “They will throw any type of spaghetti up against the wall,” Warren said. The Knight Institute said although it expects the new Trump administration to aggressively police speech, it is prepared to fight back. Earlier this month, Knight successfully rebuffed the Biden Treasury Department, which had blocked a New York based nonprofit from organizing an overseas conference with Hezbollah members, arguing it can’t work with people sanctioned for ties to terrorism groups. The agency reversed course and settled the case earlier this month after Knight argued that an academic exchange of ideas could not violate anti-terror laws. “If there’s one thing the First Amendment protects, it’s the right of Americans to criticize their own government’s policies,” said Jameel Jaffer, the Knight Institute’s executive director. The ACLU’s Wizner struck a similar note, saying: “The courts have made clear that the First Amendment protects all manner of controversial advocacy, including advocacy of violence, so long as the speaker isn’t actively inciting imminent harm,” Wizner said. Impact on college campuses Kenneth Marcus, who ran the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights during the Trump and George W. Bush administrations, now leads the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, one of the leading civil rights organizations focused on Jewish students. Over the past year, the center has sued a growing list of universities arguing officials failed to stop what it sees as widespread antisemitism on campus. Marcus said he has met with Department of Education officials requesting an expansion of civil rights enforcement to protect Jewish students on campuses. The Department of Education didn’t respond to questions regarding Marcus’ concerns. “We know that President Trump has repeatedly expressed concern about the campus situation,” Marcus said. During the presidential campaign, one of the 20 promises in the preamble to the Republican Party platform was to “deport pro-Hamas radicals and make our college campuses safe and patriotic again.” NBC News reported in August that the Biden administration said it was not targeting visa revocations for foreign students who may have engaged in speech-related offenses or participated in unauthorized campus protests and had not terminated any university or college student visas due to protest activity related to the Israel-Hamas war. Trump’s return to Washington could lead to possible attempts to revoke student visas for foreign students who openly support Hamas or other U.S.-designated terror organizations, Marcus said. Marcus also anticipates more intervention from the Justice Department when Jewish students say they are being targeted on campus. At a campaign stop in September , Trump said that at the start of his second presidency, he would inform universities that if they allow violence and threats against Jewish students, they “will be held accountable for violations of the civil rights law.” “My administration will move swiftly to restore safety for Jewish students and Jewish people on American streets,” Trump said.Victoria Police are investigating an incident in the downtown core on Christmas Eve, involving a stolen vehicle that evaded officers before being recovered. Around 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 24, officers received a call from the owners of a stolen vehicle that it had been spotted being driven downtown, Vic PD confirmed in an email to Victoria News. Officers located the vehicle and moved into position behind it. However, the driver ran a red light, which caused officers to end their pursuit for public safety reasons. Police located the stolen vehicle again, a few moments later, immobile. In an attempt to prevent the individual from fleeing further, officers executed a manoeuvre which resulted in the stolen vehicle losing one of its tires. Despite the damage, the vehicle managed to flee the scene on three wheels. The pursuit resumed as the stolen vehicle sped down some of Victoria's busiest arteries. Many social media users commented on the event and posted videos of the sighting. “Holy there is a guy driving a three-wheeled 4x4 down Douglas sparks flying with two dozen cops chasing them they almost hit us,” said Facebook user Takuma Valcourt. VicPD confirmed that the stolen vehicle was later recovered, and the investigation remains ongoing.
A man hired at $250 an hour to help the St. Helens School District’s communications team deal with its ongoing “crisis” has resigned from the job after it became known that he had a felony conviction for embezzlement. The Northwest Regional Education Service District, which contracted with Thomas DeLapp, acknowledged it never did a background check on DeLapp. It said it only conducts background checks for its contractors or consultants who work directly with children, said Kelsey Soltysiak, the education district spokesperson. DeLapp, 73, spoke to reporters last week during a video news conference to announce the name of an independent investigator tapped to look into the St. Helens School District’s mandatory reporting policies and training in the wake of the arrests last month of two high school teachers on sexual abuse allegations and the arrest two weeks later of the high school principal accused of failing to report sexual abuse complaints involving the teachers. DeLapp introduced himself as a new communications assistant hired to help the district deal with its “crisis,” after having worked in school communications for nearly 50 years. By Monday afternoon, DeLapp submitted his resignation, writing in an email to the St. Helens acting superintendent and the Northwest Regional Education Service District that his “personal indiscretion involving financial mismanagement” in his local school foundation had become “an unfortunate distraction.” “My continued presence will draw too much negative publicity and undercut the credibility of your efforts to improve the reputation of/ and trust in the school district,” DeLapp’s email said. A PR specialist hired by the St. Helens School District has resigned after a prior felony conviction for embezzlement came to light. The regional education district had signed a contract with DeLapp, paying him $250 an hour, from Nov. 15 through June 30, 2025, according to the contract obtained through a public records request. “We had hoped his expertise would help St. Helens School District take its initial steps toward restorative and corrective action, especially given the overwhelming feedback the district was getting from community members about the lack of information and transparency,” Soltysiak said by