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Palantir Technologies Inc. PLTR , whose shares have surged over 376% year-to-date, was better understood by retail investors than institutional ones during its challenging period in 2022 , according to Wedbush Securities Managing Director Dan Ives . What Happened : “Institutional investors were stuck in group-think when it came to Palantir as an investment in 2022. It wasn’t part of the cool kids club,” Ives said in an interview with Palantir investor Amit Kukreja . “People didn’t understand the culture of Palantir. We’re talking about the elite of the elite.” The data analytics company’s stock performance has made it the S&P 500’s top performer this year, pushing its market capitalization to $176.47 billion. However, this surge has raised valuation concerns among analysts, with the stock trading at 172 times its projected 2025 earnings – nearly triple the industry average of 59.4. See Also: Veteran Investor Bets Big On S&P 500 Hitting 7,000 By End Of 2025: These Sectors Could Lead The Charge Why It Matters : Despite the lofty valuation, Ives maintains his bullish stance with a $75 price target, describing Palantir as “the Messi of AI” and predicting significant AI spending growth in 2025 . UBS recently set a higher $80 target while maintaining a neutral rating, though expressing concerns about the current valuation at 49 times revenue. Former Palantir employee Alex Fishman , now with Empros Capital , reinforced the optimistic outlook : “When I look at Palantir, it’s one of the few companies where I can easily envision it becoming 10 or 20 times its current size.” The broader Wall Street consensus remains cautious, with an average price target of $35.58 based on 20 analyst ratings, suggesting potential downside risk despite the company’s strong momentum in artificial intelligence and data analytics. Price Action : Palantir stock closed at $79.08 on Friday, down 3.73% for the day, with after-hours trading seeing a further decline of 0.35%. Year to date, the stock has surged 376.96%. It has a 52-week range of $15.66 to $84.80 and a market capitalization of $176.47 billion. The stock’s price-to-earnings ratio stands at 410.70, with a 14-day Relative Strength Index of 56, suggesting neutral momentum, according to data from Benzinga Pro . Read Next: Boeing In Spotlight After Fatal 737-800 Crash In South Korea, Stock Declined 28% Amid Deepening 2024 Challenges Image Via Shutterstock Disclaimer : This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.Inox Wind shares in focus on rating update; what Acuité Ratings says
{ "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "NewsArticle", "dateCreated": "2024-12-03T23:21:46+02:00", "datePublished": "2024-12-03T23:21:46+02:00", "dateModified": "2024-12-04T05:49:40+02:00", "url": "https://www.newtimes.co.rw/article/22325/news/economy/rwanda-has-successfully-met-its-imf-commitments-envoy", "headline": "Rwanda has successfully met its IMF commitments – envoy", "description": "In October 2022, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved $319 million for Rwanda as the first African country and the third in the world to...", "keywords": "", "inLanguage": "en", "mainEntityOfPage":{ "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://www.newtimes.co.rw/article/22325/news/economy/rwanda-has-successfully-met-its-imf-commitments-envoy" }, "thumbnailUrl": "https://www.newtimes.co.rw/thenewtimes/uploads/images/2024/12/03/65498.png", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://www.newtimes.co.rw/thenewtimes/uploads/images/2024/12/03/65498.png" }, "articleBody": "In October 2022, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved $319 million for Rwanda as the first African country and the third in the world to benefit from the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). The facility was a three-year arrangement that the IMF launched to help countries tackle long-term challenges, such as climate change. As the arrangement comes to an end, The New Times’ Business Editor Julius Bizimungu spoke to Gabor Pula, Resident Representative for IMF in Rwanda to discuss lessons learnt, how the facility has enabled Rwanda to embark on reforms that will shape the economy, and how the country can strike a good balance between financing its ambitious economic agenda and managing rising debt levels. Below are the excerpts: The RSF under which the IMF approved $319 million for Rwanda in 2022 is coming to an end. What lessons have you learnt? Rwanda’s early access to the RSF was made possible by the country’s preparedness and already existing climate policies. For example, at the time of the RSF approval, Rwanda already had a comprehensive climate diagnostic, which identified priority areas for reforms that could be supported by the RSF facility. Such a detailed climate strategy ensured a head-start to RSF reform implementation. Overall, the Rwandan authorities’ performance under the RSF programme has been exceptionally strong. To demonstrate their unwavering commitment to the RSF-supported climate agenda, the authorities even accelerated the implementation of the originally agreed reform measures. As a result, Rwanda has now successfully completed all its RSF commitments, six months ahead of the initial timeline (of December 2024). Rwanda is the first and only country among our members that managed to do this, and it highlights Rwanda’s ability to accelerate reforms ahead of schedule. Close cooperation with development partners has been also key to this success. Climate investments require complex technological and financial considerations, which – due to their novelty – are challenging even in the most advanced economies of the world. Rwanda has been particularly successful in absorbing external technical expertise provided by its development partners and integrating it with home grown solutions. As a result, Rwanda has managed to develop a unique approach to catalyze climate private financing, which could serve as a blueprint for other developing countries. This unique approach combines three main components: the advanced infrastructure of Private and Public Climate Investment Facilities (Ireme and Intego) that were established already before the RSF, the transparency frameworks, such as the climate budget tagging, green taxonomy and adoption of international climate reporting standards that were developed in the context of the RSF. Finally, it includes the use of innovative climate finance instruments, which ensure affordability of climate finance for Rwandan green entrepreneurs by blending concessional resources with market-based funding. Rwanda has a climate action plan that requires $11 billion through 2030. Do the reforms being undertaken enough to enable Rwanda raise this necessary funding? Given its limited fiscal space, Rwanda needs to rely on concessional and private climate financing to implement its ambitious climate agenda. Indeed, the overall cost of implementing Rwanda’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) strategy is estimated at $11 billion, which would imply investments amounting to 7 per cent of GDP each year during the 2020-2030 period. Given Rwanda’s already elevated debt level, room for public sector borrowing is limited. Domestic efforts to mobilise revenue and improve spending efficiency will help, but they take time. This puts the focus on efforts to mobilise private climate investment. Rwanda successfully leveraged the RSF and managed to secure an extra EUR 300 million with the help of bilateral and multilateral partners, on top of the RSF’s $319 million contribution. However, this amount is still only a small portion of the total financing needed to implement Rwanda’s climate agenda. In this context, Rwanda must continue its efforts to mobilise concessional and private climate resources. The IMF has said that Rwanda needs to accelerate the development of green projects and lending operations. What are these projects and why is it important to accelerate them? The RSF-supported reform measures helped address impediments to concessional and private