In brief: As investors search for ways to stabilize Ubisoft following years of poor financial performance, buyout talks with major shareholder Tencent are progressing. Although multiple options are on the table, the founding Guillemot family struggles to retain control of the company. Anonymous sources have told Reuters that multiple investors, including Tencent, are discussing options for funding a buyout of Ubisoft. The Guillemot family wishes to retain control over the company, but Tencent wants more decision-making power. People familiar with the matter say the Chinese media giant wants further control over Ubisoft's financing if it backs the deal. However, the Guillemot brothers, who founded the company and retain the controlling share – 20.5 percent – haven't agreed to the terms. Tencent is patiently waiting for the family to come around. Click to enlarge Although the company wants to avoid a hostile takeover of Ubisoft, it still hasn't decided whether to increase its 9.2 percent stake in the game publisher or its 49.9 percent ownership of Guillemot Brothers Ltd – the Guillemots' holding company. Ubisoft's stock closed 13 percent up following news of continuing buyout discussions. Prior reports of negotiations caused a record-breaking one-day spike of over 30 percent. Although Ubisoft attempted to downplay excitement by saying it examines buyout proposals regularly, the developments could be sorely needed given the publishers' recent steep decline. Unfortunately, the years following the pandemic have wiped out a decade of Ubisoft's stock gains. The company has struggled to develop and ship ever-larger games, and its recent releases haven't met market expectations. After announcing plans to shut down the free-to-play online shooter XDefiant next year, Ubisoft closed its San Francisco and Osaka studios and laid off almost 300 employees. The game's failure adds to the publisher's troublesome year after Star Wars Outlaws suffered a lukewarm reception and Assassin's Creed Shadows got pushed into next year. Additionally, Ubisoft stoked controversy and attracted a lawsuit after shutting down servers for The Crew and pulling the game from users' libraries. Charging $70 on top of microtransactions for Skull and Bones, which spent around seven years in development, also drew ire. Despite the setbacks, Ubisoft remains committed to releasing more live-service games. A buyout isn't the only solution the Guillemots are discussing to stabilize the company. Shareholders, including AJ Investments, have proposed privatization or acquisition by a strategic investor.
World News | Insurgents Reach Gates of Syria's Capital, Threatening to Upend Decades of Assad RuleNoneSpring Place Ruritan Club receives awards
WATCH: Fallon prices security fence at Butler, Pa. rally at $410
Schieffelin has 18 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists as Clemson hands Penn State first loss 75-67Syracuse, Albany each hoping to get right at expense of the other
Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) on Tuesday assailed President-elect Donald Trump’s suggestion that he and other former members of the defunct House Jan. 6 committee be imprisoned . Trump advocated that those on the former panel who investigated the 2021 U.S. Capitol riot and his role in overturning the 2020 election should “go to jail.” “I don’t think the incoming president should be threatening his political opponents with jail time,” Schiff told reporters on his first full day as a senator . “That’s not the kind of talk we should hear from the president in a democracy, nor do I think that a pardon is necessary for the members of the Jan. 6 committee.” President Joe Biden is weighing preemptive pardons over fears Trump may seek retribution against Schiff and other high-profile members of the bipartisan panel, including former Chairman Bennie Thomson (D-MS), Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), and former Rep. Liz Cheney. Biden is also considering pardons for other political foes who could come under Trump's microscope. “We are proud of the work we did in that committee,” Schiff continued. “It was a fundamental oversight obligation to investigate the first attempt to interfere with the peaceful transfer of power in our history.” Trump said in an NBC Meet the Press interview that aired over the weekend that he would not direct Justice Department officials to bring charges against the committee members but accused them of engaging in unspecified criminal activity. “For what they did, honestly, they should go to jail,” Trump said. In a separate portion, Trump said that “retribution will be through success.” He's also vowed to pardon those charged with and convicted of crimes related to the Capitol riot. KEY DATES FOR THE 2024 PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION The apparent threat to jail political opponents left Republicans in the Senate, conservatives and centrists alike, dodging questions Tuesday about the incoming president’s rhetoric. “If there’s something that needs to be looked at there, I’m sure the appropriate authorities will look at it,” incoming Senate GOP Leader John Thune (R-SD) said of jailing Jan. 6 committee members. “But I don’t have a comment, really, on those statements.”Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola claimed he wanted to "harm himself" after visible scratches were spotted on his face. The Spaniard’s troubles grew on Tuesday evening as City’s winless run continued against Feyenoord. After five previous defeats, the Premier League champions looked set to secure victory as they raced into a 3-0 lead against the Dutch side. But they inexplicably collapsed within the final 15 minutes to draw. And speaking after the game, Guardiola appeared to have cut his nose, while he also had other marks all over his head. Asked by journalists the reason for the injuries, he suggested that it was a self-inflicted accident, but joked that he wanted to hurt himself. Guardiola said: “My finger, here [points to nose]. My nail. I want to harm myself.” A member of the assembled media attempted to console the Spaniard. Speaking as Guardiola left the press conference, they said: “It will be okay.” Things are not set to get any easier for City this weekend as they take on table-topping Liverpool at Anfield. And Guardiola has underlined