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Since Missouri voters approved recreational marijuana in 2022, state regulators have used a lottery system to award 96 microbusiness licenses — a program sold to voters as a way to help victims of the War on Drugs get a toehold in the burgeoning cannabis industry (Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent). Missouri’s Division of Cannabis Regulation announced new proposed rules Monday afternoon for its marijuana microbusiness program designed to combat predatory practices during the application process. The division published a draft of the rules on its website and is asking for public feedback before it submits the proposal to the Secretary of State’s office on January 6. “These revisions are intended to ensure microbusiness licenses are issued to eligible individuals... and to address the trend of predatory arrangements in microbusiness licensing,” the division said in a press release announcing the proposed changes. “Specifically, these draft rule revisions should mitigate the ongoing efforts of ineligible entities to acquire licenses by taking advantage of eligible individuals.” Missouri cannabis leader accused of using ‘predatory’ contracts to win social-equity licenses Since Missouri voters approved recreational marijuana in 2022, state regulators have used a lottery system to award 96 microbusiness licenses — a program sold to voters as a way to help victims of the War on Drugs get a toehold in the burgeoning cannabis industry. But of the 96 licenses issued so far, 41 have been either revoked or are currently at risk of being revoked. Another three are under investigation. A majority of those 44 licenses are connected to groups or individuals who flooded the lottery by recruiting people to submit applications and then offering them contracts that limited their profit and control of the business. In June, four legal experts reviewed such a contract The Independent had obtained and concluded it was unfair and potentially predatory. All four agreed state cannabis regulators should reject any license application connected to the contract because it violates the constitutional mandate requiring licenses to be “majority owned and operated” by the eligible applicant. In order to prevent numerous revocations, the division is proposing to adjust when its extensive application-review period occurs. Among the changes include a requirement that the designated contact for a microbusiness applicant must be an eligible individual contributing to the majority ownership of the microbusiness license. Additionally, any entity who was the designated contact for a license that was previously revoked for failure to comply with the ownership and operation requirements will no longer be allowed to be involved in any capacity in a future microbusiness application. All microbusiness applications in which such former designated contact has any involvement would be denied. “Majority owned and operated” would be defined as the eligible individuals who are listed as having majority ownership must have a level of operational control that would be expected of an owner. Eligible individuals must have the power to order or direct the management, managers, and policies of the license, enter into agreements on behalf of the license, and otherwise make decisions for the business. “A purported owner with little to no knowledge, control, agency or decision-making authority in an application or license does not meet the intent or meaning of the” constitutional amendment that legalized recreational marijuana and created the microbusiness program, the division said in its press release. Applicants would also be required to take an online training course that addresses predatory practices, and eligible individuals would have to submit the application themselves and communicate directly with the state rather than through a consultant who often acts as the “designated contact.” While the new rules may delay the full rollout of the program, Adolphus Pruitt, president of the St. Louis NAACP, believes it’s necessary. “It’s a very simple question with a simple answer for me,” Pruitt told The Independent in October. “Or would you rather continue to try to catch everybody who’s speeding?” The state issued its first round of 48 microbusiness licenses last year. These applicants were picked out of a lottery of 1,600 submissions, and then the division verified they met the basic qualifications — which includes having a low income, a nonviolent marijuana charge on their record, being a disabled veteran or living in a low-income ZIP code. But getting the license is currently just the beginning of the verification process. The licensees must then pass through a rigorous 60-day investigation into all financial and operating agreements to make sure the license will continue to be majority owned and operated by an eligible person, as the state constitution requires. After the investigations last year, the division ended up issuing 11 notices of pending revocation. The licensees had a few months to respond to the division’s concerns, but ultimately all six licenses connected to cannabis investor Michael Halow were revoked — along with two connected to a Michigan-based group — because they couldn’t prove the business would be run by an eligible person. The revocations were the division’s attempt to prevent what some legal experts have called “fronts,” or arrangements where the profits and ownership weren’t going to people that regulators had certified were eligible. Missouri cannabis microbusiness ‘mentor’ connected to licenses under state investigation In July, the division awarded another 57 microbusiness