p777 slot
Wild first season in expanded Big 12 comes down to final weekend
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Attorneys for Fox Corp. asked a Delaware judge Friday to dismiss a shareholder lawsuit seeking to hold current and former company officials personally liable for the financial fallout stemming from Fox News reports regarding alleged vote rigging in the 2020 election. Five New York City public employee pension funds, along with Oregon’s public employee retirement fund, allege that former chairman Rupert Murdoch and other Fox Corp. leaders deliberately turned a blind eye to liability risks posed by reporting false claims of vote rigging by election technology companies Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic USA. Smartmatic is suing Fox News for defamation in New York, alleging damages of $2.7 billion. It recently settled a lawsuit in the District of Columbia against One America News Network, another conservative outlet, over reports of vote fraud. Dominion also filed several defamation lawsuits against those who spread conspiracy theories blaming its election equipment for Donald Trump’s loss in 2020. Last year, Fox News settled a defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion in Delaware for $787 million. The shareholder plaintiffs also allege that Fox corporate leaders ignored “red flags” about liability arising from a 2017 report suggesting that Seth Rich, a Democratic National Committee staffer, may have been killed because he had leaked Democratic party emails to Wikileaks during the 2016 presidential campaign. Rich, 27, was shot in 2016 in Washington, D.C., in what authorities have said was an attempted robbery. Fox News retracted the Seth Rich story a week after its initial broadcast, but Rich’s parents sued the network for falsely portraying their son as a criminal and traitor. Fox News settled the lawsuit in 2020 for “millions of dollars,” shortly before program hosts Lou Dobbs and Sean Hannity were to be deposed, according to the shareholder lawsuit. Joel Friedlander, an attorney for the institutional shareholders, argued that Fox officials waited until the company’s reporting about Rich became a national scandal before addressing the issue. Similarly, according to the shareholders, corporate officials, including Rupert Murdoch and his son, CEO Lachlan Murdoch, allowed Fox News to continue broadcasting false narratives about the 2020 election, despite internal communications suggesting that they knew there was no evidence to support the conspiracy theories. “The Murdochs could have minimized future monetary exposure, but they chose not to,” Friedlander said. Instead, he argued, they engaged in “bad-faith decision making” with other defendants in a profit-driven effort to retain viewers and remain in Trump’s good graces. “Decisions were made at the highest level to promote pro-Trump conspiracy theories without editorial control,” Friedlander said. Defense attorneys argue that the case should be dismissed because the plaintiffs filed their lawsuit without first demanding that the Fox Corp. board take action, as required under Delaware law. They say the plaintiffs also failed to demonstrate that a pre-suit demand on the Fox board would have been futile because at least half of the directors face a substantial likelihood of liability or are not independent of someone who does. Beyond the “demand futility” issue, defense attorneys also argue that allegations that Fox officials breached their fiduciary duties fail to meet the pleading standards under Delaware and therefore should be dismissed. Defense attorney William Savitt argued, for example, that neither the Rich settlement, which he described as “immaterial,” nor the allegedly defamatory statements about Dominion and Smartmatic constitute red flags putting directors on notice about the risk of defamation liability. Nor do they demonstrate that directors acted in bad faith or that Fox “utterly failed” to implement and monitor a system to report and mitigate legal risks, including defamation liability risk, according to the defendants. Savitt noted that the Rich article was promptly retracted, and that the settlement included no admission of liability. The Dominion and Smartmatic statements, meanwhile, gave rise themselves to the currently liability issues and therefore can not serve as red flags about future liability risks, according to the defendants. “A ‘red flag’ must be what the term commonly implies — warning of a risk of a liability-causing event that allows the directors to take action to avert the event, not notice that a liability-causing event has already occurred,” defense attorneys wrote in their motion to dismiss. Defense attorneys also say there are no factual allegations to support claims that Fox officials condoned illegal conduct in pursuit of corporate profits, or that they deliberately ignored their oversight responsibilities. They note that a “bad outcome” is not sufficient to demonstrate “bad faith.” Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster is expected to rule within 90 days. Randall Chase, The Associated PressWith word of these levies against goods imported from Mexico, Canada and China, Trump sent auto industry stocks plummeting, raised fears for global supply chains and unnerved the world's major economies. For Washington-watchers with memories of the Republican's first term, the impromptu policy volley on Monday evening foreshadowed a second term of startling announcements of all manner, fired off at all hours of the day from his smartphone. "Donald Trump is never going to change much of anything," said Larry Sabato, a leading US political scientist and director of the University of Virginia's Center for Politics. "You can expect in the second term pretty much what he showed us about himself and his methods in the first term. Social media announcements of policy, hirings and firings will continue." The first of Trump's tariff announcements -- a 25 percent levy