email. “Instead, his engagement is a distraction and undercuts the district’s credibility.” DeLapp was charged in Placer County Superior Court in Roseville, California, in February with embezzlement, accused of stealing $52,000 from the Rocklin Educational Excellence Foundation where he is listed as a founding chairperson. The foundation supports local schools in the Rocklin Unified School District. In July, he pleaded no contest to the charge and was sentenced to two years of probation, according to court documents. Reached Wednesday afternoon, DeLapp said he is working to pay back the $52,000 in restitution owed. He declined to discuss the embezzlement, other than admitting he was sentenced after issuing a plea. He said the Northwest Regional Education Service District sought him out on behalf of the St. Helens School District, “simply because I dealt with these kinds of situations before.” DeLapp had not disclosed his felony conviction to the Oregon regional education district, and did not until a community member alerted the school district this week after it circulated on social media. Get local news delivered to your inbox!STORZ & BICKEL Makes History as First Vaporizer Brand to Sponsor NYLON House During Miami Art Week
Editor’s note : Chris Wright has been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as Energy secretary and this column is reprinted from March 27, 2022. The energy transition is not happening. Or not nearly at the pace that everyone believes or wishes. At rates the “transition” is set to finish in the mid-2600s. The U.N. Rio Convention and subsequent Kyoto Protocol launched the energy transition drive in 1992. Global energy consumption from hydrocarbons has grown massively since then, with market share only declining by four percentage points over the last 30 years from 87% in 1992 to 83% in 2022. I am not celebrating this fact as I have spent years working on energy transition technologies. The energy transition isn’t failing for lack of earnest effort. It is failing because energy is hard, and 3 billion people living in energy poverty are desperate for reliable and scalable energy sources. Meanwhile, 1 billion energy-rich people are resistant to diminishing their standard of living with higher cost and an increasingly unreliable energy diet. There is no “climate crisis” either. If there is a term more at odds with the exhaustive literature surveys of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change than “climate crisis,” I have not heard it. Climate change is a real global challenge that is extensively studied. Unfortunately, the facts and rational dialogue about the myriad trade-offs aren’t reaching policymakers, the media or activist groups. Or are they are simply ignoring these inconvenient truths? For example, we hear endlessly about the rise in frequency and intensity of extreme weather. This narrative is highly effective at scaring people and driving political action. It is also false. The reality is detailed in countless publications and summarized in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports. Deaths from extreme weather have plunged over the last century, reaching new all-time lows last year, an outcome to be celebrated. This is not because extreme weather has declined. In fact, extreme weather shows no meaningful trend at all. Deaths from extreme weather events have declined because highly energized, wealthier societies are much better prepared to survive nature’s wrath. You are not supposed to say out loud that there is no climate crisis or that the energy transition is proceeding at a glacial pace. These are unfashionable and, to many, offensive facts. But let’s be honest. Energy transition ambitions must recognize reality. Otherwise, poor investment decisions and regulatory frameworks will lead to surging global-energy and food prices. This is exactly what is happening. We are here today in large part because energy transition efforts that previously encompassed solely aggressive support of alternative energy policies, economics be damned, have recently supplemented this strategy with growing efforts to obstruct fossil fuel development. Fossil fuels make the modern world possible. The real crisis today is an energy crisis. It began to reveal itself last fall with a severe shortage in globally traded Liquified Natural Gas (LNG). The LNG crisis has not abated, and it gives Russia’s Vladimir Putin tremendous leverage over Europe. Without Russian gas, the lights in Europe go out. Amid war, public outrage, and intense sanctions, Russian gas flows to Europe remain unchanged. Russian oil exports have continued with minimal interruption. The world can talk tough about sanctioning Russian energy exports, but those exports are vitally needed; hence they continue. Energy security equals national security. The world energy system, critical to human well-being, requires meaningful spare capacity to handle inevitable bumps in the road. In the electricity sector, which represents only 20% of global energy but 40% in wealthy countries, this is called reserve capacity. In the oil market, spare production capacity today is shrinking and concentrated in OPEC nations like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Also, there is a massive global storage network in surface tanks and underground caverns. In natural gas markets, there are extensive underground storage reservoirs and typically spare export capacity through pipelines and large industrial LNG export and import facilities. The last several years have seen this spare capacity whittled away due partly to lower commodity prices and poor corporate returns shrinking the appetite to invest. Excess capacity has also shrunk due to regulatory blockage of critical energy infrastructure like pipelines and export terminals. Roadblocks for well permitting and leasing on federal lands, together with a mass public miseducation campaign on energy and climate alarmism, are also stymying hydrocarbon development. Investment capital is further constrained by a corporate Environment, Social and Governance movement, and divestment campaigns. These factors are shrinking hydrocarbon investment below what it otherwise would be in response to price signals and outlook for supply and demand. The net result is a constrained supply of oil, natural gas, and coal, which means higher prices and greater risk of market dislocations like the one unfolding today. High energy and food price inflation is the cruelest form of tax on the poor. After a few specific examples, I’ll return to what we should do now to reverse these damaging and deeply inequitable trends. Why does the world