phmacao
Joe Douglas is gone. Robert Saleh already was fired. Aaron Rodgers could be next to leave the New York Jets. Douglas lost his job as the general manager on Tuesday, six weeks after the head coach was replaced following a 2-3 start. The Jets have gone 1-5 under interim coach Jeff Ulbrich so owner Woody Johnson sent Douglas packing. Rodgers has played more like a 40-year-old quarterback coming off an Achilles tendon injury than a four-time NFL MVP. He's expressed a desire to play another season. The big question is whether the Jets will want him back. Maybe they'll decide to take one more shot at a playoff run with Rodgers while having him mentor a rookie quarterback. Or, they could start fresh. There are significant contract ramifications either way. Rodgers is slated to make a non-guaranteed $37.5 million in 2025 with a dead cap hit of $49 million as his salary cap total goes from $17.1 million to $23.5 million. The Jets could spread the dead money over two years by releasing Rodgers with the use of post-June 1 designation. He has a no-trade clause in his contract so they would need his permission to make a deal. If Rodgers doesn't retire and New York's new regime wants a clean slate, here are potential destinations for the future first-ballot Hall of Famer: SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: This could only happen if Brock Purdy's shoulder injury is more significant than is known. Rodgers is a native of northern California and grew up a Niners fan. Returning home to help San Francisco win its sixth Super Bowl has to be attractive. Playing for coach Kyle Shanahan surrounded by playmakers Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle would be a quarterback's dream. Again, Purdy is the team's present and future. And, he's resilient. Purdy rebounded from elbow surgery following his rookie season to start Week 1 last year and ended up finishing fourth in MVP voting, leading the 49ers to the Super Bowl. Purdy also is due for a contract extension and a major raise so the salary cap makes this even more of a longshot. But never say never in the NFL. MINNESOTA VIKINGS: Sam Darnold has been more than a stopgap, helping the Vikings (8-2) to an impressive start. J.J. McCarthy is the future, however, and Darnold will be a free agent after the season. If the Vikings fall short of a Super Bowl and Rodgers shows over the final six weeks that he can play championship football, this could be a fit. The Vikings could let McCarthy sit and learn for another year, especially coming off a knee injury that required a second surgery earlier this month. NEW YORK GIANTS: Rodgers wouldn't have to move. The Giants will need a quarterback after benching Daniel Jones and eventually releasing him. They could draft a quarterback in the first round and have him learn behind Rodgers for a season. That'll depend on which pick New York ends up with because it's a thin draft class. Unlike the Jets, the Giants (2-8) haven't made any coaching or GM changes yet. If it's status quo with GM Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll, one year with Rodgers isn't unrealistic. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS: They also need a quarterback. Brock Bowers could set an NFL record for most catches by a tight end if he had Rodgers next season. The Raiders (2-8) are aiming for a high pick to get a shot at a quarterback of their choice. New minority owner Tom Brady believes rookie quarterbacks need time to develop and learn. The seven-time Super Bowl champion would have to be in favor of having Rodgers start and tutor a youngster. TENNESSEE TITANS: If Will Levis doesn't prove over the final seven games that he can be a No. 1 quarterback, the Titans (2-8) will be in the QB market and likely have a high draft pick. It's another scenario where Rodgers would fit as a one-year bridge. Get local news delivered to your inbox!Microsoft Announces Security Update with Windows Resiliency Initiative
While you’re popping champagne and toasting the new year, hundreds of recently enacted bills will go into effect. Here are a few you should know about. The minimum wage for all employers in California will increase to $16.50. We currently have the second highest unemployment rate of any state behind only Nevada. This increase will only make it worse, particularly for California’s youth and others just starting to join the workforce. Paychecks will be hit by a tax increase. The State Disability Insurance rate is increasing from 1.1 to 1.2 percent. As KCRA in Sacramento noted, “That means a couple or individual with $100,000 in taxable annual wages will have $100 more total withheld from their pay this upcoming year, or about $8 a month because of the tax increase, for example.” For property owners, several attempts to destroy your rights to protest new and higher water rates go into effect. Under Proposition 218, water agencies must send notices to customers