on everything coming in from Mexico and Canada -- came amid an angry rebuke of lax border security at 6:45 pm on Truth Social, Trump's own platform. The United States is bound by agreements on the movement of goods and services brokered by Trump in a free trade treaty with both nations during his first term. But Trump warned that the new levy would "remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country" -- sowing panic from Ottawa to Mexico City. Seconds later, another message from the incoming commander-in-chief turned the focus on Chinese imports, which he said would be hit with "an additional 10% Tariff, above any additional Tariffs." The consequences were immediate. Almost every major US automaker operates plants in Mexico, and shares in General Motors and Stellantis -- which produce pickup trucks in America's southern neighbor -- plummeted. Canada, China and Mexico protested, while Germany called on its European partners to prepare for Trump to impose hefty tariffs on their exports and stick together to combat such measures. The tumult recalls Trump's first term, when journalists, business leaders and politicians at home and abroad would scan their phones for the latest pronouncements, often long after they had left the office or over breakfast. During his first four years in the Oval Office, the tweet -- in those days his newsy posts were almost exclusively limited to Twitter, now known as X -- became the quasi-official gazette for administration policy. The public learned of the president-elect's 2020 Covid-19 diagnosis via an early-hours post, and when Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani was assassinated on Trump's order, the Republican confirmed the kill by tweeting a US flag. The public and media learned of numerous other decisions big and small by the same source, from the introduction of customs duties to the dismissal of cabinet secretaries. It is not a communication method that has been favored by any previous US administration and runs counter to the policies and practices of most governments around the world. Throughout his third White House campaign, and with every twist and turn in his various entanglements with the justice system, Trump has poured his heart out on Truth Social, an app he turned to during his 20-month ban from Twitter. In recent days, the mercurial Republican has even named his attorney general secretaries of justice and health via announcements on the network. "He sees social media as a tool to shape and direct the national conversation and will do so again," said political scientist Julian Zelizer, a Princeton University professor. cjc/ft/dw/bjtNYC's mayor warms to Trump and doesn't rule out becoming a Republican
NoneAsia markets set to open higher as investors await Japan GDP and China inflation data
Former Red Sox exec weighs in on controversial Aroldis Chapman signing: ‘I guess enough time has passed’
Best Buy ( BBY -5.91% ) may have no choice but to raise prices on electronics if President-elect Donald Trump’s tariff proposals on imports are implemented, according to the retailer’s CEO, Corie Barry. Barry cautioned that if Trump’s tariffs on Chinese and Mexican imports are reintroduced or expanded, it could drive up the cost of electronics, making already expensive gadgets even pricier . “Costs will be shared by our customers,” Barry told investors during the company’s Nov. 26 earnings call. Best Buy missed Wall Street’s expectations for the third quarter , reporting revenue of $9.45 billion, about $1.26 earnings per share. Analysts had forecasted $9.63 billion in revenue, roughly $1.30 earnings per share. The retailer also lowered its full-year sales forecast to a range of $41.1 billion to $41.5 billion, down from its previous guidance of $41.3 billion to $41.9 billion. The lower forecast and earnings miss underscore the broader challenges the company faces, including rising import costs due to tariffs. Barry’s comments about tariffs highlight the complexity of global supply chains in the consumer electronics industry. Best Buy, like many retailers, relies heavily on imports — particularly from China and Mexico — to stock its shelves. According to Barry, about 60% of the goods Best Buy sells are sourced from China, a number that has remained consistent despite the company’s efforts to diversify its supply chain. These efforts were further complicated by the Covid-19 pandemic, she added. While Best Buy has worked with vendors to shift production away from China where possible, the reality is that tariffs would increase prices on most of their products, Barry explained. Mexico, she added, is Best Buy’s second largest source of imports. “There’s very little in the consumer electronics space that is not imported,” she said. Trump’s tariff proposals would impose a 10% to 20% tax on imports from all countries, with much higher duties of 60% to 100% on Chinese goods. “The situation remains very fluid” as the company works with its vendor partners to adjust pricing strategies and product assortments to mitigate the impact on customers, said Barry. She acknowledged that while the burden of tariffs is usually shared between vendors, retailers, and consumers, it’s ultimately customers who tend to feel the most significant pinch. “Higher prices are not helpful,” Barry said, noting that “these are the goods that people need.” Industry experts, including the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Consumer Technology Association (CTA) have warned that tariffs would likely lead to higher prices on everyday electronics. Retailers like Walmart and AutoZone ( AZO +0.14% ), as well as home improvement giants Home Depot ( HD -0.03% ) and Lowe’s ( LOW -1.02% ), also have signaled they may raise prices if Trump’s tariffs are implemented. 📬 Sign up for the Daily Brief Our free, fast, and fun briefing on the global economy, delivered every weekday morning.South Korea's democracy held after a 6-hour power play. What does it say for democracies elsewhere?
