esports industry
Rodgers Reveals One Major Complaint In OT LossPRESIDENT-ELECT Donald Trump has nominated his son-in-law Jared Kushner's dad, Charles Kushner, for a key diplomatic role. The Republican said on Saturday that he wants the real estate developer to serve as ambassador to France in the latest pick. Trump made the announcement in a gushing Truth Social post, calling Charles Kushner a "tremendous business leader, philanthropist, and dealmaker." He added: "Congratulations to Charlie, his wonderful wife Seryl, their 4 children, and 14 grandchildren. "Together, we will strengthen America’s partnership with France, our oldest Ally, and one of our greatest!" Kushner - the son of a Holocaust survivor - is the founder of real estate firm Kushner Companies. read more on trump His son Jared Kushner is a former senior Trump adviser who is also married to the President-elect's eldest daughter Ivanka. Jared previously worked on Operation Warp Speed, criminal justice reform and the Abraham Accords. His dad Charles Kushner was pardoned by Trump in December 2020 after pleading guilty years earlier to tax evasion and making illegal campaign donations. The dad-of-four was sentenced to nearly two years in prison for the tax fraud conviction but only served 14 months in federal prison. Most read in The US Sun Charles was one of 26 people that Trump fully pardoned during his first term. Prosecutors alleged that after Charles discovered his brother-in-law was cooperating with federal authorities in an investigation, he plotted for revenge. Kushner went as far as hiring a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, have it filmed with a hidden camera and the recording of any activity sent to his sister, the mans wife, prosecutors said. Kushner eventually pleaded guilty to 18 counts including tax evasion and witness tampering. He was sentenced in 2005 to two years in prison. This was the most he could receive under a plea deal, but less than what Chris Christie, the US attorney for New Jersey at the time had sought. He said at the time: "No matter how rich and powerful you are or poor and unpowerful, if you have violated the federal law in the district of New Jersey or if you are corrupting our political system, this office will bring you to justice. "Today, Charles Kushner was brought to justice." Christie has blamed Jared Kushner for his firing from Trump's transition team in 2016. He also has called Charles Kushners offenses "one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes" he had ever prosecuted. When pardoning Charles, Trump said Jared's dad had "devoted" himself to "important philanthropic organizations and causes" over the years. READ MORE SUN STORIES Trump added at the time: "His record of reform and charity overshadows Mr. Kushner’s conviction and two year sentence for preparing false tax returns, witness retaliation, and making false statements to the Federal Election Commission." The President-elect didn't mention Charles' conviction or pardon in his announcement on Saturday. In the days following his dominant Election Day victory, President-elect Donald Trump has begun carving out his future administation. Here's a list of Trump's confirmed cabinet picks: Susie Wiles - White House Chief of Staff Dr. Mehmet Oz - Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Stephen Miller - Deputy Chief of Staff Bill McGinley - White House counsel Tom Homan - "Border Czar" Elise Stefanik - Ambassador to the United Nations Lee Zeldin - Environmental Protection Agency administrator Marco Rubio - Secretary of State Kristi Noem - Homeland Security Secretary Mike Huckabee - Ambassador to Israel John Ratcliffe - CIA director Pete Hegseth - Secretary of Defense Mike Waltz - National Security Advisor Steven Witkoff - Middle East envoy Elon Musk & Vivek Ramaswamy - Department of Government Efficiency Tim Scott - Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee Tulsi Gabbard - Director of National Intelligence Matt Gaetz - nominated for Attorney General but later refused the position Pam Bondi - nominated for Attorney general just hours after Gaetz's withdrawal Robert F. Kennedy Jr. , Secretary of Health and Human Services Jay Clayton - US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Doug Burgum - Department of Interior Todd Blanche - Deputy Attorney General Karoline Leavitt - White House Press Secretary Chris Wright - Energy Secretary Doug Collins - Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs William McGinley - White House Counsel Steven Cheung - White House Communications Director William Owen Scharf - Assistant to the President and White House Staff Secretary Dean John Sauer - Solicitor General of the US Commissioner Brendan Carr - Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Linda McMahon: Education Secretary Matthew Whitaker - NATO ambassador Scott Bessent - Treasury Secretary Keith Kellogg - Special envoy to Russia, Ukraine
John Schindler is a well known American historian and writer. He was a professor at Naval War College and the author of several books, including the best-selling “Sowing the Dragon's Teeth: How American Greed and Righteousness Created the Next .” He also has written a series of books on espionage and national security as well as the behavior of modern warfare. He is a former officer and academic who now uses those lenses to inform his examinations of the intersection of history, politics and security. His best-known works often illuminate the implications of intelligence operations, as well as the strategic decisions that shape global events. John R. Schindler has made a name for himself as a prominent political commentator. Schindler's profuse writing provides a sympathetic view of current events that has gotten attention from a wide audience. He weaves wonky analysis with user-friendly prose, enabling a wide range of people to engage serious political topics. Through writing for platforms including the Examiner and Observer, he dedicates his efforts to shedding light on affairs at the national and international level. Schindler often covers foreign policy, and he sharpens his scissors when he cuts beyond the headlines to explain the complexities of foreign relations and how foreign governments affect American interests. His sharp instincts help make sense of the tactics employed by various countries and their leaders. Over this time he has highlighted the subtle issues that stem from changing global relationships — most notably the implications for American foreign policy. National security is another important theme in Schindler's writings. His former experience in the intelligence community shapes his views and gives his opinions depth and authenticity. It is good that Schindler is looking in the right direction, because figuring out and intelligence practices, not to mention military strategy is crucial to navigating the complexities of modern threats to security. He believes defying national security doctrine — adapting it to old and new threats, transitional ones and drastic — is required. John R. Schindler has examined several noteworthy events in international politics and given us something to think about concerning their consequences. In some instances, his criticisms of geopolitical postures taken by countries, including and , shed light on the game being played on the international geopolitical board. Schindler unpacks these events, allowing the audience to understand the larger implications of regional conflicts, alliances and power shifts. Schindler's commentary on U.S. intelligence practices feels particularly timely in our current political climate. He writes regularly about the and efficacy of intelligence operations, adding to the public debate about government transparency and accountability. His insights call into question the delicate balance between national security interests and civil liberties, an issue that has remained a point of contention in public discourse. Another major theme in Schindler's work is the changing face of global leadership. He specializes in assessing the behaviors and policies of major political leaders, and how their styles of governance impact foreign affairs. His analyses outline that effective leadership must contemplate the quickly shifting terrain of global politics, a lesson that seems especially relevant in modern discussions. John Schindler writes with the depth of someone who's been working in this world. He also has firsthand experience with the inner workings of national security, with a background in intelligence. His years in the intelligence community enable him to break down complicated international circumstances analytically. This background lends credibility to his observations as a commentator, giving readers access to a rare insider's perspective. Schindler is an academic as well as a practitioner. His educational background for his analytical work. He combines practical experience with academic knowledge, providing him with a distinctive and informed perspective on the issues of the day, earning his place as a trusted source of political commentary. John Schindler is one of the leading voices in establishing the narrative on security and political events. His written words ignite critical conversations about important topics, allowing readers to have thoughtful dialogues about the world around them. His active presence on social media, including John Schindler , only broadens his scope, allowing him to reach and educate a wider audience than print or television alone. The Schindler Perspectives are interactive activities that allow you to engage with an aspect of Schindler's perspectives. I cannot overstate the impact of John Schindler's work on public opinion. His knack for distilling complex events into digestible narratives helps keep the public informed and educated. His readers interact with his critiques and refine their own opinions of pressing matters, strengthening the quality of the electorate. Web based social networking stages work as an augmentation of Apfelstetler. However, on sites like John Schindler Twitter, he directly interacts with herdsmen and dialogues between expert material and public discourse. Such dialogue enables live feedback and enhances the discussion towards political matters over time. Written by John Schindler, Edited by Orion Rummler Schindler's regular stream of commentary helps to contextualize these changes for the public as evolve. His views, which are often circulated in the media, reflect and contribute to a synthesis of world events in which informed public discourse has a vital role. John Schindler is a deep well of knowledge: here, too, are dozens of his arch and insightful essays on national security, foreign policy and political commentary. His work not only educates policymakers and analysts alike, but helps empower the general public to be able to participate in meaningful discussions about national and global matters.Limited again, 49ers QB Brock Purdy still fighting sore shoulder
