online casino free sign up bonus
NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers urged a judge again Friday to throw out his hush money conviction, balking at the prosecution’s suggestion of preserving the verdict by treating the case the way some courts do when a defendant dies before sentencing. They called the idea “absurd.” The Manhattan district attorney’s office is asking Judge Juan M. Merchan to “pretend as if one of the assassination attempts against President Trump had been successful,” Trump’s lawyers wrote in a blistering 23-page response. In court papers made public Tuesday, District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office proposed an array of options for keeping the historic conviction on the books after Trump’s lawyers filed paperwork earlier this month asking for the case to be dismissed. Those options include freezing the case until Trump leaves office in 2029, agreeing that any future sentence won’t include jail time, or closing the case by noting he was convicted but that he wasn’t sentenced and his appeal wasn’t resolved because of presidential immunity. Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove reiterated Friday that the only acceptable option to them is overturning his conviction and dismissing his indictment, writing that anything less will interfere with the transition process and his ability to lead the country. The Manhattan district attorney’s office declined comment. It’s unclear how soon Merchan will decide. He could grant Trump’s request for dismissal, go with one of the prosecution’s suggestions, wait until a federal appeals court rules on Trump’s parallel effort to get the case moved out of state court, or choose some other option. In their response Friday, Blanche and Bove ripped each of the prosecution’s suggestions. Halting the case until Trump leaves office would force the incoming president to govern while facing the “ongoing threat” that he’ll be sentenced to imprisonment, fines or other punishment as soon as his term ends, Blanche and Bove wrote. Trump, a Republican, takes office Jan. 20. “To be clear, President Trump will never deviate from the public interest in response to these thuggish tactics,” the defense lawyers wrote. “However, the threat itself is unconstitutional.” The prosecution’s suggestion that Merchan could mitigate those concerns by promising not to sentence Trump to jail time on presidential immunity grounds is also a non-starter, Blanche and Bove wrote. If anything, the immunity statute should require dropping the case altogether, not merely limiting the judge’s sentencing options, they argued. Blanche and Bove, both of whom Trump has tabbed for high-ranking Justice Department positions, expressed outrage at the prosecution’s novel suggestion that Merchan borrow from Alabama and other states and treat the case as if Trump had died. Blanche and Bove accused prosecutors of ignoring New York precedent and attempting to “fabricate” a solution “based on an extremely troubling and irresponsible analogy between President Trump” who survived assassination attempts in Pennsylvania in July and Florida in September “and a hypothetical dead defendant.” Such an option normally comes into play when a defendant dies after being convicted but before appeals are exhausted. It is unclear whether it is viable under New York law, but prosecutors suggested that Merchan could innovate in what’s already a unique case. “This remedy would prevent defendant from being burdened during his presidency by an ongoing criminal proceeding,” prosecutors wrote in their filing this week. But at the same time, it wouldn’t “precipitously discard” the “meaningful fact that defendant was indicted and found guilty by a jury of his peers.” Prosecutors acknowledged that “presidential immunity requires accommodation” during Trump’s impending return to the White House but argued that his election to a second term should not upend a jury’s finding that came while he was out of office. Longstanding Justice Department policy says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution . Other world leaders don’t enjoy the same protection. For example, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , a friend of Trump’s, is on trial on corruption charges even as he leads that nation’s wars in Lebanon and Gaza . Trump has been fighting for months to reverse his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records . Prosecutors said he fudged the documents to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to suppress her claim that they had sex a decade earlier, which Trump denies. In their filing Friday, Trump’s lawyers citing a social media post in which Sen. John Fetterman used profane language to criticize Trump’s hush money prosecution. The Pennsylvania Democrat suggested that Trump deserved a pardon, comparing his case to that of President Joe Biden’s pardoned son Hunter Biden, who had been convicted of tax and gun charges . “Weaponizing the judiciary for blatant, partisan gain diminishes the collective faith in our institutions and sows further division,” Fetterman wrote Wednesday on Truth Social. Trump’s hush money conviction was in state court, meaning a presidential pardon — issued by Biden or himself when he takes office — would not apply to the case. Presidential pardons only apply to federal crimes. Since the election, special counsel Jack Smith has ended his two federal cases , which pertained to Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss and allegations that he hoarded classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. A separate state election interference case in Fulton County, Georgia, is largely on hold. Trump denies wrongdoing in all. Trump had been scheduled for sentencing in the hush money case in late November. But following Trump’s Nov. 5 election victory, Merchan halted proceedings and indefinitely postponed the former and future president’s sentencing so the defense and prosecution could weigh in on the future of the case. Merchan also delayed a decision on Trump’s prior bid to dismiss the case on immunity grounds. A dismissal would erase Trump’s conviction, sparing him the cloud of a criminal record and possible prison sentence. Trump is the first former president to be convicted of a crime and the first convicted criminal to be elected to the office.
