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Biden's broken promise on pardoning his son Hunter is raising new questions about his legacy WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s decision to go back on his word and pardon his son Hunter wasn't all that surprising to those who are familiar with the president's devotion to his family. But by choosing to put his family first, the 82-year-old president has raised new questions about his legacy. Biden has held himself up as placing his respect for the American judicial system and rule of law over his own personal concerns. It was part of an effort to draw a deliberate contrast with Republican Donald Trump. Now, both his broken promise and his act of clemency are a political lightning rod. Some Democrats are frustrated over Joe Biden reversing course and pardoning his son Hunter ATLANTA (AP) — Already reeling from their November defeat at the polls, Democrats now are grappling with President Joe Biden's pardoning of his son for a federal felony conviction — after the party spent years slamming Donald Trump as a threat to democracy who operates above the law. The White House on Monday struggled to defend the pardon claiming the prosecution was politically motivated — a page out of Trump's playbook. That explanation did not satisfy some Democrats who are angry that Biden’s reversal could make it harder to take on Trump. Hezbollah fires into Israel-held area after multiple Israeli strikes in Lebanon since truce began JERUSALEM (AP) — Hezbollah fired into a disputed border zone held by Israel after multiple Israeli strikes inside Lebanon since a ceasefire took hold last week. The militant group said the volley, its first during the truce, was a warning shot in response to what it called repeated Israeli violations. Israeli leaders threatened to retaliate, further straining the fragile U.S.- and French-brokered ceasefire. Israeli strikes in recent days, including a string of hits on Monday, have killed at least four people in Lebanon. U.S. officials said the ceasefire was largely holding. Great Lakes region gets yet more snow after a weekend of snarled Thanksgiving travel Some storm-weary residents of the Great Lakes region saw additional snow and faced the prospect of even more accumulations this week. Lake-effect snow continued to fall on parts of western New York that were already blanketed with a foot or more over the past four days. Lake-effect snow warnings were in effect through Tuesday night in parts of Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania. Snow showers fell in western Michigan overnight, and heavier, persistent snow of up to a foot was expected to follow Monday. Turkey calls for reconciliation between Syria government and opposition to end conflict ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey's foreign minister says the recent rapid advance by opposition fighters in Syria shows that Syrian President Bashar Assad must reconcile with his own people and hold dialogue with the opposition. Speaking Monday at a joint news conference in Ankara with his Iranian counterpart, Hakan Fidan said Turkey and Iran, which support opposing sides in Syria’s civil war, have agreed to resume diplomatic efforts along with Russia to restore calm days after insurgents launched a lightning offensive and captured almost all of the country’s largest city, Aleppo. The swift advance by fighters that Turkey supports was a huge embarrassment for Assad. Stock market today: Rising tech stocks pull Wall Street to another record NEW YORK (AP) — Technology stocks pulled Wall Street to another record amid mixed trading. The S&P 500 rose 0.2% Monday after closing November at an all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.3%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 1%. Super Micro Computer, a stock that’s been on an AI-driven roller coaster, soared after saying an investigation found no evidence of misconduct by its management or the company’s board. Retailers were mixed coming off Black Friday and heading into what’s expected to be the best Cyber Monday on record. Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market. A top Fed official leans toward December rate cut but says it depends on economic data WASHINGTON (AP) — A top Federal Reserve official says he is leaning toward supporting an interest rate cut when the Fed meets in two weeks but that evidence of persistent inflation before then could cause him to change that view. Speaking at George Washington University, Christopher Waller, a key member of the Fed’s Board of Governors, said he was confident that inflation is headed lower and that the central bank will likely keep reducing its key rate, which affects many consumer and business loans. But he noted that there’s a risk that inflation “may be getting stuck above” the Fed’s 2% target, which would support an argument for keeping the Fed’s rate unchanged this month. More than 3 million travelers screened at US airports in a single day. That's a record Travelers heading home after the Thanksgiving holiday are setting a record. The Transportation Security Administration says that it screened nearly 3.1 million travelers on Sunday, breaking the previous record by about 74,000. That mark was set on July 7, also a Sunday after a holiday, July Fourth. Hundreds of thousands of travelers were delayed or had their flights canceled. FlightAware says more 6,800 flights were delayed on Sunday, with the highest numbers at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. Panic among spectators at soccer game kills at least 56 in the West African nation of Guinea CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — Officials and witnesses say chaos erupted at a soccer game in Guinea after fans protested a referee’s call and thousands of panicked spectators tried to flee the stadium, leaving at least 56 people dead in the West African nation. Local news website Media Guinea reported that security forces used tear gas. A journalist covering the game for a local sports website tells The Associated Press many of the dead were crushed as they tried to escape through the stadium gates. The world’s latest sports crowd disaster unfurled Sunday in the second-largest city in the military-run nation. Information there is sparse and government-controlled at the best of times. It was not immediately clear how much the death toll could grow.
