Celebrating 49 Years of Innovation: TX RX Systems' Tower Top Amplifier Patent Revolutionized Global CommunicationsThe final round of the Australian Open is underway at Kingston Heath as the local at the pointy of the leaderboards attempt to break a five-year drought in men’s, and a ten-year one in the women’s, since an Australian has won the national open. Watch every round of the PGA Tour LIVE & Exclusive on Fox Sports, available on Kayo. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer. In the men’s, Lucas Herbert is tied for the overnight lead at -14 alongside American Ryggs Johnston. Herbert, Johnston and 22-year-old Australian professional Jasper Stubbs will play together in the final group - which tees off at 12:50pm AEDT. Stubbs, who played in The Masters and The Open this year courtesy of winning the Asia-Pacific Amateur at Royal Melbourne last year, turned professional at the start of the PGA Tour of Australasia season and is one of five players who will start the day two shots behind the leaders. AUS OPEN GOLF LEADERBOARD: Stay up to date with the live scores here That group includes defending champion Joaquin Niemann, who burst into contention with a stunning eight-under par third round, as well as Australian PGA champion Elvis Smylie, who is chasing a rare double of winning Australia’s two premier tournaments back-to-back. A shot further back is Australian LIV Golf star Marc Leishman, and with the wind blowing strongly at Kingston Heath, anyone could jump from the pack with 19 players starting the final round at -8 or better. In the women’s, Korean superstar Jiyai Shin also leads at -14 with a two shot advantage. The former world number one is a major champion, Australian Open champion and has won 64 times around the world as professional. It is no wonder she is called ‘The Final Round Queen’, and Australian Hannah Green will have to produce some of the shot making that led to her winning three times on the LPGA Tour this year to reel her in. Green starts the day at -12 after a stellar third round on Saturday which included a steak of making six consecutive birdies. Rounding out the all-star final group is two-time defending champion Ashleigh Buhai, the South African is striving to become the first woman to win three straight Australian Opens. Minjee Lee was well-back from the leaders, starting the day at -1, while her brother Min Woo and the tournament’s biggest name Cameron Smith are also well off the pace. The younger Lee sibling teed off at 8am as he was -3 overnight, and Smith had even earlier alarm, teeing off at 7.22am as he was -2 after his dreams of a maiden Australian Open crown unravelled with a horror back nine on Friday before another underwhelming showing yesterday. HOW TO WATCH Watch all the Australian Open action on Kayo and Foxtel, with every big moment broadcast on Fox Sports channel 503 - which has become a dedicated Australian Open channel for the week. Coverage begins at 12pm AEDT each day. FOLLOW ALL THE FINAL DAY ACTION OF THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN IN THE BLOG BELOW! Can’t see the blog? Click here!
AGNC Investment Corp. Declares Monthly Common Stock Dividend of $0.12 per Common Share for December 2024Loos 1-2 2-2 4, Brookshire 1-5 0-0 2, Lax 3-11 0-0 7, Thomas 4-13 7-8 15, McCubbin 4-8 0-0 10, Carpenter 2-7 2-3 8, Gaines 1-3 1-2 3, Hammer 1-4 0-0 3, Dawson 1-2 0-2 2, Burries 1-2 0-0 3. Totals 19-57 12-17 57. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
Fijian Drua half back Philip Baselala is ready to make his move for a top three position. The 20-year-old is currently ranked fourth for the position in the current Drua squad where he has to compete against Frank Lomani, Simione Kuruvoli and Peni Matawalu. “This is one of my main targets for next season (Super Rugby Pacific) and that is to get more game time,” Baselala said. “Frank and Simi encouraged me to challenge each other because it won’t only help us but also help push for our fitness and to get a spot (in the starting line-up). Baselala has played two Super Rugby matches in 2023. Then this year he suffered a knee injury that kept him off the whole season. Not only that, this season the former Suva Grammar School back also suffered a wrist injury where he had to undergo surgery. “I was able to complete my rehab and I finally got the green light to play again,” he added. Feedback: waisean@fijisun.com.fj
Stock market today: Wall Street rallies ahead of ChristmasOver 1,500 people escape Mozambique prison amid election protestsThe Philadelphia Phillies have been actively seeking ways to enhance their outfield, and while they recently acquired Max Kepler, his skillset leans heavily on defense. Kepler is a reliable presence in the field but lacks the kind of offensive firepower the Phillies need to stay competitive in the National League. To address this imbalance, the Phillies could considering a blockbuster trade to acquire Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. Jim Bowden of The Atheltic presented a good idea: “I would still like to see the Philadelphia make a trade with the White Sox for Luis Robert Jr. and go with an outfield of Nick Castellanos in right field, Robert in center and Brandon Marsh in left...” Robert’s Down Year but Undeniable Potential Luis Robert Jr. experienced a challenging 2024 season, playing just 100 games and posting underwhelming numbers at the plate. He hit .224/.278/.379 with 14 home runs and 35 RBIs, resulting in a disappointing offensive season. Despite the down year, Robert’s underlying potential remains undeniable. Known for his explosive athleticism and raw power, he has previously shown flashes of being a 150 wRC+ hitter when healthy and in form. At just 27 years old, Robert is entering the prime of his career and still possesses the tools to develop into one of the league’s most dynamic offensive forces. His ability to hit for power and play a strong center field would immediately elevate the Phillies’ lineup and outfield defense. A Cost-Controlled Star for the Phillies’ Outfield What makes Robert particularly attractive is his team-friendly contract. He has club options through 2027, giving the Phillies cost certainty and control for several more seasons. With free agency looming in 2028, the Phillies would have multiple years to capitalize on his potential resurgence or explore a long-term extension should he thrive in Philadelphia. What It Would Take to Land Robert Acquiring Robert won’t come cheap. The White Sox will likely demand a significant haul of top-tier prospects and MLB-ready talent in return for their young star. The Phillies would need to part with some of their prized assets, possibly including players like Mick Abel or Andrew Painter, to make the trade a reality. The cost will undoubtedly be steep, but the payoff could be monumental if Robert bounces back and becomes the player many believe he can be. Why This Move Makes Sense The Phillies are built to win now, and adding a player of Robert’s caliber would address one of their most pressing needs. Pairing him with Kepler in the outfield would create a balanced mix of power and defense while providing Bryce Harper and the rest of the lineup with a significant boost. It’s a high-risk, high-reward proposition, but for a team aiming to compete for a World Series, it may be the kind of gamble worth taking. This article first appeared on Empire Sports Media and was syndicated with permission.
LIVING standards will not improve if an EU reset ties Britain to Brussels’ rules, warns a former Brexit adviser. Labour’s plans to align with EU standards would “severely constrain” the UK’s ability to cut costs for families, trade consultant Shanker Singham says. His stark intervention comes after a leak revealed Brussels’ demands to raid British fishing waters, bring back free movement for under-30s, and hand power to European judges in exchange for softer goods checks and a security pact. Mr Singham told The Sun: “The new Government’s mission is to increase household income and decrease household costs. Their success will depend on this. “The Government should therefore look at the EU reset in the wider context. They should ask whether any potential change negatively affects their ability to improve the UK’s regulatory system in goods and services to generate greater household income.” Mr Singham warned that EU rules could harm the UK’s position in trade blocs such as the CPTPP — membership of which is considered a major Brexit dividend. READ MORE ON BREXIT He said: “Dynamic alignment or an agreement that required it would make it difficult to do a deal with the US to avoid Trump tariffs, or even to remain a member of the CPTPP.” He suggested a better move would be to unilaterally recognise EU standards in areas such as food and medicine, while letting manufacturers make different products to export elsewhere. Labour insists its bid to reset ties will not mean having to rejoin the EU.
Joe Biden begins final White House holiday season with turkey pardons for 'Peach' and 'Blossom' WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has kicked off his final holiday season at the White House, issuing the traditional reprieve to two turkeys who will bypass the Thanksgiving table to live out their days in Minnesota. The president welcomed 2,500 guests under sunny skies as he cracked jokes about the fates of “Peach” and “Blossom.” He also sounded wistful tones about the last weeks of his presidency. Later Monday, first lady Jill Biden will receive delivery of the official White House Christmas tree. And the Bidens will travel to New York to help serve a holiday meal at a Coast Guard station. Warren Buffett gives away another $1.1B and plans for distributing his $147B fortune after his death OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Investor Warren Buffett renewed his Thanksgiving tradition of giving by announcing plans Monday to hand more than $1.1 billion of Berkshire Hathaway stock to four of his family's foundations, and he offered new details about who will be handing out the rest of his fortune after his death. Buffett has said previously that his three kids will distribute his remaining $147.4 billion fortune in the 10 years after his death, but now he has also designated successors for them because it’s possible that Buffett’s children could die before giving it all away. Buffett said he has no regrets about his decision to start giving away his fortune in 2006. Bah, humbug! Vandal smashes Ebenezer Scrooge's tombstone used in 'A Christmas Carol' movie LONDON (AP) — If life imitates art, a vandal in the English countryside may be haunted by The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Police in the town of Shrewsbury are investigating how a tombstone at the fictional grave of Ebenezer Scrooge was destroyed. The movie prop used in the 1984 adaption of Charles Dickens' “A Christmas Carol” had become a tourist attraction. The film starred George C. Scott as the cold-hearted curmudgeon who is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve who show him what will become of his life if he doesn’t become a better person. West Mercia Police say the stone was vandalized in the past week. At the crossroads of news and opinion, 'Morning Joe' hosts grapple with aftermath of Trump meeting The reaction of those who defended “Morning Joe” hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski for meeting with President-elect Trump sounds almost quaint in the days of opinionated journalism. Doesn't it makes sense, they said, for hosts of a political news show to meet with such an important figure? But given how “Morning Joe” has attacked Trump, its viewers felt insulted. Many reacted quickly by staying away. It all reflects the broader trend of opinion crowding out traditional journalist in today's marketplace, and the expectations that creates among consumers. By mid-week, the show's audience was less than two-thirds what it has typically been this year. Pop star Ed Sheeran apologizes to Man United boss Ruben Amorim for crashing interview MANCHESTER, England (AP) — British pop star Ed Sheeran has apologized to Ruben Amorim after inadvertently interrupting the new Manchester United head coach during a live television interview. Amorim was talking on Sky Sports after United’s 1-1 draw with Ipswich on Sunday when Sheeran walked up to embrace analyst Jamie Redknapp. The interview was paused before Redknapp told the pop star to “come and say hello in a minute.” Sheeran is a lifelong Ipswich fan and holds a minority stake in the club. He was pictured celebrating after Omari Hutchinson’s equalizing goal in the game at Portman Road. A desert oasis outside of Dubai draws a new caravan: A family of rodents from Argentina AL QUDRA LAKES, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A desert oasis hidden away in the dunes in the far reaches of skyscraper-studded Dubai has drawn a surprising new set of weary world travelers: a pack of Argentinian rodents. A number of Patagonian mara, a rabbit-like mammal with long legs, big ears and a body like a hoofed animal, now roam the grounds of Al Qudra Lakes, typically home to gazelle and other desert creatures of the United Arab Emirates. How they got there remains a mystery in the UAE, a country where exotic animals have ended up in the private homes and farms of the wealthy. But the pack appears to be thriving there and likely have survived several years already in a network of warrens among the dunes. New Zealanders save more than 30 stranded whales by lifting them on sheets WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — More than 30 pilot whales that stranded themselves on a beach in New Zealand have been safely returned to the ocean after conservation workers and residents helped to refloat them by lifting them on sheets. New Zealand’s conservation agency said four whales died. New Zealand is a whale stranding hotspot and pilot whales are especially prolific stranders. The agency praised as “incredible” the efforts made by hundreds of people to help save the foundering pod. A Māori cultural ceremony for the three adult whales and one calf that died in the stranding took place Monday. Rainbow-clad revelers hit Copacabana beach for Rio de Janeiro’s pride parade RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Thousands of revelers have gathered alongside Copacabana beach for Rio de Janeiro’s annual gay pride parade, many scantily dressed and covered in glitter. Rainbow-colored flags, towels and fans abounded among the crowd mostly made up of young revelers, who danced and sang along to music blaring from speakers. While the atmosphere was festive, some spoke of the threat of violence LGBTQ+ people face in Brazil. At least 230 LGBTQ+ Brazilians were victims of violent deaths in 2023, according to the umbrella watchdog group Observatory of LGBTQ+ deaths and violence in Brazil. Stolen shoe mystery solved at Japanese kindergarten when security camera catches weasel in the act TOKYO (AP) — Police thought a shoe thief was on the loose at a kindergarten in southwestern Japan, until a security camera caught the furry culprit in action. A weasel with a tiny shoe in its mouth was spotted on the video footage after police installed three cameras in the school in the prefecture of Fukuoka. “It’s great it turned out not to be a human being,” said Deputy Police Chief Hiroaki Inada. Teachers and parents had feared it could be a disturbed person with a shoe fetish. Japanese customarily take their shoes off before entering homes. The vanished shoes were all slip-ons the children wore indoors, stored in cubbyholes near the door. Social media sites call for Australia to delay its ban on children younger than 16 MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — An advocate for major social media platforms has told Australia's Parliament that a plan to ban children younger than 16 from the sites should be delayed rather than being rushed to approval this week. Sunita Bose is managing director of Digital Industry Group Inc. which is an advocate for the digital industry in Australia including X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. She was answering questions on Monday at a single-day Senate committee hearing into world-first legislation that was introduced into the Parliament last week. Bose said the Parliament should wait until the government-commissioned evaluation of age assurance technologies is completed next year.BETHESDA, Md. , Dec. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- AGNC Investment Corp. (Nasdaq: AGNC) announced today that its Board of Directors has declared a cash dividend of $0.12 per share of common stock for December 2024 . The dividend is payable on January 10, 2025 to common stockholders of record as of December 31, 2024 . For further information or questions, please contact Investor Relations at (301) 968-9300 or IR@AGNC.com . Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
NFL wants elimination of all low blocksBefore November 5th, millions of us were already struggling with poverty, extreme storms, immigration nightmares, anti-trans bills, criminalized reproductive health, the demolition of homeless encampments, the silencing of freedom of speech on campuses... and, of course, the list only goes on and on. Since Donald Trump and J.D. Vance were elected, more of us find ourselves in a state of fear and trembling, given the reports of transgender people attacked in broad daylight, misogynist social media posts threatening “your body, my choice,” Black college students receiving notes about returning to enslavement , and the unhoused beaten and battered . In the wake of the election results, there has also been a flurry of activity in anticipation of the extremist policies Donald Trump and crew are likely to put in place to more deeply harm the nation’s most vulnerable: mass Zoom meetings with MoveOn, the Working Families Party, Indivisible, and more; interfaith prayer services for healing and justice organized by various denominations and ecumenical groups; local actions pulled together by the Women’s March ; community meetings with the hashtag #weareworthfightingfor ; and calls to mobilize for inauguration day and beyond. Although some were surprised by the election outcome, there were others who saw it coming and offered comfort and solidarity to their communities even before the results were in. On the eve of election night, a public elementary school in West Harlem, New York, sent this message to its families: That message came from a Title 1 school, nearly 60% of whose students qualify for free school meals. If Trump keeps up with his promise to close the Department of Education, tens of thousands of public schools across the country, like the one in West Harlem, could lose critical funding and programs that sustain tens of millions of students and their families — that is, if public education isn’t completely privatized in some grim fashion. Of course, not all communities approached Trump’s election with such trepidation. On November 6th, the Bloomberg Billionaire Index reported that the 10 richest men in the world added $64 billion to their own wealth after Donald Trump was declared the winner of the 2024 election. Since then, the stock market has had some of its best days in recent history. After inciting an insurrection at the Capitol, being indicted in state and federal court, convicted of 34 felony counts, and using racist, sexist, and hateful rhetoric prolifically, Donald Trump has gone down in history as the only convicted felon to become an American president, receiving more than 74 million votes and securing 312 electoral college votes. Although an undisputed victory, the outcome relied heavily on a weakened democracy and a polarized economy, drawing on discontent