Donald Trump’s presidency will be unpredictable, but in our final show, we make some guesses about what’ll happen anyway. WIRED’s Tim Marchman sits down with reporters David Gilbert and Makena Kelly to talk about what could go wrong between Trump and Elon Musk , if Christian nationalists will get their porn ban, the rise of human brain organoids, and whether the new administration will finally declassify those UFO files. Tim Marchman is @ timmarchman . David Gilbert is @ DaithaiGilbert . Makena Kelly is @ kellymakena . Be sure to subscribe to the WIRED Politics Lab newsletter here . Mentioned this week: The Crypto Industry Hails David Sacks, Its New ‘Czar’ by Joel Khalili and Makena Kelly RFK Plans to Take on Big Pharma. It’s Easier Said Than Done by Emily Mullin As FBI Director, Kash Patel Could Offer January 6 Rioters Retribution Against Their Enemies by Tess Owen How to Listen You can always listen to this week's podcast through the audio player on this page, but if you want to subscribe for free to get every episode, here's how: If you're on an iPhone or iPad, open the app called Podcasts, or just tap this link . You can also download an app like Overcast or Pocket Casts, and search for WIRED Politics Lab. We’re on Spotify too. Transcript Note: This is an automated transcript, which may contain errors. Tim Marchman: This is WIRED Politics Lab , a show about how tech is changing politics. I'm Tim Marchman, WIRED's director of science, politics, and security, filling in for Leah Feiger, who is unable to be here due to a personal emergency. The election season is over and it's our final episode of WIRED Politics Lab . One thing we do know about the next four years is that Donald Trump will be right at the center of things, shaping events, making everything about him, and he's always unpredictable. Equally unpredictable is the, at least for now, apparent copresident, Elon Musk. And even beyond Trump and Musk, 2025 seems to have a lot of wild cards in store. What's next for the far-right? How is the administration going to pay off the political debts it owes to Christian nationalists? How are the Lords of Silicon Valley going to both sidle up to the administration and doused with one of their own for influence and proximity to the president? And what can we expect from broader developments in the tech world, ranging from the continued growth of generative AI to the very uncertain status of TikTok as an entity able to legally operate in the United States? Joining me to take some educated guesses are two WIRED politics reporters, Makena Kelly. Hi, Makena. Makena Kelly: Good to be here. Tim Marchman: And from Cork, Ireland, David Gilbert. David Gilbert: Hey, Tim. Good to be here one final time. Tim Marchman: So let's start with Elon Musk. Makena, let's just assume, as we've already predicted on this program, that the Musk-Trump romance, the copresidency, will not survive. What already existing fault line do you think could cause it to explode? Makena Kelly: I think, I don't know if it's any specific policy issue, but they have just two huge egos that I imagine Trump might get upset with Elon maybe getting a little bit more TV time or time on people getting excited about him on Twitter, that would be my main guess. Tim Marchman: What about you David? David Gilbert: I kind of felt, [ inaudible 00:02:06 ] falling apart already because there were reports coming out a week after the election that he was overstaying his welcome, Elon Musk, and acting as co-president in certain respects. But he's still there, he's still meeting with world leaders alongside Trump. It's amazing that it's even lasted this long. I think he may hang around or he may be there until Trump needs someone to blame for not fulfilling all these wild promises that he's made on the campaign trail in terms of efficiency in government or whatever else it may be, and he needs to blame Musk. The one problem I guess with that is that Musk is still extremely powerful, has a huge platform with X and huge amounts of money to hit back at Trump if needed. But who knows? It's really hard to say, I didn't think the relationship would last this long, but they seem to be going strong. Makena Kelly: One thing too, people in Trump's orbit are incredibly disposable. We've seen that when it comes to his cabinet. We've seen it when it comes to even people in his family, it feels like. And so I can imagine a world where we're already seeing Amazon, Jeff Bezos or Andy Jassy or Mark Zuckerberg, somebody who also has a ton of money and is also in the tech space maybe challenging Elon for that seat, maybe attending more meetings and then getting between that relationship and maybe casting him aside. David Gilbert: Maybe we could have that Musk-Zuckerberg fight after all for— Makena Kelly: Oh my gosh. David Gilbert: ... to sit at the right hand of Trump. Makena Kelly: With all of the WWE stuff going on with this, you'd imagine that maybe we have a bigger chance of seeing that fight. David Gilbert: There you go, Linda McMahon could get involved. What more do we need? Tim Marchman: I would pay to see that. Makena, what do you see ahead for X and Truth Social, which is Trump's social media network that now accounts for, I believe over half of his fortune. They're kind of targeting the same audience, do you see them coming together or being a source of friction for the two? Makena Kelly: They don't seem like too much of a source of friction right now. It seems as if Trump is still continuing to use Truth Social as his main messaging platform. The ways that I've seen nominees announced was through Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary at the transition, posting screenshots of his Truth Social posts. And now we're seeing Trump using X a little bit more. I think it was towards the end of the summer that we saw a lot of his Truth Social posts being cross-posted to X for the first time in quite a while. And so maybe Truth Social just kind lingers in the background and falls apart because of internal problems. And of course there's already been struggles within the company running it. Devin Nunes has apparently reportedly fought with other executives, other executives who are there at the ground floor starting the app have exited. And so it might just be one of those things where again, personalities are colliding and X might just win out on top. Tim Marchman: It certainly has a larger user base. David, can we talk a little bit about Musk on the world stage? You referenced the meetings with world leaders. It's weird. He was on a call with Ukrainian president Zelenskyy, he's also recently been palling around with the prime minister of Italy. Should we start thinking of him as a primary driver and financier of global far-right politics right now? David Gilbert: Yeah, this is a fascinating aspect of it because we've seen the kind of growth in the network of far-right communities internationally in 2024. The ties have become much stronger between the US and Europe. We've seen that happening at a kind of lower level where communities are definitely forging closer ties, and Musk could potentially be a key figure in that in 2025. Just yesterday he was at a meeting with Viktor Orbán in Mar-a-Lago alongside Donald Trump. Viktor Orbán, obviously the Hungarian Prime minister who has instituted very repressive authoritarian policies in that country and a person who Trump has Lionized and Valorize repeatedly over the years. We've seen, as you've said, his very close relationship with Giorgia Meloni in Italy. This week he had to deny that he was in a relationship with Giorgia Meloni after [ inaudible 00:06:23 ], the far-right influencer posted a suggestion that he was doing that, and Musk said, "No," in response on Twitter. And one of the most interesting things to me is how there is now a suggestion that he is going to use his money to influence the next elections in the UK just as he used his money to back Trump this time around. There was a report I think a couple of weeks ago saying there was a hundred million was going to be invested, that was denied. But just yesterday, a billionaire in the UK, Nick Candy announced that he was going to be putting seven figures into Reform UK led by Nigel Farage. Again, a very close ally of Trump. And Elon Musk said this morning or confirmed this morning that he's been in communication with