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This screenshot from Donald Trump Truth Social account shows an image of President-elect Donald Trump and first lady Jill Biden attending the ceremony in Notre Dame Cathedral as France’s iconic cathedral is formally reopening its doors for the first time since a devastating fire nearly destroyed the 861-year-old landmark in 2019, Dec .7, 2024 in Paris. Trump’s recent summit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in negotiating trade policy and diplomacy. For Trump, they’ve also become fodder for trolling. (Truth Social via AP) This screenshot from Donald Trump’s Truth Social account shows am image of President-elect Donald Trump standing beside a Canadian flag. Trump’s recent summit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in negotiating trade policy and diplomacy. For Trump, they’ve also become fodder for trolling. (Truth Social via AP) This screenshot from Donald Trump Truth Social account shows an image of President-elect Donald Trump and first lady Jill Biden attending the ceremony in Notre Dame Cathedral as France’s iconic cathedral is formally reopening its doors for the first time since a devastating fire nearly destroyed the 861-year-old landmark in 2019, Dec .7, 2024 in Paris. Trump’s recent summit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in negotiating trade policy and diplomacy. For Trump, they’ve also become fodder for trolling. ( Truth Social via AP) This screenshot from Donald Trump Truth Social account shows an image of President-elect Donald Trump and first lady Jill Biden attending the ceremony in Notre Dame Cathedral as France’s iconic cathedral is formally reopening its doors for the first time since a devastating fire nearly destroyed the 861-year-old landmark in 2019, Dec .7, 2024 in Paris. Trump’s recent summit with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and visit to Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral were not just exercises in negotiating trade policy and diplomacy. For Trump, they’ve also become fodder for trolling. (Truth Social via AP) Now that’s he’s preparing to return to the Oval Office, Trump is back at it, and his trolling is attracting more attention — and eyerolls.
Food Preservatives Market Growth Size and Detailed Insights With Company Profile (2024-2031) | Akzo Nobel N.V, Archer Daniels Midland Company, BASF SE, Cargill, Inc.Stock market today: Wall Street drifts to a mixed close in thin trading following a holiday pause
Susan Shelley: We’re all-in to Make America Healthy AgainXerox Holdings Corp. stock underperforms Tuesday when compared to competitors despite daily gainsBrazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer is the for Tuesday as shares surged to a 10-year high. ( ) produces a fleet of commercial, business and defense jets. On the commercial front, Embraer is best-known for its Embraer 175 (E175) single-aisle planes. It also manufacturers the C-390 military transport aircraft. The company's Phenom 300 has been the world's bestselling light jet for the past 12 years, according to a . Embraer is coming off its major , which saw earnings increase to $1.20 per share from 18 cents the year prior. Revenue jumped 32% to $1.69 billion, with sales from its "executive aviation" and "defense and security" segments each increasing 65% compared with a year ago. The results were well above analyst expectations for earnings of 25 cents per share on $1.58 billion in revenue. Embraer delivered 59 aircraft during the quarter, a 37% increase from the year prior. Executive jet deliveries totaled 41, with 16 commercial jets and two multimission C-390 aircraft. The company said that its backlog at the end of the quarter was worth $22.7 billion, marking a nine-year high and up 25% from last year. Embraer narrowed its 2024 commercial aviation delivery forecast to 70-73 planes, down from its prior guidance for 72-80. The company maintained its executive delivery outlook of 125 to 135 jets. The Brazilian outfit also reiterated its full-year revenue forecast for $6 billion to $6.4 billion, with the midpoint just below analyst views for $6.3 billion. FactSet expects 2025 revenue increases to $7.26 billion, growing to about $8 billion in 2026. Analysts Shift Targets, Ratings However, analyst ratings have been mixed in the wake of earnings. UBS in mid-November downgraded ERJ shares to sell from neutral, noting it thinks the market is "overoptimistic" heading into 2025, and results for the year may disappoint investors, The Fly reported. The firm wrote that the competitive environment is unfavorable to Embraer, as Brazil and other Latin American locations lack competitive advantages for its projects. Still UBS lifted its price target on ERJ shares to 32 from 29. Elsewhere, Morgan Stanley and BofA both raised their targets on Embraer last week. Morgan Stanley cited Q3 results and the company's investor day presentation as evidence of "the company's strong operating performance and ongoing momentum." The firm raised its price target by $5 to 45 and kept an overweight rating on the shares. BofA on Thursday also lifted its price target on Embraer to 55 from 40 and maintained a buy rating on the stock to reflect stronger-than-expected deliveries and demand. The firm said Embraer's greatest differentiating factor is that innovation is core to the company identity. BofA also credited Embraer's strong backlog, deliveries and improving financials as "a testament to the strategy working." Embraer Stock Rises Embraer trades in American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) under the ticker ERJ. ERJ stock surged more than 3% Tuesday to peak at 40.34, its highest level since September 2014. The move cleared a 39.46 , matching its Nov. 13 high. The latest entry formed as a within a for its recent flat base. Embraer broke out of that prior pattern on Nov. 18. ERJ shares rallied about 20% so far this month, adding to its almost 118% spike in 2024.