ahead of time with information on how to protest the rate hike. If a majority protest, the rate increase can’t go into effect. But Assembly Bill 2257 creates a protest procedure separate from the notice required by Prop. 218 and appears merely to layer on added – and superfluous – requirements for the sole purpose of hindering taxpayers’ constitutional ability to approve or reject taxes. Another assault on property owner rights is Senate Bill 1072 because it could leave taxpayers without proper compensation for overcharges on their water bills by offering only future credits instead of actual refunds. There is a huge difference between a “credit” for future charges and an actual refund. If a taxpayer moves, how will he or she be compensated for the violation of constitutional rights if the agency merely applies the overcharge to reduce rates paid by others in the future? AB 1827 is another concern because it tries to add potentially unconstitutional charges to your water bill based on speculative factors like “maximum potential water use” and “peaking” factors. This is in direct contravention of Prop. 218 which provides that, “No fee or charge may be imposed for a service unless that service is actually used by, or immediately available to, the owner of the property in question. Fees or charges based on potential or future use of a service are not permitted.” Basing a charge on “maximum potential water use” clearly then is not permitted under Prop. 218. Further, in the absence of time-of-use technology, peaking factors are generally make-believe. Legal challenges to AB 1827 are a near certainty. Related Articles Opinion Columnists | Trump’s claim that we need ‘extreme vetting’ is extremely baseless Opinion Columnists | Year in review: From a republic to a ‘kakistocracy’ Opinion Columnists | Will Democrats fix their brand problem ahead of California’s gubernatorial election? Opinion Columnists | Susan Shelley: Too many so-called emergencies in the Golden State Opinion Columnists | Larry Wilson: The lost art of college students talking to each other Regarding your rights as a voter, there were attacks this year on direct democracy. Fortunately, many of those got left on the cutting room floor, but one that did pass and goes into effect this year, Senate Bill 1441, is very concerning. If a citizen-initiated recall, initiative or referendum is determined to have an insufficient number of valid signatures, the proponents have the right to review rejected signatures and the reason for the rejection. But SB 1441 sets an unreasonable 60-day time limit on the review process and adds a new requirement for proponents to pay the costs of the review, which could be hundreds of thousands of dollars. Nothing in the bill prevents a county from running out the clock by providing inadequate access. But that’s probably the intent. Was it all bad news from your California government this year? No, of course not. For everyone who has been waiting for Sacramento to finally address the pressing concerns of state residents, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation giving the state three new official state symbols: the banana slug (state slug), Dungeness crab (state crustacean), and black abalone (state seashell). Don’t say they never did anything for you. Happy New Year! Jon Coupal is president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save NEW YORK (AP) — Brian Thompson led one of the biggest health insurers in the U.S. but was unknown to millions of people his decisions affected. Then Wednesday's targeted fatal shooting of the UnitedHealthcare CEO on a midtown Manhattan sidewalk thrust the executive and his business into the national spotlight. Thompson, who was 50, had worked at the giant UnitedHealth Group Inc for 20 years and run the insurance arm since 2021 after running its Medicare and retirement business. As CEO, Thompson led a firm that provides health coverage to more than 49 million Americans — more than the population of Spain. United is the largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans, the privately run versions of the U.S. government’s Medicare program for people age 65 and older. The company also sells individual insurance and administers health-insurance coverage for thousands of employers and state-and federally funded Medicaid programs. Hammonton police sergeant accused of failing drug test, stealing drugs from evidence room Mays Landing man charged in hit-and-run that injured man, killed dog in Absecon Pleasantville man accused of murdering girlfriend $680,000 Atlantic City charter bus purchase mostly covered by state, Small says Mainland Regional falls to Old Tappan in state final 4 Bridgeton men indicted in alleged sex trafficking ring Everything you need to know about Mainland Regional's state title game Wonderland developer to pitch vision again Wednesday at Ocean City Tabernacle Atlantic City mayor waives first