WASHINGTON — Donald Trump said he can't guarantee his promised tariffs on key U.S. foreign trade partners won't raise prices for American consumers and suggested once more that some political rivals and federal officials who pursued legal cases against him should be imprisoned. The president-elect, in a wide-ranging interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" that aired Sunday, also touched on monetary policy, immigration, abortion and health care, and U.S. involvement in Ukraine, Israel and elsewhere. Trump often mixed declarative statements with caveats, at one point cautioning "things do change." Here's a look at some of the issues covered: Trump threatened broad trade penalties, but said he didn't believe economists' predictions that added costs on those imported goods for American companies would lead to higher domestic prices for consumers. He stopped short of a pledge that U.S. an households won't be paying more as they shop. "I can't guarantee anything. I can't guarantee tomorrow," Trump said, seeming to open the door to accepting the reality of how import levies typically work as goods reach the retail market. That's a different approach from Trump's typical speeches throughout the 2024 campaign, when he framed his election as a sure way to curb inflation. In the interview, Trump defended tariffs generally, saying that tariffs are "going to make us rich." He has pledged that, on his first day in office in January, he would impose 25% tariffs on all goods imported from Mexico and Canada unless those countries satisfactorily stop illegal immigration and the flow of illegal drugs such as fentanyl into the United States. He also has threatened tariffs on China to help force that country to crack down on fentanyl production. "All I want to do is I want to have a level, fast, but fair playing field," Trump said. He offered conflicting statements on how he would approach the justice system after winning election despite being convicted of 34 felonies in a New York state court and being indicted in other cases for his handling of national security secrets and efforts to overturn his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden. "Honestly, they should go to jail," Trump said of members of Congress who investigated the Capitol riot by his supporters who wanted him to remain in power. The president-elect underscored his contention that he can use the justice system against others, including special prosecutor Jack Smith, who led the case on Trump's role in the siege on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump confirmed his plan to pardon supporters who were convicted for their roles in the riot, saying he would take that action on his first day in office. As for the idea of revenge driving potential prosecutions, Trump said: "I have the absolute right. I'm the chief law enforcement officer, you do know that. I'm the president. But I'm not interested in that." At the same time, Trump singled out lawmakers on a special House committee who investigated the insurrection, citing Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo. "Cheney was behind it ... so was Bennie Thompson and everybody on that committee," Trump said. Asked specifically whether he would direct his administration to pursue cases, he said, "No," and suggested he did not expect the FBI to quickly undertake investigations into his political enemies. At another point, Trump said he would leave the matter up to Pam Bondi, his pick as attorney general. "I want her to do what she wants to do," he said. Such threats, regardless of Trump's inconsistencies, have been taken seriously enough by many top Democrats that Biden is considering issuing blanket, preemptive pardons to protect key members of his outgoing administration. Trump did seemingly back off his campaign rhetoric calling for Biden to be investigated, saying, "I'm not looking to go back into the past." Trump repeatedly mentioned his promises to seal the U.S.-Mexico border and deport millions of people who are in the U.S. illegally through a mass deportation program. "I think you have to do it," he said. He suggested he would try to use executive action to end "birthright" citizenship under which people born in the U.S. are considered citizens — though such protections are spelled out in the Constitution. Asked specifically about the future for people who were brought into the country illegally as children and were shielded from deportation in recent years, Trump said, "I want to work something out," indicating he might seek a solution with Congress. But Trump also said he does not "want to be breaking up families" of mixed legal status, "so the only way you don't break up the family is you keep them together and you have to send them all back." Long a critic of NATO members for not spending more on their own defense, Trump said he "absolutely" would remain in the alliance "if they pay their bills." Pressed on whether he would withdraw if he were dissatisfied with allies' commitments, Trump said he wants the U.S. treated "fairly" on trade and defense. He waffled on a NATO priority of containing Russia and President Vladimir Putin. Trump suggested Ukraine should prepare for less U.S. aid in its defense against Putin's invasion. "Possibly. Yeah, probably. Sure," Trump said of reducing Ukraine assistance from Washington. Separately, Trump called for an immediate cease-fire. Asked about Putin, Trump said initially that he has not talked to the Russian leader since Election Day last month, but then hedged. "I haven't spoken to him recently," Trump said when pressed, adding that he did not want to "impede the negotiation." The president-elect said he has no intention, at least for now, of asking Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to step down before Powell's term ends in 2028. Trump said during the campaign that presidents should have more say in Fed policy, including interest rates. Trump did not offer any job assurances for FBI Director Christopher Wray, whose term is to end in 2027. Asked about Wray, Trump said: "Well, I mean, it would sort of seem pretty obvious" that if the Senate confirms Kash Patel as Trump's pick for FBI chief, then "he's going to be taking somebody's place, right? Somebody is the man that you're talking about." Trump promised that the government efficiency effort led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will not threaten Social Security. "We're not touching Social Security, other than we make it more efficient," he said. He added that "we're not raising ages or any of that stuff." He was not so specific about abortion or his long-promised overhaul of the Affordable Care Act. On abortion, Trump continued his inconsistencies and said he would "probably" not move to restrict access to the abortion pills that now account for a majority of pregnancy terminations, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights. But pressed on whether he would commit to that position, Trump replied, "Well, I commit. I mean, are — things do — things change. I think they change." Reprising a line from his Sept. 10 debate against Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump again said he had "concepts" of a plan to substitute for the 2010 Affordable Care Act, which he called "lousy health care." He added a promise that any Trump version would maintain insurance protections for Americans with preexisting health conditions. He did not explain how such a design would be different from the status quo or how he could deliver on his desire for "better health care for less money."Simon Harris says ‘all to play for’ in Irish General Election despite Fine Gael polling slideFace tattoos have been slowly gaining popularity what with artists like 6ix9ine, XXXTenacion, and other famous names that defy literacy wearing them. Even in Japan where all tattoos still have somewhat of a lingering stigma to them, you might spot the rare face tattoo here and there. That being said, face tattoos like the one on Masashi Echizenya are quite rare. So much so that his perp walk on the TV news showing him staring right at the cameras with a tattoo of a snake wrapped around most of his face and what appears to be a grill is easily the most striking one we’ve seen in Japan all year. ▼ A news report on the arrest: It’s worth sticking around for the CGI re-enactment. The 49-year-old Echizenya was arrested after an incident on 15 November in which he is suspected of shoplifting and assault. The store clerk suspected him of stealing items, causing him to run out of the store. The clerk went in pursuit and Echizenya allegedly headbutted him in the face multiple times. The serpentine suspect then fled again, dropping a bottle of coffee and two baked goods in the process. Most people reading this will probably not be shocked that such a man could be capable of this crime. However, when reporters interviewed his neighbors in Tokyo, they generally thought of him as a mild-mannered guy. “I would bump into him in the laundry room,” said one neighbor, “and at first I was really surprised, but when he talked he was always soft-spoken and quite polite.” Another neighbor admitted that he looked like a tough guy but always greeted people in a cheery voice, saying, “He didn’t seem like a bad person. He just looked like one.” The testimonies that Echizenya comes across as a big old softy are supported by the fact the store clerk actually bothered to chase him. As a general rule, if a guy with a snake tattooed on his face did that on my watch, my minimum-wage-earning butt would stay firmly behind the counter and call the police. After all, the guy’s pretty easy to give a description of. So, it would seem that this clerk was under the assumption he could have apprehended the suspect but instead ended up with injuries that are expected to take two weeks to recover from. Meanwhile, Echizenya is exercising his right to remain silent in police custody for the time being, leaving readers of the news unclear about what his deal is. Nevertheless, there’s a general agreement that the facts of the case speak for themselves. “It really shows you the power of a polite greeting.” “I know it’s wrong to have a bad impression of people with tattoos but I’d be scared if that guy greeted me.” “That face is a good life hack to keep you on welfare the rest of your life because no one’s going to hire you.” “Maybe he could be a TV personality. Guys with faces like that usually have some interesting stories.” “He might really be a good guy, but how can you not judge him by that appearance?” “His greeting would have to be inhumanly cheery for me not to be terrified of him.” “Maybe he’s like that guy in Ushijima the Loan Shark who had to get the tattoo as a punishment.” “He’s going to have to do a little better than just saying hello to win me over.” “It’s really hard to fit into Japanese society looking like that. He was probably just broke and hungry.” “Being nice like that is just a standard beggar’s technique. That’s all.” Following his arrest and these comments, subsequent investigations by both the police and media found that Echizenya was indeed a notorious mooch among the larger community. He was reportedly often seen standing by vending machines and calling out to passersby for 100 yen to buy a drink, bumming cigarettes off anyone he could, and just making people uncomfortable all around. A look into his social media presence also revealed that in addition to the snake tattoo and grill, he had his tongue surgically forked. Source: FNN Prime Online, Shueisha Online, Hachima Kiko Read more stories from SoraNews24. -- Criminals of Japan’s Edo Period Were Often Punished by Getting Face Tattoos -- Big win for tattoo artists: Japan’s Supreme Court rules medical licenses aren’t necessary -- Japanese lawyer comments on legality of tattoo ban at hot springs, netizens share thoughts too
WINTER viruses and bugs are spreading around the country – but there is a way to remain well by simply reaching into your kitchen cupboard. Luckily, fuelling your body from the inside out to fight off nasties does not have to cost a fortune if you know what to buy . 