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Prairie premiers urge action on security to fend off Trump's tariff threats
Losing to older brother John Harbaugh and seeing the Los Angeles Chargers' four-game winning streak snapped Monday night might be the least of Jim Harbaugh's problems this week. The Chargers are holding their breath that running back J.K. Dobbins isn't seriously hurt after he left with a knee injury late in the first half of the Chargers’ 30-23 loss to the Baltimore Ravens . Harbaugh, who dislikes discussing injuries and eschews questions about any player's status with the tried and true “I'm not a doctor” answer, will get plenty of inquiries about Dobbins' health this week. There were no updates on Dobbins' status Tuesday. The Chargers return to practice on a short week before having to travel cross-country to Atlanta. After injuries derailed Dobbins' four years with the Ravens, the 2020 second-round pick decided to bet on himself by signing only a one-year deal with the Chargers. Though the first 10 1/2 games, the bet appeared to be paying off. Dobbins had 40 yards on six carries when he was wrenched backward by linebacker Malik Harrison and then gang-tackled on a play for no gain on third-and-1 at the 50-yard line. Dobbins is fourth in the AFC in rushing with 766 yards and averages 4.8 yards per carry, third highest among AFC backs with at least 100 carries. He has been considered among the candidates for AP Comeback Player of the Year after suffering a torn Achilles tendon in last season’s opener. Dobbins' production throughout the season has made the offense more balanced. Los Angeles had 14 rushes for 68 yards before he was injured. They had seven carries for 15 yards the rest of the game. Without Dobbins and a 14-13 deficit at halftime, the Chargers tried to count on Justin Herbert and the passing game to rally back. Herbert was 11 for 22 for 125 yards and sacked three times in the five drives after Dobbins' departure and didn't get back into the end zone until Gus Edwards' 1-yard run with 46 seconds remaining. Edwards will be counted on to be the lead back if Dobbins has to miss games. Edwards missed four games during the middle of the season because of an ankle injury and has 25 carries for 93 yards in three games since returning to the lineup. Hassan Haskins and rookie Kimani Vidal will be counted on to provide depth. “Obviously, I’m hoping J.K. is OK. Gus has been an awesome addition, being able to run and go and get some yards,” Herbert said. "We just got to stay with it. I think that offensive line has done a great job all year. It didn’t go our way today, but we’re going to keep pounding the ball and keep getting after it.” Dobbins' injury also could not come at a worse time for the Chargers. They are 7-4 and hold the sixth seed in the AFC, but have tough upcoming tests against playoff contenders Atlanta (6-5), Kansas City (10-1), Tampa Bay (5-6) and Denver (7-5) the next four weeks. Herbert on the run. Herbert has at four scrambles of at least 12 yards in the past five games and got his second rushing touchdown of the season on the opening drive with a 5-yard carry up the middle. Not giving up big-play touchdowns. Rashod Bateman's 40-yard touchdown late in the second quarter (which would have been pass interference on Kristian Fulton if it wasn't completed) marked the third straight game the Chargers allowed a passing TD of at least 40 yards. They had allowed only two in the first nine games. LB Joey Bosa had four tackles, his most since he had seven in Week 1 against the Raiders. Bosa missed three games earlier in the season because of a hip injury, but had only two tackles in the four games since his return until Monday night. WR Quentin Johnston is the second Chargers receiver since 2009 to be targeted at least five times and not have a catch according to Sportradar. Travis Benjamin also had five targets and no receptions against the Jets in 2017. Besides being held without a catch, Johnston had two critical drops during the second half. In addition to Dobbins, CB Eli Apple suffered a hamstring injury in the first half and did not return. CB Cam Hart was inactive because of an ankle injury and was in a walking boot. LB Denzel Perryman (groin) and TE Hayden Hurst (hip) were also inactive because of injuries. 57 — Points allowed by the Chargers in the past two games. They had given up 68 in their first five games after their bye week. 73 — Games it took for Herbert to reach 1,800 completions, tying him with Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes as the fastest players in NFL history to reach that mark. 6 — Games where Daiyan Henley has had double-digit tackles. The second-year linebacker had 10 tackles (four solo) on Monday night. The Chargers will make their second trip in three years to Atlanta on Sunday. They won the 2022 meeting in Week 9 when Cameron Dicker hit a 37-yard field goal on the last play of the game. Los Angeles is 2-0 against the NFC South this season and has a four-game winning streak against teams in the division. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFLUS President-elect Donald Trump filed a brief Friday urging the Supreme Court to pause a law that would ban TikTok the day before his January 20 inauguration if it is not sold by its Chinese owner ByteDance. "In light of the novelty and difficulty of this case, the court should consider staying the statutory deadline to grant more breathing space to address these issues," Trump's legal team wrote, to give him "the opportunity to pursue a political resolution." Trump was fiercely opposed to TikTok during his 2017-21 first term, and tried in vain to ban the video app on national security grounds. The Republican voiced concerns -- echoed by political rivals -- that the Chinese government might tap into US TikTok users' data or manipulate what they see on the platform. US officials had also voiced alarm over the popularity of the video-sharing app with young people, alleging that its parent company is subservient to Beijing and that the app is used to spread propaganda, claims denied by the company and the Chinese government. Trump called for a US company to buy TikTok, with the government sharing in the sale price, and his successor Joe Biden went one stage further -- signing a law to ban the app for the same reasons. Trump has now, however, reversed course. "Now (that) I'm thinking about it, I'm for TikTok, because you need competition," he recently told Bloomberg. "If you don't have TikTok, you have Facebook and Instagram -- and that's, you know, that's Zuckerberg." Facebook, founded by Mark Zuckerberg and part of his Meta tech empire, was among the social media networks that banned Trump after attacks by his supporters on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. The ban was driven by concerns that he would use the platform to promote more violence. Those bans on major social media platforms were later lifted. In the brief filed on Friday, Trump's lawyer made it clear the president-elect did not take a position on the legal merits of the current case. "President Trump takes no position on the underlying merits of this dispute," John Sauer wrote in the amicus curiae -- or "friend of the court" -- brief. "Instead, he respectfully requests that the court consider staying the act's deadline for divestment of January 19, 2025, while it considers the merits of this case, thus permitting President Trump's incoming Administration the opportunity to pursue a political resolution of the questions at issue in the case." ft/aha
J.K. Dobbins' knee injury could be tough news for the Chargers offenseThe Year in Photos in Northeast Pennsylvania
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Prairie premiers urge action on security to fend off Trump's tariff threatsIran said on Sunday that it would hold nuclear talks in the coming days with the three European countries that initiated a censure resolution against it adopted by the UN's atomic watchdog. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the meeting of the deputy foreign ministers of Iran, France, Germany and the United Kingdom would take place on Friday, without specifying a venue. "A range of regional and international issues and topics, including the issues of Palestine and Lebanon, as well as the nuclear issue, will be discussed," the spokesman said in a foreign ministry statement. Baghaei described the upcoming meeting as a continuation of talks held with the countries in September on the sidelines of the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. On Thursday, the 35-nation board of governors of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) adopted a resolution denouncing Iran for what it called a lack of cooperation. The move came as tensions ran high over Iran's atomic programme, which critics fear is aimed at developing a nuclear weapon -- something Tehran has repeatedly denied. In response to the resolution, Iran announced it was launching a "series of new and advanced centrifuges". Centrifuges enrich uranium transformed into gas by rotating it at very high speed, increasing the proportion of fissile isotope material (U-235). "We will substantially increase the enrichment capacity with the utilisation of different types of advanced machines," Behrouz Kamalvandi, Iran's atomic energy organisation spokesman, told state TV. The country, however, also said it planned to continue its "technical and safeguards cooperation with the IAEA". During a recent visit to Tehran by IAEA head Rafael Grossi, Iran agreed to the agency's demand to cap its sensitive stock of near weapons-grade uranium enriched up to 60 percent purity. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in power since July and a supporter of dialogue with Western countries, has said he wants to remove "doubts and ambiguities" about his country's nuclear programme. In 2015, Iran and world powers reached an agreement that saw the easing of international sanctions on Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme. But the United States unilaterally withdrew from the accord in 2018 under then-president Donald Trump and reimposed biting economic sanctions, which prompted Iran to begin rolling back on its own commitments. On Sunday afternoon, the United Kingdom confirmed the upcoming meeting between Iran and the three European countries. "We remain committed to taking every diplomatic step to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, including through snapback if necessary," London's Foreign Office said. The 2015 deal contains a "snapback" mechanism that can be triggered in case of "significant non-performance" of commitments by Iran, allowing many sanctions to be reimposed. Ali Vaez, an Iran expert with the International Crisis Group think tank, told AFP that Friday's meeting was set to happen earlier, but "those plans were derailed as a result of Iran-Israel tensions" over the Gaza war. Though the parties will be meeting "without knowing what the incoming Trump administration wants to do", Vaez said that "after a lose-lose cycle of mutual escalation, now both sides are back to realising that engagement might be the least costly option." Tehran has since 2021 decreased its cooperation with the IAEA by deactivating surveillance devices monitoring the nuclear programme and barring UN inspectors. At the same time, it has increased its stockpiles of enriched uranium and the level of enrichment to 60 percent. That level is close, according to the IAEA, to the 90 percent-plus threshold required for a nuclear warhead, and substantially higher than the 3.67 percent limit it agreed to in 2015. pdm/smw/ami