Nick Candy about donating money. So it's pretty clear that Musk is looking to build those relationships globally, not just in the US and that's a pretty terrifying prospect. Tim Marchman: I'm interested to know what the rest of Silicon Valley is thinking right now. We've talked about Bezos and Zuckerberg have both been trying to make nice with Trump. Who do you see as the likely winners and losers in Silicon Valley in the coming year? Let's start with you, Makena. Makena Kelly: Sure. What I'm seeing a lot of right now is just this week the Kids Online Safety Act was pushed to the next administration, and so I'm assuming with all of the excitement around protecting kids that law might find itself being passed next year, it's looking a lot more likely than it has been for the last couple of years. And so that is a major loss for social media companies. I think the people that will see the most success in the Trump administration will be people in companies that have government contracts, whether that is with data centers, AWS, things like that. But when it comes to people running social media companies, except for Elon, right, people who run these platforms, I do see folks at the Justice Department, at the FTC, Andrew Ferguson was just nominated to be the chair of the FTC this week under Trump, I still see a lot of people wanting to incur some kind of wrath on these tech companies for censoring them allegedly. Tim Marchman: What about you, David? Who are you looking at as winners and losers? David Gilbert: What's happening right now is people are just scrambling and fighting for position and for influence. Just the fact that Zuckerberg is calling Trump, he wants to remain part of the conversation, he doesn't want Musk to be the only social media owner who has the presidency. So I think the winners will depend on ultimately who's willing to bend the knee the most because that's what Trump values as loyalty. And so whoever is willing to ... We saw a post on Truth Social yesterday, I think from Trump where he said that, "Whoever's willing to invest a billion dollars in the US is going to get, pretty much any tax break they're looking for, is going to get all their environmental licenses approved even before they apply for them." So he's willing to give all of these benefits to whoever is willing to give him the most money. And so I think that's what it comes down to is whoever's willing to put their money where their mouth is and show their patriotism through investing huge amounts of money in the US are going to be the biggest winners. Tim Marchman: I feel the need to point out there, the GDP of the US is about $27 trillion, which is 27,000 billion. So a billion is just not that impressive a figure in the grand scheme of things here. David Gilbert: But he put it in all caps, Tim, so that makes it look much bigger. Tim Marchman: [ inaudible 00:10:06 ] Makena Kelly: Should we address the crypto industry too? Tim Marchman: We should, but before we do, I wanted to ask you, do you see all this feeding at the trough as a big change? It feels like traditionally Silicon Valley hasn't actually run big lobbying operations. Makena Kelly: They have, but not themselves. What we've seen— Tim Marchman: Fair. Makena Kelly: ... there's been millions and millions of dollars put into lobbying Congress specifically. But now I think after going through a first Trump administration, they realize that the way to get things done in Congress isn't lobbyists. We haven't seen basically anything done in Congress for so many years, no big changes since basically I would say the infrastructure Act and before that, maybe the ACA. Those are the main legislative wins that Congress has had. And so to get things done under a Trump administration, it's going to be being around Trump. That's the difference here is that you have CEOs now who are doing lobbying on their own behalf. Jeff Bezos, I wouldn't know if he had any conversations with Obama, and now this is all playing out in public. Tim Marchman: And it's a fascinating thing because that's so personality driven. Trump is so unusually driven by just vibes, and these are not the most dynamic personalities in the world. Makena Kelly: He loves people who are successful. Lobbyists are just little, sorry if you're a lobbyist, but people see them as like cockroaches running around Congress. Those are not the types of people that Trump sees as successful and people that he should be listening to. Tim Marchman: So let's talk about crypto now. I think we can all agree that the crypto industry is going to do very well under this administration. The idea of unregulated securities seems really big with some of these big personalities who are driving things. Let's talk a little bit about that and what is on the table. One of the things that particularly intrigues/alarms me is the notion of some sort of federal backing for Bitcoin that's been floated, which at least seems to me as an amateur economist, the absolute worst of all worlds in that you have an unregulated security, which the government is nonetheless backstopping the same way it would FDIC insured deposits or something like that. Makena Kelly: The crypto industry is one of the biggest winners this election year. Trump made an entire new group of people, a Crypto Advisory Board, a Crypto Czar, which is David Sacks, a very influential VC and friend and Elon Musk and— Tim Marchman: And a podcast host. Makena Kelly: And podcast host, true, with all of his besties, is what he calls them. So there's a whole new group here. And then when you look at the appointees that Trump has made to the important agencies like the Commerce Department and Howard Lutnick or the SEC and Paul Atkins recently, the people in these positions of power to do these things are very excited about crypto and wanting to create whatever this light touch framework is that the crypto industry wants. The crypto industry is always saying that they want to be regulated, they just want to be regulated in a specific way. So now it seems much more likely that we'll actually see something get done. Tim Marchman: So one definite potential loser in Silicon Valley is TikTok, which filed an emergency motion in court this week to try to stop the US from banning it. For people who don't remember this, under the current quarter, TikTok has to be sold to an American owner or it will be banned in the US starting on January 19th. Makena, what do you think is going to happen, first with the court, but looking further out, what do you think TikTok looks like under Trump? Makena Kelly: I imagine that this is going to be really, really hard for them to get out of now. Trump has said that he wants to save TikTok, that all of the stuff that he did in his first administration, he doesn't really believe it anymore and he wants the app to stick around. The funniest thing that I saw recently from Trump was that he was actually posting pages of PDFs on Truth Social of all of his TikTok analytics and how well his TikToks did. So he loves the thing. But if this goes to SCOTUS, it's going to take several months, I imagine, and I don't know if someone like ByteDance wants to wait that much time and all of that uncertainty, they've already dealt with so much uncertainty whether the app could stay in the United States. And so I think we're getting closer to the idea that maybe someone like Frank McCourt, a billionaire or someone like Larry Ellison and Oracle maybe take over the app. That might be the more appetizing position for ByteDance and TikTok come next year. Tim Marchman: David, do you agree with that? David Gilbert: Yeah, it's going to be interesting to see what happens because of, will Elon Musk have an influence over this? Will Mark Zuckerberg be able to influence him on this? Do they even care? Makena Kelly: Sorry, my chaos prediction would be that Elon Musk buys TikTok and then revives Vine. That would be the funniest thing that could happen, and maybe probably the worst thing. We already saw Elon Musk of course joking and doing a poll on X saying that, "Should I bring Vine back?" Because it was such a beloved app. Tim Marchman: I would be highly in favor of someone bringing Vine back. I don't know that Elon has proved to be a great product manager over the last couple of years. Makena Kelly: No. Tim Marchman: Obviously influencers and creators on TikTok and other platforms played a huge role in this election and really seemed to overshadow legacy media in a lot of ways. Musk in a lot of ways is the biggest example of that, philanthropist, billionaire, Iron Man, above all, he's probably an influencer at this point. Who are each of you looking at as a breakout person over maybe the next year or so? And also is there anyone who's influence you think might be on the wane? Let's start with you David. David Gilbert: We've had a lot of discussion over the last month or however long since the election happened where we've had this idea where the Left needs a version of Joe Rogan, even though Joe Rogan isn't necessarily right-wing in all his views, but this idea that a new left-wing superstar or podcaster or influencer needs to come along and do what they believe Joe Rogan did in the election. But I think that's just fundamentally flawed thinking. I think what happened more so is that there was just so many of these influencers and podcasters that the Trump campaign engaged with on a one-to-one basis. I was watching, for a story I was reporting the other day I was watching a ... Five days before the election, Kash Patel, who's now nominated as the FBI director, he was on a podcast on a platform called Pilled.net, which most people will never have heard of and