Worrying Scene Involving Juraj Slafkovsky from Yesterday's Game Has Just Surfaced
A groundbreaking work by Belgian surrealist Rene Magritte, which smashed auction records in New York, has an “equally magnificent” twin in Australia. An anonymous collector paid $185 million for the work overnight Wednesday, achieving a record price for the artist and a surrealist painter, according to Christie’s auction house. The previous record for a Magritte painting was $121 million set at Sotheby’s in March 2022. Magritte’s Empire of Light 1954 which sold for a world record A$185 million. Credit: Alamy Stock Photo Its near-identical sister is on rare show in Australia at the Art Gallery of NSW, a highlight of its summer blockbuster. The impressive oil is on loan from the Menil Collection in Houston, one of 117 works in the most comprehensive exhibition of the Belgian artist’s paintings ever seen in Australia. Similar in perspective and size, the two paintings differ in the silhouette of trees and another tiny detail – on close inspection the Australian version features a darkened boulder in the foreground. “As he often did, Magritte secreted details in the shadows that don’t show up in reproduction,” says Nicholas Chambers, curator of the Magritte retrospective. Magritte’s The Dominion of Light, 1954, on show at the Art Gallery of NSW. Credit: Paul Hester “In the Menil Collection work at the gallery, for example, a boulder sits in the absolute foreground, barely discernible in the darkness and standing witness to the uncanny scene.” Like Claude Monet, who painted haystacks multiple times across times of day, seasons and weather conditions, Magritte used the same composition of a lamplit urban house to paradoxically blend night and day, shadow and light. He painted 27 versions in his Empire of Light series, 10 of which were on paper. The series inspired a scene in The Exorcist in which Father Merrin arrives at the MacNeil family’s house, the film’s director William Friedkin revealed in 2003. Geoffrey Smith, chair of the auction house Smith & Singer, said the version on display in NSW was as “equally magnificent” as the painting that sold. “What is so fascinating about this composition, and why it’s so compelling, is that it captures this seemingly impossible collision between day and night. “We don’t think there is any difference on first look, but then you have the blue sky of daylight and in the foreground the darkened house and trees illuminated by lamp-post light. Magritte is the equivalent of Jeffrey Smart – they so elegantly disrupt the world around us.” Smith attributed the auction result to the rarity of such works coming up for auction, much less on public display. The buyer’s identity has not been made public. “These works of art are so iconic and so rare, so few remain in private hands, so when a work of this stature and provenance comes to market it creates such excitement,” he said. “The opportunity comes once in a lifetime. “And here you have a work of art, an auction record for the surrealist painter, and Australians have another version, equally magnificent, on our doorstep. How well-timed is that?” Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday .
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies and right-handed pitcher Joe Ross finalized a one-year contract on Monday. The 31-year-old Ross made 10 starts and 25 total appearances for the Milwaukee Brewers last season. He went 3-6 with a 3.77 ERA. Selected by the San Diego Padres in the first round of the 2011 amateur draft, the 6-foot-4 Ross has pitched in 123 career games across seven seasons with the Washington Nationals and Brewers. In his career, he has combined for a 4.19 ERA with 469 strikeouts to 170 walks. He's 29-34 with a 4.19 career ERA. Ross is the latest in an offseason of minor moves for the NL East champs. The Phillies acquired left-hander Jesús Luzardo from the Miami Marlins and signed free-agent outfielder Max Kepler to a $10 million, one-year deal. ___ AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB The Associated Press
Cousins Properties Announces Public Offering of 9,500,000 Shares of Common Stock
Infosys Innovation Fund will acquire an undisclosed number of Series A compulsory convertible preference shares (CCPS) of the healthtech startup Infosys plans to leverage 4baseCare’s capabilities to help its clients navigate their business transformation Founded in 2018, 4baseCare leverages advanced genomics to develop personalised care for cancer patients IT giant Infosys is investing INR 8.3 Cr (nearly $1 Mn) to acquire a minority stake in healthtech startup 4baseCare. Infosys, in an exchange filing, said that the transaction will be executed via its venture capital arm, Infosys Innovation Fund. In lieu of the investment, the Fund will acquire an undisclosed number of Series A compulsory convertible preference shares (CCPS) of the startup. “Infosys Innovation Fund seeks to partner with AI and deeptech startups such as 4baseCare to complement its capabilities and jointly co-create next-generation solutions bringing the power of innovation to help Infosys’ clients navigate their business transformation,” Infosys said in the filing. This comes barely four months after 4baseCare raised $6 Mn in its Series A funding round led by Yali Capital. Founded in 2018 by Hitesh Goswami and Kshitij Rishi, 4baseCare leverages advanced genomics