Staggies captain’s absence to give others chance to impress
Lewandowski joins Ronaldo and Messi in Champions League 100-goal club. Haaland nets 2 but City drawsWhite House watch: Hunter Got the Full Nixon “Hunter Biden’s pardon looks a lot like Richard Nixon’s,” notes Betsy Woodruff Swan at Politico . It “insulates his son from ever facing federal charges over any crimes he possibly could have committed over the past decade.” Just one other person “in generations” has “received a presidential pardon so sweeping”: Richard Nixon. And the “starting date of Jan. 1, 2014, in the Biden pardon was surely not chosen randomly: Hunter Biden joined the board of Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian gas company, in April 2014, while his father was vice president.” Conservative: Prosecute the Other Bidens “If the Bidens want to escape legal accountability for their pay-for-play operation, Joe better be ready to pardon the whole family,” fumes The Federalist’s Elle Purnell . Hunter’s “not the only one implicated in crimes.” His influence peddling “only worked because of Joe Biden,” and Joe “was the one who publicly used his position . . . to pressure the Ukrainian government to fire the prosecutor who appeared to be investigating” Burisma. Other “extensive evidence” implicates “James Biden, Joe’s younger brother,” and the Biden clan got millions “in a series of payments that originated with foreign benefactors and trickled down as far as the Biden grandchildren.” “It’s time to investigate and prosecute Joe Biden, James Biden, and anyone else who played an active role in the family business of trading influence for goodies.” Libertarian: ’Ware the Looming ‘Taxpocalypse’ Decisions on extending the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act “will determine the fate of literally trillions of Americans’ dollars,” flags Reason’s Eric Boehm . Will that money “remain in wallets, bank accounts, and retirement portfolios, or will they flow to the U.S. Treasury to fund wars and welfare?” A full extension of the law would “add another $4.6 trillion to the deficit over the next 10 years, the Congressional Budget Office projects.” Congress should extend the cuts and offset the cost with “spending reductions.” But that’s “borderline impossible.” Congress could use this opportunity to “bring deficits under control,” but that “messy” problem “would be difficult to solve even in an era when Congress was less fractured and more serious about policymaking.” From the left: Why Patel Is a Must for FBI Racket News’ Matt Taibbi cheers Kash Patel to run the FBI, noting: “Patel was one of the only Justice Department officials willing to publicly break from enforcement consensus” when “virtually everyone considered the Mueller probe a Watergate-like supernova destined to consume the [Trump] presidency.” Leaving the bureau to work with Rep. Duncan Nunes, Patel produced the memo exposing the Russiagate probe’s emptiness, including the deception of the FISA courts to wiretap Carter page and that the Steele Dossier was “a crucial part of the FBI probe into Trump” even though it was written on order from the Hillary Clinton campaign and the FBI had terminated Steele as a source. And the memo’s claims were eventually confirmed by Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz: All the FBI’s “ ‘sources and methods’ were revealed to be a politicized cock-and-bull scheme.” “The FBI should get out of politics and go back to investigating crime, and it won’t do that until everyone connected to capers like” Russiagate “has been at least sent to the private sector, if not somewhere less hospitable.” From the right: Working-Class Voters Rule “As the 2024 presidential election clearly showed, the working class still has the clout to decide who gets put into the White House,” observes Joel Kotkin at Spiked . “Their choice of Donald Trump was a slap in the face to the ruling class.” Trump won “non-college voters by 13 points” and “over 44 per cent of union households,” the first Republican to so since Ronald Reagan. “The challenge for Trump” and the Republicans “will be to keep the allegiance of these voters.” The support of working-class voters “will be critical to any party that wants to win future elections.” — Compiled by The Post Editorial Board
Tech billionaire and X owner Elon Musk added his voice of support for child safety legislation championed by the bipartisan duo of Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). The two lawmakers worked with X to release an updated version of the Kids Online Safety Act over the weekend after House Republican leadership was critical of the bill's potential First Amendment infringement. However, House GOP leadership has not yet signaled it would bring a House floor vote before Congress wraps up for the year. "Led by X, the new changes made to the Kids Online Safety Act strengthen the bill while safeguarding free speech online and ensuring it is not used to stifle expression,” the senators said in a joint statement. "These changes should eliminate once and for all the false narrative that this bill would be weaponized by unelected bureaucrats to censor Americans." MEET THE NEW CONGRESS: THE HOUSE AND SENATE FRESHMEN ELECTED TO SERVE NEXT YEAR "After working with the bill authors, I’m proud to share that we’ve made progress to further protect freedom of speech while maintaining safety for minors online," Linda Yaccarino, the CEO of X, said. In response, Musk said, "Protecting kids should always be priority #1." Musk is set to have a powerful perch in President-elect Donald Trump's second administration as the co-chairman of the Department of Government Efficiency. His support for certain legislation may have some sway over Republicans eager to appease Trump. Other high-profile conservatives have weighed in support of the new legislation, including Donald Trump Jr., who has growing influence over his father's new administration. "We can protect free speech and our kids at the same time from Big Tech. It's time for House Republicans to pass the Kids Online Safety Act ASAP," he wrote on X. The Senate version of KOSA and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act both sailed through the upper chamber in a 91-3 vote at the end of July, but House GOP leadership criticized KOSA as violating free speech and First Amendment rights. In October, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) told Punchbowl News, “I love the principle, but the details of that are very problematic." House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) has also signaled opposition against