never will hear of again. But he went on that podcast as part of the Trump campaign to, he was talking about going out to vote, getting people out to vote, and this was on a QAnon-adjacent show. And it's just that level of engagement with podcasters and influencers who aren't that prominent, I think that has had much more of an impact on the outcome, and that is something that I don't think people from the Democratic side really got or get yet, and I think that's what will need to happen. Tim Marchman: Last week, WIRED had its Big Interview event in San Francisco, and Mark Cuban spoke a bit about that. He didn't use this phrasing, so I'm loosely paraphrasing, but basically the idea being instead of looking for this person who's going to reach 30 million people, you have to go out there and talk to tons and tons and tons of people who might be reaching 30,000 people a piece. And that this idea of finding a new megaphone is probably a bit dated. I tend to agree with that myself. Makena, I'm curious what you think about both that dynamic and if there are any individual people you're looking at on the up and the down. Makena Kelly: Yeah, I think what you guys are talking about, what Mark Cuban talked about is really important. The Democrats, however, did spend a majority of their money on micro-influencers, I think, when you look at some of the data, it's people with under a hundred thousand followers. I think it has more to do, not with the influencers themselves, but the communities around them. Democrats and even Republicans in many ways, they see influencers as just a billboard of advertising when really what is important about them is that you want to engage with this not as advertising, but as organizing. And once you think about this as organizing, this is where we get into why people love Hasan Piker. Well, they like what he does, they like what he says, and engaging with him is fun. I was listening to an interview Hasan did on Tuesday night with FTC Chair Lina Khan. They're talking about a Kroger's decision, an antitrust decision, all of this stuff that typically would be fairly boring, but there was 40,000 concurrent viewers at the time, the chat was popping off and calling Khan based and all of this stuff. They were excited to participate, not just with Hasan, but with the people in the community. And so I think the important thing coming out of this election is not just finding the most wickedly talented or attractive or best communicator, but finding those engaged communities that can then influence each other as well. I think when I think about the biggest people who are winning, I am definitely surprised that Hasan Piker has the influence that he has now. He has been largely rejected by the Democratic Party as being someone that's a bit more progressive, he's pro-Palestine. He is louder on issues that the mainstream Democratic Party doesn't really want to talk about all the time. And so he was invited to the DNC. He had a whole booth set up to stream and do his thing for an entire day until he got kicked out. But that's another story. And then yesterday, he had Ta-Nehisi Coates on his stream, immediately after he had Lina Khan, and then he had a comedian afterwards. That is killer programming. That's the kind of thing that I think Democrats would be better off considering than all of this spending and advertising that they have been doing. And on the right, I don't necessarily think that the Nelk Boys are this far-right podcasting organization, but they have gotten really involved in politics this go around. They have created a voter outreach organization. They did multiple podcasts with Trump and the folks on their team, and that is the kind of audience that I think the Trump administration and the Republican Party is going after. They're going after a more fratty atmosphere. They're going after something that is a bit more Barstool Sports, and I think the Nelk Boys really fit in well there. Tim Marchman: We're a politics podcast, we're also a tech podcast. And this is a very broad question, but I'm curious, what are the potential developments in tech that you have your eye on next year, AI, quantum computing, biotech, anything you're just interested in, especially as it pertains to politics? Let's start with you David. David Gilbert: One of the most interesting conversations I had this year was with someone who is tracking dark web job boards and how Russian disinformation campaigns are advertising for AI experts, people who can build either large language models or they can develop tools that have no barriers because all the open source ones that are available at the moment have certain barriers on them that prevent these guys from doing things that they might want to do. So I think it would be really interesting to see if next year we actually get to the point where these disinformation campaigns have their own technologies that they can use and roll out at scale that will actually make a difference. Tim Marchman: And how about you, Makena? Makena Kelly : Something I've been reading a lot about that I'm obsessed with reading about is human brain organoids and how this very quickly has this technology been ramping up to the fact that you can use a biological brain created in a lab to run software. And I imagine that maybe we might see some folks putting a lot more research and funding into that. I think it's fascinating, and I do think that there ... I'm curious about when we talk about computing power and needing so much energy for crypto or AI, I want to see if this kind of new biological processing tech gets involved in it and all. Tim Marchman: That's a great answer. I am going to rudely answer my own question and say that I think Signal will be the defining tech of 2025. Everyone should download it and use it. It's an end-end encrypted communications app. If you set disappearing messages and the head of the FBI wants to see your comms, he won't be able to get them because they won't exist. The obvious upside is privacy for journalists, researchers, congressional ... Anyone who might come under the eye of Sauron from the administration. The downside is that there's probably going to be a lot of communications that journalists have relied on being able to get out of the government, whether via the Freedom of Information Act or even discovery and lawsuits, that is just not going to exist anymore. And in the long term, this might even be a pretty significant challenge for historians and archivists, though probably no one is too concerned about them right now, although they should be. We'll be right back to talk more about what's coming up in Trump's second term. Tim Marchman: Welcome back to WIRED Politics Lab . Let's get right into it, which of the Trump cabinet picks, assuming they're all confirmed, are you going to be watching most closely and why? Let's start with you Makena. Makena Kelly: I am going to pay the most attention to who is expected to be the new FCC chair, Brendan Carr. He posts all the time on X how much he wants to expand Starlink, an Elon Musk's technology. And he also talks about, he's gone after TikTok. He's also of the mind that the FCC can regulate online speech, which is something that it has never done before and is not necessarily in its charter. So I am curious to see how far this goes or if it is this realignment Republican conservative mask that he may have been wearing for the last couple of years. Tim Marchman: How about you, David? David Gilbert: There's just so many to pick from. Like what is Kimberly Guilfoyle going to do as ambassador to Greece? That worries me a little bit. Makena Kelly: Chilling. David Gilbert: But I think for me, I'm going to be very closely looking at what Kash Patel does as the head of the FBI. No more so for the reason that his appointment has reinvigorated the QAnon community to an extent that I haven't seen it in quite a long while because he's obviously quite linked to that community. He's given it support in the past. He's mentioned in two Q drops and they believe that his appointment as head of the FBI will usher in mass arrests, public executions, and this glorious new age for America. Tim Marchman: I am going to be keeping an eye on RFK Jr. because he has said he's going to stop the FDA's war on sunshine, and I want to know how he carries that out. One of the big questions is whether the Trump Justice Department under figures like Pam Bondi and Kash Patel will pursue investigations of his political rivals, his enemies and various people he has claimed he will bring the weight of the law against. What do you think, David? David Gilbert: I think if they can, they will. One of the things that they come back to constantly is this idea that they are going to eradicate the deep state, which is this kind of amorphous term for someone within the Justice Department or the federal government that has been working against Trump, which that's core QAnon conspiracy belief, which has now become Republican orthodoxy, that there is this deep state working against Trump and he's fighting back against them. And Pam Bondi and Kash Patel are two of the most loyal figures within Trump world, and they are, from what they have said publicly, willing to do exactly what he wants. So he said in, I think, a Meet the Press interview during the week that he wouldn't be directing them, but at the same time, I think a minute later said that he wanted the people who were involved in the January 6th Committee to be prosecuted. So he's clearly got a list of people he wants to investigate, and Pam Bondi and Kash Patel seem to be willing to do whatever he asks them. Now whether they're allowed to do it from a