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miss wow wowowin It didn’t take much to stir Jack Eichel’s national pride in looking ahead to representing the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament . Appearing on a Team USA Zoom call on Thursday, the Vegas Golden Knights forward jumped right in when reminded how U.S. teams featuring NHL players competing in best-on-best international tournaments haven’t won a gold medal since the 1996 World Cup of Hockey series. “I’ll take it,” Eichel interjected after Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy apologized for not hearing the question. “I think there’s a lot to prove for us as USA Hockey,” Eichel said. “I think for a while it was Canada on a pedestal by themselves. And I think for us, we feel like we’ve closed that gap. And I think this is a great opportunity to prove that.” From the Boston area, Eichel supported his case by referring to the growing pool of American talent that’s entered the NHL though the U.S. national development program over the past decade. And that’s reflected in how a majority of the U.S. team’s 23-player roster is made up of USNDP alumni, Eichel included. “Obviously, we feel very confident in our group and the names on our roster,” Eichel said. “But that’s only half the battle. You’ve got to go out there and do it. And we’re excited for that opportunity.” The 4 Nations Face-Off was unveiled last All-Star Weekend. It splits NHL players from Canada, Finland, Sweden and the U.S. into four teams, replacing the All-Star Game format this season. Eichel’s comments came a day after the nations unveiled their entire rosters to compete in the NHL/NHL Players' Association-backed tournament being split between Montreal and Boston and running from Feb. 12-20. Though talented, the Americans have lacked success at the senior international level. The U.S. last medaled at the world championships by winning bronze in 2021, and hasn’t placed better than third since 1960 at Squaw Valley, which also doubled as the Winter Games. The Americans' last Olympic gold came with amateurs competing at the 1980 Lake Placid Games, since dubbed the “Miracle On Ice,” while winning silver medals with NHL players in 2002 and 2010 — both times losing to Canada. And then there was 1996, when goalie Mike Richter earned World Cup MVP honors in helping the Americans beat Canada in a decisive Game 3 of the final series. “I think we check every box there is,” McAvoy said. “I think the confidence amongst us in our group should be sky high.” Story continues below video The U.S. team’s brain trust, headed by Wild GM Bill Guerin and Penguins coach Mike Sullivan, prioritized experience over potential in filling out the 17 remaining roster spots. Forwards Chris Kreider, of the Rangers, and Brock Nelson, of the Islanders, are the oldest players on the team at age 33, and have extensive world championships experience. The youngest player is also the only one with Olympic experience: 22-year-old Minnesota defenseman Brock Faber, who played at the Beijing Games in 2022 when the NHL pulled out because of pandemic-related scheduling issues. They’ll go up against a talent-laden Team Canada that features forwards Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon and defenseman Cale Makar. The U.S. team is particularly strong down the middle with Eichel, Auston Matthews and Dylan Larkin. Another strength is in net with a trio led by two-time Vezina Trophy-winner Connor Hellebuyck and rounded out by Jake Oettinger and Jeremy Swayman. USA Hockey has enjoyed its most success in winning two of the past four world junior championships and six since 2004. Four Nations teammates McAvoy, Oettinger and defenseman Adam Fox were members of the U.S. team that won the 2017 world junior title. Team Canada officials also went with a veteran-laden group, featuring 14 players who have won at least one Stanley Cup title. “You can’t put a price tag on experience,” Canada and Lightning coach Jon Cooper said Thursday. “I truly believe this is a tournament where you’re basically playing three Game 7s (in the preliminary round). ... There’s no real margin for error," he added. “This is as competitive a group as you will find. Every one of these players will lay in traffic for their country." The Canadian Press contributed to this story. AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhlBillionaire Elon Musk's Starlink satellite business won the first federal license to provide wireless service from space to an American telecommunications company. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said it approved a plan by T-Mobile to use Starlink's satellites to reach remote areas and eliminate so-called dead zones, Reuters reported Tuesday. The move came after the FCC last month temporarily allowed SpaceX and T-Mobile to provide direct-to-cell coverage in areas of North Carolina devastated by Hurricane Helene. The companies announced a partnership in 2022 and Musk's SpaceX rocket company launched the first set of satellites for the venture into low-Earth orbit in January. "The FCC is actively promoting competition in the space economy by supporting more partnerships between terrestrial mobile carriers and satellite operators to deliver on a single network future that will put an end to mobile dead zones," said FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel. Over 500,000 square miles of the U.S. are unreachable by cell towers because of the terrain, land-use restrictions and other factors, according to T-Mobile. Starlink has launched about 7,000 satellites into orbit since 2018 and controls about two-thirds of those in use, Reuters reported in September. Last year, the FCC denied it $885.5 million in subsidies to provide rural residents with high-speed broadband internet access, saying it "failed to demonstrate that it could deliver the promised service." T-Mobile's stock was trading at $246.56 a share late Wednesday afternoon, up more than 1%. Starlink is a unit of SpaceX, which is in early discussions to sell insider shares that could boost its value to around $255 billion, making it the most valuable private company in the U.S., Bloomberg reported earlier this month.