U.S. Economic Growth Slows Amid Global and Domestic ChallengesJury are deliberating in the long-running YSL gang and racketeering trial
Bombers GM Walters sees no need to blow up roster despite another Grey Cup lossHalifax security forum gathers as Trump’s support for Taiwan, Ukraine in question
Speakers stress safety measures to check accidental deaths, disabilities LAHORE:The ratio of accidental deaths and physical disabilities can be minimised by implementing traffic rules and adopting safety measures during construction work. These views were expressed by Ameer Uddin Medical College Principal Prof Dr Muhammad Al-Freed Zafar and other experts while addressing the participants of the Advanced Trauma Life Support Workshop which was organised by Head of the Department General Surgery Prof Dr Farooq Afzal. Similarly, if motorcycle riders ensure 100pc use of helmets then tragic incidents of head injuries will also be reduced overwhelmingly, he said. In the training workshop, medical experts gave awareness lectures to young doctors in the light of their own experience. On this occasion, Prof Arshad Cheema, Prof Moeed Iqbal Qureshi, Prof M Shoaib Nabi, Prof Farid Ahmed Khan, Prof Dr Muhammad Hanif, Prof Dr Haroon Javed, Dr Farooq Rana also spoke while young doctors, nurses and others were also present. Prof Al-Fareed Zafar said that saving human life is the mission of the medical profession and the high number of cases of head injuries and fractures of body parts are due to carelessness in traffic and negligence of parents. He added that leading to accidents in young children driving motorcycles and cars and sometimes parents regretting this for the rest of their lives. Medical experts gave detailed lectures to young doctors on surgery, new techniques of operation and modern technology used in the medical world. They said that in case of an accident, medical aid must be provided to the injured as soon as possible which increases the chances of saving their lives. They said that it is also the responsibility of the citizens to take the injured to the hospital in time so that timely treatment can be started. Executive Director Punjab Institute of Neurosciences Prof Asif Bashir and Prof Khalid Mehmood said that in some cases, the injured do not suffer much injury, however, due to a lot of bleeding from a single injury, the injured person loses his life. They added that it is important that the injured in accidents be taken to the hospital without delay and the doctors, while fulfilling their professional responsibilities, immediately treat the seriously injured so that their lives can be saved. Prof Dr Farooq Afzal and others said that to prevent head injury incidents, it is necessary that motorcyclists use helmets for their safety so that their lives can be saved in an unfortunate accident. They said that if traffic rules and safety standards are ensured in construction work, the workload on Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Burn Unit and General Surgery will be minimised and the mortality rate in accidents will also decrease. A question and answer session was also held at the end of the Advanced Trauma Life Support Workshop.HALIFAX - Uncertainty is a key theme this year at the annual, three-day gathering in Halifax of political leaders, defence officials and policy analysts who aim to promote democratic values around the globe. Read this article for free: Already have an account? As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed. Now, more than ever, we need your support. Starting at $14.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website. or call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527. Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community! HALIFAX - Uncertainty is a key theme this year at the annual, three-day gathering in Halifax of political leaders, defence officials and policy analysts who aim to promote democratic values around the globe. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? HALIFAX – Uncertainty is a key theme this year at the annual, three-day gathering in Halifax of political leaders, defence officials and policy analysts who aim to promote democratic values around the globe. The 300 delegates from 60 countries will take part in the Halifax International Security Forum, which begins Friday, less than three weeks after Donald Trump’s United States presidential election victory — a result that has raised questions about U.S. military support for the threatened democracies of Ukraine and Taiwan. Over the past two years, Trump has repeatedly taken issue with the almost $60 billion in assistance to Ukraine provided by U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration, and he’s made vague vows to end the war. The president-elect has also been unclear if his upcoming administration would defend Taiwan in the event of an invasion by China, and has suggested the self-governed island “should pay us for defence.” Peter Van Praagh, president of the forum, said in an interview Wednesday that in November 2016 — after Trump’s first ascent to the White House — there was “a level of shock that this could happen,” but he said this year shock has been replaced with a feeling of incertitude. “One of the things that the president-elect Trump brings to the table is a level of uncertainty .... Now everybody is looking to reduce that uncertainty and get some type of clarity on what his priorities will be,” he said. Van Praagh expects the speakers at the 16th forum will present evidence justifying why the Trump administration must continue Biden’s financial and military support for Ukraine, arguing that the security of democracies around the globe depends on it. He