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The Washington Commanders put kicker Austin Seibert on injured reserve Tuesday, just over 48 hours since he missed an extra point that would have tied the score with 21 seconds left against Dallas. Seibert also missed a field-goal attempt and another extra point in the loss to the Cowboys. He missed the previous two games with a right hip injury but said afterward he was fine and made the decision to play. The Commanders filled that roster spot by signing running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. off their practice squad. Austin Ekeler had a concussion and Brian Robinson Jr. sprained an ankle Sunday. ___ AP NFL:Japan's Nippon Steel sets sights on a growing overseas market in its bid to acquire US SteelDoug Pederson spoke to the media after the game about Mac Jones’ performance as quarterback and beating the Titans. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Thanks for the feedback.
NY education big urges Hochul, pols to lift cap on charters: ‘Focus more on kids, not politics’
Fargo Cass Public Health unveils new location for winter warming center for homeless communityNets ran out of moments in 118-113 loss to Bucks
Politics Janette Nesheiwat: Trump’s Choice for Surgeon General Brings Fresh Focus to Public Health By mayukh - November 23, 2024 The announcement of Dr. Janette Nesheiwat as the next Surgeon General has sparked conversations across the medical and political spectrum. A seasoned physician and advocate for preventive care, her nomination by President-elect Donald Trump highlights a renewed focus on proactive health measures. Janette Nesheiwat: A Doctor for the Nation Dr. Nesheiwat, a family and emergency medicine specialist, is well-versed in both clinical care and public health advocacy . Currently serving as medical director for CityMD, a prominent urgent care network in New York and New Jersey, she has championed accessible and affordable healthcare. Trump’s announcement lauded her as “a fierce advocate and strong communicator” for preventive medicine—qualities essential for the largely symbolic yet influential role of Surgeon General. If confirmed, Nesheiwat will step into a role often referred to as “the nation’s doctor.” She will guide the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and address the public on pressing health issues, armed with the best scientific data. Her appointment aligns with the incoming administration’s focus on reducing healthcare costs by emphasizing prevention over treatment. A Pragmatic and Compassionate Voice Unlike some controversial health nominees, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat has garnered bipartisan support. Vaccine advocate Dr. Peter Hotez praised her as “smart, thoughtful, and compassionate.” Notably, she has no history of criticizing vaccines, signaling a balanced approach to public health communication—a sharp contrast to some of her peers in the administration. Beyond her medical credentials, Janette Nesheiwat is an author and entrepreneur. Her book, Beyond the Stethoscope: Miracles in Medicine, explores the intersections of faith, dedication, and healing. As Nesheiwat prepares to follow in the footsteps of current Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who has prioritized mental health and social media reform, her nomination represents a pivotal moment. Will her pragmatic and preventive outlook steer America toward a healthier future? Only time will tell, but for now, hope is on the rise. TAGS Janette Nesheiwat Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Linkedin ReddIt Email Telegram Previous article Trump Names Scott Bessent as Treasury Secretary in Cabinet Shakeup Next article Scott Turner: From NFL Star to HUD Secretary Nominee mayukh http://digitalmarketnews.comSpaceX knocks out 1st of final 2 Space Coast launches of 2024They were all exceptional – Mikel Arteta loved seeing Arsenal run riot in Lisbon
Japan’s top chip distributor eyes acquisitions in China, IndiaDadeville council to consider public safety technology fund
Gamers are in for a treat with Amazon's Black Friday tech deal offering a significant discount on the Meta Quest headset. The price of the Meta Quest 3 512GB has been slashed to £468.48, down by £151.51 from its usual retail price of £619.99. According to the price tracking website camelcamelcamel, this is the lowest price ever for the device. Other retailers such as Very, Currys and Meta direct have also reduced the price of the gadget, with offers starting from £468.89. In addition to the discounted price, purchasers will receive a complimentary copy of the new Batman: Arkham Shadow game and a three-month trial of Meta Quest+ which includes two free games each month at no additional charge. The Meta Quest 3 is hailed as the brand's 'most powerful' mixed reality headset, delivering 'next-level' performance with more than double the graphic processing power of the Quest 2. For just £468.48, customers can get their hands on the headset, the new Batman: Arkham Shadow game and a three-month trial of Meta Quest+ without any extra charges , as reported by the Express. The device promises a more immersive gaming experience with enhanced visuals, a wider field of vision and a 4K+ Infinite Display, which has increased the resolution from the previous model by nearly 30%. It also boasts rich 3D audio with improved sound clarity, bass performance and a volume range that's 40% louder. Meta has recently introduced a more wallet-friendly option, the Meta Quest 3S , which boasts high-definition gameplay with a resolution of 1832x1920 pixels per eye and comes with 128GB of storage, unlike its counterpart, the 3, which offers 4K resolution and 512GB. Despite this, the 3S houses the same Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor and sports the identical white casing as the 3, making its lower price tag particularly attractive. Currently, the 3S is out of stock on Amazon but can be purchased from other retailers such as Very, Currys, and directly from Meta starting at £275. However, Amazon customers seem to think the Meta Quest 3 justifies its price , having accumulated over 1,500 four and five-star reviews. A particularly enthusiastic review states: "I can't say enough about how incredible this product is. From the moment I unboxed it I was blown away by the sleek design and top-notch quality. The performance [is] out of this world. It works so smoothly and seamlessly that it feels like magic. "Every feature works exactly as advertised and it exceeded my expectations in so many ways. I've used similar products before but this one blows them all out of the water. It's so intuitive that even my non-tech-savvy friends could use it without any trouble. It's rare to come across a product that does everything it promises and more. It's honestly a game-changer, and I can't imagine life without it now." Another enthused: " The Meta Quest 3 is, without a doubt, the perfect VR headset on the market right now. From the moment I put it on, I was impressed by the crystal-clear visuals and the