NEW YORK , Dec. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of common stock of Dentsply Sirona Inc. (NASDAQ: XRAY) between December 1, 2022 and November 6, 2024 , both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important January 27, 2025 lead plaintiff deadline. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
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Israeli attorney general orders probe into report that alleged Netanyahu’s wife harassed opponentsTrump has pressed for voting changes. GOP majorities in Congress will try to make that happen
NEW YORK (AP) — The man accused of burning a woman to death inside a New York City subway train used a shirt to fan the flames, a prosecutor said Tuesday at his arraignment on murder charges. Sebastian Zapeta, 33, who federal immigration officials said is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally, was not required to enter a plea and did not speak at the hearing in Brooklyn criminal court. Zapeta, wearing a white jumpsuit over a weathered black hooded sweatshirt, will remain jailed at the city's Rikers Island complex and is due back in court on Friday. His lawyer did not ask for bail. Zapeta is charged with two counts of murder, accusing him of intentionally killing the woman and killing her while committing arson. He is also charged with one count of arson. The top charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole. Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez called the attack a “gruesome and senseless act of violence” and said it would be “met with the most serious consequences.” The apparently random attack occurred Sunday morning on an F train that was stopped at the Coney Island station. The victim's identification is still pending. Authorities say Zapeta approached the woman, who may have been sleeping in the train, and set her clothing on fire with a lighter. Zapeta then fanned the flames with a shirt, engulfing her in fire, Assistant District Attorney Ari Rottenberg said in court Tuesday. Zapeta then sat on a bench on the subway platform and watched, Rottenberg said. According to Rottenberg, Zapeta told detectives that he didn’t know what happened but identified himself in images of the attack. Zapeta's lawyer, public defender Andrew Friedman, did not speak to reporters after the arraignment. A message seeking comment was left for him. Video on social media appears to show some people looking on from the platform and at least one police officer walking by while the woman is on fire inside the train. NYPD Transit Chief Joseph Gulotta said Sunday that several officers responded to the fire and one stayed to keep the crime scene “the way it’s supposed to be" while the others went to get fire extinguishers and transit workers. “Officers who were on patrol on an upper level of that station smelled and saw smoke and went to investigate. What they saw was a person standing inside the train car fully engulfed in flames,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. They eventually put the fire out, but “unfortunately, it was too late,” Tisch said, and the woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Zapeta was taken into custody Sunday afternoon while riding a train on the same subway line after teenagers recognized him from images circulated by the police. A Brooklyn address for Zapeta released by police matches a shelter that provides housing and substance abuse support. The shelter did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Federal immigration officials said Zapeta was deported in 2018 but later reentered the U.S. illegally. The crime deepened a growing sense of unease among some New Yorkers about the safety of the subway system, amplified by graphic video of the attack that ricocheted across social media. “It creeped me out real bad,” said Deandre Nelson, 22. Others said the attack hasn’t changed their daily routine or how they feel about the subway. “I don’t think it gave me pause," said Collin Burroughs, 24. “I think it mostly just made me sad.” Overall, crime is down in the transit system compared to last year. Major felonies declined 6% between January and November compared to the same time period last year, according to data from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. But murders are up, with nine killings this year through November compared to five during the same period last year. There have also been several high-profile incidents, including one in September where police inadvertently shot two bystanders and a fellow officer when they opened fire on a man holding a knife in front of a train. Earlier this month, a Manhattan jury acquitted former Marine Daniel Penny in the chokehold death last year of an agitated subway rider. The case became a flashpoint in debates over safety, homelessness and mental illness on the system. Policing the subway is difficult, given the vast network of trains moving between 472 stations. Each stop contains multiple entry points and, in many stations, multiple floors and platforms. This story has been corrected to show that the name of Zapeta's lawyer is Andrew Friedman, not Ed Friedman. Associated Press reporter Melissa Goldin contributed to this report.NEW YORK (AP) — It’s almost that time of year: Spotify is gearing up to release its annual Wrapped, personalized recaps of users’ listening habits and year in audio. Spotify has been giving its listeners breakdowns of their data since 2016. And each year, it’s become a bigger production — and internet sensation. Spotify said was the “biggest ever created,” in terms of audience reach and the kind of data it provided. So, what will 2024 have in store? Here’s a look at what to know ahead of this year’s Spotify Wrapped. What exactly is Spotify Wrapped? It’s the streaming service’s annual overview of individual listening trends, as well as trends around the world. Users learn their top artists, songs, genres, albums and podcasts, all wrapped into one interactive presentation. The campaign has become a social media sensation, as people share and compare their Wrapped data with their friends and followers online. Past iterations have provided users with all kinds of breakdowns and facts, including whether they’re among an artist’s top listeners, as well as a personalized playlist of their top 100 songs of that year to save, share and listen to whenever they’re feeling nostalgic. Spotify also creates a series of playlists that reflect national and global listening trends, featuring the top streamed artists and songs. In 2023, , unseating Bad Bunny who had held the title for three years in a row. Each year has something new in store. In 2019, Wrapped included a summary of users’ streaming trends for the entire decade. Last year, Spotify matched listeners to based on their artist affinities and how it lined up with those in other parts of the world. When is the expected release date? So far, the streaming platform has kept the highly anticipated release date of Wrapped under ... er, wraps. In past years, it’s been released after Thanksgiving, between Nov. 30 and Dec. 6. Each year, rumors tend to swell on social media around when Spotify stops collecting data in order to prepare their Wrapped results, and this year was no exception. Spotify , assuring on social media that “Spotify Wrapped doesn’t stop counting on October 31st.” A representative for Spotify did not respond to a request for comment on when the company stops tracking data for Wrapped. Where can I find my Spotify Wrapped? When Wrapped is released, each user’s Spotify account will prompt them to view their interactive data roundup. It can be accessed through the Spotify smartphone app, or by . Wrapped is available to users with and without Premium subscriptions. What else can I learn with my Spotify data? There are a handful of third-party sites that you can connect your Spotify account to that will analyze your Wrapped data. is an AI bot that judges your music taste. gives you your top songs on a sharable graphic that looks like, yes, a receipt. gives you your own personal music festival-style lineup based on your top artists. assesses how similar your music taste is to NPR Music’s. What if I don’t have Spotify? Other major streaming platforms such as Apple Music and YouTube Music have developed their own versions of Wrapped in recent years. not only gives its subscribers a year-end digest of their listening habits but monthly summaries as well — a feature that helps differentiate itself from the one-time Spotify recap. That’s released at the end of the calendar year. YouTube Music, meanwhile, has a similar end-of-the-year release for its listeners, as well as periodic seasonal releases throughout the year. It released its annual Recap for users earlier this month.
Ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner, jailed for sexting child, eyes political comeback in New York City Council
PARIS (AFP) – French President Emmanuel Macron named a new government, putting together a team under Francois Bayrou, his fourth prime minister of the year, to drag the second-largest European Union (EU) economy out of political crisis. Macron named former prime minister Elisabeth Borne, 63, Education Minister in a new Cabinet under centrist Bayrou. Another former premier, Manuel Valls, 62, returned as Overseas Territories Minister, while former interior minister Gerald Darmanin became Justice Minister. Both Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu and Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot kept their jobs, the presidency said. Lecornu, a 38-year-old loyalist with a keen political nose, has served in every government since Macron’s first election as president in 2017. Conservative Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who has vowed to crack down on illegal immigration, and right-wing Culture Minister Rachida Dati, also stayed in their posts. The difficult job of delivering a budget plan for next year falls to Eric Lombard, the 66-year-old head of public-sector lender Caisse des Depots (CDC), who was named economy minister. “I’m very proud of the team we’re presenting this evening,” Bayrou said on X, adding his “experienced” government would aim to “rebuild trust”. The inclusion of two former prime ministers indicates Macron’s desire for a heavyweight government that will enjoy stability and not share the fate of Bayrou’s predecessor, Michel Barnier, ousted in a no-confidence vote following a standoff over an austerity budget. Bayrou had hoped to bring in figures from the left, right and centre to protect his government from possible censure, but his 35-member team does not include any representatives of the left-wing coalition New Popular Front, which has won the most seats in snap legislative elections this summer. Left-wing politicians were livid. “It’s not a government, it’s a provocation. The extreme right in power under the watchful eye of the extreme right,” Socialist leader Olivier Faure said on X. Macron will gather Bayrou’s team on January 3 for a first Cabinet meeting, the presidency said. The priority for Bayrou, 73, is to make sure his government can survive a no-confidence vote and that it passes a cost-cutting budget for 2025. The unexpected comeback of Valls, premier from 2014 to 2016, as the head of the overseas territories ministry indicates the importance of the post after authorities were strongly criticised for their response to the deadly cyclone on the Indian Ocean territory of Mayotte, which killed at least 35 people. Darmanin had long been known to covet the post of foreign minister, but after days of intense discussions will have to content himself with the justice ministry.
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Fresh off one of its best showings of the season, the Baltimore defense now has another problem to worry about. Roquan Smith missed practice again Friday because of a hamstring injury. Although the Ravens didn't officially rule him or anyone else out — they don't play until Monday night — the All-Pro linebacker's status seems dicey. “Definitely it will be a challenge if Roquan can’t go,” defensive coordinator Zach Orr said. “We’re holding out hope and everything like that. I think it’ll just be by committee. Not one person is going to replace Roquan. Roquan’s an every-down linebacker.” Although the Ravens last weekend, Baltimore didn't allow a touchdown. That was an encouraging sign for a team that ranks 26th in the league in total defense. Baltimore is on the road Monday against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Ravens appear to have dodged one potential nightmare. Star safety Kyle Hamilton injured an ankle on Nov. 7, but he was able to play almost every defensive snap the following week against Pittsburgh. But Smith was injured in that game and didn't practice Thursday or Friday. Linebacker Malik Harrison had a season high in tackles last weekend and figures to have a significant role if Smith can't go. “We tell these guys, ‘You’re one play away to going in there — you never know, so you got to stay ready.’ Malik — he was ready,” Orr said. “I thought he went in there and did a good job, especially after the first series, he settled down. That’s what we expect from him.” It's hard to tell whether last week can be a significant turning point for Baltimore's defense. The Ravens allowed only 10 points in a dominant win over Buffalo in Week 4, then yielded 38 against Cincinnati the following game. After allowing 10 against Denver, the Ravens were picked apart by the Bengals again a few days later. So they still haven't shown they can play a good game defensively and then build on it. “I think it’s easier said than done. It’s something that we kind of got caught up saying against Buffalo and then coming up the next week and not doing," Hamilton said. "We’re aware of it now and know that we played a good game, but I think we can get a lot better, and I think that’s kind of the mindset everybody on defense has right now.” Hamilton's ability to make a difference all over the field is part of what makes him valuable, but positioning him deep is one way the Ravens can try to guard against big passing plays. Pittsburgh's Russell Wilson threw for only 205 yards against Baltimore. That's after Joe Burrow passed for 428 and four touchdowns in the Ravens' previous game. “I’ve always seen myself as a safety. A versatile one, but at the end of the day, I think I play safety,” Hamilton said. “If I’m asked to go play safety, I feel like that’s not an issue for me to play safety if I’m a safety.” NOTES: In addition to Smith, WR Rashod Bateman (knee), DT Travis Jones (ankle), S Sanoussi Kane (ankle) C Tyler Linderbaum (back) and CB Arthur Maulet (calf) missed practice Friday. WR Nelson Agholor (illness) returned to full participation after missing Thursday's practice. AP NFL:Stock indexes drifted to a mixed finish on Wall Street as some heavyweight technology and communications sector stocks offset gains elsewhere in the market. The S&P 500 slipped less than 0.1% Thursday, its first loss after three straight gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.1%. Gains by retailers and health care stocks helped temper the losses. Trading volume was lighter than usual as U.S. markets reopened following the Christmas holiday. The Labor Department reported that U.S. applications for unemployment benefits held steady last week, though continuing claims rose to the highest level in three years. Treasury yields fell in the bond market. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. Stocks wavered on Wall Street in afternoon trading Thursday, as gains in tech companies and retailers helped temper losses elsewhere in the market. The S&P 500 was up less than 0.1% after drifting between small gains and losses. The benchmark index is coming off a three-day winning streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 10 points, or less than 0.1%, as of 3:20 p.m. Eastern time. The Nasdaq composite was up 0.1%. Trading volume was lighter than usual as U.S. markets reopened after the Christmas holiday. Chip company Broadcom rose 2.5%, Micron Technology was up 1.3% and Adobe gained 0.8%. While tech stocks overall were in the green, some heavyweights were a drag on the market. Semiconductor giant Nvidia, whose enormous valuation gives it an outsize influence on indexes, slipped 0.1%. Meta Platforms fell 0.5%, Amazon was down 0.4%, and Netflix gave up 0.7%. Tesla was among the biggest decliners in the S&P 500, down 1.4%. Health care stocks helped lift the market. CVS Health rose 1.4% and Walgreens Boots Alliance rose 3.9% for the biggest gain among S&P 500 stocks. Several retailers also gained ground. Target rose 3.1%, Ross Stores added 1.8%, Best Buy was up 2.5% and Dollar Tree gained 3.6%. Traders are watching to see whether retailers have a strong holiday season. The day after Christmas traditionally ranks among the top 10 biggest shopping days of the year, as consumers go online or rush to stores to cash in gift cards and raid bargain bins. U.S.-listed shares in Honda and Nissan rose 4.2% and 15.9%, respectively. The Japanese automakers announced earlier this week that the two companies are in talks to combine. Traders got a labor market update. U.S. applications for unemployment benefits held steady last week , though continuing claims rose to the highest level in three years, the Labor Department reported. Treasury yields turned mostly lower in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.58% from 4.59% late Tuesday. Major European markets were closed, as well as Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia. Trading was expected to be subdued this week with a thin slate of economic data on the calendar. Still, U.S. markets have historically gotten a boost at year’s end despite lower trading volumes. The last five trading days of each year, plus the first two in the new year, have brought an average gain of 1.3% since 1950. So far this month, the U.S. stock market has lost some of its gains since President-elect Donald Trump’s win on Election Day, which raised hopes for faster economic growth and more lax regulations that would boost corporate profits. Worries have risen that Trump’s preference for tariffs and other policies could lead to higher inflation , a bigger U.S. government debt and difficulties for global trade. Even so, the U.S. market remains on pace to deliver strong returns for 2024. The benchmark S&P 500 is up roughly 26% so far this year and remains near its most recent all-time high it set earlier this month — its latest of 57 record highs this year. Wall Street has several economic reports to look forward to next week, including updates on pending home sales and home prices, a report on U.S. construction spending and snapshots of manufacturing activity. AP Business Writers Elaine Kurtenbach and Matt Ott contributed.