said he’s pleased former Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen will deliver a speech Saturday, which is expected to emphasize how U.S. support for Ukraine is crucial to the security of her country and its democracy. Tsai left office in May. During her two terms in office she came under frequent attack from China for her refusal to recognize Beijing’s claim of sovereignty over the island. Van Praagh said the politician — who remains an influential figure in the ruling Democratic Progressive Party — is expected to describe how the threat from China isn’t isolated from the conflict in Central Europe. “All of these things are connected. Ukrainian security is connected with security in eastern Asia,” he said. Van Praagh said he hopes speakers at the forum help to influence members of the U.S. congressional delegation on the importance of backing Taiwan and Ukraine. In 2016, former Republican Sen. John McCain was a prominent and influential figure in Washington, and he regularly attended the Halifax security forum — bringing the ideas he heard back to the Senate. An award has been given out in his name at the forum each year since he died in 2018. This year, two Republican senators, James Risch of Idaho — who may chair the influential foreign relations committee after Trump takes office — and Mike Rounds from South Dakota are attending as part of the U.S. congressional delegation, along with four Democratic Party senators. “These guys not only have a say, they have a vote,” said Van Praagh. Risch will be a speaker at the opening session of the conference on Friday, along with Democratic Party Sen. Jeanne Shaheen from New Hampshire, as they discuss America’s role in the world. The opening day will also hear from Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly, who will sit on a panel titled “Victory in Ukraine” alongside Rounds. Other invited guests include Gen. Jennie Carignan, head of the Canadian Armed Forces, who will sit on a panel with U.S. Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific command, and Andrew Shearer, director of Australia’s Office of National Intelligence, on Saturday. Many of the events over the forum’s three days, including a plenary session on threats to the Canadian Arctic from Russia and China, tie back to the conflict in Ukraine, and to whether Western democracies should continue to back the country. “Should we succeed in Ukraine and push Russia out of Ukraine, every other international challenge becomes easier,” Van Praagh said. “If Russia succeeds, everything becomes more difficult.” “The alternative is chaos and more war.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2024. Advertisement AdvertisementZscaler Inc ZS reported fiscal first-quarter financial results after the market close on Monday. Here’s a rundown of the report . Q1 Earnings: Zscaler reported first-quarter revenue of $628 million, beating the consensus estimate of $606.19 million. The cybersecurity company reported adjusted earnings of 77 cents per share, beating analyst estimates of 63 cents per share, according to Benzinga Pro . Total revenue was up 26% on a year-over-year basis. Deferred revenue increased 27% year-over-year to $1.783.7 billion. Calculated billings grew 13% year-over-year to $516.7 million. Cash flow from operations totaled $331.3 million in the quarter. The company generated $291.9 million of free cash flow in the first quarter, up from $224.7 million in the prior year’s quarter. Zscaler ended the quarter with approximately $2.71 billion in cash, equivalents and short-term investments. “Growing customer engagements and strong sales execution drove a solid first quarter with all metrics exceeding our guidance. The combination of Zero Trust and AI is creating exciting new opportunities, which we are well positioned to capture with our large and expanding platform,” said Jay Chaudhry , chairman and CEO of Zscaler. “With our customer obsession, the world’s largest cybersecurity cloud, and an upleveled go-to-market machine, we are driving strong growth.” Related Link: Generative AI Backed Cybersecurity Stocks Cloudflare, Okta Have Near-Term Upside: Analyst Guidance: Zscaler expects fiscal second-quarter revenue to be in the range of $633 million to $635 million versus estimates of $633.84 million. The company anticipates second-quarter adjusted earnings of 68 cents to 69 cents per share versus estimates of 69 cents per share. Zscaler expects full-year 2025 revenue of approximately $2.623 billion to $2.643 billion. The company anticipates full-year adjusted earnings of $2.94 to $2.99 per share. Management will further discuss the quarter on a conference call with analysts and investors at 4:30 p.m. ET. ZS Price Action: Zscaler shares were down 7.17% in after-hours, trading at $193.80 at the time of publication Monday, according to Benzinga Pro . Photo: Shutterstock. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