climate flows to Rwanda. Private climate inflows to Rwanda, similar to other low-income countries, have been constrained by low risk-adjusted returns, persisting information asymmetries, and market size disadvantage. To overcome these obstacles and establish incentives for private capital, Rwanda needs strong legal frameworks, governance and data disclosure standards guiding its climate investments. As an example, Rwanda’s new climate budget tagging system and green taxonomy will strengthen investor confidence by mitigating their concerns about greenwashing. In the next step, these newly developed taxonomies will be used to identify private and public investment projects that can strengthen the economy’s resilience to climate shocks. Rwanda is also a pioneer in this area among developing economies. Ireme Invest has started its lending operations with a total value of its green projects pipeline estimated at about $30 million over the 2024-25 period. The scaling up of the pipeline is challenging, as both the Rwanda Development Bank and businesses need time to strengthen their understanding of the technical requirements for climate investments. To address this obstacle, Ireme Invest has established a Project Preparation Facility managed by the Rwanda Green Fund (FONERWA). Rwanda’s Public Green Investment Facility (Intego) has also identified public investment projects at the total value of $34 million. A well-developed project pipeline should play a critical role in mobilising additional resources to finance Rwanda’s ambitious climate agenda. The IMF has a 3-year Policy Coordination Instrument that ends next year. The aim was to support the government to build on the progress in macroeconomic, fiscal, and financial reforms. Have any of these reforms happened? Under the Policy Coordination Instrument (PCI), the Rwandan authorities put together a medium-term reform plan for the 2022-25 period to ensure macroeconomic stability, advance fiscal consolidation, strengthen monetary policy transmission and deepen financial markets, and build socioeconomic resilience. The PCI is a non-disbursing arrangement, which means that the IMF does not provide financial support related to the programme. We support the authorities in the design of their reform plan, provide technical assistance to build institutional capacity, monitor the implementation of the reforms and report on their progress. The benefit of such a non-disbursing arrangement for the authorities is what we call the IMF’s “seal of approval” of their policies. It provides assurances for development partners and financial markets that Rwanda’s macroeconomic policies are sound. Rwanda’s performance under the PCI has been broadly strong. Key achievements under the PCI include the introduction of more efficient and transparent frameworks to manage public investments, formulation of a medium-term spending rationalisation strategy, gradual deepening of the interbank and foreign exchange market to strengthen monetary policy transmission and the launching of the dynamic social registry, which is a state-of-the-art system that will allow for better targeting of social protection benefits. In December 2023, the authorities also requested a 14-month financing arrangement under the so-called Stand-by Credit Facility (SCF) to help them preserve foreign exchange reserves, which came under pressure following an increase in the import bill, due to high food imports and the reconstruction after the devastating floods last year. As a result of the recalibration of macroeconomic policies, the $260 million total financing under the SCF, and its catalytic effect that allowed Rwanda to secure additional concessional financing mainly from the World Bank, foreign exchange reserves have now stabilised at comfortable levels. The IMF has previously indicated that Rwanda faces fiscal risks from state-owned enterprises. What are these risks and how can they be mitigated? Besides raising more revenues, fiscal consolidation can be achieved via more efficient spending. Rwanda has limited resources, and it is critical that those limited resources are not wasted and put in the most productive use possible. Enhanced transparency is key to scrutinise the use of resources, and so it is an important achievement that the Ministry of Finance started to publish the list of major public projects and their selection criteria on its website. In a similar vein, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) need to be managed efficiently. This means several considerations. First, the authorities need to revisit which SOEs are critical for the functioning of the economy, and which are the SOEs that could possibly be replaced by the private sector. Second, the corporate governance of remaining SOEs needs to be improved. Finally, it is important that any financial support provided by the budget to SOEs, in the form of direct subsidies and guaranteed loans for example, are fully accounted for. At the end of the day, the authorities will need to ensure that budget resources are not subsidising loss-making activities in SOEs. What about the forex exchange market, has Rwanda made reform progress? With regard to the exchange rate, the central bank did a good job so far in managing pressures on its FX reserves. The exchange rate was allowed to depreciate since early 2023, which was necessary to facilitate the much-needed external adjustment. Similar to most developing countries, Rwanda’s imports exceed its exports, which implies that the demand for foreign currency is larger than its supply. The trade deficit puts the exchange rate under pressure, unless it is fully financed by capital inflows, such as remittances, foreign direct investment, or concessional borrowing. Continued exchange rate flexibility will be critical to help absorb external shocks and support the current account adjustment.", "author": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Julius Bizimungu" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "The New Times", "url": "https://www.newtimes.co.rw/", "sameAs": ["https://www.facebook.com/TheNewTimesRwanda/","https://twitter.com/NewTimesRwanda","https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuZbZj6DF9zWXpdZVceDZkg"], "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "/theme_newtimes/images/logo.png", "width": 270, "height": 57 } }, "copyrightHolder": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "The New Times", "url": "https://www.newtimes.co.rw/" } }
Uber: Biggest Money Is Made When Reasonable Worries Are Exaggerated, My Top Pick For 2025Montreal Canadiens forward, Patrik Laine, just made the statement of the year during today's press conference. Let's not forget that the new scorer for the Canadiens, acquired a few months ago in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets, will be playing his very first career game with the Canadiens tonight! (against the New York Islanders and Patrick Roy) After suffering a knee injury during a preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Patrik Laine is finally making his official debut with the Habs tonight. We can't wait. A strong statement in a press conference by Patrik Laine Just a few hours before his highly anticipated season debut, during today's press conference, Laine sent quite a message. I love it! It says so much about the passion and motivation of this young player. Patrik Laine, on making his return at the Bell Centre: Patrik Laine, via Eric Engels (Sportsnet) He's absolutely right! If a player is playing in Montreal, at the Bell Centre, and isn't motivated.. there's something wrong with that player. He's obviously not targeting anyone specifically, but the message is very clear and absolutely on point. For the full press conference, check below, but let's also note that Laine mentioned he didn't sleep much last night because he was so excited to start his day and finally play his first game with the Montreal Canadiens. He will undoubtedly be very excited and nervous, but we're all behind him! This article first appeared on Habs Fanatics and was syndicated with permission.