By Erin Banco WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Biden administration has urged the rebel group that led the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad not to assume automatic leadership of the country but instead run an inclusive process to form a transitional government, according to two U.S. officials and a congressional aide briefed on the first U.S. contacts with the group. The communications with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group formerly allied with al Qaeda and designated a terrorist organization by the United States, are being conducted in coordination with Washington's Middle East allies, including Turkey. The administration is also in touch with President-elect Donald Trump's team about the matter, one of the officials said. The discussions, which have taken place over the last several days, are part of a larger effort by Washington to coordinate with various groups inside Syria as it tries to navigate the chaotic aftermath of the sudden collapse of the Assad regime on Sunday. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the U.S. has sent messages to the group to help guide early efforts to establish a formal governing structure for the country. The sources declined to say whether the messages were being sent directly or via an intermediary. Washington believes the transitional government should represent the desires of the Syrian people and would not support HTS taking control without a formal process to select new leaders, the officials said. The U.S. National Security Council declined to comment. TERRORIST DESIGNATION The United States in 2013 designated HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, better known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, a terrorist, saying al Qaeda in Iraq had tasked him with overthrowing Assad's rule and establishing Islamic sharia law in Syria. It said the Nusra Front, the predecessor of HTS, carried out suicide attacks that killed civilians and espoused a violent sectarian vision. The official said the administration is not clear about Golani's role in a future Syrian government - or whether he still holds extremist ideologies. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken laid out on Tuesday criteria for Syria's political transition, saying Washington would recognize a future Syrian government that amounts to a credible, inclusive and non-sectarian governing body. Some lawmakers on Capitol Hill are pushing the administration to consider lifting U.S. sanctions on Syria, including sanctions specifically related to HTS, in exchange for the group meeting certain U.S. demands, the congressional aide told Reuters. The aide said there is a growing feeling among some members of Congress that the U.S. will need to help a transitional government in Syria connect to the global economy and rebuild the country. Sanctions are preventing that from happening, the aide said. Washington is also in communication with HTS and other actors on the ground about battlefield operations, one of the officials said. Senior U.S. officials have repeatedly said they intend to continue military operations in northeastern Syria against ISIS, to ensure the radical extremist group does not become a threat again, given the current power vacuum in the country. U.S. forces in Syria will also continue to prevent Iranian-backed proxy groups from gaining ground, one of the officials said. (Reporting by Erin Banco; Editing by Humeyra Pamuk and Rod Nickel) Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters .Spotify Wrapped is finally here. How can you see your 2024 recap?
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In this podcast, Motley Fool analyst Nick Sciple and host Ricky Mulvey discuss: Potential futures of and lingering questions about quantum computers . A restructuring at Warner Bros. Discovery that's pleasing its investors, and why the media conglomerate may be a falling knife. Then, Motley Fool contributor Lou Whiteman joins host Mary Long for a look at FedEx , and holiday shipping season. Visit our sponsor: Get $1,000 off Vanta at www.vanta.com/fool To catch full episodes of all The Motley Fool's free podcasts, check out our podcast center . To get started investing, check out our beginner's guide to investing in stocks . A full transcript follows the video. This video was recorded on Dec. 12, 2024. Ricky Mulvey: We're going to the quantum verse. You're listening to Motley Fool Money. I'm Ricky Mulvey be joined today by Nick Sciple. Nick, good to see you. Nick Sciple: Great to be here with you, Ricky. Ricky Mulvey: Let's get into this Google announcement, which is a little tough to parse through anytime you're talking about quantum processes, but Alphabet announced a new quantum computing chip called Willow. The stock has jumped about 12% over the past week as Wall Street analysts pretend to understand quantum science. Now the stock is at an all time high. Google reporting that, "Willow performed a standard benchmark computation in under five minutes that would take one of today's fastest supercomputers, 10 septillion, that is 10 to the 25 years." We're getting into some logarithmic math. Sounds like this thing can get all the Bitcoin at once, Nick, but what does Google want from this research? Nick Sciple: Sure, I think Google just wants to stay on the cutting edge of new computing technology. As you laid out here, these quantum computers have the promise if they reach commercialization to do calculations that today's existing computers couldn't do in the entire history of the universe, if you are going to stretch out the time there. Just trying to push forward the state of the art of science as Google has done with their AI investments in the past and other places. This is one of the big focuses that Google has outside of their core business to just invest in innovation. Ricky Mulvey: For those who are unfamiliar with this game, and none of us are going to pretend to be quantum experts here. I don't want to put words in your mouth, Nick, but what can a quantum computer do that's so much better than a regular computer? Why are the researchers so interested in this? Nick Sciple: Yeah, without getting too deep down into the weeds, my understanding is you essentially use the fundamental particles of the universe to do the computing for you. Use atleast qubits, which is electrons, that sort of thing, which can exist in a superposition state. We're getting down into a complex physics. They can be both zero and one, at the same time, unlike classical computers, they have to be either zero or one, at any given particular time, this unlocks significant potential to perform multiple calculations at once, faster and simulate problems in large data sets you couldn't do today. However, there's lots of instability in these qubits and we haven't been able to get them to be stable enough to build these computers in a functional way, but this breakthrough that Google announced really is a sign that we're getting closer. If we do reach commercialization, then this would be a breakthrough in computing and could change the world. Ricky Mulvey: This is a bleeding edge technology, and as you mentioned, getting these chips and computers stable is a monumental challenge in and of itself because you're not dealing with ones and zeros. You're dealing with particle uncertainty at an atomic level, which sounds a little above my pay grade, but there's a lot of promise and use cases to watch. What are you going to be watching as this technology plays out? Nick Sciple: You think about a breakthrough in computing technology could touch things, healthcare, code breaking, that sort of thing. For me, the place where I think you'd see quantum computing used first is in defense. If you think about past cutting edge technologies, they all seem to find the first application in defense rockets, the Internet, drones, GPS, nuclear technology, all these things started out as defense applications. Really makes sense. The DOD isn't worried