and next-generation digital health technologies to develop personalised oncology (cancer-related) care for patients. The startup claims to have developed a unique set of comprehensive genomic panels which allows oncologists to choose the optimal targeted therapy for their patients. In 2021, 4baseCare raised $2 Mn in its Pre-Series A round. The fundraise comes at a time when the Indian healthtech startup ecosystem continues to gain ground and momentum as investors bet on new innovations to solve healthcare issues. In September, Delhi NCR-based Redcliffe Labs raised $42 Mn in its Series C funding round led by the Danish Investment Fund for Developing Countries (IFU). In July, B2B healthtech platform Watch Your Health marked the final close of its Series A round at $5 Mn after raising capital from Cornerstone Ventures from India and Conquest Global from Singapore. However, it is pertinent to mention that the sector has been a laggard in the overall Indian startup ecosystem, having managed to raise a mere $7 Bn between 2014 and the first half (H1) of 2024 across 886 deals.
Ulster are reeling off the back of their heaviest European defeat in the professional era, losing 61-21 to defending European champions Toulouse in France on Sunday, and things don’t get any easier as they welcome Bordeaux-Begles, currently second in the Top14, to Ravenhill for their second Champions Cup pool fixture on Saturday. It has been a tough start to the season for Richie Murphy’s men, who have won just three of their opening seven games in the United Rugby Championship and would face a mountain to climb to reach the Champions Cup knockouts if they lose this weekend. However, Soper is confident that mindset can change if they can beat the Frenchmen on Saturday before a run of crucial inter-provincial URC clashes against Munster and Connacht over the festive period. “We’re probably a wee bit short of where we wanted to have been, especially those last few URC losses — they are two games we’d like to have again and have another crack at,” admitted the assistant coach. “There’s different things impacting on that at the minute, every team goes through it — we’re a bit banged up in the backs at the moment, which is putting a lot of load into the guys who are available, which isn’t ideal. “We’re making progress but we need to get results. At the end of the day it’s the business we’re in and we’re not where we want to be. “But we have a run of games where we can very quickly turn the feeling of what the season looks like for us and for everyone outside as well with a couple of big results over the next three weeks.” John Cooney could be back for the clash with Bordeaux, but Ben Carson and Stewart Moore are doubts.
Burt, the huge Australian crocodile who had a cameo in ‘Crocodile Dundee,’ dies at 90
Brazil president ‘stable’ after emergency surgeryApple is about to stop selling multiple iPhones in Europe. Here’s why
is currently in the . As players jump into the new multiplayer maps and the , Treyarch has been busy readying a massive balance update aiming to shake-up the shooter, or more like shake it less for players. The December 10 update for is all about buffing weapons by reducing recoil and idle sway, while also bumping up stats like headshot damage. "We have taken a comprehensive pass on weapon motion and applied reductions across the board to improve the combat experience," says the studio. "Depending on the class and weapon, our targets for these reductions range from 30% to 75%." The development team says that the most change can be felt when aiming down sight, with everything from turning and moving to firing weapons offering "far more stability" than before. Here are the weapon motion related changes in this update: Next, the idle sway mechanic has also been a target of change. This is the small shift in the sight that moves the reticle when aiming with weapons. This sway goes away after holding down the aim button for a few seconds for most weapon types. Here are the newest changes related to that: Most weapons, but full-auto primary weapons the most, are being buffed to deal more damage to heads as well, giving the community what it has been asking for since launch. Lastly, even melee strikes are being buffed, with swing times being improved across the board for faster kills. Find the complete patch notes, which details every weapon's changed stats, . Don't forget that a seven-day free trial offer is kicking off for the game on this Friday too, . Meanwhile, enjoyers on Xbox Game Pass may have more of the series coming their way soon too, including .John Elway: remorse over bypassing Josh Allen in draft mitigated by watching Broncos rookie Bo NixTrump vows to end daylight saving time & blasts it as ‘very costly to the US’ after years-long battle to ax clock change
BMW praises Tesla's Full Self-Driving technology on social media