TikTok's future in the U.S. appeared uncertain on Friday after a federal appeals court rejected a legal challenge to a law that requires the social media platform to cut ties with its China-based parent company or be banned by mid-January. A panel of three judges on The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled unanimously that the law withstood constitutional scrutiny, rebuffing arguments from the two companies that the statute violated their rights and the rights of TikTok users in the U.S. The government has said it wants ByteDance to divest its stakes in TikTok. But if it doesn't and the platform goes away, it would have a seismic impact on the lives of content creators who rely on the platform for income as well as users who use it for entertainment and connection. Here are some details on the ruling and what could happen next: What does the ruling say? In their lawsuit, TikTok and ByteDance, which is also a plaintiff in the case, had challenged the law on various fronts, arguing in part that the statute ran afoul of the First Amendment and was an unconstitutional bill of attainder that unfairly targeted the two companies. But the court sided with attorneys for the Justice Department who said that the government was attempting to address national security concerns and the way in which it chose to do so did not violate the constitution. The Justice Department has argued in court that TikTok poses a national security risk due to its connections to China. Officials say that Chinese authorities can compel ByteDance to hand over information on TikTok's U.S. patrons or use the platform to spread, or suppress, information. However, the U.S. hasn't publicly provided examples of that happening. The appeals court ruling, written by Judge Douglas Ginsburg, said the law was “carefully crafted to deal only with control by a foreign adversary." The judges also rejected the claim that the statute was an unlawful bill of attainder or a taking of property in violation of the Fifth Amendment. Furthermore, Ginsburg wrote the law did not violate the First Amendment because the government is not looking to “suppress content or require a certain mix of content” on TikTok. What happens next? TikTok and ByteDance are expected to appeal the case to the Supreme Court, but it's unclear whether the court will take up the case. TikTok indicated in a statement on Friday the two companies are preparing to take their case to high court, saying the Supreme Court has “an established historical record of protecting Americans’ right to free speech." "We expect they will do just that on this important constitutional issue,” a company spokesperson said. Alan Morrison, a professor at The George Washington University Law School, said he expects the Supreme Court to take up the case because of the novelty of the issues raised in the lawsuit. If that happens, attorneys for the two companies still have to convince the court to grant them an emergency stay that will prevent the government from enforcing the Jan. 19 divestiture deadline stipulated in the law, Morrison said. Such a move could drag out the process until the Justices make a ruling. Tiffany Cianci, a TikTok content creator who has supported the platform, said she was not shocked about the outcome of the court's ruling on Friday because lower courts typically defer to the executive branch on these types of cases. She believes the company will have a stronger case at the Supreme Court. “I believe that the next stages are more likely to produce a victory for TikTokers and for TikTok as a whole,” Cianci said. What about Trump? Another wild card is President-elect Donald Trump, who tried to ban TikTok during his first term but said during the recent presidential campaign that he is now against such action . The Trump transition team has not offered details on how Trump plans to carry out his pledge to “save TikTok." But spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement last month that he plans to “deliver” on his campaign promises. After Trump takes office on Jan. 20th, it would fall on his Justice Department to enforce the law and punish any potential violators. Penalties would apply to any app stores that would violate a prohibition on TikTok and to internet hosting services which would be barred from supporting it. Some have speculated that Trump could ask his Justice Department to abstain from enforcing the law. But tech companies like Apple and Google, which offer TikTok's app on their app stores, would then have to trust that the administration would not come after them for any violations. Craig Singleton, senior director of the China program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said enforcement discretion — or executive orders — can not override existing law, leaving Trump with “limited room for unilateral action." There are other things Trump could potentially do. It's possible he could invoke provisions of the law that allow the president to determine whether a sale or a similar transaction frees TikTok from “foreign adversary” control. Another option is to urge Congress to repeal the law. But that too would require support from congressional Republicans who have overwhelmingly supported the prospect of getting TikTok out of the hands of a Chinese company. In a statement issued Friday, Republican Rep. John Moolenaar of Michigan, chairman of the House Select Committee on China, said he was “optimistic that President Trump will facilitate an American takeover of TikTok” and allow its continued use in the United States. Is anyone trying to buy TikTok? ByteDance has said it won't sell TikTok . And even if it wanted to, a sale of the proprietary algorithm that powers TikTok is likely to get blocked under Chinese export controls that the country issued in 2020. That means if TikTok is sold without the algorithm, its likely that the buyer would only purchase a shell of the platform that doesn't contain the technology that made the app a cultural powerhouse. Still, some investors, including Trump’s former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and billionaire Frank McCourt, have expressed interest in buying it. This week, a spokesperson for McCourt’s Project Liberty initiative, which aims to protect online privacy, said participants in their bid have made informal commitments of more than $20 billion in capital. The spokesperson did not disclose the identity of the participants. Haleluya Hadero, The Associated PressCredo Reports Second Quarter of Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Results