his desire to get his side back on track ahead of the trip to Merseyside. He added: “Three episodes didn’t allow us to win, what we needed. For many, many reasons, not just for the terms of qualification and get the points to go through. Other reasons. “It’s what it is. So difficult to swallow right now. The game was good. We scored three, we could have scored more, we do everything but at the end, we give away especially the first one and after we are not stable enough to do it. What's going wrong with Man City? Share your thoughts in the comments below “It’s not about not running, no commitment, nothing like that but in football, you have to do it in certain moments. The second goal, the second post, touch the post. Improve, what can you do? So rest one or two days and prepare for Anfield.” Asked how he’s going to pick his players up, Guardiola replied: “We have to, I have to, it’s my job. We play a good game but of course we need to do it and we were not able to control the last minutes.” Should they lose to Arne Slot ’s side this weekend, City could already find themselves 11 points off the pace in the race for the Premier League title. Following the trip to Liverpool, City then host Nottingham Forest ahead of a trip to Crystal Palace . 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Pro Picks: Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry go head-to-head in matchup of top 2 rushing leadersCORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP) — Garry Clark scored 15 points as Texas A&M-Corpus Christi beat Stephen F. Austin 67-48 on Saturday night. Clark had 12 rebounds for the Islanders (6-4, 1-1 Southland Conference). Owen Dease went 3 of 3 from the field to add 10 points. Jordan Roberts had 10 points and shot 4 for 9. Nana Antwi-Boasiako led the Lumberjacks (5-5, 0-2) in scoring, finishing with 13 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. Clayton Southwick added 10 points and two steals. Myles Jenkins had five points. Story continues below video The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
The back half of 2024 has been a strong period for speculative high-growth stocks. Like dozens of these companies, Archer Aviation ( ACHR 8.09% ) is up over 100% in the past month, with its stock boost happening right around the United States presidential election. Archer Aviation is an air taxi company looking to build a network in multiple wealthy cities around the globe with its point-to-point strategy. Is Archer Aviation stock a buy, sell, or hold for investors today? Let's take a look into this soaring air taxi start-up and find out. Big potential in commercialized air taxis Archer Aviation is building a fleet of electric vertical take-off and landing taxis, otherwise known as eVTOL. They are similar to helicopters, but slightly different and less noisy, which should allow them to operate more in cities. Management is aiming to tackle heavily traffic routes that take around an hour to drive, such as going from downtown Manhattan to the airport. In its proposed route, a trip from the south end of Manhattan to Newark Airport will take only nine minutes. Customer value comes from the exclusive service and time saved, which wealthy people will pay a pretty penny for. Due to the long regulatory journey, Archer Aviation is not operating today. In 2025, it plans to produce around two aircraft per month and (hopefully) commence operations in New York, Tokyo, and Abu Dhabi. Its order book is large, estimated to be over $6 billion, which shows the commercial demand for eVTOL taxis if the technology and infrastructure can work correctly. Once the test routes start working, there is a near-endless growth runway for Archer Aviation to go after. There isn't a city around the world that doesn't deal with traffic issues, with more and more routes that can be added to its point-to-point network in major urban areas. It will be a long journey, but this disruptive new mode of transportation could become a big deal over the next decade, at least in a select few cities around the globe. No revenue, heavy losses Potential is a word that should be associated with Archer Aviation. Don't think this is a slam-dunk guarantee yet. Archer Aviation has never generated sales and is still undergoing regulatory approval with the Federal Aviation Association (FAA). Sure, the company will generate a lot of sales when its taxi network starts operating, but that has not happened yet. Its financial statements are fairly ugly as a result of being pre-revenue. Free cash flow was negative $415 million over the last 12 months and has only gotten worse since Archer Aviation went public two years ago. Cash burn will likely get worse as it builds out its inventory of eVTOL vehicles, which will take a lot of upfront capital to build. Even if the taxi network starts operating in a few cities, Archer Aviation will still be losing money. Even if it gets to 100 point-to-point networks generating $100 an hour in revenue 24/7 and 365 days a year, that equates to just $87.6 million in annual revenue, or well below its current expense base. This scenario will not occur for many years, either. ACHR Free Cash Flow data by YCharts So should you buy Archer Aviation stock? It is undeniable that Archer Aviation stock has crushed the market over the last few months. That doesn't mean it will do well for the rest of the year and into 2025, though. I believe Archer Aviation stock is a sell for investors after this recent run-up. For one, the stock trades at a market cap of $3.3 billion. This is for a company that generates zero dollars in annual sales. Second, as calculated above, Archer Aviation's taxi network revenue will not come close to clearing its expense level even if it has 100 routes operational. An eVTOL taxi network is not going to have high gross margins. There are electricity, pilot, and depreciation costs that will eat into the company's ability to generate a profit. At the end of last quarter, Archer Aviation had over $500 million in cash on the balance sheet and plans to get more than $400 million in new funding. At its current burn rate, this would be only around two years until the balance sheet runs dry. The company will almost definitively not be generating positive free cash flow in two years. In fact, given how much money Archer Aviation is spending before its network is even operational, I doubt this business will ever generate positive cash flow. For this reason alone, investors should strongly consider selling Archer Aviation stock. This does not seem to be a durable long-term stock market winner.