high-quality build. The display resolution and refresh rate make the VR experience incredibly immersive, with no noticeable lag or screen door effect, making every game look stunningly real. "The performance is consistently smooth and the headset's lightweight design means I can comfortably play for extended periods without any discomfort. The setup process was straightforward, and the intuitive controls make it easy to navigate through the VR world." A third satisfied customer chimed in: "Best VR headset so far. The Meta Quest 3 is a breakthrough in mixed reality technology. Its powerful performance, stunning visuals and enhanced audio make it the most impressive Quest headset to date. The integration of virtual elements into your real-world environment is seamless and exciting, turning your home into a new realm of possibilities. Whether you're new to mixed reality or a seasoned user, the Quest 3 offers an extraordinary experience that is both safe and incredibly immersive." Despite being utterly impressed by the VR experience , one review did highlight a drawback, noting: "Its battery which is the biggest feature/factor in such a product is designed to last just a couple of hours initially, which as it makes sense, after months of using it, drops down to just about over an hour, so you can't really enjoy a game, unless you buy powerbanks to keep it charging while you play." The Meta Quest 3 isn't alone in the virtual reality headset arena, with competitors like the PlayStation VR2. For those armed with a PlayStation 5 console , the VR2 is hailed as the 'next generation' of VR gaming, boasting 'intuitive' controls and stunning 4K HDR visuals. Shoppers can find it at various retailers including Amazon for £339 , while Game and PlayStation are selling it for £349.99, slashed from its original price of £529.99.Vanadiumcorp Resource Inc ( CVE:VRB – Get Free Report ) traded down 5.9% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as C$0.16 and last traded at C$0.16. 6,500 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 52% from the average session volume of 13,511 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.17. Vanadiumcorp Resource Price Performance The stock has a market cap of C$13.31 million, a P/E ratio of -8.00 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 0.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.31. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is C$0.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is C$0.08. About Vanadiumcorp Resource ( Get Free Report ) VanadiumCorp has developed a new technology to produce reusable vanadium electrolyte directly and sustainably from virtually any source for perpetual use in vanadium batteries. Jointly developed with Electrochem Technologies and Materials Inc “VEPT” eliminates the carbon footprint and high cost associated with global vanadium supply. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Vanadiumcorp Resource Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Vanadiumcorp Resource and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Trump calls for immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and says a US withdrawal from NATO is possible
Trump calls for immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and says a US withdrawal from NATO is possibleBefore being elected as the first transgender woman to the US Congress, 34-year-old Sarah McBride said she expected hostility. A harsh national spotlight has fallen swiftly upon her. "They may try to misgender me, they may try to say the wrong name, they will do what we can predictably assume they might do," she told the TransLash podcast last month ahead of her resounding election victory on November 5. "They are going to do that to get a rise out of me and my job will be to not give them the response they want," the Democrat from Delaware explained. Ahead of her arrival in the House of Representatives on January 3, McBride was targeted by a resolution this week from a right-wing Republican colleague that would ban transgender women from women's toilets in the Capitol. "Just because a Congressman wants to wear a mini skirt doesn’t mean he can come into a women’s bathroom," South Carolina firebrand Nancy Mace wrote on social media as she led a highly personal campaign against McBride. House Speaker Mike Johnson, after initially seeking to buy time to debate the issue, came out in support of a ban, saying that all single-sex facilities would be "reserved for individuals of that biological sex." McBride -- who wears knee-length dresses, not miniskirts -- issued a statement saying that she said would respect the rules "even if I disagree with them." "I'm not here to fight about bathrooms," said the politician and activist, who transitioned as a 21-year-old and told her parents on Christmas Day 2011. Donald Trump repeatedly raised transgender issues in the closing stages of his presidential campaign, with aides noting how questions around trans identity struck a nerve with swing voters. Two of the biggest issues -- at the heart of ongoing "culture wars" between conservatives and progressives -- are whether transgender women should be allowed in women's toilets and be admitted in women's sport. Mocking transgender athletes and "woke ideology," Trump promised to get "transgender insanity the hell out of our schools, and we will keep men out of women’s sports." McBride has long been an advocate for trans rights and she helped campaign for a law banning gender discrimination in her home state of Delaware, during which she was publicly called a "freak" and the "devil incarnate". "Listening to that was demeaning and dehumanizing for my child," her mother Sally told The Washington Post in a 2018 profile. "I still have a hard time coping with that." Undeterred, McBride rode the blows and was elected as the first US transgender state senator in 2020. She has been open about her mental health struggles growing up as a boy named Tim and the personal tragedy that has marked her life since, writing a memoir called "Tomorrow Will Be Different" in 2018. "I remember as a child praying in my bed at night that I would wake up the next day and be a girl," she told a TED talk in 2016. She first gathered major public attention with an open letter while a student leader at American University in Washington that announced her transition. She went on to encounter President Joe Biden and his family, also Delaware natives, when she became active in grassroots politics there. After interning at the White House under President Barack Obama, she secured an invitation to speak at the 2016 Democratic Party convention. The White House was also the scene of her first encounter with her late husband, Andrew Cray, a transgender man and LGTBQ+ activist. They married two years later shortly before Cray died from cancer. Knowing the attention she is destined for in the US Congress, she says her aim is to be an effective congresswoman focused on everyday voter priorities such as housing and inflation. But she knows she will be constantly pushed to be a spokeswoman -- and defender -- of the trans community. "I can't do right by the trans community if I'm not being the best member of Congress that I can be for Delaware," she told TransLash. "It's the only way that people will see that trans people can be good doctors, can be good lawyers, good educators, good members of Congress. I can't be there to put out a press release and tweet every time someone says something." adp/bgs