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Wall Street closes higher after business activity dataNEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose to records Friday after data suggested the job market remains solid enough to keep the economy going, but not so strong that it raises immediate worries about inflation . The S&P 500 climbed 0.2%, just enough top the all-time high set on Wednesday, as it closed a third straight winning week in what looks to be one of its best years since the 2000 dot-com bust. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 123.19 points, or 0.3%, while the Nasdaq composite rose 0.8% to set its own record. The quiet trading came after the latest jobs report came in mixed enough to strengthen traders’ expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates again at its next meeting in two weeks. The report showed U.S. employers hired more workers than expected last month, but it also said the unemployment rate unexpectedly ticked up to 4.2% from 4.1%. “This print doesn’t kill the holiday spirit and the Fed remains on track to deliver a cut in December,” according to Lindsay Rosner, head of multi-sector investing within Goldman Sachs Asset Management. The Fed has been easing its main interest rate from a two-decade high since September to offer more help for the slowing job market, after bringing inflation nearly all the way down to its 2% target. Lower interest rates can ease the brakes off the economy, but they can also offer more fuel for inflation. Expectations for a series of cuts from the Fed have been a major reason the S&P 500 has set an all-time high 57 times so far this year. And the Fed is part of a global surge: 62 central banks have lowered rates in the past three months, the most since 2020, according to Michael Hartnett and other strategists at Bank of America. Still, the jobs report may have included some notes of caution for Fed officials underneath the surface. Scott Wren, senior global market strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute, pointed to average wages for workers last month, which were a touch stronger than economists expected. While that’s good news for workers who would always like to make more, it could keep upward pressure on inflation. “This report tells the Fed that they still need to be careful as sticky housing/shelter/wage data shows that it won’t be easy to engineer meaningfully lower inflation from here in the nearer term,” Wren said. So, while traders are betting on an 85% probability the Fed will ease its main rate in two weeks, they’re much less certain about how many more cuts it will deliver next year, according to data from CME Group. For now, the hope is that the job market can help U.S. shoppers continue to spend and keep the U.S. economy out of a recession that had earlier seemed inevitable after the Fed began hiking interest rates swiftly to crush inflation. Several retailers offered encouragement after delivering better-than-expected results for the latest quarter. Ulta Beauty rallied 9% after topping expectations for both profit and revenue. The opening of new stores helped boost its revenue, and it raised the bottom end of its forecasted range for sales over this full year. Lululemon stretched 15.9% higher following its own profit report. It said stronger sales outside the United States helped it in particular, and its earnings topped analysts’ expectations. Retailers overall have been offering mixed signals on how resilient U.S. shoppers can remain amid the slowing job market and still-high prices. Target gave a dour forecast for the holiday shopping season, for example, while Walmart gave a much more encouraging outlook. A report on Friday suggested sentiment among U.S. consumers may be improving more than economists expected. The preliminary reading from the University of Michigan’s survey hit its highest level in seven months. The survey found a surge in buying for some products as consumers tried to get ahead of possible increases in price due to higher tariffs that President-elect Donald Trump has threatened. In tech, Hewlett Packard Enterprise jumped 10.6% for one of the S&P 500’s larger gains after reporting stronger profit and revenue than expected. Tech stocks were some of the market’s strongest this week, as Salesforce and other big companies talked up how much of a boost they’re getting from the artificial-intelligence boom. All told, the S&P 500 rose 15.16 points to 6,090.27. The Dow dipped 123.19 to 44,642.52, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 159.05 to 19,859.77. In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury yield slipped to 4.15% from 4.18% late Thursday. In stock markets abroad, France’s CAC 40 rose 1.3% after French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to stay in office until the end of his term and to name a new prime minister within days. Earlier this week, far-right and left-wing lawmakers approved a no-confidence motion due to budget disputes, forcing Prime Minister Michel Barnier and his cabinet to resign. In Asia, stock indexes were mixed. They rallied 1.6% in Hong Kong and 1% in Shanghai ahead of an annual economic policy meeting scheduled for next week. South Korea’s Kospi dropped 0.6% as South Korea’s ruling party chief showed support for suspending the constitutional powers of President Yoon Suk Yeol after he declared martial law and then revoked that earlier this week. Yoon is facing calls to resign and may be impeached. Bitcoin was sitting near $101,500 after briefly bursting above $103,000 to a record the day before. AP Writers Matt Ott and Zimo Zhong contributed.