Cloud security company CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. ($CRWD) is scheduled to announce its fiscal-year 2025 third-quarter results after the market closes on Tuesday, and retail sentiment turned markedly upbeat ahead of the event. Austin, Texas-based CrowdStrike is widely expected to report third-quarter non-GAAP earnings per share (EPS) of $0.81 on revenue of $982.8 million. The comparable year-ago numbers are $0.82 and $786.01 million, respectively. In late August, the company guided non-GAAP EPS to $0.80-$0.81 and revenue to $979.2 million-$984.7 million. The top- and bottom-lines beat expectations in each of the past four quarters. The spotlight is likely to be on annual recurring revenue (ARR), a key user metric, which rose 32% year-over-year to $3.86 billion in the previous quarter. Non-GAAP subscription gross margin was at a whopping 81%. In a note released last week, Morgan Stanley analyst Hamza Fodderwala said new deal flow over the past three months have been weak, given the fallout from the July outage. A majority of the deals in the pipeline have been paused, though not cancelled, he said. Channel checks do not indicate material churn as CrowdStrike's customer commitment packages are offering lower upfront costs/discounts, the analyst said. Expansion from existing customers beyond core endpoint security should continue to help offset weaker new logo acquisition, he added. Fodderwala said he sees upside to net new ARR estimates in the third quarter. Ahead of the results, the stock snagged a slew of price target hikes, the Fly reported. The third-quarter earnings call, hosted by the management, is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET. CrowdStrike’s full-year guidance calls for non-GAAP EPS in the range of $3.61 and $3.65 and revenue between $3.89 billion and $3.90 billion. Retail sentiment on the Stocktwits platform has risen to the highest level since the start of the year, improving from ‘bullish’ a day ago to ‘extremely bullish’ (81/100), with message volume spiking to ‘extremely high’ levels. CrowdStrike stock traded up 0.83% at $366.71 ahead of the quarterly results, having gained over 42% for the year-to-date period. The stock, though recovering from the lows amid the mid-July massive IT outage, is yet to break above the pre-outage high of $398.33 hit on July 9. A poll run by Stocktwits platform users regarding their expectations for the earnings and stock trajectory showed that 61% of the respondents expect a big third-quarter beat and a 10% post-earnings rally.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The mood in the Eagles' locker room was a bit more bleak than it should have been for a team riding a nine-game winning streak and celebrating a franchise rushing record. Former 1,000-yard receiver DeVonta Smith — who caught a touchdown pass and not much else — was exasperated at the offensive no-show. A.J. Brown, who holds a slew of team receiving records, had as much to offer in his sour postgame interview as he did on the field when he was held to four catches. This was the sullen attitude of a team still in the hunt for a top seed in the NFC? Here's the good news for the Philadelphia: Saquon Barkley rushed for 124 yards to break the Eagles season record , and Jalen Hurts threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score in Sunday's 22-16 win over the Carolina Panthers. Barkley's consistent brilliance aside, Hurts and the Eagles slogged through another rough offensive outing. “Everybody has a reason to want more,” Hurts said. The Eagles (11-2) maintained their position as the No. 2 team in the NFC, behind Detroit (12-1), after a mostly lethargic effort against the Panthers (3-10). Hurts’ passing numbers were a pedestrian 14 of 21 for 108 yards. Brown had four catches for 43 yards — and threw his helmet in anger after a three-and-out — and Smith had four catches for 37 yards. What do the Eagles need to improve on? “Passing,” Brown deadpanned. How tough was it for the receivers to find a rhythm? “Incredibly tough,” he said. Hurts didn't do enough to get Smith and Brown involved, one reason why the lowly Panthers stayed in striking distance until the final possession. He took four sacks. He held the ball too long as open receivers ran with their arms up trying to get their QB's attention. “I play my role in how we execute,” Hurts said. “But ultimately it's about what position we put ourselves in. It's not my choice.” That message will surely reverberate through coach Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore's offices this week. “I think that’s fair that the questions are about our pass game right now,” Sirianni said. The Eagles at least had Barkley to bail them out. Barkley added another milestone in his MVP push when he used a 9-yard run in the fourth quarter to surpass LeSean McCoy's Eagles record of 1,607 