B[ Za76TFp8p ϳ CX їF*ݑ18 >EYs%2PYSbWӹ5s`aѝ< t 3HcbQ K0 ˫N WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday that he has chosen Keith Kellogg, a highly decorated retired three-star general, to serve as his special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, who is one of the architects of a staunchly conservative policy book that lays out an “America First” national security agenda for the incoming administration, will come into the role as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine enters its third year in February. Trump, making the announcement on his Truth Social account, said, “He was with me right from the beginning! Together, we will secure PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH, and Make America, and the World, SAFE AGAIN!” Kellogg, an 80-year-old retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as national security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence, was chief of staff of the National Security Council and then stepped in as an acting security adviser for Trump after Michael Flynn resigned. People are also reading... As special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Kellogg will have to navigate an increasingly untenable war between the two nations. The Biden administration has begun urging Ukraine to quickly increase the size of its military by drafting more troops and revamping its mobilization laws to allow for the conscription of those as young as 18. The White House has pushed more than $56 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s February 2022 invasion and expects to send billions more before Biden leaves office in less than two months. The U.S. has recently stepped up weapons shipments and has forgiven billions in loans provided to Kyiv. Trump has criticized the billions the Biden administration has spent in supporting Ukraine and has said he could end the war in 24 hours, comments that appear to suggest he would press Ukraine to surrender territory that Russia now occupies. As a co-chairman of the American First Policy Institute’s Center for American Security, Kellogg wrote several of the chapters in the group’s policy book. The book, like the Heritage Foundation’s “Project 2025,” is designed to lay out a Trump national security agenda and avoid the mistakes of 2016 when he entered the White House largely unprepared. 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.” Trump's proposed national security adviser, U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz of Florida, tweeted Wednesday that “Keith has dedicated his life to defending our great country and is committed to bringing the war in Ukraine to a peaceful resolution.” Kellogg featured in multiple Trump investigations dating to his first term. He was among the administration officials who listened in on the July 2019 call between Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in which Trump prodded his Ukrainian counterpart to pursue investigations into the Bidens. The call, which Kellogg would later say did not raise any concerns on his end, was at the center of the first of two House impeachment cases against Trump, who was acquitted by the Senate both times. On Jan. 6, 2021, hours before pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, Kellogg, who was then Pence’s national security adviser, listened in on a heated call in which Trump told his vice president to object or delay the certification in Congress of President Joe Biden ’s victory. He later told House investigators that he recalled Trump saying to Pence words to the effect of: “You’re not tough enough to make the call.” Baldor reported from Washington. AP writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report. Be the first to knowThe news of this temporary change sparked interest and speculation among both the media industry and the general public. Willcox, known for his incisive reporting and dedication to investigative journalism, is stepping into the shoes of Ashton, a veteran journalist with a reputation for breaking groundbreaking stories and holding those in power accountable.
In the world of period dramas, few series have left as indelible a mark as "Empresses in the Palace." With its compelling narrative, stunning visuals, and powerhouse performances, the series continues to captivate audiences and inspire a new generation of fans. As the cast members gather once again to celebrate their shared experiences and the enduring legacy of the series, fans can look forward to a night of nostalgia, laughter, and heartfelt reminiscences as they honor the "Empresses in the Palace" and the unforgettable bond that unites them.