(UCAN) Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith and rights activists have called on Sri Lankan lawmakers to act more responsibly in parliament and not replicate deplorable behavior as seen in the past. The call for better parliamentary proceedings followed the recent inaugural session of Sri Lanka’s parliament following a snap election on Nov 14. Previous parliaments have often been criticized for the unruly behavior of lawmakers, according to observers. “Discipline in parliament was weak in the past,” the 77-year-old cardinal who heads Colombo archdiocese told reporters during a meeting with House speaker Ashoka Ranwala at the Archbishop’s House on Nov. 27. It is the duty of the speaker to bring decorum back to the House, Cardinal Ranjith added. Ranwala was elected speaker shortly after the recent polls to elect the 225-member House. During the inaugural session of the new parliament on Nov. 21, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stressed the need for restoring the dignity of the House and listed it as a top priority of his new government. The once revered institution has become an “object of public distrust, hostility, and contempt,” the president said. Many lawmakers in the previous parliament were accused of unruly behavior, including using offensive language and fighting during their term that started in 2020. In 2023, seven lawmakers, including then-state minister for tourism, Diana Gamage, were suspended for disciplinary issues. Rushi Almeida, who organized street protests against former lawmakers, said many politicians, including opposition MPs, behaved in a disgraceful manner to pass laws to “further their hidden agendas.” “This is why people rejected many of them” in the polls, said Almeida. At least 100 lawmakers in the previous parliament failed to win seats this time round. “They [lawmakers] behaved like kindergarten kids,” Almeida, a university student from Colombo, told UCA News. Sukumal Antony, a political analyst and a university lecturer in social science, said incompetent individuals should not be selected to represent people in parliament. Antony said debates in parliament have been reduced to unproductive arguments, eroding public trust. “Many of the former lawmakers lacked education,” Antony observed. To rebuild trust, parliamentary debates “should be more focused and constructive,” he suggested.
North Carolina still needs a new football coach. Will its search end with a respected name from the college ranks, or a revered eight-time Super Bowl champion who has never coached college football? Finding someone to replace the program’s all-time winningest coach Mack Brown, who was fired in late November, has proven tougher than the Tar Heels initially thought. Meanwhile, UNC’s ongoing contact with former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick has hung over the search as a wild card that would represent a dramatic reversal in the anticipated process of filling one of the most enticing job openings in the college coaching carousel. Advertisement In an appearance Monday on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Belichick confirmed that he had spoken with UNC chancellor Lee Roberts but declined to elaborate on specifics of their conversations. “We’ve had a couple of good conversations, so we’ll see how it goes,” Belichick said. Tulane coach Jon Sumrall, arguably the top candidate from the Group of 5 level, said Sunday that he isn’t leaving for any coaching vacancy this cycle. On Monday, Tulane’s athletic director announced the school and Sumrall have agreed to a contract extension. No matter who eventually gets the job, what has transpired behind the scenes since Brown’s firing — and for most of the last six months in Chapel Hill — highlights the type of disagreement and dysfunction that can arise inside a major college athletic department. A UNC spokesperson said the school cannot comment on ongoing coaching searches. From conversations with multiple people briefed on the search, granted anonymity in order to discuss the ongoing process, here’s what we know so far, and where the search may lead next. The power struggle at the center of UNC’s search Part of the explanation for why UNC’s coaching search has played out this publicly traces back to May, when North Carolina’s Board of Trustees — the 13-person group that serves as the school’s top governing body — approved an audit of the university’s athletic department. At the time, Board of Trustees chair John Preyer publicly scolded athletic director Bubba Cunningham over “the level of bad data that has been provided” to the committee regarding UNC athletics’ financials. Then-interim chancellor Roberts (who has since had the interim tag removed) responded by backing Cunningham in the face of that criticism, saying, “Our athletic director is one of the most senior, well-respected, admired athletic directors in the country.” Advertisement Days later, a local judge granted a temporary restraining order against Preyer and the board preventing them from discussing athletics financials in a closed-door session. But that interaction was the first public sign of the long-simmering power struggle between Cunningham, who has been in his role since 2011, and the board. Preyer did not respond to a request for comment via email. According to sources briefed on the situation, both camps have been frustrated with each other for months, if not longer. Brown did not feel like Cunningham was giving him the resources necessary to continue building UNC into an elite football program — despite the Tar Heels being third in the ACC in football spending in 2022, the most recent year for which data is available. UNC completed a $40.2 million indoor practice facility in 2019 and recently renovated both its locker and weight rooms, but with a revenue sharing structure arriving next year as a result of the House v. NCAA settlement, what constitutes the “necessary” level of investment is going to change in the immediate future. Cunningham, meanwhile, was frustrated by Brown, who long maintained