yards, set in 2013. Barkley now has 1,623 yards with four games left. “How cool is it that we have a team rushing record in Week 13?” Sirianni said. Hurts had flashes of form, like when he hit Grant Calcaterra with a 4-yard TD pass and Barkley ran in the 2-point conversion for a 22-16 lead early in the fourth. Bryce Young gamely moved the Panthers into Eagles territory on the final drive. He completed a 13-yard pass on fourth down that moved the ball to the 38, and a second-down pass to Xavier Legette gave the Eagles a brief scare when the receiver seemed to have the ball in the end zone. He didn't. Young eluded a pass rush on fourth down but his final attempt was incomplete. He finished 19 of 34 for 191 yards. Panthers coach Dave Canales said Legette “absolutely” had to make the catch. “That’s a big play we’re counting on. He’d be the first one to tell you he’s got to make that play,” Canales said. “Bryce steps up, makes a beautiful throw in the situation. We had the coverage we wanted, all that. Those are the plays that we’ve just got to find a way to make for us to get back on the winning column.” A 12 1/2-point underdog according to BetMGM Sportsbook, the Panthers played more like a team with playoff seeding at stake. Chuba Hubbard, who rushed for 92 yards and topped 1,000 on the season, made it 16-14 on a 1-yard run in the third quarter. Eddy Pineiro, who kicked a 38-yard field goal in the first quarter, missed the extra point. Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who was examined earlier for a concussion, changed the game late in the second quarter when he picked off Young’s deep pass at Philadelphia’s 41. Hurts scrambled 15 yards on the next drive and finished it with a 4-yard TD pass to Smith for a 14-10 lead. Gardner-Johnson’s pick bailed out an uneven effort by the Eagles. They failed to score on their opening drive for the 13th time this season, but the offensive bursts that usually follow never came. Hurts scored on tush push early in the second quarter, his 13th rushing score of the season, for a 7-3 lead. With nothing to lose, the Panthers went for it on fourth-and-3, and Young hit Tommy Tremble for a 3-yard TD and a 10-7 advantage. The Eagles did just enough. Their challenge now is getting the receivers' production up — and getting them happy — headed into the postseason. “Let the dissatisfaction fuel you for more,” Hurts said. “I think that’s always a fair place to be. And so we know there’s more out there for us, and we’re in pursuit of trying to find it.” Panthers kickoff and punt returner Raheem Blackshear suffered a chest injury. ... RB Jonathon Brooks left with a right knee injury — the same knee in which he tore the ACL last year with Texas. The Panthers had been very cautious bringing the second-round pick along. ... CB Jaycee Horn hurt his groin. Panthers: Host Dallas next Sunday. Eagles: Host cross-state rival Pittsburgh next Sunday. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflOregon, Penn State square off for Big Ten title with CFP in their future
Joe Bartolo has ridden the wave of insatiable government appetites for major infrastructure projects. Symal, the civil construction company he founded more than two decades ago, has worked on Snowy Hydro, helped remove level crossings in Melbourne and built flood relief centres after the 2022 disasters. But even Bartolo thinks that diverting tradies from building much-needed homes to help governments (in all tiers) deliver on infrastructure agendas has caused problems. Symal’s Ray Dando, Andrew Fairbairn and Joe Bartolo ring the famed ASX bell. Credit: Dion Georgopoulos “I feel there was a bit too much everyone was trying to deliver at once, and if it is spread out a little bit more, it would have been much easier to deliver with the skilled people,” Bartolo says. “There’s definitely been a correction to the industry, and in a way, almost a welcome correction to some extent.” Australia is in the middle of a housing crisis, and the federal government is already struggling to deliver on its promise of building 1.2 million new homes by 2029 to keep pace with population growth. Many factors are slowing the process – including planning restrictions and the cost of building – but in September, the NSW Productivity Commission called on governments to stop spending money on infrastructure to enable the building of more homes. “A major reason the construction sector is struggling to deliver homes across Australia is because governments are diverting resources from home building to public infrastructure projects,” its report said. Bartolo says about three-quarters of Symal’s revenue comes from the private sector, so he doesn’t believe it will be affected by any significant changes to governments’ infrastructure agendas. The Melbourne-based founder and managing director was in Sydney last week, standing in the Exchange Sector to