legal perspective, I think that's up in the air at the moment. Tim Marchman: Yeah. Makena, what do you see as barriers either legal or political with investigations here? Makena Kelly: I don't know. That is a hard one because what are norms and what are systems anymore? Tim Marchman: I think that's a great answer, honestly. I think we should just move on. So one thing we've covered extensively this year is the Stop the Steal movement, which has been regrouping in the wake of Trump's victory. David, I imagine you have some predictions on where the movement goes from here. First, who do you think Trump is going to pick to be his election czar, the head of the Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency? Is he going to go with the MyPillow Guy? David Gilbert: Yeah, Mike Lindell, when I spoke to him last month, he very clearly was willing to step up into whatever or any role that Donald Trump is willing to give him around elections to secure because the Stop the Steal movement is going nowhere. They've spent four years building this massive network, hugely well-funded and influential, and with a network of tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of volunteers all across the country. They're already talking about the midterm elections in 2026 and the fact that the war isn't over, that everything they've done till now has only proven that the system was corrupt in 2020 and that they need to continue to make improvements to it. So the Stop the Steal movement is going nowhere. Whether Trump appoints someone specifically to oversee elections, I don't know. The fact that he's won now I think is all that he wanted. He doesn't really care about the nuances of electoral law across the country and whether that gets better or not because, at the moment, at least come 2028, he won't be running for election again. Tim Marchman: Makena, Trump has obviously been made a sort of temporary monarch by the Supreme Court, which has said that pretty much anything he does as president, or at least anything he can semi plausibly claim was official business, he can't be held accountable for it. He's immune from prosecution. Is there anything you can think of that he would do that would cause a significant backlash even among his supporters? And I want to differentiate between two classes of supporters, one being the public, especially the hardcore MAGA base, and the other Congressional Republicans who unlike him have elections to look at. Makena Kelly: At this point I do think Trump can get away with anything. When he was running for president the first time he said that, "He could shoot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue and get away with it." And with all of the lawsuits and court appearances and everything, indictments that he's undergone over the last couple of years, he's gotten away scot-free. So I have a hard time believing anything can catch him at this point. David Gilbert: I agree with Makena. I think he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and get away with it. I think he can do pretty much anything he wants because he'll be able to blame anyone, everyone, for failing to complete the promises, like for example, the mass deportations that he's promising. There's this rhetoric, this belief out there that on day one there's going to be these massive sweeps of immigrant communities and they're going to get rid of a million people in the first year, according to JD Vance. But when that doesn't happen and it won't happen, then people will just either forget about it and move on or Trump will claim that he's doing something in the background and it's happening and people don't see it, or ... These Trump supporters have been so convinced and so brainwashed over the years to believe anything he tells them. Makena Kelly: Actually just thought of one thing. Part of the Heritage Foundation's plan for a Trump administration was to ban porn. And with all the child safety bills that are going to affect, if they actually get passed next year and we're required to do this online verification and porn gets banned, I can definitely see some people being pretty upset and being mad. Tim Marchman: I agree with that, and I will also differ with the two of you in that I think foreign adventurism, the whole machinery of the imperial presidency tends toward it, no matter what Trump's anti-war rhetoric is, it's also matched by him loosely talking about things like invading Mexico. And with all the chaos in the world, especially in the Middle East, I think there's a reasonably high percentage of something going catastrophically wrong involving the US military that gets hung around his neck and I think that would have the potential to really scramble what seemed to be very set politics right now. David Gilbert: But do you think it'd make any difference because Trump's not going to care if people turn on him, especially the voters because he doesn't need them anymore? Tim Marchman: I don't think he does, but he does need Congress, which is pretty deferential right now, but that can turn, and we have seen that turn very quickly. So I'll just say there's some potential there. Christian nationalists helped Trump win the White House this year just like they did in 2016. What do you think they're going to demand from Trump as payment, and will they get it? How about you, Makena? We may have just answered that question. Makena Kelly: Yeah, I think there's two things, maybe putting forth a federal abortion ban. That is definitely something that I imagine Christian nationals wanting, they're already pushing for those kinds of things. And then of course, like I mentioned, a porn ban. And so I imagine those are maybe the two big things. David Gilbert: David, I think quite a sizable proportion of them will want more. I think especially education is where they'll want a major shift towards the right in terms of putting Christianity back at the center of the education system. We're already seeing it in Florida where Liberty University has, a Christian university, has signed contracts with certain public school boards in the state, and that allows their students to go into public schools in Florida and teach classes and take part in the education there. So there's already beginning to be a bit of creep there in terms of Christian ideology making its way into public schools. And I think that's where a lot of the Christian nationalists I listen to at least want to see the biggest change. Tim Marchman: Finally, this is a very important one for me personally, will Trump's administration finally declassify information about UFOs and the JFK assassination? We're talking Roswell, hidden files, videotapes, all sorts of things that are rumored to exist, and if so, what's in there? David? David Gilbert: What's in there? Oh, wow, that's a big question. They promised to do it. I guess there's a chance that they will. If they do, I don't think there's going to be proof of aliens. Sorry, Tim. Tim Marchman: What about you, Makena? Makena Kelly: I feel like I have this folk story in my head, and maybe it's real, I need to check, but of Jimmy Carter upon entering office, he saw some UFO files and wept, and he never said anything about it again. Tim Marchman: I believe I've heard this too. Makena Kelly: Yeah, and I don't know if it's real. I just tried to do some searching. And thinking about Trump finding these things out, I don't know if he would release them. I wouldn't be optimistic. Tim Marchman: I don't believe they're going to release anything because he was already president and did not release the material in question. I believe that what the secret files would show if declassified is that the US engaged in a cover-up of Lee Harvey Oswald and his relationship to the Soviet Union in fears that if it were made public, it would lead to a nuclear war. And that much of the subsequent cover-up has been a cover-up of the cover-up. And I believe that the UFO files would show that extraterrestrial biological entities crashed in New Mexico in the 1940s and led the US government on a voyage of discovery about the nature of the universe, that includes aliens having created well-known religious figures throughout human history as guides to give humans instructions on how not to damage their bodies which are containers for souls that aliens are harvesting for energy. This has been the theory, at least that many UFO proponents have been putting out there since the 1980s, and I of course firmly believe it's true, maybe Donald Trump will confirm that. Makena and David, thank you so much for being here. When we come back, it's time for our last ever Conspiracy of the Week. Tim Marchman: Welcome back to WIRED Politics Lab . This is Conspiracy of the Week, that part of the show where our guests bring their favorite conspiracy theories and I will be judging in Leah's place. The winner this week gets to brag about it forever, so I hope both of you brought something good. Makena, let's start with you. Makena Kelly: Yeah, I'm glad that you brought up aliens and the JFK assassination because I'm going to complete the trifecta with this. One of the conspiracy theories that I think has gotten its time in the sky, shall we say, this year, has been chemtrails. These are the trails that planes leave as they fly in the sky, apparently spreading all of these chemicals and ruining and poisoning us, when really it is just water vapor. Just earlier this year with the hurricane in North Carolina there were conspiracies about chemtrails taking place there. Lawmakers in Tennessee passed a bill having to do with something and regulating chemtrails, crazy stuff. But this week, oh my gosh, I lost it when