MAA Announces Regular Quarterly Preferred Dividend
Tesla’s sales of electric cars have stalled. But Wall Street investors don’t seem to be worried. The company’s share price has risen 90% since early November as investors have taken an optimistic view of the company’s progress in autonomous driving and bet that its CEO, Elon Musk, will use his new influence in Washington to Tesla’s benefit. The increase in the value of Musk’s 13% stake in Tesla has cemented his status as the richest person on the planet. After spending more than $250 million to support Donald Trump, he has become so close to the president-elect that some people have begun referring to him as “co-president.” Still, stagnant sales at Tesla do not bode well for the company or for overall sales of electric vehicles, which are seen as an essential tool against climate change. While carmakers like General Motors and Hyundai are offering a growing selection of electric vehicles, Tesla still accounts for almost half of all electric car sales in the United States and sets the tone for technology. Related Story: Musk Is Largely Silent on Tesla Sales Musk has been vocal about many topics on X, the social platform he owns. He regularly discusses government spending he believes is wasteful, immigrants he blames for crime and his conviction that “woke mind virus is one of the biggest threats to the existence of humanity.” But he is largely silent about plans to revive Tesla’s sales, providing few details about a new budget-priced car that may sell for as little as $25,000. The company has promised to begin selling a more affordable vehicle by mid-2025 to bring electric driving within reach of the middle class. Tesla and Musk did not respond to requests for comment. Some analysts wonder whether he has lost interest in cars as he juggles numerous other activities. They include X; SpaceX, the federal government’s main rocket contractor; and his role as co-head of a newly formed Department of Government Efficiency, which will advise Trump on slashing federal spending. Musk has not shown the same level of dedication to carmaking that he did in 2018 when Tesla was struggling to mass-produce the Model 3 and he slept at the factory, said Kenneth Boyer, a professor of business at Ohio State University. “He was all in,” said Boyer, whose recent book, “The Electric Vehicle Revolution: Five Visionaries Leading the Charge,” includes a chapter on Musk. “The question now is, what is Elon committed to, or is he spread too thin?” Related Story: Tesla to Release Sales Figures Tesla is about to release its sales figures for the last three months of 2024. Data and estimates available so far indicate that its sales have fallen in all of its major markets. In the United States, Tesla sales will be down around 6% in 2024, a bigger decline than any carmaker except the troubled Stellantis, according to estimates by Cox Automotive. Tesla will end the year with 633,000 cars sold in the United States, Cox expects, giving it a 4% share of the total car market. Sales of Teslas may have spiked toward the end of the year as buyers rushed to take advantage of federal tax credits, worth up to $7,500, that Trump and Republicans in Congress may repeal or slash. In the European Union, Tesla sales through November fell 15% from a year earlier, to 211,000 cars, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association. Tesla sales also slipped in China, the world’s largest car market. It was inevitable that Tesla, a pioneer in battery-powered cars, would lose market share as other carmakers introduced more such models. Until a few years ago, Tesla had the market largely to itself. Now, it faces stiff competition from the likes of BYD in China, Volkswagen and BMW in Europe, and GM, Ford Motor Co. and others in the United States. But Tesla’s situation appears to be more concerning. Its sales are falling even as the overall market for electric vehicles grows, rising 25% through November globally, according to Rho Motion, a research firm. Related Story: Investors Hope for a Cheaper Tesla Model Some investors hope that a new, cheaper Tesla could supercharge sales. The least expensive Tesla, the Model 3 sedan, starts at $42,500 in the United States before government incentives. A $25,000 Tesla would make electric cars accessible to many more buyers. The average sales price for electric vehicles currently on the market is more than twice that. “The idea of Tesla being able to open up the market to a wider range of buyers with an even more affordable option than the Model 3 — that is what has investors most excited,” said Ben Rose, president of Battle Road Research, who expects Tesla shares to outperform the broader stock market. But Rose acknowledged, “This seems to be the product that Elon Musk is least excited about.” Tesla has not displayed a prototype or revealed much information about a lower-cost vehicle’s price or performance. That contrasts with the company’s Cybertruck, a futuristic pickup that Tesla unveiled in 2019, four years before it went on sale. Aside from the Cybertruck, which starts at $80,000, Tesla has not introduced a completely new vehicle since the Model Y SUV in 2020. (Tesla did begin selling an updated version of the Model 3 this year.) Early indications are that the angular, stainless steel Cybertruck does not have broad enough appeal or a low enough price to revive the company’s overall sales. Tesla sold 28,000 Cybertrucks through September, according to Cox, making it the best-selling electric pickup in the United States. But the company sells only a tenth as many Cybertrucks as it does the Model Y, Tesla’s most popular vehicle. Car shoppers are yearning for less expensive electric vehicles. Used Model 3s priced around $25,000 are among the fastest-selling vehicles on CarGurus.com, said Kevin Roberts, director of economic and market intelligence at the online sales site. “When the price comes down, the interest is there,” he said. — This article originally appeared in . By Jack Ewing/Loren Elliott c. 2024 The New York Times CompanyPresident-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers urge judge to toss his hush money conviction
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RBL Bank Share Price Live blog for 30 Dec 2024By Stephanie Lai and Hadriana Lowenkron, Bloomberg News Donald Trump says he is selecting venture capitalist David Sacks of Craft Ventures LLC to serve as his artificial intelligence and crypto czar, a newly created position that underscores the president-elect’s intent to boost two rapidly developing industries. “David will guide policy for the Administration in Artificial Intelligence and Cryptocurrency, two areas critical to the future of American competitiveness. David will focus on making America the clear global leader in both areas,” Trump said Thursday in a post on his Truth Social network. Trump said that Sacks would also lead the Presidential Council of Advisors for Science and Technology. Related Articles In Sacks, Trump is tapping one of his most prominent Silicon Valley supporters and fundraisers for a prime position in his administration. Sacks played a key role in bolstering Trump’s fundraising among technology industry donors, including co-hosting an event at his San Francisco home in June, with tickets at $300,000 a head. He is also closely associated with Vice President-elect JD Vance, the investor-turned-Ohio senator. Sacks is a venture capitalist and part of Silicon Valley’s “PayPal Mafia.” He first made his name in the technology industry during a stint as the chief operating officer of PayPal, the payments company whose founders in the late 1990s included billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk and investor Peter Thiel. After it was sold to eBay, Sacks turned to Hollywood, where he produced the 2005 satire Thank You for Smoking. Back in Silicon Valley, he founded workplace communications company Yammer, which was bought by Microsoft Corp. in 2012 for $1.2 billion. He founded his own venture capital firm, Craft Ventures, in 2017 and has invested in Musk-owned businesses, including