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Mary Jo Miller of Point Breeze wanted to brighten her three-story home for the holidays but knew climbing a ladder to reach the top — with a pitched roof — to install Christmas lights wasn’t safe. She found Pittsburgh-based Three Rivers Lights through a Google search. The company installed lights in the front and side of her home, on the garage roof and along a fence line. “It is a daunting task to think about doing all of this,” Miller said. “(Three Rivers Lights) does such a great job, and it’s beautiful to see it all when it’s done.” She’s not alone in terms of outsourcing her holiday decorating — Google “Pittsburgh Christmas light companies” and multiple pages of results offer a variety of choices. According to Anji.com , this year, 42% of decorating homeowners are considering hiring help, with many seeking professionals who can create both elaborate front yard displays and smaller indoor arrangements. Miller said Three Rivers Lights also reminds customers in plenty of time to get on the schedule before the holidays, and they take the lights down. She said it’s wonderful that the lights are on a timer so she doesn’t have to worry about turning them on and off. “I just love lights,” said Three Rigers Lights general manager Graham Sowa. “People still enjoy driving around the neighborhood to see all the Christmas lights. Holiday lights bring so much joy.” Sowa said they began at the end of October and will decorate more than 100 houses this season. They can complete standard lighting on a house in four hours, starting at $1,500. Steve Starck of Bradford Woods hired Sowa — who also does contracting work — for other house maintenance jobs, so when Sowa told Starck about the holiday decorating, Starck said he was all for it. He said Sowa and his team did the installation in a few days. “It looks incredible,” said Starck. “I could never do anything close to what they do.” Sowa and his crew meticulously string holiday lights around homes. They can illuminate any trees in the yard or the space along the driveway or attach wreaths on homes. Being in the contracting business, the company has the proper equipment and is mindful of power lines and necessary electricity. Homes that have multiple peaks and higher roofs can be tough to reach without the proper lifts and ladders, and some of the large wreaths can weigh 100 pounds, Sowa said. They service a 30-mile radius and can work with permanent lights, which are more expensive but do not have to be taken down and last longer. The permanent lights can be operated via an app. “Everyone is working harder these days and they don’t have the time to put up the lights,” said Sowa, in his sixth year installing lights. “It’s also not easy to reach some of the upper levels on a home.” While there are other companies that install outdoor lights, Miranda Bauer of Scott Township said she did not know of any businesses that decorate inside homes. She and her sister-in-law, Jess Bauer of Pennsbury Village, decided to start a business that does: The Create House . “It is so hard to get everything done for the holidays,” said Miranda Bauer, who has a passion for interior design. “People are so busy these days that there isn’t always time to devote to decorating. We wanted to offer this opportunity to help people continue their strong holiday traditions.” The Create House will bring the decorations, including wreaths, garlands, lights, pillows, throws and table runners, small trees, decorative figures, ornaments, stockings, floor displays, wall art, centerpieces, dining plates, table settings and chair covers, but are happy to include any special items a homeowner might want as part of the display. They find items through antiquing and thrifting, and they also source items after the holiday to be used the following year. They come back and take it all down, Miranda Bauer said. “The holidays are a special time, and we can create a decor that is happy and warm and friendly,” Miranda Bauer said. “This gives me a creative outlet, and my sister-in-law and I have similar interests.” The cost is based on the square footage of each room decorated and is $1 per square foot. For example, a 12-by-16 foot living room would cost roughly $192. The cost includes decorating and taking everything down after the holiday. They focus only on the main living areas, including the living room, dining room, entryway and kitchen. They can discuss decorating additional spaces on a custom basis, Miranda Bauer said. “We want to take the stress out of decorating,” Miranda Bauer said. “We set it up and we take it down, and they get to enjoy it.” This was the second year The Create House decorated the Upper St. Clair home of Karly and Ryan Dukich. They had moved to a larger home, and last year Karly said she researched everywhere to see if there was a company that would do indoor decorating. She said she saw something about The Create House on Facebook. “I needed help, and they came in and incorporated what I had and I immediately said ‘Can I book you next year?’ ” she said. She ordered Starbucks for them and gave them snacks. She said she wanted to spend money on indoor decorations she could see all the time. This season, they added the basement and created a winter white scene. When their 6-year-old daughter Ruby saw it, she said, “I am moving down here.” “They really bring the Christmas spirit to the decorating process,” Ryan Dukich said. Tree and tree decor can be added for $300 per 6-to-8-foot tree. They can decorate an existing tree for $200. “We continuously source holiday decor throughout the year, resulting in a curated collection that we use within our clients’ homes,” Miranda Bauer said. “Our services are best suited for homeowners who are ready for someone else to take on all the decorating work and who feel confident and comfortable that they’ll be able to sit back and enjoy their decorated home for the holiday season.” It usually takes one to three hours to decorate a room. “The holidays can be stressful,” Miranda Bauer said. “But they’re ultimately meant to be an opportunity for people to slow down, come together with their loved ones and enjoy the things that are truly most important in life — each other.”Nonelove mod apk 。

Syria latest: Syrians celebrate in the streets as Russian media says Assad has arrived in Moscow

Qatar tribune Tribune News Network Doha The University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Constructor Institute of Technology (CIT) based in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, to strengthen academic collaboration and drive innovative research. The online signing ceremony took place in Doha, with the participation of Dr. Salem Al-Naemi, president of UDST, and Prof. Dr. Manuel Oriol, president of Constructor Institute of Technology. This MoU formalizes collaboration between the two institutions across multiple areas, including academic staff and student exchanges, joint research programs, and project-based collaborative activities. Furthermore, the MoU aims to promote the organization of joint events, such as conferences, seminars, and workshops, and includes special admission privileges for UDST-recommended students into Constructor Institute of Technology’s academic programs, featuring tailored support and reduced tuition fees. Dr. Salem Al-Naemi, president of UDST, highlighted the significance of the agreement: “Collaborations like this with Constructor Institute reinforce UDST’s position as a leader in applied education and innovation in Qatar. Together, we aim to develop groundbreaking initiatives that bridge the gap between academia and industry while equipping students with the skills needed for the ever-evolving global job market.” Prof. Dr. Manuel Oriol, president of Constructor Institute of Technology highlighted the significance of the collaboration for Constructor Institute of Technology: “Both institutions are committed to excellence in research and education. This collaboration is more than just a formal agreement; it represents a catalyst for innovative opportunities in research and education, benefiting faculty members, students and researchers. We look forward to this collaboration, which will enhance CIT’s teaching and research, while contributing to the growth of the higher education landscape in the canton of Schaffhausen.” The Constructor Institute of Technology is renowned for its advanced MSc and Ph.D. academic programs and postdoctoral research in areas such as computer science, software engineering, and quantum technologies. This collaboration will also promote the exchange of research materials, publications, and information between the two institutions. The MoU reflects UDST’s commitment to building global partnerships and advancing Qatar’s National Vision 2030 through strategic collaborations in education, research, and innovation. Copy 05/12/2024 10GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — DJ Lagway threw two touchdown passes, Montrell Johnson ran for 127 yards and a score, and Florida upset No. 9 Mississippi 24-17 on Saturday to knock the Rebels out of College Football Playoff contention. The Gators (6-5, 4-4 Southeastern Conference), who topped LSU last week, beat ranked teams in consecutive weeks for the first time since 2008 and became bowl eligible. The late-season spurt provided another vote of confidence for coach Billy Napier, who is expected back for a fourth season. Ole Miss (8-3, 4-3), which entered the day as a 10-point favorite, lost for the first time in four games and surely will drop out of the 12-team playoff picture. The Rebels ranked ninth in the latest CFP and needed only to avoid stumbling down the stretch against Florida and lowly Mississippi State to clinch a spot in the playoff field. But coach Lane Kiffin’s team failed to score in three trips inside the red zone and dropped countless passes in perfect weather. No. 2 OHIO ST. 38, No. 5 INDIANA 15 COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Will Howard passed for two touchdowns and rushed for another, TreVeyon Henderson ran for a score and No. 2 Ohio State beat previously undefeated No. 5 Indiana. All Ohio State (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten, CFP No. 2) has to do now is beat Michigan at home next Saturday and it will earn a return to the Big Ten championship game for the first time since 2020 and get a rematch with No. 1 Oregon. The Ducks beat Ohio State 32-31 in a wild one back on Oct. 12. The Hoosiers (10-1, 7-1, No. 5 CFP) had their best chance to beat the Buckeyes for the first time since 1988 but were hurt by special teams mistakes and disrupted by an Ohio State defense that sacked quarterback Kurtis Rourke five times. Howard finished 22 for 26 for 201 yards. Emeka Egbuka had seven catches for 80 yards and a TD. No. 8 GEORGIA 59, UMass 21 ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Carson Beck threw four touchdown passes, Nate Frazier ran for 136 yards with three scores and No. 8 Georgia overwhelmed Massachusetts as the Bulldogs tried to protect their College Football Playoff hopes. Georgia (9-2, No. 10 CFP) needed the big offense from Beck and Frazier to rescue a defense that gave up 226 rushing yards. UMass (2-9) played its first game under interim coach Shane Montgomery, the offensive coordinator who retained his play-calling duties after replacing fired coach Don Brown on Monday. Jalen John led the Minutemen with 107 rushing yards and a touchdown. Georgia extended its streak of consecutive home wins to 30, the longest active streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision. No. 