Luis Sanchez former member of the group Skandalo broke the silence in the midst of the controversy between his former teammates, Ricky Trevitazo and Luigui Carbajal. In a statement published on his social networks, the singer expressed his position on the situation, making clear his intention to remain neutral. The controversy arose after Ricky Trevitazo publicly announced the end of his work and personal relationship with Luigui Carbajal, unleashing divided opinions among the group’s followers. Given this, Luis Sánchez decided to speak out, leaving his fans to expect how he will handle his role in the conflict. Luis Sánchez asks for respect and calls for unity In his statement, Luis Sanchez He emphasized that he will not take sides in the conflict between Ricky Trevitazo and Luigui Carbajal. “I want to address all Skándalo followers with a lot of respect and affection. “I know that there are currently differences between some of the members of the group, but I want to make it clear that my intention is not to take sides or generate more divisions,” he expressed. The singer also reaffirmed his commitment to the public and to the professional commitments he still has pending. “My priority has always been to fulfill work commitments and be responsible with the decisions I make. “I am very grateful to all the members of the group, each one has been like a brother to me, and also to you, our fans, for your unconditional support for so many years,” he added. Despite the controversy, Luis Sanchez He assured that his focus remains on work and providing the best possible show to the fans of Skandalo . “I hope these differences can be resolved in the best way for everyone. My greatest wish is for unity and respect to prevail,” he concluded. Join our entertainment channelNEW YORK — Eager to preserve President-elect Donald Trump's hush money conviction even as he returns to office, prosecutors suggested various ways forward — including one based on how some courts handle criminal cases when defendants die. In court papers made public Tuesday, the Manhattan district attorney's office proposed an array of options for keeping the historic conviction on the books. The proposals include freezing the case until Trump is out of office, or agreeing that any future sentence wouldn't include jail time. Another idea: closing the case with a notation that acknowledges his conviction but says that he was never sentenced and his appeal wasn't resolved because of presidential immunity. Former President Donald Trump appears in Manhattan criminal court May 30 during jury deliberations in his criminal hush money trial in New York. The last is adopted from what some states do when a criminal defendant dies after being convicted but before appeals are exhausted. It is unclear whether that option is viable under New York law, but prosecutors suggested that Judge Juan M. 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. 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." Expanding on a position they laid out last month, prosecutors acknowledged that "presidential immunity requires accommodation during a president's time in office," but they were adamant that the conviction should stand. They argued that Trump's impending return to the White House should not upend a jury's finding. Trump wants the case to be thrown out in light of his election. His communications director, Steven Cheung, called prosecutors' filing "a pathetic attempt to salvage the remains of an unconstitutional and politically motivated hoax." Trump has fought 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. Former President Donald Trump returns to the courtroom May 30 at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York. He says they did not and denies wrongdoing. Trump portrays the case as a political attack ginned up by District Attorney Alvin Bragg and other Democrats. Trump's legal team argues that letting the case continue would present unconstitutional "disruptions" to his upcoming presidential term. Trump's attorneys also cited President Joe Biden's recent pardon of his son Hunter Biden, who was convicted of tax and gun charges. Biden complained that his son was unfairly prosecuted for political reasons — and Trump's lawyers say he was, too. Trump's lawyers argued that the possibility of a jail sentence — even if it's after he leaves office — would affect his presidency. Prosecutors suggested Merchan could address that concern by agreeing not to put him behind bars. It's unclear how soon Merchan could decide what to do next with the case. He could grant Trump's request for dismissal, go with one of the suggestions from prosecutors, 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. Trump, a Republican, takes office Jan. 20. Former President Donald Trump gestures May 31 as he leaves a news conference at Trump Tower in New York. He was scheduled for sentencing late last month. After Trump's Nov. 5 election win, 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. The hush money case was the only one of Trump's four criminal indictments to go to trial. Since the election, special counsel Jack Smith 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 each case. Former President Donald Trump speaks outside the courtroom after a jury convicted him of felony crimes for falsifying business records in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election, at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York, Thursday, May 30, 2024. (Steven Hirsch/New York Post via AP, Pool) Former President Donald Trump sits in Manhattan criminal court, on May 13, 2024, in New York. (Sarah Yenesel/Pool Photo via AP) Former President Donald Trump talks to the media outside Manhattan criminal court in New York, on