TAMPA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 5, 2024-- STELLATM Automotive AI, Inc. (“STELLA”), a provider of automotive artificial intelligence technology, announced a new round of convertible loan financing, which raised $11 million to drive market growth, continue to build its team and support ongoing product enhancement and development. The raise was led by existing investor and strategic partner Reynolds and Reynolds with participation from other existing strategic investors, including more than 15 large private automotive dealership groups, as well as new investors Sheehy Auto Stores and Butler Automotive Group. The Presidio Group acted as exclusive financial advisor to STELLA for the convertible loan financing. “The ongoing support from our original investors has been tremendous, and we appreciate their confidence in STELLA’s AI technology,” said STELLA CEO Rich Sands. “The market’s embrace of our technology has been robust, and this funding will help STELLA deliver our innovative products that improve operational efficiency and the customer experience to more dealerships. We expect STELLA’s rapid customer and revenue growth to continue over the next year.” STELLA plans to use the capital raised to accelerate the onboarding of dealership clients; expand its team, including in leadership; advance product development; and introduce enhanced features to its suite of AI tools. STELLA’s technology helps dealerships solve longtime industry pain points around engaging with customers in a timely and helpful fashion. STELLA’s AI assistant can simultaneously handle unlimited inbound calls as it engages in natural language conversations 24/7 to deliver a world-class customer experience. The STELLA assistant is expertly trained on a wide range of automotive retail topics and can personalize the customer engagement process when booking service appointments, leading to higher customer retention and lower operating costs for dealerships. STELLA’s products integrate with existing dealership software offered by companies like Reynolds, a longtime leading provider of the full Retail Management System for auto retailers. The financing round underscores the intense interest that auto dealers and auto retail technology companies have in the potential for artificial intelligence to transform the industry and the customer experience. “We continue to invest heavily in artificial intelligence through both development and strategic partnerships,” said Chris Walsh, president of Reynolds. “The technology STELLA delivers creates huge efficiency gains for dealers, and when paired with Reynolds Spark AI unified data layer, the results increase exponentially.” Enthusiastic strategic investors like Reynolds and the many dealership groups backing STELLA provide a framework for real-time feedback to support quick product enhancement. Their interest also demonstrates the power that AI software holds for automotive retailing more broadly. “Presidio has seen the interest in AI solutions for the auto retail ecosystem skyrocket over the last year,” said Presidio CEO Brodie Cobb. “There is huge potential for AI tools to improve dealership efficiency and profitability and to make the sales and service experience for customers smoother and more painless. STELLA’s innovative technology is beginning to deliver on the promise artificial intelligence holds for the industry.” About The Presidio Group The Presidio Group (“Presidio”) was founded in 1998 with the simple mission to relentlessly put the interests of our clients first. By steadfastly adhering to this philosophy, the firm has earned the trust of clients throughout the United States. During their careers, the professionals at Presidio have collectively done more than 280 transactions totaling more than $18.5 billion. The Presidio Group is based in Denver and Atlanta. Presidio Merchant Partners LLC is a subsidiary of The Presidio Group LLC and is a member of FINRA and SIPC. For more information on Presidio, visit www.thepresidiogroup.com . About STELLA STELLATM Automotive AI, Inc. (“STELLA”) is the leading provider of automotive AI technology. STELLA, based in Tampa, Fla., helps auto dealers deliver a complete and intelligent customer experience via telephone, chat and web. STELLA’s digital assistant behaves like a staff member to complete repetitive tasks such as answering and routing phone calls, booking appointments and answering frequently asked questions about vehicle sales and service. STELLA sits on top of legacy software infrastructure and reports analytic information about customer behavior to the dealer. Dealership groups are adding STELLA to their stores every week with tens of thousands of customer calls being handled 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Learn more about STELLA at www.stellaautomotive.com . View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241205555844/en/ CONTACT: The Presidio Group Keith Style Managing director kstyle@thepresidiogroup.com 678-831-5523 www.thepresidiogroup.comSTELLA Shelli Clark Director of marketing shelli.clark@stellaautomotive.com (913) 485-2145 KEYWORD: FLORIDA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: SOFTWARE DATA ANALYTICS AUTOMOTIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES TECHNOLOGY GENERAL AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY SOURCE: The Presidio Group Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/05/2024 03:24 PM/DISC: 12/05/2024 03:24 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241205555844/enIn 2017, the Republicans who controlled Congress tried mightily to slash federal spending on Medicaid, the government-funded health program covering low-income families and individuals. California, like other states, depends heavily on federal dollars to provide care for its poorest residents. Analyses at the time showed the GOP’s proposals would cut Medicaid funds flowing from Washington by tens of billions of dollars, perhaps even more, forcing state officials to rethink the scope of Medi-Cal. But the GOP efforts ended in failure — iconically crystallized by Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, sick with terminal brain cancer, issuing his decisive early-morning thumbs-down. More than seven years later, here we go again. With Donald Trump preparing to reenter the White House, bolstered once more by Republican majorities in both houses of Congress, expectations are high that the GOP will quickly resurrect its long-desired goal of cutting Medicaid. Republicans want to finance large tax cuts, and the GOP platform under Trump pledges not to touch Social Security or Medicare. To be sure, that’s not set in stone. But for now, as my KFF colleagues have noted , Medicaid looks an awful lot like low-hanging fruit. (KFF is a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News.) Health officials in California and across the nation are on edge about the possibility of large-scale Medicaid cuts being enacted as soon as next year. Such cuts would have an outsize impact in the Golden State, whose 14.7 million Medi-Cal enrollees exceed the entire populations of all but three other U.S. states. Medi-Cal provides health coverage for over 40% of the state’s children and pays for nearly 40% of births. It is a crucial source of funding for safety net hospitals and community clinics. And over 60% of its $161 billion budget this year comes by way of Washington. The potential for big federal cuts to Medicaid may have been a factor in Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to call a special session of the state legislature this week. California could seek to offset a sharp drop in federal dollars with higher taxes or cuts to other state programs. But both those options could be politically untenable. That’s why many health experts think leaders in Sacramento would almost certainly have to consider shrinking Medi-Cal. That could mean cutting any number of optional benefits , such as dental services, optometry, and physical therapy. It might also mean rolling back some of the ambitious expansion Medi-Cal has undertaken in recent years. That could include some aspects of California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal, a $12 billion program of services that address patients’ social and economic needs in addition to their medical ones. Some observers fear federal cuts could affect the approximately 1.5 million immigrants living in the U.S. without authorization who are enrolled in Medi-Cal at an annual cost of over $6 billion, nearly all of it funded by the state. But others say a more likely route would be to reduce payments across the board to the managed care plans that cover 94% of Medi-Cal enrollees, rather than target any specific groups of people. “Medicaid is on the chopping block, and I don’t think that’s speculation,” says Gerald Kominski, a senior fellow at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. “It is widely viewed by potential members of Trump’s administration as a program that is too broad and needs to be brought under control.” Whether they can succeed this time remains to be seen. But more on that later. People who have followed previous GOP efforts to downsize Medicaid say a variety of previously attempted methods might be back on the table this time. They could include outright caps on federal Medicaid dollars; elimination of the core Affordable Care Act policy under which the feds pay 90% of the cost of expanding coverage to a wider swath of low-income adults; a work requirement, which could depress enrollment; and rule changes intended to make it harder for states to draw federal Medicaid dollars through the use of taxes on health care insurers known as MCOs. The first Trump administration proposed but later dropped changes to the rules governing such taxes. If similar changes were adopted this time around, they could cause financial headaches in California, which has frequently used MCO taxes to offset Medi-Cal spending from state coffers. Proposition 35, recently passed by California voters, could also be at risk. The initiative calls for the MCO tax to become a permanent fixture in 2027, pending federal approval, with the goal of financing billions of dollars in new Medi-Cal spending, primarily to increase funding for doctors and other providers. A federal rule change could upend those intentions. Termination of the federal government’s 90% coverage of the ACA Medicaid expansion would put a gaping hole in the Medi-Cal budget. Medi-Cal spent over $34 billion in fiscal year 2023 covering the roughly 5 million people who enrolled as a result of the expansion, and nearly $31 billion of that amount was paid by the federal government. If the feds’ share dropped back to its regular Medi-Cal rate of 50%, California would have to pony up nearly $14 billion more to keep the expansion enrollees covered — and that’s just for a year. A more ambitious GOP push, including both spending caps and a rollback of federal support for the Medicaid expansion, could really send California officials scrambling. In 2017, the state’s Department of Health Care Services issued an analysis showing that a legislative proposal filed by a group of Republican U.S. senators to cap Medicaid spending and end enhanced funding for the ACA expansion, along with some other cuts, would result in nearly $139 billion of lost federal funding to California from 2020 to 2027. “There are almost limitless changes state leaders could make to Medi-Cal if they are forced to do that,” says David Kane, a senior attorney at the Western Center on Law & Poverty. “And we fear that burden will almost certainly hurt poor people and immigrants the most.” But big Medicaid cuts are not a foregone conclusion. After all, when Trump was in the White House in 2017, Republicans also had House and Senate majorities and still did not achieve their goal. The political stars could be aligning differently this time, but the GOP has only a razor-thin majority in the House. A decade into the ACA’s Medicaid expansion, some 21 million people across the country have coverage through it, embedding the program more deeply in the nation’s health care landscape. According to a 2023 study from Georgetown University, Medicaid and the related Children’s Health Insurance Program cover a higher proportion of the population in rural counties than in urban ones. And as we know, rural America leans strongly Republican. Will GOP members of Congress, faced with a vote on cutting Medicaid, buck their own constituents? Edwin Park, one of the authors of that Georgetown study, thinks there’s a chance big cuts can be averted. “Large numbers of Americans are either on Medicaid, have family members on Medicaid, or know somebody on Medicaid,” says Park, a research professor at Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy. “Hopefully its popularity and its importance will win the day.”