the legislation. Although the Senate nearly passed the bill unanimously, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) came out vehemently against the latest version of the legislation after it was announced on Saturday. "KOSA poses such a dire threat to our First Amendment rights that House and Senate leadership must not agree to add it at the last minute to larger pieces of legislation, like the Defense or government spending bills," he wrote on X. The updated version of KOSA would not allow the FTC or any state attorney general the ability to file lawsuits challenging content on social media websites, a change from the previous version of the bill. The legislation largely focuses on requiring social media and tech companies to protect children and teenagers from dangerous content and addictive features. It would also legally require a “duty of care” for companies to prevent and mitigate against the promotion of suicide, sexual exploitation, eating disorders, substance abuse, and advertisements for illegal products. Several mental health and children advocacy groups have supported the bill, along with the American Psychological Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics. WHAT IS THE DEBATE OVER FLUORIDE IN DRINKING WATER Blackburn and Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), a champion of the House KOSA bill, are leading a press conference Tuesday morning, along with advocates, at the Capitol to pressure the House to pass KOSA. "Congressman Bilirakis is optimistic that Elon Musk, Donald Trump Jr., and the CEO of X’s recent public statements in support of KOSA will help build the momentum that is needed to propel this critical legislation to protect children across the finish line this term," spokeswoman Summer Blevins told the Washington Examiner. "The congressman is committed to continuing to work with all stakeholders to get this done." The House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced KOSA out of committee in September, but whether it will be added to the end-of-year spending bills remains to be seen. Last month, the Institute of Family Studies was among the conservative groups that sent a letter to House leadership pushing for the passage of KOSA. The group is pleased by X's support for the bill. "It is encouraging to see that Yaccarino and Musk remain fully supportive of this measure. We applaud them for this courageous stance and hope their peers will step forward and do the same," Michael Toscano, the executive director of the Institute for Family Studies, told the Washington Examiner. If the House does take up KOSA and it passes, this would be the first time since 1998 that the federal government has enacted a law to protect children on the internet. President Joe Biden has indicated support of the bill and would likely sign it into law, but whether Republicans are willing to hand the president a last-minute victory before leaving office is unclear. “Every day that goes by without KOSA passing, more children are dying," Blackburn said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. "The endorsement by free speech champions Elon Musk and Donald Trump Jr., along with the revised text, reflects the truth that this bill will protect kids online and protect freedom of speech. It’s time to stop playing politics and pass KOSA.”Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) yesterday unveiled the National Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Policy that seeks to enhance public sector performance. The policy titled ‘Improving public sector performance through evidence’, is expected to institutionalise a commitment to monitoring and evaluation across all levels of government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to achieve national development objectives. Unveiling the policy in Lilongwe, Department of Economic Planning and Development deputy director of monitoring and evaluation Hermes Mauwa said the policy will address gaps that have plagued monitoring and evaluation systems. He said: “In the past, we had uncoordinated systems, approaches and methods within the M&E domain. “We also encountered issues with inconsistent reporting on programme and project implementation as well as a weak monitoring and evaluation culture within the government.” The policy, developed after extensive consultations with the academia, development partners and local government authorities, is designed to institutionalise monitoring and evaluation systems to enhance public sector service delivery, accountability and good governance. It will also provide a platform for establishing a government-wide monitoring and evaluation system, which will offer an integrated framework for M&E principles, practices and standards. In an interview on the sidelines of the event, Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs Simplex Chithyola-Banda said evidence-based planning will improve how local authorities manage public resources, particularly when formulating and implementing national budgets. He said: “The ministry requires a robust framework to track how we are using our limited resources to improve service delivery “When developing the budget, we require data and statistics on the population of different districts, their incomes and needs.” Chithyola Banda said time for guesswork is over, stressing that this is the time for evidence-based policy action. “Governments around the world are increasingly being held to high standards of governance, particularly in the implementation of impactful projects,” he said. UNDP country representative Fenella Frost, whose organisation assisted the Malawi Government in developing the policy, said M&E systems will help government to account for use of taxpayers’money. “In practice, this means the government will be able to more clearly identify and communicate to citizens how progress is being made across all aspects of Malawi 2063 [MW2063] through the implementation of this plan,” she said. National Statistical Office commissioner of statistics Shelton Kanyanda urged local authorities to strengthen data management capacities within MDAs to ensure positive outcomes. “Accurate poverty data, for instance, enables the precise identification of disadvantaged populations, allowing for the efficient allocation of welfare benefits and poverty reduction initiatives,” he said. Kanyanda said the targeted approach not only maximises the impact of social programmes, but also promotes equity and social justice. The policy has been aligned with Public Finance Management Act 2022 and national development policies such as MW2063.