May 14, 2024. (Curtis Means/Pool Photo via AP) Former President Donald Trump appears at Manhattan criminal court before his trial in New York, on April 30, 2024. (Justin Lane/Pool Photo via AP) Michael Cohen, right, leaves his apartment building in New York, on May 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) Former President Donald Trump appears at Manhattan criminal court during jury deliberations in his criminal hush money trial in New York, Thursday, May 30, 2024. (Mark Peterson/Pool Photo via AP) Former President Donald Trump awaits the start of proceedings in Manhattan Criminal Court, on May 28, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson, Pool) Former President Donald Trump appears at Manhattan criminal court during jury deliberations in his criminal hush money trial in New York, Thursday, May 30, 2024. (Steven Hirsch/New York Post via AP, Pool) From left North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy look on as former President Donald Trump talks to the media as he arrives at Manhattan criminal court in New York, on May 14, 2024. (Curtis Means/Pool Photo via AP) A supporter of former President Donald Trump reads a "Jews for Trump" sign outside Manhattan Criminal Court, on May 29, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson) Donald Trump, Jr. speaks to reporters across the street from former President Donald Trump's criminal trial in New York, on May 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) A supporter of former President Donald Trump and an anti-Trump protester fight outside Manhattan Criminal Court, Thursday, May 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson) Robert De Niro, center, argues with a Donald Trump supporter after speaking to reporters in support of President Joe Biden across the street from Trump's criminal trial in New York, on May 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig) Donald Trump Jr. speaks outside Manhattan criminal court, on May 21, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson) Former President Donald Trump talks to the media after a day of testimony in his trial at Manhattan Criminal court in New York, on May 10, 2024. (Jeenah Moon/Pool Photo via AP) Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, wears a tie with photographs of former President Donald Trump during a press conference outside Manhattan criminal court, on May 21, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson) Trump supporters wave flags and cheer as the motorcade carrying former President Donald Trump leaves the Manhattan Criminal court, on May 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah) Former President Donald Trump, seen through a camera viewfinder, speaks to members of the media at Manhattan criminal court in New York, on May 2, 2024. (Jeenah Moon/Pool Photo via AP) Former President Donald Trump gestures as he returns to court after a lunch break, at Manhattan criminal court in New York, on May 16, 2024. (Mike Segar/Pool Photo via AP) Former President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 21, 2024 in New York. (Michael M. Santiago/Pool Photo via AP) Supporters of former President Donald Trump gather in Collect Pond Park outside Manhattan Criminal Court, Thursday, May 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson) Former President Donald Trump closes his eyes, during his trial at Manhattan criminal court on May 16, 2024, in New York. (Mike Segar/Pool Photo via AP) Former President Donald Trump sits in the courtroom during his criminal trial at the Manhattan criminal court in New York, on May 6, 2024. (Brendan McDermid/Pool Photo via AP) Former President Donald Trump walks to the courtroom at Manhattan criminal court as jurors are expected to begin deliberations in his criminal hush money trial in New York, on May 29, 2024. (Charly Triballeau/Pool Photo via AP) Former President Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower on his way to Manhattan criminal court, on April 15, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) Former President Donald Trump sits in Manhattan Criminal Court in New York, on May 20, 2024. (Dave Sanders/The New York Times via AP, Pool) Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email.
HOMB Takes Additional Hurricane Reserve Out of Abundance of CautionOne question that’s loomed over the disturbing allegations against Sean “Diddy” Combs is the culpability of his famous friends. Will anyone else be exposed during his upcoming trial or named in the growing pile of civil lawsuits against him? In the months since the hip-hop mogul was federally charged with sex trafficking and racketeering in the Southern District of New York, spectators online have been mining old photos of Combs’s star-studded white parties, looking at potential celebrities — from Ashton Kutcher to Beyoncé — that could have been involved or at least possibly aware of his alleged “freak-offs.”This focus on Combs’s high-profile associates seems to have built on the speculation around the late financier and child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, whose 2019 death left many open questions about his own elite circle. Online, conspiracy theories circulate about who knew or did what with the Diddy case, from QAnon-esque readings of Justin Bieber lyrics to anti-gay speculation about his mentorship of Usher. However, recent accusations involving one of Diddy’s most illustrious music peers have lent some gravity to this conjecture. On Monday, in an anonymous civil lawsuit, fellow rapper and mogul Jay-Z (a.k.a. Shawn Carter) was accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000 along with Combs.The complaint, which was filed in October, initially only listed Combs as a defendant, concealing the names of a male celebrity who allegedly participated in the