today suffer from a severe shortage of LNG? Demand for natural gas has been growing strongly for decades. It provides a much cleaner substitute for coal in electricity production, home heating, and a myriad industrial and petrochemical uses. Rising displacement of coal by natural gas has been the largest source of greenhouse gas emission reductions. Unfortunately, the aforementioned factors have prevented supply from keeping pace with rising demand. Energy shortages drive rapid prices rises and have cascading impacts on everything else. Energy is foundational to everything humans do. Everything. Perhaps the most critical use of natural gas is nitrogen fertilizer production. Roughly a century ago, two German chemists, both subsequently awarded Nobel Prizes, developed a process to produce nitrogen fertilizer on an industrial scale. Before the Haber-Bosch process innovation, nitrogen content in soil was a major constraint on crop productivity. Existing nitrogen sources from bird guano, manure, and rotating cultivation of pea crops were limited. Today, elimination of natural gas-synthesized nitrogen fertilizer would cut global food production in half. The LNG crisis translates into a worldwide food crisis as skyrocketing fertilizer prices are cascading into much higher food prices. Wheat prices are at a record high and will likely head higher as spring plantings suffer from under fertilization. Global LNG markets are tight because rising demand has outrun the growth in LNG export capacity in the United States, now the largest LNG exporter. We have an abundance of natural gas in the United States. Unfortunately, we have a shortage of pipelines to transport this gas and LNG export terminals, preventing us from relieving the energy crisis in Europe and around the world. These pipeline and export terminal shortages are due in large part to regulatory blockage. The result is that natural gas prices in the United States and Canada are five to 10 times lower than in Asia and Europe. This deeply disadvantages consumers and factories (like fertilizer factories) in Europe and Asia that rely on LNG imports to fulfill their needs. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine did not cause today’s energy crisis. Quite the reverse. Today’s energy crisis is likely an important factor in why Russia chose to invade Ukraine. Europe’s energy situation is tenuous and highly dependent on Russian imports. Russia is the second-largest oil and natural gas producer after the United States. Russia is the largest exporter of natural gas, supplying over 40% of Europe’s total demand. Additionally, Russia is the largest source of imported oil and coal to Europe. Europe put itself in this unenviable position by pursuing unrealistic, politically-driven policies attempting to rapidly transition its energy sources to combat climate change. Europe’s energy pivot has been a massive failure on all fronts: higher energy costs, grave energy insecurity, and negligible climate impacts. Germany is the poster child of this failure. In 2000, Germany set out to decarbonize its energy system, spending hundreds of billions of dollars on this effort over the last 20 years. Germany only marginally reduced its dependence on hydrocarbons from 84% in 2000 to 78% today. The United States matched this 6% decline in hydrocarbon market share from 86% in 2000 to 80% today. Unlike in the U.S., Germany more than doubled its electricity prices — before the recent massive additional price increases — by creating a second electric grid. This second grid is comprised of massive wind and solar electric generating sources that only deliver 20% of nameplate capacity on average, and often less than 5% for days at a time. The sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow. Hence, Germany could only shrink legacy coal, gas and nuclear capacity by 15%. It now must pay to maintain both grids. The legacy grid must always be flexing up and down in a wildly inefficient manner to keep the lights on, hospitals functioning, homes heated, and factories powered. Outside the electricity sector, Germany’s energy system is largely unchanged. It has long had high taxes on gasoline and diesel for transportation, and lower energy taxes on industry. Germany subsidizes industrial energy prices attempting to avoid the near-complete de-industrialization that the UK has suffered due to expensive energy policies across the board. Over the last 20 years, the United States has seen two shale revolutions, first in natural gas and then in oil. The net result has been the U.S. producing greater energy than consumed in 2019 and 2020 for the first time since the 1950s. The U.S. went from the largest importer of natural gas to the second-largest exporter in less than 15 years, all with private capital and innovation. The shale revolution lowered domestic and global energy prices due to surging growth in U.S. production. Surging U.S. propane exports are reducing the cost and raising the availability of clean cooking and heating fuels for those in dire energy poverty still burning wood, dung, and agricultural waste to cook their daily meals. U.S. Greenhouse gas emissions also plunged to the lowest level on a per capita basis since 1960. Imagine the world’s energy situation today with the American shale revolution. We are starting to hamstring and squander the enormous benefits of the shale revolution. The same misinformed anti-hydrocarbon crusade that impoverished Europe and made it heavily dependent on Russia is now sweeping the US. California and New England had adopted European-style energy policies driving up electricity prices, reducing grid reliability, and driving manufacturing and other energy-intensive, blue-collar jobs out of their states. Colorado is not far behind. California, a state with a plenitude of blessings, managed to create the highest adjusted poverty rate in the nation with an expensive, unstable power grid increasingly reliant on coal-powered electricity imports from Nevada and Utah. New England’s proximity to Pennsylvania’s clean low-cost natural gas resources was a stroke of luck. But it refused to expand the natural gas pipelines running from Pennsylvania, leaving it chronically short of natural gas, its largest source of electricity and cleanest option for home heating. Instead, it remains heavily reliant on fuel oil for home heating and occasionally imports LNG from Russia to keep the lights on. Last winter New England burned copious amounts of fuel oil to produce electricity which went out of fashion in the 1970s elsewhere in the US. Texas has not been immune from energy illiteracy and collateral damage. Texas’ poorly