SpaceX. Sacks said on a recent episode of his All-In podcast that a “key man” clause in the agreements of his venture firm’s legal documents would likely prevent him from taking a full-time position, but he might consider an advisory role in the new administration. A Craft spokeswoman said Sacks would not be leaving Craft. In his post, Trump said Sacks “will safeguard Free Speech online, and steer us away from Big Tech bias and censorship.” Protecting free speech is a keen interest of Sacks. He regularly speaks about “woke” interests that try to muzzle unpopular opinions and positions. The new post is expected to help spearhead the crypto industry deregulation Trump promised on the campaign trail. The role is expected to provide cryptocurrency advocates a direct line to the White House and serve as a liaison between Trump, Congress and the federal agencies that interface with digital assets, including the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Trump heavily campaigned on supporting crypto, after previously disparaging digital assets during his first White House term, saying their “value is highly volatile and based on thin air.” The president-elect on Thursday said Sacks would “work on a legal framework so the Crypto industry has the clarity it has been asking for, and can thrive in the U.S.” During the campaign, Trump spoke at a Bitcoin conference, accepted crypto campaign donations and met with executives from Bitcoin mining companies and crypto exchanges multiple times. Trump’s desire to give priority to the digital asset industry is also reflected in his close allies and cabinet selections, including his Commerce secretary pick, Howard Lutnick, and Treasury secretary nominee Scott Bessent. On the AI front, Sacks would help Trump put his imprint on an emerging technology whose popular use has exploded in recent years. Sacks is poised to be at the front lines in determining how the federal government both adopts AI and regulates its use as advances in the technology and adoption by consumers pose a wide array of benefits as well as risks touching on national security, privacy, jobs and other areas. The president-elect has expressed both awe at the power of AI technology as well as concern over the potential harms from its use. During his first term, he signed executive orders that sought to maintain US leadership in the field and directed the federal government to prioritize AI in research and development spending. As AI has become more mainstream in recent years and with Congress slow to act, President Joe Biden has sought to fill that void. Biden signed an executive order in 2023 that establishes security and privacy protections and requires developers to safety-test new models, casting the sweeping regulatory order as necessary to safeguard consumers. A number of technology giants have also agreed to adopt a set of voluntary safeguards which call for them to test AI systems for discriminatory tendencies or security flaws and to share those results. Trump has vowed to repeal Biden’s order. The Republican Party’s 2024 platform dismissed Biden’s executive order as one that “hinders AI Innovation, and imposes Radical Leftwing ideas on the development of this technology.” Sacks can be expected to work closely with Musk, the world’s richest person and one of the president-elect’s most prominent supporters. Musk is also a player in the AI space with his company xAI and a chatbot named Grok — efforts which pit him against Silicon Valley’s giants — and he stands to wield significant influence within the incoming administration. The appointment won’t require Sacks to divest or publicly disclose his assets. Like Musk, Sacks will be a special government employee. He can serve a maximum of 130 days per year, with or without compensation. However, conflict of interest rules apply to special government employees, meaning Sacks will have to recuse himself from matters that could impact his holdings. Sacks’s Craft Ventures is known more for enterprise software investing than for crypto, but it has made a few crypto investments, including BitGo and Bitwise. Still, Sacks has firm opinions on the sector. Speaking last month on All-In, Sacks praised a bill on crypto regulation that had passed in the U.S. House but not the Senate earlier this year. The Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act would regulate certain types of digital assets as a commodity, regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. “The crypto industry basically wants a really clear line for knowing when they’re a commodity and they want commodities to be governed, like all other commodities, by the CFTC,” he said on the November podcast. He also disparaged some of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s positions on crypto under its chair, Gary Gensler. “The days of Gensler terrifying crypto companies,” he said. “Those days are about to be over.” Earlier this week, Trump nominated crypto advocate Paul Atkins to lead the SEC. With assistance from Zoe Ma, Bill Allison, Sarah McBride, Anne VanderMey and stacy-marie ishmael. ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Bennett Stirtz scored 20 points as Drake beat Belmont 65-46 on Sunday night. Stirtz added three steals for the Bulldogs (12-0, 2-0 Missouri Valley Conference). Daniel Abreu scored 15 points while shooting 5 for 11, including 3 for 9 from beyond the arc and added five rebounds. Mitch Mascari had nine points and shot 3 for 7, including 3 for 6 from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs prolonged their winning streak to 12 games. Sam Orme led the Bruins (9-4, 1-1) in scoring, finishing with 11 points. Brody Peebles added 10 points for Belmont. Jonathan Pierre had nine points. Drake took the lead with 10:21 left in the first half and never looked back. Stirtz led their team in scoring with 13 points in the first half to help put them up 39-21 at the break. Drake outscored Belmont in the second half by one point, with Abreu scoring a team-high eight points after intermission. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle are inactive for Sunday's matchup against the host Cleveland Browns. Tagovailoa was limited all week due to a hip injury and was downgraded to doubtful on Saturday afternoon. Waddle, in turn, was questionable to play versus the Browns after being limited in practice on Thursday and Friday. Tyler Huntley is expected to start under center for the Dolphins (7-8), who are fighting to stay in playoff contention and need a win against the Browns (3-12) to stay in the mix. Huntley, 26, has started three games this season for the Dolphins while Tagovailoa was out before suffering a shoulder injury. Huntley was 39 of 66 (59.1 percent) for 377 yards, one TD and one pick. He also ran 16 times for 67 yards and a score. Tagovailoa already has missed four games this season because of a concussion while starting the other 11. He is 291 of 399 (league-best 72.9 percent) for 2,867 yards, 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Waddle, 26, has 54 catches this season for 700 yards and two touchdowns. In addition to Tagovailoa and Waddle, linebackers Anthony Walker and Mohamed Kamara, cornerback Nik Needham, offensive lineman Andrew Meyer and wide receiver Erik Ezukanma are inactive for Sunday's game. For Cleveland, Jameis Winston will serve as the emergency third quarterback. Wide receiver Cedric Tillman, cornerback Chigozie Anusiem, defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo and tight end David Njoku also are inactive for the Browns. --Field Level MediaFormer President Jimmy Carter has died at the age of 100. The 39th president of the United States was a Georgia peanut farmer who sought to restore trust in government when he assumed the presidency in 1977 and then built a reputation for tireless work as a humanitarian. He earned a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Carter died Sunday, coming up on two years after entering hospice care, at his home in Plains, Georgia. At age 52, Carter was sworn in as president on Jan. 20, 1977, after defeating President Gerald R. Ford in the 1976 general election. Carter left office on Jan. 20, 1981, following his 1980 general election loss to Ronald Reagan. Here's the latest: President Joe Biden has scheduled a state funeral in Washington for former President Jimmy Carter on Jan. 9. Biden also declared Jan. 9 as a National Day of Mourning across the U.S. Carter, the longest-lived former president, died Sunday at his home in Plains, Georgia. He was 100. Biden also ordered U.S. flags to fly at half-staff for 30 days from Sunday. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Sunday praised Carter for his significant contributions to international peace through the Camp David Accords, the SALT II Treaty and the Panama Canal treaties. “President Carter’s commitment to international peace and human rights also found full expression after he left the presidency,” Guterres said in a statement. "He played a key role in conflict mediation, election monitoring, the promotion of democracy, and disease prevention and eradication. These and other efforts earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 and helped advance the work of the United Nations. “President Carter will be remembered for his solidarity with the vulnerable, his abiding grace, and his unrelenting faith in the common good and our common humanity,” Guterres said. King Charles III joined leaders from around the world in issuing their condolences and sharing their reflections on the former president. “It was with great sadness that I learned of the death of former President Carter," the king said in a public statement. “He was a committed public servant, and devoted his life to promoting peace and human rights. His dedication and humility served as an inspiration to many, and I remember with great fondness his visit to the United Kingdom in 1977." President Joe Biden broke from his family vacation in the U.S. Virgin Islands to remember Carter, recalling his predecessor as a role model and friend. America and the world lost a “remarkable leader” with Carter’s death, Biden said, adding that he had spoken to several of the former president's children and was working with them to formalize memorial arrangements in Washington. Speaking for roughly 10 minutes, Biden remembered Carter as a humanitarian and statesman, someone he couldn't imagine walking past a person in need without trying to help them. He represented “the most fundamental human values we can never let slip away,” Biden said. The president repeatedly praised Carter's “simple decency” and his values, saying some will see him as a man of honesty and humility from a bygone era. “I don’t believe it’s a bygone era. I see a man not only of our time, but for all times,” Biden said. “To know his core, you need to know he never stopped being a Sunday school teacher at that Baptist church in Plains, Georgia.” Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said on X that Carter's significant role in achieving the peace agreement between Egypt and Israel "will remain etched in the annals of history.” He went on to say Carter's “humanitarian work exemplifies a lofty standard of love, peace, and brotherhood.” Carter will be remembered as “one of the world’s most prominent leaders in service to humanity,” el-Sissi said. President Joe Biden will speak about Carter Sunday evening. The president will make his address from a hotel in St. Croix, from the U.S. Virgin Islands, where he is on a holiday vacation with his family. Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter had one of the great love stories and political partnerships in U.S. presidential history. The former president sometimes called his wife, who died Nov. 19. 2023, “Rosie,” which is a good way to remember how her name actually is pronounced. It is “ROSE-uh-lyn,” not, repeat NOT, “RAHZ-uh-lyn.” They were married more than 77 years but their relationship went back even further. Jimmy’s mother, “Miss Lillian,” delivered Eleanor Rosalynn Smith at the Smith home in Plains on Aug. 18, 1927. The nurse brought her eldest child back a few days later to visit, meaning the longest-married presidential couple met as preschooler and newborn. She became his trusted campaign aide and White House adviser, surprising Washington by sitting in on Cabinet meetings. Then they traveled the world together as co-founders of The Carter Center. Most of the nation saw the former president for the last time at Rosalynn Carter’s funeral. Jason Carter is now the chairman of The Carter Center’s board of governors. He said his grandparents “never changed who they were” even after reaching the White House and becoming global humanitarians. He says their four years in Washington were just one period of putting their values into action and that the center his grandparents founded in Atlanta is a lasting “extension of their belief in human rights as a fundamental global force.” Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter traveled the world advocating for democracy and fighting disease, but Jason Carter said they weren’t motivated by pity, or arrogance that a former American president had all the answers — they ventured to remote places because they could “recognize these people.” They too were from “a 600-person village” and understood that even the poorest people “have the power ... the ability ... the knowledge and the expertise to change their own community.” As reaction poured in from around the world, President Joe Biden mourned Carter’s death, saying the world lost an “extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian” and he lost a dear friend. Biden cited Carter’s compassion and moral clarity, his work to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless and advocacy for the disadvantaged as an example for others. Biden said he is ordering a state funeral for Carter in Washington. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is remembering Carter as a man steeped “in devotion to public service and peace.” The California Democrat said in a statement Sunday that Carter was committed to “honoring the spark of divinity within every person,” something she said manifested in “teaching Sunday school in his beloved Marantha Baptist Church, brokering the landmark Camp David Accords to pave the way to peace or building homes with Habitat for Humanity.” Pelosi also said Carter led “perhaps the most impactful post-presidency in history.” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer noted in a post on X the special contribution Carter made by brokering the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt and through his work with the Carter Center. “Motivated by his strong faith and values, President Carter redefined the post-presidency with a remarkable commitment to social justice and human rights at home and abroad,” Starmer said. To commemorate Carter’s death, officials with the Empire State Building said in a post on social media that the iconic New York City landmark would be lit in red, white and blue on Sunday night, “to honor the life and legacy” of the late former president. In a statement issued Sunday, former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama said Carter’s beloved Maranatha Baptist Church “will be a little quieter on Sunday,s” but added that the late former president “will never be far away -- buried alongside Rosalynn next to a willow tree down the road, his memory calling all of us to heed our better angels.” Noting the “hundreds of tourists from around the world crammed into the pews” to see the former president teach Sunday school, as he did “for most of his adult life,” the Obamas listed Carter’s accomplishments as president. But they made special note of the Sunday school lessons, saying they were catalysts for people making a pilgrimage to the church. “Many people in that church on Sunday morning were there, at least in part, because of something more fundamental: President Carter’s decency.” The longest-lived American president died Sunday, more than a year after entering hospice care , at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died at 