about profits or commercialization, really worried about national defense, and we've agreed as a country there is not a price we want to put on that. I'd expect quantum computing to find its first applications in the defense field. You think about code breaking certainly has been one of the earliest applications of computers going back all the way to the beginning, so you could definitely tell a story about where that could be applied in the defense realm. If we do reach something where this applies, I think defense is going to be the place where you see it used first. Ricky Mulvey: One thing I'll be watching. You mentioned code breaking, and this could fundamentally change as this tech plays out. Cybersecurity companies as cyber threats change. There's a book quantum supremacy and lays out one example where there could be two Internets where if you're trying to send secure information, you might not be able to do that along the normal broadband infrastructure we have. If you're a company doing banking information, that kind of thing. You might need laser beams to send it because otherwise it could just be so easy for these quantum computers to break into. Let's talk about the stock side because remember, a few months ago, everyone was worried about Google and how it didn't understand artificial intelligence. Well, now investors are saying. Boy oh, boy, do you understand quantum computing, and we're excited about that. Wall Street Journal columnist Dan Gallagher has a column out today saying, "Google's quantum boost doesn't really compute pointing out that basically the $250 billion that was added to the company's market cap is looking speculative at best. This is because the advertising business generates about that money in a single year." Pessimism always sounds smart, Nick, and this is something I'm excited about. Quantum computing is cool. You tell me, is this smart analysis from Mr. Gallagher? Does this belong at the Player Haters' Ball? Nick Sciple: I would say you could say both in one way or the other. It's smart analysis in the sense that is this quantum computing technology commercially ready enough to be adding that type of market cap to Google, Alphabet's stock today? No, this is only the second milestone that Google has laid out toward their quantum computing commercialization road map. I think there's seven of those milestones. There's really no guarantee that it ever gets there. I mentioned defense really being at the cutting edge, the DARPA program manager that's in charge of quantum computing and said their basic position here is skepticism. They're skeptical that we'll ever reach a quantum computer with enough of these qubits that are stable enough for this to be built. It's really a question of whether we're actually reach commercialization, although it's a huge breakthrough for Google. That said, I think some of the movement in the stock is less about hey, we're about to have a quantum computing tomorrow. It's renewed confidence in Google their leadership and their technology position. You mentioned AI earlier this year, a lot of concerns that AI could disrupt that core Google advertising business and we've seen some really exciting announcements from Google Gemini, their AI tool in recent weeks that at least have given me some confidence in the AI business. While quantum computing is a long way off as far as these frontier technologies, I do want to mention one breakthrough technology that is actually finally gaining traction for Google, and that's self driving cars. This is another technology that started out as a defense program. Twenty years ago, DARPA, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency had their 2004 grand challenge, which is really kicking off the quest for self driving cars. Now we're 20 years on, and Google is finally reaching commercialization of these, according to data from California's Public Utilities Commission, where it noted 312,000 rides per month in California in August. That's double what they'd done three months before and just in recent weeks Google has announced plans to expand rapidly across the US and Austin, Atlanta, and Miami in 2025, announced partnerships with Uber to expand that in those new cities. This is an area that you really don't hear mentioned that often as a real value driver for Google. Do I think quantum computing alone is enough to move Google stock? No, but do I think there's a good argument that we should be more optimistic about Google and that, the company has brighter days ahead of it and isn't under deep threat by some of this disruption folks were worried about earlier this year, I think that's true, and I think there's a good argument to be made that Google's fairly valued here. Ricky Mulvey: The one thing in Google at about 25 times earnings right now. One thing on the self driving stuff that I'm waiting for is someone out in Colorado, Nick. You mentioned the three cities, Austin, Atlanta, Miami, San Francisco, these cars are already cooking. None of those cities get snow or ice a lot. I'm very much looking forward to seeing these self driving cars artfully work in icy and winter conditions. I think that's going to be my transition point to saying, This is really going to roll out across the country, but I'm ready to get in self driving car. Nick Sciple: You left out LA there, Ricky, that's another. There's no accident. All those cities have favorable weather to the technology. Let's say that. We're not there where this is going to be commercial in every city, but we're getting there where this isn't a science project anymore. This is a real commercial business. Ricky Mulvey: Let's go to Warner Brothers . Warner Brothers Discovery, maybe taking a note from Comcast last week, announcing that it is separating its cable and streaming division. This is a week after Comcast announced that it was straight up spinning off most of its cable assets. Cynically you could say hey, it's telling private equity firms, you can easily cut here if you want to hive off this part of the company. For Warner Brothers Discovery, its global linear networks division will house its cable brands. Streaming and studios now will include Max and other streaming assets. You're seeing Warner Brothers Discovery investors get excited about this. Stock is popping more than 10% as I was looking this morning. Why are they so excited about a little restructuring, Nick? Nick Sciple: It's been a tough run for Warner Brothers Discovery down about 50% since the merger between Warner Brothers and Discovery back in 2022. I think, the market is excited about potentially a new strategy for the business. CEO David Zaslav has really been pounding the table on the need for more transactions, more consolidation in the media space, and perhaps with a change of administration, maybe those deals are a little bit more easy to do. You look at Warner Brothers Discovery today, just over $40 billion in debt. The past couple of years, the company has really had to focus on cutting costs, laying off workers to focus on cash flow. The main driver of the business continues to be cable networks. About half of the revenue close to 90% of the EBITDA comes from the cable networks, but these are really no growth businesses. Ad dollars continuing to leave traditional media streaming still on the ascendancy, just had to take a nine billion dollar write down on its cable assets. In August, if you look at the streaming business, there is some growth there, and that business has reached break even, although you have to take those numbers with a grain of salt, but still, HBO Max is a little bit of a mess, if you compare it to some of these other streaming companies, combining HBO's content with Discovery's reality TV, and that sort of thing has led them to be a little bit behind some of the folks in the market. I don't have any transaction. I guess this reorganization sets the company up to separate perhaps some of these bad linear assets from the studio and streaming assets, although they have problems, have