EU urges FG to commit to implementing Disability ActNoneLosses for big technology stocks pulled major indexes lower on Wall Street. The S&P 500 fell 0.4% Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.3% from its record high a day earlier, and the Nasdaq composite lost 0.6%. Losses for Nvidia, Microsoft and Broadcom were the biggest weights on the market. Dell sank 12.2% after reporting revenue that fell shy of forecasts, and HP dropped 11.4% after giving a weaker-than-expected outlook. Treasury yields fell in the bond market. U.S. financial markets will be closed Thursday for Thanksgiving, and will reopen for a half day on Friday. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. Stocks wavered in afternoon trading on Wednesday, as losses for several Big Tech companies offset gains elsewhere in the market. The S&P 500 fell 0.4% in afternoon trading, even though more stocks were rising than falling in the index. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 135 points, or 0.3%, as of 3:05 p.m. Eastern time. Both indexes set records on Tuesday. The Nasdaq composite fell 0.5%. Losses for tech heavyweights helped pull the broader market lower. Semiconductor giant Nvidia slipped 1.6%. Its huge value gives it outsized influence on market indexes. Microsoft fell 0.9% Several personal computer makers added to Big Tech's heavy weight on the market following their latest earnings reports. HP sank 11.8% after giving investors a weaker-than-expected earnings forecast for its current quarter. Dell slumped 11.9% after its latest quarterly revenue fell short of Wall Street forecasts. Gains for financial and health care companies helped counter Big Tech's downward pull. Visa rose 0.9% and Thermo Fisher Scientific added 2.3%. The U.S. economy expanded at a healthy 2.8% annual pace from July through September, according to the Commerce Department, leaving its original estimate of third-quarter growth unchanged. The growth was driven by strong consumer spending and a surge in exports. The update follows a report on Tuesday from the Conference Board that said confidence among U.S. consumers improved in November, but not by as much as economists expected. Consumers have been driving economic growth, but the latest round of earnings reports from retailers shows a mixed and more cautious picture. Department store operator Nordstrom fell 8.5% after warning investors about a trend toward weakening sales that started in late October. Clothing retailer Urban Outfitters jumped 19.1% after beating analysts’ third-quarter financial forecasts. Weeks earlier, retail giant Target gave investors a discouraging forecast for the holiday season, while Walmart provided a more encouraging forecast. Consumers, though resilient, are still facing pressure from inflation. The latest update from the U.S. government shows that inflation accelerated last month. The personal consumption expenditures index, or PCE, rose to 2.3% in October from 2.1% in September. Overall, the rate of inflation has been falling broadly since it peaked more than two years ago. The PCE, which is the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation, was just below 7.3% in June of 2022. Another measure of inflation, the consumer price index, peaked at 9.1% at the same time. The latest inflation data, though, is a sign that the rate of inflation seems to be stalling as it falls to within range of the Fed's target of 2%. The central bank started raising its benchmark interest rate from near-zero in early 2022 to a two-decade high by the middle of 2023 and held it there in order to tame inflation. The Fed started cutting its benchmark interest rate in September, followed by a second cut in November. Wall Street expects a similar quarter-point cut at the central bank's upcoming meeting in December. “Today’s data shouldn’t change views of the likely path for disinflation, however bumpy," said David Alcaly, lead macroeconomic strategist at Lazard Asset Management. "But a lot of observers, probably including some at the Fed, are looking for reasons to get more hawkish on the outlook given the potential for inflationary policy change like new tariffs.” President-elect Donald Trump has said he plans to impose sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China when he takes office in January. That could shock the economy by raising prices on a wide range of goods and accelerating the rate of inflation. Such a shift could prompt the Fed to rethink future cuts to interest rates. Treasury yields slipped in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.25% from 4.30% late Tuesday. The yield on the two-year Treasury, which more closely follows expected actions by the Fed, fell to 4.22% from 4.25% late Tuesday. U.S. markets will be closed Thursday for Thanksgiving, and will reopen for a half day on Friday.