ring the famed bell, marking the debut listing of his business. Loading Symal began trading on the ASX on Thursday, under the SYL ticket, with a $437 million market capitalisation, after raising $136 million from institutional and retail investors at $1.85 a share. “For us, listing was about growth, it was about legacy and creating something that we never want to lose,” Bartolo says. “Being listed lets us continue on that journey, continue to grow and outlive us.” It has become one of only about 20 companies floated on the stock exchange so far in 2024, but hopes are rising that a three-year drought in initial public offerings is finally nearing an end as the Australian market rides the wave of a strong Wall Street and awaits cuts to the cash rate next year. Bartolo cites the performance of Guzman y Gomez, which listed in June, as evidence that this was the right time for his business to float on the ASX. “There was also a lack of construction or material supply businesses in the IPO market as well, so we felt that we could really fill that void that was there, but in addition, we still own 70 per cent of the business, so for us it didn’t really matter what the outcome was in terms of valuation because we didn’t get the benefit upside anyway,” he says. Loading “The timing was perfect in terms of work flow as well ... somebody needs to do something to open the market back. If you continue to wait, there was always that question, ‘could we be the first ones that spark it, and we get the benefit of that as well?’” It has been a challenging time for Australia’s IPOs, which is at the weakest pace in 15 years, amid elevated global inflation (which has just started easing) and high-interest rates dampening economic sentiment, as well as companies finding it easier than ever to gain private credit. The US, Britain and Canada are also experiencing low listing numbers since peaking in 2021. EY capital markets leader Paul Murphy says there were signs of market stability in the second half of this year, with a number of IPO candidates dusting off prospectuses. Up to a dozen companies are expected to float on the ASX over the next six weeks. “We do expect to see investor sentiment improve, subject to the geopolitical situation and better macroeconomic conditions, with lower inflation and potentially the beginning of easing of monetary policy, which should create the right conditions for business growth, consumer demand and stable cost inflation,” Murphy said. Joe Bartolo wonders “could Symal be the first ones to spark” a flurry of listings. Credit: Dion Georgopoulos “This will perhaps benefit a number of sectors and IPOs of smaller businesses.” Symal, which has about 1000 employees, generated $770 million in revenue and recorded net profit of $33 million in the 2024 financial year, according to its prospectus. It has $1.3 billion of work-in-hand, with 90 per cent of that from existing clients, on 200 projects. A quarter of the group’s revenue is from the public sector, including government departments and agencies at the three levels of government. Current projects include upgrades to Eastern Freeway in Melbourne’s east and a gas power plant in Kurri Kurri, NSW. Bartolo credits the rise of his company to Andrew Fairburn and Ray Dando, the directors of strategy, growth and delivery, who joined him 15 years ago. Fairburn and Dando own 15 per cent of Symal shares, while Bartolo is the largest shareholder with 30 per cent. The Business Briefing newsletter delivers major stories, exclusive coverage and expert opinion. Sign up to get it every weekday morning . Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. License this article Capital raising ASX Limited Shares Sumeyya Ilanbey is a business journalist for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald Connect via Twitter or email . Most Viewed in Business LoadingCal staves off Sacramento State for third straight winPair of original MLS clubs to play for Cup title
Balancing work deadlines with the needs of her five- and eight-year-old boys isn't easy for Terri Huggins. Then the holiday season rolls in, with a slew of performances, parties, gift obligations, and questions about which family members they'll visit this year and whether to let the kids use screens during winter break. "How many events can I even physically show up to when you have work and other responsibilities?" asked Huggins, an editorial consultant in West Windsor, New Jersey. READ MORE: She was forced to 'leak' her own song with a warning. It worked She continues: "And is it going to scar my child if I go to the two chorus things and not the holiday pageant or the holiday party? And then am I going to scar my child if I give them too few gifts or not enough gifts?" There's also the consideration of gifts or cards for classroom teachers, music and art instructors, lunch aides and case managers. When