10 TENNESSEE 56, UTEP 0 KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nico Iamaleava threw for 209 yards and four touchdowns to lead No. 10 Tennessee to a victory over UTEP. The Volunteers (9-2) overcame a sluggish start to roll up the impressive win. Both teams were scoreless in the first quarter, but Tennessee found its rhythm. Grad student receiver Bru McCoy, who hadn’t caught a touchdown pass this season, had two. Peyton Lewis also ran for two scores. Tennessee’s defensive line, which had no sacks in last week’s loss to Georgia, had three against the Miners. UTEP (2-9) struggled with two missed field goals and three turnovers. Tennessee’s offense came alive with 28 points in the second quarter. In the final four drives of the quarter, Iamaleava completed 11 of 12 passes for 146 yards and touchdowns to Squirrel White, Ethan Davis and McCoy. No. 11 MIAMI 42, WAKE FOREST 14 MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Cam Ward passed for 280 yards and threw two touchdowns to Jacolby George on another record-breaking day, Mishael Powell ran an interception back 76 yards for a touchdown and No. 11 Miami pulled away late to beat Wake Forest. The Hurricanes (10-1, 6-1 Atlantic Coast Conference, No. 8 College Football Playoff) can clinch a berth in the ACC title game with a win at Syracuse next weekend. Ward completed 27 of 38 passes, plus ran for a score. He broke two more single-season Miami records, both of which had been held for 40 years by Bernie Kosar — most passing yards in a season and most completions in a season. Ward now has 3,774 yards on 268 completions this season. Kosar threw for 3,642 yards on 262 completions in 1984. Demond Claiborne had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown for Wake Forest (4-7, 2-5). Claiborne also rushed for 62 yards for the Demon Deacons, and starting quarterback Hank Bachmeier was 8 of 14 passing for 86 yards and a touchdown. No. 13 SMU 33, VIRGINIA 7 CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Kevin Jennings threw for a career-high 323 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another, and No. 13 SMU clinched a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game by routing Virginia. Isaiah Smith and Jared Harrison-Hunte each had two sacks to help the Mustangs (10-1, 7-0, No. 13 CFP) extend their winning streak to eight. They would earn an automatic bid into the expanded College Football Playoff by beating 11th-ranked Miami or 17th-ranked Clemson in the ACC title game on Dec. 7 in Charlotte, North Carolina. SMU had to get there first, and Jennings led the way again, bouncing back from an interception and a fumble to complete 25 of 33 passes to six different receivers, including TD tosses to Jordan Hudson and Matthew Hibner. Brashard Smith provided a little balance on offense, running for 63 yards and his 13th touchdown of the season. SMU’s defense overwhelmed UVa’s offensive line, sacking Anthony Colandrea nine times and allowing the Cavaliers (5-6, 3-4) just 173 yards. Special teams contributed, too, with Roderick Daniels Jr. returning a punt 48 yards and Collin Rogers making two field goals. No. 24 ILLINOIS 38, RUTGERS 31 PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Luke Altmyer found Pat Bryant for a catch-and-run, 40-yard touchdown pass with 4 seconds left, sending No. 24 Illinois to a wild victory over Rutgers. Illinois (8-3, 5-3 Big Ten) was down 31-30 when it sent long kicker Ethan Moczulski out for a desperation 58-yard field goal with 14 seconds to go. Rutgers coach Greg Schiano then called for a timeout right before Moczulski’s attempt was wide left and about 15 yards short. After the missed field goal was waved off by the timeout, Illinois coach Bret Bielema sent his offense back on the field. Altmyer hit Bryant on an in cut on the left side at the 22, and he continued across the field and scored untouched in a game that featured three lead changes in the final 3:07. Rutgers (6-5, 3-5) gave up a safety on the final kickoff return, throwing a ball out of bounds in the end zone as players passed it around hoping for a miracle touchdown. Altmyer was 12-of-26 passing for 249 yards and two touchdowns. Bryant finished with seven receptions for 197 yards.

Jalen Hurts threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as Philadelphia outlasted upset-minded Carolina on Sunday while Minnesota routed Atlanta as both 11-2 teams neared an NFL playoff berth. Hurts completed 14-of-21 passes for 108 yards and ran eight times for 59 yards to hold off stubborn Carolina, which fell to 3-10. He scored on a 1-yard plunge early in the second quarter, connected with DeVonta Smith on a 4-yard touchdown pass 14 seconds before half-time for a 14-10 lead. After the Panthers grabbed the lead on Chuba Hubbard's 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, the Eagles answered with 75 seconds elapsed in the fourth quarter on a 4-yard Hurts touchdown pass to Grant Calcaterra and a 2-point conversion run by Saquon Barkley, who ran 20 times for 124 yards. At Minneapolis, Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold completed 22-of-28 passes for 347 yards and five touchdown to power Minnesota over the Atlanta Falcons 42-21. The Vikings spoiled the return of ex-Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins, who threw for 344 yards but was intercepted twice. Minnesota needs losses by the Arizona Cardinals to Seattle and the Los Angeles Rams to Buffalo in later games to clinch a playoff berth. The Eagles need only an Arizona loss to secure their spot in the post-season. Later games also include the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs (11-1) entertaining the Los Angeles Chargers (8-4). Tua Tagovailoa threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jonnu Smith in overtime to give the Miami Dolphins a 32-26 home triumph over the New York Jets. The Pittsburgh Steelers improved to 10-3 as Russell Wilson threw for two touchdowns and Najee Harris ran for another in a 27-14 home victory over Cleveland. Baker Mayfield threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns to spark the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over visiting Las Vegas 28-13. Derek Carr threw for 219 yards and a touchdown as the New Orleans Saints edged the host New York Giants 14-11 while Tank Bigsby's 8-yard touchdown run with 6:46 remaining gave Jacksonville a 10-6 victory at Tennessee. js/bspRJ Thompson scored 23 points -- including the go-ahead 3-pointer with 56 seconds left -- as Charleston Southern shocked host Miami 83-79 on Saturday afternoon. Miami entered the game as a 23.5-point favorite. Charleston (2-7) won its first game of the season away from home after losing its previous six road or neutral-court contests. The Buccaneers also got 21 points from Thompson Camara and 20 points and 11 rebounds from Taje' Kelly. Camara match his previous career point total. Miami (3-4), playing at home for the first time in two weeks, lost its fourth straight game. Brandon Johnson led Miami with 23 points and freshman Austin Swartz scored a career-high 15. Swartz entered the game averaging just 2.3 points For the first time this season, Miami was without Nijel Pack, who has a lower-body injury. Pack leads the team in scoring (15.2) and assists (4.7). With Pack out, five-star freshman Jalil Bethea made his first start and had six points. The game featured quite a contrast in coaches. Miami's Jim Larranaga, 75, has won 743 games in 41-plus seasons. Charleston Southern's Saah Nimley, 31, is in his full first season as a head coach. He was named interim coach in November 2023. In the first half, Miami raced to a 17-10 lead. However, Charleston Southern posted an 11-0 run to grab a 21-17 advantage. The Hurricanes lost control late in the first half as Miami's Johnson hit a 3-pointer and was hit with a technical foul for taunting. Later in the first half, Larranaga was also hit with a technical. By the end of the half, the Buccaneers led 45-37. Camara led Charleston Southern with 16 first-half points on 6-for-7 shooting, including 4-of-5 on 3-pointers. Johnson scored 12 for Miami in the opening half, all on 3-pointers. In the second half, Charleston Southern stretched its lead to 13. Miami rallied as the clock wound down. With 38 seconds left, Miami called a timeout while trailing 81-79. With 15 seconds left, Swartz missed a 3-pointer and the Buccaneers got the rebound. Daylen Berry made two free throws with 11 seconds left to ice the game. Up next, Miami will host No. 19 Arkansas on Tuesday night as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge. Charleston Southern will return home to face Tennessee-Martin on Tuesday night. --Field Level Media

North Korean nationals indicted in scheme using IT workers to funnel money for weapons programsExpanded CFP field draws more bets and on more teams

Bashar al-Assad's government has been accused of carrying out torture, rape, summary executions and other abuses since since Syria's civil war started in 2011. UN investigators have said that accountability must be taken at the highest level after the downfall of the hardline ruler on Sunday. Here is what we know about the extent of the abuses committed: In 2013 a former Syrian army photographer known by the codename "Caesar" fled the country, taking with him some 55,000 graphic images taken between 2011 and 2013. The photos, authenticated by experts, show corpses tortured and starved to death in Syrian prisons. Some people had their eyes gouged out. The photos showed emaciated bodies, people with wounds on the back or stomach, and also a picture of hundreds of corpses in a shed surrounded by plastic bags used for burials. Assad's Syrian government said only that the pictures were "political". But Caesar testified to a US Congress committee and his photographs inspired a 2020 US law which imposed economic sanctions on Syria and judicial proceedings in Europe against Assad's entourage. In Germany and Sweden eight people suspected of crime against humanity were arrested in July in an operation codenamed "Caesar". Germany, the Netherlands and France have since 2022 convicted several top officials from the Syrian intelligence service and militias. UN investigators say they have lists with the names of 4,000 government officials and operatives responsible for abuses. Human Rights Watch (HRW) in 2012 spoke of a "torture archipelago" in which the "use of electricity, burning with car battery acid, sexual assault and humiliation, the pulling of fingernails, and mock execution" were practised in government prisons. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in 2022 more than 100,000 people had died in the prisons since 2011. In 2023, the UN's top court, the International Court of Justice, ordered Syria to stop "inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment". In 2020, seven Syrian refugees filed a complaint in Germany saying that they had been victims of torture and sexual violence, including rape, electric shocks on the genitals, forced nudity or forced abortion between 2011 and 2013. The UN said in 2018 there had been systmatic rape and sexual violence against civilians by soldiers or pro-Assad militias. It said an investigation had found rebels had committed similar crimes, but fewer. On November 25, 2024, the Syrian Human Rights Network (SNHR) said there had been at least 11,553 incidents of sexual violence against women, including girls aged under 18, by the warring parties since March 2011. Some 8,024 could be blamed on the Assad government and the others mainly on the jihadist Islamic State. In 2016 UN investigators said Syrian authorities were responsible for acts which came down to "extermination" and could be compared to "crimes against humanity". It pointed to the Saydnaya prison outside Damascus, which was described in 2017 by Amnesty International as a human slaughter house carrying out a "policy of extermination". The United States said there was a "crematorium" at the prison which was used to dispose of the bodies of thousands of inmates. In 2022 the Syrian Observatory for Human Righs said around 30,000 people had been killed at Saydnaya, some of them after being tortured. In April 2020, the chemical weapons watchdog OPCW accused the Syrian army of chemical weapons attacks in Latamne in northern Syria in 2017. In November 2023 France issued international arrest warrants against Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher and two generals on suspicion of complicity in the chemical attacks in August 2013 near Damascus, which according to US intelligence left 1,000 dead. Assad's forces have also been accused of using sarin gas on the rebel town of Khan Sheikhun in April 2017, and also of chlorine gas attacks. Assad's government denied using chemical weapons. Israel says it has staged strikes on some chemical weapons sites this week to stop supplies falling into the hands of extremists. acm-lc/jmy/tw Get any of our free email newsletters — news headlines, sports, arts & entertainment, state legislature, CFD news, and more.