Tandem Group plc ( LON:TND – Get Free Report ) fell 4% on Friday . The stock traded as low as GBX 156 ($1.96) and last traded at GBX 156 ($1.96). 4 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 100% from the average session volume of 3,996 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 162.50 ($2.04). Tandem Group Stock Down 4.0 % The company has a market cap of £8.53 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -975.00, a PEG ratio of 0.03 and a beta of 1.43. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 162.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 162.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.51, a current ratio of 1.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 20.32. Tandem Group Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) Tandem Group plc designs, develops, distributes, and retails sports, leisure, and mobility products in the United Kingdom and internationally. The company offers bicycles and accessories under the Boss, British Eagle, Claud Butler, Dawes, Elswick, Explorer, Falcon, Pulse, Squish, Townsend, and Zombie brands; football training products under the Kickmaster and Strike brands; golf products under the Ben Sayers and Pro Rider brands; and garden and camping products under the Airwave and Airwave Four Seasons brands. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Tandem Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Tandem Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Copy link Copied Copy link Copied Subscribe to gift this article Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe. Already a subscriber? Login Not all entrepreneurs are born with in-house mentors. But Blake Thompson, whose start-up XRecruiter topped this year’s The Australian Financial Review Fast Starters List, was immersed in business from childhood. Thompson’s mother Amanda Thompson, and his father Simon, run Sophic, a premium haircare range, and previously started a business distributing natural non-toxic hair products. Copy link Copied Copy link Copied Subscribe to gift this article Gift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe. Already a subscriber? Login Follow the topics, people and companies that matter to you. Fetching latest articles
LAS VEGAS — There are three races remaining in the Formula 1 season and Max Verstappen of Red Bull is close to a fourth consecutive world championship, which can wrap up Saturday night at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. All is not smooth sailing headed into this final month of racing: "It was a bit of a surprise, I think, for everybody," said Mercedes driver George Russell, a GPDA director. "It's a hell of a lot of pressure now onto the new race director (with) just three races left. Often, as drivers, we probably feel like we're the last to find out this sort of information." The Andretti team is expected to receive F1 approval to join the grid, albeit without Michael Andretti, who has scaled back his role dramatically since the IndyCar season ended in September. Many drivers, particularly seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, have been at odds with FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem since his election following the 2021 season finale. In the GDPA statement, they reminded the sanctioning body "our members are adults" who don't need lectures and fines on foul language or jewelry bans, and simply want fair and consistent race control. There's been no response from Ben Sulayem, and won't be this weekend since he does not attend the LVGP. He will be at Qatar and the finale in Abu Dhabi next month. Hamilton doesn't think all the behind-the-scenes changes will be a fan topic as the season comes to a close. But he noted that consistency from race control is all the drivers have asked for, while throwing his support behind Domenicali and the job Maffei has done in growing F1 since Liberty took over. "I really hope Stefano is not leaving because he's been so instrumental in changes and progress to this whole thing," Hamilton said. "And he knows the sport as well as anyone. But all good things do come to an end, and whoever they put into place, I just hope they are like-minded. But sometimes you have to shake the trees." That's just what happened with the surprise departure of race director Wittich. Although drivers have been unhappy with race officiating this season and held a private GPDA meeting in Mexico City, Russell said they had no prior warning Wittich was out. The race director is the referee each weekend and Wittich has been in charge since 2022, when Michael Masi was fired following the controversial 2021 season-ending, championship-altering finale at Abu Dhabi. Now the man in charge for the final three races is Rui Marques, the Formula 2 and Formula 3 race director. Las Vegas, which overcame multiple stumbling blocks in last year's debut before putting on one of the best races of the season, is a difficult place to start. Verstappen can win his fourth title by simply scoring three points more than Lando Norris of McLaren. "It's a bit weird with three races to go to do that," Verstappen said. "It doesn't matter if you're positive or negative about certain things. I thought in Brazil there was definitely room for improvement, for example. It's still a bit weird having to now then deal with a different race director." Charles Leclerc of Ferrari wondered why the move was made with only three races to go. "To do it so late in the season, at such a crucial moment of the season, it could have probably been managed in a better way," he said. The drivers have consistently asked for clearer guidelines in the officiating of races, specifically regarding track limits and racing rules. The drivers have no idea how Marques will officiate, highlighting a disconnect between the competitors and Ben Sulaymen's FIA. "We just want to be transparent with the FIA and have this dialogue that is happening," Russell said. "And I think the departure of Niels is also a prime example of not being a part of these conversations." The GDPA statement made clear the drivers do not think their voice is being heard. "If we feel we're being listened to, and some of the changes that we are requesting are implemented, because ultimately we're only doing it for the benefit of the sport, then maybe our confidence will increase," Russell said. "But I think there's a number of drivers who feel a bit fed up with the whole situation. It only seems to be going in the wrong direction." He also said the relationship between the drivers and the FIA seems fractured. "Sometimes just hiring and firing is not the solution," he