
Ministry Launches $24M Digital Transformation To Tackle Water LossLouisiana lawmakers pass income and corporate tax cuts, raising statewide sales tax to pay for itElon Musk, the world's richest person and one of Donald Trump's closest allies, met with US lawmakers Thursday on his plans for overseeing radical government spending cuts under the incoming administration. President-elect Trump rewarded the Tesla, X and SpaceX chief for his support during the White House campaign by naming him head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, along with another wealthy ally, Vivek Ramaswamy. Although the office, dubbed DOGE, has a purely advisory role, Musk's star power and intense influence in Trump's inner circle bring political clout. As Musk and Ramaswamy strode into the Capitol for meetings with lawmakers, Republican Speaker Mike Johnson touted "a new day in America." "There's an enormous amount of waste, fraud and abuse," he told reporters. "Government is too big, it does too many things, and it does almost nothing well." Musk and Ramaswamy have said they can identify billions of dollars of cuts in spending, sparking questions about whether Republicans will even try to slash politically popular social security programs. Writing in the Wall Street Journal last month, the two businessmen laid out plans for the White House to cut staff, trim government programs and reduce federal regulations, even if it means bypassing Congress, which holds budgetary power. "The entrenched and ever-growing bureaucracy represents an existential threat to our republic, and politicians have abetted it for too long," Musk and Ramaswamy wrote. "We're doing things differently. We are entrepreneurs, not politicians. During Trump's election campaign, Musk vowed to reduce federal spending by $2 trillion. This would represent cutting total US spending by a third, almost certainly meaning devastation of social support programs -- something that has never garnered strong political backing. Musk's emphasis on firing large numbers of government employees, however, echoes Republican talking points about the need to take on an overbearing state and may garner more support. Musk says he is seeking "mass head-count reductions across the federal bureaucracy." Musk suggested banning government employees from working at home as an opening tactic. "Requiring federal employees to come to the office five days a week would result in a wave of voluntary terminations that we welcome." Cuts will also target subsidies to public broadcasters and groups such as Planned Parenthood, which campaigns for abortion access and offers an array of reproductive health services. But DOGE is unlikely, at least initially, to go after welfare programs such as Social Security or health insurance for the poor and seniors, Ramaswamy said in an interview with Axios on Wednesday. Such cuts should be "a policy decision that belongs to the voters" and their representatives in Congress, Ramaswamy said. A reduction in military spending, which climbed to $820 billion in 2023, is also unlikely to be on the table. Musk's new role raises the question of potential conflicts of interest, since he could be issuing policy recommendations that impact directly on his own business empire. Underlining the close connection to DOGE, Musk's favorite cryptocurrency is called Dogecoin. rle/ev/md/sms/md
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REFORM, Ala. (AP) — A federal judge ruled that the family of former NFL player Glenn Foster Jr., who died in law enforcement custody in Alabama, can pursue a lawsuit alleging his death was the result of excessive force. Foster, a former New Orleans Saints defensive end, died on Dec. 6, 2021, three days after being arrested and taken to jail in rural Pickens County for alleged speeding and attempting to elude police. A judge ordered Foster taken to a medical facility in Tuscaloosa for a mental evaluation. Foster was found unresponsive in the back of a law enforcement vehicle when he arrived at the facility. He was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later. His widow, Pamela Foster, filed a lawsuit against officers at the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office and jail saying Foster had been beaten, shocked with a Taser and strangled while at the jail. The defendants then asked a federal judge to dismiss the case. U.S. District Judge Annemarie Carney Axon ruled Thursday refused to dismiss allegations of excessive force and failure to intervene. Axon dismissed other portions of the lawsuit. The ruling came a day before the third anniversary of Foster’s death. Foster appeared in 17 games for the Saints in 2013 and 2014.AP Sports SummaryBrief at 6:40 p.m. EST
Social Platforms Are Running Disruptive Promotions for Their Own ProductsPublished 5:14 pm Thursday, November 21, 2024 By Staff Reports The Wisconsin Badgers versus the UCF Knights is one of eight games on Friday’s college basketball schedule that includes a ranked team in action. Looking for ATS picks? You’ve come to the right place. Place your bets on any men’s college basketball matchup at BetMGM. Sign up today using our link. Bet on the UCF-Wisconsin spread—or any other NCAA men’s basketball matchup—with BetMGM ! Bet on the Florida-Southern Illinois spread—or any other NCAA men’s basketball matchup—with BetMGM ! Bet on the Kentucky-Jackson State spread—or any other NCAA men’s basketball matchup—with BetMGM ! Bet on the Creighton-Nebraska spread—or any other NCAA men’s basketball matchup—with BetMGM ! Bet on the Houston-Hofstra spread—or any other NCAA men’s basketball matchup—with BetMGM ! Bet on the Arkansas-Little Rock spread—or any other NCAA men’s basketball matchup—with BetMGM ! Bet on the Arizona-Duke spread—or any other NCAA men’s basketball matchup—with BetMGM ! Bet on the Hawaii-North Carolina spread—or any other NCAA men’s basketball matchup—with BetMGM ! Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER .
Ousted Syrian President Assad, Family In Moscow, Granted Asylum: ReportEAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Jaddan Simmons scored 18 points, Julia Ayrault added 17 points and 12 rebounds, and No. 24 Michigan State blew past DePaul 89-61 on Sunday, improving to 9-0 for the first time in program history. Emma Shumate scored 12 points and Jocelyn Tate had 10 points for the Spartans. Grace VanSlooten had four of MSU’s 14 blocks. Michigan State had 24 assists on 31 baskets. The Spartans outshot the Blue Demons 47%-22% in the first half and led 42-25 at halftime. The lead peaked at 32 when Kennedy Blair converted a three-point play for an 89-57 lead with 2 minutes remaining in the game. Jorie Allen had 15 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists for DePaul (3-7). Grace Carstensen also scored 15 and Taylor Johnson-Matthews added 10 points. Michigan State finished at 51% from the field and DePaul shot 29%. MSU leads the overall series 5-0. Last season, the Spartans defeated the Blue Demons in Chicago, 102-64. Jill Pizzotti continues to serve as DePaul’s interim coach while longtime coach Doug Bruno is on medical leave. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up . AP women’s college basketball: and
With continued advances in recognition and safety technology continuing to enter the market, CLEAR , a company focused on providing a swift and easy security experience by harnessing the capabilities of next-generation technology, is making moves to continue growing its presence across the United States. By whisking passengers through security checkpoints and into the gate area, passengers spend less time waiting around and more time in areas where they can eat, rest, and recharge before their flights . Get all the latest aviation news from Simple Flying! On December 4th, 2024, the company announced the completion of its latest expansion, which comes in the form of a new facility at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL), bringing its identity verification technology to the international terminal at the facility. This new system will combine advanced facial recognition capabilities with identity verification software to help improve the passenger experience by reducing the amount of time guests spend waiting in line . This expansion project has created multiple CLEAR expedited security lanes which are now available for passengers departing from the international terminal. This new expansion is set to create 30 new jobs, which will bring CLEAR's total employment to over 130 at the airport, where the company already had a significant presence before the latest expansion. According to CLEAR , the company now has an annual economic impact of over $14 million in the Atlanta area, with CLEAR lanes at both the airport's domestic and international terminals. Passengers can now register for the trusted traveler program at 13 US airports with CLEAR and receive two memberships at the same time. An exciting opportunity for CLEAR and ATL The announcement of these new CLEAR lanes being operational is exciting news for both the company and passengers traveling to and from the airport. CLEAR's leadership team has been quick to demonstrate this, with CEO Caryn Seidman Becker having the following optimistic words to share regarding the announcement: “We’re excited to expand CLEAR’s presence at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, bringing a streamlined travel experience to Atlanta’s travelers." Becker went on to add that these systems will now provide passengers in Atlanta's international terminal with a faster, more predictable, and more secure journey. The company launched its first ATL lanes in the domestic terminal back in February 2017, and it became the 20th airport to offer this unique identity verification service. The company's verification lanes are now available at more than 50 airports across the country. A company with growth on its mind CLEAR members are eligible to use these dedicated lanes whenever they pass through the airports, offering them a way to quickly verify their identity using simply a fingerprint or their eyes, making documents a thing of the past. The company currently has over 27 million members, alongside a growing number of partnerships with airline loyalty programs and, notably, American Express. Due to the convenience offered by CLEAR, it is unsurprising that passengers across the country have been signing up. With such widespread membership, the company has found it necessary to continue adding locations, and it has also partnered with TSA PreCheck to further simplify the check-in experience. Back in July, CLEAR opened its 40th location which also offers TSA PreCheck enrollment capabilities , with an expansion in Hawaii.Pressure is likely to intensify in the new year for Thailand to repeal its abusive criminal defamation laws as flaws in the multiple cases against advocate-journalist Chutima Sidasathian. Many others have exposed the laws' deficiencies. Last month, reports from two international NGOs highlighted the failure of recent reforms aimed at identifying and obliterating the increasing number of SLAPP (strategic lawsuits against public participation) cases. A third well-regarded international organisation, the