a long term future. Zaslav on the press release said we continue to prioritize ensuring our global linear networks business is well positioned to drive free cash flow, while our streaming and studios businesses focus on driving growth by telling the world's most compelling stories, our new corporate structure better aligns organizations, and this is the big part. Enhances our flexibility with potential future strategic opportunities across an evolving media landscape. I think in April, we reached two years since that merger between Warner Brothers and Discovery, now that we're two years on from that, those transactions can take place. I think hiving off these two businesses sets that up. I think what you're likely to see is either spinning off these cable assets and attaching a lot of this debt to those assets. You can have a good co, bad co spin off or perhaps you see some consolidation with some of these other struggling cable businesses out there, whether that's the spin off from Comcast or Paramount is out there and is a under new leadership perhaps is going to be looking to sell off some pieces. Ricky Mulvey: A lot of these companies with these cable assets seem to be making moves in 2024 that maybe they know they should have been making in the mid 2010. I think Paramount is one example. We were chatting before the show where you wanted to talk about the BET Network, where the valuation falling from about 2-3 billion dollars, having bids for that to 1.6 now. I'm talking about a different company, but bringing this theme together, do you think these companies, Paramount, Warner Brothers, Discovery, have they really just missed the boat to sell these assets at a good price? Are these distressed sellers right now? Nick Sciple: I think they are distressed sellers. These companies are in a tough spot where you're heavily indebted and you need to be able to support that debt burden. However, your assets that are generating the cash flow to do that or in a difficult position, a shrinking business. As you mentioned, the valuation of these cable assets is moving down into the right. If you just look at BET, best case scenario, we're looking at 20% decline in valuation over just the course of a year. We could expect these assets to continue going down. They're no longer prestige properties that folks would be excited to buy and own, notwithstanding the Ellison family getting involved with Paramount earlier this year. I think now we're looking at vultures trying to bid up these assets and run them for cash flow. I think there's still quite a bit of cash to be squeezed out of these businesses, but the market has certainly come to the conclusion that the growth days are over. As you see things like sports abandoning cable for some of these streaming platforms, the things that were really holding the cable bundle together are finally leaving. Ricky Mulvey: If you're waiting for Netflix to come in, you had co-CEO Ted Sarandos at UBS media conference on Tuesday saying, "We're better builders than buyers." Implying we're not going to come in and take a lot of these distressed cable assets off your hands. In some cases, you're seeing these companies pick and choose how they do it. We were talking about Comcast , where they spun off pretty much every cable channel they had with the exception of the Bravo network, which has a lot of their reality programming that does quite well on Peacock. You wonder, what are they doing this for and who do they expect the buyers to be? Let's get into the valuation a little bit, because Warner Brothers Discovery right now trades at about six times free cash flow. The earnings are a little funky depending on how you add in the depreciation. We heard from Yasser El-Shimy on the show a couple of weeks back that he likes this as a value play. You have a lot of properties in there that are valuable. You have the HBO brand, which for at least me and my household, that's a must have, along with Netflix. You have a cyclical theater business that's a little bit down this year because they don't have a Barbie type movie on their hands, but maybe it can make a profit again, but when you look at this through your stock analyst lens, are you looking at a value play here or a falling knife? Nick Sciple: For me, I wouldn't call Warner Brothers Discovery a value play. I'd have to put it in the falling knife category, just in the sense that, the cable networks, as I mentioned earlier, heading to zero over time, there is cash flow to squeeze out of this business, but the long term trajectory of this business is going to be down. If you look at streaming, they've got a great library of assets. HBO Max is great, but they're far from the leader in this space. Netflix really forced everyone to follow them toward profitability a couple years ago, really set the terms of engagement in streaming. If you look at Amazon , they really seized the lead in advertising and streaming by pushing all their prime members to an ad support platform. You're behind the leading subscription video on Demand company. You're behind the leading advertising video on Demand company. You're also heavily indebted and backed into a corner with some of these better resourced, more diversified companies. For me is there a future for the Warner Brothers movie division? Of course. I think they're going to have a long term future. Does it need to be an independent company? No. Long term, I think these assets end up being held by a number of different larger companies as opposed to remaining an independent media business. Ricky Mulvey: Who wins from these content arms dealing games? Nick Sciple: We're talking about companies in the streaming race. If I had to pick a place to invest I mentioned the diversified players in a much better position than the pure plays on cable assets, so you think about the odd companies out here, Warner Bros and Paramount really I would say, distressed assets. Better companies on that layout, Comcast and Disney in a better position, given that they're more diversified, they have the Parks business to fall back on, Comcast, in their case, has the cable business. Those companies are really better position but if I'm going to invest in the media and the content space, as I've said before, I think the company that my favorite is, is TKO Group Holdings , Ticker is TKO. It's the parent company of WWE and the UFC and the reason I think they're in a good spot here is they're the arms dealer to these competing streaming platforms, they've had the ability to just to see the amount folks are paying for their content move up into the right, for a long time, WWE Raw has been the highest rated episodic cable program on TV, they've made that jump from cable to Netflix, so in January of this year will be the lead live element of Netflix's ad-supported business, you've got next year, their rights deal for the UFC is set to expire. Likely to see that be reupped with ESPN, they're looking at a 10-year deal. I think that's going to be significantly higher. This is a company that all these potential players in streaming are looking for access to the audience that TKO brings, you look at what's happening in sports where basically everybody wants a piece of this and they have the ability to sell into this market, so I think if you invest in a company like TKO or some of these other folks that are selling scarce content into these competing streaming businesses, I think those are the folks who are most best positioned to benefit from what's going on in streaming while all these other streaming competitors fight it out. Ricky Mulvey: Also, you got two top dogs in the WWE in professional wrestling in the UFC in mixed martial arts. The folks in those organizations, certainly people, I don't want to bet against or be against in any type of fight. Nick Sciple, appreciate you joining me here on Motley Fool Money. Thanks for breaking it down. Nick Sciple: Thanks, Ricky. Happy to do it again anytime? Ricky Mulvey: Holiday shipping season is upon us, and my