said. "You need to work together to improve the problem." Norris, who has battled Verstappen this year with mixed officiating rulings, said "obviously things are not running as smoothly as what we would want." Marques has his first driver meeting ahead of Thursday night's two practice sessions and then three weeks to prove to the competitors he is up for the job. Carlos Sainz Jr., who will leave Ferrari for Williams at the end of the season, hopes the drama doesn't distract from the momentum F1 has built over the last five years. "I think Formula 1 is in a great moment right now and all these rumors, I think in every team, every job, there's job changes," he said. "It's not big drama. I'm a big fan of the people you mentioned, they've done an incredible job in Formula 1 and Formula 1 is what it is thanks to these people. But it's just so emotional, especially the Stefano one. The only one that has a real effect is the race director. But I think if he does a good job, it should be transparent and nothing big." Get local news delivered to your inbox!
FRANKFORT, Ky. — As the growth of artificial intelligence technology continues, Kentucky leaders are eyeing strategies for continued oversight — and potentially new legislation to deal with it. With lawmakers set to return to Frankfort for the upcoming 2025 legislative session, slated to begin on Jan. 7, 2025, an AI task force recently adopted what could be considered a list of legislative priorities. Sen. Gex Williams (R–Verona) sits on the 11-member task force. "The federal government is the best place to really effectively deal with AI," he said. "But there's other areas that, as a state, we have to agree we can work on right now." Since July, the task force has met a handful of times in the interim, listening to testimony from several state agencies and leaders representing Microsoft, Google and Amazon. "Throughout the past year, it's become more and more pervasive (in) our lives," said Nicholas Caporusso, an NKU associate professor of computing and analytics. "It's important to have people at the government level who think about the potential of AI and the risks." The task force adopted the following 11 recommendations: Since the emerging technology comes in all shapes and forms, Williams said, it's important to create a statewide definition of AI to help lawmakers create laws surrounding it: "We're going to learn how, I think, to interact differently with technology. But we are not being eliminated as individuals from that chain." "It's not going away. We are integrating it more and more into our lives, whether we want it or not," Caporusso said. "We're using systems that incorporate AI and that leverage AI for making our work better, for making our lives better. There's clearly a lot of detrimental potential with AI, as with any other kind of technology." The list of recommendations has been sent to the LRC, which works as the administrative and research arm of the Kentucky General Assembly.How Influencers Drive Traffic to Online Gambling PlatformsThey were all exceptional – Mikel Arteta loved seeing Arsenal run riot in LisbonDarnold gives Vikings another gem with career-high 377 yards in 27-25 win over Packers
Walmart's DEI rollback signals a profound shift in the wake of Trump's election victory NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart’s sweeping rollback of its diversity policies is the strongest indication yet of a profound shift taking hold at U.S. companies that are re-evaluating the legal and political risks associated with bold programs to bolster historically underrepresented groups in business. The changes announced by the world’s biggest retailer on Monday followed a string of legal victories by conservative groups that have filed an onslaught of lawsuits challenging corporate and federal programs aimed at elevating minority and women-owned businesses and employees. The retreat from such programs crystalized with the election of former President Donald Trump, whose administration is certain to make dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs a priority. Trump's threat to impose tariffs could raise prices for consumers, colliding with promise for relief DETROIT (AP) — If Donald Trump makes good on his threat to slap 25% tariffs on everything imported from Mexico and Canada, the price increases that could follow will collide with his campaign promise to give American families a break from inflation. Economists and industry officials say companies would have little choice but to pass along the added costs, dramatically raising prices for food, clothing, automobiles, booze and other goods. The president-elect floated the tariff idea and an additional 10% tax on goods from China, as a way to force the countries to halt the flow of illegal immigrants and drugs into the U.S. But his posts Monday threatening tariffs on his first day in office could be a negotiating ploy to get the countries to change behavior. Trump’s latest tariff plan aims at multiple countries. What does it mean for the US? WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has identified what he sees as an all-purpose fix for what ails America: Slap huge new tariffs on foreign goods entering the United States. On Monday, Trump sent shockwaves across the nation’s northern and southern borders, vowing sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada, as well as China, as part of his effort to crack down on illegal immigration and drugs. Trump said he will impose a 25% tax on all products entering the country from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10% tariff on goods from China, as one of his first executive orders. Federal Reserve officials signal cautious path for rate cuts amid still-high inflation WASHINGTON (AP) — With inflation still elevated, Federal Reserve officials expressed caution at their last meeting about cutting interest rates too quickly, adding to uncertainty about their next moves. Even if inflation continued declining to the Fed’s 2% target, officials said, “it would likely be appropriate to move gradually” in lowering rates, according to minutes of the November 6-7 meeting. The minutes don’t specifically provide much guidance about what the Fed will do at its next meeting in December. Wall Street investors see the odds of another quarter-point reduction in the Fed’s key rate at that meeting as nearly even, according to CME Fedwatch. Canadian officials blast Trump's tariff threat and one calls Mexico comparison an insult TORONTO (AP) — Canadian officials are blasting President-elect Donald’s Trump’s threat to impose sweeping tariffs. The leader of Canada's most populous province on Tuesday called Trump’s comparison of Canada to Mexico “the most insulting thing I’ve ever heard.” Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada, Mexico and China as soon as he takes office in January as part of efforts to crack down on illegal immigration and drugs. He said he would impose a 25% tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico. Canadians say their economy and the U.S. one are deeply intertwined and Americans would feel tariffs, too. Biden proposes Medicare and Medicaid cover costly weight-loss drugs for millions of obese Americans WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of obese Americans would be eligible to have popular weight-loss drugs like Wegovy or Zepbound covered by Medicare or Medicaid under a new rule the Biden administration proposed Tuesday morning. The proposal, which would not be finalized until after President-elect Donald Trump takes office, could cost taxpayers as much as $35 billion over the next decade. It would give millions of people access to weekly injectables that have helped people shed pounds so quickly that some people have labeled them miracle drugs. Surveillance tech advances by Biden could aid in Trump's promised crackdown on immigration President-elect Donald Trump will return to power next year with a raft of technological tools at his disposal that would help deliver his campaign promise of cracking down on immigration — among them, surveillance and artificial intelligence technology that the Biden administration already uses to help make crucial decisions in tracking, detaining and ultimately deporting immigrants lacking permanent legal status. One algorithm, for example, ranks immigrants with a “Hurricane Score,” ranging from 1-5, to assess whether someone will “abscond” from the agency’s supervision. It’s almost time for Spotify Wrapped. When can you expect your 2024 recap? NEW YORK (AP) — It’s almost that time of year. Spotify is gearing up to release its annual Spotify Wrapped, a personalized recap of its users' listening habits and year in audio. The streaming service has been sharing these personalized analyses with since 2016. And each year, it’s become a bigger production than the last. Spotify claimed its 2023 Wrapped was the “biggest ever created” in terms of audience reach and the kind of data it provided to users. But information on Wrapped's 2024 release has been kept under ... er, wraps. In previous years, it’s been released after Thanksgiving, between Nov. 30 and Dec. 6. Thanksgiving travel is cranking up. Will the weather cooperate? The Thanksgiving travel rush is picking up, with Tuesday and Wednesday expected to be much busier than the last couple days. A lot of travelers will be watching weather forecasts to see if rain or snow could slow them down. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen more than 2.8 million people on Tuesday and 2.9 million on Wednesday after handling more than 2.5 million people on Monday. So far, relatively few flights have been canceled this week, but there have been thousands of delayed flights every day. That is becoming normal for U.S. airlines. Federal agency raises the size of most single-family loans the government can guarantee to $806,500 The Federal Housing Finance Agency is increasing the size of home loans that the government can guarantee against default as it takes into account rising housing prices. Beginning next year, mortgage buyers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be able to acquire loans of up to $806,500 on single-family homes in most of the country, the agency said Tuesday. The new conforming loan limit is a 5.2% increase from its 2024 level. FHFA oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which buy home loans from banks and other lenders. FHFA adjusts the loan limits annually to reflect changes in U.S. home values, which have been rising this year despite a national home sales slump.SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to implement the “toughest” anti-U.S. policy, state media reported Sunday, less than a month before Donald Trump takes office as U.S. president. Trump’s return to the White House raises prospects for high-profile diplomacy with North Korea. During his first term, Trump met Kim three times for talks on the North’s nuclear program. Many experts however say a quick resumption of Kim-Trump summitry is unlikely as Trump would first focus on conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. North Korea’s support for Russia’s war against Ukraine also poses a challenge to efforts to revive diplomacy, experts say. During a five-day plenary meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party that ended Friday, Kim called the U.S. “the most reactionary state that regards anti-communism as its invariable state policy.” Kim said that the U.S.-South Korea-Japan security partnership is expanding into “a nuclear military bloc for aggression.” “This reality clearly shows to which direction we should advance and what we should do and how,” Kim said, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. It said Kim’s speech “clarified the strategy for the toughest anti-U.S. counteraction to be launched aggressively” by North Korea for its long-term national interests and security. KCNA didn’t elaborate on the anti-U.S. strategy. But it said Kim set forth tasks to bolster military capability through defense technology advancements and stressed the need to improve the mental toughness of North Korean soldiers. The previous meetings between Trump and Kim had not only put an end to their exchanges of fiery rhetoric and threats of destruction, but they developed personal connections. Trump once famously said he and Kim “fell in love.” But their talks eventually collapsed in 2019, as they wrangled over U.S.-led sanctions on the North. North Korea has since sharply increased the pace of its weapons testing activities to build more reliable nuclear missiles targeting the U.S. and its allies. The U.S. and South Korea have responded by expanding their military bilateral drills and also trilateral ones involving Japan, drawing strong rebukes from the North, which views such U.S.-led exercises as invasion rehearsals. Further complicating efforts to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons in return for economic and political benefits is its deepening military cooperation with Russia. According to U.S., Ukrainian and South Korean assessments, North Korea has sent more than 10,000 troops and conventional weapons systems to support Moscow’s war against Ukraine. There are concerns that Russia could give North Korea advanced weapons technology in return, including help to build more powerful nuclear missiles. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last week that 3,000 North Korean troops have been killed and wounded in the fighting in Russia’s Kursk region. It was the first significant estimate by Ukraine of North Korean casualties since the North Korean troop deployment to Russia began in October. Russia and China, locked in separate disputes with the U.S., have repeatedly blocked U.S.-led pushes to levy more U.N. sanctions on North Korea despite its repeated missile tests in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions. Last month, Kim said that his past negotiations with the United States only confirmed Washington’s “unchangeable” hostility toward his country and described his nuclear buildup as the only way to counter external threats.