appearance on witness tampering charge Northfield Councilman Leeds resigns, citing concerns over Mayor Chau's criminal charges Some Atlantic City casino workers call on union boss to resign for opposing a smoking ban Mays Landing man busted for meth Northfield intersection to become four-way stop Biden pardons his son Hunter despite previous pledges not to Longport administrator and former police chief Scott Porter dies The business run by Thompson brought in $281 billion in revenue last year, making it the largest subsidiary of the Minnetonka, Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group. His $10.2 million annual pay package, including salary, bonus and stock options awards, made him one of the company's highest-paid executives. The University of Iowa graduate began his career as a certified public accountant at PwC and had little name recognition beyond the health care industry. Even to investors who own its stock, the parent company's face belonged to CEO Andrew Witty, a knighted British triathlete who has testified before Congress. When Thompson did occasionally draw attention, it was because of his role in shaping the way Americans get health care. At an investor meeting last year, he outlined his company's shift to “value-based care,” paying doctors and other caregivers to keep patients healthy rather than focusing on treating them once sick. “Health care should be easier for people,” Thompson said at the time. “We are cognizant of the challenges. But navigating a future through value-based care unlocks a situation where the ... family doesn’t have to make the decisions on their own.” Thompson also drew attention in 2021 when the insurer, like its competitors, was widely criticized for a plan to start denying payment for what it deemed non-critical visits to hospital emergency rooms. “Patients are not medical experts and should not be expected to self-diagnose during what they believe is a medical emergency,” the chief executive of the American Hospital Association wrote in an open letter addressed to Thompson. “Threatening patients with a financial penalty for making the wrong decision could have a chilling effect on seeking emergency care.” United Healthcare responded by delaying rollout of the change. Thompson, who lived in a Minneapolis suburb and was the married father of two sons in high school, was set to speak at an investor meeting in a midtown New York hotel. He was on his own and about to enter the building when he was shot in the back by a masked assailant who fled on foot before pedaling an e-bike into Central Park a few blocks away, the New York Police Department said. Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said investigators were looking at Thompson's social media accounts and interviewing employees and family members. “Didn’t seem like he had any issues at all,” Kenny said. "He did not have a security detail.” AP reporters Michael R. Sisak and Steve Karnowski contributed to this report. Murphy reported from Indianapolis. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Ireland Vote Points to Status Quo But PM Faces Support DropMinister Wilkinson highlights the government's tax break for all Canadians and new Working Canadians BenefitWall Street stocks surged to fresh records on Wednesday, extending a post-election rally on optimism about more interest rate cuts and an artificial intelligence boom after strong Salesforce results. All three major indices scored records, led by the Dow Jones, which finished above 45,000 for the first time. "The market at this point is looking for excuses to go up, and there's not really anything that might work against that narrative," said Steve Sosnick of Interactive Brokers. "Over the last couple of days, it's managed to ignore all sorts of inconvenient things," Sosnick said of the market's shrugging response to political upheaval in France and South Korea. The Dow Jones finished up 0.7 percent at 45,014. The S&P 500 gained 0.6 percent to 6,086, its fourth straight record, while the Nasdaq jumped 1.3 percent to 19,735, its third straight record. Wednesday's gains came after payroll firm ADP said US private-sector hiring in November came in at a lower-than-expected 146,000 jobs, while a survey from the Institute for Supply Management showed weaker sentiment than expected in the services sector. However, the lacklustre data boosts expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates later this month. At a New York conference, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell refrained from tipping his hand, but he "didn't say anything that would scare the market," said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare. O'Hare noted that Wednesday's gains were led by large tech names such as Nvidia and Microsoft, which are major AI players. The boost followed strong results from Salesforce, which was the biggest gainer in the Dow with an 11 percent jump. (AFP)