Ivanka Trump is having a family moment this holiday season. The former first daughter is sharing her love and appreciation this year, revealing that she feels very "grateful" this year while spending Christmas Eve with her husband, Jared Kushner, and their kids, Arabella, Joseph, and Theodore. Ivanka Trump celebrates Secret Santa with her closest friends Ivanka Trump and her daughter Arabella looked elegant at the Miami City Ballet: 'My favorite girl' Ivanka Trump's stylish outfits in New York City while showing support for dad Donald Trump The businesswoman decided to show a glimpse of her holiday celebration, sharing photos of her tropical vacation with her family and showcasing her looks for the trip. Ivanka was all smiles in the photos, posing next to her husband in a multicolored mini dress paired with matching drop earrings. She also posed in a figure-hugging white linen dress paired with matching white sandals. Ivanka accessorized with drop earrings and styled her hair straight. "Feeling an abundance of gratitude this Christmas Eve," she wrote on Instagram. Ivanka enjoyed a moment at the beach with her husband, posing in front of the ocean in a two-piece ensemble, including a bikini top and a matching mini skirt. "A very beautiful family," one person wrote, while others wished "Merry Christmas!" to the former first daughter. The proud mom also showed photos of their kids, who seemed to be happy to be celebrating the holidays in a tropical destination. Just last week Ivanka had a girl's night and exchanged gifts with her friends in Miami, including her close friend Isabela Grutman. "Last night's Secret Santa with the girls!" Ivanka wrote over an image, adding a Santa Claus emoji and sharing the moment on Instagram Stories. "Thanks for hosting, Isa." She also volunteered with her family at Miami Kosher Food Bank earlier that week. "My family and I hosted a holiday food box giveaway at the Kosher Food Bank, a place close to our hearts where we often volunteer together," she wrote on social media. "We packed fresh, locally sourced produce from @theplanetharvest, along with recipes for beloved Hanukkah favorites." "Spending the day with family, friends, and community—spreading warmth and ensuring others have access to nutritious meals— was a truly meaningful way to celebrate the holiday. Wishing everyone a Hanukkah filled with blessings and joy!" she added.Bad Axe: Wisconsin wary of rival Minnesota with bowl bid in peril
NEW YORK (AP) — In a string of visits, dinners, calls, monetary pledges and social media overtures, big tech chiefs — including Apple’s Tim Cook, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos — have joined a parade of business and world leaders in trying to improve their standing with President-elect Donald Trump before he takes office in January. “The first term, everybody was fighting me,” Trump said in remarks at Mar-a-Lago . “In this term, everybody wants to be my friend.” Tech companies and leaders have now poured millions into his inauguration fund, a sharp increase — in most cases — from past pledges to incoming presidents. But what does the tech industry expect to gain out of their renewed relationships with Trump? A clue to what the industry is looking for came just days before the election when Microsoft executives — who’ve largely tried to show a neutral or bipartisan stance — joined with a close Trump ally, venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, to publish a blog post outlining their approach to artificial intelligence policy. “Regulation should be implemented only if its benefits outweigh its costs,” said the document signed by Andreessen, his business partner Ben Horowitz, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and the company’s president, Brad Smith. They also urged the government to back off on any attempt to strengthen copyright laws that would make it harder for companies to use publicly available data to train their AI systems. And they said, “the government should examine its procurement practices to enable more startups to sell technology to the government.” Trump has pledged to rescind President Joe Biden’s sweeping AI executive order, which sought to protect people’s rights and safety without stifling innovation. He hasn’t specified what he would do in its place, but his campaign said AI development should be “rooted in Free Speech and Human Flourishing.” Trump’s choice to head the Interior Department, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, has spoken openly about the need to boost electricity production to meet increased demand from data centers and artificial intelligence. “The AI battle affects everything from defense to healthcare to education to productivity as a country,′′ Burgum said on Nov. 15, referring to artificial intelligence. “And the AI that’s coming in the next 18 months is going to be revolutionary. So there’s just a sense of urgency and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration′′ to address it. Demand for data centers ballooned in recent years due to the rapid growth of cloud computing and artificial intelligence, and local governments are competing for lucrative deals with big tech companies. But as data centers begin to consume more resources, some residents are pushing back against the world’s most powerful corporations over concerns about the economic, social and environmental health of their communities. “Maybe Big Tech should buy a copy of ‘The Art of The Deal’ to figure out how to best negotiate with this administration,” suggested Paul Swanson, an antitrust attorney for the law firm Holland & Hart. “I won’t be surprised if they find ways to reach some accommodations and we end up seeing more negotiated resolutions and consent decrees.” Although federal regulators began cracking down on Google and Facebook during Trump’s first term as president — and flourished under Biden — most experts expect his second administration to ease up on antitrust enforcement and be more receptive to business mergers. Google may benefit from Trump’s return after he made comments on the campaign trail suggesting a breakup of the company isn’t in the U.S. national interest, after a judge declared its search engine an illegal monopoly . But recent nominations put forward by his transition team have favored those who have been critical of Big Tech companies, suggesting Google won’t be entirely off the hook. Cook’s notoriously rocky relationship with the EU can be traced back to a 2016 ruling from Brussels in a tax case targeting Apple. Cook slammed the bloc’s order for Apple to pay back