8 Check your kitchen cupboard for household items that can act as remedies against colds Credit: Getty 8 Stock cubes can boost your vitamin A, B, K and E as well as calcium, selenium and zinc Credit: Getty Laura Stott looks at the best budget supermarket foods you can buy that will help you combat common cold-weather worries, all for around a pound. Stock Cubes - Immune System Booster NUTRITIOUS broth is cheap to make or buy, will warm you up and is perfect for winter-proofing health. Experts agree its vitamin, amino acid and mineral density can boost your immune system to prevent cold and flu bugs taking hold, bolstering levels of vitamin A, B, K and E as well as providing helpful calcium, selenium and zinc. Buy ready-made from supermarkets or make your own by simmering chicken, beef or pork bones along with veggies and herbs in a large stock pot over a low heat for 20 minutes. READ MORE ON MEDICINES MUG OFF Lemsip and other cold and flu remedies are 'not effective', experts claim A-CHOO KNEW? Warning as popular over-the-counter cold & flu remedy could 'worsen breathing' You can even dissolve a stock cube in boiling water for benefits . Try: Asda beef stock cubes (12-pack) 80p. Sushi - Vitamin B12 8 Eating sushi can boost your vitamin B12 and help those suffering with anxiety Credit: Getty A TRAY of sushi wrapped in nori seaweed can provide helpful vitamin B12. It is scientifically proven to benefit those who suffer from depression or anxiety brought on by Seasonal Affective Disorder or winter blues. Most read in Health MY AGONY I blamed the weather when Olivia got sick, now we're making precious Xmas memories MY SHOCK I thought I was just overworked but killer cancer was silently spreading inside me BUG SURGE Urgent warning to Scots as norovirus cases surge across country 'RIPPED APART' My unborn baby nearly died after her big sister caught common bug at school Upping levels of B12 will also help strengthen the immune system to fight off seasonal viruses. Seaweed, used as an ingredient in most packets of supermarket sushi, contains a compound shown to reduce viral loads, with some studies also suggesting it can shorten the lifespan of a cold. Swap your sandwich for sushi once or twice a week, or switch ready salted for seaweed crisps instead. Try: Tesco veggie sushi, 55g, £1.30. I get such cold feet so tried a game-changing device which costs just 2p an hour to run - it got me toasty in 10 minutes (1) 8 Eggs are a cheaper way than oysters to top up with more zinc Credit: Getty Eggs - Zinc and Vitamin D ONE study found the mineral zinc can help shorten the life of a common cold by as much as 30 per cent. Making sure you have a healthy amount in your diet is sensible for combating bugs. Oysters are one of the most well-known dietary sources of zinc. But as well as being an acquired taste, shelling out on them won’t come cheap. Instead, up your levels with eggs. A large one provides around seven per cent of your RDA of zinc. So whether you fry, boil or whisk up a few for an omelette, they are a great way to stay well over winter. Try: Free-range medium eggs (six-pack) £1.60, Sainsbury’s. Cornflakes (or any fortified cereal) - Iron 8 Cornflakes and other cereals are packed with vitamins and minerals Credit: Getty A BOWL of cornflakes for brekkie over the winter could be just as beneficial for your health as shelling out for a winter multivitamin. Most UK cereals are fortified with vitamins and minerals, making them a great way to up your intake of natural essentials such as iron, calcium, vitamin B6 and folic acid. Iron aids energy levels by boosting red blood cell proteins, and helps circulation for when the temperature drops. A standard-sized bowl of supermarket flakes provides almost 3mg of iron – the same as a serving of spinach. Try: Morrisons cornflakes, 79p. Sardines - Vitamin D booster 8 Tinned sardines contain around 40 per cent of an adult’s recommended daily Vitamin D allowance in one can Credit: Getty NHS guidelines recommend all adults in the UK should increase their intake of food rich in vitamin D, or consider taking a 10mg supplement daily from October to March. Vitamin D is crucial for bone, teeth and muscle health but our bodies cannot make it naturally without enough sunlight. Food sources include oysters and steak fillets but one rich source is available for less than £1. Tinned sardines contain around 40 per cent of an adult’s recommended daily allowance in one can, making them a great, healthy budget buy. Have them on toast, mixed into a pasta sauce or enjoy on a pizza. Try: Aldi sardines in tomato sauce, 49p. Jacket Potatoes - Potassium 8 Jacket potatoes are tasty and full of vitamin C and potassium Credit: Getty NATURALLY high in potassium and vitamin C, the humble spud is the perfect winter warmer. They cost pennies but help to boost our immune system, fight off infections and provide the comforting starchy carbs many of us will find ourselves craving for energy at this time of year. Around 100g of spuds will give you 20mg of vitamin C and 421mg of potassium. But whether you opt for roast, boiled or chipped tatties, for maximum benefits make sure you leave the skin on. A jacket spud is ideal, and you can add baked beans for protein and fibre. Try: Baking potatoes (four) 59p, Asda. Peanut Butter - Vitamin E IF you suffer with itchy, flaking, dry and chapped skin in the winter, increase your levels of vitamin E, which is a vital component to keep it healthy. It helps skin hold on to water and naturally boosts moisture levels. All nuts are a great source but can be expensive. A jar of supermarket own-brand peanut butter will save you pounds. Around two tablespoons give you almost 20 per cent of an adult RDA of vitamin E and will taste great. Jars with a low sugar content will be even better for you. Try: Tesco crunchy peanut butter, 340g, £1.09. Tinned Tomatoes - Vitamin C 8 Tomato soup will warm you up and help your vitamin C levels Credit: Getty VITAMIN C helps keep our immune systems fortified so we have the best chance of swerving those pesky cold and flu bugs. It will also combat rough and itchy seasonal skin conditions. A medium-sized tomato contains 17 per cent of an adult’s RDA of vitamin C, and tomato sauce is a great way to get a boost. Use fresh tomatoes for maximum benefit by making a sauce for spag bol, scattering into a lasagne or dicing and adding to stews. Read more on the Scottish Sun COMIC'S CASTLE Still Game star takes £150,000 hit to offload luxury £4m Scots castle HITTING THE HIGH NOTES Much-loved pub named best music bar in Scotland Or stock up on tinned tommies for the winter months. Try: Sainsbury’s tinned chopped tomatoes, 400g, 47p.Syrians poured into streets in celebration on Sunday after a stunning rebel advance reached the capital, ending the Assad family’s 50 years of iron rule . Russian state news agencies were reporting that President Bashar Assad and his family had arrived in Moscow and were given asylum. Russia said Assad left the country after negotiations with rebel groups and that he had given instructions to transfer power peacefully. Joyful crowds gathered in central squares in Damascus, waving the Syrian revolutionary flag. Others ransacked the presidential palace and residence. Abu Mohammed al-Golani , a former al-Qaida commander who cut ties with the group years ago leads the biggest rebel faction in Syria and is poised to chart the country’s future. He made his first public appearance since fighters entered the Damascus suburbs Saturday, at the capital’s sprawling Umayyad Mosque, and called himself by his given name, Ahmad al-Sharaa. He said Assad’s fall was “a victory to the Islamic nation.” The rapidly developing events have shaken the region. Lebanon said it was closing all its land border crossings with Syria except for one that links Beirut with Damascus. Jordan closed a border crossing with Syria, too. Israel has issued warnings to villages in southern Syria and its forces seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights. Here's the Latest: The Israeli military said on Sunday it was reinforcing a barrier along its border with Syria as part of its “enhanced preparedness” in the area following the fall of the Assad regime. Israel released images of the construction, which showed bulldozers digging what appeared to be a trench. The army said in a statement that the barrier was named “New East.” Satellite images analyzed by The Associated Press show that as early as September, Israel began building what could be a new road right along the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria . The United Nations confirmed that Israeli troops entered the demilitarized zone during the work. Over the weekend, the Israeli military sent additional troops to the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights to bolster Israel’s presence along the border with Syria. Russian state news agencies reported that ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad has arrived in Moscow with his family and been given asylum. The agencies, Tass and RIA, cited an unidentified Kremlin source. The Associated Press was not immediately able to verify the reports but had contacted the Kremlin for comment. CAIRO — The Arab League on Sunday condemned Israel for taking advantage of Syrian President Bashar Assad's downfall by moving into more Syrian territory. Hours after Assad’s overthrow, Israel announced it had seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights that was established by a cease-fire agreement with Syria in 1974. In a statement, the Arab League said Israel illegally sought to occupy more territories. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the 50-year-old agreement regarding Syrian territory had collapsed and that Syrian troops had abandoned their positions, necessitating Israel taking over as a “temporary defensive position.” UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations secretary-general is marking the “fall of the dictatorial regime” in Syria and says the future of the country is “is a matter for the Syrians to determine.” A statement by Antonio Guterres also called for calm and the protection of the rights of all Syrians as well as of diplomatic and consular facilities in Syria. He said there is much work ahead to ensure an “orderly political transition to renewed institutions,” and he called on the international community to ensure that “any political transition is inclusive and comprehensive and that it meets the legitimate aspirations of the people of Syria, in all their diversity.” KYIV, Ukraine - Ukraine’s top diplomat on Sunday responded to Assad’s ouster by describing him as a “dictator” who relied on Russia to prop up his rule - a reference to the military campaign Moscow has waged in Syria since September 2015, teaming up with Iran to allow Assad’s government to fight armed opposition groups and reclaim control over most of the country. "Assad has fallen. This has always been and will be the case with all dictators who bet on Putin. He always betrays those who rely on him,” foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said in a post on X. In a separate update on the social network, Sybiha said Kyiv was ready to take steps towards restoring relations with Syria, severed months into Russia’s full-scale invasion of the neighboring state. Kyiv broke off diplomatic ties after Damascus in June 2022 recognized Kremlin-occupied parts of eastern Ukraine as independent territories, in a move welcomed by Moscow and decried by the West as a clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty. JERUSALEM — The Israeli military has issued a warning to residents of five villages and towns in southern Syria to stay inside their homes for their safety. “The fighting in your area is forcing the IDF to act,” the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman said on X. The military didn’t respond to questions. Earlier, Israel said its troops had seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights established in 1974, saying it was to protect Israeli residents after Syrian troops abandoned their positions. Defense Minister Israel Katz said on X that the IDF has been instructed to “seize the buffer zone and control points to ensure the protection of all Israeli communities in the Golan Heights – Jewish and Druze – so that they are not exposed to threats from the other side.” Israel captured the Golan in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed it. The international community, except for the United States, views it as occupied. BEIRUT - The leader of the largest insurgent group in Syria visited the Syrian capital’s sprawling Umayyad Mosque and declared that the victory against President Bashar Assad “is a victory to the Islamic nation.” Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, made his first public appearance and remarks since fighters entered Damascus. He told hundreds of people at the historic mosque that Assad had made Syria “a farm for Iran’s greed.” He added that Assad made Syria a base for the illegal amphetamine Captagon that brought cash to Assad’s circles. Al-Sharaa, the leader of the jihadi Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, said Sunday that the victory was achieved because of “God and the blood of martyrs.” He said that he left Syria 20 years ago and since then his heart has longed for this movement. AMMAN, Jordan — The vast majority of the Jordanian people are welcoming the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime and the success of the Syrian revolution. “There is no doubt that I felt overwhelming joy at the fall of the Assad regime," said Badi Al-Rafaia, Engineer, union activist and member of the Islamic Action Front. "There is no doubt that we are happy with what happened in Syria, happy with the success of the revolution, happy with the Syrian people getting rid of an oppressor and criminal who treated the Syrian people and made the Syrian state a failed state.” Al-Rafaia said that Jordan is benefiting from what happened in Syria, and "we hope that Jordan will help the revolution succeed and not work against it.” Amman resident Muhab al-Majali said the fall of the Assad regime is “The end of every unjust and tyrannical rule, and more than that, it mortgaged the country and its people to the Iranians, who abandoned it in minutes... I believe that the future is beautiful and prosperous for the Syrians.” BERLIN — The International Committee of the Red Cross is calling for safe humanitarian access and protection of civilians in Syria after the fall of Bashir Assad’s government. “Our teams in Syria, including in Damascus, have been closely monitoring the fast-evolving security and humanitarian situation in coordination with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent,” the ICRC’s head of delegation in Syria, Stephan Sakalian, said in a written statement Sunday. The ICRC is “responding wherever possible, with further efforts underway, as hundreds of thousands of people need care and humanitarian assistance,” he said. Sakalian called “on all parties to urgently enable safe and unhindered access for medical and humanitarian workers to reach those in need, to protect civilians, and to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law.” BAGHDAD — The Iraqi government said in a statement Sunday that it “supports all international and regional efforts seeking to open a dialogue” for Syria “leading to the adoption of a pluralistic constitution that preserves the human and civil rights of Syrians, and supports cultural, ethnic and religious diversity.” The statement from government spokesperson Bassem al-Awadi, said that Iraq understands “the necessity of respecting the free will of all Syrians, and stresses that the security of Syria, the unity of its territories, and the preservation of its independence are of utmost importance, not only for Iraq but also for its connection to the security and stability