colleague, Mary Long is taking a look at a few of the key players. She's starting off with FedEx with Motley Fool contributor Lou Whitman. Today's show is brought to you by Vanta. Whether you're starting or scaling a company, demonstrating top-notch security practices and establishing trust is more important than ever. Vanta automates compliance for SOC2, ISO27OO1 GDPR, and more, saving you time and money while helping you build customer trust plus, you can streamline security reviews by automating questionnaires and demonstrating your security posture with a customer-facing Trust Center, all powered by Vanta AI. Over 7,000 global companies like Atlassian , Flow Health, and CORA use Vanta to manage risk and proof security in real-time. My audience gets a special offer of $1,000 off Vanta at vanta.com/fool, that is V-A-N-T-A.com/fool for $1,000 off. Mary Long: Lou Whitman, it is shipping season. People are ordering gifts, most likely over the interwebs and those gifts have got to get from point A to point B, potentially with a few stops along the way, so today, we're going to shine the spotlight on a company that plays a big role in moving stuff around the world, we're talking FedEx. On the one hand, this company needs no introduction but on the other, I do think that Amazon and how speedy prime delivery is has warped our understanding of how packages move, so let's focus on that and set the table here. If the majority of packages arriving on your doorstep are from Amazon, it can be easy to forget that there are actually other movers and shakers that are playing a really massive part in this logistics puzzle. Break it down for us. FedEx splits its business into the Express segment and the freight segment. What's each of those do? Exactly. Lou Whitman: Yes so for years, they actually had broken down further between the a network for Express and a network for non-Express. As you said, this year, they combine that into one operation, which should make it more efficient but basically, there's the parcel service, which is packages and everything coming from retailers, and then to use their old slogan, the absolutely positively has to be the overnight stuff. Yes, they used to break that separate from the can wait a few days, but now they're trying to bring that together. Freight, on the other hand, that's just an LTL trucking business, less than truckload, those are the big stuff, those are the stuff you need a forklift instead of just dropped off at your door. Mary Long: Out of those two newly split segments, which is more interesting to you as an investor, where's the big story with this company? Consumers were probably more familiar with packages shipping back and forth to each other, but where's the money being made? Lou Whitman: The parcel business is 85% of total revenue, whether it's Express or can get there whenever, that's also where there is the higher potential for higher margins. Definitely, that is where your focus should be. Express actually still makes up more than half of parcel revenue, it isn't mostly just gifts from Grandma, there is still a big business shipping overnight business, that's the business where they really can and we can break down a little more just inside that business, but if they're going to generate plus margins going forward, it's probably going to be from that business and not the trucking business. Mary Long: Yes, so let's break that down a little bit more. Like, what levers can FedEx pull to grow here? If you look at average daily package volume, so the number of packages being sent, that's been pretty flat over the past year. Is increasing that number a big priority here or is it more about pricing power? Lou Whitman: Part of that is out of their control, part of it is just the economy. You can't force your customers to ship things, it is a demand-based business, and all across the board, the transports, we've seen volumes fall, it's just been a weak market. They can't really control that, what they can control, and what they are increasingly trying to do is get to those premium services and focus on that. Refrigeration is a big one, whether it's produce or medical, refrigerated shipping is a highly specialized thing, Amazon trucks don't have refrigerators in them, so you can't really compete there. There is specialized competitors, but the big guys, they're focused on things like this where they can drive higher margin, it's a lot better business for them than just getting the toys on time for the holidays or something like that. Mary Long: Between 2020 and 2022, FedEx saw some decent growth, and maybe this goes back to this stuff that's out of their control, more macro factors that you just mentioned. They had $69 billion in revenue in 2020, 83.5$billion in 2021, 93.5 billion in 2022, so decent movement but since then, revenue has been on a downward trajectory. Is it just the macro picture that caused that, or are there other things that are within FedEx's toolbox that they can use to address that? Lou Whitman: It's very much a macro story and specifically a pandemic story. We all started buying everything at home and getting it shipped, so the demand for shipping services went up, and that echoed through the system for a few years but we've seen just like I said, this broader transport slump. For one thing, e-commerce hasn't disappeared post-pandemic, but it has normalized, so you have seen just regression to the mean but as importantly, this macro idea, we've been talking for years now about hard landings, about recessions, about what's to come, that causes large corporate customers to scale back on inventory and scale back on just what they have in their warehouses, which means less demand for shipping. There has been some move around the edges. FedEx has new management, and they're trying to get rid of some of the more marginal business, so a little bit of it might be by choice but mostly, all across the board, you will see the stocks reflected this, this has just been a bad year, 18 months for these companies, FedEx included. Mary Long: FedEx got a new CEO a couple years ago, he'd been with the company for a long time, but more recently, in this new role, he's implemented some cost-cutting measures that initiative was called Drive, deliver results through innovation, value, and efficiency. What innovation, value, and efficiency are we seeing? What I think most recently this drive program led to $1.8 billion in cost savings over the 2024 fiscal year, what are we seeing cut, and what are we seeing come out on the other side as a result of those cuts? Lou Whitman: The overall goal is about four billion a year, so at 1.8 billion, you're right, they're about halfway there, which is on track. We talked at the top about consolidating business units, some of it is as simple as that, but part of it, too, is just as you consolidate these things, you can use your warehouses more efficiently. At some places, these networks had separate facilities, you can better use your jets and other big asset, things like that. A lot of this is just the slow and steady of making the network more efficient. It is a new management team, Raj Supermanian. You really have to give him some credit. He has been there forever, but he took over for Fred Smith. Fred Smith is the guy who founded the business. Smith has a reputation for being, shall we say, opinionated. He believes in himself, he is still the executive chairman of the board. It isn't easy for someone to come in following the founder and say, you know what? We need to change a lot of things here, and we need to cut a lot of things. Basically, tell your former boss, I know better. It's working, and it's to his great credit that they have come in and done this, I think it'll benefit him over time. Mary Long: What is Fred Smith's unwritten role within the company now? You mentioned he's still executive chairman, he's still involved, but is this like a Howard Schultz type of situation where he still got the era of management, what's the unwritten situation there? Lou