Sharks make roster moves ahead of game vs. L.A. Kings

Man accused in burning death of a woman on New York subway appears in courtVANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 5, 2024-- lululemon athletica inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) today announced financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2024, which ended on October 27, 2024. Calvin McDonald, Chief Executive Officer, stated: "Our performance in the third quarter shows the enduring strength of lululemon globally, as we saw continued momentum across our international markets and in Canada. Looking to the future, we are pleased with the start to our holiday season, and we remain focused on accelerating our U.S. business and growing our brand awareness around the world. Thank you to our dedicated teams for continuing to deliver for our guests and stakeholders." The adjusted non-GAAP financial measures below exclude asset impairment and other charges recognized in relation to lululemon Studio during the third quarter of 2023, and the related income tax effects of these items. For the third quarter of 2024, compared to the third quarter of 2023: Meghan Frank, Chief Financial Officer, stated: "Our third quarter results, which exceeded our expectations, demonstrate the ability of our teams to be agile in a dynamic operating environment. With the majority of the fourth quarter still in front of us, we are focused on deepening engagement with our guests and bringing new consumers into the brand. We are committed to delivering on our Power of Three ×2 revenue target of $12.5 billion in 2026 and look forward to all that lies ahead." During the third quarter of 2024, the Company repurchased 1.6 million shares of its common stock for a cost of $408.5 million. On December 3, 2024, the board of directors approved a $1.0 billion increase to the Company's stock repurchase program. Including this increase, as of December 5, 2024, the Company had approximately $1.8 billion remaining authorized on its stock repurchase program. The Company ended the third quarter of 2024 with $1.2 billion in cash and cash equivalents and the capacity under its committed revolving credit facility was $393.5 million. Inventories at the end of the third quarter of 2024 increased 8% to $1.8 billion compared to $1.7 billion at the end of the third quarter of 2023. For the fourth quarter of 2024, the Company expects net revenue to be in the range of $3.475 billion to $3.510 billion, representing growth of 8% to 10%, or 3% to 4% excluding the 53rd week of 2024. Diluted earnings per share are expected to be in the range of $5.56 to $5.64 for the quarter. This assumes a tax rate of approximately 29.5%. For 2024, the Company now expects net revenue to be in the range of $10.452 billion to $10.487 billion, representing growth of 9%, or 7% excluding the 53rd week of 2024. Diluted earnings per share are now expected to be in the range of $14.08 to $14.16 for the year. This assumes a tax rate of approximately 30%. The guidance does not reflect potential future repurchases of the Company's shares. The guidance and outlook forward-looking statements made in this press release are based on management's expectations as of the date of this press release and do not incorporate future unknown impacts, including macroeconomic trends. The Company undertakes no duty to update or to continue to provide information with respect to any forward-looking statements or risk factors, whether as a result of new information or future events or circumstances or otherwise. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of risks and uncertainties, including those stated below. The Company's Power of Three ×2 growth plan calls for a doubling of the business from 2021 net revenue of $6.25 billion to $12.5 billion by 2026. The key pillars of the plan are product innovation, guest experience, and market expansion. A conference call to discuss third quarter results is scheduled for today, December 5, 2024, at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time. Those interested in participating in the call are invited to dial 1-844-763-8274 or 1-647-484-8814, if calling internationally, approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the call. A live webcast of the conference call will be available online at: . A replay will be made available online approximately two hours following the live call for a period of 30 days. lululemon athletica inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) is a technical athletic apparel, footwear, and accessories company for yoga, running, training, and most other activities, creating transformational products and experiences that build meaningful connections, unlocking greater possibility and wellbeing for all. Setting the bar in innovation of fabrics and functional designs, lululemon works with yogis and athletes in local communities around the world for continuous research and product feedback. For more information, visit . Constant dollar changes and adjusted financial results are non-GAAP financial measures. A constant dollar basis assumes the average foreign currency exchange rates for the period remained constant with the average foreign currency exchange rates for the same period of the prior year. The Company provides constant dollar changes in its results to help investors understand the underlying growth rate of net revenue excluding the impact of changes in foreign currency exchange rates. Adjusted gross profit, gross margin, income from operations, operating margin, income tax expense, effective tax rates, net income, and diluted earnings per share exclude certain inventory provisions, asset impairments, and restructuring costs recognized in relation to lululemon Studio, and the related income tax effects of these items. The Company believes these adjusted financial measures are useful to investors as they provide supplemental information that enable evaluation of the underlying trend in its operating performance, and enable a comparison to its historical financial information. Further, due to the finite and discrete nature of these items, it does not consider them to be normal operating expenses that are necessary to run the business, or impairments or disposal gains that are expected to arise in the normal course of its operations. Management uses these adjusted financial measures and constant currency metrics internally when reviewing and assessing financial performance. The Company's fiscal year ends on the Sunday closest to January 31st of the following year, typically resulting in a 52-week year, but occasionally giving rise to an additional week, resulting in a 53-week year. Fiscal 2023 was a 52-week year while 2024 will be a 53-week year. The expected net revenue increase excluding the 53rd week excludes the expected net revenue for the 53rd week of 2024. This enables an evaluation of the expected year-over-year increase in net revenue based on 52 weeks in each year. The presentation of this financial information is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for, or with greater prominence to, the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, please see the section captioned "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" included in the accompanying financial tables, which includes more detail on the GAAP financial measure that is most directly comparable to each non-GAAP financial measure, and the related reconciliations between these financial measures. The Company's non-GAAP financial measures may be calculated differently from, and therefore may not be directly comparable to, similarly titled measures reported by other companies. This press release includes estimates, projections, statements relating to the Company's business plans, objectives, and expected operating results that are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. In many cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as "may," "will," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "outlook," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "predicts," "potential" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements also include the Company's guidance and outlook statements. These statements are based on management's current expectations but they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of risks and uncertainties, which include, without limitation: the Company's ability to maintain the value and reputation of its brand; changes in consumer shopping preferences and shifts in distribution channels; the acceptability of its products to guests; its highly competitive market and increasing competition; increasing costs and decreasing selling prices; its ability to anticipate consumer preferences and successfully develop and introduce new, innovative and updated products; its ability to accurately forecast guest demand for its products; its ability to expand in light of its limited operating experience and limited brand recognition in new international markets and new product categories; its ability to manage its growth and the increased complexity of its business effectively; its ability to successfully open new store locations in a timely manner; seasonality; disruptions of its supply chain; its reliance on a relatively small number of vendors to supply and manufacture a significant portion of its products; suppliers or manufacturers not complying with its Vendor Code of Ethics or applicable laws; its ability to deliver its products to the market and to meet guest expectations if it has problems with its distribution system; increasing labor costs and other factors associated with the production of its products in South Asia and South East Asia; its