On the other hand, conflicting accounts suggest a more sinister explanation for the female graduate's presence in the village. Some villagers claim that she was brought to the village against her will, either by force or deception, and has been kept there under dubious circumstances ever since. These accounts paint a darker picture of her situation, raising concerns about her well-being and autonomy.For the second straight Major League Baseball offseason, a norm-shattering contract has been the talk of the winter , with Juan Soto agreeing with the New York Mets on a $765 million, 15-year deal that's the richest in baseball history. It comes almost exactly one year after the Los Angeles Dodgers forked out a princely sum of $700 million on a 10-year, heavily deferred deal for two-way Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani. They are believed to be the two richest contracts in pro sports history. The way it's going, a contract approaching $1 billion doesn't seem out of the question. But several factors are working against it — at least in the near future. There's reason to believe the megadeals for Ohtani and Soto are unicorns in the baseball world. Both players are uniquely talented, surely, but both also had unusual circumstances propelling their value into the stratosphere. Ohtani is the greatest two-way player in baseball history, capable of improving any team on both sides of the ball. He's also the rare baseball player who has true international appeal . His every move ( like his unexpected marriage announcement ) is followed closely in his native Japan, adding another 125 million potential fans who buy merchandise, watch him play and help fill the Dodgers' coffers. Then there's Soto — a four-time All-Star and on-base machine who won a World Series with the Washington Nationals in 2019. The X-factor for him is he became a free agent at the prime age of 26, which is extremely hard to do under current MLB rules. Players have to be in the big leagues for six years before testing free agency. The precocious Soto debuted at 19 with the Nats, making him part of a rare group of players who reached the highest level of professional baseball as a teenager. That accelerated his free agency timeline. It's rare for players to debut that young, and rarer still for them to develop into stars and test the open market the first chance they get. Two recent examples are Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, who both reached free agency in 2019. Machado signed a free-agent record $300 million contract with San Diego, and Harper overtook him days later with a $330 million contract to join the Phillies. Most players debut in the big leagues from ages 22 to 26, which means free agency comes in their late 20s or early 30s. A typical example is Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, who is one of this generation's great players but didn't hit the market until he was 30. Judge played three seasons of college baseball for Fresno State before getting drafted by the Yankees in 2013 at age 21 — already two years older than Soto was when he made his MLB debut. It took a few years for the budding superstar to reach the majors, and he was 25 when he had his breakout season in 2018, smashing 52 homers to earn AL Rookie of the Year honors. By the time he reached free agency after the 2022 season, he had already passed age 30. It's a major factor that led to him signing a $360 million, nine-year deal with the Yankees, which seems downright reasonable these days after the Ohtani and Soto deals. Two major trends are colliding that will make it harder for guys like Soto to hit free agency in their mid 20s. First, MLB teams have been more likely in recent years to take college players early in the draft, betting on more experienced talents. Just 10 high school players were drafted among the top 30 picks in the 2024 draft . Second, teams are more eager to lock up young, premium talent on long-term deals very early in their careers, well before they hit free agency. Sometimes before they even reach the majors. Since Soto, just two players have debuted in MLB before their 20th birthday — Elvis Luciano and Junior Caminero. Luciano hasn't been back to the majors since his 2019 cup of coffee. Caminero is now 21 and has only played in 50 big league games. Among those that debuted at 20: Fernando Tatis Jr. signed a $340 million, 14-year deal with San Diego in 2021, years before reaching the open market. Milwaukee's Jackson Chourio got an $82 million, eight-year deal before even reaching the big leagues. Young stars Corbin Carroll ($111 million, eight years with Arizona), Bobby Witt Jr. ($288 million, 11 years with Kansas City) and Julio Rodriguez ($209.3 million, 12 years with Seattle) also got massive guarantees early in their 20s to forgo an early free agency. The exception and wild card: Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be a 26-year-old free agent next offseason. Guerrero hasn't been as consistent in his young career as Soto, but a standout 2025 season could position him to threaten Soto's deal. More likely is that the player to pass Soto isn't in the majors yet — and might not even be in pro baseball. When 25-year-old Alex Rodriguez signed his record $252 million, 10-year deal with Texas in 2001, it took over a decade for another player to match that total, when Albert Pujols got $240 million over 10 years from the Angels in 2012. For many players, passing up life-changing money in their early or mid 20s is too enticing, even if it means that they might not maximize their value on the free agent market later in their careers. Soto was determined to test the market. He famously turned down a $440 million, 15-year offer to stay with the Washington Nationals in 2022, betting that he could make even more as a free agent. Not many players would turn down that kind of cash. Then again, that's what makes Soto so unique. And it's also why his $765 million deal could be the industry standard for some time. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Samsung’s new cloud service lets you play games without downloading themThe tragic death of Liu Dameili serves as a cautionary tale for both influencers and cosmetic surgery patients alike. The pursuit of perfection and beauty should never come at the cost of one's health and safety. Authorities are now investigating the circumstances surrounding her death and considering further regulatory measures to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.In conclusion, China's economy in 2024 is characterized by a diverse set of drivers that are driving high-quality development and shaping the country's future economic landscape. From technological innovation to structural reforms and a focus on domestic consumption, these factors are propelling China towards sustained growth and prosperity. By harnessing the power of these drivers and embracing a holistic approach to economic development, China is well-positioned to navigate challenges and seize opportunities in the rapidly evolving global economy.