up to $13.7 billion in Irish back taxes as “total political crap.” Trump, then in his first term as president, piled on, referring to the European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, who was spearheading a campaign on special tax deals and a crackdown on Big Tech companies, as the “tax lady” who “really hates the U.S.” Brussels was eventually vindicated after the bloc’s top court rejected Apple’s appeal this year, though it didn’t stop Cook from calling Trump to complain, Trump recounted in a podcast in October. Trump hosted Cook for a Friday evening dinner at the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago resort, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment publicly. Neither Apple nor the Trump transition team has commented on the nature of their discussions. Altman , Amazon and Meta all pledged to donate $1 million each to Trump’s inaugural fund. During his first term, Trump criticized Amazon and railed against the political coverage at The Washington Post, which billionaire Bezos owns. Meanwhile, Bezos had criticized some of Trump’s past rhetoric. In 2019, Amazon also argued in a court case that Trump’s bias against the company harmed its chances of winning a $10 billion Pentagon contract. More recently, Bezos has struck a more conciliatory tone. He recently said at The New York Times’ DealBook Summit in New York that he was “optimistic” about Trump’s second term, while also endorsing president-elect’s plans to cut regulations. The donation from Meta came just weeks after Zuckerberg met with Trump privately at Mar-a-Lago. During the 2024 campaign, Zuckerberg did not endorse a candidate for president, but voiced a more positive stance toward Trump. Earlier this year, he praised Trump’s response to his first assassination attempt. Still, Trump in recent months had continued to attack Zuckerberg publicly. And Altman, who is in a legal dispute with AI rival Elon Musk, has said he is “not that worried” about the Tesla CEO’s influence in the incoming administration. Musk, an early OpenAI investor and board member, sued the artificial intelligence company earlier this year alleging that the maker of ChatGPT betrayed its founding aims of benefiting the public good rather than pursuing profits.Ivanka Trump is all smiles in stylish white dress for Christmas Eve: Her holiday looks
Bad Axe: Wisconsin wary of rival Minnesota with bowl bid in peril
The crypto market is heating up as 2024 wraps up, and investors are scrambling to find the next big winners for 2025. With market leaders like Bitcoin setting the stage and emerging projects gaining traction, opportunities for massive returns have never looked better. Analysts are buzzing with predictions, and several coins are already showing explosive potential heading into the new year. One of the most exciting entries on this list is Qubetics ($TICS) , a project that’s pushing boundaries with its decentralised applications and practical real-world use cases. While most cryptos focus solely on hype, Qubetics offers genuine innovation, solving issues like decentralised privacy, payments, and user adoption. Let’s break down the best cryptos to buy in December 2024 for those aiming for life-changing gains in 2025. Qubetics is making waves as the world’s first Web3 aggregator, seamlessly connecting decentralised apps (dApps), decentralised finance (DeFi), and real-world payments. One of its standout offerings is the Decentralised VPN (dVPN), a feature that’s answering critical privacy concerns for users across the globe. Imagine you’re a remote worker constantly connecting to public Wi-Fi at cafés or airports. Without a reliable VPN, you’re exposed to hackers and data breaches. Qubetics’ dVPN protects your data while ensuring you remain completely anonymous, using decentralised nodes instead of central servers. Businesses can use this to secure employee communications, especially companies handling sensitive client data, like lawyers or financial consultants. What’s more, Qubetics’ non-custodial multi-chain wallet integrates with payment platforms like Apple Pay and Google Pay, making crypto payments simple and fast. Whether you’re paying for dinner or settling a bill overseas, Qubetics’ smart contract conversion system ensures your crypto gets converted into fiat instantly at the point of sale. It’s like tapping your phone—no volatility, no headaches. Why did this coin make it to this list? Well, Qubetics has already raised $6.9 million in Presale Phase 13, with 350 million tokens sold and a growing community of 10,300 holders. At $0.0342 per token, analysts predict a launch price of $0.25, offering a jaw-dropping 900% ROI. If you’re looking for the best cryptos to buy in December 2024, Qubetics is the project everyone’s talking about. Cardano has always been a crowd favourite for its strong fundamentals and eco-friendly Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism. Recently, analysts have spotted a rare bullish pattern forming, signalling what many are calling a potential Santa Claus Rally to close out the year. If history repeats itself, ADA could see a significant price surge heading into January. What makes Cardano a strong bet for 2025? Its dedication to scalability and real-world utility. Cardano’s development team has been pushing upgrades to make the network faster and more developer-friendly. With projects focusing on decentralised identity solutions and smart contracts, Cardano is positioning itself as a go-to platform for businesses and governments. Moreover, Cardano’s growing DeFi ecosystem is turning heads. The network’s Total Value Locked (TVL) is on the rise, and more developers are building dApps on Cardano due to its lower fees and energy efficiency. If Cardano continues to expand its partnerships and onboard projects, ADA’s price could explode in the next 12 months. Why did this coin make it to this list? Cardano’s track record for delivering upgrades and its bullish end-of-year signals make it a solid choice for the best cryptos to buy in December 2024. Investors looking for long-term gains can’t ignore ADA’s potential. Fantom is proving itself as one of the fastest and most scalable blockchains in the market, and analysts are expecting 200% gains as its adoption skyrockets. Known for its Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) technology, Fantom processes thousands of transactions per second at near-zero fees—something Ethereum still struggles with. The real excitement comes from Fantom’s role in the booming DeFi sector. From decentralised exchanges (DEXs) to liquid staking and