of the region.” It cautioned against “interfering in Syria’s internal affairs, or supporting one party for the benefit of another.” Iraq, which has a close relationship with Iran - once a strong ally of former Syrian President Bashar Assad - has taken in some 2,000 Syrian army soldiers who fled the country amid the advance of armed opposition groups. CAIRO — The head of Yemen’s internationally recognized government welcomed the fall of the government of President Bashar Assad of Syria. “It’s a historic moment,” Rashad al-Alimi, who chairs the ruling presidential council, wrote on X platform of Assad’s downfall. “It’s time for the Iranian regime to stop meddling in Yemen, respect its sovereignty and identity.” Al-Alimi, who is backed by Saudi Arabia, was referring to Iran’s support of Houthi rebels who are at war with Yemen’s internationally recognized government for a decade. DAMASCUS — Families wandered through the high-ceilinged halls of the presidential palace in Damascus on Sunday, along with some armed men. Some paused to take family portraits or selfies on the few remaining couches against the backdrop of mosaiced walls, while others walked out with chairs and other items under their arms. On the massive parking lot out front, cars drove in circles honking ecstatically. In central Damascus’ Umayyad Square, drivers passing by also honked jubilantly, while young men piled onto a tank abandoned in the square. But for some the celebration was bittersweet. “I am very happy, but this happiness will not be completed until I can see my son out of the prison and know where is he is,” said Damascus resident Bassam Masr. “I have been searching for him for two hours - he has been detained for 13 years.” TEL AVIV, Israel – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israeli forces have seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights established by a 1974 ceasefire agreement with Syria. He spoke from an overlook near the border between Syria and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, after Syrian rebels tore through the country and dramatically ended Assad’s rule on Sunday morning. Netanyahu said the 50-year-old agreement had collapsed and that Syrian troops had abandoned their positions, necessitating the Israeli takeover as a “temporary defensive position.” Israel captured the Golan Heights in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it. The international community, except for the United States, views it as occupied Syrian territory. Satellite images analyzed by the Associated Press show that as early as September, Israel began construction of what could possibly be a new road right along the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria . The United Nations confirmed that Israeli troops entered the demilitarized zone during the work. The United Nations maintains a peacekeeping force in the demilitarized zone called the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, or UNDOF, with around 1,100 peacekeepers from Fiji, India, Kazakhstan, Nepal, and Uruguay. After the 1973 Mideast war, the U.N. Secretary Council voted to create UNDOF to patrol a roughly 400 square kilometer (155 square mile) demilitarized zone and maintain the peace there. DAMASCUS, Syria — An Associated Press journalist in Damascus reported airstrikes in the area of the Mezzeh military airport, southwest of the capital Sunday. The airport has previously been targeted in Israeli airstrikes, but it was not immediately clear who launched Sunday's strike. The Israeli military refused to comment on the airport strike. Israel often does not publicly claim responsibility for attacks in Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, reported that Israeli warplanes also targeted warehouses belonging to the Syrian army’s Fourth Division and another former military site outside of Damascus Sunday. On Saturday and Sunday, the Israeli military sent additional troops to the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights to bolster Israel’s presence along the border between Israel and Syria. Agricultural areas along the border were declared closed military zones and some schools shifted to online classes in anticipation of unrest.This review contains spoilers Over nine weeks of polite baking, this year’s Bake Off batch of 12 have been whittled down to just three. But only one could take home the prized glass cake stand – will it be risk-taking wunderkind Dylan, consistent maestra Georgie, or fastidious maverick Christiaan? Despite summoning all the interest I could muster, I ultimately found precious little to sink my teeth into. For their last signature bake, the trio were tasked with making two batches of scones – 12 sweet, 12 savoury. True to form, Christiaan threw every flavour at the challenge, combining curry, chilli and feta for his savoury scones and coconut and passionfruit for his sweet, while Georgie added raspberries to her sweet mix, mixing olives, cheese and herbs for her savoury. When Dylan (who whipped up pickled strawberries for sweet and celeriac salmon for savoury) and Georgie’s first batches weren’t up to scratch, they had to remake them. This setback seemed to herald the beginning of the end for Dylan – the onset of whatever the televised baking equivalent of the yips is. As the clock ran down, Christiaan ran over to help him with some last-minute piping – but it was too little, too late. When it came time for judging, Christiaan’s neat little discs were a hit, and Georgie’s were messier but ultimately tasty. Dylan’s were a mixed bag – his savoury scones were apparently delicious (they looked like a small horse had trotted over them) and as for his sweet ones, the flavours just weren’t strong enough. Read Next Ban the Hollywood Handshake, sack Noel and turn on the aircon: How to fix Bake Off Visibly shaken by his slip up, you could practically see the 20-year-old internally painting himself into an anxious corner. It was heartbreaking, but the dash of emotional peril did brighten up an otherwise pretty dull finale. All of a sudden, I actually cared how one of the contestants did – a novel feeling, as we approached the technical. Charged with making an afternoon tea display of lemon sandwich cakes, strawberry tarts and egg rolls, the technical tested the bakers’ organisational skills as much as their cooking. “Mess up one of those things and it could snowball,” said judge Paul Hollywood and I’m afraid that for poor Dylan, who had completely psyched himself out by this point, his words proved to be a prophecy. From his messy plaited rolls to his sunken mini sponges, it seemed nothing was going Dylan’s way. He came last and vowed that tomorrow’s showstopper would be “perfect”. More of a nail-nibbling promise, than a nail-biting one. Entering the tent for the final time, the bakers had to make a three-tiered hanging cake, complete with two fillings and exquisite decoration. Georgie excelled, her lemon, strawberry and champagne extravaganza looking as beautiful as it apparently tasted when the judges came to sample it. As for Christiaan, his decision to use experimental flavours – including liquorice in his raspberry jam – ended up hurting his chances, and when Paul pronounced his cake “slightly overbaked” it seemed clear that he was out of the running. But what of our Dylan ? Could he pull it back from the brink? I’m afraid not. Like anyone who has found themselves in an inexplicable rut, Dylan soon discovered lumps of flour in his Genoese sponge, at which point he seemed to (understandably) check out altogether. Ultimately, lovely Georgie was pronounced the winner, proving that the psychology of competition can be as pivotal as technical prowess. While it was hard to watch Dylan lose his nerve, his relatable battle with himself proved the episode’s most interesting arc. Bake Off has been described as stale (an accusation that, frankly, the final did little to counter) but it’s at its most interesting when human idiosyncrasies are added to the mix along with raspberries. Congratulations Georgie, and chin up, Dylan – it happens to the best of us.Amidst the backdrop of these intriguing developments, concerns have emerged over the form of AC Milan's left-back, Theo Hernandez. The French defender, who has been a standout performer for the Rossoneri in recent seasons, has seen his form come under scrutiny in recent weeks. While Hernandez's talent and potential are undeniable, questions have been raised about his consistency and impact on the pitch. As Milan look to maintain their title challenge and secure a strong finish in Serie A, the performance of key players like Hernandez will be crucial to their success.
Recently, there have been rumors circulating online about Tianjin launching a "Free Education Assistance Program" to help students in need. However, the Tianjin City Education Commission has issued a statement refuting these claims, clarifying that the information is entirely false.In conclusion, "Moonlight Bang!" is a film that promises to deliver big laughs, heartwarming moments, and a memorable cinematic experience. With its stellar cast and engaging storyline, this comedy is sure to leave a lasting impression on audiences and establish itself as a classic in the world of Chinese cinema. Get ready to laugh, cry, and cheer as Fei Xiang, Ma Dongxi, and Song Xiaobao take audiences on a wild and hilarious ride in "Moonlight Bang!"
Darius Tahir | (TNS) KFF Health News President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to run the sprawling government agency that administers Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act marketplace — celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz — recently held broad investments in health care, tech, and food companies that would pose significant conflicts of interest. Oz’s holdings, some shared with family, included a stake in UnitedHealth Group worth as much as $600,000, as well as shares of pharmaceutical firms and tech companies with business in the health care sector, such as Amazon. Collectively, Oz’s investments total tens of millions of dollars, according to financial disclosures he filed during his failed 2022 run for a Pennsylvania U.S. Senate seat. Trump said Tuesday he would nominate Oz as administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The agency’s scope is huge: CMS oversees coverage for more than 160 million Americans, nearly half the population. Medicare alone accounts for approximately $1 trillion in annual spending, with over 67 million enrollees. UnitedHealth Group is one of the largest health care companies in the nation and arguably the most important business partner of CMS, through which it is the leading provider of commercial health plans available to Medicare beneficiaries. UnitedHealth also offers managed-care plans under Medicaid, the joint state-federal program for low-income people, and sells plans on government-run marketplaces set up via the Affordable Care Act. Oz also had smaller stakes in CVS Health, which now includes the insurer Aetna, and in the insurer Cigna. It’s not clear if Oz, a heart surgeon by training, still holds investments in health care companies, or if he would divest his shares or otherwise seek to mitigate conflicts of interest should he be confirmed by the Senate. Reached by phone on Wednesday, he said he was in a Zoom meeting and declined to comment. An assistant did not reply to an email message with detailed questions. “It’s obvious that over the years he’s cultivated an interest in the pharmaceutical industry and the insurance industry,” said Peter Lurie, president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a watchdog group. “That raises a question of whether he can be trusted to act on behalf of the American people.” (The publisher of KFF Health News, David Rousseau, is on the CSPI board .) Oz used his TikTok page on multiple occasions in November to praise Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., including their efforts to take on the “illness-industrial complex,” and he slammed “so-called experts like the big medical societies” for dishing out what he called bad nutritional advice. Oz’s positions on health policy have been chameleonic; in 2010, he cut an ad urging Californians to sign up for insurance under President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, telling viewers they had a “historic opportunity.” Oz’s 2022 financial disclosures show that the television star invested a substantial part of his wealth in health care and food firms. Were he confirmed to run CMS, his job would involve interacting with giants of the industry that have contributed to his wealth. Given the breadth of his investments, it would be difficult for Oz to recuse himself from matters affecting his assets, if he still holds them. “He could spend his time in a rocking chair” if that happened, Lurie said. In the past, nominees for government positions with similar potential conflicts of interest have chosen to sell the assets or otherwise divest themselves. For instance, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Attorney General Merrick Garland agreed to divest their holdings in relevant, publicly traded companies when they joined the Biden administration. Trump, however, declined in his first term to relinquish control of his own companies and other assets while in office, and he isn’t expected to do so in his second term. He has not publicly indicated concern about his subordinates’ financial holdings. CMS’ main job is to administer Medicare. About half of new enrollees now choose Medicare Advantage, in which commercial insurers provide their health coverage, instead of the traditional, government-run program, according to an analysis from KFF, a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News. Proponents of Medicare Advantage say the private plans offer more compelling services than the government and better manage the costs of care. Critics note that Medicare Advantage plans have a long history of costing taxpayers more than the traditional program. UnitedHealth, CVS, and Cigna are all substantial players in the Medicare Advantage market. It’s not always a good relationship with the government. The Department of Justice filed a 2017 complaint against UnitedHealth alleging the company used false information to inflate charges to the government. The case is ongoing. Oz is an enthusiastic proponent of Medicare Advantage. In 2020, he proposed offering Medicare Advantage to all; during his Senate run, he offered a more general pledge to expand those plans. After Trump announced Oz’s nomination for CMS, Jeffrey Singer, a senior fellow at the libertarian-leaning Cato Institute, said he was “uncertain about Dr. Oz’s familiarity with health care financing and economics.” Singer said Oz’s Medicare Advantage proposal could require large new taxes — perhaps a 20% payroll tax — to implement. Oz has gotten a mixed reception from elsewhere in Washington. Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, the Democrat who defeated Oz in 2022, signaled he’d potentially support his appointment to CMS. “If Dr. Oz is about protecting and preserving Medicare and Medicaid, I’m voting for the dude,” he said on the social platform X. Oz’s investments in companies doing business with the federal government don’t end with big insurers. He and his family also hold hospital stocks, according to his 2022 disclosure, as well as a stake in Amazon worth as much as nearly $2.4 million. (Candidates for federal office are required to disclose a broad range of values for their holdings, not a specific figure.) Amazon operates an internet pharmacy, and the company announced in June that its subscription service is available to Medicare enrollees. It also owns a primary care service , One Medical, that accepts Medicare and “select” Medicare Advantage plans. Oz was also directly invested in several large pharmaceutical companies and, through investments in venture capital funds, indirectly invested in other biotech and vaccine firms. Big Pharma has been a frequent target of criticism and sometimes conspiracy theories from Trump and his allies. Kennedy, whom Trump has said he’ll nominate to be Health and Human Services secretary, is a longtime anti-vaccine activist. During the Biden administration, Congress gave Medicare authority to negotiate with drug companies over their prices. CMS initially selected 10 drugs. Those drugs collectively accounted for $50.5 billion in spending between June 1, 2022, and May 31, 2023, under Medicare’s Part D prescription drug benefit. At least four of those 10 medications are manufactured by companies in which Oz held stock, worth as much as about $50,000. Related Articles National Politics | Special counsel moves to dismiss election interference case against President-elect Donald Trump National Politics | Donald Trump Jr. emerges as a political force of his own as he helps his father launch a second term National Politics | The rising price of paying the national debt is a risk for Trump’s promises on growth and inflation National Politics | What to know about Brooke Rollins, Trump’s pick for agriculture secretary National Politics | After Trump’s Project 2025 denials, he is tapping its authors and influencers for key roles Oz may gain or lose financially from other Trump administration proposals. For example, as of 2022, Oz held investments worth as much as $6 million in fertility treatment providers. To counter fears that politicians who oppose abortion would ban in vitro fertilization, Trump floated during his campaign making in vitro fertilization treatment free. It’s unclear whether the government would pay for the services. In his TikTok videos from earlier in November, Oz echoed attacks on the food industry by Kennedy and other figures in his “Make America Healthy Again” movement. They blame processed foods and underregulation of the industry for the poor health of many Americans, concerns shared by many Democrats and more mainstream experts. But in 2022, Oz owned stakes worth as much as $80,000 in Domino’s Pizza, Pepsi, and US Foods, as well as more substantial investments in other parts of the food chain, including cattle; Oz reported investments worth as much as $5.5 million in a farm and livestock, as well as a stake in a dairy-free milk startup. He was also indirectly invested in the restaurant chain Epic Burger. One of his largest investments was in the Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain Wawa, which sells fast food and all manner of ultra-processed snacks. Oz and his wife reported a stake in the company, beloved by many Pennsylvanians, worth as much as $30 million. ©2024 KFF Health News. 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Davis scores 32 as Old Dominion defeats UL Monroe 80-75 in OTBryce Miller was a fourth round pick by the Mariners in the 2021 MLB draft and never appeared higher than 98th on MLB Pipeline’s Top-100 prospect list. Still, he reached the major leagues after just 160 total innings in the minors and enjoyed immediate success. That success faded quickly, but he’s done an incredible job reinventing himself as a pitcher over his brief career and looks to be on the verge of stardom. Here, I’m going to talk about the adjustments he made on his way to breaking out, why they worked, and what to expect from him next season. I’m writing these break out pieces every week. Check out how Hunter Greene is on the path to becoming an ace from last week and how Tarik Skubal became the best pitcher in baseball two weeks ago. Pitching is Easy? Bryce Miller burst onto the scene in 2023 as a fastball-forward, power pitcher who wasn’t afraid to challenge hitters. Initially, that was a great plan. In his MLB debut, he took a perfect game into the sixth inning. Over his first five starts, he had a sparkling 1.15 ERA – lowest in the league – with 28 strikeouts, three walks, and completed at least six innings in each start. At the same time, Miller was throwing his fastball 70% of the time. That was more often than any other pitcher in baseball. And it worked because he came to the majors with one of the most explosive fastballs in the league. It had above average velocity, significantly above average induced vertical break, was difficult to barrel up, and hitters had no answers despite Miller filling up the zone with it. Everything was perfect! Easy, even. Show up and throw a bunch of fastballs in the strike zone. They’ll never hit it, right? This major league baseball thing is simple. Well, that turned out to not be true. The Yankees lit Miller up for eight runs in his next start and he went on to have a 5.31 ERA over his next 20 outings to end his rookie season. He began to tinker a bit during these struggles by adding a two-seam fastball and sweeper while more changeups, but couldn’t pull himself together. That gave him a new tenacity to attack the offseason with. Thomas Nestico wrote a great thread about how Miller used science to become an ace and this excerpt he used taken from an interview with Brandon Gustafson says it all. Passion, open-mindedness, creativity, desire to be great, whatever you want to call it was at the center of Miller’s breakout. Do the Splits The first step for Miller was finding a better way to attack left-handed batters. Simply put, they torched him during his rookie year. So, he went straight to the lab and was determined to develop a splitter. Here’s a video from his own Twitter account last winter showing his progress with the new pitch. Progression of the splitter continues 🧪 pic.twitter.com/crYPFdVAyK That was on December 22nd and he was already so confident in the pitch that he broadcasted it from his own social channels (shoutout B Money). He even included the pitch’s characteristics that his Trackman captured. By the time the regular season rolled around, his splitter had been featured in countless articles, videos, and even got the Pitching Ninja treatment in spring training . Clearly chomping at the bit, he threw it 20 times in his 2024 debut – 16 of which to lefties – and it forced six whiffs, earned a 40% chase rate, and allowed just one measly single. He also nabbed his first two strikeouts of the season with it as looked downright nasty in the process. Bryce Miller's 3Ks in the 1st. That new Splitter sure looks good (1st 2 Ks) pic.twitter.com/6fAXsfsCOf With the early success, the pitch was still very new and thereby inconsistent. Splitters are often inconsistent by nature, but Miller’s was extreme even by normal splitter standards. Check out the pitch movement chart for Miller’s split compared for Shota Imanaga’s from this past season. David Adler wrote a great piece about this bizarre movement pattern in May and said that Miller basically had three different splitter variations inside the one pitch. Miller told him all he was trying to really do was locate it below the zone and “if it’s moving either direction, or just straight down, that’s fine.” He also said the pitch “kind of has a mind of its own sometimes,” to Adam Jude of the Seattle Times in April. While wonky, the pitch was working. It had a 38.5% whiff rate in April and Miller had a 2.04 ERA at the end of that month. Yet, its effectiveness began to fade as the season wore on. It missed fewer bats in May than it did in April, then fewer bats in June than it did in May. Between those two months, Miller’s ERA spiked to 4.94 and he once again needed to find a new wrinkle to break out of his slump. ‘Death’ to Batters Some pitchers just have a knack for picking up new pitches. Yu Darvish and Zack Greinke seemed to pick up new ones or add variations to their existing ones whenever they felt like it. Miller’s teammates George Kirby and Logan Gilbert have picked up a few each in their short time in the majors, too. Miller is no different. He adapted with his two-seamer as a rookie, his splitter soon after, and then a curveball that would push him towards ace status. The Mariners acquired reliever Mike Baumann from the Orioles on May 22nd. He was designated for assignment on July 19th. In those 50 days, Miller was able to learn his patented ‘spike curve’. “It was like a ten second conversation,” Baumann told Lookout Landing , “and all of a sudden he was throwing it in games.” Uncanny. He debuted the new knuckle curve on June 29th and that started a string of 15 starts to end the season where he had a 1.94 ERA. Interestingly, Miller experimented with a curveball the year before, but it was a more traditional, looping curve and he scrapped it after throwing just 20 in games. Check out the different movement profiles between the old and new curveballs. The new pitch is coming in much harder and moves more straight up and down. That classifies it as a ‘death ball’ shape. Jeff Passan popularized the Death Ball trope last postseason when Jordan Montgomery rode it to World Series glory. All the death ball classification really means is that the pitch is dropping due to its gyro spin rather than falling over itself with top-spin, like most other curveballs. When you hear gyro spin, think about the way a football leaves your hand when you throw a spiral. If I can nerd out for a moment... Death balls are more so a variation of gyro sliders than actual curveballs because they share the same spin characteristics as the gyro slider, just with more drop. Also, the death ball especially kills side-to-side movement and can be thrown much harder, just like those sliders. Miller already threw a gyro slider which is why the death ball likely came easy to him. Lance Brozdowski has a great YouTube Video explaining death balls more in depth if you want to learn more. Don’t worry too much about that death ball moniker, though. It will not be the new sweeper. Just a more specific pitch classification that’s meant for players, coaches, and fellow nerds. Anyway, here’s an overlay from Thomas’ thread showing how well the death ball plays off his fastball. When working on his knuckle curveball, Bryce Miller wanted a pitch to specifically play off his fastball. “I’m hoping it looks like a fastball, and then just drops” ( @TheBGustafson ) Let’s see how this interaction worked out against NL MVP Finalist, Francisco Lindor 14/ pic.twitter.com/l7thnHiHiX Pitch shape jargon aside: this is really all that matters: the pitch looks like his fastball and then the bottom falls out. It’s exactly what Miller needed to tie his repertoire together. Results While his season took many twists and turns, it was still very good on the whole. Miller wound up with a 2.94 ERA across 180 1/3 innings with 171 strikeouts for the season. That made him the seventh most valuable starting pitcher for fantasy – better than Seth Lugo and Corbin Burnes – according to FanGraphs’ player rater . If you segment from when he first used his knuckle curve (or death ball hehe), Miller’s 1.94 ERA trailed only Blake Snell, Paul Skenes, and Chris Sale while his 0.91 WHIP trailed only Snell and teammate Logan Gilbert. He was also in the top-20 in SIERA and K-BB%. That is superstar level, SP1 quality with a clear and obvious material change that spurned his success. What’s Next? I’m incredibly bullish on Miller mostly because of how dominant he was once he had both the curveball and splitter at his disposal. Sometimes we can muddy the water looking at splits in our analysis, but Miller had true, material changes that turned him into a stud. Yet, he’s currently the SP13 – between Imanaga and Aaron Nola – in early drafts over at the NFBC. That’s surprising since he beat that price last season, got markedly better, and remains in one of the best situations for a pitcher in baseball with the friendly confines of T-Mobile Park in Seattle. Perhaps his price is relatively low because he’s outshined by teammates Gilbert ad Kirby who are each being drafted inside the top-40 picks overall. Or maybe there’s fear Miller will take another half step back as he’s done each of the first two times he vaulted himself forward. I wouldn’t let either of those dampen the shine of what Miller can do. We have a starter in one of the best pitchers’ parks in baseball with a rock-solid fastball, multiple effective secondaries, and a knack for picking up new pitches whenever the moment strikes. He is a star.