ability to safeguard against security breaches with respect to its technology systems; its compliance with privacy and data protection laws; any material disruption of its information systems; its ability to have technology-based systems function effectively and grow its e-commerce business globally; climate change, and related legislative and regulatory responses; increased scrutiny regarding its environmental, social, and governance, or sustainability responsibilities; an economic recession, depression, or downturn or economic uncertainty in its key markets; global or regional health events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and related government, private sector, and individual consumer responsive actions; global economic and political conditions; its ability to source and sell its merchandise profitably or at all if new trade restrictions are imposed or existing trade restrictions become more burdensome; changes in tax laws or unanticipated tax liabilities; its ability to comply with trade and other regulations; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; imitation by its competitors; its ability to protect its intellectual property rights; conflicting trademarks and patents and the prevention of sale of certain products; its exposure to various types of litigation; and other risks and uncertainties set out in filings made from time to time with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and available at , including, without limitation, its most recent reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. You are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements contained herein and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. The forward-looking statements made herein speak only as of the date of this press release and the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances, except as may be required by law. The fiscal year ending February 2, 2025 is referred to as "2024" and the fiscal year ended January 28, 2024 is referred to as "2023". Net revenue $ 2,396,660 $ 2,204,218 $ 6,976,629 $ 6,414,175 Costs of goods sold 995,054 947,554 2,887,770 2,708,195 Gross profit 1,401,606 1,256,664 4,088,859 3,705,980 Selling, general and administrative expenses 909,827 842,795 2,624,212 2,407,683 Impairment of assets and restructuring costs — 74,501 — 74,501 Amortization of intangible assets 1,118 1,253 1,118 5,010 Income from operations 490,661 338,115 1,463,529 1,218,786 Other income (expense), net 13,743 9,842 55,020 25,229 Income before income tax expense 504,404 347,957 1,518,549 1,244,015 Income tax expense 152,534 99,243 452,336 363,293 Net income $ 351,870 $ 248,714 $ 1,066,213 $ 880,722 Basic earnings per share $ 2.87 $ 1.97 $ 8.57 $ 6.94 Diluted earnings per share $ 2.87 $ 1.96 $ 8.55 $ 6.92 Basic weighted-average shares outstanding 122,697 126,460 124,471 126,892 Diluted weighted-average shares outstanding 122,803 126,770 124,668 127,218 Current assets Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,188,419 $ 2,243,971 $ 1,091,138 Inventories 1,800,893 1,323,602 1,663,617 Prepaid and receivable income taxes 257,388 183,733 300,258 Other current assets 358,589 309,271 309,886 Total current assets 3,605,289 4,060,577 3,364,899 Property and equipment, net 1,697,759 1,545,811 1,413,918 Right-of-use lease assets 1,360,589 1,265,610 1,048,607 Goodwill and intangible assets, net 178,185 24,083 23,912 Deferred income taxes and other non-current assets 241,847 195,860 170,928 Total assets $ 7,083,669 $ 7,091,941 $ 6,022,264 Current liabilities Accounts payable $ 385,960 $ 348,441 $ 309,324 Accrued liabilities and other 561,615 348,555 392,949 Accrued compensation and related expenses 190,169 326,110 250,479 Current lease liabilities 290,368 249,270 217,138 Current income taxes payable 96,808 12,098 27,231 Unredeemed gift card liability 238,327 306,479 213,256 Other current liabilities 40,286 40,308 37,737 Total current liabilities 1,803,533 1,631,261 1,448,114 Non-current lease liabilities 1,223,733 1,154,012 950,954 Non-current income taxes payable — 15,864 15,864 Deferred income tax liability 33,231 29,522 53,833 Other non-current liabilities 37,440 29,201 27,650 Stockholders' equity 3,985,732 4,232,081 3,525,849 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 7,083,669 $ 7,091,941 $ 6,022,264 Cash flows from operating activities Net income $ 1,066,213 $ 880,722 Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities (194,890 ) 31,344 Net cash provided by operating activities 871,323 912,066 Net cash used in investing activities (575,214 ) (445,325 ) Net cash used in financing activities (1,328,510 ) (510,583 ) Effect of foreign currency exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents (23,151 ) (19,887 ) Decrease in cash and cash equivalents (1,055,552 ) (63,729 ) Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period 2,243,971 1,154,867 Cash and cash equivalents, end of period $ 1,188,419 $ 1,091,138 The below changes show the change for the third quarter of 2024 compared to the third quarter of 2023. United States — % — % — % Canada 9 — 9 Mexico (1) n/a n/a n/a Americas 2 — 2 China Mainland 39 (3 ) 36 Rest of World 27 (4 ) 23 Total international 33 (3 ) 30 Total 9 % (1 )% 8 % Americas (2 )% — % (2 )% China Mainland 27 (3 ) 24 Rest of World 23 (3 ) 20 Total international 25 (3 ) 22 Total 4 % (1 )% 3 % (1) On September 10, 2024, the Company acquired the lululemon branded retail locations and operations run by a third party in Mexico. Wholesale sales to the third party by lululemon athletica canada inc. prior to the acquisition are disclosed as net revenue recognized within Canada. (2) Comparable sales includes comparable company-operated store and e-commerce net revenue. Comparable company-operated stores have been open for at least 12 full fiscal months, or open for at least 12 full fiscal months after being significantly expanded. Comparable company-operated stores exclude stores which have been temporarily relocated for renovations or have been temporarily closed. The following tables reconcile adjusted 2023 financial measures with the most directly comparable measures calculated in accordance with GAAP. The adjustments relate to certain inventory provisions, asset impairments, and restructuring costs recognized in relation to lululemon Studio and their related tax effects. Please refer to Note 4. Impairment of Assets and Restructuring Costs included in Item 1 of Part I of the Company's Report on Form 10-Q to be filed with the SEC on or about December 5, 2024 for further information on the nature of these amounts. GAAP results $ 1,256,664 57.0 % $ 338,115 15.3 % $ 99,243 28.5 % $ 248,714 $ 1.96 lululemon Studio charges: lululemon Studio obsolescence provision 23,709 1.1 23,709 1.1 23,709 0.19 Impairment of assets 44,186 2.0 44,186 0.35 Restructuring costs 30,315 1.4 30,315 0.24 Tax effect of the above 26,085 (0.4 ) (26,085 ) (0.21 ) 23,709 1.1 98,210 4.5 26,085 (0.4 ) 72,125 0.57 Adjusted results (non-GAAP) $ 1,280,373 58.1 % $ 436,325 19.8 % $ 125,328 28.1 % $ 320,839 $ 2.53 GAAP results $ 3,705,980 57.8 % $ 1,218,786 19.0 % $ 363,293 29.2 % $ 880,722 $ 6.92 lululemon Studio charges: lululemon Studio obsolescence provision 23,709 0.3 23,709 0.3 23,709 0.19 Impairment of assets 44,186 0.7 44,186 0.35 Restructuring costs 30,315 0.5 30,315 0.24 Tax effect of the above 26,085 (0.2 ) (26,085 ) (0.21 ) 23,709 0.3 98,210 1.5 26,085 (0.2 ) 72,125 0.57 Adjusted results (non-GAAP) $ 3,729,689 58.1 % $ 1,316,996 20.5 % $ 389,378 29.0 % $ 952,847 $ 7.49 The Company's fiscal year ends on the Sunday closest to January 31st of the following year, typically resulting in a 52-week year, but occasionally giving rise to an additional week, resulting in a 53-week year. Fiscal 2023 was a 52-week year while 2024 will be a 53-week year. Expected net revenue increase 8% to 10% 9% Impact of 53rd week (5)% to (6)% (2)% Expected net revenue increase excluding the 53rd week (non-GAAP) 3% to 4% 7% 4 th Quarter 2023 686 26 1 711 1 st Quarter 2024 711 5 5 711 2 nd Quarter 2024 711 11 1 721 3 rd Quarter 2024 721 28 — 749 4 th Quarter 2023 2,797 173 3 2,967 1 st Quarter 2024 2,967 35 14 2,988 2 nd Quarter 2024 2,988 90 3 3,075 3 rd Quarter 2024 3,075 156 — 3,231 (1) (2) View source version on : CONTACT: Investor Contacts: lululemon athletica inc. Howard Tubin 1-604-732-6124 or ICR, Inc. Joseph Teklits/Caitlin Churchill 1-203-682-8200 Media Contact: lululemon athletica inc. Madi Wallace 1-604-732-6124 KEYWORD: NORTH AMERICA CANADA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: FASHION ONLINE RETAIL RETAIL HEALTH OTHER RETAIL FITNESS & NUTRITION SPECIALTY SOURCE: lululemon athletica inc. Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/05/2024 04:05 PM/DISC: 12/05/2024 04:06 PM