BOSTON -- Three days, two games, two very different outcomes. After steamrolling the Indiana Pacers by 37 points Friday night at TD Garden, the Celtics were handled by the same team on the same court Sunday evening, losing 123-114. The nine-point margin of defeat equaled the largest of the season for Boston. The Celtics trailed by 15 when head coach Joe Mazzulla lifted his starters with 2:25 remaining. Six players scored at least 12 points for Indiana, with Tyrese Haliburton leading the way with 31 on 11-of-19 shooting. Jaylen Brown, two days removed from a 44-point explosion in Friday’s rout, paced Boston with 31 points on 13-for-21 shooting. Jayson Tatum added 22 points and nine rebounds, with 17 of his points coming in the second half. Payton Pritchard and Derrick White finished with 21 and 17 points, respectively. The Celtics were down starters Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) and Jrue Holiday (shoulder), who missed their second and third consecutive game, respectively, with injuries. The loss was Boston’s sixth at TD Garden this season, matching their total from the entire 2023-24 season and postseason. The Celtics will host the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday in a New Year’s Eve matinee (3 p.m. tipoff). The Celtics’ defense was suspect early, with breakdowns resulting in multiple open looks near the basket for Indiana. The Pacers made each of their first eight 2-point shots, their only miss in the first four minutes coming on an off-the-mark three by Pascal Siakam. That hot start allowed Indiana to quickly build a double-digit lead and trigger an early Mazzulla timeout. The lead was short-lived, however. The Celtics, after starting 2-for-9 from the floor, staged an 18-6 run to swiftly close the gap. Made threes by Sam Hauser and Pritchard on back-to-back possessions put Boston ahead for the first time nine minutes in. Brown played the entire first quarter for the second straight game and stayed hot, scoring 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Pritchard and Hauser each hit two 3-pointers in the first, with Hauser, who made his second straight start in place of the injured Holiday, shaking off his 0-for-5 showing from Friday night. The made threes were the first since Dec. 15 for Hauser, who missed two games with back spasms last week and scuffled in his first three games back. Pritchard added three more triples in the second quarter, including a near buzzer-beater 2.1 seconds before halftime. The backup guard scored eight straight Celtics points in one stretch, showing no remnants of the mini-slump he endured last week. In the first half, Pritchard had 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting (5-of-6 from three), Brown had 18 on 8-of-10 (2-of-4) and the Celtics doubled up the Pacers in 3-point makes (10-5 on similar shooting percentages). But Indiana owned a 36-20 edge in paint points and 9-0 in fast-break points, outscored Boston by five at the foul line, and Andrew Nembhard largely neutralized Tatum. Hounded by the energetic Nembhard, who sat out Friday’s game at TD Garden for knee injury management, Tatum went 1-for-8 from the floor and 0-for-6 from three during a five-point first half. Nembhard also was an impact player offensively as one of four Pacers to reach double figures before halftime. Indiana led 65-58 at the break. Brown and Tatum both found some success attacking the basket in the third quarter, but Boston couldn’t consistently generate stops on the defensive end. With 15 minutes remaining, the Pacers were shooting 63%, which would have been the highest field-goal percentage by a Celtics opponent since 1996. But Tatum helped keep the Celtics within striking distance with a pair of threes — his first of the night after an 0-for-7 start from long range — and a block on Myles Turner that led to a transition layup for Derrick White. Indiana’s lead never reached double digits in the quarter and sat at 98-91 entering the fourth. Boston’s defensive intensity improved in the final frame, starting with a drawn charge by Brown against Bennedict Mathurin that left the Celtics star bloodied . The Celtics also forced T.J. McConnell into a bad pass turnover and blocked the veteran guard twice at the rim. An and-one layup by Brown and a corner three by Al Horford — who, like Tatum, was ice cold from deep for much of the night — made it 105-100 Pacers with 8:24 to play. A minute later, Tatum converted a tough driving layup, drew a foul on Ben Sheppard, screamed in Sheppard’s face and then sank his free throw to make it a two-point game. Then, the lapses returned. Hauser, Tatum, Brown and Pritchard missed shots on successive possessions, and the Pacers got points on five straight trips down the floor, including back-to-back makes by Sheppard in transition. In less than two minutes, Indiana’s lead swelled from two points to 13. The Pacers surpassed their Friday night point total of 105 with 7:13 remaining, and the Celtics didn’t have another comeback in them. Boston went 1-for-12 from 3-point range in the fourth quarter and were held scoreless for more than four minutes while Indiana built what proved to be an insurmountable lead. The Celtics, who are 1-3 in their last four games and 2-4 in their last six, will have minimal practice time to fix what’s ailing them. They’re in the middle of a daunting stretch that includes their first Western Conference road trip of the season, with games in Minnesota, Houston, Oklahoma City and Denver next up after Tuesday’s Toronto tilt. Boston won’t have consecutive days off until Jan. 8 and 9. “I’m actually really excited about it,” Mazzulla said. “It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be great.” ©2024 The Boston Herald. Visit at bostonherald.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.NBA on Sportsnet: Pelicans vs. Spurs