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Dem Who Scolded Party For Trans Issue Voted Against Protecting Girls’ Sports Last YearIn his statement, Nani emphasized the emotional connection he has with Sporting CP, citing the club's role in shaping his career and fostering his development as a player. The winger acknowledged the significance of the club's supporters and the special place Sporting holds in his heart.As the villagers bid farewell to the enigmatic visitor, one question lingers in their minds: Will the Four-Legged Stranger return one day, or will it fade into legend, a fleeting memory of a captivating encounter that defied explanation?
November 25, 2024 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlightedthe following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: fact-checked trusted source written by researcher(s) proofread by John Gowlett, The Conversation In pursuit of knowledge, the evolution of humanity ranks with the origins of life and the universe. And yet, except when an exciting find hits the headlines, paleoanthropology and its related fields have gained far less scientific support and funding—particularly for scientists and institutions based in the African countries where so many landmark discoveries have occurred. One of the first was made a century ago in Taung, South Africa, by mineworkers who came across the cranium of a 2.8 million-year-old child with human-like teeth . Its fossilized anatomy offered evidence of early human upright walking—and 50 years later, in the Afar region of northern Ethiopia that would become a hotspot for ancient human discovery, this understanding took another leap backwards in time with the discovery of Lucy . The part-skeleton of this small-bodied, relatively small-brained female captured the public's imagination . Lucy the "paleo-rock star" took our major fossil evidence for bipedal walking, human-like creatures (collectively known as hominins) beyond 3 million years for the first time. The race to explain how humans became what we are now was well and truly on. Since then, the picture has changed repeatedly and dramatically , shaped by waves of new fossil discovery, technology and scientific techniques—often accompanied by arguments about the veracity of claims made for each new piece of the puzzle. Even the term "human" is arguable. Many scholars reserve it for modern humans like us, even though we have Neanderthal genes and they shared at least 90% of our hominin history from its beginnings around 8 million years ago . The essence of hominin evolution ever since has been gradual change, with occasional rapid phases. The record of evolution in our own genus , Homo , is already full enough to show we cannot separate ourselves with hard lines. Nonetheless, there is enough consensus to thread the story of human evolution all the way from early apes to modern humanity. Most of this story centers on Africa, of course, where countries such as Kenya, South Africa and Ethiopia are rightly proud of their heritage as "cradles of humankind" —providing many of their schoolchildren with a much fuller answer then those in the west to this deceptively simple question: how did we get here? Early apes to 'hominization' (around 35m to 8m years ago) The story of human evolution usually starts at the point our distant ancestors began to separate from the apes, whose own ancestors are traceable from at least 35 million years ago and are well attested as fossils . Around 10 million years ago, the Miocene world was warm, moist and forested. Apes lived far and wide from Europe to China, though we have found them especially in Africa, where sediments of ancient volcanoes preserve their remains. This world was soon to be disrupted by cooling temperatures and, in places, great aridity—best seen around the Mediterranean , where continental movements closed off the Straits of Gibraltar and the whole sea evaporated several times, leaving immense salt deposits under the floor of the modern sea. Widespread drying was reported from around 7 to 6 million years ago, leading to a stronger expression of seasons in much of the world, and changes in plant and animal communities. The divergence from the apes of a lineage—the hominins—that eventually led to us had probably already begun 8 million years ago. But our knowledge of this date depends on molecular comparisons with other animals, rather than fossils. DNA shows we are most closely related to chimpanzees and their sister species, the bonobo. Branching points can be estimated by comparisons with other well-dated events, such as the separation of South American monkeys from other primates about 35 million years ago. Discover the latest in science, tech, and space with over 100,000 subscribers who rely on Phys.org for daily insights. Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates on breakthroughs, innovations, and research that matter— daily or weekly . A surprise from genetic science is that gorillas, the other African great apes, are less closely related to chimpanzees than chimps are to us. A chimpanzee, if it could speak, might tell us: "These gorillas may look like my big brothers, but actually I'm more closely related to you." They seem so similar because they are both tropical forest apes with similar adaptations, which underlines just how much—and how rapidly—the earliest hominins had to evolve to survive in their drier environments. Yet, there is still some debate about whether the chimpanzee is our best model for the starting point: the "last common ancestor" . Better to call it the "best living model" because the chimp has shown many adaptations of its own, especially in its limb proportions and locomotion, but also in its large shearing front teeth. But its social behavior, communication and tool-making have all provided invaluable insights into the processes that we can call "hominization." Earliest hominins (about 7m up to 4m years ago) The earliest hominin fossil yet known is about 7 million years old and comes from the middle of Africa, near Lake Chad. This rare find from 2001 is Sahelanthropus tchadensis , represented by a cranium (nicknamed "Toumaï" by its finders), a femur and teeth—all probably from the same species. Although these finds were limited, they were enough to show a bipedal creature probably still comfortable living in trees, who had teeth with hominin features. Many accompanying fossils of other species show this hominin lived in both woodland and grassland habitats. Then, for over a million years, our record vanishes—other than for some fragmentary remains of Orrorin tugenensis , a different genus of hominin found in the Tugen Hills of Kenya and dating to about 6 million years ago. Hominins appear again in plain sight with a new species dating back around 5.5 million years, Ardipithecus kadabba . The discovery of its partial jawbone and teeth in the Middle Awash region of northern Ethiopia in 1997 shed more light on what may have been the "stem ancestor" leading to all later hominins. Exceptionally thorough investigations have since revealed these creatures in full anatomical detail and in remarkable environmental context, showing Ardipithecus combined characters of both apes and later hominins. A. kadabba's finders emphasized that it was not chimpanzee-like in limb proportions, nor did it have their exaggerated shovel-like front teeth. It also overturned the old theory of hominins coming down from the trees into savannas, and thus being forced to become bipedal. Rather, Ardipithecus lived in thick woodland and supports the idea that bipedalism first arose as an adaptation to walking along tree boughs, perhaps while clasping the branches above. The stem hominin idea may well be correct, but more recent finds suggest there were soon multiple hominin species . While Ardipithecus is known from only one modern country, Ethiopia, there are huge areas of Africa that could have supported similar sibling species but which, for geological reasons, have not given up these secrets as generously as sections of the Great Rift Valley. It is also striking that Ardipithecus' feet remained apelike, with a divergent big toe—a sign that climbing trees was still important. The other, later species of Ardipithecus ( Ar. Ramidus ) lived only half a million years before the famous footprints found in Laetoli, Tanzania in 1976—trails of footprints that displayed fully human characteristics. Evolution would need to have been rapid indeed for those two creatures to be directly related. Even so, Ardipithecus had features that are enormously valuable for showing the general state of hominins at this time. Its pelvis, the oldest known, was short and basin-like as in later hominins, although ape-like in its lower part. And its teeth had enamel that was thicker than in African apes but thinner than in modern humans, suggesting an omnivorous diet. Australopithecines (about 4.3m to 1.4m years ago) More than 4 million years ago, another group of hominins begins to appear on the scene: the genus Australopithecus , named after the "Taung child" whose skull was discovered 100 years ago by workmen in the South African limestone quarry. While the name means "southern ape," the australopithecines were certainly hominins. Fully bipedal, their teeth were arranged in a modern human pattern with their canines reduced—sometimes to an extraordinary degree—and they existed in great diversity. As finds accumulate, at least ten species of this group are now known, indicating "adaptive radiation" —meaning that hominins had become highly successful and were by now adjusting to many different habitats and climates. While the australopithecines were confined to Africa, they extended widely from the south to the east and even towards the west near Lake Chad—close to the find of the older Sahelanthropus . This distribution underlines the argument for hominins having originated in Africa, as had been long suspected from the shared heritage with African apes. The oldest Australopithecus is A. anamensis , found in northern Kenya and dating to more than 4 million years ago, closely followed by A. afarensis in Ethiopia— Lucy's species —and A. prometheus in South Africa. Then, in addition to species such as A. africanus and A. garhi , there is a further group who combined enormous chewing teeth and ape-sized brains—their massive jaws and skulls led to them being dubbed the "robusts." Often officially termed Paranthropus rather than Australopithecus , they occurred as three separate species in southern and eastern Africa , appearing at least 3 million years ago and surviving until about 1.4 million years ago. While microwear studies of their teeth suggest a mixed diet, the huge size of those teeth implies it was of low quality, with grasses and sedges providing the bulk. Indeed, the dominance of these creatures' massive molars meant their front teeth shrank to the extent that their incisors and canines were consistently smaller than ours today. Although the African Rift Valley running down the east side of the continent is often celebrated as the focus of hominin origins, the distribution of australopithecines is just wide enough to show the rift is not necessarily the cradle of humankind—although it is the region where most fossils have been found. South Africa's dolomite caves are strong competitors in importance, while the discovery of A. bahrelghazali in Chad is far west of the rift. Beginnings of Homo (from about 2.8m years ago) It is certain that our own genus, Homo , emerged at some point from within the australopithecines. But exactly how and when is still difficult to ascertain, because cranial remains—skulls—are very scarce in the period between 3 and 2 million years ago. This is a matter of chance; before and after, we have plenty of them. Large numbers of teeth prove that hominins were in eastern and southern Africa during this period, and rare finds of crania such as P. aethiopicus and A. garhi make the point that others could be found at any moment. In later times, Homo is distinguished by its very large brain—about three times the size of a chimpanzee's brain—but this was not so in the beginning. At the start, Homo would have been almost indistinguishable from australopithecines, with just some small anatomical details picking it out, especially the shape of its molar and premolar teeth. Fragmentary jaws and teeth from Ledi Geraru and Hadar in Ethiopia, then from Chemeron in Kenya, trace the early story of our direct ancestors from 2.8 to 2.4 million years ago. As we approach 2 million years, Homo appears much more clearly in famous skull and other fossil discoveries from Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania) and East Turkana (Kenya), and latterly South Africa . As well as at least three species in Africa— Homo habilis , Homo rudolfensis and Homo erectus — Homo of similar age is suddenly found outside Africa, especially at Dmanisi in modern-day Georgia, where the finds are as old as those from Olduvai. Together with first archaeological finds of stone tools and cutmarks on animal bones indicating butchery, these fossils combine to show us that Homo had become highly successful within a million years of its origins, and had spread out far across Asia as far as China. These first arrivals must have been a species of early Homo , but it is only at Dmanisi and Lantien in China that we have early fossil remains. Technology was almost certainly part of the adaptation that allowed this great expansion. Tool-making is the most obvious part of early cultural behavior, and it is preserved as hard evidence by the presence of stone tools. First dates for stone tool-making have moved back in an exciting way. The 2 million-year barrier was broken around 1970, then the 3 million-year barrier just recently with discoveries of stone tools at Lomekwi and Nyayanga in Kenya. We do not know who made these