he would remain UNC’s coach until the program was in a suitable place to “pass off” to someone else, only to stay on after quarterback Drake Maye left for the NFL last winter. This year’s Week 1 starting quarterback Max Johnson was sidelined by a broken leg in the season-opening win at Minnesota. After an embarrassing 70-50 mid-September loss to James Madison, Brown reportedly told players he would “walk away and step down if he was the problem,” then expressed regret for the comments two days later while confirming he would stay with the team. The Tar Heels went 6-6, a clear step backward from 2023’s 8-4 squad. Behind closed doors, Brown — with the backing of the Board of Trustees and other high-profile donors, all of whom were integral to his return as UNC’s coach in 2018 — was a walking challenge to the idea that anyone but the coach himself was in control of his exit timeline. At his Monday media availability before the season finale against NC State , Brown was asked point-blank if he planned to return next season as UNC’s coach. He said yes. Advertisement Within 24 hours, Cunningham and Roberts had dismissed Brown remotely from Hawaii, where they were following the UNC men’s basketball program at the Maui Invitational. Preyer publicly criticized the administration’s handling of Brown’s exit days later. “I have no doubt coach Brown would have done whatever the university would have wanted him to do at the end of the season,” Preyer said. “And for some reason that I do not understand, the athletic director would not allow that to happen and instead fired him from halfway around the world ... I think that is shameful.” Mixed signals After Brown was fired, Cunningham appeared on UNC’s “Carolina Insider” podcast and detailed what he was looking for in the Tar Heels’ next football coach. “There’s a certain person that’s best suited at the right time, at the right place. Right now, that’s what we’re looking for,” Cunningham said. “We have to develop this program. As we’ve said, we’ve been right at the cusp of really great seasons: getting to eight, nine wins. How do we get to 10, 11? Who can get us to that level?” The Tar Heels also had reason to replace the 73-year-old Brown with a younger coach more suited for the long haul of elevating the program, which has consistently run up against a ceiling below conference championship and College Football Playoff contention. With help from an advisory committee, Cunningham said on Dec. 3 that his intention was to cull the roughly 30 names he had on an initial list down to 10-12 for Zoom interviews and proceed from there. “But all the coaches we’re talking to right now are playing, and so they’re continuing to be in championship games or in the playoffs,” he added. “So it’ll probably take a week or so.” With a smaller-than-usual number of power-conference head coaching jobs changing hands this season, UNC was widely expected to be one of the most coveted openings. But then last week, another name emerged from seemingly out of nowhere: Belichick. Advertisement Belichick spent this season out of coaching after parting ways with the Patriots in January. But The Athletic confirmed that North Carolina officials — including Cunningham — spoke to Belichick last Wednesday, before meeting with him in person on Thursday. Sources familiar with the board’s thinking believe that it, as well as UNC’s highest-profile boosters, would prefer that Belichick be the one to succeed Brown. Belichick may have never coached in college, but he has spent ample time in the last year around the University of Washington’s program, where his son Steve serves as the Huskies’ defensive coordinator. Sources familiar with Bill Belichick’s thinking say the coach has been encouraged by seeing college players pick up his schemes. Belichick is only 15 wins away from breaking Don Shula’s all-time NFL wins record, but sources close to Belichick say he was turned off by the NFL’s hiring cycle last winter , when only the Atlanta Falcons opted to interview him out of eight total openings. Belichick was expected to have a stronger NFL market this offseason; three franchises have already fired their coaches — the New York Jets, the Chicago Bears and the New Orleans Saints — with another five to seven expected to open up. “Any time as a coach you join with an organization, whatever level it’s at, you just want a shared vision with that person,” Belichick said on “The Pat McAfee Show”. “What are your goals, what are your expectations, what do you need to achieve those, how do we achieve them and so forth. Talking through a lot of things — I don’t think it really matters where the program is — there are a lot of things that go into that, team building, and the structure of the program and so forth, that take some time to just talk through.” Bill Belichick emphasized "IF" he was coaching in a college program, it would be "a professional program." 👀 @PatMcAfeeShow "The college program would be a pipeline to the NFL for the players that have the ability to play in the NFL." pic.twitter.com/p2raPzm2DN — ESPN (@espn) December 9, 2024 Adding to the uncertainty, multiple people briefed on the school’s conversations with Belichick have described a disconnect between the coach’s and the school’s expectations for the terms of the job, should Belichick take the plunge into college coaching. Part of the disconnect comes from the impression that Preyer and at least one other member of UNC’s board presented Belichick with a preliminary offer to make him the Tar Heels’ next coach. Any board member going over top university officials’ heads to do so would violate the university’s bylaws, which would be grounds for dismissal from the board. UNC’s finances are another potential complication. The school paid Brown, who entered this season as one of three active national championship-winning coaches in the Football Bowl Subdivision, $5 million in total compensation. How much could the program realistically afford to pay Belichick — formerly the NFL’s highest-paid coach, believed to be earning at least $20 million per year from New England — plus an entirely new staff? And would there still be enough thereafter for North Carolina to field a competitive roster built to Belichick’s liking? Who else, if not Belichick? Amid the uncertainty around who is actually making this hire, Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell declined to meet with UNC on Sunday, according to sources familiar with his thinking and those briefed on UNC’s search. As the search continues, other college options could emerge in the wake of Sumrall and Campbell’s withdrawals. Army coach Jeff Monken could be a logical target. He has been wildly successful in 11 years at the service academy (81-56) and has made it known that he is not married to running a triple-option offense at other programs. Advertisement But Monken also has one more very important game to play, against Navy this weekend, and no coach wants to seriously engage with another school while they are preparing for their current team’s most important game. So if Monken is indeed a desirable candidate for UNC, it will take at least a few more days for the search to conclude. Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks — who is from nearby Charlotte and spent last season as an advisor with the Charlotte 49ers — also spoke with UNC officials the same day school representatives first made contact with Belichick, according to a source briefed on Wilks’ thinking. Wilks coached UNC and Pro Football Hall of Famer Julius Peppers for several seasons while both were with the Carolina Panthers. Should Wilks earn the UNC job, it would be expected that Peppers — who has spent time in an advisory role with the Carolina Panthers since retiring in 2019 — would also return to his alma mater in a more pronounced role, likely related to the program’s name, image and likeness efforts. Meanwhile, college football’s winter transfer portal window opened Monday. Most schools with head coach vacancies, many of which made changes after UNC fired Brown, have filled their jobs with the portal period in mind. That UNC remains open suggests a process that has been unusual. The school certainly can’t wait until Belichick goes through the NFL hiring cycle in January and February to fill its head coaching job. If the Tar Heels really want to hire Belichick, and Belichick really wants the job, the time for it to happen would be ... pretty much now. — The Athletic ’s Bruce Feldman, Dianna Russini and Jeff Howe contributed reporting. (Photo: Grant Halverson / Getty Images)Career Horoscope Today for December 11, 2024: Astro insights to avoid turmoils at workLA Galaxy win record 6th MLS CupEdifier Scoops 5 Honours At Prestigious Visual Grand Prix 2025
The Latest: UnitedHealthcare shooting suspect contests his extradition back to New YorkANDERSON TOWNSHIP, Ohio (AP) — Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow's home was broken into during Monday Night Football in the latest home invasion of a pro athlete in the U.S., authorities said Tuesday. No one was injured in the break-in, but the home was ransacked, according to a report provided by the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office. Deputies weren't immediately able to determine what items were stolen. A person who is employed by Burrow arrived at the Anderson Township home Monday night to find a shattered bedroom window and the home in disarray. The person called their mother, and then 911 was contacted, according to the report. Deputies reached out to neighbors in an attempt to piece together surveillance footage. “Our investigators are exploring every avenue,” public information officer Kyla Woods said. The homes of Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were broken into in October. In the NBA , Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis had his home broken into Nov. 2 and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley Jr.'s home was burglarized on Sept. 15 while he was at a Minnesota Vikings game. Portis had offered a $40,000 reward for information. Both the NFL and NBA issued security alerts to players after those break-ins, urging them to take additional precautions to secure their homes. In league memos previously obtained by The Associated Press, the NFL said homes of professional athletes across multiple sports have become “increasingly targeted for burglaries by organized and skilled groups.” And the NBA revealed that the FBI has connected some burglaries to “transnational South American Theft Groups” that are “reportedly well-organized, sophisticated rings that incorporate advanced techniques and technologies, including pre-surveillance, drones, and signal jamming devices.” Some of the burglary groups have conducted extensive surveillance on targets, including attempted home deliveries and posing as grounds maintenance or joggers in the neighborhood, according to officials. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Central Michigan has found its next head football coach
Manhattan police have obtained a warrant for the arrest of 26-year-old Luigi Nicholas Mangione , suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson . Mangione was arrested at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, while carrying a gun, mask and writings linking him to the ambush. Mangione is being held without bail in Pennsylvania on charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police. Late Monday, Manhattan prosecutors charged him with five counts, including murder, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a forged instrument. Here's the latest: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says “violence to combat any sort of corporate greed is unacceptable” and the White House will “continue to condemn any form of violence.” She declined to comment on the investigation into the Dec. 4 shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson or reports that writings belonging to the suspect, Luigi Mangione, said insurance companies care more about profits than their customers. “This is horrific,” Jean-Pierre said of the fatal shooting of Thompson as he walked in Manhattan. He didn’t appear to say anything as deputies led him to a waiting car outside. “I’m deeply grateful to the men and women of law enforcement whose efforts to solve the horrific murder of Brian Thompson led to the arrest of a suspect in Pennsylvania,” Gov. Hochul said in the statement. “I am coordinating with the District Attorney’s Office and will sign a request for a governor’s warrant to ensure this individual is tried and held accountable. Public safety is my top priority