AI is ahead of its time. For many organizations, the push to adopt full-blown cloud-native technologies (or at least those stemming from public cloud services, rather than a private cloud or hybrid halfway house) is still quite a leap. To suggest that cloud is a ubiquitous de facto standard for many application types is something of an exaggeration, even though migration and penetration is indeed moving on an upward trajectory (if not quite exponentially). With that grounding in mind, can we perhaps suggest that a chasm leap to productionalized, functional AI-based applications is also still some way off? Suitably sanguine yet technically realistic given his experience and position on this matter is Swami Sivasubramanian , VP for AI and data at AWS. Sivasubramanian suggests that as generative AI now transitions to production systems in 2025, early adopters are reaping rewards like accelerated productivity and customer experiences. So then, how do software engineers build this stuff? How To Build AI Applications “The lines between data analytics and machine learning are blurring, reshaping the way we access and interact with our data, create predictions with ML and build the next wave of foundation models," suggests Sivasubramanian. “Through a convergence of tools, data and AI, we are making it easier for ML scientists, data engineers and developers to access all they need to build generative AI applications in a single place, with principles like security and privacy built in from the start. This has allowed organizations of all sizes and across industries to unlock productivity improvements, delivering improved experiences and realizing substantial cost reductions by leveraging our services for generative AI.” But there are some practical considerations to bring into question here i.e. when it comes to building and operating modern data strategies, at what level should architectural provisioning for data ingestion be part process of this and, are organizations ready to swallow what could be a relatively big spike in their data ingestion throughput, requirement and responsibility? “ Building generative AI models requires a data ingestion infrastructure that can scale effectively with demand. Think of it like a highway that needs to accommodate fluctuating traffic patterns - if it’s too narrow, bottlenecks will form,” explained Sivasubramanian. “For organizations, this means planning data ingestion pipelines that not only handle current volumes but also adapt to future needs. With AWS, we’ve created flexible tools like AWS Glue for data preparation and integration, Amazon Kinesis for real-time streaming, Amazon S3 for durable storage to build data lakes and Amazon Redshift for data warehousing. These services scale as demand grows, so customers can ingest, manage and transform data efficiently and maintain control over costs and performance. By provisioning architecture that’s adaptable and cost-effective, businesses can support the growing data needs of AI-driven applications without getting bogged down in complexity.” Synthetic Data Is Getting Real As we have been analyzing repeatedly this year, the use of synthetic data is also surfacing as an important element in the total data pipeline, especially in area where sensitive personal information is involved or where data generation sources are hard to find (such is rare medical event data) and where data diversity is limited. It’s not surprising to see an organization as expansive as AWS working in this space. This approach allows for safer experimentation, faster model training and more equitable AI development. By incorporating synthetic data, we can accelerate model creation, reduce costs and build more inclusive AI solutions. However, advises Sivasubramanian, synthetic data is not a panacea as fully relying on it to train a model can potentially lead to "model loss" in his view. So, we need to have the right mix. With all these factors to juggle, how does the AWS AI leader think we can push past prototypes and start to productize AI? “Today, the tipping point for ‘productionizing’ AI is about providing organizations with robust, scalable and secure tools that integrate into existing workflows while maintaining high standards of governance. Rapid advancements in AI technology are transforming AI from an experimental tool into a production-ready, business-critical capability,” said Sivasubramanian. “At AWS, we focus on making AI not only more powerful but also practical, so it can be reliably deployed across industries. Our scalable infrastructure powered by Traininum and GPU instances, advanced model training powered by Amazon SageMaker and easy application development using Amazon Bedrock and generative AI assistants like Amazon Q allows organizations to integrate AI into real-world use cases, moving beyond prototypes into full-scale deployment.” The AWS team say that we’re now seeing “real world AI” being used in scenarios stretching from software development acceleration to supply chain optimization and customer support enhancement. The key enablers are said to be trust, cost-efficiency and enterprise-grade performance. Sivasubramanian doesn’t think the reason for this tipping point is a single chatbot or model, it’s a wider total play that encompasses a whole variety of factors. He suggests that generative AI application development requires developers to know how to pick the large language models they need and then have the competency to customize them with their own data, figure out the guardrails and then understand how to build AI agents. Amazon Q Developer “Ultimately, generative AI needs to meet people where they are working. That's why we launched Amazon Q. With Amazon Q Developer, we provide the a coding assistant which is used by Accenture, BT Group and National Australia Bank, amongst others. Additionally, with Amazon Q Business, business analysts can analyze data. For instance, Smarsheet can enable more than 3,000 workers to get insights from their data using Q without writing a single line of code,” said Sivasubramanian. “Generative AI is set to reshape the developer experience and we’re advancing quickly to make that transformation a reality. Amazon Q Developer gives organizations an AI-powered assistant that supports all phases of software development. It boosts productivity by generating code, providing real-time recommendations