Everyone will love this Marry Me chicken budget mealWASHINGTON — A top White House official said Wednesday at least eight U.S. telecom firms and dozens of nations were impacted by a Chinese hacking campaign. Deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger offered new details about the breadth of the sprawling Chinese hacking campaign that gave officials in Beijing access to private texts and phone conversations of an unknown number of Americans. FILE - The American and Chinese flags wave at Genting Snow Park ahead of the 2022 Winter Olympics, in Zhangjiakou, China, on Feb. 2, 2022. A top White House official on Wednesday said at least eight U.S. telecom firms and dozens of nations have been impacted by a Chinese hacking campaign. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File) Neuberger divulged the scope of the hack a day after the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued guidance intended to help root out the hackers and prevent similar cyberespionage in the future. White House officials cautioned that the number of telecommunication firms and countries impacted could grow. The U.S. believes the hackers were able to gain access to communications of senior U.S. government officials and prominent political figures through the hack, Neuberger said. “We don’t believe any classified communications has been compromised,” Neuberger added during a call with reporters. She added that Biden was briefed on the findings and the White House “made it a priority for the federal government to do everything it can to get to the bottom this.” US officials recommend encrypted messaging apps amid "Salt Typhoon" cyberattack, attributed to China, targeting AT&T, Verizon, and others. The Chinese embassy in Washington rejected the accusations that it was responsible for the hack Tuesday after the U.S. federal authorities issued new guidance. “The U.S. needs to stop its own cyberattacks against other countries and refrain from using cyber security to smear and slander China,” embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said. The embassy did not immediately respond to messages Wednesday. White House officials believe the hacking was regionally targeted and the focus was on very senior government officials. Federal authorities confirmed in October that hackers linked to China targeted the phones of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, along with people associated with Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris. The number of countries impacted by the hack is currently believed to be in the “low, couple dozen,” according to a senior administration official. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity under rules set by the White House, said they believed the hacks started at least a year or two ago. The suggestions for telecom companies released Tuesday are largely technical in nature, urging encryption, centralization and consistent monitoring to deter cyber intrusions. If implemented, the security precautions could help disrupt the operation, dubbed Salt Typhoon, and make it harder for China or any other nation to mount a similar attack in the future, experts say. Trump's pick to head the Federal Bureau of Investigation Kash Patel was allegedly the target of cyberattack attempt by Iranian-backed hackers. Neuberger pointed to efforts made to beef up cybersecurity in the rail, aviation, energy and other sectors following the May 2021 ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline . “So, to prevent ongoing Salt Typhoon type intrusions by China, we believe we need to apply a similar minimum cybersecurity practice,” Neuberger said. The cyberattack by a gang of criminal hackers on the critical U.S. pipeline, which delivers about 45% of the fuel used along the Eastern Seaboard, sent ripple effects across the economy, highlighting cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the nation’s aging energy infrastructure. Colonial confirmed it paid $4.4 million to the gang of hackers who broke into its computer systems as it scrambled to get the nation's fuel pipeline back online. Picture this: You're on vacation in a city abroad, exploring museums, tasting the local cuisine, and people-watching at cafés. Everything is going perfectly until you get a series of alerts on your phone. Someone is making fraudulent charges using your credit card, sending you into a panic. How could this have happened? Cyberattacks targeting travelers are nothing new. But as travel has increased in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, so has the volume of hackers and cybercriminals preying upon tourists. Financial fraud is the most common form of cybercrime experienced by travelers, but surveillance via public Wi-Fi networks, social media hacking, and phishing scams are also common, according to a survey by ExpressVPN . Spokeo consulted cybersecurity sources and travel guides to determine some of the best ways to protect your phone while traveling, from using a VPN to managing secure passwords. Online attacks are not the only type of crime impacting travelers—physical theft of phones is also a threat. Phones have become such invaluable travel aids, housing our navigation tools, digital wallets, itineraries, and contacts, that having your phone stolen, lost, or compromised while abroad can be devastating. Meanwhile, traveling can make people uniquely vulnerable to both cyber and physical attacks due to common pitfalls like oversharing on social media and letting your guard down when it comes to taking risks online. Luckily, there are numerous precautions travelers can take to safeguard against cyberattacks and phone theft. Hackers can—and do—target public Wi-Fi networks at cafés and hotels to gain access to your personal information or install malware onto your device, particularly on unsecured networks. Travelers are especially vulnerable to these types of cybersecurity breaches because they are often more reliant on public Wi-Fi than they would be in their home countries where they have more robust phone plans. This reliance on public, unsecured networks means travelers are more likely to use those networks to perform sensitive tasks like financial transfers, meaning hackers can easily gain access to banking information or other passwords. One easy way to safeguard yourself against these breaches is to use a virtual private network, or VPN, while traveling. VPNs are apps that encrypt your data and hide your location, preventing hackers from accessing personal information. An added bonus is that VPNs allow you to access websites that may be blocked or unavailable in the country you are visiting. To use a VPN, simply download a VPN app on your phone or computer, create an account, choose a server, and connect. If your phone falls into the wrong hands, there's a good chance you won't be getting it back. Out of those 91,000 phones stolen in London in 2022, only 1,915 (or about 2%) were recovered. The good news is that you can take precautions to make the loss of your phone less devastating by backing up your data before you travel. With backed-up data, you can acquire a new device and still access your photos, contacts, messages, and passwords. Moreover, if you have "Find My Device" or "Find My Phone" enabled, you can remotely wipe your stolen phone's data so the thief cannot access it. It's safest to back up your data to a hard drive and not just the cloud. That way, if you have to wipe your device, you don't accidentally erase the backup, too. In order for the previous tip on this list to work, "Find My Phone" must be turned on in advance, but remotely wiping your device isn't the only thing this feature allows you to do. The "Find My Phone" feature enables you to track your device, as long as it's turned on and not in airplane mode. This is particularly helpful if you misplaced your phone or left it somewhere since it can help you retrace your steps. While this feature won't show you the live location of a phone that has been turned off, it will show the phone's last known location. With "Find My Phone," you can also remotely lock your phone or enable "Lost Mode," which locks down the phone, suspends any in-phone payment methods, and displays contact information for returning the phone to you. If your phone was stolen, experts caution against taking matters into your own hands by chasing down the thief, since this could land you in a potentially dangerous situation and is unlikely to result in getting your phone back. 