96 in November 2023 , spent most of their lives. “Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia,” The Carter Center said in posting about his death on the social media platform X. It added in a statement that he died peacefully, surrounded by his family. In his 1975 book “Why Not The Best,” Carter said of himself: “I am a Southerner and an American, I am a farmer, an engineer, a father and husband, a Christian, a politician and former governor, a planner, a businessman, a nuclear physicist, a naval officer, a canoeist, and among other things a lover of Bob Dylan’s songs and Dylan Thomas’s poetry.” A moderate Democrat, Carter entered the 1976 presidential race as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad smile, outspoken Baptist mores and technocratic plans reflecting his education as an engineer. After he left office and returned home to his tiny hometown of Plains in southwest Georgia, Carter regularly taught Sunday School lessons at Maranatha Baptist Church until his mobility declined. Those sessions drew visitors from around the world. Former Vice President Al Gore praised Jimmy Carter for living “a life full of purpose, commitment and kindness” and for being a “lifelong role model for the entire environmental movement.” Carter, who left the White House in 1981 after a landslide defeat to Ronald Reagan. concentrated on conflict resolution, defending democracy and fighting disease in the developing world. Gore, who lost the 2000 presidential election to George W. Bush, remains a leading advocate for action to fight climate change. Both won Nobel Peace Prizes. Gore said that “it is a testament to his unyielding determination to help build a more just and peaceful world” that Carter is often “remembered equally for the work he did as President as he is for his leadership over the 42 years after he left office.” During Gore’s time in the White House, President Bill Clinton had an uneasy relationship with Carter. But Gore said he is “grateful” for “many years of friendship and collaboration” with Carter. Former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, remember Carter as a man who lived to serve others. “Hillary and I mourn the passing of President Jimmy Carter and give thanks for his long, good life. Guided by his faith, President Carter lived to serve others — until the very end." The statement recalled Carter's many achievements and priorities, including efforts “to protect our natural resources in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, make energy conservation a national priority, return the Panama Canal to Panama, and secure peace between Egypt and Israel at Camp David." After he left office, the Clinton statement said, Carter continued efforts in "supporting honest elections, advancing peace, combating disease, and promoting democracy; to his and Rosalynn’s devotion and hard work at Habitat for Humanity — he worked tirelessly for a better, fairer world,” the statement said.The Vikings have prepared for the game against the Atlanta Falcons without veteran quarterback Stephon Gilmore this week, and on Friday he was officially ruled out ahead of the matchup on Sunday afternoon at U.S. Bank Stadium. ADVERTISEMENT The news isn’t surprising given the fact that Gilmore hasn’t practiced at all this week at TCO Performance Center. He’s been nursing a hamstring injury since last week when he left a victory over the Arizona Cardinals. Though the Vikings believe that Gilmore has avoided anything serious, they are clearly being cautious with him so not to make anything worse. The loss of Gilmore in the short term will thrust veteran cornerback Fabian Moreau into a bigger role on defense. ______________________________________________________ This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here .Team Velocity® Announces Latest Breakthrough Technology with Automated Deal Alerts and Customer Scoring
Alex Ovechkin lost 33 pounds this summerBiden's broken promise on pardoning his son Hunter is raising new questions about his legacy
Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad: Dec. 23 The Washington Post on President Biden's commutation of death sentences President Joe Biden’s Monday announcement that he would commute the death sentences of 37 federal inmates should not be seen as an act of mercy for people convicted of awful crimes. It was a substantial move to align the United States with the rest of the democratic world, which has largely abandoned the practice of killing people as an instrument of justice. In other words, Mr. Biden’s use of his commutation power was extraordinary — and insufficient. Three men will remain on federal death row, and more people could be put there in future years. Meanwhile, many states continue to execute people. We say this while acknowledging the horrors these people committed; the three men Mr. Biden left on death row were convicted of mass shootings or terrorist attacks. We also acknowledge that a majority of Americans still favors the death penalty, despite a downward trend in recent years. Mr. Biden’s attempt to split the difference, leaving what he considered the worst of the worst on death row, is therefore understandable. Yet the death penalty is expensive, impractical and too often unjustly applied. And, even if the death penalty posed none of these problems, the government should not purposely take lives outside of war or similar conflict. The state should be better — far better — than those who unnecessarily and premeditatedly extinguish human life. Our view has seen substantial wins in recent years. Executions have plummeted as public support for the practice has moderated. But 2024 offered multiple signs that the momentum may be ebbing. President-elect Donald Trump promised during his campaign to expand the death penalty . And the Death Penalty Information Center, in its annual end-of-year report, shows that the number of executions nationwide, though still far below their heights at the turn of the century, have been ticking upward in recent years. Twenty-five people were executed in the United States in 2024, slightly up from the previous year and more than twice the three-decade low reached in 2021. That’s largely the result of efforts by officials in Republican-run states to reactivate the death penalty. Three states this year — Utah, South Carolina and Indiana — carried out their first executions in more than a decade. Alabama also experimented with a new way to kill its inmates : asphyxiating them with nitrogen gas. The first person subjected to this method, Kenneth Smith, convulsed and gasped for air for four minutes. Following the execution, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall encouraged other states to adopt the method. “Alabama has done it, and now so can you,” he said. Increasingly, states are carrying out these executions behind a veil of secrecy. Just last week, Indiana, citing state law, executed Joseph Corcoran with no media witnesses . This year also saw an increase in the number of people sentenced to death, from 21 in 2023 to 26. About a third of those sentences were imposed by nonunanimous juries, thanks to laws in Florida and Alabama that allow jurors to recommend the death sentence even if they don’t reach consensus. In fact, Florida in 2023 enacted legislation allowing death sentences to be imposed if just 8 out of 12 jurors vote in favor. Of course, as Mr. Biden acknowledged in his Monday announcement, most people with death sentences in the United States committed heinous crimes and deserve little sympathy. But one can condemn such acts while also maintaining that executing criminals cannot bring back victims of those crimes or make whole those who lost loved ones. Also, mistakes happen, even in an advanced criminal justice system such as that of the United States. In July, Larry Roberts became the 200th person sentenced to death to be exonerated of his alleged crime since the DPIC starting tracking wrongful convictions in 1973. No one should be comfortable with that number. Since 1976, when the Supreme Court ended its four-year moratorium