designed electric grid, structured to encourage investment in renewables, led to hundreds dying in the 2021 Uri cold spell. No one would pay the same price for an Uber that showed up whenever convenient for the driver and dropped you off wherever they desired. But that is what Texas does with electricity: paying the same price for reliable electricity that balances the grid as they do for unreliable, unpredictable electricity. No wonder the reliability of the Texas grid has declined and is headed for more trouble. The common thread in these cases is unrealistic beliefs in how rapidly new energy systems can replace demand for hydrocarbons, currently at all-time highs. Political intervention and miscalculation have led to overinvestment in unreliable energy sources and, far worse, underinvestment in reliable energy sources and infrastructure. The full costs of this colossal mal-investment have been somewhat hidden from view as spare capacity in the global energy network has mostly kept the train on the tracks. Now that excess capacity has shrunk to a critically low level, more impacts are hitting home. Like the disease, the cure takes years to run its course. But that longer time frame is no excuse not to act now in a thoughtful fashion to begin rectifying historical blunders. Steel, cement, plastics and fertilizer are the four building blocks of the modern world and all are highly reliant on hydrocarbons. Most critically this means removing the growing myriad obstacles to hydrocarbon development, justified in the name of fighting climate change. This is nonsense. Overly cumbersome hurdles to hydrocarbon development in the U.S. do nothing to change oil and gas demand. They simply displace U.S. production overseas where production practices are less stringent and less ethical. Resulting in increased greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants, reduced economic opportunities for Americans, and increased geopolitical leverage of Russia and OPEC — see the invasion of Ukraine. Climate change is a long-term problem best addressed with technologies cost-effective today like natural gas, energy efficiency, and nuclear. The solution requires combining today’s commercial low-carbon energy sources with research and technology development in carbon sequestration, next-generation geothermal, and economical energy storage to make solar and wind more viable. Today the price mechanism must destroy energy demand to bring it in line with short-term supply. This reduces the quality of living, especially for low-income families. The price mechanism will also incentivize new supply to the extent possible in the face of growing regulatory hurdles, infrastructure shortages, and capital starvation. A revaluation of all three of these factors is urgently needed. Is the overarching goal “energy transition” at all costs? Or is it humane policies that better human lives and expand opportunities for all? We need to replace the former mindset with the latter. Chris Wright is chairman and CEO of Liberty Energy, a Denver-based hydraulic fracturing company.It has taken new Michigan coach Dusty May just nine games to guide the Wolverines into the Top 25. May and the Wolverines enter the poll at No. 14 and strive to continue their strong start when they face Arkansas in the Jimmy V Classic on Tuesday night in New York. Michigan (8-1) has reeled off seven straight wins to crack the rankings for the first time in nearly 25 months. "All this stuff doesn't matter to me," May said of the rankings. "It does change the complexion of what we think about and things like that. Overall, I like where we are. We have guys who work well together and they put in the time." The Wolverines look to remain hot against the Razorbacks (7-2). John Calipari's first Arkansas squad has won its past two games. Calipari spent the previous 15 seasons as coach of Kentucky and claims he's excited to be in Arkansas. "I'm not bitter about anything. I'm not," Calipari said. "This is the first page of the first chapter of a new book. The timing for me and my career and my life, this is perfect. And I appreciate the fans and everybody giving me the opportunity to do that." The Razorbacks will be searching for their initial milestone victory under Calipari during their first visit to Madison Square Garden since 1997. Their losses this season are to then-No. 8 Baylor and Illinois on neutral courts. Calipari grabbed several players out of the transfer portal in the offseason, including guard Johnell Davis, one of the stars of the Florida Atlantic team that reached the 2023 Final Four. That squad was coached by May. One of the other Florida Atlantic starters was center Vladislav Goldin, who followed May to Michigan after the coach was hired in the offseason. Goldin has strung together three straight solid games, including a season-best 24 points in a 67-64 road win over then-No. 11 Wisconsin on Dec. 3. He followed that up with 20 points and a season-high 11 rebounds in Saturday's 85-83 home win over Iowa. "He's just been a guy that you can see when he's really locked in and focused there's a different level of play," said May, "and I think now he's finding that level of play." Goldin is part of a balanced attack. Roddy Gayle Jr. averages a team-best 12.2 points per game, followed by Tre Donaldson and Danny Wolf at 12.1 and Goldin at 12.0. Wolf averages a team-best 10 rebounds per game. Arkansas is coming off a 75-60 home victory over UTSA on Saturday. Adou Thiero excelled by matching his career high of 26 points to go with 10 rebounds. Thiero scored 17 points in the second half when the Razorbacks overcame a five-point halftime deficit to outscore the Roadrunners by 20. "We've been seeing that the whole summer," Arkansas forward Trevon Brazile said of Thiero's strong play. "Him dominating. Dominating in practice and (Calipari) pushing him. This is just a reflection of the work he's done this summer and him trusting the coaches." Thiero leads the Razorbacks with averages of 18.6 points and 6.1 rebounds. Boogie Fland is averaging 15 points and Zvonimir Ivisic is scoring 12 per game. Davis (9.3) started slow with just two double-digit outings in the first seven games before averaging 12.5 over the last two games. Michigan holds a 4-3 edge in the all-time series. The Wolverines recorded an 80-67 home victory on Dec. 8, 2012 in the most recent meeting. --Field Level Media