and I’ll do everything in my power to keep the streets of New York safe.” That’s according to a spokesperson for the governor who said Gov. Hochul will do it as soon as possible. Luigi Nicholas Mangione, the suspect in the fatal shooting of a healthcare executive in New York City, apparently was living a charmed life: the grandson of a wealthy real estate developer, valedictorian of his elite Baltimore prep school and with degrees from one of the nation’s top private universities. Friends at an exclusive co-living space at the edge of touristy Waikiki in Hawaii where the 26-year-old Mangione once lived widely considered him a “great guy,” and pictures on his social media accounts show a fit, smiling, handsome young man on beaches and at parties. Now, investigators in New York and Pennsylvania are working to piece together why Mangione may have diverged from this path to make the violent and radical decision to gun down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in a brazen attack on a Manhattan street. The killing sparked widespread discussions about corporate greed, unfairness in the medical insurance industry and even inspired folk-hero sentiment toward his killer. ▶ Read more about Luigi Mangione Peter Weeks, the Blair County district attorney, says he’ll work with New York officials to try to return suspect Luigi Mangione there to face charges. Weeks said the New York charges are “more serious” than in Blair County. “We believe their charges take precedent,” Weeks said, promising to do what’s needed to accommodate New York’s prosecution first. Weeks spoke to reporters after a brief hearing at which a defense lawyer said Mangione will fight extradition. The defense asked for a hearing on the issue. In the meantime, Mangione will be detained at a state prison in western Pennsylvania. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office said Tuesday it will seek a Governor’s warrant to secure Mangione’s extradition to Manhattan. Under state law, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul can issue a warrant of arrest demanding Mangione’s return to the state. Such a warrant must recite the facts necessary to the validity of its issuance and be sealed with the state seal. It would then be presented to law enforcement in Pennsylvania to expedite Mangione’s return to New York. But Blair County District Attorney Peter Weeks says it won’t be a substantial barrier to returning Mangione to New York. He noted that defendants contest extradition “all the time,” including in simple retail theft cases. Dickey, his defense lawyer, questioned whether the second-degree murder charge filed in New York might be eligible for bail under Pennsylvania law, but prosecutors raised concerns about both public safety and Mangione being a potential flight risk, and the judge denied it. Mangione will continue to be housed at a state prison in Huntingdon. He has 14 days to challenge the detention. Prosecutors, meanwhile, have a month to seek a governor’s warrant out of New York. Mangione, wearing an orange jumpsuit, mostly stared straight ahead at the hearing, occasionally consulting papers, rocking in his chair, or looking back at the gallery. At one point, he began to speak to respond to the court discussion, but was quieted by his lawyer. Luigi Mangione, 26, has also been denied bail at a brief court hearing in western Pennsylvania. He has 14 days to challenge the bail decision. That’s with some intervention from owner Elon Musk. The account, which hasn’t posted since June, was briefly suspended by X. But after a user inquired about it in a post Monday, Musk responded “This happened without my knowledge. Looking into it.” The account was later reinstated. Other social media companies such as Meta have removed his accounts. According to X rules, the platform removes “any accounts maintained by individual perpetrators of terrorist, violent extremist, or mass violent attacks, as well as any accounts glorifying the perpetrator(s), or dedicated to sharing manifestos and/or third party links where related content is hosted.” Mangione is not accused of perpetrating a terrorist or mass attack — he has been charged with murder — and his account doesn’t appear to share any writings about the case. He shouted something that was partly unintelligible, but referred to an “insult to the intelligence of the American people.” He’s there for an arraignment on local charges stemming from his arrest Monday. He was dressed in an orange jumpsuit as officers led him from a vehicle into the courthouse. Local defense lawyer Thomas Dickey is expected to represent the 26-year-old at a Tuesday afternoon hearing at the Blair County Courthouse. Dickey declined comment before the hearing. Mangione could have the Pennsylvania charges read aloud to him and may be asked to enter a plea. They include possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police. In New York, he was charged late Monday with murder in the death of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO Brian Thompson. Mangione likely was motivated by his anger with what he called “parasitic” health insurance companies and a disdain with corporate greed, said a a law enforcement bulletin obtained by The Associated Press. He wrote that the U.S. has the most expensive healthcare system in the world and that the profits of major corporations continue to rise while “our life expectancy” does not, according to the bulletin, based on a review of the suspect’s hand-written notes and social media postings. He appeared to view the targeted killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO as a symbolic takedown, asserting in his note that he is the “first to face it with such brutal honesty,” the bulletin said. Mangione called “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski a “political revolutionary” and may have found inspiration from the man who carried out a series of bombings while railing against modern society and technology, the document said. A felony warrant filed in New York cites Altoona Officer Christy Wasser as saying she found the writings along with a semi-automatic pistol and an apparent silencer. The filing echoes earlier statements from NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny who said Mangione had a three-page, handwritten document that shows “some ill