on the death penalty, more than 1,600 people have been executed in the United States. How many of them were likewise innocent? ONLINE: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/12/23/death-penalty-trump-criminal-justice/ Dec. 24 The New York Times on the teen mental health crisis Rates of anxiety and depression in adolescents have been rising for years . Millions of Americans with mental health problems are not getting the treatment they need for myriad reasons. Many families can’t afford it. And many young people also don’t know where to turn for help. The UJA-Federation of New York, an organization created in 1917 to provide Jewish New Yorkers with economic and social support, is trying to fill the coverage gap for young adults of all backgrounds. The organization helps them get care from its network of mental health professionals through educational outreach at schools, community centers and even coffee shops. This kind of localized approach has long been recommended by experts because it has been shown to reach people who might not otherwise seek treatment or support. “Since UJA was founded — and that’s now well over 100 years ago — we have focused on critical issues facing New Yorkers in need,” said Alex Roth-Kahn, a managing director at the organization. That mission has led to decades of supporting people with mental health challenges. Just this year, Marcellus Williams was executed in Missouri for a 1998 murder, even though the prosecuting attorney in St. Louis County filed a motion to vacate his death sentence because DNA testing of the murder weapon ruled him out. And in Texas, a bipartisan group of lawmakers is fighting the death sentence of Robert Robertson, convicted in the death of his 2-year-old, who prosecutors said died of shaken baby syndrome — though Robertson’s lawyers have cited medical and forensic experts who concluded she likely died from undiagnosed pneumonia. Mr. Biden’s intervention this week is a nod to the flaws of the death penalty, but also a need for a system that claims human dignity and equal application of the law as its driving values. State and federal lawmakers should finish the job by abolishing the practice. ONLINE: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/24/opinion/communities-fund-uja-federation.html Dec. 23 The Wall Street Journal on rising life expectancy in the United States Some good news as 2024 nears the end: Life expectancy in the U.S. last year made an unusually sharp increase as deaths from most major causes declined, according to the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. Americans can expect more longevity gains in the future—as long as Washington doesn’t introduce harmful policies. Life expectancy in 2023 rose 0.9 years to 78.4 while the overall mortality rate adjusted for age declined 6%. Death rates among all age groups fell, and more sharply for middle-aged Americans and seniors. A typical 65-year-old can expect to live another 19.5 years, up from 18.9 years in 2022. The large rebound in a single year owes largely to a decline in Covid deaths as the pandemic receded into the past. Covid deaths last year were roughly the same as those from the flu during a bad flu season. Death rates from cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and unintentional injuries (e.g., drug overdoses) also declined. It’s true that U.S. life expectancy is still lower, and deaths from most causes somewhat higher, than before the pandemic when it reached an overall average of 78.8 years. But that’s because of an increase in chronic illnesses, which may have been exacerbated by the pandemic lockdowns. Forced to stay home, many Americans ate and drank more and used more drugs. The Biden Administration claimed credit for the lifespan increase because drug overdoses declined slightly in 2023. Perhaps political attention to the fentanyl scourge is making a difference. But overdoses were still 50% higher last year than in 2019. The truth is that the Administration’s “harm reduction” policies—e.g., distributing sterile needles and opioid-overdose medicine naloxone to addicts—have failed to reduce addiction. A common lament on the political left and right is that the U.S. has a lower life expectancy despite spending more on healthcare than most developed countries. But America also has more chronic disease and drug addiction, which aren’t from failings in private healthcare. Americans have access to more treatments than any country in the world. This is why U.S. cancer survival rates are higher than in most developed countries and continue to improve. Personalized cancer vaccines and CAR T-cell therapies have shown potential to treat deadly cancers like pancreatic and glioblastoma. GLP-1 medicines like Ozempic could help extend lifespans by reducing obesity, diabetes and even drug addictions. The policy risk is that government drug price controls will discourage innovation. Expanding government control over healthcare isn’t the way to make Americans healthier. ONLINE: https://www.wsj.com/opinion/cdc-u-s-life-expectancy-rises-covid-mortality-chronic-illness-drugs-pharma-e2f03030?mod=editorials_article_pos3 Dec. 24 The Boston Globe says Republicans taking directions from Elon Musk might want to reconsider Until last week’s budget debacle, Elon Musk was a warm-up act for President-elect Donald Trump. Like the many adulatory openers at Trump rallies and Republican gatherings, he amped up the crowd — but strictly in preparation for the main act. While Democrats like to flash star power at events — A-listers, movie stars, and pop icons — in today’s Republican Party, Trump is the star power. But the rise of Musk as a political figure means that another successful, powerful businessman is potentially poised to eclipse Trump’s voice in the Republican Party, whether he intends to or not. That’s a problem for Trump, who isn’t exactly used to sharing the limelight. The MAGA movement, as Trump allies describe it, is built around the idea that politicians of all stripes are too blinded by corruption, political complications, and self-interest to serve the needs of the American people. Such a movement necessitates an audacious leader who isn’t afraid to break with the pack and stand out — someone exactly like Trump. His no-holds-barred style of leadership has allowed him to quickly overhaul the Republican Party, elevating loyalists and his favored policies with little regard for pushback from liberals or traditional Republicans. Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, owner of X (formerly Twitter), and the world’s richest man, has been one of Trump’s most important allies in spreading that message. His endorsement, his campaigning efforts, his nearly quarter of a billion dollar America PAC, his energizing rally appearances, and even his transformation of X into a “town square” have been vital to spreading Republican messaging. Musk has been a dutiful “First Buddy.” But he could become more than that, as he revealed last week. Starting early Wednesday morning, a mere series of X posts from Musk helped to derail a bipartisan congressional deal to fund the government and avert a shutdown. That Musk had concerns about a 1,500-page budget bill isn’t the issue here; it’s safe to assume that any impenetrable packet of government spending contains eyebrow-raising allocations. What is of concern is how Musk seemingly single-handedly hijacked the process — and how Republicans let him. On X, Musk and his sidekick Vivek Ramaswamy praised Republicans who bowed to his opposition of the bill and put on notice those who didn’t. “Any member of the House or Senate who votes for this outrageous spending bill deserves to be voted out in 2 years!” Musk posted early Wednesday afternoon, generating more than 47 million views. He beat Trump to the punch — or, maybe, pushed the president-elect into action. Twelve hours after Musk’s first post opposing the bill, JD Vance and Trump released a statement condemning the bill. And that evening, Trump posted on Truth Social that “Any Republican that would be so stupid as to do this should, and