Kalyan: Several hundred Kalyan residents attempted on Thursday to stop the ambulance carrying the body of the 13-year-old girl for the last rites, saying the rites should be conducted only after the accused had got the death penalty. Police then convinced the crowd through social workers and local BJP MLA Sulabha Gaikwad, after which the body was taken for cremation. Several thousand gathered for the funeral, demanding justice for the girl and death rap for the accused. When the body reached the crematorium, residents demanded an assurance of action from CM Devendra Fadnavis . DCP Atul Zende told the gathering the CM had issued an order that the case be heard in a fast-track court and had appointed a special public prosecutor. Several people asked how the accused, Vishal Gawli, had got out of jail despite three cases of sexual assault being registered against him. They said if police had collected proper evidence, the accused would not have got bail and would not have been able to commit such a heinous crime. Late Thursday evening, some residents of Kalyan held a candle-light march from near the girl's house to Kolsewadi police station. On Thursday night DCP Zende went around the city, caught youths consuming alcohol in public places, made them do sit-ups and let them go after a warning. Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , Location Guesser and Mini Crossword .
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Bjork is 'absolutely' confident that Day will return next year at Ohio StateA private funeral was being held on Monday for murdered UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson as police detained a suspect in the case, a source familiar with the family’s plans told NBC News . The suspect was first caught on surveillance cameras in Manhattan , and had evaded a massive police search. However, Pennsylvania police said they had detained a 26-year-old who was caught with a gun similar to the one used in the shooting. Investigators believe he was in the city for 10 days before the shooting, at one point lifting his mask to speak to a hostel employee. A photo from the camera capturing that moment has been circulated worldwide. Beyoncé ’s mom Tina Knowles has raised eyebrows by “liking” an Instagram post reporting that her son-in-law Shawn Carter (better known as Jay-Z ) had been named in a rape lawsuit involving a 13-year-old and incarcerated former mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs , according to Page Six . The Knowles matriarch was screenshotted having tapped the heart icon on the post by ABC7 Chicago, which had a photo of Combs and Jay-Z with the headline, “Jay-Z, Diddy Named In Lawsuit Alleging Rape of Girl, 13.” Page Six was able to verify that Knowles’ official Instagram account had liked the post, but could not reach her for comment. The unexpected social media move by Knowles follows years of her supporting her daughter’s marriage to the rapper in the press . It also follows the infamous Knowles family elevator fight in 2014, in which Beyoncé’s sister Solange attacked the rapper on an elevator with Beyoncé present. That incident was never addressed publicly by Jay-Z or the family. Jay-Z has responded to the rape allegations in the new lawsuit, however, with a public statement in which he called the suit a “ blackmail attempt ” by the plaintiff’s lawyer, Tony Buzbee, and vehemently denied the claims. Not everyone wants to be a tipsy elf during the holidays. Increasingly, people are searching for alcohol alternatives that have relaxing benefits with fewer negative effects. That’s the intention behind Cycling Frog’s THC Seltzers. They are made with cannabis extracts for a lighter buzz than marijuana products normally offer. That makes them ideal for both experienced users and newcomers to enjoy. This season, they come in three holiday flavors, each only 60 calories with 0% alcohol. The star of the season is the Cran Razz THC Seltzer (6-Pack) , which offers 10 mg. of THC per can. That is double the amount of the other seltzers making it a great option for people with cannabis experience. An industry favorite, the Black Currant THC Seltzer, (6-Pack) received a gold medal at the 2024 LA Spirits “High Spirits” Awards. This flavor is sweet and tart with 5 mg. of THC per can. Wild Cherry THC Seltzer (6-Pack) was crafted for the holiday season. It also contains 5 mg. of THC per can with sour cherry and pear flavors. If you buy something from this post, we may earn a small commission. Pope Francis has sparked a new wave of concern for his health after appearing with a black bruise and a swollen neck at a Vatican event. Francis, who turns 88 later this month, appeared at the ceremony Saturday to appoint new cardinals. The Vatican later said in a statement that Francis had a minor fall and hit his chin on the bedside table. At the ceremony, the pontiff did not appear affected by the injury. He has struggled with health issues in the past and currently uses a wheelchair because of knee and back pain. He was hospitalized earlier this year due to breathing issues and also underwent surgery to repair an abdominal hernia. Francis’ predecessor, Pope Benedict, relinquished his post in 2013 at the age of 85, citing declining health. Benedict was the first pope in 600 years to resign. Hope Walz claimed Joe Rogan fans are a relationship “red flag.” The 23-year-old daughter of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz , shared her dating tip for screening men online with her nearly 200,000 followers on TikTok. “A litmus test for me and my friends for like years now has been if the guy we’re talking to follows Joe Rogan on Instagram, they’re a red flag and we should probably stop talking to them,” Walz said on Saturday. “And the times when they do follow him on Instagram and we haven’t stopped talking to them... it’s never ended well.” Rogan, a popular and controversial podcaster, hosts an eponymous show. Men make up 80 percent of his listeners. Walz’s anti-Rogan rule, she alleged has “never failed” her and her friends. “If they follow him we’re like, yeah, this person probably isn’t a great person and probably our values don’t align so we’re gonna move on from that. And honestly it’s worked out well for all of us.” Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, Rogan hosted Donald Trump on his show, alongside a slew of MAGA loyalists. Ultimately the podcaster endorsed Trump over Kamala Harris and Walz’s father. Scouted selects products independently. If you purchase something from our posts, we may earn a small commission. As any true audiophile already knows, Amazon Music Unlimited has long been a reliable destination for an elevated listening experience. With millions of high-quality songs and an unparalleled collection of top ad-free podcasts, the platform’s catalog is curated to capture both your attention and your imagination. Now, Amazon is raising the bar with an exciting update: Audible is officially joining Amazon Music Unlimited, cementing the brand’s status as an all-in-one audio hub . Audible’s industry-leading catalog of audiobooks features an expansive selection of can’t-miss bestsellers, hot-off-the-press exclusives, and timeless classics to immerse yourself in. As an Amazon Music Unlimited subscriber, you’ll be free to select one book each month (of any length) and listen to it directly in the Amazon Music app . Whether you’re a fiction buff ready to dive into a thrilling new adventure or a non-fiction enthusiast looking to expand your horizons, Audible’s expansive collection is sure to have the right title that matches your tastes. Plus, when you’re ready to take a break from the book, you can seamlessly swap back to your favorite tunes and podcast episodes —all without having to leave the app. It’s all the audio that you’ll ever need, all in one place! Best of all, this game-changing update is arriving just in time for the holiday season: start a new subscription , and enjoy your first three months of Amazon Music Unlimited, completely for free. Audio art, conversation, and storytelling—all in one place. What’s not to love? Sign up today and get lost in the sound . Only Murders in the Building landed Golden Globe Award nominations for its three big stars—Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez—on Monday. But missing from the list was their supporting co-star Meryl Streep , who failed to extend her streak as the most nominated actor in the award show’s 80-year history. Streep, who plays Short’s on-screen (and possibly off-screen?) love interest, earned her 33rd Golden Globe nomination last year for Best Supporting Actress on the Hulu comedy. Gomez was a double nominee for her role in the Netflix film Emilia Pérez , which led in overall nominations with 10, followed by The Brutalist with seven and Conclave with six. Other big snubs included directors John M. Chu for Wicked: Part One and Denis Villeneuve for Dune: Part Two . Pamela Anderson was a surprise Best Actress nominee for The Last Showgirl , which the Baywatch star is hoping could lead to an Oscar nomination in the new year. President-elect Donald Trump launched a baffling claim Monday that " Democrats are fighting hard to get rid of the Popular Vote in future Elections." In a post on his Truth Social network, he added: “They want all future Presidential Elections to be based exclusively on the Electoral College !” In fact, the popular vote has in recent decades heavily favored Democrats and, this year, Trump became the first Republican to win the popular vote in 20 years. Democratic candidates have won the popular vote in five of the seven presidential elections in the 21st Century, losing two of those elections to Republicans who got fewer votes on a national level. Not only is there no Democratic effort to shore up the Electoral College, many prominent Democrats— including the party’s 2016 nominee for president Hillary Clinton , who won more votes than Trump but lost the Electoral College—have argued in favor of a popular vote for president. It is very likely that Trump and George W. Bush , who lost the 2000 popular vote to Al Gore, would have never been elected president were it not for the Electoral College. Daniel Penny was acquitted of all criminal charges after the chokehold death of Jordan Neely on the subway—a case that sparked a debate on New York City’s mental health resources and public safety. The jury acquitted Penny of criminally negligent homicide, after throwing out the manslaughter charge on Friday when the jury twice couldn’t come to a unanimous verdict. The charge of criminally negligent homicide would’ve put Penny behind bars for four years; the manslaughter charge had a maximum of 15 years. Penny, a former Marine, put Neely, who was homeless at the time, in a chokehold for six minutes after Neely said, “someone is going to die today,” in May 2023. No witness testified that Neely touched or made any move towards another passenger, though many testified that they were afraid of Neely during his rant. He did not have a weapon on him. Prosecutors noted that Penny kept Neely in the chokehold even after the passengers had left the train. But jurors sided with Penny’s defense—that he was justified in protecting his fellow passengers in the face of an erratic homeless man, who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and previously had over two dozen encounters with the police. The defense also questioned if it was the chokehold that killed Neely. A famously lanky English soccer legend has cast his verdict on Barron Trump’s skills after a clip of the 18-year-old playing went viral again. Peter Crouch became a household name in England for his exploits on the pitch, and for his comical appearance. Crouch, now retired, towered over his opponents quite like a young Barron, who was seen playing the sport in a resurfaced clip that is doing the rounds again. In it, Barron—who is now 6-foot-9, dwarfs the other kids on the pitch as he shows off an impressive array of skills. On X, Crouch shared the clip Sunday and simply said: “Baller.” Barron is reportedly soccer mad , and instead of boozing and chasing girls at college he spends his time playing the soccer game FC25, formerly known as FIFA. He also rubbed shoulders with another former England star, Wayne Rooney, when the Manchester United legend was managing D.C. United in the MLS. “(Donald) asked me to give his son football lessons,” Rooney said. Resurfaced video shows Barron Trump playing soccer. pic.twitter.com/Ew2DkUPFUI Scouted selects products independently. If you purchase something from our posts, we may earn a small commission. If you’re looking to revamp your at-home fitness lineup ahead of 2025 and don’t have hours to commit to exercising each day, allow us to introduce you to the CAROL Bike . The science-backed and AI-powered fitness bike is engineered to give you maximum results in the shortest time possible—and by the shortest time, we mean as little as five minutes. 