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After Juan Soto's megadeal, could MLB see a $1 billion contract? Probably not soonMinutes of an Executive meeting from June of that year state further action would be considered “as appropriate” if the DUP went ahead with a threat to rotate its ministers. The minutes are within files which have been declassified at the Public Record Office in Belfast. Devolved powersharing had been restored to Northern Ireland in May 2000 when Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble had received the backing of his party to go back into the Assembly, despite there having been no decommissioning of IRA arms at that point. Then DUP deputy leader Mr Robinson and Mr Dodds took up the offices as ministers for regional development and social development, but refused to attend Executive meetings due to the presence of Sinn Fein ministers. The party also said it would rotate its ministerial posts to prevent other parties from taking them. A minute of an Executive meeting on June 8 said Mr Robinson and Mr Dodds had refused a request from First Minister Mr Trimble and deputy First Minister Seamus Mallon to meet with them “to discuss recent public comments by the DUP concerning their positions as ministers”. The minute records that the Executive endorsed a proposal from the First and deputy First Ministers to write again to the two DUP ministers setting out sanctions against them. It says: “The First Minister and and Deputy First Minister would assume responsibility for representing the Executive Committee on transport matters at the British-Irish Council in place of the Minister for Regional Development. “The Minister for Social Development and the Minister for Regional Development would not be nominated to attend meetings of the Joint Ministerial Committee. “Pending the receipt of satisfactory assurances from DUP Ministers regarding the confidentiality and integrity of Executive Committee business, the Minister for Social Development and Minister for Regional Development would not receive Executive Committee papers as of right. “The First Minister and Deputy First Minister would seek briefing, as appropriate, from officials in the Department for Regional Development and Department for Social Development.” The minute continues: “If the DUP carried out their threat to change the holders of the two Ministerial offices on a frequent basis, the Executive Committee would consider other action as appropriate.” Mr Robinson and Mr Dodds resigned as ministers on June 27 and were replaced by party colleagues Gregory Campbell and Maurice Morrow. A minute from an Executive meeting that day says: “The Executive Committee noted that the Minister for Social Development and Minister for Regional Development would be resigning their posts that afternoon, and expressed concern at the proposed rotation of the ministries held by their Party Members.”This screenshot from Donald Trump Truth Social account shows an image of President-elect Donald Trump and first lady Jill Biden attending the ceremony in Notre Dame Cathedral as France’s iconic cathedral is formally reopening its doors for the first time since a devastating fire nearly destroyed the 861-year-old landmark in 2019, Dec .7, 2024 in Paris. Trump’s recent summit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in negotiating trade policy and diplomacy. For Trump, they’ve also become fodder for trolling. (Truth Social via AP) This screenshot from Donald Trump’s Truth Social account shows am image of President-elect Donald Trump standing beside a Canadian flag. Trump’s recent summit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in negotiating trade policy and diplomacy. For Trump, they’ve also become fodder for trolling. (Truth Social via AP) This screenshot from Donald Trump Truth Social account shows an image of President-elect Donald Trump and first lady Jill Biden attending the ceremony in Notre Dame Cathedral as France’s iconic cathedral is formally reopening its doors for the first time since a devastating fire nearly destroyed the 861-year-old landmark in 2019, Dec .7, 2024 in Paris. Trump’s recent summit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in negotiating trade policy and diplomacy. For Trump, they’ve also become fodder for trolling. ( Truth Social via AP) This screenshot from Donald Trump Truth Social account shows an image of President-elect Donald Trump and first lady Jill Biden attending the ceremony in Notre Dame Cathedral as France’s iconic cathedral is formally reopening its doors for the first time since a devastating fire nearly destroyed the 861-year-old landmark in 2019, Dec .7, 2024 in Paris. Trump’s recent summit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in negotiating trade policy and diplomacy. For Trump, they’ve also become fodder for trolling. (Truth Social via AP) NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s recent dinner with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in policy and diplomacy. They were also prime trolling opportunities for Trump. Throughout his first term in the White House and during his campaign to return, Trump has spun out countless provocative, antagonizing and mocking statements. There were his belittling nicknames for political opponents, his impressions of other political figures and the plentiful memes he shared on social media. Now that’s to the Oval Office, Trump is back at it, and his trolling is attracting more attention — and eyerolls. On Sunday, Trump turned a photo of himself seated near a smiling first lady Jill Biden at the Notre Dame ceremony for his new perfume and cologne line, with the tag line, “A fragrance your enemies can’t resist!” The first lady’s office declined to comment. When Trudeau hastily flew to Florida to meet with Trump last month over the president-elect’s on all Canadian products entering the U.S., that Canada become the 51st U.S. state. The Canadians passed off the comment as a joke, but Trump has continued to play up the dig, including in on his social media network referring to the prime minister as “Governor Justin Trudeau of the Great State of Canada.” After decades as an entertainer and tabloid fixture, Trump has a flair for the provocative that is aimed at attracting attention and, in his most recent incarnation as a politician, mobilizing fans. He has long relished poking at his opponents, both to demean and minimize them and to delight supporters who share his irreverent comments and posts widely online and cheer for them in person. Trump, to the joy of his fans, first publicly needled Canada on his social media network a week ago when he with a Canadian flag next to him and the caption “Oh Canada!” After his latest post, Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Tuesday: “It sounds like we’re living in a episode of South Park.” “his approach will often be to challenge people, to destabilize a negotiating partner, to offer uncertainty and even sometimes a bit of chaos into the well established hallways of democracies and institutions and one of the most important things for us to do is not to