assault and a female celebrity who allegedly witnessed it. However, some back-and-forth between Carter and the accuser’s counsel resulted in the rapper’s inclusion in a re-filing, making Carter the first high-profile defendant intertwined in Combs’s ongoing legal scandals. While it’s still early days for this case, the suit raises questions about what this will mean for the rest of Combs’s legal proceedings, and whether other A-list figures could possibly be named. Notably, Hollywood’s Me Too movement did not penetrate the even less regulated music industry in a culture-shifting way, let alone the male-dominated genre of rap. Will the calling out of a celebrity as gigantic as Jay-Z embolden more victims to speak up? What is Jay-Z being accused of? In the new lawsuit, posted by legal journalist Meghann Cuniff, the anonymous plaintiff, identified as Jane Doe, claims that Combs and Carter took turns raping her at an MTV Video Music Awards after-party while an unidentified female celebrity watched. The accuser says she was transported to the party by Combs’s driver, who she met outside of Radio City Music Hall while she was trying to gain entry into the venue for the awards show. The driver told her he would take her to the party after the show, stating that she “fit what Diddy was looking for.” When they arrived at the mansion where the party was held, the woman said she signed what she thought was a nondisclosure agreement. She was also given a drink that made her feel “woozy and lightheaded, making her need to lie down,” according to the lawsuit. Shortly after she went into a room to rest, Combs and Carter entered. Combs allegedly grabbed her and exclaimed, “You are ready to party!” According to the lawsuit, Carter took off her clothes, held her down, and raped her while Combs and the unidentified female celebrity watched. Combs then allegedly raped the plaintiff while Carter and the unnamed celebrity looked on. Eventually, the plaintiff was able to escape after hitting Combs in his neck and running out of the room. Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee, who in recent months filed numerous lawsuits against Combs accusing him of physical and sexual assault, says in the latest lawsuit that he sent Carter a demand letter prior to refiling, “requesting a mediation” to resolve the matter. Carter then filed his own anonymous lawsuit against the plaintiff’s legal team, accusing them of extortion. In the refiled complaint, Buzbee calls Carter’s lawsuit “frivolous” and accuses him of “orchestrating a conspiracy of harassment, bullying, and intimidation against Plaintiff’s lawyers, their families, and former associates in an attempt to silence Plaintiff” from naming him. [Image: Jay-Z and Diddy at the Roc Nation Brunch on January 25, 2020, in Los Angeles. https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/12/GettyImages-1201933535.jpg?quality=90&strip=all]After the refiling, Carter denied all allegations, releasing an impassioned — and seemingly unvetted by a publicist — statement on his entertainment company Roc Nation’s social media accounts on Sunday. (The statement is currently being circulated as an ad on X.) In his response, he calls the initial demand letter he received from Buzbee a “blackmail attempt,” disparages Buzbee’s reputation as a lawyer, and mentions the effect of the accusations on his family, which includes his wife, singer Beyoncé Knowles-Carter: “My only heartbreak is for my family. My wife and I will have to sit our children down, one of whom is at the age where her friends will surely see the press and ask questions about the nature of these claims, and explain the cruelty and greed of people.” He also implores Buzbee to file a criminal complaint rather than a civil one.On Monday, Carter’s attorneys opposed the plaintiff’s request to proceed anonymously. The motion notes that in two previous cases that Buzbee filed in the New York district, the court denied his requests, after “failing to meet the burden to show that each plaintiff was entitled to ‘the exceptional remedy of anonymity.’” Are more celebrities likely to be named? While the world waits for a conclusion to this disturbing lawsuit, the implications of the news are yet to be seen. Will the exposure of someone as powerful as Carter result in more celebrities being outed in Combs’s legal proceedings or even sued on their own? Or is this simply the outcome of confidential back-and-forth handled in a messy manner?In a previous interview with Vox about the rise of high-profile sex-trafficking cases, former Department of Justice prosecutor Neama Rahmani said it’s unlikely that more would be exposed in the criminal charges against Combs, given that US Attorney Damian Williams lacks “a kitchen-sink approach” to prosecuting. He also said the “standard is higher” in criminal court, and prosecutors aren’t going to risk naming someone unless they’re certain they can get a conviction. However, he does expect for celebrities involved in these cases to receive civil lawsuits, as we’re seeing currently. “There’s a lot of allegations that there were other celebrities that participated in these ‘freak-offs,’” says Rahmani, who has prosecuted human trafficking cases. “According to Cassie Ventura, he recorded these freak-offs both for his sexual pleasure but also to have power over the [celebrity] participants to blackmail them. So this might be the first domino to fall.” Rahmani also tells Vox that other lawsuits against Carter could emerge, similar to the way Casandra “Cassie” Ventura’s 2023 claims against Combs, her ex-partner, led to an avalanche of allegations by other accusers. For now, Rahmani says spectators will have to wait and see.“It’s really impossible to know,” he says. “But it might be a Me Too-type of situation for the music industry.”