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Calgary, Alberta, Dec. 12, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) has published the , an annual publication showing how water is allocated and used by the energy industry. “Industry’s improvements in water use reflect our shared commitment to responsible and efficient resource development,” said Laurie Pushor, President and CEO of the AER. “Water is one of our most valuable resources, and while innovation and technological advancements to reduce its use continue to be a priority, this report highlights the significant progress the industry has made over time.” The report shows that the energy sector used about 22% of its 2023 water allocation. Of the water used for oil, gas, and bitumen extraction, 82% was recycled water. Of the remaining water used, 17% was nonsaline (i.e., fresh water) and 1% alternative water. The report covers energy sector water use for four extraction types — oil sands mining, in situ operations, enhanced oil recovery, and hydraulic fracturing and now includes 11 years of data across these types. Expanding the data analysis helps Albertans understand long-term industry water use trends in the province and helps energy companies understand their water use and plan for the future. The best metric to understand industry water performance is water use intensity. Water use intensity is the amount of nonsaline water required to produce one barrel of oil equivalent. The lower the water use intensity, the better the performance. Since 2013, the energy industry has decreased nonsaline water use intensity by 19%. The report falls under the Alberta Energy Regulator’s which strives to hold companies accountable for their decisions and actions, improve their performance, and share more information with Albertans. The AER ensures the safe, efficient, orderly, and environmentally responsible development of energy and mineral resources in Alberta through our regulatory activities. For more information, visit . Email: | Media line: 1-855-474-6356 | | |WASHINGTON — Donald Trump said he can't guarantee his promised tariffs on key U.S. foreign trade partners won't raise prices for American consumers and suggested once more that some political rivals and federal officials who pursued legal cases against him should be imprisoned. The president-elect, in a wide-ranging interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" that aired Sunday, also touched on monetary policy, immigration, abortion and health care, and U.S. involvement in Ukraine, Israel and elsewhere. Trump often mixed declarative statements with caveats, at one point cautioning "things do change." Here's a look at some of the issues covered: President-elect Donald Trump takes the stage before he speaks at the FOX Nation Patriot Awards, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024, in Greenvale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa) Trump hems on whether trade penalties could raise prices Trump threatened broad trade penalties, but said he didn't believe economists' predictions that added costs on those imported goods for American companies would lead to higher domestic prices for consumers. He stopped short of a pledge that U.S. an households won't be paying more as they shop. "I can't guarantee anything. I can't guarantee tomorrow," Trump said, seeming to open the door to accepting the reality of how import levies typically work as goods reach the retail market. That's a different approach from Trump's typical speeches throughout the 2024 campaign, when he framed his election as a sure way to curb inflation. In the interview, Trump defended tariffs generally, saying that tariffs are "going to make us rich." He has pledged that, on his first day in office in January, he would impose 25% tariffs on all goods imported from Mexico and Canada unless those countries satisfactorily stop illegal immigration and the flow of illegal drugs such as fentanyl into the United States. He also has threatened tariffs on China to help force that country to crack down on fentanyl production. "All I want to do is I want to have a level, fast, but fair playing field," Trump said. Trump suggests retribution for his opponents while claiming no interest in vengeance He offered conflicting statements on how he would approach the justice system after winning election despite being convicted of 34 felonies in a New York state court and being indicted in other cases for his handling of national security secrets and efforts to overturn his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden. "Honestly, they should go to jail," Trump said of members of Congress who investigated the Capitol riot by his supporters who wanted him to remain in power. The president-elect underscored his contention that he can use the justice system against others, including special prosecutor Jack Smith, who led the case on Trump's role in the siege on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump confirmed his plan to pardon supporters who were convicted for their roles in the riot, saying he would take that action on his first day in office. As for the idea of revenge driving potential prosecutions, Trump said: "I have the absolute right. I'm the chief law enforcement officer, you do know that. I'm the president. But I'm not interested in that." At the same time, Trump singled out lawmakers on a special House committee who investigated the insurrection, citing Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo. "Cheney was behind it ... so was Bennie Thompson and everybody on that committee," Trump said. Asked specifically whether he would direct his administration to pursue cases, he said, "No," and suggested he did not expect the FBI to quickly undertake investigations into his political enemies. At another point, Trump said he would leave the matter up to Pam Bondi, his pick as attorney general. "I want her to do what she wants to do," he said. Such threats, regardless of Trump's inconsistencies, have been taken seriously enough by many top Democrats that Biden is considering issuing blanket, preemptive pardons to protect key members of his outgoing administration. Trump did seemingly back off his campaign rhetoric calling for Biden to be investigated, saying, "I'm not looking to go back into the past." Immigration advocates hold a rally in Sacramento, Calif. on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024, to protest President-Elect Donald Trump's plans to conduct mass deportation of immigrants without legal status. (AP Photo/Haven Daley) Swift action on immigration is coming Trump repeatedly mentioned his promises to seal the U.S.-Mexico border and deport millions of people who are in the U.S. illegally through a mass deportation program. "I think you have to do it," he said. He suggested he would try to use executive action to end "birthright" citizenship under which people born in the U.S. are considered citizens — though such protections are spelled out in the Constitution. Asked specifically about the future for people who were brought into the country illegally as children and were shielded from deportation in recent years, Trump said, "I want to work something out," indicating he might seek a solution with Congress. But Trump also said he does not "want to be breaking up families" of mixed legal status, "so the only way you don't break up the family is you keep them together and you have to send them all back." President-elect Donald Trump shakes hands with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy 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, Saturday Dec.7, 2024 in Paris ( Ludovic Marin, Pool via AP) Trump commits to NATO, with conditions, and waffles on Putin and Ukraine Long a critic of NATO members for not spending more on their own defense, Trump said he "absolutely" would remain in the alliance "if they pay their bills." Pressed on whether he would withdraw if he were dissatisfied with allies' commitments, Trump said he wants the U.S. treated "fairly" on trade and defense. He waffled on a NATO priority of containing Russia and President Vladimir Putin. Trump suggested Ukraine should prepare for less U.S. aid in its defense against Putin's invasion. "Possibly. Yeah, probably. Sure," Trump said of reducing Ukraine assistance from Washington. Separately, Trump called for an immediate cease-fire. Asked about Putin, Trump said initially that he has not talked to the Russian leader since Election Day last month, but then hedged. "I haven't spoken to him recently," Trump said when pressed, adding that he did not want to "impede the negotiation." Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell speaks during a news conference at the Federal Reserve in Washington, Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein) Trump says Powell is safe at the Fed, but not Wray at the FBI The president-elect said he has no intention, at least for now, of asking Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to step down before Powell's term ends in 2028. Trump said during the campaign that presidents should have more say in Fed policy, including interest rates. Trump did not offer any job assurances for FBI Director Christopher Wray, whose term is to end in 2027. Asked about Wray, Trump said: "Well, I mean, it would sort of seem pretty obvious" that if the Senate confirms Kash Patel as Trump's pick for FBI chief, then "he's going to be taking somebody's place, right? Somebody is the man that you're talking about." Trump is absolute about Social Security, not so much on abortion and health insurance Trump promised that the government efficiency effort led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will not threaten Social Security. "We're not touching Social Security, other than we make it more efficient," he said. He added that "we're not raising ages or any of that stuff." He was not so specific about abortion or his long-promised overhaul of the Affordable Care Act. On abortion, Trump continued his inconsistencies and said he would "probably" not move to restrict access to the abortion pills that now account for a majority of pregnancy terminations, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights. But pressed on whether he would commit to that position, Trump replied, "Well, I commit. I mean, are — things do — things change. I think they change." Reprising a line from his Sept. 10 debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump again said he had "concepts" of a plan to substitute for the 2010 Affordable Care Act, which he called "lousy health care." He added a promise that any Trump version would maintain insurance protections for Americans with preexisting health conditions. He did not explain how such a design would be different from the status quo or how he could deliver on his desire for "better health care for less money." Among President-elect Donald Trump's picks are Susie Wiles for chief of staff, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, former Democratic House member Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general. Susie Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Trump named Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state, making a former sharp critic his choice to be the new administration's top diplomat. Rubio, 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket last summer. Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” Trump said of Rubio in a statement. The announcement punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom the senator called a “con man" during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. And as Trump campaigned for the presidency a third time, Rubio cheered his proposals. For instance, Rubio, who more than a decade ago helped craft immigration legislation that included a path to citizenship for people in the U.S. illegally, now supports Trump's plan to use the U.S. military for mass deportations. Pete Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend” and has been a contributor with the network since 2014, where he developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. Hegseth lacks senior military or national security experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises — ranging from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea. Hegseth is also the author of “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” published earlier this year. Trump tapped Pam Bondi, 59, to be attorney general after U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration. She was Florida's first female attorney general, serving between 2011 and 2019. She also was on Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020. Considered a loyalist, she served as part of a Trump-allied outside group that helped lay the groundwork for his future administration called the America First Policy Institute. Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. A fierce defender of Trump, she also frequently appears on Fox News and has been a critic of the criminal cases against him. Trump picked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a well-known conservative who faced sharp criticism for telling a story in her memoir about shooting a rambunctious dog, to lead an agency crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda. Noem used her two terms leading a tiny state to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics. South Dakota is usually a political afterthought. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions that other states had issued and instead declared her state “open for business.” Trump held a fireworks rally at Mount Rushmore in July 2020 in one of the first large gatherings of the pandemic. She takes over a department with a sprawling mission. In addition to key immigration agencies, the Department of Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service, and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports. The governor of North Dakota, who was once little-known outside his state, Burgum is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump, and spent months traveling to drum up support for him, after dropping out of the race. Burgum was a serious contender to be Trump’s vice presidential choice this summer. The two-term governor was seen as a possible pick because of his executive experience and business savvy. Burgum also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs. Trump made the announcement about Burgum joining his incoming administration while addressing a gala at his Mar-a-Lago club, and said a formal statement would be coming the following day. In comments to reporters before Trump took the stage, Burgum said that, in recent years, the power grid is deteriorating in many parts of the country, which he said could raise national security concerns but also drive up prices enough to increase inflation. “There's just a sense of urgency, and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration,” Burgum said. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president as a Democrat, than as an independent, and then endorsed Trump . He's the son of Democratic icon Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated during his own presidential campaign. The nomination of Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services alarmed people who are concerned about his record of spreading unfounded fears about vaccines . For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Scott Bessent, 62, is a former George Soros money manager and an advocate for deficit reduction. He's the founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management, after having worked on-and-off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary. He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trump’s campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending. “This election cycle is the last chance for the U.S. to grow our way out of this mountain of debt without becoming a sort of European-style socialist democracy,” he said then. Oregon Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her reelection bid this month, but received strong backing from union members in her district. As a potential labor secretary, she would oversee the Labor Department’s workforce, its budget and put forth priorities that impact workers’ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employer’s rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities. Chavez-DeRemer is one of few House Republicans to endorse the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and would add penalties for companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws that allow employees in more than half the states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their places of employment. Scott Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he’s yet selected for his administration, with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” Sean Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, “Fox and Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children. A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Write is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking — a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. Wright also has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.” The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States. Wright also won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump’s first term. President-elect Donald Trump tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump promised to dismantle. McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s initial term from 2017 to 2019 and twice ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut. She’s seen as a relative unknown in education circles, though she expressed support for charter schools and school choice. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. Brooke Rollins, who graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural development, is a longtime Trump associate who served as White House domestic policy chief during his first presidency. The 52-year-old is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration. She previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Trump chose Howard Lutnick, head of brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and a cryptocurrency enthusiast, as his nominee for commerce secretary, a position in which he'd have a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs. Trump made the announcement Tuesday on his social media platform, Truth Social. Lutnick is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team, along with Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration. Both are tasked with putting forward candidates for key roles in the next administration. The nomination would put Lutnick in charge of a sprawling Cabinet agency that is involved in funding new computer chip factories, imposing trade restrictions, releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. It is also a position in which connections to CEOs and the wider business community are crucial. Doug Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial, which centered on U.S. assistance for Ukraine. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential nomination, but he was acquitted by the Senate. Collins has also served in the armed forces himself and is currently a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command. "We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need," Trump said in a statement about nominating Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Karoline Leavitt, 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. The White House press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps. Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, was a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term before she became communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump's choice for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has been tapped by Trump to be director of national intelligence, keeping with the trend to stock his Cabinet with loyal personalities rather than veteran professionals in their requisite fields. Gabbard, 43, was a Democratic House member who unsuccessfully sought the party's 2020 presidential nomination before leaving the party in 2022. She endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him this fall. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community,” Trump said in a statement. Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions. Trump has picked John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who served as director of national intelligence during his first administration, to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his next. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump's first term, leading the U.S. government's spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. “I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation's highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement, calling him a “fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans” who would ensure “the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.” Kash Patel spent several years as a Justice Department prosecutor before catching the Trump administration’s attention as a staffer on Capitol Hill who helped investigate the Russia probe. Patel called for dramatically reducing the agency’s footprint, a perspective that sets him apart from earlier directors who sought additional resources for the bureau. Though the Justice Department in 2021 halted the practice of secretly seizing reporters’ phone records during leak investigations, Patel said he intends to aggressively hunt down government officials who leak information to reporters. Trump has chosen former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to serve as his pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency . Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on X , “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.” “We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,” he added. During his campaign, Trump often attacked the Biden administration's promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referring to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often told his audiences during the campaign his administration would “Drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration. In a statement, Trump said Zeldin “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.” Trump has named Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, as the new chairman of the agency tasked with regulating broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband. Carr is a longtime member of the commission and served previously as the FCC’s general counsel. He has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate three times and was nominated by both Trump and President Joe Biden to the commission. Carr made past appearances on “Fox News Channel," including when he decried Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' pre-Election Day appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” He wrote an op-ed last month defending a satellite company owned by Trump supporter Elon Musk. Trump said Atkins, the CEO of Patomak Partners and a former SEC commissioner, was a “proven leader for common sense regulations.” In the years since leaving the SEC, Atkins has made the case against too much market regulation. “He believes in the promise of robust, innovative capital markets that are responsive to the needs of Investors, & that provide capital to make our Economy the best in the World. He also recognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The commission oversees U.S. securities markets and investments and is currently led by Gary Gensler, who has been leading the U.S. government’s crackdown on the crypto industry. Gensler, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, announced last month that he would be stepping down from his post on the day that Trump is inaugurated — Jan. 20, 2025. Atkins began his career as a lawyer and has a long history working in the financial markets sector, both in government and private practice. In the 1990s, he worked on the staffs of two former SEC chairmen, Richard C. Breeden and Arthur Levitt. Jared Isaacman, 41, is a tech billionaire who bought a series of spaceflights from Elon Musk’s SpaceX and conducted the first private spacewalk . He is the founder and CEO of a card-processing company and has collaborated closely with Musk ever since buying his first chartered SpaceX flight. He took contest winners on that 2021 trip and followed it in September with a mission where he briefly popped out the hatch to test SpaceX’s new spacewalking suits. Rep. Elise Stefanik is a representative from New York and one of Trump's staunchest defenders going back to his first impeachment. Elected to the House in 2014, Stefanik was selected by her GOP House colleagues as House Republican Conference chair in 2021, when former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after publicly criticizing Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election. Stefanik, 40, has served in that role ever since as the third-ranking member of House leadership. Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile. If confirmed, she would represent American interests at the U.N. as Trump vows to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine begun in 2022. He has also called for peace as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon to target Hezbollah. President-elect Donald Trump says he's chosen former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO. Trump has expressed skepticism about the Western military alliance for years. Trump said in a statement Wednesday that Whitaker is “a strong warrior and loyal Patriot” who “will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended” and “strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability.” The choice of Whitaker as the nation’s representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an unusual one, given his background is as a lawyer and not in foreign policy. President-elect Donald Trump tapped former Sen. David Perdue of Georgia to be ambassador to China, saying in a social media post that the former CEO “brings valuable expertise to help build our relationship with China.” Perdue lost his Senate seat to Democrat Jon Ossoff four years ago and ran unsuccessfully in a primary against Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. Perdue pushed Trump's debunked lies about electoral fraud during his failed bid for governor. Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah. “He loves Israel, and likewise the people of Israel love him,” Trump said in a statement. “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East.” Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland. Trump has been praised by some in this important Republican voting bloc for moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Trump on Tuesday named real estate investor Steven Witkoff to be special envoy to the Middle East. The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect's golf partner and was golfing with him at Trump's club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination. Witkoff “is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy,” Trump said of Witkoff in a statement. “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud." Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee. Trump said Wednesday that he will nominate Gen. Keith Kellogg to serve as assistant to the president and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as National Security Advisor to Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence. For the America First Policy Institute, one of several groups formed after Trump left office to help lay the groundwork for the next Republican administration, Kellogg in April wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.” (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) Trump asked Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, Trump announced in a statement Tuesday. The move puts Waltz in the middle of national security crises, ranging from efforts to provide weapons to Ukraine and worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah. “Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda,” Trump's statement said, "and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!” Waltz is a three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs. He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population. Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner , was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump's priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump's first administration. Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump's policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families. Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation's economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people who are in the United States illegally. Since Trump left office in 2021, Miller has served as the president of America First Legal, an organization made up of former Trump advisers aimed at challenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others over issues such as free speech and national security. Thomas Homan, 62, has been tasked with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history. Homan, who served under Trump in his first administration leading U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was widely expected to be offered a position related to the border, an issue Trump made central to his campaign. Though Homan has insisted such a massive undertaking would be humane, he has long been a loyal supporter of Trump's policy proposals, suggesting at a July conference in Washington that he would be willing to "run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.” Democrats have criticized Homan for his defending Trump's “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border. Customs and Border Protection, with its roughly 60,000 employees, falls under the Department of Homeland Security. It includes the Border Patrol, which Rodney Scott led during Trump's first term, and is essentially responsible for protecting the country's borders while facilitating trade and travel. Scott comes to the job firmly from the Border Patrol side of the house. He became an agent in 1992 and spent much of his career in San Diego. When he was appointed head of the border agency in January 2020, he enthusiastically embraced Trump's policies. After being forced out under the Biden administration, Scott has been a vocal supporter of Trump's hard-line immigration agenda. He appeared frequently on Fox News and testified in Congress. He's also a senior fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Former Rep. Billy Long represented Missouri in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2023. Since leaving Congress, Trump said, Long “has worked as a Business and Tax advisor, helping Small Businesses navigate the complexities of complying with the IRS Rules and Regulations.” Former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler was appointed in January 2020 by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and then lost a runoff election a year later. She started a conservative voter registration organization and dived into GOP fundraising, becoming one of the top individual donors and bundlers to Trump’s 2024 comeback campaign. Even before nominating her for agriculture secretary, the president-elect already had tapped Loeffler as co-chair of his inaugural committee. Dr. Mehmet Oz, 64, is a former heart surgeon who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show,” a long-running daytime television talk show. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of Trump, who endorsed Oz's bid for elected office. Elon Musk, left, and Vivek Ramaswamy speak before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at an Oct. 27 campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York. Trump on Tuesday said Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency" — which is not, despite the name, a government agency. The acronym “DOGE” is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said Musk and Ramaswamy will work from outside the government to offer the White House “advice and guidance” and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.” He added the move would shock government systems. It's not clear how the organization will operate. Musk, owner of X and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been a constant presence at Mar-a-Lago since Trump won the presidential election. Ramaswamy suspended his campaign in January and threw his support behind Trump. Trump said the two will “pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” Russell Vought held the position during Trump’s first presidency. After Trump’s initial term ended, Vought founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as “renew a consensus of America as a nation under God.” Vought was closely involved with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that he tried to distance himself from during the campaign. Vought has also previously worked as the executive and budget director for the Republican Study Committee, a caucus for conservative House Republicans. He also worked at Heritage Action, the political group tied to The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Dan Scavino, deputy chief of staff Scavino, whom Trump's transition referred to in a statement as one of “Trump's longest serving and most trusted aides,” was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign, as well as his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president. Scavino had run Trump's social media profile in the White House during his first administration. He was also held in contempt of Congress in 2022 after a month-long refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. James Blair, deputy chief of staff Blair was political director for Trump's 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee. He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and assistant to the president. Blair was key to Trump's economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign this year, a driving force behind the candidate's “Trump can fix it” slogan and his query to audiences this fall if they were better off than four years ago. Taylor Budowich, deputy chief of staff Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again, Inc., a super PAC that supported Trump's 2024 campaign. He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president. Budowich also had served as a spokesman for Trump after his presidency. Jay Bhattacharya, National Institutes of Health Trump has chosen Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health. Bhattacharya is a physician and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, and is a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates. He promoted the idea of herd immunity during the pandemic, arguing that people at low risk should live normally while building up immunity to COVID-19 through infection. The National Institutes of Health funds medical research through competitive grants to researchers at institutions throughout the nation. NIH also conducts its own research with thousands of scientists working at its labs in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Marty Makary, Food and Drug Administration Makary is a Johns Hopkins surgeon and author who argued against pandemic lockdowns. He routinely appeared on Fox News during the COVID-19 pandemic and wrote opinion articles questioning masks for children. He cast doubt on vaccine mandates but supported vaccines generally. Makary also cast doubt on whether booster shots worked, which was against federal recommendations on the vaccine. Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Surgeon General Nesheiwat is a general practitioner who serves as medical director for CityMD, a network of urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey. She has been a contributor to Fox News. Dr. Dave Weldon, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Weldon is a former Florida congressman who recently ran for a Florida state legislative seat and lost; Trump backed Weldon’s opponent. In Congress, Weldon weighed in on one of the nation’s most heated debates of the 1990s over quality of life and a right-to-die and whether Terri Schiavo, who was in a persistent vegetative state after cardiac arrest, should have been allowed to have her feeding tube removed. He sided with the parents who did not want it removed. Jamieson Greer, U.S. trade representative Kevin Hassett, Director of the White House National Economic Council Trump is turning to two officials with experience navigating not only Washington but the key issues of income taxes and tariffs as he fills out his economic team. He announced he has chosen international trade attorney Jamieson Greer to be his U.S. trade representative and Kevin Hassett as director of the White House National Economic Council. While Trump has in several cases nominated outsiders to key posts, these picks reflect a recognition that his reputation will likely hinge on restoring the public’s confidence in the economy. Trump said in a statement that Greer was instrumental in his first term in imposing tariffs on China and others and replacing the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, “therefore making it much better for American Workers.” Hassett, 62, served in the first Trump term as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. He has a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and worked at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute before joining the Trump White House in 2017. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.Los Angeles Chargers make an extra cautious decision regarding star RB J.K. Dobbin's injury