I saw this. There was what appeared to be a satirical joke online about a Lufthansa pilot denying to spray chemtrails on his son while piloting a plane. He took a grandstand apparently and said, "I will not do it." And the chemtrail, I guess we can call it the chemtrail community, was really thrilled with it. And it's not true, it was a joke. Yeah. Tim Marchman: All right. What do you got, David? David Gilbert: I just want to say that chemtrails in Ireland, the conspiracy groups right now are huge. We seem to suddenly have the conspiracy groups here in Ireland, have seemed to discover chemtrails. So I must share that with them because they love it. So yeah, my conspiracy this week ca with Luigi Mangione , who is the alleged shooter in the United Healthcare CEO assassination. And soon after he was arrested and pictures of him came out , almost immediately, there were a ton of conspiracy theories about the fact that he wasn't the actual shooter. He was either a patsy that Nancy Pelosi had placed there because of her links to his family, or many other conspiracies. My favorite one was the conspiracists who started analyzing his eyebrows because in the pictures that first came out, before he was identified, you could only see his eyes, so his eyebrows were kind of this big thing where people were looking at his eyebrows and because they're quite impressive. But now when his identity has been revealed, people are zooming in on his eyebrows and claiming that it's not the same person, that they have done a hair by hair analysis in some cases where people are looking at the eyebrows and saying that this cannot be the same person. There are avowed eyebrow experts on Telegram who are claiming that this is absolutely 100% not the same person. And as our colleague Tess Owen told me this morning, there is a conspiracy around that there is an eyebrow assassination group or a group of assassins with magnificent eyebrows that he's a part of. So I'm looking forward to seeing where this eyebrow conspiracy goes in the future. Tim Marchman: OK. I'm sorry, Makena, but I think we have a clear winner here, eyebrow forensics, assassins who can be identified by their magnificent eyebrows— David Gilbert: It's the new phrenology. Tim Marchman: That is a great final conspiracy of the week. And I think with that, thank you again for joining me today, and thank you for having joined Politics Lab all throughout the year. Do you have any final words for our listeners? Makena Kelly: I will plug one last thing, and that will be the newsletter, which we'll carry on, so you can subscribe to that newsletter in the show notes. David Gilbert: I would also urge everyone to subscribe to Makena's newsletter because it's really great, and I would like people to continue spreading the craziest conspiracy theories online because it keeps me entertained every week. Tim Marchman: This is our last episode of WIRED Politics Lab . Leah, our usual host, was unfortunately unable to be here today, but she did pass along a note to share with you, which I will now read. She says, "My favorite part of hosting this podcast was being able to bring WIRED stories from across the newsroom, and particularly the politics desk, to this entirely new format. While this podcast is ending, these stories aren't going anywhere. These reporters aren't going anywhere. And with Trump 2.0 looming on the horizon, we're more committed than ever to addressing extremism, disinformation, techno-fascism, the rise of Elon Musk, the rise of Pod Bros, and even the rise of Peanut the Squirrel, and dissecting that for all our audiences. A shout-out to you, our listeners who decided to take a chance on this podcast. This was such a privilege. I'm able to offer a few pieces of advice for the coming year, keep an eye on the news, but not too much. Keep an eye on your friends quite a bit. Keep your family and loved ones close, and find things that bring you joy. Always feel free to write to me at leah_feiger@wired.com . I so look forward to hearing from you, and thanks for listening.” And that does it for WIRED Politics Lab . You can still find WIRED politics coverage online and by signing up for the WIRED Politics Newsletter , which Makena writes week. If you have a moment, please subscribe to our other podcast, Uncanny Valley , which is excellent. Special thanks to our producer, Jake Harper and the rest of our production team that made the show possible. Pran Bandi is our studio engineer, Amar Lal mixed this episode, Steven Valentino is our executive producer. Chris Bannon is Global Head of Audio at Condé Nast. And I'm Tim Marchman. Thanks for listening to the show.Japanese researchers test pioneering drug to regrow teethCalifornia taxpayers are voting with their feet and taking their families elsewhere
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Governor Newsom and most democratic lawmakers are preparing to protect California's progressive policies in the courts like they did during the first Trump administration. "California won 80% of those lawsuits, so this is a man who has no issues violating the law and we want to send a very clear message not just to Donald Trump but the people of California that we have people's back here in California," State Senator Scott Wiener said. "Of course, we should and we will work with the President-elect on areas where we agree and there are always going to be some agreements. It's not about fighting for the sake of fighting." This time, lawmakers anticipate there will be more on the list of possible lawsuits. "It could be things like climate action, reproductive freedom, civil rights, immigrant families. But also one part of this, that is important as well is protecting California taxpayers," Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel said. MORE: Newsom asks state legislature for $25M legal defense fund before Trump takes office Protecting California taxpayers means that if Californians pay their share of taxes to the federal government, then President-elect Trump should not withhold any kind of federal disaster funds as he threatened to do last October. On the flip side, one may argue that necessity is the mother of "political innovation." New York State Senator Liz Krueger recently suggested some liberal Northeast states could withhold billions of dollars in federal taxes if President-elect Trump goes through with his plans for mass deportations. California already gets back less in federal taxes than it pays. 2022 data reveals that California and 12 other states received proportionately less in federal funds. That means California and the other wealthier states are subsidizing the rest of the states. In Fiscal year 2022, California sent about $692 billion to the federal government and only got back around $620 billion in federal funds, which is about a $72 billion deficit. MORE: Newsom meets with Biden as part of effort to 'Trump-proof' California By comparison, that is about three times the state's $27 billion 2023-24 budget deficit. We've known about this deficit for some time because, in 2003, then-Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger complained that the federal funding system was unfair and that he would fight for that money. He was quoted then as saying, "For each dollar that we pay, we only get 77 cents back. So there's a lot of money we can get from the federal government." Would California lawmakers today have the political will to intensify it's pressure on the Trump administration? "I think if you are going to start threatening the federal government with withholding, demanding that individuals withhold their federal taxes, that isn't a rhetoric that doesn't actually work well. You don't want to to be in that battle," said Corey Cook, Provost at Saint Mary's College. John Perez was Speaker of the Assembly near the end of Schwarzenegger's administration and says there are ways to get more money for California. "One of the things that I think are going to be the most successful strategies to draw down more federal money is to keep more here at home," Perez said. "How do we do that? We do that by working on a bipartisan basis to overturn the limits on deductibility of California state and local taxes." MORE: A look at change in Silicon Valley as tech industry shifts to support Trump Tax reforms passed last time President Trump was in office limited tax deductions to $10,000. He has indicated he may reverse those limits on things like the cap on your mortgage interest deduction. Voters have also indicated they want government to work for them and as the national election showed us, here in California there was voter frustration over some of the state's progressive policies. That's one reason why Republicans gained ground in almost all counties in the state. "Our constituents, they don't feel that the state of California is working for them," said the new Speaker of the California Assembly, Robert Rivas. Rivas suggested that we set certain issues aside and focus on charting a new path forward and renew the California dream by focusing on affordability. "They're anxious because they feel it, they feel it at the grocery stores, where they have to pay their bills, they feel it every time they fill up their gas tanks for their long commutes from work to home," he said. "The democratic party has not effectively addressed the rising costs of living, has not addressed economic concerns," Cook said. "So certainly if you are going to talk about the agenda for the legislature, for the coming year, addressing affordability, the cost of living, housing, those related set of issues that we know are priorities for voters is critical for the legislature to address."
FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setupHow Zach LaVine strives for success through selflessness with the Chicago Bulls
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Daily Post Nigeria NPFL: Niger Tornadoes coach reflects on draw against Ikorodu City Home News Politics Metro Entertainment Sport Sport NPFL: Niger Tornadoes coach reflects on draw against Ikorodu City Published on November 24, 2024 By Taiwo Adesanya Niger Tornadoes technical adviser, Majin Mohammed has blamed missed chances for his team’s goalless draw against Ikorodu City. The Ikon Allah Boys were held to a goalless draw by Ikorodu City at the Bako Kontagora Stadium , Minna, on Saturday. Mohammed however acknowledged Ikorodu City’s impressive run of form in the league. “We created chances, but failed to capitalize,” Mohammed told Niger Tornadoes media. “Ikorodu City are not a bad side, they picked form since their present coach took over the team and ever since have been doing well. “I think they’ve lost just once in so many games, but that doesn’t mean they are not beatable, in fact the story would have been different if we took our chances.” Related Topics: Ikorodu City Niger Tornadoes NPFL Don't Miss EPL: Amorim includes 16-year-old defender in Man Utd squad to face Ipswich You may like NPFL announces new kick-off time for Plateau United vs Nasarawa United NPFL: Niger Tornadoes going for victory against Ikorodu City — Mohammed NPFL, Enyimba want domestic, continental glory – Olanrewaju NPFL: Oriental derby with Rangers a ‘brotherly affair’ — Heartland coach, Uzor NPFL: Odigie’s resignation won’t affect Bendel Insurance – Oronsanye NPFL: Ikorodu City city star Abdulmalik satisfied with maiden campaign Advertise About Us Contact Us Privacy-Policy Terms Copyright © Daily Post Media LtdFreiburg survives late onslaught to beat Wolfsburg in Bundesliga thrillerThe ZBC has acquired 25 brand-new cars and advanced radio and television broadcasting equipment. The Minister of Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services, Dr. Jenfan Muswere, officially announced this development. ALSO READ: Rebranding Disaster: Delta Brings Back Shumba Maheu After Ades Branding Flop Minister Muswere’s Vision for a Competitive Media Landscape During the commissioning ceremony, Dr. Muswere highlighted the significance of this initiative in improving ZBC’s operational capacity. The minister also noted that the upgrades would address long-standing challenges faced by the state broadcaster, paving the way for improved service delivery and greater audience satisfaction. ALSO READ: British-Zimbabwean Rising Star Shumaira Mheuka Of Chelsea: All You Need To Know About The Starlet “This donation is a crucial step in restoring the operational capacity of ZBC, ensuring that it remains a competitive and sustainable media organization.” The ZBC has been facing many challenges in keeping up with international broadcasting standards over the years. Zimbabweans are hoping that this new equipment will help foster and improve programming for both radio and Television. The ZBC is now better equipped to produce to produce high-quality content. Follow Us on Google News for Immediate Updates
The BJP logged the highest vote share of 26.77 per cent in the Maharashtra assembly elections, winning 132 out of 149 seats it had contested and garnering 17,293,650 votes, as per ECI data. The BJP's 132-seat haul marked a hat-trick of crossing the 100-seat mark in assembly elections. The saffron party had bagged 122 seats in the 2014 elections, which it contested solo without undivided Shiv Sena, and 105 seats in 2019 polls which it faced with the former ally Shiv Sena on its side. The BJP's stellar performance at Maharashtra hustings, results of which were declared on Saturday, saw the party reaping a rich harvest of 132 seats in the 288-member House. Its Mahayuti partners Shiv Sena and NCP led by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar won 57 and 41 seats, respectively. The Congress, which won only 16 out of 101 seats it had contested, came a distant second with a 12.42 per cent vote share. The Grand Old Party polled 8,020,921 votes. The Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena's tally of 57 seats out of 81 it had contested saw a vote share of 12.38 per cent and 7,996,930 votes. Interestingly, the vote share of NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) and the quantum of votes polled for the party surpassed the rival NCP faction despite the former's rout in the elections. The NCP (SP) contested 86 seats but won only 10 with an 11.28 per cent vote share and 7,287,797 votes. In contrast, the Ajit Pawar-led NCP registered a 9.01% vote share despite winning 41 of the 59 seats it had contested and polling 5,816,566 votes. The rival Shiv Sena (UBT), which won 20 seats, logged a vote share of 9.96 per cent and polled 6,433,013 votes. At 4,61,886, NOTA votes dropped to 0.72 per cent in Maharashtra. A voter turnout of 66.05 per cent was recorded for the state assembly elections held on November 20, up from 61.1 per cent in 2019, according to Election Commission officials. Follow us on: Facebook , Twitter , Google News , Instagram Join our official telegram channel ( @nationalherald ) and stay updated with the latest headlinesBorisa Simanic, the Serbian basketball player who suffered a severe kidney injury during the 2023 World Cup, is back in action. His impressive return comes after a significant recovery process, culminating in helping Serbia clinch a spot in the upcoming EuroBasket tournament. Playing in Belgrade for the first time since the incident, Simanic scored 12 essential points leading Serbia to a dominant 98-51 victory over Denmark. This win secured them as the sixth team qualified for the championship, joining Lithuania and host nations Latvia, Finland, Cyprus, and Poland. With 18 spots still open, competition remains fierce. The journey has been nothing short of remarkable; losing a kidney during a match with South Sudan almost ended his career, but Simanic's determination saw him return swiftly. Supported by fellow Serbian player Nikola Jovic, he has been competing in the Adriatic League and now sets his sights on EuroBasket glory. (With inputs from agencies.)
Minnesota will try to bounce back from two straight losses when it hosts Bethune-Cookman on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis. The Golden Gophers (5-3) are coming off a 57-51 loss against Wake Forest on Friday, which followed a 68-66 overtime loss against Wichita State on Thursday. Both games took place at the ESPN Events Invitational in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Minnesota coach Ben Johnson cited inconsistency on offense as the main reason for his team's recent skid. "We're painfully figuring that out," Johnson said. "I thought our defense, though, (Thursday and Friday) has proven this is a top-40 or top-30 defense. We've got to be able to show up with offense and free throws." Golden Gophers starter Lu'Cye Patterson said he and his teammates remain confident in their potential as the Big Ten conference season approaches. "We just have to keep doing what we're supposed to do and keep our level of defensive play up," Patterson said. "It's going to win us a lot of games. The offense is going to come." Bethune-Cookman (2-5) will try to play spoiler on the road. The Wildcats have split their past two games as they beat North Dakota 79-67 on Tuesday and lost to Gardner-Webb 79-64 on Wednesday, both games played in the Cancun Challenge in Cancun, Mexico. Four players for Bethune-Cookman scored in double digits in their most recent game. Reggie Ward Jr. and Daniel Rouzan led the way with 14 points apiece, Trey Thomas scored 13 and Brayon Freeman chipped in 10. Bethune-Cookman is coached by Reggie Theus, who enjoyed a long NBA career and coached the Sacramento Kings for parts of two seasons. Theus said the Wildcats were in better position to compete this season compared with a season ago. "We've got a lot of depth, and we have age and experience," Theus said. "One of the biggest differences in our team is that we have great size now, where last year we were pretty small." Dawson Garcia leads Minnesota with 18.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Patterson is next with 10.1 points per contest. Bethune-Cookman is led by Freeman, who is averaging 15.9 points per game. Thomas (11.7 points per game) and Ward Jr. (11.0) also are scoring in double digits. --Field Level MediaATLANTA (AP) — Ethan Vasko threw three touchdown passes and ran for a fourth as Coastal Carolina became bowl eligible by beating Georgia State 48-27 for its sixth win of the season in the regular season finale on Saturday. The Chanticleers evened their season record at 6-6 with the win and finished 3-5 in the Sun Belt East. The loss leaves Georgia State (3-9) with just one win in eight conference games. Vasko threw 10 yards to Senika McKie for the game's first score midway through the first quarter, but the Panthers got a Liam Rickman 28-yard field goal and a 19-yard touchdown run by Freddie Brock to take a 10-7 second-quarter lead. Vasko threw his second TD pass, this one a five-yard strike to Zach Courtney to take the lead and Kade Hensley booted a 43-yard field goal as time expired to put Coastal Carolina up 17-10 at halftime. Christian Washington ran 18-yards for a touchdown to open up a 24-10 lead four minutes into the third quarter. Vasko hit McKie for their second touchdown, this one from 31-yards out and Vasko ran 10 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown to make it 38-10 with under 10 minutes to play. Vasko was 13 of 17 passing for 200 yards and carried 13 times for another 68. Washington carried 20 times for 124 yards. McKie caught five passes for 81 yards Georgia State amassed 428 yards of offense, but the Panthers turned the ball over six times. Christian Veilleux completed 15 of 26 passes for 205 yards but was picked off four times and fumbled. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Lawmakers could soon send Gov. Mike DeWine legislation to dramatically limit the circumstances in which courts can suspend Ohioans’ driver’s licenses for drug offenses or legal debts. Senate Bill 37 would stop judges from suspending driver’s licenses as a punishment for truancy from school; drug crimes that don’t involve a vehicle; failure to pay court costs; and in some cases, failure to pay child support. The bill reflects thinking from backers across the ideological spectrum that restricting a person’s mobility for offenses that have nothing to do with driving only make it harder for people to get to work, and don’t support any criminal justice interest. The suspensions are especially problematic in Ohio’s rural areas, where good jobs are often a drive away and public transportation is lacking. Supporters of the bill include the free marketeers of Americans for Prosperity; the American Civil Liberties Union; the Ohio Poverty Law Center; the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland; the Cuyahoga County Public Defender and others. The Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association were the only group to explicitly identify themselves as opponents. But others, including judges and county child support agencies, said they want to keep license suspensions in some instances as a tool to force debtors to pay up. The legislation passed unanimously in the Senate in May and 84-4 in the House on Wednesday. The House, however, facing the nearing end of the legislative session, stuffed the bill with unrelated amendments running the gamut between a specialty license plate program and another requiring distribution of feminine hygiene products in women’s prisons. The two chambers must agree on a final version before it goes to the governor for his signature or veto. All legislation must pass by year’s to reach DeWine’s desk before it must restart the legislative process next year. Lawmakers will hold their final scheduled legislative sessions next week. More than 1 million Ohioans had a driver’s license suspended between 2016 and 2020, according to a report from the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland . For 60% of them, it’s over debts, cumulatively worth about $920 million in any given year. The debt-related suspensions trap the poorest drivers in a feedback loop: a minor traffic stop incurs fees, unpaid fees turn into a suspension, and reinstatement costs money that has become harder to earn without a license. SB37 removes the general authorization for courts to suspend a license for drug offenses. Judges can still do so if the offender was driving under the influence or using a vehicle in the commission of the offense. The bill eliminates the option of offenders submitting their license as a form of bail, which requires them to repay all fines before they get it back. It gives more latitude for drivers who owe child support money to keep their licenses. And it eases, in favor of drivers, the calculation and penalties behind serial convictions for failure to provide proof of insurance. The bill’s bipartisan sponsors from Cincinnati – Sen. Lou Blessing, a Republican, and Sen. Catherine Ingram, a Democrat – emphasized two aspects of the bill while presenting it to lawmakers. For one, it removes the possibility that an offense like simple drug possession becomes the basis for a suspended license. For two, it sets restrictions on reinstatement fees for a failure to provide proof of insurance, which can include a $600 penalty and two-year suspension. At $15 an hour, they noted, the $600 is two week’s pay. “The goal of Senate Bill 37 is not to eliminate consequences for people’s actions, but our current system of penalties often sets people up for failure without a chance to make better choices for themselves,” they said. “If passed, SB37 could help people restore and reform their lives instead of entangling them in a lifetime of fees and excessive penalties.” As of 2020, nearly 259,000 Ohio drivers had suspended drivers’ licenses, according to the Legal Aid Society. Sondra Bryson, an attorney for the organization, said she regularly assists clients filing for bankruptcy to reinstate their suspended licenses. Bankruptcy, however, can’t reinstate a license suspended over failure to pay court fines. “I often see clients who are in active substance use recovery, trying to get back to work as part of their rehabilitation, but can’t due to debt related suspensions,” she said. “These are folks who are working hard to get jobs, obtain housing, and maintain their sobriety. I end up turning away those who only have license forfeitures because bankruptcy isn’t going to do much to help them get their license back.” But Lou Tobin of the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association said that a suspended license can be part of the “totality of the circumstances” that an officer uses to gauge whether a driver is engaged in other criminal activity. “We are still opposed to the changes regarding license suspensions for drug offenses,” he said. “These are entirely discretionary suspensions and the law allows judges to grant driving privileges for work, school, treatment, or any other reason the judge feels is appropriate. These suspensions are rarely imposed when a vehicle is not involved in the offense and when a suspension is imposed it almost always comes with driving privileges.” Paul Pfieifer, a retired Ohio Supreme Court justice and current lobbyist for an association of state judges, offered limited criticism of the bill, asking lawmakers to allow suspensions for failing to pay court costs. While rare, he said they are “important tools to maintain as a last resort to ensure that people pay the fees.” And Amy Roehrenbeck, executive director of an organization representing county child support enforcement agencies, said keeping license suspensions on the table is required by federal rules. And child support, she said, is a duty and not just a debt. “Child support license suspension is an effective tool to bring in money for families in cases that otherwise would not receive support,” she said. Stories by Jake Zuckerman Ohio Lawmakers vote to ban use of AirTags for secret tracking, send bill to DeWine Bill forcing hospitals to administer ivermectin, other requested treatments nears finish line Lawmakers pass new guardrails against abusive defamation suits Jake Zuckerman covers state politics and policy for Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer.The 2024 Independence Day Message from The Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB) The Congress of Trade Unions and Staff Associations of Barbados (CTUSAB) proudly celebrates the 58th anniversary of an independent Barbados and the third anniversary of its transition to a Republic. When the island became a republic in 2021, it marked the end of centuries of British rule and became the newest republic in the global community. By appointing its own Head of State, Barbados relinquished the influence of the British monarchy, where the Queen of England previously held that role. Reflecting on Barbados’ history as a hub for the trans-Atlantic slave trade for over two hundred years, the celebration of independence holds immense significance for the Barbadian labor movement. The struggle of approximately four hundred years of slavery brought severe restrictions on freedoms and denied fundamental human rights to enslaved Africans. Under British colonial rule, Barbadians remained under the control of the British government. Independence, however, granted Barbadians the right to self-determination and control over their own destiny. In an independent Barbados, workers and the working class now enjoy fundamental rights and freedoms, including freedom of speech, association, choice, and religion, as well as the right to vote and protection from discrimination based on race, class, gender, or any other factor. CTUSAB emphasizes the importance of promoting ideals and practices that support the development of a fair, just, and democratic Barbadian society. These principles include justice, equality, equity, democratic governance, and adherence to the rule of law. Barbados, over its 58 years as an independent nation, has upheld freedom of speech as a cornerstone of its democracy. CTUSAB underscores the need to preserve this freedom and strongly objects to the enactment of the Cybercrime Bill in its current form. Regarding the right to vote, CTUSAB considers the prohibition of Public Officers from contesting national elections for political office discriminatory. It calls on the Government of Barbados to address this omission, as recently done by St. Vincent & the Grenadines, where amendments to the Representation of the People Act now allow public officers to seek electoral office without risking their employment or benefits if unsuccessful. CTUSAB celebrates the milestone of adult suffrage granted to Barbadians in 1950. This achievement, championed by labour advocates and National Heroes like Sir Grantley Adams and Sir Frank Walcott, paved the way for greater political participation and representation. The attainment of full internal self-government in 1961 was another decisive step toward political freedom, culminating in independence under the leadership of National Hero Rt. Excellent Errol Walton Barrow, the country’s first Prime Minister. CTUSAB encourages Barbadians to remain inspired by the words of the National Anthem: “Upward and onward we shall go, inspired, exulting, free, and greater will our nation grow, in strength and unity.” Working together is essential for the continued growth, development, and success of the nation. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
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