licenses. But after the 60-day investigation that ended earlier this month, regulators sent out 32 notices of pending revocation. Half of the 32 pending revocation letters went to licensees connected to Halow. By law, the state must award a total of 144 licenses to disadvantaged business owners, over the course of three lotteries. The state has already conducted two lotteries, but there’s not a definitive deadline to conduct the final round and meet the goal. Last year, The Independent reported on a Michigan-based company called Canna Zoned was recruiting people on Craigslist to enter Missouri’s social equity license lottery using contracts forcing them to eventually relinquish all control — and profits. The company landed two dispensary licenses last October and both were revoked earlier this year, though the company is appealing that decision. A hearing will be held for these licenses in March. Despite those revocations, Canna Zoned was awarded another license through the July lottery, and once again received a notice of pending revocation in October. Cannabis consultant John Payne also received six notices of pending revocation in October for licenses where he serves as the designated contact. Payne led the campaign to legalize recreational cannabis in 2022 and is connected to nearly 500 applications and 12 licenses since the program’s inception. Cannabis regulators concerned about predatory practices in Missouri’s social equity program But Payne has come under fire this year after The Independent revealed that for some applicants he’d recruited eligible Missourians and had them sign a 47-page contract that would ultimately give him and his partners 90.1% of profits and majority control of the business. Despite only owning a fraction of the business, under state law the applicants would bear the lion’s share of the regulatory scrutiny. If they ever want to walk away from the deal, they would be required to pay a nearly $1 million fee. In addition to the six notices of pending revocation, three current licenses connected to Payne are under investigation by state regulators. According to case documents for these three cases , the division questioned whether the eligible person who submitted the application will continue to be the majority owner and operator of the business. NAACP leaders in Missouri are calling these practices a “predatory attack” on the microbusiness program, which voters intended to allow marginalized or under-represented individuals to participate in the legal marijuana market. “If a Black license owner is not making the most money off the operation, then they’re being robbed of the opportunity to create generational wealth,” Pruitt said. “That’s what the microbusiness program is about. And that’s what’s being robbed.”None
WASHINGTON — The House Ethics Committee accused Matt Gaetz on Monday of “regularly” paying for sex, including once with a 17-year-old girl, and using illicit drugs as a member of Congress, as lawmakers released the conclusions of a nearly four-year investigation that helped sink his nomination for attorney general. The 37-page report by the bipartisan panel includes explicit details of sex-filled parties and vacations that Gaetz, now 42, took part in from 2017 to 2020 while the Republican represented Florida’s western Panhandle. Congressional investigators concluded that Gaetz violated multiple state laws related to sexual misconduct while in office, though not federal sex trafficking laws. They also found that Gaetz “knowingly and willfully sought to impede and obstruct” the committee’s work. “The Committee determined there is substantial evidence that Representative Gaetz violated House Rules and other standards of conduct prohibiting prostitution, statutory rape, illicit drug use, impermissible gifts, special favors or privileges, and obstruction of Congress,” the report said. Before the report came out, Gaetz denied wrongdoing and criticized the committee’s process. “Giving funds to someone you are dating — that they didn’t ask for — and that isn’t ‘charged’ for sex is now prostitution?!?” he posted on X, the website formerly known as Twitter. “There is a reason they did this to me in a Christmas Eve-Eve report and not in a courtroom of any kind where I could present evidence and challenge witnesses.” Gaetz, who was first elected in 2017, spent the majority of his time in Washington enmeshed in scandals that ultimately derailed his selection by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Justice Department. Gaetz abruptly resigned from Congress last month. His political future is uncertain, though Gaetz has indicated interest in running for the open Senate seat in Florida. The committee painted a damning portrait of Gaetz’s conduct, using dozens of pages of exhibits, including text messages, financial records, travel receipts, checks and online payments, to document a party and drug-fueled lifestyle. The committee said it compiled the evidence after issuing 29 subpoenas for documents and testimony and contacting more than two dozen witnesses. In addition to soliciting prostitution, the report said Gaetz “accepted gifts, including transportation and lodging in connection with a 2018 trip to the Bahamas, in excess of permissible amounts.” That same year, investigators said, Gaetz arranged for a staffer to obtain a passport for a woman with whom he was sexually involved, falsely telling the State Department that she was his constituent. In some of the text exchanges made public, he appeared to invite various women to events, getaways or parties, and arrange airplane travel and lodging. There were also discussions of shipping goods. One of the exhibits was a text exchange