tools, but it means stone artifacts emerged around the same time that early Homo appeared alongside the australopithecines. As "stone age visiting cards"—as the archaeologist Glynn Isaac labeled them—they are hugely useful for telling us where hominins went, and what they were doing. Talking point: Who made the first tools? A generation ago, it would have been axiomatic that the emergence of tools and Homo were linked, and that they signaled a major step forward—the development of early human culture. Now, there is a different perspective, largely owing to detailed studies of living animals . To a striking degree, chimpanzees make a range of tools as well as use them, and so do the small capuchin monkeys of South America. Birds too are in the picture, especially the New Caledonian crow . Their tools may be simple—mainly made from plant materials—but they include stones used for hammering. There are many indications that this animal behavior is cultural , handed on as learned tradition. Granted that we, Homo sapiens , are the most cultural animal of all, there has to be a possibility that all hominins were toolmakers and users, given that all fossil hominins are more closely related to us than to the chimpanzee, which is itself a habitual toolmaker. Having said that, we don't know who made the earliest stone tools. We know that when Paranthropus and other australopithecines eventually disappeared, toolmaking continued—but this does not rule out earlier tool use by some of them. Most early stone artifacts, from about 3 to 1.8 million, are placed in the "Oldowan tradition" —named after Olduvai Gorge where so many tools have been discovered, typically made from carefully selected lava or quartzite rocks. Both heavy core tools such as "choppers" and sharper stone flakes were used for a variety of tasks—certainly including animal butchery, and almost certainly in the preparation of plant foods and shaping of wooden tools (although these did not survive for our discovery until much later ). This toolkit literally gave early Homo species a cutting edge in the struggle for survival in varied environments, and may have been a key factor underlying their ability to expand their niche into new areas, including Jordan , north India and China well over 2 million years ago. Homo erectus (about 1.8m up to 0.5m years ago) After the rapidly expanding australopithecines, it is a relief to find the next 1.5 million years of human evolution looking rather simpler. One hominin— Homo erectus —becomes supreme, and the archaeology is dominated by one great theme: the handaxe or Acheulean tradition . Homo erectus first appeared as long as 2 million years ago, and was living in southern, eastern and northern Africa as well as the Middle and Far East, according to its fossil remains. It was far more human than earlier hominins, with brain size ranging from about 500cc in early examples to more than 1,000cc in later times—around 70% of our modern cranial capacity. Its limb proportions were fairly modern too, showing a striding form of bipedalism, evident both at Dmanisi in Georgia, and in the near-complete skeleton of "Turkana Boy" in Kenya. Homo erectus was wide-ranging and capable, as its tools confirm, having been found all over Africa and most of Asia. The handaxe form emerged around 1.75 million years ago in eastern Africa, probably as a good multi-purpose solution to everyday needs, and again made from lava or quartzite. The handaxe concept spread very widely; indeed, this may have been the first great diffusion of a "package of ideas." Some were so finely worked that they have been deemed the first art —or at least a sign of aesthetic feeling. In fact, Homo erectus may represent a group of similar species that existed in parallel—and that in some locations, could be quite varied. The single site of Dmanisi has offered up as much variety in five skulls as has been found across Africa. Existing finds make a giant "geographical donut," with nothing in the middle across the whole of southern Asia from Georgia to China. While Far Eastern Homo erectus was very similar to the African species, there are anomalies in this part of the story. For example, a remarkable and diminutive hominin species, Homo floresiensis —discovered in 2003 on the remote island of Flores in Indonesia, and often known as "the Hobbit"– had anatomical details, especially of its wrists, to suggest it could have been descended from an earlier Homo than Homo erectus . In southern Africa, meanwhile, Homo naledi was a primitive-seeming species that dates back just 300,000 years, and seems likely to have been a small-brained descendant of an early Homo erectus . It may have lived in gallery forest alongside streams, and survived in splendid isolation. The handaxes, too, were not all the same. The idea of making them seems to have spread far and wide, but not everywhere—they are absent in much of the Far East, for example. While some are now known from China, the famous fossil site of Zhoukoudian near Beijing—where remains of more than 40 Homo erectus individuals have been found—lacks them entirely. In Europe, ice ages and temperate periods alternated many times, so across the last 1 million years much of the early record has been erased by ice sheets. There is no definite evidence of Homo erectus but a probable sister species, Homo antecessor , lived in Atapuerca , northern Spain, perhaps as long ago as 1.4 million years. In this climatically challenging environment, we could wonder how "primitive" humans survived—but at the Arago cave in the Pyrenees, near France's Mediterranean coast, we know they were butchering reindeer 600,000 years ago and so able to endure the most severe cold. There are three main things we can say about the hominins of this long period up to half a million years ago: they were widely dispersed (hence highly adaptable and resilient); technically capable to the point that at least some of them used fire; and were evolving large brains that reflected their highly social nature. Fire seems to have been very important in human adaptation . It fits with ideas about cooking —the need for high-quality food to fuel the brain—and a reordering of the day to provide more social time , especially in the evening. Fire was also a key enabler of other technologies, in time allowing these early humans to begin pottery and metalworking. The origins of fire's "domestication" are far from certain, but are likely to date back at least 1 million years. Opportunistic use probably came before full control, with the ability to kindle fire eventually releasing humans from the need to keep it alight for long periods. Talking point: The benefits of a bigger brain In brain size, Homo erectus was certainly not static. Contrary to a general impression that most of the great brain enlargement in Homo is relatively recent, there was already some overlap with modern humans half a million years ago. Although it is natural to think that to be clever is an end in itself, large brains like ours are costly enough to take 20–30% of our energy, and they have to pay their way. Most species succeed with far less than hominins, and to treble brain size in 2 million years is a remarkable phenomenon. Such an expansion was only possible through a high-quality diet and reduction in the size of other major organs. As the large brain is energetically expensive, it must have had evolutionary drivers. One of the most appealing is the "social brain hypothesis" , whose core idea is that in some environments, ecological survival favored larger groups. We know from regular stone tool transport distances of 5–10 km, and occasional ones of 20–30km, that hominins were ranging much further than apes even 2 million years ago. The social management of such groups is very demanding, and may have been a spur towards developing larger brains. The acceleration in change that is such a feature of modern life seems to have started around half a million years ago. In Africa, Homo erectus gave way to larger-brained descendants such as Homo heidelbergensis , which was also present in Europe. But in archaeology, major developments were seen even before the first early modern human fossils emerged. Two key developments were the appearance of projectile (spear) points and the long-distance transport of materials. The stone spear points indicated that their makers had mastered hafting , and hence had knowledge of fixatives such as glue or twine. In southern Africa, we see the beginnings of these developments as long as 400,000 years ago. With their bigger brains, larger social groups and better weapons, hominins developed and honed their unique hunting techniques , often working by ambush and taking prime animals rather than the old and young. While that pattern may date back more than a million years, in the last 50,000 years this practice may have been so intense that it contributed to the demise of many large animals, including the mammoth, mastodons, and giant marsupials. In all this, there is plentiful evidence of high skill. In the Levallois technique , which few can reproduce today, the maker prepared a stone core by careful flaking, and had to "see" the artifact before releasing in one blow. Such skills could approach art . Numbers of ancient pieces including some of the handaxes would qualify as art by modern definitions, although we know little about the past intent. Such finds suggest the basic abilities for art were in place as much as a million years ago, but its projection into non-utilitarian forms gives another level to the evidence of human intellect. Modern humans (from around 300,000 years ago) Many people look at human evolution chiefly to explain us, Homo sapiens . But we are the culmination of a long process of evolution—no more than 5% of the whole hominin story by time spent on this planet. Until the 1980s, our species was thought to have first appeared around 40,000 years ago in a "human revolution"—an explosion of creativity marked by the flowering of cave art and sophisticated tools. However, many events in this analysis were incorrectly concertinaed together by a ceiling in radiocarbon dates , which the rapid decay rate of carbon-14 limited to a maximum age of about 40,000 years. Since then, new dating techniques based on other radioisotopes and new finds have expanded the timescale for the existence of Homo sapiens by almost a factor of ten. In fact, the first early modern humans , closely resembling us, appeared about 300,000 years ago in northern and eastern Africa. This drastic change of timescale alters our perspective in ways that are still being explored. For a start, we now know that for a long period, the earliest modern humans were not alone. They existed alongside Homo neanderthalensis , the Neanderthals—the people of the north, ranging from western Europe to Siberia—for hundreds of thousands of years. To the east, DNA studies have recognized a probable sister group of the Neanderthals, the Denisovans —best known from Denisova cave in the Altai mountains of Siberia—while to the south, Homo naledi was still there, and the Kabwe skull from Zambia is evidence for at least one other species. Astonishing progress in genomic research has shown that the Neanderthals and Denisovans were separate species , but so closely related to our H. sapiens ancestors that interbreeding was possible. Does the ability of these species to interact imply the existence of language? As with fire, language origins have been one of the major debating points within palaeoanthropology. Small clues are enigmatic. More than 2 million years ago, a mutation reduced the power of the chewing muscles in human ancestors. That may indicate they were doing more food preparation, but also possibly making more controlled use of their mouths . Expanded nerve outlets in the thoracic vertebrae appeared in Homo erectus , indicating the millisecond control of breathing that is necessary for language. And later, 400,000-year-old Homo heidelbergensis remains from Atapuerca in northern Spain had perfectly preserved ear canals which were tuned to the frequencies used in human language. As these Atapuerca hominins were probable Neanderthal ancestors, there is a good chance that at least a simple form of language was very widespread at this point, if not earlier. Paintings first appeared—or were preserved—around 50,000 years ago, but beads and ornaments can be traced back much earlier. The oldest so far are shell beads from Es-Skhul cave on Mount Carmel in Israel, dating back about 130,000 years. They mark out personal identity, and hence the idea that one person can appreciate these signals in another. Shell beads occurred again at Blombos in South Africa about 70,000 years ago, along with a piece of engraved ochre. Burials have a similar antiquity: both Neanderthal and early modern burials occurred from about 130,000 years ago—although older finds such as the numerous human remains in one cave at Atapuerca, or cutmarks on a skull at Bodo in Ethiopia, may indicate there was already a special interest in human bodies. The burials suggest that early humans had a strong idea of the needs of others. Some burials—both of early moderns and Neanderthals—had red ochre smeared on the bodies. This is likely to have carried symbolic significance. "Symbolism" has played a crucial part in all modern human behavior, underpinning language, religion, and art. However, studying its origins presents pitfalls, because other animals seem capable of using symbols, as when a chimpanzee offers a clipped leaf to another. The line between such "signs" and symbols is easily blurred. But the projection of symbols into the outside world in the form of material objects is a measurable step, so long as they survive. The beads and burials are among the earliest evidence of behavior which may, in fact, have had much deeper origins. The great breakout (about 100,000 years ago) More than 100,000 years ago, the early modern humans began to expand outside Africa, leading to the greatest diaspora in human