lending platforms, Fantom has established itself as a hub for developers and users looking for low-cost, high-speed alternatives. Its growing ecosystem and partnerships are attracting both retail investors and institutional players. Recent bullish momentum indicates Fantom could have an explosive 2025, particularly as demand for scalable DeFi platforms heats up. Analysts point to its rapidly increasing Total Value Locked (TVL) and robust on-chain activity as signs that Fantom’s growth is just getting started. Why did this coin make it to this list? With its unmatched speed, low fees, and rising adoption in DeFi, Fantom is one of the best cryptos to buy in December 2024 for investors seeking substantial returns. Solana has come roaring back, proving it’s still one of the most formidable blockchains in crypto. With its lightning-fast 65,000 transactions per second capability and rock-bottom fees, Solana continues to attract developers building NFTs, gaming platforms, and DeFi applications. The latest predictions for Solana’s future are extremely bullish, with some analysts speculating that SOL could hit record highs in 2025 as institutional demand grows. The recent resurgence in Solana-based NFT projects and the adoption of its blockchain for Web3 gaming have added fuel to this fire. Solana’s ecosystem has also seen explosive growth in on-chain activity, signalling renewed investor confidence. With strategic upgrades and partnerships, Solana is pushing hard to retain its crown as the ultimate high-performance blockchain. Why did this coin make it to this list? Solana’s speed, growing developer community, and bullish outlook make it an easy pick for the best cryptos to buy in December 2024. Polygon is the go-to solution for Ethereum’s scalability woes, and it’s quickly becoming a leader in the Layer-2 sector. As Ethereum gas fees continue to rise, Polygon’s ability to offer faster and cheaper transactions has made it indispensable for developers and users alike. What’s really exciting is Polygon’s growing list of high-profile partnerships. From big brands like Disney and Nike to tech giants like Meta, Polygon is bridging the gap between Web2 and Web3. The network’s adoption for NFTs, gaming, and enterprise solutions is unmatched, positioning it as a key player for 2025. Polygon’s zkEVM upgrade has also turned heads, offering enhanced privacy and scalability for Ethereum-based projects. As more dApps and businesses migrate to Polygon, demand for MATIC is expected to soar. Why did this coin make it to this list? With its real-world partnerships and unmatched scalability, Polygon is one of the best cryptos to buy in December 2024 for massive long-term gains. If you’re hunting for the best cryptos to buy in December 2024 to lock in huge returns in 2025, these five projects should be on your radar: Qubetics ($TICS), Cardano (ADA), Fantom (FTM), Solana (SOL), and Polygon (MATIC). From Qubetics’ ground-breaking applications and explosive ROI to Solana’s unmatched speed and Cardano’s strong fundamentals, these coins have everything investors need to crush 2025. Don’t sleep on these opportunities—jump in now before the next bull run kicks off. Qubetics: https://qubetics.com Telegram: https://t.me/qubetics Twitter: https://x.com/qubetics Join our WhatsApp Channel to get the latest news, exclusives and videos on WhatsApp _____________ Disclaimer: Analytics Insight does not provide financial advice or guidance. Also note that the cryptocurrencies mentioned/listed on the website could potentially be scams, i.e. designed to induce you to invest financial resources that may be lost forever and not be recoverable once investments are made. You are responsible for conducting your own research (DYOR) before making any investments. Read more here.None
Nine signs of dementia to watch out in older relatives this Christmas
If the Covid era marked a boom time for digital health companies, 2024 was the reckoning. In a year that saw the Nasdaq jump 32%, surpassing 20,000 for the first time this month, health tech providers largely suffered. Of 39 public digital health companies analyzed by CNBC, roughly two-thirds are down for the year. Others are now out of business. There were some breakout stars, like Hims & Hers Health , which was buoyed by the success of its popular new weight loss offering and its position in the GLP-1 craze. But that was an exception. While there were some company-specific challenges in the industry, overall it was a “year of inflection,” according to Scott Schoenhaus, an analyst at KeyBanc Capital Markets covering health-care IT companies. Business models that appeared poised to break out during the pandemic haven’t all worked as planned, and companies have had to refocus on profitability and a more muted growth environment. “The pandemic was a huge pull forward in demand, and we’re facing those tough, challenging comps,” Schoenhaus told CNBC in an interview. “Growth clearly slowed for most of my names, and I think employers, payers, providers and even pharma are more selective and more discerning on digital health companies that they partnered with.” In 2021, digital health startups raised $29.1 billion, blowing past all previous funding records, according to a report from Rock Health . Almost two dozen digital health companies went public through an initial public offering or special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, that year, up from the previous record of eight in 2020. Money was pouring into themes that played into remote work and remote health as investors looked for growth with interest rates stuck near zero. But as the worst waves of the pandemic subsided, so did the insatiable demand for new digital health tools. It’s been a rude awakening for the sector. “What we’re still going through is an understanding of the best ways to address digital health needs and capabilities, and the push and pull of the current business models and how successful they may be,” Michael Cherny , an analyst at Leerink Partners, told CNBC. “We’re in a settling out period post Covid.” Progyny , which offers benefits solutions for fertility and family planning, is down more than 60% year to date. Teladoc Health , which once dominated the virtual-care space, has dropped 58% and is 96% off its 2021 high. When Teladoc acquired Livongo in 2020, the companies had a combined enterprise value of $37 billion . Teladoc’s market cap now sits at under $1.6 billion. GoodRx , which offers price transparency tools for medications, is down 33% year to date. Schoenhaus says many companies’ estimates were too high this