that appeared to be between two of the women concerned about their cash flow and payments. In another, a person asked Gaetz for help to pay an educational expense. Regarding the 17-year-old girl, the report said there was no evidence Gaetz knew she was a minor when he had sex with her. She told the committee she did not tell Gaetz she was under 18 at the time and that he learned she was a minor more than a month after the party. But Gaetz stayed in touch with her after that and met up with her for “commercial sex” again less than six months after she turned 18, according to the committee. Florida law says it is a felony for a person 24 or older to have sex with a minor. The law does not allow a claim of ignorance or misrepresentation of a minor’s age as a defense. Joel Leppard, who represents two women who told the committee that Gaetz paid them for sex, said the findings “vindicate” the accounts of his clients and “demonstrate their credibility.” At least one Republican joined all five Democrats on the committee this month in voting to release the report despite initial opposition from GOP lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, to publishing findings about a former member of Congress. While ethics reports have previously been released after a member’s resignation, it is extremely rare. On behalf of the Republicans who voted against making the report public, the committee chairman, Rep. Michael Guest of Mississippi, wrote that while the members did not challenge the findings, “we take great exception that the majority deviated from the Committee’s well-established standards,” to drop any investigation when a person is not longer a member of the chamber. Guest said releasing this report sets a precedent that “is a dangerous departure with potentially catastrophic consequences.” But Maryland Rep. Glenn Ivey, a Democratic member of the committee, said that for transparency, it was crucial for the public and Congress as an institution to read the findings. “I think that’s important for my colleagues here in the House to know how the committee reviews certain acts,” he told The Associated Press. “Some of these were obviously conduct that crossed the line, but some of them weren’t.” Mounting a last-ditch effort to halt the publication of the report, Gaetz filed a lawsuit Monday asking a federal court to intervene. He cited what he called “untruthful and defamatory information” that would “significantly damage” his “standing and reputation in the community.” Gaetz’s complaint argued that he was no longer under the committee’s jurisdiction because he resigned from Congress. Gaetz Get local news delivered to your inbox!
The Bears look for an interim coach bump when they visit the struggling 49ers
Russia security chief meets Taliban officials in KabulNo, it isn’t 2013. These are the 2024 Seahawks, who, after struggling mightily against the run earlier this season, held the visiting Arizona Cardinals to 49 rushing yards in Sunday's 16-6 victory . The defensive line kept Kyler Murray under consistent pressure thanks to a dominant performance from Leonard Williams, the secondary flew around to smack away passes, and safety Coby Bryant scored on a 69-yard pick-6. Sunday's defensive performance was reminiscent of the Seahawks of a decade ago and a promising sign that first-year coach Mike Macdonald’s system is starting to click. Macdonald, who coordinated Baltimore's NFL-best defense last year, was leading one of the worst rush defenses in the league earlier this season. But Seattle consistently stuffed the Cardinals, who came in as the fifth-best running team in the league at 149.4 yards per game. “Three games in a row now we played pretty decent on defense,” Macdonald said. “There is an expectation and standard here throughout the course of our Seahawks history that we’re trying to live up to and build on. So that’s the idea.” At 6-5, the Seahawks drew even with the Cardinals in the tightly bunched division. The teams play each other again in two weeks at Arizona. Last month's trade for linebacker Ernest Jones IV has clearly paid off. Seattle hasn't allowed a running back to rush for more than 79 yards since its Week 8 loss to Buffalo, which was Jones' first game in a Seahawks uniform. He has led the team in tackles in every game he's played and has helped resurrect the run defense. The Seahawks' run game continues to underperform. Seattle got 65 yards on the ground Sunday, with the Cardinals holding Kenneth Walker III to 41 yards on 16 attempts. Zach Charbonnet had 22 yards on six carries. Walker hasn’t topped 100 yards since Week 1. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb needs to think of something different to get the running backs involved. Williams single-handedly disrupted the Cardinals with 2 1/2 sacks, four quarterback hits, three tackles for loss and one pass defensed. “I thought he was dominant,” Macdonald said. “I knew he played great and then I looked at the stat line and he played out of his mind.” The Seahawks finished with five sacks, seven quarterback hits, five tackles for loss and six pass deflections against the Cardinals, shutting down a team that had averaged 29.3 points over its previous three games. Geno Smith finished with 254 yards passing and a touchdown, but he threw another momentum-stalling interception. Smith was picked off on a third-and-6 play on the Arizona 18-yard line at the start of the fourth quarter, ending an 11-play, 73-yard drive. Smith has an NFL-most 12 interceptions this season, more than in either of his previous two seasons as the Seahawks' full-time starter. “That was a huge drive for us. ... Obviously made a terrible mistake down there, something I got to clean up,” Smith said. “But it was a big drive. We wanted to put the game ahead at least two scores.” The offensive line has contributed to the problem. Guard Anthony Bradford left with an ankle injury, and the line struggled to protect Smith, who was sacked five times. Macdonald said Bradford is expected to miss next week's game. 77 — Jaxon Smith-Njigba led the team with six catches for 77 yards and a touchdown, marking the fourth consecutive game that Smith-Njigba has led the team in receptions. He topped 100 yards receiving in the previous two games. “He’s getting open,” Smith said. “He’s catching the ball. He’s doing a great job in the screen game. All-around great player. I just think the way that teams are playing us coverage-wise, I feel like it’s the ultimate sign of respect.” The Seahawks play at the struggling New York Jets on Sunday. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
LAS VEGAS — Formula 1 on Monday at last said it will expand its grid in 2026 to make room for an American team that is partnered with General Motors. "As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence. It's an honor for General Motors and Cadillac to join the world's premier racing series, and we're committed to competing with passion and integrity to elevate the sport for race fans around the world," GM President Mark Reuss said. "This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM's engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level." The approval ends years of wrangling that launched a U.S. Justice Department investigation into why Colorado-based Liberty Media, the commercial rights holder of F1, would not approve the team initially started by Michael Andretti. Andretti in September stepped aside from leading his namesake organization, so the 11th team will be called Cadillac F1 and be run by new Andretti Global majority owners Dan Towriss and Mark Walter. The team will use Ferrari engines its first two years until GM has a Cadillac engine built for competition in time for the 2028 season. People are also reading... Towriss is the the CEO and president of Group 1001 and entered motorsports via Andretti's IndyCar team when he signed on financial savings platform Gainbridge as a sponsor. Towriss is now a major part of the motorsports scene with ownership stakes in both Spire Motorsports' NASCAR team and Wayne Taylor Racing's sports car team. Walter is the chief executive of financial services firm Guggenheim Partners and the controlling owner of both the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and Premier League club Chelsea. "We're excited to partner with General Motors in bringing a dynamic presence to Formula 1," Towriss said. "Together, we're assembling a world-class team that will embody American innovation and deliver unforgettable moments to race fans around the world." Mario Andretti, the 1978 F1 world champion, will have an ambassador role with Cadillac F1. But his son, Michael, will have no official position with the organization now that he has scaled back his involvement with Andretti Global. "The Cadillac F1 Team is made up of a strong group of people that have worked tirelessly to build an American works team," Michael Andretti posted on social media. "I'm very proud of the hard work they have put in and congratulate all involved on this momentous next step. I will be cheering for you!" The approval has been in works for weeks but was held until after last weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix to not overshadow the showcase event of the Liberty Media portfolio. Max Verstappen won his fourth consecutive championship in Saturday night's race, the third and final stop in the United States for the top motorsports series in the world. Grid expansion in F1 is both infrequent and often unsuccessful. Four teams were granted entries in 2010 that should have pushed the grid to 13 teams and 26 cars for the first time since 1995. One team never made it to the grid and the other three had vanished by 2017. There is only one American team on the current F1 grid — owned by California businessman Gene Haas — but it is not particularly competitive and does not field American drivers. Andretti's dream was to field a truly American team with American drivers. The fight to add this team has been going on for three-plus years, and F1 initially denied the application despite approval from F1 sanctioning body FIA. The existing 10 teams, who have no voice in the matter, also largely opposed expansion because of the dilution in prize money and the billions of dollars they've already invested in the series. Andretti in 2020 tried and failed to buy the existing Sauber team. From there, he applied for grid expansion and partnered with GM, the top-selling manufacturer in the United States. The inclusion of GM was championed by the FIA and president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who said Michael Andretti's application was the only one of seven applicants to meet all required criteria to expand F1's current grid. "General Motors is a huge global brand and powerhouse in the OEM world and is working with impressive partners," Ben Sulayem said Monday. "I am fully supportive of the efforts made by the FIA, Formula 1, GM and the team to maintain dialogue and work towards this outcome of an agreement in principle to progress this application." Despite the FIA's acceptance of Andretti and General Motors from the start, F1 wasn't interested in Andretti — but did want GM. At one point, F1 asked GM to find another team to partner with besides Andretti. GM refused and F1 said it would revisit the Andretti application if and when Cadillac had an engine ready to compete. "Formula 