history. Variation in modern human DNA preserves geographic signals that tell us something about past population movements. Even better, fossil DNA can be isolated from bone specimens up to about 50,000 years old in cool climates, and sometimes even older. The results confirm that the Neanderthals were a truly separate species, with their ancestors separating from ours between 500,000 and 700,000 years ago, and living on until about 40,000 years ago. Some of the clearest genetic signals come from parts of the genome that do not recombine each generation—that is, the Y-chromosome and mitochondrial DNA. These have allowed scientists to assemble "family trees" which show that all modern humans ( Homo sapiens ) are related within about 150,000 years. They also indicate, along with the archaeological evidence, that modern humans surged out of Africa after that date, sweeping around the world and eventually completely replacing other hominins such as the Neanderthals and Denisovans—although some of their genes survived in us, thanks to rare past matings between species. In essence, this was a great population expansion rather than a migration. Populations remained in Africa and along the way, but this astonishing wave of advance headed east across Asia, then north into Europe, and ultimately to all parts of the world. The start was necessarily from north-east Africa, offering a land route into the Middle East and, at times of low sea-level, a likely southern one to Arabia . Climate changes almost certainly played a major part: each time "green Sahara" became desert Sahara in the rhythmic changes of the ice ages, this would pulse people out into the Levant . Modern humans are visible there around 130,000 years ago—but Neanderthals succeeded them around 80,000 years ago as conditions became colder again. Probably by then, the great move east had already happened: early modern humans had covered the 12,000 kilometers to Australia as long as 70,000 years ago. At least 45,000 years ago, they were in north-east China , perhaps arriving by a route north of the Himalayas. From there, it was 6,000km to the Bering landbridge that would lead to Alaska. By 14,500 years ago, modern humans were in Monte Verde, Chile after an astonishing 15,000km journey down the Americas. The severe cold of the last glacial maximum , 20,000 years ago, must have slowed down this progress. Sea levels dropped more than 100 meters, and northern populations were rolled back by the ice advances. Many American archaeologists still believe the first settlement in their continent began after this, but footprint trails in New Mexico dated to the 20,000s BCE are part of growing evidence for earlier dates. Such debates do not alter the big picture: at times, our direct ancestors were progressing about a kilometer every five years; at others, they were shooting forward great distances. Some of them, at least, had become adventurers, with something like the wanderlust characteristic of modern explorers. They traveled both inland and along the coasts, by foot and certainly by boat. They covered high and low terrain, in warm and cold, wet and dry—all the while, living by the ancient and enduring adaptation of hunting and gathering. Last of the Neanderthals (about 40,000 years ago) Historically, studies in human evolution greatly emphasized Europe. While the balance has rightly been redressed to a global perspective in the last 50 years, Europe remains important in our record—both because northern climates better preserve organic remains including DNA, and because this rich record has been studied intensively for more than 150 years. Amid the great diaspora of early modern humans, a newer perspective is that, by the time the last Neanderthals were gone from Europe, fully modern humans had already dispersed through Australia and throughout the Far East. But these events remain puzzling because the Neanderthals had held their own with early modern humans for hundreds of thousands of years across a fluctuating frontier, and were dominant in the Middle East as late as 60,000 years ago. The Neanderthals have an enduring fascination because they are so like us and yet so different. They were stocky and strong, and had a brain size as large as ours. Their abilities have been debated for more than a century, but there is strong evidence that they are an alternative humanity rather than an inferior humanity. They had full control of fire, made bone tools, and used pigments as well as burying their dead. Their replacement by modern humans was completed between 50,000 and 40,000 years ago. What gave the moderns the edge? It could be that a known series of rapid climate fluctuations destabilized the Neanderthal populations. There is evidence that they were living in small groups, under stress and with significant inbreeding , and a consensus now is that demographic factors were a main cause of their disappearance. Talking point: Art and technology In Europe, the traditional idea of a "creative revolution" was highlighted by the disappearance of the Neanderthals around 40,000 years ago, and the arrival of new populations with new toolkits—the Upper Paleolithic with its blade tools, bone tools and artwork. Elsewhere, such advanced traits often appeared earlier. At the moment, the earliest known cave art comes from Karampuang Hill on Sulawesi, Indonesia, where there are representations of humans and animals dated to 51,000 years ago. European art is considerably later, except for some markings which could have been made by Neanderthals, who certainly used pigments. From around 40,000 years ago, there began to be other representations, including one of exceptional importance: a small statue of mammoth ivory found in a cave in what is now southern Germany. It combines the head of a lion with a human body , showing the artist's ability to morph a 3D form which may have had religious significance. By the time of the 20,000s BCE, we see many signs of new technologies and skills: basketry in the Gravettian phase of central Europe; the first pottery in China ; polished axes in Australia and New Guinea ; and specialized use of marine resources in South Africa, Indonesia and elsewhere. Probably, there were also the first domesticated dogs , who became well-documented in Europe about 15,000 years ago. After the ice (about 20,000 years ago) Following the glacial maximum, there came a steady return to warmer conditions, culminating in the period we call the Holocene . Ice sheets retreated to the north, temperate vegetation appeared and the sea came up, with profound effects on coastal settlement around the world. Along with new environmental stresses, around 12,000 years ago came the next major shift in human adaptation: the agricultural revolution . The domestication of plants and animals soon led to vast increases in population numbers. Villages, towns and civilizations followed, ultimately made possible by the control of food supplies that hunters and gatherers could never have, but also dependent on technological advances and complex social behavior. It is easy to take for granted that we are human. But knowing the human evolutionary story, even if at times from only a few fossil fragments, shows it could easily have been otherwise. Had climate patterns been slightly different, Neanderthals might have survived. They or the Denisovans could be carrying the flag of progress, in a different way and at a different pace. Today, we are still not on top of things. The greatest changes in the world are humanly created, and they stem above all from our vast numbers. For at least 99.5% of the time of Homo , our ancestors lived as hunters and gatherers, with global numbers no more than a few million. Yet now, over a single human lifespan, the global population has grown fourfold, from 2 billion to 8 billion. The story of human evolution is about more than bones and stones. It helps us to see our many strengths and limitations. The strengths include an ability to manage rapid cultural change, especially in technology—the key to our survival over a very long period, and vital for coping with environmental change. But this ability is also having many unforeseen consequences to our planet and its biodiversity, and to our own human societies. It is a triumph that most of the 8 billion humans alive today are living relatively happily and, thanks to modern medicine, for longer than ever before. But it is all part of a high-risk species strategy that has characterized the story of human evolution from its earliest origins nearly 8 million years ago. Throughout this story, success has regularly thrown up new sets of problems. Our ancient ancestors had no choice but to forge forwards into the unknown, adapting to survive. Many times over, they surmounted challenges at least as great as those we face today. Provided by The Conversation This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article .As we marvel at the incredible success of the auction of the ruby slippers, we are reminded of the enduring power of film to captivate, inspire, and enchant audiences around the world. These iconic objects, once mere props on a movie set, have now become priceless treasures that will be cherished and revered for generations to come. The ruby slippers may have found a new home, but their legacy and significance will continue to shine brightly in the hearts of movie lovers everywhere.
Transaction Unifies Two Leaders in Decentralization, Rumble CEO Retains Controlling Stake Strategic Investment Results in Mission-Aligned Investor and Supporter Rumble Will Use $250 Million of Proceeds to Further Solidify Balance Sheet and Accelerate Growth Initiatives Remaining Proceeds Will Be Used to Fund Self Tender Offer for up to 70 Million of Rumble’s Class A Common Stock to Provide Liquidity to Stockholders at Same Price as Tether Investment LONGBOAT KEY, Fla., Dec. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rumble (NASDAQ:RUM) (“Rumble” or the “Company”), the video-sharing platform and cloud services provider, announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement for a strategic investment of $775 million from Tether ($USDT) (“Tether”), the largest company in the digital assets industry and the most widely used dollar stablecoin across the world with more than 350 million users. Over the last few years, Tether has become one of the most recognized symbols for financial inclusion. The Company will use $250 million of the proceeds to support growth initiatives and the remaining proceeds to fund a self tender offer for up to 70 million of its Class A Common Stock, at the same price ($7.50 per share) as Tether’s investment. Following the completion of the transaction, Chris Pavlovski, Rumble’s Chairman and CEO, will retain his controlling stake in the Company. Chris Pavlovski stated, “I could not be more excited about this collaboration with Tether for a number of reasons. First, many people may not realize the incredibly strong connection between the cryptocurrency and free speech communities, which is rooted in a passion for freedom, transparency, and decentralization. Second, the immediate commitment of adding $250 million in cash to our balance sheet not only confirms the level of support and commitment to a collaboration between our companies, it also fuels our growth initiatives. And, third, this transaction provides an immediate liquidity event for all of our stockholders who elect to participate in the self tender offer. I truly believe Tether is the perfect partner that can put a rocket pack on the back of Rumble as we prepare for our next phase of growth.” Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether, added, “Tether’s investment in Rumble reflects our shared values of decentralization, independence, transparency, and the fundamental right to free expression. In today’s world, legacy media has increasingly eroded trust, creating an opportunity for platforms like Rumble to offer a credible, uncensored alternative. This collaboration aligns with our long-standing commitment to empowering technologies that promote freedom and challenge centralized systems, as demonstrated through our recent collaborations and initiatives. Rumble’s dedication to fostering open communication and innovation makes them an ideal ally as we continue building the infrastructure for a more decentralized, inclusive future. Lastly, beyond our initial shareholder stake, Tether intends to drive towards a meaningful advertising, cloud, and crypto payment solutions relationship with Rumble.” Transaction Details Investment: Tether has agreed to purchase 103,333,333 shares of Rumble Class A Common Stock at a price per share of $7.50, totaling $775 million in gross proceeds to Rumble. The Company will use $250 million of the proceeds to support growth initiatives. Self Tender Offer: With the remaining gross proceeds, the Company will fund a self tender offer for up to 70 million shares of Rumble Class A Common Stock at a price per share of $7.50, net to the holder in cash. All holders of Rumble Class A Common Stock will be eligible to participate in the tender offer on the same terms. Certain Rumble stockholders have signed support agreements committing to tender 70 million shares in the aggregate, subject to the same proration and other terms of the tender offer that apply to all Rumble stockholders participating in the tender offer. Chris Pavlovski has committed to tender, and does not intend to sell more than 10 million shares of Class A Common Stock in the tender offer. Closing Conditions: The completion of the investment and the tender offer are subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including the expiration of any applicable waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act. Governance: Rumble’s existing Board and governance structure, including Chris Pavlovski’s super-majority voting control, will remain unchanged following the closing of the transaction and Tether will own a minority position in our outstanding common stock but will not have the right to designate any members of the Board. Timing: The investment and the tender offer are expected to close in the first quarter of 2025. The foregoing description is qualified in its entirety by reference to the definitive agreements for the transaction, which will be filed on a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Advisors Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. is acting as placement agent and dealer manager for Rumble. Oppenheimer & Co. is serving as capital markets advisor to Rumble, and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP is serving as legal counsel to Rumble. McDermott Will & Emery LLP is serving as legal counsel to Tether. DLA Piper LLP (US) is serving as legal counsel to Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. ABOUT RUMBLE Rumble is a high-growth video platform and cloud services provider that is creating an independent infrastructure. Rumble's mission is to restore the internet to its roots by making it free and open once again. For more information, visit: corp.rumble.com . ABOUT TETHER Tether is a pioneer in the field of stablecoin technology, driven by an aim to revolutionize the global financial landscape. With a mission to provide accessible and efficient financial, communication, artificial intelligence, and energy infrastructure. Tether enables greater financial inclusion, and communication resilience, fosters economic growth, and empowers individuals and businesses alike. As the creator of the largest, most transparent, and liquid stablecoin in the industry, Tether is dedicated to building sustainable and resilient infrastructure for the benefit of underserved communities. By leveraging cutting-edge blockchain and peer-to-peer technology, it is committed to bridging the gap between traditional financial systems and the potential of decentralized finance. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements and include, for example, statements regarding our expectations or beliefs regarding our proposed transaction with Tether, the use of the proceeds therefrom and the acceleration of our expansion into cryptocurrency. Certain of these forward-looking statements can be identified by using words such as "anticipates," "believes," "intends," "estimates," "targets," "expects," "endeavors," "forecasts," "well underway," "could," "will," "may," "future," "likely," "on track to deliver," "on a trajectory," "continues to," "looks forward to," "is primed to," "plans," "projects," "assumes," "should" or other similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, and our actual results could differ materially from future results expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements included in this release are based on our current beliefs and expectations of our management as of the date of this release. These statements are not guarantees or indicative of future performance. Important assumptions and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those forward-looking statements include uncertainties as to the timing of the transactions; uncertainties as to the percentage of shares of Rumble stock tendered in the offer; the possibility that competing offers will be made; the possibility that various closing conditions for the transactions may not be satisfied or waived, including that a governmental entity may prohibit, delay or refuse to grant approval for the consummation of the transactions; the risk that we may be unable to derive additional benefits from the relationship with Tether, including increased advertising revenue, cloud revenue, and expansion into cryptocurrency payments; the risk that stockholder litigation in connection with the transactions may result in significant costs of defense, indemnification and liability; risks inherent with our increasing affiliation with crypto assets, including volatility; as well as regulatory and reputational risks; the risks of implementing a new treasury diversification strategy; our ability to grow and manage future growth profitably over time, maintain relationships with customers, compete within our industry and retain key employees; the possibility that we may be adversely impacted by economic, business, and/or competitive factors; our limited operating history makes it difficult to evaluate our business and prospects; our recent and rapid growth may not be indicative of future performance; we may not continue to grow or maintain our active user base, and may not be able to achieve or maintain profitability; risks relating to our ability to attract new advertisers, or the potential loss of existing advertisers or the reduction of or failure by existing advertisers to maintain or increase their advertising budgets; Rumble Cloud, our recently launched cloud services business, may not achieve success and, as a result, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected; negative media campaigns may adversely impact our financial performance, results of operations, and relationships with our business partners, including content creators and advertisers; spam activity, including inauthentic and fraudulent user activity, if undetected, may contribute, from time to time, to some amount of overstatement of our performance indicators; we collect, store, and process large amounts of user video content and personal information of our users and subscribers and, if our security measures are breached, our sites and applications may be perceived as not being secure, traffic and advertisers may curtail or stop viewing our content or using our services, our business and operating results could be harmed, and we could face governmental investigations and legal claims from users and subscribers; we may fail to comply with applicable privacy laws; we are subject to cybersecurity risks and interruptions or failures in our information technology systems and, notwithstanding our efforts to enhance our protection from such risks, a cyber incident could occur and result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss; we may be found to have infringed on the intellectual property of others, which could expose us to substantial losses or restrict our operations; we may face liability for hosting a variety of tortious or unlawful materials uploaded by third parties, notwithstanding the liability protections of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996; we may face negative publicity for removing, or declining to remove, certain content, regardless of whether such content violated any law; paid endorsements by our content creators may expose us to regulatory risk, liability, and compliance costs, and, as a result, may adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations; our traffic growth, engagement, and monetization depend upon effective operation within and compatibility with operating systems, networks, devices, web browsers and standards, including mobile operating systems, networks, and standards that we do not control; our business depends on continued and unimpeded access to our content and services on the internet and, if we or those who engage with our content experience disruptions in internet service, or if internet service providers are able to block, degrade or charge for access to our content and services, we could incur additional expenses and the loss of traffic and advertisers; we face significant market competition, and if we are unable to compete effectively with our competitors for traffic and advertising spend, our business and operating results could be harmed; we rely on data from third parties to calculate certain of our performance metrics and real or perceived inaccuracies in such metrics may harm our reputation and negatively affect our business; changes to our existing content and services could fail to attract traffic and advertisers or fail to generate revenue; we derive the majority of our revenue from advertising and the failure to attract new advertisers, the loss of existing advertisers, or the reduction of or failure by existing advertisers to maintain or increase their advertising budgets would adversely affect our business; we depend on third-party vendors, including internet service providers, advertising networks, and data centers, to provide core services; hosting and delivery costs may increase unexpectedly; we have offered and intend to continue to offer incentives, including economic incentives, to content creators to join our platform, and these arrangements may involve fixed payment obligations that are not contingent on actual revenue or performance metrics generated by the applicable content creator but rather are based on our modeled financial projections for that creator, which if not satisfied may adversely impact our financial performance, results of operations and liquidity; we may be unable to develop or maintain effective internal controls; potential diversion of management's attention and consumption of resources as a result of acquisitions of other companies and success in integrating and otherwise achieving the benefits of recent and potential acquisitions; we may fail to maintain adequate operational and financial resources or raise additional capital or generate sufficient cash flows; changes in tax rates, changes in tax treatment of companies engaged in e-commerce, the adoption of new tax legislation, or exposure to additional tax liabilities may adversely impact our financial results; compliance obligations imposed by new privacy laws, laws regulating social media platforms and online speech in certain jurisdictions in which we operate, or industry practices may adversely affect our business; and those additional risks, uncertainties and factors described in more detail under the caption "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). We do not intend, and, except as required by law, we undertake no obligation, to update any of our forward-looking statements after the issuance of this release to reflect any future events or circumstances. Given these risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Rumble on Social Media Investors and others should note that we announce material financial and operational information to our investors using our investor relations website (investors.rumble.com), press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts. We also intend to use certain social media accounts as a means of disclosing information about us and our services and for complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD: the @rumblevideo X (formerly Twitter) account (x.com/rumblevideo), the @gamingonrumble X (formerly Twitter) account (x.com/gamingonrumble), the @rumble TRUTH Social account (truthsocial.com/@rumble), the @chrispavlovski X (formerly Twitter) account (x.com/chrispavlovski), and the @chris TRUTH Social account (truthsocial.com/@chris), which Chris Pavlovski, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, also uses as a means for personal communications and observations. The information we post through these social media channels may be deemed material. Accordingly, investors should monitor these social media channels in addition to following our press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts. The social media channels that we intend to use as a means of disclosing the information described above may be updated from time to time as listed on our investor relations website. Important Information and Where to Find It The tender offer described in this press release has not yet commenced, and this press release is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell any shares of Rumble common stock or any other securities. On the commencement date of the tender offer, a tender offer statement on Schedule TO, including an offer to purchase, a letter of transmittal and related documents, will be filed with the SEC by Rumble. The offer to purchase shares of Rumble Class A Common Stock will only be made pursuant to the offer to purchase, the letter of transmittal and related documents filed as a part of the Schedule TO. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE TENDER OFFER STATEMENT REGARDING THE OFFER, AS IT MAY BE AMENDED FROM TIME TO TIME, WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE BECAUSE IT WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Investors and security holders may obtain a free copy of these statements (when available) and other documents filed with the SEC at the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov or by directing such requests to the Information Agent for the tender offer which will be named in the tender offer statement. Copies of Rumble’s filings with the SEC may be obtained free of charge at Rumble’s investor relations website (investors.rumble.com) or by contacting investor relations at investors@rumble.com . Certain Information Regarding Participants Rumble and its directors, executive officers and other members of its management and employees may be deemed under SEC rules to be participants in the solicitation of proxies of Rumble’s stockholders in connection with the proposed transactions. Information concerning the interests of Rumble’s participants in the solicitation, which may, in some cases, be different from those of Rumble’s stockholders generally, will be set forth in materials to be filed by Rumble with the SEC. These documents can be obtained free of charge (when available) from the sources indicated above. For investor inquiries, please contact: Rumble IR Shannon Devine MZ Group, MZ North America 203-741-8811 rumble@mzgroup.us Rumble PR press@rumble.com Tether Contact press@tether.toIn a shocking turn of events, a man has been reportedly making a monthly income of over ten thousand by selling lucky bags, all acquired through the illegal means of snatching over 400 cellphones. This scandal has raised concerns over the unauthorized access to personal information and the exploitation of individuals' data for financial gain.2 Rapidly Growing Canadian Tech Stocks With Lots More Potential