year. Progyny cut its full-year revenue guidance in every earnings report in 2024. In February, Progyny was predicting $1.29 billion to $1.32 billion in annual revenue. By November, the range was down to $1.14 billion to $1.15 billion. GoodRx also repeatedly slashed its full-year guidance for 2024. What was $800 million to $810 million in May shrank to $794 million by the November . In Teladoc’s first-quarter report , the company said it expected full-year revenue of $2.64 billion to $2.74 billion. The company withdrew its outlook in its second quarter, and reported consecutive year-over year declines. “This has been a year of coming to terms with the growth outlook for many of my companies, and so I think we can finally look at 2025 as maybe a better year in terms of the setups,” Schoenhaus said. While overzealous forecasting tells part of the digital health story this year, there were some notable stumbles at particular companies. Dexcom , which makes devices for diabetes and glucose management, is down more than 35% year to date. The stock tumbled more than 40% in July — its steepest decline ever — after the company reported disappointing second-quarter results and issued weak full-year guidance. CEO Kevin Sayer attributed the challenges to a restructuring of the sales team, fewer new customers than expected and lower revenue per user. Following the report, JPMorgan Chase analysts marveled at “the magnitude of the downside” and the fact that it “appears to mostly be self-inflicted.” Genetic testing company 23andMe had a particularly rough year. The company went public via a SPAC in 2021, valuing the business at $3.5 billion, after its at-home DNA testing kits skyrocketed in popularity. The company is now worth less than $100 million and CEO Anne Wojcicki is trying to keep it afloat. In September, all seven independent directors resigned from 23andMe’s board, citing disagreements with Wojcicki about the “strategic direction for the company.” Two months later, 23andMe said it planned to cut 40% of its workforce and shutter its therapeutics business as part of a restructuring plan. Wojcicki has repeatedly said she intends to take 23andMe private. The stock is down more than 80% year to date. Digital health's bright spots Investors in Hims & Hers had a much better year. Shares of the direct-to-consumer marketplace are up more than 200% year to date, pushing the company’s market cap to $6 billion, thanks to soaring demand for GLP-1s. Hims & Hers began prescribing compounded semaglutide through its platform in May after launching a new weight loss program late last year. Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk ’s blockbuster medications Ozempic and Wegovy, which can cost around $1,000 a month without insurance. Compounded semaglutide is a cheaper, custom-made alternative to the brand drugs and can be produced when the brand-name treatments are in shortage . Hims & Hers will likely have to contend with dynamic supply and regulatory environments next year, but even before adding compounded GLP-1s to its portfolio, the company said in its February earnings call that it expects its weight loss program to bring in more than $100 million in revenue by the end of 2025. Doximity , a digital platform for medical professionals, also had a strong 2024, with its stock price more than doubling. The company’s platform, which for years has been likened to a LinkedIn for doctors , allows clinicians to stay current on medical news, manage paperwork, find referrals and carry out telehealth appointments with patients. Doximity primarily generates revenue through its hiring solutions, telehealth tools and marketing offerings for clients like pharmaceutical companies. Leerink’s Cherny said Doximity’s success can be attributed to its lean operating model, as well as the “differentiated mousetrap” it’s created because of its reach into the physician network. “DOCS is a rare company in healthcare IT as it is already profitable, generates strong incremental margins, and is a steady grower,” Leerink analysts, including Cherny, wrote in a November note. The firm raised its price target on the stock to $60 from $35. Another standout this year was Oscar Health , the tech-enabled insurance company co-founded by Thrive Capital Management’s Joshua Kushner. Its shares are up nearly 50% year to date. The company supports roughly 1.65 million members and plans to expand to around 4 million by 2027. Oscar showed strong revenue growth in its third-quarter report in November. Sales climbed 68% from a year earlier to $2.4 billion. Additionally, two digital health companies, Waystar and Tempus AI , took the leap and went public in 2024. The IPO market has been largely dormant since late 2021, when soaring inflation and rising interest rates pushed investors out of risk. Few technology companies have gone public since then, and no digital health companies held IPOs in 2023, according to a report from Rock Health. Waystar, a health-care payment software vendor, has seen its stock jump to $36.93 from its IPO price of $21.50 in June. Tempus, a precision medicine company, hasn’t fared as well. It’s stock has slipped to $34.91 from its IPO price of $37 , also in June. “Hopefully, the valuations are more supportive of opportunities for other companies that have been lingering in the background as private companies for the last several years.” Schoenhaus said. Out with the old Several digital health companies exited the public markets entirely this year. Cue Health , which made Covid tests and counted Google as an early customer , and Better Therapeutics, which used digital therapeutics to treat cardiometabolic conditions, both shuttered operations and delisted from the Nasdaq. Revenue cycle management company R1 RCM was acquired by TowerBrook Capital Partners and Clayton, Dubilier & Rice in an $8.9 billion deal. Similarly, Altaris bought Sharecare , which runs a virtual health platform, for roughly $540 million. Commure, a private company that offers tools for simplifying clinicians’ workflows, acquired medical AI scribing company Augmedix for about $139 million. “There was a lot of competition that entered the marketplace during the pandemic years, and we’ve seen some of that being flushed out of the markets, which is a good thing,” Schoenhaus said. Cherny said the sector is adjusting to a post-pandemic period, and digital health companies are figuring out their role. “We’re still cycling through what could be almost termed digital health 1.1 business models,” he said. “It’s great to say we do things digitally, but it only matters if it has some approach toward impacting the ‘triple aim’ of health care: better care, more convenient, lower cost.”