1 has maintained a dialogue with General Motors, and its partners at TWG Global, regarding the viability of an entry following the commercial assessment and decision made by Formula 1 in January 2024," F1 said in a statement. "Over the course of this year, they have achieved operational milestones and made clear their commitment to brand the 11th team GM/Cadillac, and that GM will enter as an engine supplier at a later time. Formula 1 is therefore pleased to move forward with this application process." Yet another major shift in the debate over grid expansion occurred earlier this month with the announced resignation of Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei, who was largely believed to be one of the biggest opponents of the Andretti entry. "With Formula 1's continued growth plans in the US, we have always believed that welcoming an impressive US brand like GM/Cadillac to the grid and GM as a future power unit supplier could bring additional value and interest to the sport," Maffei said. "We credit the leadership of General Motors and their partners with significant progress in their readiness to enter Formula 1." Get local news delivered to your inbox!Is the world more dangerous than ever for travelers? A global risk expert weighs in
Labour plans to make spiking a specific offence and has laid out plans for venue staff to be trained in relation to spiking, with a pilot to begin within weeks before a wider rollout next year. Ms Davies-Jones, asked about why it was worthwhile to make spiking a new offence when it is already illegal, said: “Spiking is a crime already. “A lot of people don’t realise that it is a crime already, which is part of the problem.” She said there were around 6,000 reports of spiking last year but that because it is an underreported crime, it is not clear how big of a problem it is. 'Legislation won't fix this on its own...this is about a culture shift' @SophyRidgeSky challenges Minister for Victims @AlexDaviesJones on the govt plan to change the spiking law even though it is already a criminal offence. #PoliticsHub https://t.co/GlTNastFii 📺 Sky 501 pic.twitter.com/Zb65c6KnOM — Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge (@SkyPoliticsHub) November 25, 2024 “Part of the problem we’ve got is around the data collection, so you don’t know if you’ve been spiked with a drink, a needle, a vape, for example,” she told Politics Hub on Sky News. Modernising the offence and giving police the tools to get accurate data allows a clearer picture of where, how and how often spiking is happening, she said. It is about “clarifying it, modernising it, making sure that people know exactly what this is...the law isn’t quite, it isn’t up to date. “It isn’t modern enough.” Sir Keir Starmer earlier said he hopes the change will give people “the confidence to come forward”, in a meeting of police bosses, transport figures and hospitality executives in Downing Street. Spiking will be made a criminal offence. My government was elected to take back our streets, central to this mission is making sure women and girls can feel safe at night. Perpetrators of spiking will feel the full force of the law. — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) November 25, 2024 Ms Davies-Jones and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper were among the attendees at the round-table discussion on Monday morning. Labour pledged in its manifesto to introduce a new offence for spiking, but there was no detail in the King’s Speech this year about a specific crime, though it promised to ensure an improved police response to cases. According to information published by the Metropolitan Police, spiking offences are currently covered by more than one law, but most come under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. Sir Keir told the meeting: “There are a number of measures that we are setting out this morning – we want to talk it through with you. “The first is to make spiking a specific offence so that it counts, it’s reported.” He said that such a measure would mean that it “enables everybody to have the confidence to come forward” and also “it allows perpetrators to know that it’s a specific offence”. Detailing the training scheme, he went on: “We’re beginning the piloting of training for staff in venues.” He said the scheme would be “partly to spot what’s happening, but also to know what to do in the event that there is an incident in a venue”. “That will start in December with a pilot then it will be rolled out from March of next year,” Sir Keir added. He also said that the “final” point of discussion for the morning was “police indexing – (the) way that we count it across different police forces”. Sir Keir added: “At the moment it’s quite hard to get your arms around the pure numbers.” Plain clothes officers are being deployed in areas around bars and clubs to spot predatory behaviour. The text-to-report number, 61016, that allows women to contact British Transport Police to report harassment on the train, is due to be relaunched. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Spiking is a disturbing and serious crime which can have a damaging and long-lasting impact on victims. “That’s why today we are taking decisive action to prevent this devastating crime and to crack down on perpetrators, by introducing a new criminal offence for spiking and launching specialist training for thousands of bar staff nationwide. “People shouldn’t have to worry about the safety of their drinks on a night out. “These changes are about giving victims greater confidence to come forward, and ensuring that there is a robust response from the police whenever these appalling crimes take place.”