it comes to gifts, people often don't see "the mental aspect," Huggins said. "I want to show them that I appreciate them. You don't want to give them junk. Then there's the shipping deadlines, making sure that it's in your budget." For a daily dose of 9honey, subscribe to our newsletter here . Like Huggins, many parents are up against the "mother lode" of stress way before the holiday season adds extra demands. What should parents do when even more is piled on for the holidays? Experts say parents can try to make the season more manageable by rethinking expectations, asking for help, handling family drama strategically and giving themselves something to look forward to in January. To start, how do you want to feel during this holiday season? That's an important question parents can consider, said Anna Seewald, a Princeton, New Jersey-based psychologist and host of the Authentic Parenting podcast. READ MORE: How a bag of frozen peas could save your dog's life "It could be cozy and warm," Seewald said. "So everything you do during the holiday season – the shopping, the cooking, the getting together – you can always pause and ask yourself this question: Is this making me feel cozy and warm? Is this aligned with my intention?" The answer, she noted, can help you say yes or no to an invitation. Parents can also consider the source of their expectations, said Kimberly Solo, a Medfield, Massachusetts-based therapist who treats adult women. Parents may feel pressure to get matching family pyjamas because they see others doing it on social media. But doing so may be too expensive or even just annoying. Instead, she suggested parents ask: "What's our bandwidth? How much do we have to give this holiday season?" Seewald also recommended parents reconsider past traditions to see if they still suit you. "Give yourself permission to do it differently, because you are in a different place today," she said. "Just because for the past 10 years you've done it that way doesn't mean you have to continue at the cost of your mental health or sanity." Women are often the "default parents" who take on most of the planning and organising in their families, Solo noted. When workloads increase dramatically around the holidays, it's especially important to delegate or ask the family to pitch in and split up the duties. READ MORE: One place Hollywood hero's daughter is more famous than him To cut down on cooking responsibilities, Seewald suggested catering dishes or asking everyone to bring something. "It doesn't have to be all homemade, all from scratch," she said, "maybe not this year, if you have a toddler and a sick child, and some other things going on in your life." For some families, the presents just pile up, but Seewald said it is possible to cut down on the number of gifts without being a grinch. She suggested parents ask for donations to a charity – which they could select with their kids. Or, if a large family is getting together, each family member could pick one kid to buy for and invest in a meaningful gift. Another option is enlisting kids to choose some of their presents to donate in January. It will feel good to reduce household clutter and give to others. If your finances are tight during the holidays, the pressure can be hard. "Buy nothing" groups can help, and it's OK to ask for basic needs. (And remind yourself that children will remember the hot chocolate and movie nights more than the latest electronic gadgets they did not get when they're older.) Many people have colourful characters in their families whom they get together with during the holidays. Solo said it's important to have reasonable expectations and not assume relatives will change. A get-together doesn't feel cozy or warm if certain kids tend to bully their younger cousins. So don't go or plan to stay for a short time and have an exit plan. And leave if you don't like the mood. READ MORE: 95c pantry staple celebrity chef swears by in show-stopping dish Solo also recommended parents practice self-care before those events – such as getting enough rest and visiting with supportive friends – so they're better equipped to manage the stress. After the holidays are over, a phone-free family night – playing a game or watching a movie – is a great way to bring people together without creating extra work for anyone. Solo also tells her clients to make plans to do something for themselves in January. If a trip is outside of their budget, she said, maybe a friend can take their kids one night, and another night they can take care of the friend's children. "Plan something for January to look forward to that doesn't involve taking care of other people," she said. That's another way parents can make a frenetic season feel a little more calm and bright. FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE : Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.