Microsoft and OpenAI have had something of a symbiotic relationship, with the former giving billions of capital to a startup AI lab and in return gaining early access to cutting-edge models that are now baked into Microsoft’s suite of productivity software. The two companies have been headed in diverging directions, however, and Reuters reported today that Microsoft is looking to add more models to its 365 Copilot product that aren’t built by OpenAI. The reasoning, according to the report, is that Microsoft sees OpenAI’s cutting-edge GPT-4 model as too expensive and not fast enough to satisfy its enterprise customers. Copilot 365 is an AI-powered assistant built into Microsoft’s suite of productivity applications including Word and PowerPoint. The tool is supposed to ingest all of a company’s data and do a myriad of things, like give users the ability to quickly find information without needing to hunt through disparate apps; quickly generate a list of the company’s most profitable business units; or instantaneously summarize meetings and emails. It is supposed to do those things, but customers and insiders alike are still underwhelmed by Copilot 365, which costs an extra $30 per month per user on a team. In a recent Business Insider story , employees of Microsoft speaking anonymously called the tools “terrible” and “gimmicky,” not working well 75% of the time. On the customer front, Business Insider cited a survey of 123 IT leaders published by management consultancy Gartner, which found only four said Copilot provided significant value to their companies. It should be noted some other stories have reported on companies that have found value in using large language models, such as by simplifying customer support . Some customers who spoke to Business Insider specifically noted that 365 Copilot is too expensive. OpenAI’s ChatGPT is a frontier, general model, meaning it is trained on vast swaths of data and can be more expensive and slow to run; that is why most models are offered in “lite” versions that perform less intensive inference or “thinking.” Microsoft has been training its own in-house, smaller models like one called Phi-4, and Reuters reports that sources speaking to the outlet said the company is looking to “customize other open-weight models to make 365 Copilot faster and more efficient.” In one sense, it makes sense that Microsoft would want to reduce its reliance on OpenAI. If the company is right and AI is going to be the next generational change in computing, relying on an independent company for the core technology is not a great idea. Microsoft has plowed billions of dollars into OpenAI and will receive 75% of its profits until it makes it breaks even on its investment, and even then will still hold a large stake in the startup. The company in effect gets to hedge its bets—build its own in-house models while keeping a lottery ticket in OpenAI in case it continues on its current skyward trajectory. Despite being the front-runner today, some skeptics of OpenAI say that we may not know a true winner in the AI race yet (should these technologies be as revolutionary as we are told to believe). In the same way that there were numerous search engines that came online in the ’90s, only to be quickly trounced when the latecomer Google showed up. Microsoft is likely wise to hedge.MONTVALE, N.J., Dec. 10, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Balchem Corporation (NASDAQ: BCPC) today announced that on December 9, 2024, its Board of Directors declared a dividend on its shares of common stock equal to $0.87 per share on the Company’s issued and outstanding Common Stock, to be payable on January 17, 2025 to stockholders of record at the close of business on December 26, 2024. This dividend represents an 10.1% increase over last year’s annual dividend. Ted Harris, Balchem’s Chairman, President and CEO, said, “Balchem has a long-standing commitment to an annual dividend and we are pleased to announce the continuation of that commitment. This dividend represents the sixteenth consecutive increase in our annual dividend, reflecting both the consistently outstanding financial performance the company has delivered and the Board’s continued confidence in our long-term strategies.” About Balchem Corporation Balchem Corporation develops, manufactures and markets specialty ingredients that improve and enhance the health and well-being of life on the planet, providing state-of-the-art solutions and the finest quality products for a range of industries worldwide. The company reports three business segments: Human Nutrition & Health; Animal Nutrition & Health; and Specialty Products. The Human Nutrition & Health segment delivers customized food and beverage ingredient systems, as well as key nutrients into a variety of applications across the food, supplement and pharmaceutical industries. The Animal Nutrition & Health segment manufactures and supplies products to numerous animal health markets. Through Specialty Products, Balchem provides specialty-packaged chemicals for use in healthcare and other industries, and also provides chelated minerals to the micronutrient agricultural market. Forward-Looking Statements This release contains forward-looking statements, which reflect Balchem’s expectation or belief concerning future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Balchem can give no assurance that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements will prove correct and various factors could cause results to differ materially from Balchem’s expectations, including risks and factors identified in Balchem’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and other factors that may be identified in our other SEC filings. Forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by the above cautionary statement. Balchem assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements as of any future date.