and enabling efficient workflows like debugging, security scanning and resource optimization across the AWS ecosystem.” Software developers are able to customize Amazon Q with their organization’s own codebase to get more relevant recommendations, which seems to be a pretty logical feature. That data is never shared with AI model providers or used to train the underlying models and this is a key aspect of any enterprise-grade solution. Also here we come into the realm of “inline chat functions” designed to enhance productivity in developer workflows, a function that is also powered by generative AI. But developers need contextual support right where they work i.e. whether in their integrated development environment, the AWS Management Console, or directly within code repositories. So Amazon Q Developer’s inline chat functions let developers ask questions, request code suggestions, troubleshoot issues, or perform environment within the same workflow and tools. This is said to reduce cognitive load and help developers make faster, more informed decisions. AWS also recently launched an enhanced local IDE experience for AWS Lambda developers, that sounds fairly technical, so is there a more digestible explanation of this technology that we need to take on board? “ The enhanced local IDE experience for AWS Lambda is an exciting development because it makes it far easier and faster for developers to build, test and deploy their applications directly from their local environment,” enthused Sivasubramanian. “This update brings AWS Lambda closer to the developer’s workflow, letting them code and debug in a familiar setup without needing to constantly switch between their local machine and the cloud. This means developers can test their code locally, troubleshoot issues quickly and iterate faster... all of which lead to shorter development cycles and quicker time to market.” From a business perspective, AWS says that this improvement helps organizations be more agile and efficient, as it reduces downtime, accelerates feature development and ensures a smoother transition to production. Plus, since it works with the AWS ecosystem, teams can take get additional scalability and security. No More Developers? There’s a huge amount of smart tooling for programmers on offer here, any suggestion that AI will replace coding and coders as a profession seems somewhat premature and unlikely. Sivasubramanian agrees with this sentiment and says that generative AI assistants when done right, (he again brings up Amazon Q as his favorite illustrative example) will come to take tasks that developers don't want to do. So in more realistic terms, we’ll see AI coding robots will handle things like software upgrades, security scans and writing tests. Moreover, with generative AI assistants we can perhaps look forward to enabling everyone (including business analysts) to be deep experts in data and not have to wait for their data engineers or business intelligence experts to get them answers. “While some jobs will inevitably become obsolete, using AI tools will transform the way people work – for the better. The shift we’re seeing is about eliminating the undifferentiated heavy lifting so that developers spend less time on tedious, time-consuming work and have more time to focus on strategic and creative work. This shift is about augmenting developers’ capabilities. AI will open up new opportunities for developers to drive innovation at a faster pace. This is about equipping developers with better tools to enhance their work,” said Sivasubramanian. “Additionally, generative AI will democratize IT-related tasks because no-code and low-code tools will enable more tech-adjacent roles like sales, HR and marketing with the ability to create chatbots, analyze and summarize data, etc. We encourage organizations to upskill and reskill people to offset job loss as much as possible.” AI As A Functionality, Eventually As we know then, AI discussions are ubiquitous. Every technology vendor wants as much “share of voice” and there’s a lot of potential “AI washing” out there with what appears to be the entire tech trade now bolting on (sorry, they’d prefer us to say “innovating”) new AI services into their existing platform and tools. This landgrab throws up obvious questions i.e. surely not every database specialist, ERP vendor or CRM, HR and FinOps player can have all constructed new AI services at an advanced level that operates safely, without bias and within appropriate guardrails and governance, right? Given the level of prototyping and productization pandemonium, it is perhaps worthwhile listening to a player as large as AWS to attempt to get a realistic view on where we really are right now with AI. Sivasubramanian has said that AI is already on its way to becoming embedded functionality and the transition is happening faster than many realize. “At AWS, we’re focused on integrating AI into everyday workflows, where it can provide real, tangible value without requiring special attention or complex setups. We see this happening in applications like (and I know I’ve mentioned this tool already) Amazon Q Developer, where AI is already helping developers with tasks like code generation, debugging and even security scanning - all with minimal friction,” concluded Sivasubramanian, in a private AI deep dive for press & analysts this month. “In other industries, AI is powering customer support chatbots and virtual assistants - helping organizations address inquiries instantly and at scale - or handling predictive fraud detection in finance, where it identifies and flags potential risks in real-time. As AI continues to evolve, it will become more deeply embedded in business processes, powering everything from customer support to supply chain optimisation,” In a few years, he believes AI will be ubiquitous in the background of many applications, working quietly and seamlessly to improve user experiences, drive efficiency and help organizations make data-driven decisions. Just as we now take for granted technologies like spellcheck that once seemed groundbreaking. Now that'll be smart.