and disarray to regain political power. Indeed, although Donald Trump has the distinct “honor” of being the first Republican to win the popular vote in 20 years, he has done so after more than a decade of assaults on voting rights, unleashed in 2013 when the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act. Over the next 10 years, nearly 100 laws were passed in 29 states that restrict voting access, from omnibus bills to polling location closures, limits on mail-in and absentee voting, harsh ID requirements (including eliminating student ID cards as a valid form of identification), and more. Since 2020, at least 30 states have enacted 78 restrictive laws , 63 of which were in effect in dozens of states during this election. And in 2024 alone, nine states enacted 18 restrictive voting laws , alongside purges of thousands of voters in the days leading up to November 5th. In addition to such prolonged attacks on the right to vote, widespread poverty and economic precarity have become defining characteristics of our impoverished democracy: more than two of every five of us are poor or low-income, and three in five are living paycheck-to-paycheck without affordable healthcare, decent homes, or quality education. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2024 report Poverty in the United States: 2023 , 41% of this country’s population has a household income either under the poverty threshold or just above it, precariously living one emergency away from financial ruin. That translates into approximately 137 million people who are struggling every day to make it through without falling even further behind. Those tens of millions of people include a disproportionate percentage of people of color, including 56.5% of Black people (23.4 million), 61.4% of Latino people (40.2 million), 55.8% of Indigenous people (1.4 million), and 38% of Asian people (8.5 million). They also include nearly one-third of white people, 60 million, and nearly half (49%) of all children in the United States. Such rates are slightly higher for women (42.6%) than for men (39.8%), including 44.6% for elderly women. When tallied up, these numbers mirror pre-pandemic conditions in 2018 and 2019, during which poverty and low-income rates stood at about 40%, impacting 140 million people in every county, state, and region of the country. In other words, in this sick reality of ours, poverty is clearly anything but a marginal experience — and yet, as in the last election, it’s repeatedly minimalized and dismissed in our nation’s politics. In the process, the daily lives of nearly one-third of the electorate are discounted, because among that vast impoverished population, there are approximately 80 million eligible voters described by political strategists as among the most significant blocs of voters to win over. Case in point: In 2020 and 2021, there was a significant dip in the overall number of people who were poor or low-income. Covid pandemic programs that offered financial help also expanded access to health care, food stamps, free school meals, and unemployment insurance, while monthly support from the Child Tax Credit lifted over 20 million people out of poverty and insecurity while increasing protection from evictions and foreclosures. Such programs made millions of people more economically secure than they had been in years. Nonetheless, instead of extending and improving them and potentially gaining the trust of millions of poor and low-income voters, all of these anti-poverty policies were ended by early 2023 . By 2024, not only had the gains against poverty been swiftly erased, but more than 25 million people had been kicked off Medicaid, including millions in battleground states like Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. In that same time period , the Biden administration approved an $895 billion budget for war and another $95 billion in additional aid to Ukraine and Israel. Rather than speaking to such economic crises or pledging to address such pervasive insecurity, over the course of the election season, the Democrats emphasized a rising GDP , a strong job market , and important infrastructure investments made in recent years — macro-economic issues that had little effect on the material well-being of the majority of Americans, especially those struggling with the rising cost of living. For instance, pre-election polling among Latino voters showed that three-quarters (78%) of them had experienced an increase in food and basic living expenses; two-thirds (68%) emphasized the high costs of rent and housing; and nearly three in five (57%) said that their wages weren’t high enough to meet their cost of living and/or they had to take second jobs to make ends meet. When you consider the grim final results of election 2024, such realities — and the decision of the Democrats to functionally disregard poor and low-income voters — should be taken into account. With just over 74 million votes (to Harris’s 71 million), among a voting-eligible population of more than 230 million, Trump actually received only one-third of the possible votes in this election. Nearly 85 million eligible voters simply chose not to turn out. In reality, he won’t enter office with a popular mandate. However, buoyed by a Republican-controlled Senate and House of Representatives, his second term brings with it a profound sense of dread, based on a heightened awareness of the policies that