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TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Snoop Dogg has nearly as many ties to football as he does to rap music. The entertainer coached youth football for years and created the Snoop League, an after-school program for inner city Los Angeles youths. Snoop has been a guest analyst on football broadcasts and his son, Cordell Broadus, played Division I football. When Snoop took his latest step, becoming the sponsor of a bowl game, he had a demand: Find a way for all players in the game to receive name, image and likeness (NIL) money. “This was Snoop's idea,” said Kym Adair, executive director of the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice. “He was having conversations with people he knows in the college football world and I got a call that said he wants us to be the first bowl to make this commitment and that's what we did.” The beneficiaries are Colorado State and Miami (Ohio), who will conclude their seasons Saturday at Arizona Stadium in the Arizona Bowl. The bowl is classified as a 501(c)(3), so all revenue goes to charity. And, being one of the few bowls not tied to ESPN, it opens the door for unique sponsorship opportunities. The bowl was previously sponsored by Barstool Sports and the digital media company used its own cast of characters on the broadcast, which was streamed on its digital platforms. Snoop Dogg takes over this year. The rapper/entertainer is the latest celebrity to sponsor a bowl, following the footsteps of Jimmy Kimmel and Rob Gronkowski at the LA Bowl. And, Snoop being Snoop, he wanted to put his own spin on his own bowl. “College football fans are exhausted by the constant talk around NIL, conference realignment, coach movement, transfer portal and super conferences,” Snoop said in a video posted on social media. “So it’s time that we get back to the roots of college football — when it was focused on the colleges, the players and the competition, the community, the fan experience and the pageantry.” With that will be an NIL component. The bowl can't pay players just for playing in the bowl, but both teams participated in football clinics on Friday and will get paid for their services. Other bowls have given single players NIL opportunities, but this is believed to be the first to offer it to every player on both teams. “I love the fact that the Arizona Bowl is unique and tries new things, and obviously having Snoop here is unique,” Colorado State coach Jay Norvell said. “The NIL component, it’s the future. It’s what football has become now. We think it’s fantastic for our kids and then the interaction with the kids is the hidden gem of the whole thing.” The NIL component of the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl comes a month after a similar effort in The Players Era Festival basketball tournament in Las Vegas. The eight-team tournament said it paid out $9 million in NIL money to participating players for activities outside the competition. It also offered $50 million in NIL opportunities over the next three years for services and activities compliant with NCAA regulations. Are the Players Era Festival and Arizona Bowl the start of a new future? It is not out of the question in big-time college athletics, where schools are already preparing for the era of revenue sharing with players next year. “Revenue sharing between the players and the athletic departments is already on the horizon, so whether that takes the place of these types of arrangements or they're completely separate has yet to be determined," Adair said. "We're just trying to be flexible, ahead of the curve and make an impact any way we can.” Just the way Snoop wants it. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
ATLANTA — A bipartisan panel of Georgia lawmakers on Wednesday endorsed a plan recommending the state spend up to $5 million studying the effects of ecstasy, psychedelic mushrooms and other mind-altering drugs on mental health treatments for military veterans. The proposal was one of 16 recommendations from the Senate Study Committee on Veterans, Mental Health and Housing. And while it sounds radical, Georgia would not be the first state to do something like this. Oregon and Colorado have already legalized psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in some mushrooms. And last year the California Legislature passed a bill that would have legalized possession of certain psychedelics — only for it to be vetoed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. “Veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress and brain injuries have very few reliable options for treatment,” said state Sen. Josh McLaurin, a Democrat from Atlanta and a member of the panel that endorsed the plan. “A growing body of research shows that psychedelics — when administered carefully in clinical settings — may be a total game changer.” Lawmakers heard testimony from veterans who have traveled outside the United States for treatment. Still, it’s been difficult to win over Georgia’s mostly conservative Legislature, where