freak out, not to panic.” Even Thanksgiving dinner isn’t a trolling-free zone for Trump’s adversaries. On Thanksgiving Day, from “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” with President Joe Biden and other Democrats’ faces superimposed on the characters in a spoof of the turkey-carving scene. The video shows Trump appearing to explode out of the turkey in a swirl of purple sparks, with the former president stiffly dancing to one of his favorite songs, Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” In his most recent presidential campaign, Trump mocked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, refusing to call his GOP primary opponent by his real name and instead dubbing him “Ron DeSanctimonious.” He added, for good measure, in a post on his Truth Social network: “I will never call Ron DeSanctimonious ‘Meatball’ Ron, as the Fake News is insisting I will.” As he campaigned against Biden, Trump taunted him in online posts and with comments and impressions at his rallies, deriding the president over his intellect, his walk, his golf game and even his beach body. After Vice President Kamala Harris took over Biden’s spot as the Democratic nominee, Trump repeatedly suggested she never worked at McDonalds while in college. by appearing at a Pennsylvania McDonalds in October, when he manned the fries station and held an impromptu news conference from the restaurant drive-thru. Trump’s team thinks people should get a sense of humor. “President Trump is a master at messaging and he’s always relatable to the average person, whereas many media members take themselves too seriously and have no concept of anything else other than suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome,” said Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director. “President Trump will Make America Great Again and we are getting back to a sense of optimism after a tumultuous four years.” Though both the Biden and Harris campaigns and launched other stunts to respond to Trump’s taunts, so far America’s neighbors to the north are not taking the bait. “I don’t think we should necessarily look on Truth Social for public policy,” Miller said. Gerald Butts, a former top adviser to Trudeau and a close friend, said Trump brought up the 51st state line to Trudeau repeatedly during Trump’s first term in office. “Oh God,” Butts said Tuesday, “At least a half dozen times.” “This is who he is and what he does. He’s trying to destabilize everybody and make people anxious,” Butts said. “He’s trying to get people on the defensive and anxious and therefore willing to do things they wouldn’t otherwise entertain if they had their wits about them. I don’t know why anybody is surprised by it.”
Biden did the second-guessing as he delivered a speech at the Brookings Institution defending his economic record and challenging Trump to preserve Democratic policy ideas when he returns to the White House next month.An AI company is trying ‘dystopian’ marketing
After Juan Soto's megadeal, could MLB see a $1 billion contract? Probably not soonA man who was arrested on firearm charges in Pennsylvania on Monday is a “strong person of interest” in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEOBrian Thompson, New York City police said Monday. Luigi Mangione, 26, was spotted at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania by a patron at the fast food joint who apparently recognized him from the images circulated by the NYPD following last week’s shooting and alerted police. The prep school valedictorian was carrying a ghost gun believed to be the one used in the shooting, a suppresser, “multiple fraudulent IDs,” and a handwritten, three-page manifesto that allegedly slammed the health care system. Mangione was arrested by the local police on firearm charges and is considered to be a “strong person of interest in the shooting that shook our city,” Mayor Eric Adams said at a Monday press conference. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said it was a “combination of old-school detective work and new age technology” that helped lead police to Mangione, who has ties to Maryland, California, Hawaii, and does not have an arrest record. The arrest comes as a private funeral was held Monday for Thompson, the 50-year-old CEO who was gunned down as he arrived at the Hilton hotel in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday for an investors’ conference.
Matt Gaetz says he won’t return to Congress next year after withdrawing name for attorney generalPep Guardiola said Manchester City have to “break” their losing run after admitting he is in a worse spell than he ever expected and told his players they cannot ignore the reality of their slump. City were beaten 4-0 at home to Tottenham , the joint heaviest loss of Guardiola’s managerial career, to leave them on their longest sequence of defeats for 18 years and him in the worst run of a career that has brought him 12 league titles and three Champions Leagues. And, after winning four consecutive Premier Leagues, Guardiola admitted City will be out of the title race if they lose to Liverpool at Anfield next Sunday and go 11 points behind Arne Slot’s team. “In terms of Liverpool winning and winning, it's true,” he said. James Maddison scored twice for Tottenham, with Dominic Solanke and Brennan Johnson adding second-half goals for Ange Postecoglou’s team, to leave Guardiola describing City as “fragile defensively”. City had already lost to Tottenham in the Carabao Cup and Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League as well as Bournemouth and Brighton in the Premier League . And Guardiola said: "Everyone knows the situation is new for us. In eight years we have never lived this kind of situation. Now we have to live it and break it by winning the next games, especially the next one. “Now we're struggling a little bit. The moment they create the chances the build-up, we couldn't handle the duels like normally. We're in the moment. We started really well, we had chances and after the first time they arrive we concede. Then it's a bit more difficult to come back. “After eight years here I knew sooner or later we would drop. I never expected to lose three Premier League games in a row but we have been incredibly consistent again and again and again. “Now we cannot deny the reality that sometimes happens in football and life is here. We have to do everything to change, especially for the next one, but the exceptionality we lived in eight years is not eternal. “We are happy when we win and concerned when we don't win. It's normal. There would be a problem if they were not worried or I am not worried. “I would say when you lose three Premier League [games] in a row, the wrong thing to say is we are going to be champion. But the reality is here, we have to do it guys. We have to break [it], start to win games.” Captain Kyle Walker added: “Hopefully the mojo comes back and we see the normal City from the past eight seasons. Your powers don't just go. We know our qualities and weaknesses. You get a win, you get your confidence and we're back to how we used to feel."