It didn't take Syracuse first-year coach Fran Brown long to figure out the key matchup for Saturday afternoon's Atlantic Coast Conference game visiting Miami. "Syracuse has a really good quarterback," Brown said of Kyle McCord, "and Miami has a really good quarterback (Cam Ward)." With a win on Saturday, the No. 6 Hurricanes (10-1, 6-1 ACC) can clinch a berth in the league championship game against SMU. Miami is a 10 1/2-point favorite for Saturday's game. Syracuse (8-3, 4-3) has reached eight wins for just the fourth time since 2002, going 8-5 in 2010 and 2012 and 10-3 in 2018. However, the Orange haven't defeated a Top-10 team since knocking off Clemson in 2017. Miami leads the nation in scoring (44.7), and the Hurricanes will count on perfect passing conditions in Syracuse's dome. That could be huge for Ward, who leads the nation with 34 touchdown passes, ranking second in passing yards (3,774) and fourth in passing efficiency. Ward's top target is wide receiver Xavier Restrepo, who needs just 21 yards to reach 1,000 for the second straight season. Restrepo also ranks tied for seventh in the nation with 10 TD receptions. Ward has some other top targets, including 6-foot-4, 245-pound tight end Elijah Arroyo, who is a walking mismatch because of his size and speed. He leads Miami with 18.5 yards per reception. Hurricanes wide receivers Isaiah Horton and Jacolby George have combined for 12 TD passes, and Sam Brown has added two more. Each of them has more than 500 receiving yards this season. Miami's running game features battering ram Damien Martinez (739 yards, 5.5 average, eight TDs); versatile Mark Fletcher Jr. (499 yards, 5.7 average, six TDs); and game-breaking freshman Jordan Lyle (361 yards, 8.6 average, four TDs). Defensively, Miami's big-play man is safety Mishael Powell, who ranks second in the ACC with five interceptions. "He's all about winning," Miami coach Mario Cristobal said of Powell. "He's a smart, self-starting team player." On special teams, Miami kicker Andres Borregales ranks second in the ACC with 97 points. He is 52-for-52 on extra points and 15-for-16 on field goals. Meanwhile, McCord ranks No. 1 in the nation in passing yards (3,946) and tied for seventh in TD passes (26). McCord, a transfer from Ohio State, has also set Syracuse's single-season record for passing yards. In last week's 31-24 win over Connecticut, McCord passed for a career-high 470 yards. However, McCord is just 46th in the nation in passing efficiency, due in part to his high total of interceptions (12). Syracuse also has three of the top six pass-catchers in the ACC in terms of yards: tight end Oronde Gadsden II (810) and wide receivers Jackson Meeks (801) and Trebor Pena (743). Gadsden, who is from the greater Miami area, has had three straight 100-yard games. He is the son of former Miami Dolphins wide receiver Oronde Gadsden. Syracuse's run game is led by LeQuint Allen, who has rushed for 819 yards, a 4.3 average and 12 TDs. The issue for Syracuse could be its defense, which ranks 13th in the ACC in points allowed (27.8). Miami's defense is fourth (22.3). Even so, Syracuse coach Brown said he's excited about this matchup. "I heard Miami is going to come deep," Brown said of Miami fans. "It's going to be intense in the stands. It's going to be intense on the field. I think this is a game everyone wants to see." --Field Level Media

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(The Center Square) – The majority of Americans generally support the idea of cutting back on the federal government, polling finds. The Pew Research poll from this summer found that 56% of Americans say the government is “almost always wasteful and inefficient.” Gallup’s recent polling data shows that 55% of Americans say the government is doing “too much” while only 41% say it should do more. Americans are more evenly split how big the government should be, but increasing government efficiency has more broad support. “Gallup polling earlier this year showed that 58% of Americans are dissatisfied with the size and power of the federal government,” Gallup said. “A slight majority of Americans say the government has too much power. Seven in 10 Americans in 2019 agreed that businesses can do things more efficiently than the federal government.” The survey comes after President-elect Donald Trump won the White House and issued broad, sweeping plans to decrease the scope of the federal government. To accomplish this task, Trump appointed businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and billionaire Elon Musk to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency. “Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies – Essential to the ‘Save America’ Movement,’” Trump said in his announcement. Both Ramaswamy and Musk have publicly issued scathing remarks about the waste of federal resources currently occurring in Washington, D.C. Ramaswamy, for instance, has laid out a specific plan on how thousands of federal workers could be fired. The pair of businessmen have said publicly DOGE could cut $2 trillion in federal spending. Ramaswamy and Musk visited Capitol Hill on Thursday to meet with lawmakers to discuss the potential cuts, which could even include ideas as drastic as eliminating the Department of Education and returning that responsibility to the states. Trump's allies have also discussed cutting spending on diversity, equity and inclusion programs, which are seen by Trump's camp as taxpayer-funded investment in woke ideology. Whether such stark actions would be supported by Americans remains unclear, but for now the latest polling shows Americans want something to be done. On top of that, Americans’ desire for smaller government seems to be more than a momentary political phase. “Gallup has asked this question annually over the past 24 years. On average, 52% of Americans have said the government is doing too much, compared with 42% saying the government should do more...” Gallup said. “Only twice have more Americans chosen the ‘government should do more’ alternative over the ‘government doing too much’ alternative -- in 2001 after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and in 2020 after the outbreak of COVID-19.”Speaker nominates 9 MLAs for drafting rules for J&K Legislative AssemblyGlobal monitor says famine is weeks away in north Gaza. A US diplomat calls warning 'irresponsible'

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Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the country is moving towards rapid development after economic stability. Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the entire nation on the weekly inflation rate further decreasing to 3.57 percent. In his message, Prime Minister thanked Allah and the efforts of the economic team. The inflation rate has reached its lowest level in the last six years. Today. The price index was recorded at its lowest level after October 4, 2018. He said that the huge reduction of 39.11 percent in the inflation rate today compared to the current week last year is the result of the day and night hard work of the economic team. “I will keep every promise I made to the people. I have pledged to work day and night to resolve the problems of the people”. Shahbaz Sharif stated that as a servant of Pakistan, he would keep every promise he made. He added that he was taking steps to provide employment, develop the country's industry, and increase foreign investment. The country is moving rapidly towards development after economic stability. The Prime Minister further said that remittances from abroad, increased investment from friendly countries, and stability in diplomatic relations reflect Pakistan's journey of development. Our political sacrifices for the development and prosperity of Pakistan have not gone in vain. All stakeholders are playing their positive role in the country's journey of development.(The Center Square) – The majority of Americans generally support the idea of cutting back on the federal government, polling finds. The Pew Research poll from this summer found that 56% of Americans say the government is “almost always wasteful and inefficient.” Gallup’s recent polling data shows that 55% of Americans say the government is doing “too much” while only 41% say it should do more. Americans are more evenly split how big the government should be, but increasing government efficiency has more broad support. “Gallup polling earlier this year showed that 58% of Americans are dissatisfied with the size and power of the federal government,” Gallup said. “A slight majority of Americans say the government has too much power. Seven in 10 Americans in 2019 agreed that businesses can do things more efficiently than the federal government.” The survey comes after President-elect Donald Trump won the White House and issued broad, sweeping plans to decrease the scope of the federal government. To accomplish this task, Trump appointed businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and billionaire Elon Musk to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency. “Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies – Essential to the ‘Save America’ Movement,’” Trump said in his announcement. Both Ramaswamy and Musk have publicly issued scathing remarks about the waste of federal resources currently occurring in Washington, D.C. Ramaswamy, for instance, has laid out a specific plan on how thousands of federal workers could be fired. The pair of businessmen have said publicly DOGE could cut $2 trillion in federal spending. Ramaswamy and Musk visited Capitol Hill on Thursday to meet with lawmakers to discuss the potential cuts, which could even include ideas as drastic as eliminating the Department of Education and returning that responsibility to the states. Trump's allies have also discussed cutting spending on diversity, equity and inclusion programs, which are seen by Trump's camp as taxpayer-funded investment in woke ideology. Whether such stark actions would be supported by Americans remains unclear, but for now the latest polling shows Americans want something to be done. On top of that, Americans’ desire for smaller government seems to be more than a momentary political phase. “Gallup has asked this question annually over the past 24 years. On average, 52% of Americans have said the government is doing too much, compared with 42% saying the government should do more...” Gallup said. “Only twice have more Americans chosen the ‘government should do more’ alternative over the ‘government doing too much’ alternative -- in 2001 after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and in 2020 after the outbreak of COVID-19.”