will toward corporate America.” Mangione is now charged in Pennsylvania with being a fugitive of justice. A customer at the McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where Mangione was arrested said one of his friends had commented beforehand that the man looked like the suspect wanted for the shooting in New York City. “It started out almost a little bit like a joke, my one friend thought he looked like the shooter,” said the customer, who declined to give his full name, on Tuesday. “It wasn’t really a joke, but we laughed about it,” he added. The warrant on murder and other charges is a step that could help expedite his extradition from Pennsylvania. In court papers made public Tuesday, a New York City police detective reiterated key findings in the investigation he said tied Mangione to the killing, including surveillance footage and a fake ID he used to check into a Manhattan hostel on Nov. 24. Police officers in Altoona, Pennsylvania, found that ID when they arrested Mangione on Monday. Mangione is being held without bail in Pennsylvania on charges of possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police. Late Monday, Manhattan prosecutors charged him with five counts, including murder, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of a forged instrument. Mangione doesn’t yet have a lawyer who can speak on his behalf, court officials said. Images of Mangione released Tuesday by Pennsylvania State Police showed him pulling down his mask in the corner of the McDonald’s while holding what appeared to be hash browns and wearing a winter jacket and ski cap. In another photo from a holding cell, he stood unsmiling with rumpled hair. Mangione’s cousin, Maryland lawmaker Nino Mangione, announced Tuesday morning that he’s postponing a fundraiser planned later this week at the Hayfields Country Club north of Baltimore, which was purchased by the Mangione family in 1986. “Because of the nature of this terrible situation involving my Cousin I do not believe it is appropriate to hold my fundraising event scheduled for this Thursday at Hayfields,” Nino Mangione said in a social media post. “I want to thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and support. My family and I are heartbroken and ask that you remember the family of Mr. Thompson in your prayers. Thank you.” Officers used New York City’s muscular surveillance system . Investigators analyzed DNA samples, fingerprints and internet addresses. Police went door to door looking for witnesses. When an arrest came five days later , those sprawling investigative efforts shared credit with an alert civilian’s instincts. A customer at a McDonald’s restaurant in Pennsylvania noticed another patron who resembled the man in the oblique security-camera photos New York police had publicized. He remains jailed in Pennsylvania, where he was initially charged with possession of an unlicensed firearm, forgery and providing false identification to police. By late Monday evening, prosecutors in Manhattan had added a charge of murder, according to an online court docket. It’s unclear whether Luigi Nicholas Mangione has an attorney who can comment on the allegations. Asked at Monday’s arraignment whether he needed a public defender, Mangione asked whether he could “answer that at a future date.”Trump says US should stay out of fighting in Syria as opposition forces gain ground
Patterson's 25 help Northwestern State defeat Houston Christian 64-57NEW YORK (AP) — He's making threats, traveling abroad and negotiating with world leaders. Donald Trump has more than a month and a half to go before he's sworn in for a second term. But the Republican president-elect is already moving aggressively not just to fill his Cabinet and outline policy goals, but to achieve them. Trump has threatened to impose a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico, prompting emergency calls and a visit from Canada's prime minister that resulted in what Trump claimed were commitments from both U.S. allies on new border security measures. The incoming president has warned there will be “ALL HELL TO PAY" if Hamas does not release the hostages being held in Gaza before his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025. And this weekend, Trump returned to the global stage, joining a host of other foreign leaders for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral five years after it was ravaged by a fire. There, he was welcomed like a sitting dignitary , with a prime seat next to French President Emmanuel Macron . Absent in Paris: lame duck President Joe Biden, who has largely disappeared from headlines, except when he issued a pardon of his son , Hunter, who was facing sentencing for gun crimes and tax evasion. First lady Jill Biden attended in his place. “I think you have seen more happen in the last two weeks than you’ve seen in the last four years. And we’re not even there yet,” Trump said in an over-the-top boast at an awards ceremony Thursday night . For all of Trump's bold talk, though, it is unclear how many of his efforts will bear fruit. The pre-inauguration threats and deal-making are highly unusual, like so much of what Trump does, said Julian Zelizer, a political historian at Princeton University. “Transitions are always a little complicated in this way. Even though we talk about one president at a time," he said, “the reality is one president plus. And that plus can act assertively sometimes." Zelizer said that is particularly true of Trump, who was president previously and already has relationships with many foreign leaders such as Macron, who invited both Trump and Biden to Paris this weekend as part of the Notre Dame celebration. “Right now he’s sort of governing even though he’s not the president yet. He’s having these public meetings with foreign leaders, which aren't simply introductions. He's staking out policy and negotiating things from drug trafficking to tariffs," Zelizer said. Trump had already met with several foreign leaders before this weekend's trip. He hosted Argentinian President Javier Milei in Florida at his Mar-a-Lago club in November. After the tariff threat, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago for a three-hour dinner meeting. Canadian officials later said the country is ready to make new investments in border security, with plans