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You can try the CAROL Bike for yourself risk-free for 100 days, and the brand offers free shipping (7-10 business days) in the U.S. A would-be hijacker flying with his wife and two kids assaulted a flight attendant as he allegedly made a mad dash for the controls on a commercial flight in Mexico . The man, named only as Mario, was flying from El Bajio in the country’s south to Tijuana near the border with California when he suddenly made a beeline for the cockpit in a bid to reroute the Volaris plane to the U.S., the airline said. Thankfully, crew and passengers managed to subdue him and the pilot issued an alert before the aircraft was landed at the International Airport of Guadalajara in central Mexico. The 31-year-old suspect claims he had received a death threat in which he was warned not to travel to Tijuana. It is unclear at the time of writing whether the man was armed, but he was handed over to authorities in Guadalajara as the flight continued without him to its final destination. “All passengers, crew and aircraft are safe,” Volaris said. ‘Polarization’ is officially Merriam-Webster’s 2024 word of the year, in a not-so-subtle nod to the U.S. in the wake of the election . The American publisher revealed the choice to AP ahead of the official announcement. “Polarization means division, but it’s a very specific kind of division,” Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Webster’s editor at large, told the title. “Polarization means that we are tending toward the extremes rather than toward the center.” Merriam-Webster’s choice is backed by the huge search traffic its site receives, and this year the data suggested that people wanted the exact definition of the word—especially in the lead-up to Donald Trump’s election win. The site’s own definition reads: “Division into two sharply distinct opposites especially: a state in which the opinions, beliefs, or interests of a group or society no longer range along a continuum but become concentrated at opposing extremes."
Following a brief interlude away after losing their bid for Mayor of Ottawa in 2022, Catherine McKenny is returning to politics, this time on the provincial stage. The Ontario NDP announced the former Ottawa city councillor – who served for two terms – as its newest candidate for Ottawa-Centre in the next provincial election. McKenney will replace the former candidate Joel Harden, as he seeks a seat with the federal NDP. “The work we did together at the City was meaningful. Together, we fought for real progress for our city—whether it was advocating for better transit, including improvements to Para Transpo, championing affordable housing, advancing a robust climate plan, or creating safer streets, parks, and public spaces. Every initiative was driven by a vision for a stronger, more inclusive community,” McKenney said on social media when announcing their bid for nomination last month. “I am running to be your next Member of Provincial Parliament because I believe we can continue this important work.” McKenney is the , a national non-profit organization focused on building cities where everyone can thrive. They are a passionate advocate for transportation, climate policy, affordable housing and “Catherine is ready to fight for a better future for Ottawa Centre—building homes you can afford, transit you can rely on, and health care that’s there when you need it,” the NDP posted on its official X account. McKenney’s impact on Ottawa has not gone unnoticed. In the 2022 mayoral election they came second, winning 38 percent of the vote. The next provincial election must come before June 2026 but Premier Doug Ford has yet to announce a formal date.Guwahati, Nov 24 (PTI) Asserting that the BJP has always been focused on minority voters without any appeasement policies, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said the party’s victory in the Karimganj Lok Sabha constituency in June and the recent bypoll in the Samaguri assembly seat reflects the success of its principal of treating all equally. Addressing a press conference here, he said the BJP has its roadmap defined for the minority-dominated seats for the 2026 assembly elections. “Our focus has always been on minority voters but with the principal ‘appeasement to none, justice to all’. It has also been reflected in our ‘sabka saath, sabka vikash’ motto,” he said. Sarma claimed that as a result of this non-appeasement policy, the BJP had won the Karimganj Lok Sabha seat and now the Samaguri assembly constituency, both of which have about 65 per cent Muslim voters. “Karimganj was the best and most critical result for me in the Lok Sabha polls. But everyone was writing about Jorhat and undermining Karinganj,” he said, referring to the attention to Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi’s victory. The CM said the BJP has its roadmap defined for minority-dominated seats for the assembly polls, and though it cannot make an impact in all, it has identified at least five-six constituencies to make inroads. “Keep an eye on Lahorighat, North and South Karimganj, Samaguri and Rupohi seats next elections. Whether BJP will win or not I cannot say, but we will give a good contest,” he stated. Sarma also claimed that the Badruddin Ajmal-led AIUDF not contesting in Samaguri this time has worked in favour of the BJP. “If the AIUDF had fielded its candidate, our votes would have gone to them. The AIUDF not being in the fray has worked for us,” he said. Describing the BJP-led ruling alliance’s victory in all the five assembly seats in the by-elections as an “unprecedented success”, the CM said, “Generally, bypolls ahead of general elections bring uncertainty for the ruling party and keep the government under pressure. But we are grateful to the people for their massive support. We were confident of winning four seats, but being able to get Samaguri out of Congress’s clutches after 25 years has been something else.” Besides Samaguri, bypolls were held in Behali, Dholai, Bongaigaon and Sidli. Accusing the press of giving more attention to Behali where Gogoi was campaigning, Sarma said, “When I tracked coverage last month, it felt like there were no readers or viewers in Dholai, Bongaigaon and Sidli.” Speaking at the felicitation programme for the three winning candidates at the BJP state headquarters later, Sarma said all of them were self-made with no political lineage. “Our ideal is Narendra Modi, Atal Behari Vajyapee, not some royal family. For Congress, their ideals are the royal family, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi,” he added. He also affirmed that the BJP remains committed to its allies, and pointed out that it left the Bongaigaon and Sidli seats to AGP and UPPL for the bypolls. “But the Congress snatched Behali from CPI(ML) Liberation, which had earlier contested there as the opposition alliance member,” he said. The CM said the bypolls were a reflection of the mood of the people in different parts of the state as all the assembly segments were located in specific geographical locations. Mentioning the victory in Samaguri, he said, “It was a tough seat for us as the demography there was different from those who have been voting for BJP so far. But our policy of equal development worked.” Referring to an attack on him while campaigning in Samaguri in 2016, he said, “It feels like justice that in the same panchayat where we had come under attack, we polled 49.5 per cent of the votes this time.” PTI SSG SSG SOM This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. 