Man accused in burning death of a woman on New York subway appears in courtArticle content BROOKVILLE, N.Y. — Fox News stars feted Donald Trump at the annual Fox Nation Patriot Awards here on Thursday night, and the president-elect praised the “incredible people at Fox” as he accepted an award as “Honorary Patriot of the Year” from the most powerful force in cable television news. Recommended Videos Trump began his brief acceptance speech by alluding to his complaints about the network and noting that he doesn’t like “a couple” people on its staff. But despite Trump’s gripes about Fox’s coverage of his political rivals and of President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election, the event was a reminder of the long-standing, occasionally troubled and often mutually beneficial relationship between Trump and Fox. Trump has spent the weeks since Election Day mostly entrenched at his Mar-a-Lago Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, and his decision to fly to Long Island to accept the award from Fox Nation, the TV network’s streaming service, highlights the influential role Fox is poised to play as Trump returns to the White House. Days before the event, which also honored military veterans, first responders and other community leaders, Trump posted on Truth Social that he looked “greatly forward” to receiving the award, calling the accolade “so nice!” In that post, he took a different tone than he had less than two months ago, when he criticized Fox News’s interview with Vice President Kamala Harris and wrote the network has “grown so weak and soft on the Democrats.” “FoxNews has totally lost its way!” he wrote at the time. Throughout Trump’s first term, the president’s public statements and policy decisions often were influenced by Fox and its popular hosts. Trump watched the network religiously, often calling in by phone himself and tweeting responses to its reports in real time or after watching its shows on DVR. Ahead of his return to the White House, Trump has tapped many of the network’s former hosts, contributors and frequent guests to serve in key roles in his administration, including Pete Hegseth, his embattled pick for defense secretary. Hegseth’s confirmation battle loomed over the event, which he was originally scheduled to emcee at the Tilles Center, a concert hall at Long Island University. A video montage played during the event included clips of Hegseth speaking on television about the 2014 Veterans Affairs hospital scandal. “Just as an aside, there was someone in that package that I thought, I don’t know if you thought, looked like they would make one hell of a secretary of defense,” said Will Cain, who co-hosted Fox & Friends Weekend with Hegseth before he left the network to pursue the Pentagon job. Paula Pedene, a former chief spokeswoman for the Phoenix Veterans Affairs hospital who blew the whistle on mismanagement at the facility, also spoke positively of Hegseth as she accepted a “Salute to Service” award for exposing the problems at VA. She thanked Hegseth for helping to hold the health system accountable. “Thank goodness Pete Hegseth – before he came to Fox News – was with Concerned Veterans for America, and they helped us,” Pedene said. “They helped fix it.” In the more than two hours before Trump’s arrival, the roughly 2,000 attendees at the sold-out event chanted “U-S-A” and cheered as Fox host and event emcee Sean Hannity honored various charities, even bringing dogs onstage from Paws of War, a group that provides service dogs to veterans and their families especially for those suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder. The college auditorium was smaller than last year’s venue, Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry. The arts center was decorated with red, white and blue balloons, and American flags were projected on the walls and ceilings. A handful of Trump and MAGA hats were visible in the auditorium, and although most attendees wore business-casual clothing, some were dressed for a formal affair, sporting ball gowns and sleek suits. Trump’s remarks, which lasted less than 20 minutes, echoed his campaign trail stump speech. He lamented that the 2020 election was a “very unfair situation” and baselessly suggested that Democrats tried to “rig” the 2024 presidential election. He touted his recent tariff threats on Canada and Mexico and repeated his evidence-free claim that other countries are emptying out their “mental institutions” and “insane asylums” to send immigrants to the U.S. Earlier in the evening, Trump announced a slew of nominees and appointments, including Caleb Vitello as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Rodney Scott as commissioner of Customs and Border Protection; former Republican senator David Perdue (Georgia) as U.S. ambassador to China; and former National Border Patrol Council president Brandon Judd as U.S. ambassador to Chile. Outside the event, people ran from their cars past giant, light-up letters spelling “Patriot Awards” to escape below-freezing temperatures and high winds. A Tesla Cybertruck was parked in the overflowing lot. Relatively few students gathered outside, but some stopped to take photos outside the event. They said that their classmates were either indifferent or excited about Trump’s appearance, and that no one had protested the event. Before Trump’s remarks, Fox Nation appeared to have streaming issues, and some users complained on social media that they were unable to access the service. A spokesperson for Fox said the issues were due to overwhelming demand but did not immediately share specific numbers about how many people tried to log on. Trump’s remarks ended the same way most of his campaign rallies did – with him dancing onstage to the Village People’s 1978 hit “Y.M.C.A.” before exiting.Protesters at a candlelight vigil to condemn President Yoon Suk Yeol's surprise declaration of the failed martial law and to call for his resignation in Seoul, on Dec 5. Members of Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and civic groups during a demonstration in Seoul on Dec 4. A South Korea flag flies above a sign that reads "The prosecution's dictatorship" as protesters take part in a rally at the National Assembly in Seoul on Dec 5. Republic of Korea Marine Corps veterans shave their heads during a demonstration calling for the dismissal and impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol, in Seoul on Dec 5. SEOUL - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol looks set to hang on to office – at least for now – despite a disastrous stab at establishing martial law in the country, with his ruling People Power Party (PPP) rallying around him against the opposition’s efforts to impeach him. That means that the motion to charge him with “violating the Constitution and the law”, to be held on Dec 7, may not get its required majority in the legislature to be passed. Still, a legal guillotine – albeit politically motivated – continues to loom over Mr Yoon’s head, with the police now investigating him for treason over his botched attempt that plunged the nation into chaos for six hours on the night of Dec 3. Mr Yoon has not been seen in public since the early hours of Dec 4, when he repealed the martial law decree, although he had been expected to make a national address on Dec 5 to apologise for the debacle. A presidential official said that