for more helicopters, drones and law enforcement officers. Incoming Trump aides have also been meeting with their future foreign counterparts. On Wednesday, several members of Trump's team, including incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz, met with Andriy Yermak, a top aide to Zelenskyy, in Washington, as Ukraine tries to win support for its ongoing efforts to defend itself from Russian invasion, according to a person familiar with the meeting. Yermak also met with Trump officials in Florida, he wrote on X . That comes after Trump's incoming Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, traveled to Qatar and Israel for high-level talks about a cease-fire and hostage deal in Gaza, according to a U.S. official familiar with the efforts, meeting with the prime ministers of both countries. The official was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity. There is no prohibition on incoming officials or nominees meeting with foreign officials, and it is common and fine for them to do so — unless those meetings are designed to subvert or otherwise impact current U.S. policy. Trump aides were said to be especially cognizant of potential conflicts given their experience in 2016, when interactions between Trump allies and Russian officials came under scrutiny. That included a phone call in which Trump's incoming national security adviser, Michael Flynn, discussed new sanctions with Russia’s ambassador to the United States, suggesting things would improve after Trump became president. Flynn was later charged with lying to the FBI about the conversation. Trump’s incoming press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that “all transition officials have followed applicable laws in their interactions with foreign nationals.” She added: “World leaders recognize that President Trump is returning to power and will lead with strength to put the best interests of the United States of America first again. That is why many foreign leaders and officials have reached out to correspond with President Trump and his incoming team.” Such efforts can nonetheless cause complications. If, say, Biden is having productive conversations on a thorny foreign policy issue and Trump weighs in, that could make it harder for Biden “because people are hearing two different voices” that may be in conflict, Zelizer said. Leaders like Russia's Vladimir Putin and Netanyahu may also anticipate a more favorable incoming administration and wait Biden out, hoping for a better deal. Although there is no requirement that an incoming administration coordinate calls and meetings with foreign officials with the State Department or National Security Council, that has long been considered standard practice. That is, in part, because transition teams, particularly in their early days and weeks, do not always have the latest information about the state of relations with foreign nations and may not have the resources, including interpretation and logistical ability, to handle such meetings efficiently. It is unclear the level of State Department involvement, but the Biden and Trump teams say they have been talking, particularly on the Middle East, with the incoming and outgoing administrations having agreed to work together on efforts to free hostages who remain held in Gaza, according to a U.S. official, who was not authorized to comment publicly about the sensitive talks and spoke on condition of anonymity. That includes conversations between Witkoff and Biden’s foreign policy team as well as Waltz and Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan. Last month, Biden administration officials said they had kept Trump’s team closely apprised of efforts to broker a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah on the Israel-Lebanon border. “I just want to be clear to all of our adversaries, they can’t play the incoming Trump administration off of the Biden administration. I’m regularly talking to the Biden people. And so, this is not a moment of opportunity or wedges for them," Waltz said Friday in a Fox Business interview. Sullivan echoed those comments at the Ronald Reagan National Defense Forum Saturday. “It has been professional. It has been substantive. And frankly, it has been good," he said of their coordination on national security issues. “Obviously we don’t see eye to eye on every issue, and that’s no secret to anybody," he went on. But he said both teams believe “it is our job on behalf of the American people to make sure this is a smooth transition,” particularly given the seriousness of issues like the war in Ukraine, conflicts in the Middle East and threats from China. “The nature of the world we find ourselves in today only elevates our responsibility to be engaged, to talk regularly, to meet regularly, to be transparent, to share, and to make sure it’s an effective transition,” he said. Trump’s team, meanwhile, is already claiming credit for everything from gains in the stock and cryptocurrency markets to a decision by Walmart to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion policies Trump opposes. “Promises Kept — And President Trump Hasn’t Even Been Inaugurated Yet,” read one press release that claimed, in part, that both Canada and Mexico have already pledged "immediate action” to help “stem the flow of illegal immigration, human trafficking, and deadly drugs entering the United States." Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has stopped short of saying Trump mischaracterized their call in late November. But she said Friday that Trump “has his own way of communicating, like when we had the phone call and he wrote that we were going to close the border. That was never talked about in the phone call.” Earlier this week, Mexico carried out what it claimed was its largest seizure of fentanyl pills ever. Seizures over the summer had been as little as 50 grams per week, and after the Trump call, they seized more than a ton. Biden, too, tried to take credit for the seizure in a statement Friday night. ___ Associated Press writers Matthew Lee, Aamer Madhani, Colleen Long and Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington and Mark Stevenson in Mexico City contributed to this report.Watts scores 20, Washington State takes down Boise State 74-69
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