Trump 2.0 is likely to carry forward (laid bare in the Heritage Foundation’s nearly 900-page pre-election Project 2025 mandate ). From mass deportations to assaults on social-welfare programs, housing programs, reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ families, and public education, millions of people could be thrown into crisis, with alarmingly fewer ways to resist or express dissent, especially given Trump’s long-time willingness to use military force to quell protest. With the passage of the “ non-profit killer bill ” in the House of Representatives (before Trump even takes office), the infrastructure of resistance is also under threat. Add to all this: Trump has already started talking about overhauling the Medicaid and food-stamp programs that benefit at least 70 million poor and low-income people to offset the costs of extending tax cuts to billionaires and corporations. All of this brings us to the Bible. Poverty was both severe and all too common in Jesus’s day. Ninety percent of the population in the Roman empire was believed to have been poor, with a class of expendable low-wage workers (to which some historians suggest Jesus belonged) so poor that many only lived remarkably brief lives in utter precarity. Shifts in farming and fishing had catapulted some people into great new wealth but left the vast majority struggling for basics like food and housing. Many of the impoverished subjects of the Roman Empire joined political and religious renewal movements, which took various forms and used various tactics to resist these and other injustices. Some readers may be familiar with the decadence and violence of the Roman Emperor Nero. Popularly known as the anti-Christ , he came to power after Jesus walked the earth, but as is clear from his nickname, had a grave impact on many of Jesus’s followers. Nero was, of course, the one who was accused of “fiddling while Rome is burning” — holding lavish banquets, using and abusing (even possibly raping) some of his poor subjects, persecuting Christians, and bringing about the decline and eventual fall of the Roman empire through his authoritarian rule and decadent overspending. As detailed in Luke’s Gospel, during the last week of his life, Jesus turned to the people of Jerusalem and wept. He described the profound suffering they had been enduring and instructed them to brace themselves for the suffering still to come, saying, “For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” This line foreshadows Jesus’s death on the cross (an execution reserved for those who dared to challenge the Roman Empire and its emperors), the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, and the persecution of his poor followers who continued to practice mutual solidarity, even after that crucifixion. Writing decades later, the author of Luke’s gospel may have been offering a warning about emperors like Nero that would foreshadow later times. Luke had the benefit of hindsight in the wake of Jesus’s life and death in which there was not exactly a lot of good news about the canceling of debts, the release of those enslaved to unjust structures, or the prosperity of the poor (of the sort Jesus had called for when he started his public ministry). Rather, those who dared to stand up to Rome were being persecuted, while so many others were being overworked and underpaid in a society that was faltering. Two thousand years later, this sounds all too familiar, doesn’t it? Looking at Donald Trump’s new appointments and his (and his cronies’) plans for “making America great again,” you really have to wonder: if the poor and our democracy were suffering before Trump was reelected, what will happen now? If, amid relative abundance, the poor were already being abandoned, what will indeed occur when those with the power to distribute that abundance, and protect our air, water, and land, openly disdain the “least of these,” who are most of us, and instead favor the wealthy and powerful? Donald Trump may liken himself to Jesus in his media appearances and election rallies, but his words and actions actually resemble those of Nero and other Roman emperors. With claims that “I alone can fix your problems” and bread-and-circus rallies like the pre-election one he held at Madison Square Garden, perhaps a more accurate parallel with the incoming administration may, in fact, be Nero and his cronies who stood against Jesus and his mission to end poverty. If so, then for those committed to the biblical call for a safe and abundant life for all, such times demand that we focus on building the strength and power of the people. During the fall of the Roman Empire, poor and dispossessed communities banded together to build a movement where everyone would be accepted and all needs would be met. Don’t you hear echoes of that in the words and actions of that school in West Harlem, so deeply concerned about its families, and the community actions proclaiming that “we are worth fighting for”? Such communities of yesteryear knew a truth that is all the more important today: lives and livelihoods will be saved, if at all, from below, rather than on high. As we approach a new year and the inauguration of Donald Trump (on Martin Luther King Day, no less), let us take to heart a favorite slogan of the authors: “When we lift from the bottom, everybody rises.” This is the only way forward.
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