Germany is the poster child for everything that is wrong with the European economy. GDP is on track to fall for a second straight year. Energy-intensive industries like chemicals and metalwork are in the tank. National champions such as Volkswagen and ThyssenKrupp have announced unprecedented job cuts and factory closures. The best way to understand these problems is as a negative consequence of Germany’s own prior economic success and of the institutional underpinnings of those earlier achievements. The German economy’s current malaise is further evidence of this. In the aftermath of World War II – a period of upheaval and crisis but also of renovation and opportunity – what was then West Germany developed a set of economic and political institutions ideally suited to the conditions of the time. To capitalise on its existing prowess in quality manufacturing, policymakers put in place successful vocational training and apprenticeship programmes that expanded the supply of skilled mechanics and technicians. To exploit rapidly growing world trade and penetrate global export markets, German industry doubled down on the production of motor vehicles and capital goods, fields where it had developed a pronounced comparative advantage. At the same time, West Germany built a bank-based financial system to channel funds to dominant firms in these sectors. To ensure harmony in its large companies and limit workplace disruptions, it developed a system of management codetermination that gave workers’ representatives input into C-suite decisions. Finally, to limit disruptive politics, and specifically to check the kind of political extremism and parliamentary fragmentation that had haunted Germany in the past, a proportional electoral system was put in place so that all mainstream parties had a voice, subject to a 5% minimum threshold for parliamentary representation (to limit the influence of fringe parties). The happy result of this alignment of institutions and opportunities was the Wirtschaftswunder, the growth miracle of the third quarter of the twentieth century, when West Germany outperformed its major advanced-economy rivals (with the sole exception of Japan). Unfortunately, these same institutions and arrangements proved exceedingly difficult to modify when circumstances changed. Focusing on quality manufacturing became problematic with the rise of new competitors, including China, yet German firms remained heavily invested in the strategy. Attempts to alter workplace organisation, much less close down uneconomical plants, were stymied by codetermination. Funding startups in new sectors was not the natural inclination of fusty banks accustomed to dealing with long-established customers engaged in familiar lines of business. And a proportional electoral system with a 5% threshold yielded unsatisfactory results and unstable coalitions when voters moved to the extremes, positioning the Alternative for Germany on the right and the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance on the left to earn parliamentary representation, while leaving the more moderate Free Democrats at risk of being shut out. The solutions, it would seem, are obvious: Invest more in higher education and less in old-fashioned apprenticeships and vocational training so that Germany can become a leader in automation and artificial intelligence. Develop a venture capital industry to take risks that banks are unwilling to shoulder. Use macroeconomic policies to stimulate spending instead of relying on tariff-ridden export markets. Rethink codetermination and a mixed-member proportional electoral system that has outlived its usefulness. Not least, release the “debt brake,” another inheritance from the past, which limits public spending. Doing so will permit the government to invest more in research and development and in infrastructure, two critical determinants of economic success in the twenty-first century. Imagining such changes may be easy, but implementing them is not. Change is always hard, of course. But it is especially hard when one seeks to modify a set of institutions and arrangements whose successful operation, in each case, depends on the operation of the others. Attempting to do so is akin to replacing a Volkswagen’s transmission while the engine is running. To take one example, German banks, which rely on their existing customer relationships, are most comfortable when lending to long-established firms doing business in long-established ways. In turn, those firms perform best when they have long-standing relationships with banks on which they can rely for finance. Replace those established firms with startups, and the banks, lacking the expertise of venture funds, will be at sea. If they lend nonetheless, they are at risk of going under. Replace banks with venture capital funds, which have little interest in stodgy metal-bending firms, and those firms will lose access to the external finance on which they depend. Such is the nature of Germany’s institutional gridlock. The bad news, then, is that there is a serious mismatch between Germany’s current economic situation and its institutional inheritance, and that there are major obstacles to altering the latter to realign it with the former. The good news is that a crisis that prompts a wholesale rethink of that institutional inheritance could conceivably break the logjam. Maybe this is just the crisis that Germany needs. Related Story Qatar stresses need to preserve Syria's unity Qatar establishes WEF's Centre for Fourth Industrial RevolutionOneAscent Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. ( NYSE:JPM ) by 10.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,721 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 346 shares during the period. OneAscent Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in JPMorgan Chase & Co. were worth $785,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. increased its position in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. now owns 84,398 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $17,796,000 after purchasing an additional 442 shares during the last quarter. Wharton Business Group LLC increased its holdings in JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 11.3% during the third quarter. Wharton Business Group LLC now owns 218,755 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $46,127,000 after buying an additional 22,131 shares during the last quarter. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in JPMorgan Chase & Co. in the third quarter worth approximately $136,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC now owns 20,296 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $4,280,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital City Trust Co. FL grew its position in shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. by 29.3% during the 3rd quarter. Capital City Trust Co. FL now owns 13,779 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,905,000 after acquiring an additional 3,119 shares during the period. 71.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. Analysts Set New Price Targets Several equities analysts recently weighed in on JPM shares. Robert W. Baird downgraded JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating and set a $200.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Barclays lifted their price objective on JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $217.00 to $257.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 14th. Oppenheimer cut shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $215.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Baird R W downgraded shares of JPMorgan Chase & Co. from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $229.31. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Stock Performance NYSE JPM opened at $248.56 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $699.78 billion, a PE ratio of 13.83, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.10. JPMorgan Chase & Co. has a 1-year low of $152.71 and a 1-year high of $249.15. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $223.14 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $211.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.89. JPMorgan Chase & Co. ( NYSE:JPM – Get Free Report ) last posted its earnings results on Friday, October 11th. The financial services provider reported $4.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.02 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $43.32 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $41.43 billion. JPMorgan Chase & Co. had a net margin of 19.64% and a return on equity of 16.71%. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $4.33 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that JPMorgan Chase & Co. will post 17.62 EPS for the current fiscal year. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Increases Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, October 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 4th were given a dividend of $1.25 per share. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.01%. This is a boost from JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.82%. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Company Profile ( Free Report ) JPMorgan Chase & Co operates as a financial services company worldwide. It operates through four segments: Consumer & Community Banking (CCB), Corporate & Investment Bank (CIB), Commercial Banking (CB), and Asset & Wealth Management (AWM). The CCB segment offers deposit, investment and lending products, cash management, and payments and services; mortgage origination and servicing activities; residential mortgages and home equity loans; and credit cards, auto loans, leases, and travel services to consumers and small businesses through bank branches, ATMs, and digital and telephone banking. See Also Want to see what other hedge funds are holding JPM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for JPMorgan Chase & Co. ( NYSE:JPM – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for JPMorgan Chase & Co. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for JPMorgan Chase & Co. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .29,370 Shares in AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) Acquired by Algert Global LLCBanque Cantonale Vaudoise cut its stake in Fair Isaac Co. ( NYSE:FICO – Free Report ) by 78.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 120 shares of the technology company’s stock after selling 428 shares during the quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise’s holdings in Fair Isaac were worth $233,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Fair Isaac in the third quarter worth $25,000. EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in Fair Isaac during the first quarter worth $25,000. Tortoise Investment Management LLC increased its position in Fair Isaac by 81.8% during the second quarter. Tortoise Investment Management LLC now owns 20 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Fair Isaac during the first quarter worth $26,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Fair Isaac by 37.5% during the third quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 22 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 6 shares during the last quarter. 85.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several research firms have commented on FICO. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Fair Isaac from $2,150.00 to $2,350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Fair Isaac from $2,130.00 to $2,374.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of Fair Isaac from $1,700.00 to $2,000.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Needham & Company LLC increased their target price on shares of Fair Isaac from $1,850.00 to $2,500.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on Fair Isaac in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $2,100.00 price target on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Fair Isaac has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,964.92. Fair Isaac Stock Performance NYSE FICO opened at $2,356.34 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $2,055.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $1,721.12. Fair Isaac Co. has a twelve month low of $1,061.96 and a twelve month high of $2,402.51. The stock has a market cap of $57.37 billion, a PE ratio of 115.22, a PEG ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 1.35. Fair Isaac declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, July 30th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the technology company to buy up to 2.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued. Insider Activity at Fair Isaac In other Fair Isaac news, EVP Thomas A. Bowers sold 2,680 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,338.21, for a total transaction of $6,266,402.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 5,769 shares in the company, valued at $13,489,133.49. This trade represents a 31.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link . Also, Director Henry Tayloe Stansbury sold 249 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $2,338.55, for a total transaction of $582,298.95. Following the transaction, the director now owns 92 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $215,146.60. This represents a 73.02 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 6,890 shares of company stock worth $13,780,452. Company insiders own 3.54% of the company’s stock. About Fair Isaac ( Free Report ) Fair Isaac Corporation develops analytic, software, and digital decisioning technologies and services that enable businesses to automate, enhance, and connect decisions in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company operates in two segments, Scores and Software. The Software segment provides pre-configured analytic and decision management solution designed for various business needs or processes, such as account origination, customer management, customer engagement, fraud detection, financial crimes compliance, and marketing, as well as associated professional services. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding FICO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Fair Isaac Co. ( NYSE:FICO – Free Report ). 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OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of being unhelpful in his criticisms when it comes to dealing with the incoming Donald Trump administration. Trudeau said there's a long-standing tradition that when the nation comes under threat in some way, Canadians pull together to defend their country. But it's "increasingly clear" Poilievre is unable to do that, Trudeau told reporters on the way into question period Wednesday. This comes just a day after Trudeau held a rare meeting with other party leaders to brief them on his recent, surprise visit with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida on Friday and the government's plan to beef up border security. Following that meeting, Poilievre said Trudeau had lost control of crucial government files, like the budget and the border, and put Canada in a weak position. Trudeau brought up this line of attack again in question period, saying Poilievre “can’t help himself” from playing politics amid Trump's tariff threats. Poilievre responded by saying Trudeau is driving Canadian jobs south with the planned increase of the carbon tax this spring. “You can just imagine the president in the Oval Office, calling our businesses to say ‘Hey, I saw that you have a quadrupling carbon tax north of the border. Why not come south of the border, where there’s no carbon tax and other taxes are falling,’” Poilievre said. Following the meeting of party leaders Tuesday, a spokeswoman for Trudeau said the prime minister asked the other leaders not to negotiate against Canada in public by saying things like the border is broken. He also asked them to amplify the message that Trump's threatened tariffs will harm the American economy too. Poilievre emerged from the meeting stressing that latter point, but also said the Trudeau government has “broken” the border. On Wednesday Poilievre said the government is the cause of “disorder” at the border this morning. President-elect Donald Trump’s 25 per cent tariff threat includes a demand that both Canada and Mexico stop illegal immigration and drug trafficking at their respective borders. Poilievre told reporters Tuesday after the briefing it should be "obvious and easy to make these arguments to the Americans" against the tariffs because such a move would injure their own economy in the process. Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet had described the tone of the briefing as cordial and constructive. Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said on Tuesday that Canada will bolster its border security in time for Trump's inauguration. On Friday, LeBlanc, Trudeau and senior officials flew to Florida to dine with Trump and some of his cabinet nominees at Mar-a-Lago, where Trump has been holding court. They informally discussed trade and border security. LeBlanc downplayed a suggestion by Trump at that dinner that he might make Canada the 51st state. LeBlanc said the president-elect was clearly joking and teasing the Canadian entourage. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 4, 2024. Kyle Duggan and David Baxter, The Canadian PressTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited ( NYSE:TSM – Get Free Report ) traded down 1.4% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $178.05 and last traded at $181.19. 9,877,566 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 35% from the average session volume of 15,294,817 shares. The stock had previously closed at $183.84. Analyst Ratings Changes A number of research analysts have weighed in on TSM shares. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from $215.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 18th. StockNews.com lowered Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 17th. Susquehanna restated a “buy” rating on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a report on Friday, October 18th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $210.00 price target on shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $214.00. Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Stock Up 2.0 % Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing ( NYSE:TSM – Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 17th. The semiconductor company reported $1.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.74 by $0.20. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing had a return on equity of 27.44% and a net margin of 39.10%. The firm had revenue of $23.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.72 billion. Equities research analysts predict that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited will post 6.95 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Increases Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, April 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be issued a $0.5484 dividend. This is a positive change from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.49. This represents a $2.19 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.57%. Institutional Trading of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Burney Co. acquired a new position in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing during the 1st quarter worth about $228,000. Cetera Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 80.7% in the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 79,291 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $10,787,000 after purchasing an additional 35,404 shares during the period. Old Port Advisors grew its holdings in shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 20.3% in the first quarter. Old Port Advisors now owns 2,475 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $337,000 after purchasing an additional 417 shares in the last quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. Confluence Investment Management LLC now owns 10,700 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $1,860,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the period. Finally, Transcend Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing by 35.0% during the 2nd quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,360 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock worth $932,000 after buying an additional 1,390 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 16.51% of the company’s stock. About Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing ( Get Free Report ) Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, packages, tests, and sells integrated circuits and other semiconductor devices in Taiwan, China, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Japan, the United States, and internationally. It provides a range of wafer fabrication processes, including processes to manufacture complementary metal- oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) logic, mixed-signal, radio frequency, embedded memory, bipolar CMOS mixed-signal, and others. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Protesters end five-day blockade of KKH