( MENAFN - GetNews) AI Ease , a trailblazer in AI-powered photo editing, proudly announces the launch of its cutting-edge AI Photo Retouching Tool. Designed to simplify and elevate portrait enhancement, this feature enables users to achieve professional-grade results effortlessly. With both Auto and Manual Modes, the tool caters to quick, one-click edits and detailed customizations, providing flexibility for users of all skill levels. 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LEWISBURG — Retiring Buffalo Valley Regional Police Chief Paul Yost calls the hiring of Dan Embeck as his replacement as a full-circle moment for both men's careers. Both Yost, in 1979, and Embeck, in 2000, began their police careers in the Milton Police Department. Embeck, with 24 years of experience, started last week as the incoming chief of the Buffalo Valley Regional Police Department and took the oath of office on Friday with Lewisburg District Judge Jeffrey Rowe. Embeck will replace Yost, an officer with 45 years of experience, once Yost retires on Dec. 18. "My legacy, if there's anything for me, is what I'm proud of," Yost, of McEwensville, said. "There's Dan, who I hired (in Milton) and now has come full circle here. I have Craig Lutcher who is now chief of Point Township and another hire was Curt Zettlemoyer who took over as the chief of Milton. I have the legacy of at least three chiefs and other supervisors who have come up through the ranks since I came on board. I would say that's the biggest part of it." "I started with him and now he's ending with me," Embeck, of New Columbia, said. "It's pretty neat." Embeck was one of 10 interested candidates. He was selected after interviews were conducted earlier this summer and the police commission announced Embeck as the new chief in October. Embeck said the legacy he wants to leave behind is similar to Yost's. "I want to build the next generation up so they're ready to take over when I'm done," Embeck said. "I tell the cadets all the time, I want them to be better than I am in my generation. When they come in, and they do this, and they get to where I'm at, I want them to teach the next generation so they're even better. Each generation becomes a little bit better at this." Yost, a native of New Columbia, spent 26 years employed at Milton Police Department until he reached the rank of chief in 2003. Yost approached his first retirement date in 2005 but wasn't ready to turn in the badge yet. He was hired as the chief of the Lewisburg Police Department until Lewisburg and East Buffalo Township combined their police forces in 2012 as the Buffalo Valley Regional Police Department. Yost became the first chief of the new endeavor. Yost said in 45 years he has had a wide variety of police calls from robberies to physical assaults to homicide and tragic accidents. He has helped women deliver babies and watched people die. He was part of the investigation into Norman Gundrum, who was 16 years old when he fatally stabbed 18-year-old Bobby Coup 64 times in Milton in December 1993. "Once it's over, you got to tuck that away," Yost said. "You can't keep reliving that or it's going to eat away at you. It probably still affects the mentality of how we look at things." Yost considers his biggest accomplishment to be building the regional department and leaving it in a position for the future. "It was definitely a wild ride," Yost said. "You dealt with the politics of two municipalities and the merging of a lot of things over a period of time. That was the reflection of the government leaders at that time who saw the insight to say this is the way to go in the future." Embeck, a native of New Columbia, started his career at the Milton Police Department in June 2000 where he reached the rank of corporal, holding that supervisory position for 11 years, and he has worked part-time for BVRPD. He was hired as chief of the South Williamsport Police Department in 2021. When he was a detective in Milton for 15 years, he specialized in sexual assault investigations. "Although it took a toll, I'm very proud of the work I did with the sexual assault cases and victims," Embeck said. "You take a bucket, every time you have a sexual assault, you take a cup of water and dump it into the bucket. That bucket never drains and eventually gets full. Once it gets full, that's it. I hit that point probably two years before I stopped doing it." He was a member of the Special Emergency Response Team as well as the criminal investigator for the Milton Police Department for 16 years. He is a firearms instructor, taser instructor and field training officer. He is also a Municipal Police Academy instructor at Mansfield University and president of FOP Lodge 52. When he heard that Yost was retiring, Embeck said he did some "soul searching" and ultimately didn't want to pass on the opportunity. He said he is not usually the type to jump from job to job. Embeck said he wants to review the complement of officers on staff to determine promotions and supervisory roles. He wants to make sure the equipment and technology are not only working but able to be maintained for years to come. He wants to update the uniform to include more external vests instead of vests under the shirt. "Promotions are the big thing for me," Embeck said. "We need that hierarchy in place. With guys retiring, we're losing it and we need it back in place." Embeck is also planning to review a policy prohibiting facial hair on officers. "I do not have any issues with facial hair," Embeck said. "We will get the policy in place and get that implemented. We'll make some changes. They're not major, but they're there." In the new year, Embeck said he plans to do ride-alongs with officers and have conversations with commission members to discuss the issues and what priorities need to be addressed. The commission also plans to host an event for the public to meet Embeck. Yost said the biggest differences between policing 45 years ago and now are the equipment and the technology. "When I started, here's your keys, here's your badge, don't shoot anybody," Yost said. "You still went to the academy, but at that point, we were carrying six shooter wheel guns on a swivel holster with a nightstick and a radio. There weren't any cameras. There weren't any TASERs. If you were called to a bar fight, it was you and them. There wasn't any Tasering anybody. It was knock down, drag them out." Everything is on a computer and defendants can appear in front of a judge via a camera, he said. Yost said he plans to enjoy his retirement by engaging in his hobbies: landscaping, construction, camping and a little bit of traveling. "I guarantee I won't be getting up at 5 a.m. every day anymore," Yost said.WASHINGTON (AP) — While Matt Gaetz has withdrawn from the nomination process for attorney general, President-elect Donald Trump has picked several other people for his Cabinet and key staff positions who have been accused of some form of sexual misconduct. Trump himself has long been accused of abusing or mistreating women and once was caught bragging about grabbing women by the genitals. He was found liable by a New York City jury for sexual abuse and defamation and eventually ordered to pay the woman, E. Jean Carroll , $83 million in damages. Taken together, there are a striking number of incidents in which potential high-ranking government officials in Trump's second administration face allegations of sexual abuse. Trump and all of his picks for government have denied the claims against them, with some of the people accused arguing the cases are driven by politics. Here's a look at what's known about the cases: President-elect Donald Trump Jurors in New York last year found Trump liable for sexually abusing Carroll, an advice columnist, in 1996. The verdict was split: Jurors rejected Carroll’s claim that she was raped, finding Trump responsible for a lesser degree of sexual abuse. Jurors also found Trump liable for defaming Carroll over her allegations. Trump did not attend the civil trial and was absent when the verdict was read. Carroll was one of more than a dozen women who have accused Trump of sexual assault or harassment. She went public in a 2019 memoir with her allegation that the Republican raped her in the dressing room of a posh Manhattan department store. Trump denied it , saying he never encountered Carroll at the store and did not know her. He has called her a “nut job” who invented “a fraudulent and false story” to sell a memoir. He has similarly denied claims by other women. Pete Hegseth, nominee for secretary of defense A woman told police that she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Hegseth after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave, according to a detailed investigative report made public this week. Hegseth told police at the time that the encounter had been consensual and denied any wrongdoing, the report said. News of the allegations surfaced last week when local officials released a brief statement confirming that a woman had accused Hegseth of sexual assault in October 2017 after he had spoken at a Republican women’s event in Monterey. Hegseth’s lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, said in a statement that the police report confirms “what I have said all along that the incident was fully investigated and police found the allegations to be false, which is why no charges were filed.” Parlatore said a payment was made to the woman as part of a confidential settlement a few years after the police investigation because Hegseth was concerned that she was prepared to file a lawsuit that he feared could have resulted in him being fired from Fox News, where he was a popular host. Parlatore would not reveal the amount of the payment. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominee for secretary of health and human services A woman who babysat for Kennedy and his second wife told Vanity Fair magazine that he groped her in the late 1990s, when she was 23. Kennedy did not deny the allegation, telling a podcast: “I had a very, very rambunctious youth.” He texted the woman an apology after the story was published. According to an interview the woman gave this week with USA Today , she said she was babysitting for his children at Kennedy's home in Mount Kisco, New York. She said that the assault happened soon after she began working there. During a kitchen table meeting with Kennedy and another person, she said she felt him rubbing her leg under the table. She told the newspaper that another time , Kennedy, then 46, asked her to rub lotion on him when he was shirtless and she obliged because she wanted to get it over with. And he grabbed her in a kitchen pantry and groped her, blocking her exit. She stayed on the job for a few more months before leaving. Linda McMahon, nominee for secretary of education A lawsuit filed last month alleges that McMahon knowingly enabled sexual exploitation of children by a World Wrestling Entertainment employee as early as the 1980s. She denies the allegations. The suit was filed in October in Maryland, where a recent law change eliminated the state’s statute of limitations for child sex abuse claims, opening the doors for victims to sue regardless of their age or how much time has passed. The complaint alleges that Melvin Phillips, who died in 2012, would target young men from disadvantaged backgrounds and hire them as “ring boys” to help with the preparations for wrestling matches. Phillips would then assault them in his dressing room, hotels and even in the wrestlers’ locker room, according to the complaint, which was filed on behalf of five men. The abuse detailed in the lawsuit occurred over several years during Phillips’ long tenure with the organization spanning from the 1970s to the early 1990s. Because of his death, Phillips is not among the named defendants. Instead, the complaint targets WWE founders Linda McMahon and her husband Vince, who grew the organization into the powerhouse it is today. The couple was well aware of Phillips’ brazen misconduct but did little to stop him, according to the complaint. “This civil lawsuit based upon thirty-plus year-old allegations is filled with scurrilous lies, exaggerations, and misrepresentations regarding Linda McMahon,” said Laura Brevetti, Linda McMahon’s lawyer, in a statement. “The matter at the time was investigated by company attorneys and the FBI, which found no grounds to continue the investigation. Ms. McMahon will vigorously defend against this baseless lawsuit and without doubt ultimately succeed.” Brevetti confirmed Linda and Vince McMahon are separated. Elon Musk, Trump's choice to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk was accused of sexual misconduct by a flight attendant contracted by SpaceX who worked on his private jet in 2016. He denied the claim. A 2022 report by Business Insider said SpaceX paid the woman $250,000 in severance in 2018 in exchange for her agreeing not to file a lawsuit over her claim. The Business Insider report was based on an account by the flight attendant’s friend, who said the flight attendant told her about the incident shortly after it happened. The report also said the flight attendant was required to sign a non-disclosure agreement that prohibits her from discussing the payment or anything else about Musk and SpaceX. SpaceX didn’t respond to emails seeking comment Friday. Musk responded to the allegations on Twitter, which he was in the process of buying at the time they surfaced. “And, for the record, those wild accusations are utterly untrue,” he wrote in response to one user who tweeted in support of him. He replied to another: “In my 30 year career, including the entire MeToo era, there’s nothing to report, but, as soon as I say I intend to restore free speech to Twitter & vote Republican, suddenly there is ...” Matt Gaetz, who withdrew as Trump's choice for attorney general The former Florida congressman was embroiled in a sex trafficking investigation by the Justice Department he had been tapped to lead. He also was under scrutiny by the House Ethics Committee over allegations including sexual misconduct — until he resigned from Congress this week. He then withdrew his name for consideration. Gaetz has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and said last year that the Justice Department’s investigation into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls had ended with no federal charges against him. Federal investigators scrutinized a trip that Gaetz took to the Bahamas with a group of women and a doctor who donated to his campaign, and whether the women were paid or received gifts to have sex with the men, according to people familiar with the matter who were not allowed to publicly discuss the investigation. Two women House investigators that Gaetz paid them for sex and one of the women testified she saw him having sex with a 17-year-old, according to an attorney for the women. The committee began its review of Gaetz in April 2021, deferred its work in response to a Justice Department request, and renewed its work shortly after Gaetz announced that the Justice Department had ended a sex trafficking investigation. ___ Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report.
The UCLA women’s basketball team is ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press women’s basketball poll for the first time in program history. The Bruins beat defending national champion South Carolina , the previous top team in the polls, on Sunday afternoon to rise from the No. 5 spot. The Gamecocks are now No. 4. UCLA is out to a 5-0 start this season and took down South Carolina 77-62 in a sold-out Pauley Pavilion. The accomplishment marked the first time in program history that the Bruins beat a No. 1 team. It’s the first time South Carolina lost a game in 602 days after a 43-game winning streak and it was the largest loss for South Carolina since March 2019 (15 points). “This means a lot because of the respect we have (for South Carolina),” UCLA head coach Cori Close said after the game. “That being said, we expected to win.” Bruins center Lauren Betts made the Big Ten Basketball Weekly Honor Roll after recording a double-double of 11 points and 14 rebounds in Sunday’s game. Londynn Jones led UCLA with 15 points and went a perfect 5-for-5 on 3-pointers. UCLA next heads to Honolulu for the Rainbow Wahine Showdown, which begins on Friday against UT Martin. Big Ten Conference play begins on Dec. 8 at Washington.
NEW YORK (AP) — In a string of visits, dinners, calls, monetary pledges and social media overtures, big tech chiefs — including Apple’s Tim Cook, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos — have joined a parade of business and world leaders in trying to improve their standing with President-elect Donald Trump before he takes office in January. “The first term, everybody was fighting me,” Trump said in remarks at Mar-a-Lago . “In this term, everybody wants to be my friend.” Tech companies and leaders have now poured millions into his inauguration fund, a sharp increase — in most cases — from past pledges to incoming presidents. But what does the tech industry expect to gain out of their renewed relationships with Trump? A clue to what the industry is looking for came just days before the election when Microsoft executives — who’ve largely tried to show a neutral or bipartisan stance — joined with a close Trump ally, venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, to publish a blog post outlining their approach to artificial intelligence policy. “Regulation should be implemented only if its benefits outweigh its costs,” said the document signed by Andreessen, his business partner Ben Horowitz, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and the company’s president, Brad Smith. They also urged the government to back off on any attempt to strengthen copyright laws that would make it harder for companies to use publicly available data to train their AI systems. And they said, “the government should examine its procurement practices to enable more startups to sell technology to the government.” Trump has pledged to rescind President Joe Biden’s sweeping AI executive order, which sought to protect people’s rights and safety without stifling innovation. He hasn’t specified what he would do in its place, but his campaign said AI development should be “rooted in Free Speech and Human Flourishing.” Trump’s choice to head the Interior Department, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, has spoken openly about the need to boost electricity production to meet increased demand from data centers and artificial intelligence. “The AI battle affects everything from defense to healthcare to education to productivity as a country,′′ Burgum said on Nov. 15, referring to artificial intelligence. “And the AI that’s coming in the next 18 months is going to be revolutionary. So there’s just a sense of urgency and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration′′ to address it. Demand for data centers ballooned in recent years due to the rapid growth of cloud computing and artificial intelligence, and local governments are competing for lucrative deals with big tech companies. But as data centers begin to consume more resources, some residents are pushing back against the world’s most powerful corporations over concerns about the economic, social and environmental health of their communities. “Maybe Big Tech should buy a copy of ‘The Art of The Deal’ to figure out how to best negotiate with this administration,” suggested Paul Swanson, an antitrust attorney for the law firm Holland & Hart. “I won’t be surprised if they find ways to reach some accommodations and we end up seeing more negotiated resolutions and consent decrees.” Although federal regulators began cracking down on Google and Facebook during Trump’s first term as president — and flourished under Biden — most experts expect his second administration to ease up on antitrust enforcement and be more receptive to business mergers. Google may benefit from Trump’s return after he made comments on the campaign trail suggesting a breakup of the company isn’t in the U.S. national interest, after a judge declared its search engine an illegal monopoly . But recent nominations put forward by his transition team have favored those who have been critical of Big Tech companies, suggesting Google won’t be entirely off the hook. Cook’s notoriously rocky relationship with the EU can be traced back to a 2016 ruling from Brussels in a tax case targeting Apple. Cook slammed the bloc’s order for Apple to pay back up to $13.7 billion in Irish back taxes as “total political crap.” Trump, then in his first term as president, piled on, referring to the European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, who was spearheading a campaign on special tax deals and a crackdown on Big Tech companies, as the “tax lady” who “really hates the U.S.” Brussels was eventually vindicated after the bloc’s top court rejected Apple’s appeal this year, though it didn’t stop Cook from calling Trump to complain, Trump recounted in a podcast in October. Trump hosted Cook for a Friday evening dinner at the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago resort, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment publicly. Neither Apple nor the Trump transition team has commented on the nature of their discussions. Altman , Amazon and Meta all pledged to donate $1 million each to Trump’s inaugural fund. During his first term, Trump criticized Amazon and railed against the political coverage at The Washington Post, which billionaire Bezos owns. Meanwhile, Bezos had criticized some of Trump’s past rhetoric. In 2019, Amazon also argued in a court case that Trump’s bias against the company harmed its chances of winning a $10 billion Pentagon contract. More recently, Bezos has struck a more conciliatory tone. He recently said at The New York Times’ DealBook Summit in New York that he was “optimistic” about Trump’s second term, while also endorsing president-elect’s plans to cut regulations. The donation from Meta came just weeks after Zuckerberg met with Trump privately at Mar-a-Lago. During the 2024 campaign, Zuckerberg did not endorse a candidate for president, but voiced a more positive stance toward Trump. Earlier this year, he praised Trump’s response to his first assassination attempt. Still, Trump in recent months had continued to attack Zuckerberg publicly. And Altman, who is in a legal dispute with AI rival Elon Musk, has said he is “not that worried” about the Tesla CEO’s influence in the incoming administration. Musk, an early OpenAI investor and board member, sued the artificial intelligence company earlier this year alleging that the maker of ChatGPT betrayed its founding aims of benefiting the public good rather than pursuing profits.Commerce Department to reduce Intel’s funding on semiconductorsWhat does Big Tech hope to gain from warming up to Trump?
Acquitted subway vigilante Daniel Penny said he had not choice but to subdue a deranged Jordan Neely after the vagrant threatened to kill straphangers aboard a Manhattan subway train last year. The 26-year-old Marine vet, who was found not guilty of negligent homicide charges in Neely’s death this week, told Fox “The Five” host Jeanine Pirro that he took the threats seriously enough to jump into action. “The guilt I would’ve felt if someone did get hurt, if he did do what he was threatening to do, I would never be able to live with myself,” Penny said during the exclusive interview due to air in its entirety Wednesday. “I’ll take a million court appearances and people calling me names and people hating me just to keep one of those people from getting hurt or killed,” he said. Penny also said he felt “vulnerable” and felt he was also in danger when he grabbed Neely and put him in a chokehold aboard a crowded Manhattan F train on May 1, 2023. “He’s just threatening to kill people, he’s threatening to go to jail forever, go to jail for the rest of his life,” he told Pirro. “And now I’m on the ground with him, I’m on my back in a very vulnerable position. “If I let him go I’m on my back now. He can just turn around and doing what he said to me. Killing, hurting. “I’m not a confrontational person,” he added. “I really don’t extend myself. This type of thing is very uncomfortable. All this attention and lime light is very uncomfortable. I would prefer without it. I didn’t want any type of attention or praise, and I still don’t.” A teaser clip from the Fox interview aired Tuesday, one day after Penny was acquitted in the polarizing case after Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg charged him with manslaughter last year. On Friday, with the jury deadlocked, prosecutors asked the judge to toss the manslaughter charge and have the panel continue deliberation on the lesser homicide charged — which led to Mondays acquittal. Bragg has come under fire since the verdict from critics who claim Penny is a hero, not a villain, who protected subway riders from a violent and potentially dangerous vagrant. Without singling anyone out by name, Penny complained to Pirro about “self-serving” officials who have used his fatal encounter with Neely as part of “a political game.” “These are their policies,” he said. “And I don’t mean to get political, I really don’t’ want to make any enemies, really — although I guess I have already. “But these are their policies that have clearly not worked, that the people, the general population, are not in support,” Penny added. “Yet, their goes are too big to agree that they’re wrong.”
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum." Section 1.10.32 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum", written by Cicero in 45 BC "Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" 1914 translation by H. Rackham "But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system, and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?" Thanks for your interest in Kalkine Media's content! To continue reading, please log in to your account or create your free account with us.How Halo Space’s ‘Aurora’ balloons bring near-space tourism to the masses