President-elect Donald Trump was upbeat at his first post-election press conference Monday, saying there was a big difference between now and when he took office in 2016: Some of his former adversaries are now being nice to him. “Everybody wants to be my friend,” he said about how he’s being treated by CEOs of major technology companies, whom he has portrayed as adversaries in the past. “I don’t know, my personality changed or something.” During the wide-ranging press conference at his Mar-a-Lago property, Trump said that one of the biggest differences over the last four years is that "everybody was fighting me." "The biggest difference is that people want to get along with me this time," he added. The remarks were Trump's first news conference since he won the election and the first event he has hosted himself since November. Trump referenced recent meetings with Apple CEO Tim Cook, Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai and former Alphabet President Sergey Brin. He also said he plans to meet with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos later this week. "Tim Cook was here. I think he’s done an incredible job at Apple. He talked about the future of Apple. It’s going to be a bright future. But we have many others also, and not in that business," he said. "We have a lot of great executives coming in, the top executives, the top bankers, they were calling." Several major tech companies, including Amazon, Meta and OpenAI have already donated $1 million each to Trump’s inaugural fund. Trump has had a complicated history with many of Big Tech's CEOs as a number of them criticized policies enacted when he was last president — and banned him from social media platforms following the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection. In 2020, for example, executives lambasted Trump over his executive order to freeze new visas for foreign workers , arguing that immigrants have helped strengthen the U.S. economy, and specifically technology companies. In the wake of Jan. 6, Trump was barred from using his Twitter and Facebook accounts. He later sued Facebook, Twitter and Google over some of the bans. Trump had also feuded with Bezos over his ownership of The Washington Post, Amazon's decision not to do business with the far-right social media app Parler in 2021 and a bid Amazon made on a $10 billion Pentagon contract. The thawing of relations is emblematic of a broader right-ward turn in the tech sphere, with some of its other leading figures now taking official and unofficial roles in Trump's second administration. Most prominent is Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the world's wealthiest person, whom Trump has tapped to lead a Department of Government Efficiency alongside Vivek Ramaswamy, a former biotech executive. Trump has also named venture capitalist David Sacks and technologist Jacob Helberg to business advisory roles. During the press conference Monday, Trump also signaled that he would be willing to pardon New York City Mayor Eric Adams who was charged in September with bribery and wire fraud as part of a scheme that spanned nearly 10 years. "Yeah, I would, I think that he was treated pretty unfairly," Trump said, adding that he doesn't know the "gravity" of the case but said the allegations against the mayor don't seem fair. "I mean, I'd have to see it, because I don't know the facts." On the reported sightings of drones over New Jersey and New York , Trump said, "The government knows what is happening." He declined to say whether he had received an intelligence briefing about it. "For some reason, they don't want to comment, and I think they'd be better off saying what it is our military knows and our president knows. And for some reason, they want to keep people in suspense." Trump commented on the suspected shooter in the death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, Luigi Mangione, and the people who have praised him for committing the crime. "It's really terrible that some people seem to admire him, like him," Trump said. "It was cold-blooded, just a cold-blooded, horrible killing." Asked if plans to stop a ban on TikTok next month, Trump said, "We'll take a look at Tiktok." "You know, I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok," he said, adding that he thought his electoral performance with young voters was in part due to his use of TikTok. "I won youth by 34 points. And there are those that say that Tiktok has something to do with that.” Trump lost the majority of voters under 44, according to national exit polls . Trump also said he plans to sue The Des Moines Register over the newspaper's final poll of the election cycle showed that Vice President Kamala Harris led by 3 percentage points. Trump wound up winning the traditionally red state by more than 13 percentage points. Trump's press conference was his first one since winning the 2024 election, though he has attended other organizations’ events, attended a SpaceX test launch, and gone to numerous sporting events. In 2016 during the same period, Trump had already held eight “victory rallies” around the country and gaggled with press in the lobby of Trump Tower numerous times. And Biden in 2020 had held 15 events organized by his incoming administration.