PHILIPPI, W.Va (WV News) — Philip Barbour’s MacKenna Halfin ended a storybook career of high school volleyball with a third Class AA state title in four years last week. She and the rest of the senior Colts made the state championship match in all four seasons. In the state tournament, MacKenna had 20 or more kills in all three matches, totaling 67 kills in 11 sets while also collecting 41 total digs. “I think that once that switch flipped, she just started swinging,” Philip Barbour coach Heather Halfin said. “The passes got better, but I honestly felt like she couldn’t be stopped.” Coach Halfin calls her one of the most dominant players she has coached. It’s a pretty tall order considering the program has now won seven state titles and has been to the state tournament for 23 consecutive seasons. “I think that she’s one of the best,” coach Halfin said. “I’ve seen some really good players come through my program and others that are incredibly solid players. When I evaluate a player, I try to look at the total player. It’s not just how hard they hit the ball or how well they serve or set. I try not to just pick one aspect. I try to look at everything, and MacKenna is truly a total player.” Her career closes with unreal stat totals — 2,058 kills, 1,590 digs, 357 blocks, 151 aces and over 1,233 serve receives. With MacKenna serving as a middle in her final three seasons, coach Halfin calls her stats the stuff of legend. “I would chance to say that there are only a few middle blockers in West Virginia that have hit 2,000 kills,” coach Halfin said. “McKenzie Carpenter did for me. If you find more, they are usually the players that coaches are still talking about — Aana Wherry from Parkersburg and Cameron Yoho from Tyler Consolidated are two I can think of. To get to that number as a middle is unheard of. Those players are legends.” Her reasoning is due to MacKenna playing an unconventional position for a team’s strongest hitter. More often than not, that player plays on the outside and receives the more optimal set. “If you go to a hitting camp, you’ll have 75 out of 100 kids playing outside hitter,” coach Halfin said. “Because that push outside is an easier ball to adjust to, she has learned to adjust to sets coming from different areas of the floor.” Instead, MacKenna, as a middle blocker, is a centerpiece of the defense while also being a player that can read the floor from multiple angles and send the ball in either direction. “She can pound the ball from everywhere and cut the ball like no one I’ve ever seen,” coach Halfin said. “That’s something that her national and other travel coaches have pointed out about her — Anyone can be a good hitter with a good setter, but she adjusts so well to anything she is given. “That’s not an indictment of our setters, though,” coach Halfin continued. “They are trying to force the ball to her in the middle. If you watch high-level volleyball, you know that the ball is set to the outside more often than not. It’s the easiest set.” It shows that her game has plenty of potential as she will play volleyball collegiately next fall. “I’m confident that if she was an outside hitter, she could’ve had 3,000 kills,” coach Halfin said. “I think it makes her a more versatile player because she is able to get to any ball and kill it. I’ve seen her get a ball from everywhere on the court.” But while MacKenna will hit a ball with the force that makes players scatter, her defensive prowess sets her apart. “She struggled a little bit in the beginning of the championship game, but her back-row play has gotten really good,” coach Halfin said. “We’ll watch college games, and she can tell you exactly where the ball is going to be hit. She reads the court so well, and that makes a good player. She can read every spot.” Coach Halfin is quick to point out just how impressive 1,000 digs can be for any player, but she then points to how it is especially impressive for hitters to reach that mark. “Back row is out of your control,” coach Halfin said. “You are adjusting to where the other team is placing the ball. Any time that someone digs the ball 1,000 times, you have kept someone from a point 1,000 times. It’s impressive.” MacKenna, a middle blocker, had over 1,500. “Having 1,000 good digs is insane when it’s not your only job,” coach Halfin said. “It’s impressive when a libero or defensive specialist does it, but when you wear multiple hats, it becomes super. Any front row player getting that is impressive.” With the end of MacKenna’s career comes the end of coach Halfin’s time coaching her daughter. She calls her a true competitor and looks forward to watching her continue to grow. “She’s been listening to me gripe as a coach since she started going on trips with me,” coach Halfin said. “I remember her being in an infant seat and coming along. I don’t really think there was a turning point for her competitiveness until she was a freshman.” Coach Halfin points back to a team camp in the summer before MacKenna’s freshman season. “She had let a ball drop to the floor,” coach Halfin said. “She didn’t play it because someone called it out, which I didn’t know. I jumped all over her, ‘We don’t let a ball drop. You should know that.’ Of course, you’re always harder on your kids.” “She looked at me and was tearing up,” coach Halfin said. “So I took her out until she was okay. After the game, I remember looking at her and telling her that when she’s on the court, I am no longer her mother. I am coach. I told her to let me coach her.” “Alyssa Hill was a senior that year, and she just goes, ‘Listen MacKenna, your mom has made all of us cry at some point,’” coach Halfin said. “And I was like, no way. And then Emily (Denison) raises her hand and says, ‘Raise your hand if Halfin has made you cry,’ and they all did. After that, she realized not to take coaching personally.” Four years later, MacKenna will be remembered as one of the best to ever do it. “I would say that it’s hard to be her because she’s my kid,” coach Halfin said. “I have big shoulders, so people can say what they want to. She’s earned every second she was on the floor. There was never a question. She has also shared me as a mom since she has been alive, so that is hard, too. Once she got used to it, it all worked out.”The reunion of iG and TES in the group stage has sparked nostalgia among fans, as they reminisce about the past glory days when players like Rookie, TheShy, and JackeyLove were part of the same team. These talented individuals, known for their exceptional skills and competitive spirit, were once united under the iG banner and achieved great success in the League of Legends scene.Laura Loomer has been kicked off lots of social media sites, including Twitter. After bought the service in 2022, he reinstated her, along with many others who had been booted by Twitter's previous management. Now, Loomer Musk's service has demoted her by stripping her account's "premium" blue-check status and other benefits. She says Musk made the move because she was criticizing his stance on immigration. You may be unaware of Loomer — described by Wikipedia as "an American , conspiracy theorist, and internet personality" — and/or the online rock fight about immigration and racism breaking out among different wings of Trump supporters. If so, that could mean you have a healthy relationship with the internet. Good for you. If you'd like to know more about the latter, my colleague Hasan Chowdhury has an . You could also, at your own risk, consult Twitter/X's own of the story. My point is, you don't need me to tell you about this. I simply want to remind you that — if Loomer's allegation is correct — this would be par for the course for Musk and his social media company. (Musk hasn't denied Loomer's charges, and has told his followers to ignore her because she's " ." I've asked her and Twitter/X for additional comment.) As I've noted before, the most consistent thing about at Twitter is his erratic, flip-flopping, inconsistency. Sometimes it's about relatively small stuff, like wooing to start a talk show on Twitter, and then canceling the deal before the show ever started. Sometimes it's about really big stuff — like agreeing to then spending weeks in court trying to buy it. In any case, the only way you can be surprised by stuff like this at this point is if you never paid attention. But I do think it's still worth pointing out. Because while Musk's management style at Twitter hasn't changed, his responsibilities have changed. He's no longer just the richest person in the world, who runs important companies like Tesla and SpaceX, in addition to Twitter. , given his importance to Donald Trump and his upcoming administration. There's , for starters. And the fact that he appears to be . And that he used Twitter to temporarily tank a this month. We don't know how long this arrangement is going to last, and what kind of impact Musk is going to have. But we do know that for now, a man with the power to affect the way the American government operates is the same man who can change the way he runs Twitter depending on how he feels at any given moment. We shouldn't ignore that. Read the original article on
In conclusion, Marcus Rashford's worth goes far beyond his market value and weekly salary. He is a symbol of talent, resilience, and social responsibility, making him a truly valuable asset for both Manchester United and the footballing world at large. With 4 years remaining on his contract, one thing is certain – Marcus Rashford is a player whose value cannot simply be measured in monetary terms. He is a force to be reckoned with, both on and off the field, and his impact will continue to be felt for years to come.None
Five Oregon water projects receive $9 million, regulators delegate grant authority