AP News Summary at 3:29 p.m. EST
DA suggests unusual idea for halting Trump's hush money case while upholding convictionAONTÚ AND ITS leader Peadar Tóibín have shared an image purporting to show a Fine Gael poster with Taoiseach Simon Harris’s face which reads “More Waste. Note, it wasn’t me”. The image was shared by and separately on X on Sunday 24 November, alongside identical captions which said they were new Fine Gael posters “going up around the country”. However, the images are doctored and do not appear to be real. An identical photograph, but with a different caption on the poster, has been online for several months. In response to queries, Aontú told the PA news agency that it is “not a real poster”. The name of the barbers in the background of the photograph shows that it was taken on Main St, in Rathfarnham, Dublin. show the same barbers and yellow parts on the building next door. A less cropped version of the image, with a different slogan – “A new energy. Vote Fine Gael No. 1” – . A spokesperson for Aontú, said: “Aontú, like most other political parties has used political satire during the course of this campaign. It is a perfectly legitimate form of political campaigning. “The poster in question is being used on social media. It is not a real poster. The message of the poster is accurate though – we have seen incredible waste under this government and a continuous denial from the Taoiseach that it is his fault. “One of Aontú’s key messages during this election has been around accountability whether it’s for the overspend on the Children’s hospital or the bike shed we feel that Fine Gael is wasting public money. It is obvious to all that the poster depicted in Deputy Tóibín’s tweet is satire.”Travel: Colorado’s winter huts blend adventure, luxury, and scenic beautyToronto Blue Jays get former All-Star in big trade with Cleveland
Motoring News Don't miss out on the headlines from Motoring News. Followed categories will be added to My News. LDV says its second electric ute won’t be anything like the first. That car, the LDV eT60, was the first battery-powered ute sold in Australian showrooms. Though it was an important landmark, the electric eT60 was one of the worst utes sold in Australia. Priced from about $93,000 drive-away, it cost roughly double the ask of a diesel-powered LDV T60. It only had two-wheel-drive, the 88.55kWh battery offered a maximum range of 330km and it could only tow 1000 kilos. LDV’s eT60 electric ute fell short of expectations. MORE : More to come from LDV’s electric utes Forget about the 3.5 tonne towing, four-wheel-drive traction and 600 kilometre driving ranges of diesel utes for a fraction of the cost. Aussies love a ute, but this electric model was roundly shunned, only attracting about 100 sales in two years – mainly to corporate fleets attempting to appear green. LDV promises the new model will be better. LDV’s Terron 9 Ute will be sold in electric (left) and diesel form. MORE : LDV eT60 arrives in Australia Currently testing in Australia ahead of its launch next year, the LDV eTerron 9 is set to right the previous car’s wrongs with all-wheel-drive traction, competitive pulling power and a decent range. Overseas cousins that wear LDV’s Maxus badge have 325kW of power, can tow 3.5 tonnes, and claim 430 kilometres of driving range. Local specifications and prices for the car have not been confirmed. But LDV Australia general manager, Dinesh Chinnappa, says it represents a leap beyond the old car. 2025 LDV Terron 9 Ute testing in Australia. Photo: Supplied MORE : Attack mode in world’s quickest car “This is a completely different vehicle, inside and out,” he said. “We are proud that the LDV eT60 was the first electric ute in Australian showrooms, but we are also proud to demonstrate just how far electric ute technology has progressed with this all-new model. “Certain segments of the ute market are not only ready for an electric ute, they’ve been pleading for one. Particularly fleets and mining companies who want a factory-built, turnkey solution straight off the showroom floor, rather than a diesel vehicle that has been converted to electric power.” The LDV Terron 9 Ute goes on sale in 2025. MORE : Aussie EV push backfires LDV technicians are working on “validation testing” to make sure its electronics and safety systems work appropriately in Australia. The new model will be available with a choice of electric or diesel power. LDV says it will be sold alongside the existing T60 ute, suggesting the new Terron 9 will be a premium proposition. “We want to make sure when a ute buyer walks into an LDV showroom, we have a vehicle that offers value across a range of price points,” Chinnappa said. “We are not going to leave our traditional ute buyers behind. Rather, the LDV Terron ute series will broaden our offering across the ute segment.” Originally published as LDV eTerron 9 electric ute coming to Australia More related stories Motoring News Chilling car warning you need to hear Cars used to represent ultimate freedom. But a new study proves that today, the opposite is true – and that instead, you can be “controlled”. Read more Motoring News ‘Shame’: Aussie EV push backfires big time Car industry warns that a policy intended to drive motorists toward electric cars could have the opposite effect. Read more
Kompany hails Muller after Bayern dismantle Shakhtar
By ZEKE MILLER, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday reached a required agreement with President Joe Biden’s White House to allow his transition staff to coordinate with the existing federal workforce before taking office on Jan. 20. The congressionally mandated agreement allows transition aides to work with federal agencies and access non-public information and gives a green light to government workers to talk to the transition team. But Trump has declined to sign a separate agreement with the General Services Administration that would have given his team access to secure government offices and email accounts, in part because it would require that the president-elect limit contributions to $5,000 and reveal who is donating to his transition effort. The White House agreement was supposed to have been signed by Oct. 1, according to the Presidential Transition Act, and the Biden White House had issued both public and private appeals for Trump’s team to sign on. The agreement is a critical step in ensuring an orderly transfer of power at noon on