No one was having more fun on Saturday than future father of four Jason Kelce . The retired Eagles center, 37, was seen living it up in Boone, North Carolina while taking in the Appalachian State Mountaineers’ season-saving 34-20 win against the James Madison Dukes. Kelce, whose wife Kylie revealed Friday the couple is expecting their fourth child together, was seen shotgunning beer with fans, according to videos shared on social media. He also did some karaoke before the Mountaineers improved to 5-5 with the victory at Kidd Brewer Stadium, keeping their bowl eligibility alive. The newest addition of “Monday Night Countdown” briefly hopped on the ESPN+ broadcast of the game, according to Fox News . It was a big weekend in North Carolina for Kelce and his younger brother, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, with Kansas City getting their 10th win of the year with a close 30-27 victory over the Panthers. Kelce is certainly making the most of his NFL retirement after calling it a career in March. The seven-time Pro Bowler spent his 13-year career in Philadelphia, where he was named First Team All-Pro six times. Kelce, who co-hosts the popular “New Heights” podcast with Travis, joined ESPN earlier this year. Kelce announced this week that he’s been tapped to host ESPN’s “They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce,” which will start taping on Friday, Jan. 3, and will run for five weeks as the NFL postseason begins. The show will be filmed in Philadelphia in front of a live audience.
RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina Democratic Party filed a federal lawsuit on Friday seeking to invalidate Republicans’ challenge of over 60,000 ballots cast in the state Supreme Court election. “No North Carolinian deserves to have their vote thrown out in a callous power grab — but this is no surprise from the party of insurrectionists,” NCDP Chair Anderson Clayton said in a press release. “We are prepared to take on Republicans. They can’t stop the results of an election just because they don’t like the fact that we won.” Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
The Red Sox made their first big signing of the offseason Tuesday, inking veteran reliever Aroldis Chapman to a one-year, $10.75 million contract. The deal, which is pending a physical, also includes $250,000 in potential bonuses. Chapman confirmed the deal, posting a photo of himself in a Red Sox cap on social media. The Cuban-born lefty made his major league debut with the Cincinnati Reds in 2010. Since leaving Cincinnati in 2015, he’s primarily pitched for the New York Yankees (two stints), as well as the Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, and Pittsburgh Pirates. One of MLB’s hardest-throwing pitchers, Chapman is a seven-time All-Star, was American League Reliever of the Year in 2019, and has won two World Series (’16 Cubs, ’23 Rangers). He also has the distinction of being the first Yankees pitcher to ever give up a home run to Rafael Devers, on Aug. 13, 2017 at Yankee Stadium. The signing, however, is a controversial move for the Red Sox. In 2016, Chapman became the first player ever suspended by Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association under their Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, and Child Abuse Policy , which they’d enacted in 2015. The then-Yankees closer served a 30-game suspension at the beginning of the ’16 season after an Oct. 30, 2015 incident at his Florida home. He fired a gun eight times in his garage, and his 22-year-old girlfriend alleged that he’d choked her. “I’m apologizing because of the use of the gun,” Chapman told reporters at spring training in March 2016. He acknowledged that he used “bad judgement,” but maintained that he never physically harmed his girlfriend. While prosecutors declined to prosecute due to conflicting accounts and insufficient evidence, MLB’s own investigation yielded enough to penalize Chapman. And unlike the performance-enhancing drug policy, players who serve DV suspensions are allowed to participate in that year’s postseason. Three days after the one-year anniversary of the incident that led to his suspension, Chapman picked up the win in Game 7 of the World Series, ending Chicago’s 108-year championship drought. In signing Chapman, the Red Sox are signaling a pivot in organizational values. Boston notably backed out of acquiring Chapman from Cincinnati during the 2015 Winter Meetings. The Dodgers then reached an agreement with the Reds, only to walk away for the same reason. After reports of Chapman’s incident surfaced and MLB opened an investigation, the Yankees traded for him on Dec. 28. A few years later, the Red Sox made a similar decision. Despite needing bullpen reinforcements at the 2018 trade deadline, then-president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski made it clear that the club hadn’t pursed Toronto Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna, who was serving a 75-game DV suspension (and appearing in court) at the time. “We were not going that route,” manager Alex Cora told reporters before the Red Sox demolished Osuna and his new team, the Houston Astros, in that year’s ALCS. “After 2015, we agreed to send (top prospects Manuel) Margot and Marco Hernandez to the Reds for Chapman, but it fell apart when we discovered disturbing details about his domestic dispute,” former Red Sox assistant general manager Zack Scott wrote on X . “We actually informed the Reds about it. We pivoted to (Craig) Kimbrel, and Chapman went to the Yankees. I guess enough time has passed without incident for the Sox to be OK with it now.” You can find every Red Sox offseason update on the Boston Herald’s 2024-25 live tracker !NoneSouth Korea's democracy held after a 6-hour power play