Mr Yoon would not be making any public statements for that day, without offering reasons. At any rate, the anticipated apology – while it would have mollified some – was not expected to significantly change the trajectory of his destiny. The police complaints were filed by an opposition party and a group of activists on Dec 5 against Mr Yoon, former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun, who is said to have masterminded the martial law move, and the Army Chief of Staff, General Park An-su, who was briefly military commander during the ill-fated self-coup. The trio are being accused of treason and other related charges for their roles in the short-lived martial rule on Dec 3. If found guilty, Mr Yoon and the others accused of treason may be sentenced to life in prison, or even death, reported local media. Mr Kim had resigned earlier on Dec 5 over his role in the midnight bungle, and has been slapped with a travel ban while investigations are ongoing. It is not clear how long the investigations will take. In the political arena, Mr Yoon’s fate is similarly unclear, though analysts say they believe he could well survive. South Korea’s main opposition leader Lee Jae-myung said it might be difficult to garner enough support from the ruling party to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol this week over his declaration of martial law. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG While the opposition has made it clear that it is out for Mr Yoon’s blood, his ruling PPP – despite being blindsided by Mr Yoon’s martial law move – is now rallying around the beleaguered President. PPP chief Han Dong-hoon, who was among the 18 ruling party lawmakers who had rushed to Parliament on Dec 3 to vote for the repeal of martial law, had been quick to denounce Mr Yoon’s action as “unconstitutional”, while calling for those responsible to be held accountable. But a day later, as he chaired his party’s meeting, Mr Han softened his stance, vowing to unite his party in blocking the impeachment motion, to “prevent harm from unprepared chaos to the public and PPP supporters”. Head of the ruling People Power Party Han Dong-hoon (centre) vowed to unite his party in blocking the impeachment motion. PHOTO: EPA-EFE The impeachment motion requires a two-thirds majority to pass the 300-member Parliament. This means that the opposition bloc, with 192 seats, will need at least eight PPP lawmakers to defect and back their Bill for Mr Yoon to be impeached. Adamant about pushing the motion through, the dominant opposition Democratic Party (DP) has urged ruling party lawmakers to “act according to one’s conscience, not political interests”. The six-party opposition coalition is also rallying citizens to join it for a massive protest in central Seoul on Dec 7, before the lawmakers proceed to the National Assembly to vote on the motion that evening at 7pm. The chances of the ruling party lawmakers defecting to the opposition are quite slim, even though they might have been bitterly disappointed with Mr Yoon’s actions, said Kyonggi University’s professor of political science and law Hahm Sung-deuk. “The conservatives are really afraid of losing power, in particular to opposition leader Lee Jae-myung. So, for now, they will still back Mr Yoon,” he told The Straits Times. The conservatives can ill afford to have two presidents from their parties impeached in a row. Conservative President Park Geun-hye of the Saenuri Party, who was elected in February 2013, was impeached and ousted in March 2017 on charges related to influence-peddling by her top aide Choi Soon-sil. More than half of the lawmakers from her party had voted in favour of the impeachment then. The liberal DP’s Moon Jae-in won the 2017 presidential election, and the conservatives barely managed to wrestle back power in 2022 when Mr Yoon won the presidential race with a very slim margin against the DP’s Mr Lee. Describing the impeachment of Ms Park as a “tragic memory” for the conservatives, Prof Hahm believed they would do all they could to block Mr Yoon’s impeachment this time round, in order to buy time to plan their next moves. If Mr Yoon resigns or is impeached and ousted, a snap presidential election that must take place within 60 days will likely see Mr Lee victorious. PPP chief Han, who is himself eyeing the next presidential race due in 2027, will not want to bear the cross of being a traitor by agreeing to the impeachment, said Prof Hahm. Mr Han, who was Mr Yoon’s colleague when they were both prosecutors, was briefly appointed as justice minister in 2022 by Mr Yoon before stepping down in December 2023 to lead the PPP in the April 2024 general election. The pair fell out in early 2024 over First Lady Kim Keon Hee’s luxury bag scandal. Mr Han, who met Mr Yoon with other party members on the evening of Dec 4 to discuss the next steps, told reporters after the meeting that he had asked Mr Yoon to leave the party. While leaving the party technically does not affect Mr Yoon’s presidency, it will mean his losing the party’s protection for a second round of impeachment, which the opposition will likely gun for if this one fails. With PPP’s protection not likely lasting beyond the first round of impeachment, the best exit option for Mr Yoon is to resign, said Prof Hahm. But as demonstrated by his drastic move to enforce martial rule in a misguided bid to consolidate power after months of hobbling along in a lame duck presidency, Mr Yoon is unlikely to give up easily. Kyung Hee University’s political science professor Ahn Byong-jin suggested that there could still be a chance for Mr Yoon to change his political fate. If the first impeachment is successful, it needs to be approved by the nine-member council of the Korean Constitutional Court. Pointing out that the council is made up of judges appointed by President Yoon, Prof Ahn thought that the possibility of the court rejecting the impeachment could not be ruled out. Mr Yoon could also possibly play the “fatigue” game, banking on a prolonged deadlocked situation for public anger to subside, before leaving on his own terms. “These ideas may sound unthinkable, but whatever happened that night was already unthinkable, so you have to consider the unthinkable!” Prof Ahn told ST. Other analysts were less optimistic. Dr Bong Young-shik of Yonsei University in Seoul thought that Mr Yoon could not avoid stepping down from power, as the opposition would likely ramp up more pressure by going after his wife. He believed Mr Yoon made the call to declare martial rule in an attempt to block the opposition’s impeachment of the state auditor and three top prosecutors over scandals surrounding the First Lady. “The impeachment process will likely unearth dirty, ugly stories that Mr Yoon is trying to block,” said Dr Bong. The motion to impeach the officials was passed by the opposition-led National Assembly on Dec 5. To Dr Lee Seong-Hyon, senior fellow at the US-based George H.W. Bush Foundation for US-China Relations, the game is likely over for Mr Yoon. He said: “Mr Yoon’s approval ratings were already languishing at around 20 per cent before the martial law debacle, and they are bound to sink further. “Governing effectively will be impossible, given his shattered credibility at home and abroad.” Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you. Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards Spin the wheel now