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Gone are the days of relying solely on traditional cable TV or physical media for our viewing pleasure. Instead, we now have a plethora of options at our fingertips, thanks to the advent of media streaming devices. These devices, ranging from streaming sticks to set-top boxes, have revolutionized the way we consume content, offering unparalleled convenience and flexibility. Whether it’s catching up on the latest Netflix series, streaming live sports events, or accessing a vast library of on-demand movies, media streaming devices have become an integral part of modern entertainment setups. Table of Contents The Rise of Smart TVs and Integrated Streaming Services With the proliferation of smart TVs in recent years, many consumers may wonder if dedicated media streaming devices are still necessary. After all, most modern televisions come equipped with built-in streaming apps and internet connectivity, allowing users to access popular services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video directly from their TV screens.However, while smart TVs offer a convenient all-in-one solution for streaming content, they often lack the advanced features and customization options found in dedicated media streaming devices. Moreover, the user experience and performance of built-in streaming apps can vary significantly depending on the TV manufacturer and model. The Need for Dedicated Media Streaming Devices For avid streamers and home entertainment enthusiasts, dedicated media streaming devices offer several advantages over built-in smart TV apps. These devices typically provide a more responsive and user-friendly interface, along with a wider range of streaming options and features.Additionally, dedicated media streaming devices often receive more frequent software updates and support for new streaming services, ensuring a more future-proof entertainment experience. Whether it’s accessing live TV channels, streaming music, or playing casual games, these devices offer a versatile and customizable entertainment solution for users of all preferences. Exploring the Best Media Streaming Devices of 2024 In the ever-expanding market of media streaming devices, several standout options have emerged, each offering unique features and capabilities to cater to different user needs and preferences. At the forefront of the media streaming landscape is the Google Chromecast with Google TV. This device stands out for its intuitive interface, intelligent search functionality, and comprehensive support for various streaming formats, including Dolby Vision HDR video and Dolby Atmos audio.Unlike traditional streaming platforms that rely on a grid-based app layout, the Google TV home page prioritizes personalized recommendations and recently watched content, making it easier for users to discover new shows and movies. Additionally, the inclusion of a live TV interface further enhances the viewing experience, allowing seamless integration of live channels from multiple apps. Another top contender in the media streaming market is the Roku Streaming Stick 4K. This compact HDMI stick offers a clean and simple interface, making it easy to navigate and access a wide range of streaming services.One of the standout features of the Roku Streaming Stick 4K is its ability to draw power from the TV’s USB port, eliminating the need for an additional power source. The inclusion of AirPlay 2 support also allows users to stream content from their iOS devices with ease.While the Roku interface may not be as visually polished as Google TV, it offers extensive customization options and support for all major 4K HDR video standards. Additionally, the RF-based remote provides added convenience, with dedicated power and volume controls for the TV and a built-in microphone for voice search. The Amazon Fire Stick provides a seamless and intuitive way to stream a vast selection of movies, TV shows, music, and more directly to your television. With its compact design and plug-and-play functionality, the Fire Stick transforms any standard TV into a smart entertainment hub, offering access to popular streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, and Prime Video. One of the key advantages of the Fire Stick is its integration with Alexa, Amazon’s virtual assistant. Users can use voice commands to search for content, control playback, and even access other smart home devices, making for a hands-free and convenient viewing experience. Additionally, the Fire Stick’s user interface is designed for ease of navigation, with personalized recommendations and curated content tailored to individual preferences. The Future of Media Streaming Devices As technology continues to evolve, we can expect media streaming devices to become even more advanced and sophisticated in the years to come. With the ongoing development of high-resolution video formats, immersive audio technologies, and enhanced user interfaces, the future of home entertainment looks brighter than ever.Moreover, as streaming services continue to proliferate and compete for consumers’ attention, media streaming devices will play a crucial role in delivering a seamless and integrated viewing experience across various platforms and content sources. Conclusion: Embracing the Era of Media Streaming In conclusion, the world of media streaming devices offers a wealth of options for consumers seeking to enhance their home entertainment setup. Whether it’s the sleek and modern interface of the Google Chromecast with Google TV or the versatility and convenience of the Roku Streaming Stick 4K, there’s a device to suit every preference and budget.As we look to the future, the role of media streaming devices in shaping the way we consume content will only continue to grow. With their advanced features, customizable interfaces, and seamless integration with streaming services, these devices have become indispensable tools for modern-day entertainment enthusiasts.So, whether you’re binge-watching your favorite TV series, catching up on the latest blockbusters, or discovering new music and podcasts, media streaming devices offer endless possibilities for entertainment at your fingertips. Embrace the era of media streaming and unlock a world of entertainment like never before.