London-based Index on Censorship, also selected Ms Chutima from the shortlist of three for the Freedom of Expression Awards in the category of journalism. The award, announced on Nov 22 in London, went to Nasim Soltanbeygi, an Iranian journalist and human rights defender. As a journalist, Ms Chutima and an Australian colleague faced down the powerful Royal Thai Navy (RTN) a decade ago and were found to be innocent of charges of criminal defamation and computer crimes. This year, Ms Chutima has also beaten eight of the nine charges laid against her by a local elected official after her investigation exposed a banking loans scandal involving the theft of millions of baht intended as financial aid for farmers. While the local elected official said that his serial charges over Ms Chutima's Facebook posts had nothing to do with the scandal but were "personal and political", her investigation led to checks being made all over Thailand and the arrest of an elected official in another province over the disappearance of 100 million baht. The villagers who became victims of the fraud and theft had been fighting to have the scandal exposed since 2012, but law enforcement officers chose not to investigate. It wasn't until after Ms Chutima revealed what had taken place that officials reacted. Ms Chutima says Thailand should repeal the criminal defamation laws. Those who want to seek justice from libel can still lodge claims of civil defamation. "The laws could be modified so that once a civil case is decided, criminal penalties could be applied in extreme cases involving corruption or other crimes." Criminal defamation itself corrupts the judicial system. Ms Chutima says that police almost always accept criminal defamation allegations -- often without a thorough investigation -- because they see it as "their duty". A global campaign is being mounted to end the misuse of criminal defamation laws and SLAPPs against journalists, advocates and human rights defenders. Thailand, which takes a seat on the United Nations Human Rights Commission next year, is seen to be among the worst offenders. Article 19 -- London-based group advocating freedom of expression -- calculated a 50% increase in the number of criminal defamation cases filed in Thailand from 2015 to 2020, adding that the country has "seen a deluge of criminal defamation cases against individuals, raising concerns about human rights abuses, labour rights violations, corruption, or government or corporate failures". In its September report, "Solving SLAPPs: Identifying and Addressing Gaps in Thailand's Anti-SLAPP Framework", the New York-based Clooney Foundation for Justice spells out across 112 pages the case for repealing criminal defamation, or at least introducing major reforms that upgrade recent flawed anti-SLAPP modifications. "Across the world, the law is being weaponised to silence human rights defenders, activists, and media workers -- Thailand is no exception," the report begins. "Of the 36 criminal defamation SLAPPs identified in this report, [including Ms Chutima's] none were filtered out by recently introduced anti-SLAPP measures or, indeed, by pre-existing screening processes. "While none of the lawsuits identified in this report resulted in convictions, defendants were forced to spend time, money, and energy defending themselves against abusive litigation." In Thailand, more than 25,000 defamation cases have been filed since 2015, according to the recently released report "Silencing Dissent: Defamation Laws and the Fight for Free Expression in Thailand" prepared by Article 19. The group warned that the defamation law "increasingly weaponised to silence critical voices" and urges Thailand to join the global movement towards decriminalising defamation and bring its legislation in line with international human rights standards. "By undertaking comprehensive reforms, Thailand can uphold its commitment to human rights, foster a vibrant democracy, and create a more just and equitable society." The Clooney Foundation report added that Thai law is "failing to prevent judicial process from being turned against freedom of expression and assembly. As such, Thailand finds itself at a crossroads". At a three-day UN regional rights symposium in Bangkok last month, Ms Chutima spoke in a panel that addressed "Lawsuit or Lawfare? Ensuring Access to Justice in the Face of SLAPPs." "It may be that there are other solutions for other democracies, but I am convinced the criminal defamation laws need to be killed in Thailand if the country is to embrace true freedom of speech," Ms Chutima said. She has been declared a human rights defender and the cases against her earmarked as SLAPP cases after an investigation by Thailand's National Human Rights Commission. Although Ms Chutima's unpaid work as a community advocate has freed scores of undereducated and impoverished farmers from ill-judged litigation and the inference of criminal behaviour on their part, Thailand's Ministry of Justice has ruled that she is "not poor enough" to deserve financial assistance. Alan Morison is the other journalist from the online news outlet Phuketwan found not guilty of criminal defamation and computer crimes in 2015.
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