Inauguration Day, and lays the groundwork for the White House and government agencies to begin to share details on ongoing programs, operations and threats. It limits the risk that the Trump team could find itself taking control of the massive federal government without briefings and documents from the outgoing administration. As part of the agreement with the White House, Trump’s team will have to publicly disclose its ethics plan for the transition operation and make a commitment to uphold it, the White House said. Transition aides must sign statements that they have no financial positions that could pose a conflict of interest before they receive access to non-public federal information. Biden himself raised the agreement with Trump when they met in the Oval Office on Nov. 13, according to the White House, and Trump indicated that his team was working to get it signed. Trump chief of staff-designate Susie Wiles met with Biden’s chief of staff Jeff Zients at the White House on Nov. 19 and other senior officials in part to discuss remaining holdups, while lawyers for the two sides have spoken more than a half-dozen times in recent days to finalize the agreement. “Like President Biden said to the American people from the Rose Garden and directly to President-elect Trump, he is committed to an orderly transition,” said White House spokesperson Saloni Sharma. “President-elect Trump and his team will be in seat on January 20 at 12 pm – and they will immediately be responsible for a range of domestic and global challenges, foreseen and unforeseen. A smooth transition is critical to the safety and security of the American people who are counting on their leaders to be responsible and prepared.” Without the signed agreement, Biden administration officials were restricted in what they could share with the incoming team. Trump national security adviser-designate Rep. Mike Waltz met recently with Biden national security adviser Jake Sullivan, but the outgoing team was limited in what it could discuss. “We are doing everything that we can to effect a professional and an orderly transition,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Monday. “And we continue to urge the incoming team to take the steps that are necessary to be able to facilitate that on their end as well.” “This engagement allows our intended Cabinet nominees to begin critical preparations, including the deployment of landing teams to every department and agency, and complete the orderly transition of power,” said Wiles in a statement. The Trump transition team says it would disclose its donors to the public and would not take foreign donations. A separate agreement with the Department of Justice to coordinate background checks for vetting and security clearances is still being actively worked on and could be signed quickly now that the White House agreement is signed. The agency has teams of investigators standing by to process clearances for Trump aides and advisers once that document is signed. That would clear the way for transition aides and future administration appointees and nominees to begin accessing classified information before Trump takes office. Some Trump aides may hold active clearances from his first term in office or other government roles, but others will need new clearances to access classified data. Trump’s team on Friday formally told the GSA that they would not utilize the government office space blocks from the White House reserved for their use, or government email accounts, phones and computers during the transition. The White House said it does not agree with Trump’s decision to forgo support from the GSA, but is working on alternate ways to get Trump appointees the information they need without jeopardizing national security. Federal agencies are receiving guidance on Tuesday on how to share sensitive information with the Trump team without jeopardizing national security or non-public information. For instance, agencies may require in-person meetings and document reviews since the Trump team has declined to shift to using secure phones and computers. For unclassified information, agencies may ask Trump transition staff to attest that they are taking basic safeguards, like using two-factor authentication on their accounts.
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NoneITV I'm A Celebrity star left with plastic nose after brutal injuryIran said on Sunday that it would hold nuclear talks in the coming days with the three European countries that initiated a censure resolution against it adopted by the UN's atomic watchdog. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the meeting of the deputy foreign ministers of Iran, France, Germany and the United Kingdom would take place on Friday, without specifying a venue. "A range of regional and international issues and topics, including the issues of Palestine and Lebanon, as well as the nuclear issue, will be discussed," the spokesman said in a foreign ministry statement. Baghaei described the upcoming meeting as a continuation of talks held with the countries in September on the sidelines of the annual session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. On Thursday, the 35-nation board of governors of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) adopted a resolution denouncing Iran for what it called a lack of cooperation. The move came as tensions ran high over Iran's atomic programme, which critics fear is aimed at developing a nuclear weapon -- something Tehran has repeatedly denied. In response to the resolution, Iran announced it was launching a "series of new and advanced centrifuges". Centrifuges enrich uranium transformed into gas by rotating it at very high speed, increasing the proportion of fissile isotope material (U-235). "We will substantially increase the enrichment capacity with the utilisation of different types of advanced machines," Behrouz Kamalvandi, Iran's atomic energy organisation spokesman, told state TV. The country, however, also said it planned to continue its "technical and safeguards cooperation with the IAEA". During a recent visit to Tehran by IAEA head Rafael Grossi, Iran agreed to the agency's demand to cap its sensitive stock of near weapons-grade uranium enriched up to 60 percent purity. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in power since July and a supporter of dialogue with Western countries, has said he wants to remove "doubts and ambiguities" about his country's nuclear programme. In 2015, Iran and world powers reached an agreement that saw the easing of international sanctions on Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme. But the United States unilaterally withdrew from the accord in 2018 under then-president Donald Trump and reimposed biting economic sanctions, which prompted Iran to begin rolling back on its own commitments. On Sunday afternoon, the United Kingdom confirmed the upcoming meeting between Iran and the three European countries. "We remain committed to taking every diplomatic step to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, including through snapback if necessary," London's Foreign Office said. The 2015 deal contains a "snapback" mechanism that can be triggered in case of "significant non-performance" of commitments by Iran, allowing many sanctions to be reimposed. Ali Vaez, an Iran expert with the International Crisis Group think tank, told AFP that Friday's meeting was set to happen earlier, but "those plans were derailed as a result of Iran-Israel tensions" over the Gaza war. Though the parties will be meeting "without knowing what the incoming Trump administration wants to do", Vaez said that "after a lose-lose cycle of mutual escalation, now both sides are back to realising that engagement might be the least costly option." Tehran has since 2021 decreased its cooperation with the IAEA by deactivating surveillance devices monitoring the nuclear programme and barring UN inspectors. At the same time, it has increased its stockpiles of enriched uranium and the level of enrichment to 60 percent. That level is close, according to the IAEA, to the 90 percent-plus threshold required for a nuclear warhead, and substantially higher than the 3.67 percent limit it agreed to in 2015. pdm/smw/ami
The Vancouver Canucks roll into Boston to take on the Bruins at TD Garden this Tuesday. Both teams are coming off mixed performances, and with a packed schedule ahead, this matchup is a chance to build momentum and grab some much-needed points. How to Watch Vancouver Canucks vs Boston Bruins: The Canucks come into tonight's game with a 10-6-2 record on the season after a 4-3 win over the Senators on Saturday. Vancouver is gearing up for a packed stretch, with games against the Penguins, Sabres, and Red Wings looming. The Canucks have been solid offensively, averaging 3.21 goals per game and capitalizing on 20.3% of their power-play chances. Brock Boeser has been lighting the lamp with six goals, while Quinn Hughes has been dishing out assists like a machine, racking up 15 already. Meanwhile, the Bruins are coming off wins against the Utah Hockey Club and the Red Wings. While they're getting results, their offense has been less than electric, averaging 2.32 goals per game and converting a mere 12.8% of power-play opportunities. David Pastrnak is doing his part, leading the team with eight goals, while Brad Marchand has been a steady playmaker with nine assists. Pavel Zacha is peppering goalies with 50 shots, but the Bruins will need more offensive firepower to keep up with Vancouver's scoring threats. This will be a good one on Tuesday, make sure to tune in on ESPN+ and catch all the NHL action tonight. WATCH: Vancouver Canucks vs. Boston Bruins live exclusively on ESPN+ If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.NEW YORK — Eager to preserve President-elect Donald Trump's hush money conviction even as he returns to office, prosecutors suggested various ways forward — including one based on how some courts handle criminal cases when defendants die. In court papers made public Tuesday, the Manhattan district attorney's office proposed an array of options for keeping the historic conviction on the books. The proposals include freezing the case until Trump is out of office, or agreeing that any future sentence wouldn't include jail time. Another idea: closing the case with a notation that acknowledges his conviction but says that he was never sentenced and his appeal wasn't resolved because of presidential immunity. The last is adopted from what some states do when a criminal defendant dies after being convicted but before appeals are exhausted. It is unclear whether that option is viable under New York law, but prosecutors suggested that Judge Juan M. 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. 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." Expanding on a position they laid out last month, prosecutors acknowledged that "presidential immunity requires accommodation during a president's time in office," but they were adamant that the conviction should stand. They argued that Trump's impending return to the White House should not upend a jury's finding. Trump wants the case to be thrown out in light of his election. His communications director, Steven Cheung, called prosecutors' filing "a pathetic attempt to salvage the remains of an unconstitutional and politically motivated hoax." Trump has fought 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. He claims they didn’t and denies wrongdoing. Trump portrays the case as a political attack ginned up by District Attorney Alvin Bragg and other Democrats. Trump's legal team argues that letting the case continue would present unconstitutional "disruptions" to his upcoming presidential term. Trump's attorneys also cited President Joe Biden's recent pardon of his son Hunter Biden, who was convicted of tax and gun charges. Biden complained that his son was unfairly prosecuted for political reasons — and Trump's lawyers say he was, too. Trump's lawyers argued that the possibility of a jail sentence — even if it's after he leaves office — would affect his presidency. Prosecutors suggested Merchan could address that concern by agreeing not to put him behind bars. It's unclear how soon Merchan could decide what to do next with the case. He could grant Trump's request for dismissal, go with one of the suggestions from prosecutors, 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. Trump, a Republican, takes office Jan. 20. He was scheduled for sentencing late last month. After Trump's Nov. 5 election win, 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. The hush money case was the only one of Trump's four criminal indictments to go to trial. Since the election, special counsel Jack Smith 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 each case.Today's fortune: Dec. 28, 2024