many members have spent a lifetime preaching the “just say no” doctrine of illegal drugs. The committee’s recommendation is a baby step toward funding. Any budget allocation would have to be vetted and approved by the General Assembly. That discussion is likely to be more precarious, but the endorsement from this panel shows there is growing support for the idea. Post-traumatic stress disorder is more common among military veterans, especially those who have faced life-threatening situations in combat. The symptoms — including nightmares, severe anxiety and difficulty concentrating and sleeping — are difficult to treat. Researchers, including those at Atlanta’s Emory University, have been studying how psychedelics, when combined with psychotherapy, can help patients. A crucial component of the debate is the mainstream acceptance of the idea, which has been slowly gaining steam as more influential people get on board. That includes Bob Parsons, a Vietnam veteran and the founder of the internet domain registry GoDaddy who has invested millions of his own dollars to support research. That was enough to convince state Sen. Ed Harbison, D-Columbus, who said he had been hesitant about the idea at first but is more open to supporting it now. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ top doctor has said the agency is ready to administer the therapy as soon as it’s approved by regulators. But that was derailed in August after federal regulators declined to approve MDMA, also known as ecstasy or molly, as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. Other recommendations from the panel included temporarily waiving or reducing property taxes for returning veterans and creating a program to help service members navigate the complexities of the health care system.Michigan State loses one DB commit and adds anotherATLANTA — A bipartisan panel of Georgia lawmakers on Wednesday endorsed a plan recommending the state spend up to $5 million studying the effects of ecstasy, psychedelic mushrooms and other mind-altering drugs on mental health treatments for military veterans. The proposal was one of 16 recommendations from the Senate Study Committee on Veterans, Mental Health and Housing. And while it sounds radical, Georgia would not be the first state to do something like this. Oregon and Colorado have already legalized psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in some mushrooms. And last year the California Legislature passed a bill that would have legalized possession of certain psychedelics — only for it to be vetoed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom. “Veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress and brain injuries have very few reliable options for treatment,” said state Sen. Josh McLaurin, a Democrat from Atlanta and a member of the panel that endorsed the plan. “A growing body of research shows that psychedelics — when administered carefully in clinical settings — may be a total game changer.” Lawmakers heard testimony from veterans who have traveled outside the United States for treatment. Still, it’s been difficult to win over Georgia’s mostly conservative Legislature, where many members have spent a lifetime preaching the “just say no” doctrine of illegal drugs. The committee’s recommendation is a baby step toward funding. Any budget allocation would have to be vetted and approved by the General Assembly. That discussion is likely to be more precarious, but the endorsement from this panel shows there is growing support for the idea. Post-traumatic stress disorder is more common among military veterans, especially those who have faced life-threatening situations in combat. The symptoms — including nightmares, severe anxiety and difficulty concentrating and sleeping — are difficult to treat. Researchers, including those at Atlanta’s Emory University, have been studying how psychedelics, when combined with psychotherapy, can help patients. A crucial component of the debate is the mainstream acceptance of the idea, which has been slowly gaining steam as more influential people get on board. That includes Bob Parsons, a Vietnam veteran and the founder of the internet domain registry GoDaddy who has invested millions of his own dollars to support research. That was enough to convince state Sen. Ed Harbison, D-Columbus, who said he had been hesitant about the idea at first but is more open to supporting it now. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ top doctor has said the agency is ready to administer the therapy as soon as it’s approved by regulators. But that was derailed in August after federal regulators declined to approve MDMA, also known as ecstasy or molly, as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. Other recommendations from the panel included temporarily waiving or reducing property taxes for returning veterans and creating a program to help service members navigate the complexities of the health care system.Would-be Mexican plane hijacker subdued by passengers and crew after he tried to force plane to fly to US: video