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LAS VEGAS — Formula 1 on Monday at last said it will expand its grid in 2026 to make room for an American team that is partnered with General Motors. "As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence. It's an honor for General Motors and Cadillac to join the world's premier racing series, and we're committed to competing with passion and integrity to elevate the sport for race fans around the world," GM President Mark Reuss said. "This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM's engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level." The approval ends years of wrangling that launched a U.S. Justice Department investigation into why Colorado-based Liberty Media, the commercial rights holder of F1, would not approve the team initially started by Michael Andretti. Andretti in September stepped aside from leading his namesake organization, so the 11th team will be called Cadillac F1 and be run by new Andretti Global majority owners Dan Towriss and Mark Walter. The team will use Ferrari engines its first two years until GM has a Cadillac engine built for competition in time for the 2028 season. Towriss is the the CEO and president of Group 1001 and entered motorsports via Andretti's IndyCar team when he signed on financial savings platform Gainbridge as a sponsor. Towriss is now a major part of the motorsports scene with ownership stakes in both Spire Motorsports' NASCAR team and Wayne Taylor Racing's sports car team. Walter is the chief executive of financial services firm Guggenheim Partners and the controlling owner of both the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and Premier League club Chelsea. "We're excited to partner with General Motors in bringing a dynamic presence to Formula 1," Towriss said. "Together, we're assembling a world-class team that will embody American innovation and deliver unforgettable moments to race fans around the world." Mario Andretti, the 1978 F1 world champion, will have an ambassador role with Cadillac F1. But his son, Michael, will have no official position with the organization now that he has scaled back his involvement with Andretti Global. "The Cadillac F1 Team is made up of a strong group of people that have worked tirelessly to build an American works team," Michael Andretti posted on social media. "I'm very proud of the hard work they have put in and congratulate all involved on this momentous next step. I will be cheering for you!" The approval has been in works for weeks but was held until after last weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix to not overshadow the showcase event of the Liberty Media portfolio. Max Verstappen won his fourth consecutive championship in Saturday night's race, the third and final stop in the United States for the top motorsports series in the world. Grid expansion in F1 is both infrequent and often unsuccessful. Four teams were granted entries in 2010 that should have pushed the grid to 13 teams and 26 cars for the first time since 1995. One team never made it to the grid and the other three had vanished by 2017. There is only one American team on the current F1 grid — owned by California businessman Gene Haas — but it is not particularly competitive and does not field American drivers. Andretti's dream was to field a truly American team with American drivers. The fight to add this team has been going on for three-plus years, and F1 initially denied the application despite approval from F1 sanctioning body FIA. The existing 10 teams, who have no voice in the matter, also largely opposed expansion because of the dilution in prize money and the billions of dollars they've already invested in the series. Andretti in 2020 tried and failed to buy the existing Sauber team. From there, he applied for grid expansion and partnered with GM, the top-selling manufacturer in the United States. The inclusion of GM was championed by the FIA and president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who said Michael Andretti's application was the only one of seven applicants to meet all required criteria to expand F1's current grid. "General Motors is a huge global brand and powerhouse in the OEM world and is working with impressive partners," Ben Sulayem said Monday. "I am fully supportive of the efforts made by the FIA, Formula 1, GM and the team to maintain dialogue and work towards this outcome of an agreement in principle to progress this application." Despite the FIA's acceptance of Andretti and General Motors from the start, F1 wasn't interested in Andretti — but did want GM. At one point, F1 asked GM to find another team to partner with besides Andretti. GM refused and F1 said it would revisit the Andretti application if and when Cadillac had an engine ready to compete. "Formula 1 has maintained a dialogue with General Motors, and its partners at TWG Global, regarding the viability of an entry following the commercial assessment and decision made by Formula 1 in January 2024," F1 said in a statement. "Over the course of this year, they have achieved operational milestones and made clear their commitment to brand the 11th team GM/Cadillac, and that GM will enter as an engine supplier at a later time. Formula 1 is therefore pleased to move forward with this application process." Yet another major shift in the debate over grid expansion occurred earlier this month with the announced resignation of Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei, who was largely believed to be one of the biggest opponents of the Andretti entry. "With Formula 1's continued growth plans in the US, we have always believed that welcoming an impressive US brand like GM/Cadillac to the grid and GM as a future power unit supplier could bring additional value and interest to the sport," Maffei said. "We credit the leadership of General Motors and their partners with significant progress in their readiness to enter Formula 1." Get local news delivered to your inbox!