Whitman: I can only guess. Fred has a lot of different interests, which probably helps Raj do his job, but I can only guess that Fred knew about a lot was coming before, good corporate governance as you should tell the board chairman, but I would think that they're not going to want to be surprising Fred at any meetings right now. Mary Long: We kicked off this segment by talking about Amazon. tough to talk, logistics, package delivery without mentioning Amazon. Once upon a time, FedEx was partnered up with Amazon. That relationship ended in 2019, FedEx initiated that breakup saying, hey, Amazon's developing its own delivery capabilities, and now they're a threat rather than somebody that we want to partner with. In January of this year, FedEx announced it was launching a data-driven commerce platform called FDX. Is that supposed to help FedEx better compete with Amazon in a different category? What's the state of play of that particular competition right now? Lou Whitman: The platform, if we're honest, is table stakes in 2024. You'd be shocked at how this business works and how much of logistics is still done by the office phone, with a whiteboard, with just getting things done that way but increasingly, consumers and especially these corporate customers are demanding a digital platform, so this is FedEx trying to join the century and get on board with the rest of us. As for Amazon and FedEx, in one sense, yes, it hurt FedEx because it was a huge shipping customer, and at the end of the day, you want full trucks. You make money when you have volume but it tended to be a lower margin volume, I don't know many people who have partnered with Amazon who are like, this is the high margin side of our business and most of Amazon's retail competitors aren't real keen to hand Amazon the customer data that comes with having them do their shipping form. There's plenty of business here. Yes, you lost a major customer, but they are coexisting, they went from being frenemies to just rivals but really, FedEx, there's plenty of business for FedEx and UPS and everyone else just to serve everyone, not name Amazon and it's really hard for Amazon to get that business from the retailers that they are competing with. Mary Long: Amazon also is not FedEx's only competitor, there's also UPS, which I'll be talking with Aunt Shavon about later next week. There's DHL. Within this whole logistics landscape, what grade does FedEx get? Where does it stand and stack up against its competitors? Lou Whitman: I'd say a solid B+, and the comparison with UPS is a great one, and Aunt will have great thoughts on that. UPS has a much better dividend, which I'm sure Anthony would love to talk about. It's a powerful competitor. Over time, there's plenty of room to both win. I'd note UPS is much more unionized, which gives less flexibility, they would argue it gives more predictability on cost, but costs are high. FedEx can hold its own as an investment as a more nimble company, even though it's a mature industry, they've been around for decades, but they still over the years, have done a good job getting out ahead of trends. I think they still have that entrepreneurial mindset, and I grade them pretty well on that. Mary Long: Before we wrap up, an increasingly important part of this business is reverse logistics. Apart from mere direction, how is that so different from just old regular everyday forward logistics? Lou Whitman: Yes, very literally it's returns, which returns is reverse logistics is a fancy way of saying returns, it's a huge pain for retailers, and you're dealing with the customer. The customer, you don't want to make them angry in this process, you have to deal with restocking. You have to deal with just the uncontrolled from your warehouse, shipping something, putting the label on it, very controlled environment. There's a lot more chaos when the consumer brings it back and how it's packaged and all that. The estimates I've seen indicate it can be 3-4 more times more profitable for these reverse logistics specialists than just sending out the original shipment, so it's a business you want to be good at. We talked a second ago about FedEx being more entrepreneurial. FedEx bought a company called Genco Distribution, a huge player in reverse logistics all the way back in 2015. It was a great deal then and it has made them a huge player in the space, if you as a consumer notice, lot of shipments did you get from UPS? If you have to return it, the label, they email you will say FedEx, they are a huge player into space, it's one of these areas where the business is less commoditized and you can make margin, and it's certainly the thing that they're looking to expand versus, say, just getting the package there in four or five days. Mary Long: With that Genco acquisition, has that made FedEx the key player in reverse logistics, or are there others that are maybe beating them at this game? Lou Whitman: There's a lot of them, some people do it. A company I love to talk about GXO Logistics , they do a lot of reverse for customers but of these big shipping companies, I think FedEx I probably get some nasty phone calls about this, but FedEx is the one that you're going to see getting a lot of that business among these third party working with lots of people. Mary Long: Lou Whitman, always a pleasure. Thanks so much for joining us today on Motley Fool Money. Lou Whitman: Thanks for having me. Ricky Mulvey: As always, people on the program may have interests in the stocks they talk about the Motley Fool may have formal recommendations for or against, so don't buy or sell stocks based solely on what you hear. All personal finance content follows Motley Fool editorial standards and are not approved by advertisers, the Motley Fool only picks products that it would personally recommend to friends like you. I'm Ricky Mulvey. Thanks for listening, we'll be back tomorrow. Thanks.MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said he was caught off guard by reports early Tuesday that linebacker Shaq Barrett wants to unretire. The two-time Super Bowl winner signed a one-year deal with the Dolphins in March, then abruptly announced his retirement on social media in July, just days before the start of Miami's training camp. “Just to be candid, obviously there's a reason why you target and sign somebody," McDaniel said Tuesday afternoon. “I was fully caught off guard, or caught by surprise this morning as I found out.” McDaniel indicated the Dolphins have not had any conversations with Barrett recently. Miami holds the 32-year-old’s contractual rights. ESPN first reported the news. “It was kind of news as you guys got it,” McDaniel said. He also said he hasn't had a chance to think about Barrett potentially rejoining the team, and that his immediate focus is on Miami's Thursday night game at Green Bay. “The team is counting on me to think about the Packers,” he said. "I'll get with (GM) Chris (Grier), and we'll work through that. There's a ton of implications that go along with it in terms of team and roster stuff, so we'll work through that as we just got the news today.” Barrett has 400 tackles, 59 sacks, 22 forced fumbles and three interceptions in nine seasons — four with Denver and five with Tampa Bay. He was a second-team All-Pro with the Buccaneers in 2019, with a league-high 19 1/2 sacks. The Dolphins waived veteran safety Marcus Maye on Tuesday and activated rookie safety Patrick McMorris from injured reserve. Maye, who signed with the Dolphins in June, played in 11 games with three starts for Miami this season. He had 30 tackles and a tackle for loss. He could re-sign to the team's practice squad if he clears waivers. Maye previously played for New Orleans, but was cut in a money-saving move in March after two seasons with the Saints. Maye's release made room on the roster for McMorris, who was drafted in the sixth round by Miami in April. He began the season on injured reserve because of a calf injury. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl