DENVER -- Amid renewed interest in the killing of JonBenet Ramsey triggered in part by a new Netflix documentary, police in Boulder, Colorado, refuted assertions this week that there is viable evidence and leads about the 1996 killing of the 6-year-old girl that they are not pursuing. JonBenet Ramsey, who competed in beauty pageants, was found dead in the basement of her family’s home in the college town of Boulder the day after Christmas in 1996. Her body was found several hours after her mother called 911 to say her daughter was missing and a ransom note had been left behind. The details of the crime and video footage of JonBenet competing in pageants propelled the case into one of the highest-profile mysteries in the United States. The police comments came as part of their annual update on the investigation, a month before the 28th anniversary of JonBenet’s killing. Police said they released it a little earlier due to the increased attention on the case, apparently referring to the three-part Netflix series “Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey.” In a video statement, Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn said the department welcomes news coverage and documentaries about the killing of JonBenet, who would have been 34 this year, as a way to generate possible new leads. He said the department is committed to solving the case but needs to be careful about what it shares about the investigation to protect a possible future prosecution. “What I can tell you though, is we have thoroughly investigated multiple people as suspects throughout the years and we continue to be open-minded about what occurred as we investigate the tips that come into detectives," he said. The Netflix documentary focuses on the mistakes made by police and the “media circus” surrounding the case. JonBenet was bludgeoned and strangled. Her death was ruled a homicide, but nobody was ever prosecuted. Police were widely criticized for mishandling the early investigation into her death amid speculation that her family was responsible. However, a prosecutor cleared her parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, and brother Burke in 2008 based on new DNA evidence from JonBenet's clothing that pointed to the involvement of an “unexplained third party” in her slaying. The announcement by former district attorney Mary Lacy came two years after Patsy Ramsey died of cancer. Lacy called the Ramseys “victims of this crime.” John Ramsey has continued to speak out for the case to be solved. In 2022, he supported an online petition asking Colorado’s governor to intervene in the investigation by putting an outside agency in charge of DNA testing in the case. In the Netflix documentary, he said he has been advocating for several items that have not been prepared for DNA testing to be tested and for other items to be retested. He said the results should be put through a genealogy database. In recent years, investigators have identified suspects in unsolved cases by comparing DNA profiles from crime scenes and to DNA testing results shared online by people researching their family trees. In 2021, police said in their annual update that DNA hadn’t been ruled out to help solve the case, and in 2022 noted that some evidence could be “consumed” if DNA testing is done on it. Last year, police said they convened a panel of outside experts to review the investigation to give recommendations and determine if updated technologies or forensic testing might produce new leads. In the latest update, Redfearn said that review had ended but that police continue to work through and evaluate a “lengthy list of recommendations” from the panel. ____ Amy Beth Hanson contributed to this report from Helena, Montana.COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Tafara Gapare scored 19 points, freshman Derik Queen had 15 points and eight rebounds and Maryland beat Bucknell 91-67 on Wednesday night. Maryland opened the game on a 15-2 run, extended it to 25-7 with 10:38 left and led 51-28 at the break. The Terrapins led by at least 16 points the entire second half, which included runs of 12-0 and 9-0. Gapare scored the 10 straight points during the second-half run. Gapare threw down a highlight dunk while being fouled with 2:08 remaining to give Maryland an 89-62 lead. He was called for a technical foul after stepping over Patrick O’Brien, who was attempting to take a charge. Jayden Williams made the two free throws for Bucknell and Gapare missed his free-throw attempt that would have tied his career high of 20 points. Maryland (6-1) has won 20 consecutive home games against unranked nonconference foes with its last loss coming on Dec. 1, 2021, against Virginia Tech in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Julian Reese added 14 points and Selton Miguel scored 13 for Maryland. Gapare, a Georgia Tech transfer, reached double-figure scoring as a Terp for the first time. The Terrapins shot 50% from the field with three 3-pointers apiece by Gapare and Miguel. Ruot Bijiek led Bucknell (4-4) with 20 points and Josh Bascoe added 10. The Bison turned it over 20 times leading to 22 Maryland points. Maryland stays at home to play Alcorn State on Sunday. Bucknell returns home to play Siena on Saturday. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketballBRUSSELS (AP) — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Uruguay Thursday for the final stages in years-long negotiations to clinch a trade deal between the 27-nation EU and the South American Mercosur trade bloc that would create a trans-Atlantic market of some 700 million people. “The finish line of the EU-Mercosur agreement is in sight. Let’s work, let’s cross it,” von der Leyen said Thursday, sidestepping objections from some EU member states like France and protests by farmers across the bloc. French President Emmanuel Macron, mindful of his country’s vocal and politically powerful farming community, has described what was on the table as “unacceptable.” If the deal with the South American bloc — comprising of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia — goes ahead, EU producers would have to compete with South American agricultural exports such as beef, poultry and sugar. “We will continue to steadfastly defend our agricultural independence,” Macron said Thursday. Because the EU Commission negotiates trade agreements for all 27 member states, von der Leyen could go ahead with a provisional deal this weekend at the Mercosur summit in Uruguay, only to see it flounder because one or more members states refuse to sign up to it. A draft deal was announced in 2019 , but disagreements over environmental, economic and political issues have delaying its final approval until now. If the final differences are bridged, the EU-Mercosur deal would encompass an economic area covering almost a quarter of global GDP. It would center on reducing tariffs and trade barriers and make it easier for businesses on both sides to export goods. Germany, with its huge car industry, is a big proponent of the deal since it would make it much easier and cheaper for Volkswagens, Audis and BMWs to be sold in Latin America. Von der Leyen’s trip suggested that technical issues between the EU and the South American bloc were settled and the road was open for “the top political level to make the final compromises to try to get a deal over the line,” said Commission spokesman Olof Gill. A massive European farmers’ protest movement last year sent warning shots to negotiators and on Thursday, protests from Belgian farmers added their voice by blocking border crossings. They say Mercosur producers would be allowed to flood the market with produce than do not have to meet the strict EU environmental and animal protection standards they have to abide by, thus unfairly undercutting the market. On top of that, they say South American producers benefit from lower labor costs and larger farms. If von der Leyen clinches a deal, the Commission would still have to pour it into legal text and only at that stage would it become clear if certain or all parts need to be approved by unanimity or whether a special majority among EU nations would suffice to make the deal final. Tom Nouvian contributed from Paris
Defending national champion South Carolina is practicing without forward Ashlyn Watkins, who remains suspended following her Aug. 31 arrest. "The status is still the same," head coach Dawn Staley said Tuesday, the day after the Gamecocks' first official team practice. "Nothing has moved yet. We're not going to move until the situation changes." Watkins was charged with first-degree assault and kidnapping following an incident at a student housing and retail center. The arrest triggered an automatic team suspension under athletic department policy. Watkins, a 6-foot-3 junior, averaged 9.2 points and 7.4 rebounds in 38 games last season for the undefeated national champions. The Columbia, S.C., native is due to appear in Richland County court on Oct. 25, less than two weeks before South Carolina opens the season against Michigan on Nov. 4 in Las Vegas. Per her arrest warrant, she allegedly picked up the individual and carried her without her consent, then "grabbed the victim's head and forced her to walk down the hall, thus controlling her movement while preventing her from leaving." This came after Watkins allegedly assaulted the individual by "forcefully grabbing her face, pulling her by her arms, and pushing her." The individual was later treated for non-life-threatening injuries after allegedly escaping and pulling a fire alarm. Watkins was released on a $30,000 personal recognizance bond. "We believe once everybody has a full grasp of what happened, this will end up being a misunderstanding," Watkins' lawyer Todd Rutherford told WLTX earlier this month. "What we know for certain is that Ashlyn did not assault anyone and she did not kidnap anyone." --Field Level MediaThe Vegas Golden Knights will look to keep their three-game win streak going when they visit the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night. Game time is 10 p.m. ET from the Ball Arena in Denver. You can watch it on TNT or live stream it on Sling TV (discount) or DirecTV Stream (FREE trial and discount). Jack Eichel got the lone goal in the shootout and the Golden Knights overcame a three-goal deficit to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4 on Monday night to extend their win streak. Ilya Samsonov followed up a 32-save performance by stopping all three shootout attempts. Eichel scored in the second period, and Ivan Barbashev, Pavel Dorofeyev and Tanner Pearson also scored for Vegas. Samsonov gave up four goals on the first 14 shots he faced. He then stopped the next 25 shots he faced, including the three in the shootout. He made a sprawling glove save on Travis Sanheim in overtime. Vegas, 6-4-2, will wrap up its five-game road trip tonight. Eichel is the team’s point leader, with 34. Barbashev has 24 points and Mark Stone has 21. Dorofeyev leads the team in goals with 11. Adin Hill has started 14 of the team’s games in goal. His record is 9-4-0-1 and his goals-against average is 2.99. WATCH: TNT or live stream it on Sling TV (discount) or DirecTV Stream (FREE trial and discount) Colorado is happy to be home after a rough one in Florida, an 8-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday. Ivan Ivan scored both goals for Colorado, which had a three-game winning streak come to an end, all coming on the road. Justus Annunen, who was pulled in the first period but returned for the third, allowed five goals on 16 shots. Alexandar Georgiev allowed three goals on 17 shots. Vegas Golden Knights' Ilya Samsonov (35) celebrates after Vegas won an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) AP Nathan MacKinnon tops the Avalanche with 35 points, including 28 assists. Mikko Ratanen is second with 32 points including a team-leading 14 goals and Cale Makar is next with 30 points. Annunen (6-4-0-0) and Georgiev (6-5-0-0) have pretty much split the goaltending duties this season, with similar records. Colorado is 6-6-0 at home this season. More sports news James Franklin weighs in on Saquon Barkley's MVP-caliber 1st year with Philadelphia Eagles Penn State’s Tyler Warren for the Heisman: The TE just appeared on the Heisman Trophy podcast Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi and LA Angels finalize a $63 million, 3-year contract Former Pa. high school basketball star sentenced in killingRENTON — Though the focus of the week has understandably been on the Seahawks’ constantly evolving special-teams units, a new issue has emerged as Sunday’s game at Arizona grows closer — the health of starting running back Kenneth Walker III. Walker was one of two players listed as questionable for Sunday, the other being punter Michael Dickson. Dickson was a full participant in practice Friday, indicating he may be able to shake off the back spasms that erupted Sunday and punt against Arizona. “We’re planning on him being ready to go,’’ Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said of Dickson, saying that the team’s signing of punter Tyler Zentner to the practice squad Friday was “a contingency plan" in case Dickson’s injury flares up. Walker, however, was listed as not participating while dealing with ankle and calf injuries, and Macdonald indicated that there is a question about whether he will play Sunday. “Wish I could tell you," Macdonald said. “Just don’t know right now. We’ll talk about plans in place on how we want to operate going into the weekend, if we have to make any moves or if we have to take it up to the game on Sunday. We’re just not sure right now." Walker had a regular workload in Sunday’s 26-21 win over the New York Jets. He played 39 snaps, or 61% of the offense plays, and had 16 of Seattle’s 21 rushing attempts, gaining 49 yards. Macdonald said the ankle and calf injuries are not related and added that they were not apparent during the game but crept up later. “To my knowledge he got out of the game fine," Macdonald said. “Some of these things, they pop up later, it gets kind of funky. So to my knowledge I don’t think he was limited as the game wore on." Walker first showed up on the injury report Wednesday as limited and then was listed as DNP (did not practice) Thursday and Friday. Walker missed games this season against the Patriots and Dolphins because of an oblique injury, part of a rough season for the third-year running back out of Michigan State. After gaining 1,050 yards and averaging 4.6 per carry as a rookie in 2022 and 905 and 4.1 in 2023, Walker is averaging just 3.7 yards this year. The Seahawks rank 28 th in the NFL in rushing yards per game at 88.7. Getting the running game going this week figures to be challenging, even if they are at full strength. The Cardinals rank 13 th in rushing defense, allowing 117.3 per game, and held the Seahawks to 65 yards on 25 attempts in Seattle’s 16-6 win over Arizona at Lumen Field on Nov. 24. If Walker can’t play, second-year running back Zach Charbonnet would start. Charbonnet has 266 yards on 75 carries this season (3.5 per attempt) with a long of 13. He had 28 on four carries against the Jets, including the go-ahead TD on an eight-yard run with 5:34 to play on third-and-1. Second-year player Kenny McIntosh is the only other running back on the 53-man roster — he has four carries for 16 yards this season. If Walker is out, Seattle could add depth at running back by elevating rookie George Holani off the practice squad. The former Boise State standout returned to the practice squad off injured reserve last week. “He could be a solution on that front," Macdonald said. Receiver/returner Jaelon Darden, claimed off waivers Thursday from Cleveland, did practice Friday due to personal reasons. But Macdonald said he could be one of Seattle’s returners Sunday, most likely handling punts, where he has the most experience. Seattle waived its starting punt returner, Dee Williams, on Thursday, and he was claimed Friday by the New York Giants. “Plan on having him out there, ready to go," Macdonald said of Darden, who had 22 punt returns for 234 yards this season for Cleveland and does not have a listed fumble in 115 combined kickoff and punt returns in his NFL career. “(There are) some moving parts on that front, who is returning what and what phase (they are in). We have a plan for all kind of the things that could possibly happen, or we think we do at least, and then we’ll go from there. But he’s definitely part of it.’’ A factor is Walker's availability. Charbonnet has been one of a handful of players to practice kickoff returns this week with McIntosh, Holani and receiver Cody White. But if Walker is out and Charbonnet has to be the main running back, the Seahawks might not want him returning kicks. “He’s a possibility," Macdonald said of Charbonnet. “Again, I just can't give you an answer right now, because there are things that we don't know right now. So we're trying to figure that out. But, we've worked it, guys have practiced it. If guys are back there, they'll have practiced all the things we're going to ask them to do. We've got a good plan, just not sure on who's going to be out there right now based off who's available and all those things." Seattle shook up its return teams in the wake of fumbles lost on kickoff returns by Laviska Shenault Jr. and Williams against the Jets. The two had combined for five lost fumbles on punts or kickoffs this season, and both were released this week. "We've got to take care of the ball, man, just got to take care of the ball," Macdonald said. “So not excited about having to do it but felt like they were necessary.'' With Dickson being limited in practice this week because of back spasms that crept up late in the Jets game, the Seahawks on Friday signed Zentner. Seattle placed veteran offensive lineman Jason Peters on the practice squad/injured reserve list to make room on the roster. "He's getting better every day," Macdonald said of Dickson. “Looks positive right now. You just never know, like is he going to lock up again? So you have a contingency plan. But we're planning on him being ready to go." Like any practice squad player, Zentner would have to be elevated to the active roster Saturday to play Sunday. Zentner practiced Friday. The Seahawks know him well, as he punted against them Nov. 3 for the Rams in Los Angeles’ 26-20 overtime win at Lumen Field, filling in for ill Ethan Evans. He had seven punts that day for an average of 40.1 yards with a long of 53. Notes
As winter approaches, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) is stepping up measures to handle adverse conditions, notably integrating cutting-edge technology and robust safety protocols. According to a recent statement from the NFR, these enhancements include equipment for navigating through fog and dedicated training programs for staff. Additionally, GPS-enabled cold weather patrolling ensures precise oversight of rail conditions, while advanced fog navigation systems aid train drivers. Rail examinations, lubrication, and signalling system upgrades are prioritized. Emergency preparedness is bolstered with specialised training and mock drills. Feedback processes have been established to ensure alignment with Railway Board directives, guaranteeing safety and efficiency. (With inputs from agencies.)
Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst declined Thursday to commit to supporting Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination to head the U.S. Department of Defense. When asked during a Fox News interview whether she will support Hegseth’s nomination, Ernst said only that she had a “very frank and productive discussion” with Hegseth on Wednesday and that his vetting will continue. U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst Republicans will hold a slim, 53-47 majority in the U.S. Senate next year, making each of the party’s votes crucial to approving Trump’s nominations to federal agency leadership positions. “All I’m saying is we had a very frank and productive discussion and I know that we will continue to have conversation in the coming months,” Ernst said during the Fox News interview. Hegseth is an Army National Guard veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Most recently he was a Fox News host. Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be defense secretary, is joined by his wife Jennifer Rauchet on Wednesday as they walk through the basement of the Capitol in Washington. Hegseth has in the past said he believes that women should not serve in combat roles in the U.S. military. And in 2017, a California police report included allegations that Hegseth sexually assaulted a woman at a conference. No charges were filed over the incident, and Hegseth and the woman settled out of court. Ernst, a former officer in the Iowa National Guard, was the first female combat veteran elected to the U.S. Senate and is a sexual assault survivor. She also is a member of the Senate’s Armed Services Committee and has worked on addressing sexual assault in the military. When the Fox News host interviewing Ernst on Thursday said it did not sound like Ernst has “gotten to a yes” on Hegseth’s nomination, and that it sounded like Hegseth’s eventual confirmation hearing will be “critical for his nomination,” Ernst replied, “I think you are right.” “I think for a number of our senators, they want to make sure that any allegations have been cleared,” Ernst said. “And that’s why we have a very thorough vetting process. And that’s why I was happy to sit down with Pete and have that conversation with him yesterday. “So again, all I will say at this time is that we did have a very thorough discussion over a number of those issues, and the vetting will continue, I am certain, through the next month or so until we approach that (confirmation) hearing date.” A confirmation hearing for Hegseth’s nomination has not yet been set, Ernst said. Among President-elect Donald Trump's picks are Susie Wiles for chief of staff, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, former Democratic House member Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general. Susie Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Trump named Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state, making a former sharp critic his choice to be the new administration's top diplomat. Rubio, 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket last summer. Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” Trump said of Rubio in a statement. The announcement punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom the senator called a “con man" during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. And as Trump campaigned for the presidency a third time, Rubio cheered his proposals. For instance, Rubio, who more than a decade ago helped craft immigration legislation that included a path to citizenship for people in the U.S. illegally, now supports Trump's plan to use the U.S. military for mass deportations. Pete Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend” and has been a contributor with the network since 2014, where he developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. Hegseth lacks senior military or national security experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises — ranging from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea. Hegseth is also the author of “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” published earlier this year. Trump tapped Pam Bondi, 59, to be attorney general after U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration. She was Florida's first female attorney general, serving between 2011 and 2019. She also was on Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020. Considered a loyalist, she served as part of a Trump-allied outside group that helped lay the groundwork for his future administration called the America First Policy Institute. Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. A fierce defender of Trump, she also frequently appears on Fox News and has been a critic of the criminal cases against him. Trump picked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a well-known conservative who faced sharp criticism for telling a story in her memoir about shooting a rambunctious dog, to lead an agency crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda. Noem used her two terms leading a tiny state to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics. South Dakota is usually a political afterthought. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions that other states had issued and instead declared her state “open for business.” Trump held a fireworks rally at Mount Rushmore in July 2020 in one of the first large gatherings of the pandemic. She takes over a department with a sprawling mission. In addition to key immigration agencies, the Department of Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service, and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports. The governor of North Dakota, who was once little-known outside his state, Burgum is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump, and spent months traveling to drum up support for him, after dropping out of the race. Burgum was a serious contender to be Trump’s vice presidential choice this summer. The two-term governor was seen as a possible pick because of his executive experience and business savvy. Burgum also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs. Trump made the announcement about Burgum joining his incoming administration while addressing a gala at his Mar-a-Lago club, and said a formal statement would be coming the following day. In comments to reporters before Trump took the stage, Burgum said that, in recent years, the power grid is deteriorating in many parts of the country, which he said could raise national security concerns but also drive up prices enough to increase inflation. “There's just a sense of urgency, and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration,” Burgum said. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president as a Democrat, than as an independent, and then endorsed Trump . He's the son of Democratic icon Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated during his own presidential campaign. The nomination of Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services alarmed people who are concerned about his record of spreading unfounded fears about vaccines . For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Scott Bessent, 62, is a former George Soros money manager and an advocate for deficit reduction. He's the founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management, after having worked on-and-off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary. He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trump’s campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending. “This election cycle is the last chance for the U.S. to grow our way out of this mountain of debt without becoming a sort of European-style socialist democracy,” he said then. Oregon Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her reelection bid this month, but received strong backing from union members in her district. As a potential labor secretary, she would oversee the Labor Department’s workforce, its budget and put forth priorities that impact workers’ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employer’s rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities. Chavez-DeRemer is one of few House Republicans to endorse the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and would add penalties for companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws that allow employees in more than half the states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their places of employment. Scott Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he’s yet selected for his administration, with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” Sean Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, “Fox and Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children. A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Write is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking — a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. Wright also has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.” The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States. Wright also won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump’s first term. President-elect Donald Trump tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump promised to dismantle. McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s initial term from 2017 to 2019 and twice ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut. She’s seen as a relative unknown in education circles, though she expressed support for charter schools and school choice. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. Brooke Rollins, who graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural development, is a longtime Trump associate who served as White House domestic policy chief during his first presidency. The 52-year-old is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration. She previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Trump chose Howard Lutnick, head of brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and a cryptocurrency enthusiast, as his nominee for commerce secretary, a position in which he'd have a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs. Trump made the announcement Tuesday on his social media platform, Truth Social. Lutnick is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team, along with Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration. Both are tasked with putting forward candidates for key roles in the next administration. The nomination would put Lutnick in charge of a sprawling Cabinet agency that is involved in funding new computer chip factories, imposing trade restrictions, releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. It is also a position in which connections to CEOs and the wider business community are crucial. Doug Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial, which centered on U.S. assistance for Ukraine. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential nomination, but he was acquitted by the Senate. Collins has also served in the armed forces himself and is currently a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command. "We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need," Trump said in a statement about nominating Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Karoline Leavitt, 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. The White House press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps. Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, was a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term before she became communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump's choice for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has been tapped by Trump to be director of national intelligence, keeping with the trend to stock his Cabinet with loyal personalities rather than veteran professionals in their requisite fields. Gabbard, 43, was a Democratic House member who unsuccessfully sought the party's 2020 presidential nomination before leaving the party in 2022. She endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him this fall. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community,” Trump said in a statement. Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions. Trump has picked John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who served as director of national intelligence during his first administration, to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his next. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump's first term, leading the U.S. government's spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. “I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation's highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement, calling him a “fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans” who would ensure “the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.” Kash Patel spent several years as a Justice Department prosecutor before catching the Trump administration’s attention as a staffer on Capitol Hill who helped investigate the Russia probe. Patel called for dramatically reducing the agency’s footprint, a perspective that sets him apart from earlier directors who sought additional resources for the bureau. Though the Justice Department in 2021 halted the practice of secretly seizing reporters’ phone records during leak investigations, Patel said he intends to aggressively hunt down government officials who leak information to reporters. Trump has chosen former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to serve as his pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency . Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on X , “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.” “We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,” he added. During his campaign, Trump often attacked the Biden administration's promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referring to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often told his audiences during the campaign his administration would “Drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration. In a statement, Trump said Zeldin “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.” Trump has named Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, as the new chairman of the agency tasked with regulating broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband. Carr is a longtime member of the commission and served previously as the FCC’s general counsel. He has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate three times and was nominated by both Trump and President Joe Biden to the commission. Carr made past appearances on “Fox News Channel," including when he decried Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' pre-Election Day appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” He wrote an op-ed last month defending a satellite company owned by Trump supporter Elon Musk. Trump said Atkins, the CEO of Patomak Partners and a former SEC commissioner, was a “proven leader for common sense regulations.” In the years since leaving the SEC, Atkins has made the case against too much market regulation. “He believes in the promise of robust, innovative capital markets that are responsive to the needs of Investors, & that provide capital to make our Economy the best in the World. He also recognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The commission oversees U.S. securities markets and investments and is currently led by Gary Gensler, who has been leading the U.S. government’s crackdown on the crypto industry. Gensler, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, announced last month that he would be stepping down from his post on the day that Trump is inaugurated — Jan. 20, 2025. Atkins began his career as a lawyer and has a long history working in the financial markets sector, both in government and private practice. In the 1990s, he worked on the staffs of two former SEC chairmen, Richard C. Breeden and Arthur Levitt. Jared Isaacman, 41, is a tech billionaire who bought a series of spaceflights from Elon Musk’s SpaceX and conducted the first private spacewalk . He is the founder and CEO of a card-processing company and has collaborated closely with Musk ever since buying his first chartered SpaceX flight. He took contest winners on that 2021 trip and followed it in September with a mission where he briefly popped out the hatch to test SpaceX’s new spacewalking suits. Rep. Elise Stefanik is a representative from New York and one of Trump's staunchest defenders going back to his first impeachment. Elected to the House in 2014, Stefanik was selected by her GOP House colleagues as House Republican Conference chair in 2021, when former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after publicly criticizing Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election. Stefanik, 40, has served in that role ever since as the third-ranking member of House leadership. Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile. If confirmed, she would represent American interests at the U.N. as Trump vows to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine begun in 2022. He has also called for peace as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon to target Hezbollah. President-elect Donald Trump says he's chosen former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO. Trump has expressed skepticism about the Western military alliance for years. Trump said in a statement Wednesday that Whitaker is “a strong warrior and loyal Patriot” who “will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended” and “strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability.” The choice of Whitaker as the nation’s representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an unusual one, given his background is as a lawyer and not in foreign policy. A Republican congressman from Michigan who served from 1993 to 2011, Hoekstra was ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump's first term. “In my Second Term, Pete will help me once again put AMERICA FIRST,” Trump said in a statement announcing his choice. “He did an outstanding job as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands during our first four years, and I am confident that he will continue to represent our Country well in this new role.” Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah. “He loves Israel, and likewise the people of Israel love him,” Trump said in a statement. “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East.” Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland. Trump has been praised by some in this important Republican voting bloc for moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Trump on Tuesday named real estate investor Steven Witkoff to be special envoy to the Middle East. The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect's golf partner and was golfing with him at Trump's club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination. Witkoff “is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy,” Trump said of Witkoff in a statement. “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud." Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee. Trump said Wednesday that he will nominate Gen. Keith Kellogg to serve as assistant to the president and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as National Security Advisor to Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence. For the America First Policy Institute, one of several groups formed after Trump left office to help lay the groundwork for the next Republican administration, Kellogg in April wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.” (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) Trump asked Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, Trump announced in a statement Tuesday. The move puts Waltz in the middle of national security crises, ranging from efforts to provide weapons to Ukraine and worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah. “Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda,” Trump's statement said, "and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!” Waltz is a three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs. He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population. Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner , was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump's priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump's first administration. Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump's policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families. Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation's economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people who are in the United States illegally. Since Trump left office in 2021, Miller has served as the president of America First Legal, an organization made up of former Trump advisers aimed at challenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others over issues such as free speech and national security. Thomas Homan, 62, has been tasked with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history. Homan, who served under Trump in his first administration leading U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was widely expected to be offered a position related to the border, an issue Trump made central to his campaign. Though Homan has insisted such a massive undertaking would be humane, he has long been a loyal supporter of Trump's policy proposals, suggesting at a July conference in Washington that he would be willing to "run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.” Democrats have criticized Homan for his defending Trump's “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border. Former Rep. Billy Long represented Missouri in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2023. Since leaving Congress, Trump said, Long “has worked as a Business and Tax advisor, helping Small Businesses navigate the complexities of complying with the IRS Rules and Regulations.” Former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler was appointed in January 2020 by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and then lost a runoff election a year later. She started a conservative voter registration organization and dived into GOP fundraising, becoming one of the top individual donors and bundlers to Trump’s 2024 comeback campaign. Even before nominating her for agriculture secretary, the president-elect already had tapped Loeffler as co-chair of his inaugural committee. Dr. Mehmet Oz, 64, is a former heart surgeon who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show,” a long-running daytime television talk show. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of Trump, who endorsed Oz's bid for elected office. Elon Musk, left, and Vivek Ramaswamy speak before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at an Oct. 27 campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York. Trump on Tuesday said Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency" — which is not, despite the name, a government agency. The acronym “DOGE” is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said Musk and Ramaswamy will work from outside the government to offer the White House “advice and guidance” and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.” He added the move would shock government systems. It's not clear how the organization will operate. Musk, owner of X and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been a constant presence at Mar-a-Lago since Trump won the presidential election. Ramaswamy suspended his campaign in January and threw his support behind Trump. Trump said the two will “pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” Russell Vought held the position during Trump’s first presidency. After Trump’s initial term ended, Vought founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as “renew a consensus of America as a nation under God.” Vought was closely involved with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that he tried to distance himself from during the campaign. Vought has also previously worked as the executive and budget director for the Republican Study Committee, a caucus for conservative House Republicans. He also worked at Heritage Action, the political group tied to The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Dan Scavino, deputy chief of staff Scavino, whom Trump's transition referred to in a statement as one of “Trump's longest serving and most trusted aides,” was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign, as well as his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president. Scavino had run Trump's social media profile in the White House during his first administration. He was also held in contempt of Congress in 2022 after a month-long refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. James Blair, deputy chief of staff Blair was political director for Trump's 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee. He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and assistant to the president. Blair was key to Trump's economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign this year, a driving force behind the candidate's “Trump can fix it” slogan and his query to audiences this fall if they were better off than four years ago. Taylor Budowich, deputy chief of staff Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again, Inc., a super PAC that supported Trump's 2024 campaign. He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president. Budowich also had served as a spokesman for Trump after his presidency. Jay Bhattacharya, National Institutes of Health Trump has chosen Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health. Bhattacharya is a physician and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, and is a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates. He promoted the idea of herd immunity during the pandemic, arguing that people at low risk should live normally while building up immunity to COVID-19 through infection. The National Institutes of Health funds medical research through competitive grants to researchers at institutions throughout the nation. NIH also conducts its own research with thousands of scientists working at its labs in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Marty Makary, Food and Drug Administration Makary is a Johns Hopkins surgeon and author who argued against pandemic lockdowns. He routinely appeared on Fox News during the COVID-19 pandemic and wrote opinion articles questioning masks for children. He cast doubt on vaccine mandates but supported vaccines generally. Makary also cast doubt on whether booster shots worked, which was against federal recommendations on the vaccine. Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Surgeon General Nesheiwat is a general practitioner who serves as medical director for CityMD, a network of urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey. She has been a contributor to Fox News. Dr. Dave Weldon, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Weldon is a former Florida congressman who recently ran for a Florida state legislative seat and lost; Trump backed Weldon’s opponent. In Congress, Weldon weighed in on one of the nation’s most heated debates of the 1990s over quality of life and a right-to-die and whether Terri Schiavo, who was in a persistent vegetative state after cardiac arrest, should have been allowed to have her feeding tube removed. He sided with the parents who did not want it removed. Jamieson Greer, U.S. trade representative Kevin Hassett, Director of the White House National Economic Council Trump is turning to two officials with experience navigating not only Washington but the key issues of income taxes and tariffs as he fills out his economic team. He announced he has chosen international trade attorney Jamieson Greer to be his U.S. trade representative and Kevin Hassett as director of the White House National Economic Council. While Trump has in several cases nominated outsiders to key posts, these picks reflect a recognition that his reputation will likely hinge on restoring the public’s confidence in the economy. Trump said in a statement that Greer was instrumental in his first term in imposing tariffs on China and others and replacing the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, “therefore making it much better for American Workers.” Hassett, 62, served in the first Trump term as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. He has a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and worked at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute before joining the Trump White House in 2017. With Pete Hegseth under pressure, President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly considering Ron DeSantis for the top Pentagon job. (Scripps News) Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.The best players of Deadlock have jumped the turnstile and started organizing their own competitive scene, and I think you should join me in my jealousy of their improvised format. It’s been just over a month since Valve added a ranked mode—and just a few days since ranked became the only mode in Deadlock. The change has encouraged somewhat more serious Deadlock play, and it's great to have a way to track progress and flex competitive muscles. However, there are frustrating hurdles to taking Deadlock more seriously if you, like most players, aren't queuing up with a full stack of friends every night: Deadlock could really use a pre-game phase, and the pros agree. Quick background: Most MOBAs, including Valve's own Dota 2, have a phase before the actual match where players take turns picking and banning heroes. This three minute window is typically used to figure out your team's game plan—assigning lanes, picking complementary heroes, etc. Deadlock, in a likely intentional decision to excise some complexity and downtime from the genre, has no real pre-game phase. There's no pick and ban (you just pick a few preferred heroes before matchmaking) and, as far as planning goes, you only get a few seconds on a rooftop before you’re speeding off to randomly assigned lanes. Valve's calculated trimmings reduce the time between menus and playtime, but they don't gel with Deadlock's burgeoning competitive scene. With Deadlock in residence at the corner of MOBA street and hero shooter avenue, planning and tactics aren’t just a moment-to-moment concern, but a key part of building your team strategy before the game starts. Instead of waiting for Valve to implement these core competitive systems in Deadlock, a grassroots movement of skilled players has taken it upon themselves to create their own competitive format. The most popular so far is Deadlock Fight Night : a weekly invite-only king-of-the-hill style tournament where the current reigning champions return to defend their title each week. With excellent casters and slick graphics, it’s a glimpse at a possible future of organized Deadlock as an esport, but more importantly: Deadlock Fight Night coordinates a pick and ban phase before every game. Organized by the tournament, the phase follows MOBA tradition, giving each team a single hero ban and then letting them trade off on picks—all done manually. A pick/ban phase feels like a missing component for Deadlock, and it’s no surprise that the budding pro scene has homed in on it. Each pre-game in Deadlock Fight Night is its own strategic tug-of-war, something I sorely miss each time I queue myself. Getting the opportunity to see that my opponents are bringing a Bebop so that I can suggest we pick a Viscous is both invaluable and a huge part of the strategic acumen that sucks me into MOBAs. Likewise, the opportunity to build my lane and team composition to function well together is totally lacking in Deadlock, as I’m just tossed into a team and lane automatically. If I’m not with friends to dial in the team compositions we want or get the best duo lane before going to queue, there’s no chance to coordinate at all, and I’m stuck out on the curb in the Cursed Apple futilely trying to assemble a competitive matchup out of pure randomness. The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team. The most frustrating games I’ve played have been ones where I felt like I was sabotaged from the start. It's just too common that myself and my five teammates all enter the match with our own notions of strategy that don't align even a little. Random team comps assembled by Valve regularly have glaring issues like a lack of late-game damage, few crowd control abilities, or no clear way to initiate fights. You can play or build around these issues of course (some chosen team compositions accept them knowingly), but having to adapt should be a last resort, or something I opt into. If I’ve made a mistake in picking my team composition, or if I’ve knowingly accepted a weakness and then have to adapt, I had agency in the choices that led to my situation. Deadlock's queue in its current state feels like driving an automatic when I’m used to a manual. All three of the biggest facets of a pick/ban phase feel like missing components for Deadlock, and it’s no surprise that the budding pro scene has homed in on them. Seeing the battle of wills between top players, watching them adapt to an unexpected enemy pick or form their strategy around a key ban is the tense balancing act I crave. While I expect to have a lot less coordination and a lot more chaos when I queue with less than a full team, I still want more strategic freedom, and it’s just not there. While we're still working with a very early version of Deadlock, and Valve likely has more updates to come to matchmaking, I am still left pining for the illusory ‘ghost of Christmas future’ version of the game I’ve seen.
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Belal Muhammad reveals key factor of his Ian Machado Garry upset pick at UFC 310It's not often that you hear a game developer promoting a particular mod, but that's exactly what's happening in the case of The Witcher 3 HD Reworked Project NextGen Edition mod, and it's frankly kind of refreshing. The list of upcoming CDPR games includes hotly anticipated titles like The Witcher 4 ( which just entered full production ), a remake of The Witcher 1, and a Cyberpunk 2077 sequel , and so I can say with some degree of confidence that we're unlikely to get a full-blown The Witcher 3 remake any time soon — especially given its next-gen update is only a couple of years old at this point. Even though I think the original 2015 release still holds up to this day, if you want it to look a little more modern and aren't satisfied with the next-gen update, CDPR itself has endorsed this mod you can download now through Nexus Mods . "The long-awaited final version of the project appreciated by the amazing Witcher community and CD Project RED, which now raises the game's visuals to the highest level yet and enchance it to a truly next-gen masterpiece," reads the description from the mod author, Halk Hogan. In a tweet, CDPR said the mod reworks various game assets (textures, models, materials and more)" and "aims to make the game more detailed and realistic while still being faithful to the original vision and atmosphere." It's hard to think of a more ringing endorsement than that. In the comparison video up top, you can see some pretty dramatic improvements to textures, colors, reflections, shadows, and level of detail. Among the long list of improvements detailed on NexusMods are "ultra quality" textures, many of which have been reworked to 4K, more realistic and 3D-looking surfaces due to relief mapping, "smooth and more detailed models," better draw distance for "many models," and "specially customized materials and shaders for all reworked assets." Halk Hogan also said the reworked visuals were designed to stay "consistent with the original CDPR artistic vision of The Witcher 3." And with CDPR itself doing some promotional work for the mod, it's safe to say that's a true statement. It's worth noting that the mod works with both the plain ol' base game and the next-gen update, and Halk Hogan said "the game should run similar as before mod installation." Naturally, higher graphics settings will be more demanding of your GPU, but the mod should have "little impact on performance." There's a reason The Witcher 3 earned itself a spot on our list of the best RPGs .
Pollies, peace deals, and the unravelling of a billionaire: The WA civil court rows that dominated 2024None
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Military leaders are rattled by a list of 'woke' officers that a group urges Hegseth to fire