will, be primaried.” So Republican leaders dutifully withdrew the bill and replaced it with a slimmed-down alternative that met Musk and Trump’s demands. That bill failed on Thursday. So on Friday, rather than allow the government to shut down, the House voted on and passed a third bill — which looked suspiciously like the initial version with some face-saving changes to placate Musk and Trump — with Democratic votes. That Musk is using his platform to share his views isn’t an issue. As he often points out, he has made X a public square for many different viewpoints — including many of his own detractors. The problem is that Republicans have allowed Musk to disproportionately sway their leadership. That’s not necessarily a problem when Musk is advocating for budget cuts and bureaucratic overhaul in his self-conceived Department of Government Efficiency. DOGE will be an extragovernmental advisory board that might have the potential to help trim some federal fat. In this advisory role, an innovator like Musk, along with his cochair Ramaswamy, have the potential to make helpful recommendations unburdened by the political pressures of being in the federal government. But advisers advise, they don’t direct. Will it be a problem when the new ascendant voice on the right wants to, say, protect his business interests with American adversaries like China ? He has many potential conflicts of interest in dictating how the American government should spend and not spend its money. His companies Tesla and SpaceX, for example, have had over $15 billion in government contracts over the past decade. Musk is doing more than swaying policy. He’s also creating a new line of attack for Democrats who are more than pleased to point out that Republicans’ reimagined “working people’s party” is being led by a billionaire puppeteered by a far richer billionaire. On X, Democrats lined up to highlight “President Musk’s” pull, with Senator Chris Murphy posting about the Trump administration’s “Billionaire First” agenda. Trump is no stranger to criticisms from the left, nor is he particularly stringent about consistency in his policy positions. Like any good populist, Trump has shown himself willing to adapt to his supporters’ whims. He might bristle, however, at the prospect of being relegated to an opening act, a mere figurehead for a party driven by someone younger, richer, and more influential. The bristling may have already started. Trump’s transition spokesperson immediately went on the defense: “President Trump is the leader of the Republican Party. Full stop,” Karoline Leavitt said . And maybe some resistance from Team Trump is for the best. Even if Trump agrees with Musk, an unelected billionaire with a long list of conflicts of interest should not have such a direct line of influence over our government. Trump was elected, he should be making the decisions — not waiting for his rich friend to endorse them before Trump himself has even weighed in. Republicans are going to have to answer plenty of tough questions about Musk’s influence on their party over the next four years. None might be as difficult as this: Is Trump willing to let Musk steal his show? ONLINE: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/12/24/opinion/elon-musk-trump-congress/?event=event12 Dec. 24 The Philadelphia Inquirer says RFK Jr. cannot be taken seriously as HHS Secretary America’s public health could be at risk if the incoming administration doesn’t correct some of the campaign rhetoric that may have helped Donald Trump win an election but has no merit now that voting is over. For example, inaccurate comments about water fluoridation that prospective U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has not taken back. “ Fluoride is an industrial waste associated with arthritis , bone fractures, bone cancer, IQ loss, neurodevelopmental disorders, and thyroid disease,” Kennedy said in a November social media post in which he also claimed the president-elect would advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water. As is typical with Trump, he has neither embraced nor denied Kennedy’s assertions, preferring to instead suggest support of ideas that he may later reject by nebulously saying of Kennedy: “I’m going to let him go wild on health. I’m going to let him go wild on the food. I’m going to let him go wild on medicines.” Please, don’t. America doesn’t need anyone “wild” in charge of public health. Kennedy can’t be taken seriously when he makes misleading comments about water fluoridation that may have a veneer of truth but don’t hold up when someone takes the time to review the facts. Fluoride is not an industrial waste product. It is a mineral found in rocks and soil that leaches naturally into streams and other water supplies. Its effectiveness in preventing tooth decay was discovered in the 1920s when it was observed that Colorado Springs, Colo., residents whose teeth were stained by excessive fluoride in their water sources had fewer than normal cavities. Kennedy is wrong to suggest the subsequent fluoridation of community water supplies across America occurred hastily and without due investigation of potential dangers. The National Institutes of Health began investigating how fluoride affects the human body in the 1930s, but the first major trial of fluoridation of a community’s water supply didn’t occur until 1945 in Grand Rapids, Mich. President Harry S. Truman signed an act creating the National Institute of Dental Research in 1948 in large part because 20% of young men being drafted for military service were rejected because their teeth were so bad. Meanwhile, 10 years after the Michigan study began, the cavity rate among Grand Rapids children was reduced by more than 60%. Subsequent research shows drinking fluoridated water not only reduces cavities and associated dental pain but correspondingly cuts missed school and work days. Such results prompted cities and towns across America — including Philadelphia — to begin fluoridating their water, so much so that by 2010 the tap water of more than 200 million Americans was flowing from fluoridated systems. There have been virtually zero instances in which putting fluoride in a water system has been blamed for a public health issue since the fluoridation of most of America’s water supplies began. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has ranked water fluoridation as one of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century. Kennedy is trying to solve a problem that doesn’t seem to exist. The National Institutes of Health did complete a study that concluded there might be a connection between the lower IQs of children after long-term exposure to more than twice the federal government’s recommended level of fluoride in drinking water. But why would any town knowingly exceed the government’s fluoridation guidelines by such a large margin? There’s no incentive for local officials to risk their children’s or adults’ health. Kennedy also says fluoridating water systems is no longer necessary. “ Fluoride made sense in the 1940s when they put it in, but now we have fluoride in toothpaste,” he said. That’s true, fluoride today is in toothpaste, mouthwashes, and other oral hygiene products, but that’s why the recommended level of fluoride in water supplies was reduced from 1.0 parts per million to 0.7 parts per million in 2011. Future research may lead to more reductions in recommended fluoride levels, but there’s no basis for Kennedy’s call for a ban now. Trump’s choice to plot the course of public health agencies that make life-and-death decisions based on scientific evidence is a bad one. Kennedy comes across as someone who loves basking in the limelight too often afforded contrarians who pay little attention to facts. In that same vein, Kennedy has criticized vaccines that have long protected millions of Americans from crippling and deadly diseases. Surely the president-elect can do better with his nominations. ONLINE: https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/editorials/health-water-fluoride-robert-kennedy-20241224.html