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Top eight advance directly to Round of 16. Teams ranked 9-24 will compete in knockout round play-offs to determine the remaining spots in the last 16. Juventus 3, PSV Eindhoven 1 Aston Villa 3, Young Boys 0 Bayern Munich 9, Dinamo Zagreb 2 Liverpool 3, AC Milan 1 Real Madrid 3, Stuttgart 1 Sporting Lisbon 2, Lille 0 Bologna 0, Shakhtar Donetsk 0 Sparta Prague 3, Salzburg 0 Borussia Dortmund 3, Club Brugge 0 Celtic 5, Slovan Bratislava 1 Manchester City 0, Inter Milan 0 Paris Saint-Germain 1, Girona 0 Benfica 2, Crvena zvezda 1 Leverkusen 4, Feyenoord 0 Atalanta 0, Arsenal 0 Atlético Madrid 2, RB Leipzig 1 Monaco 2, Barcelona 1 Brest 2, Sturm Graz 1 Brest 4, Salzburg 0 Stuttgart 1, Sparta Prague 1 Inter Milan 4, Red Star Belgrade 0 Borussia Dortmund 7, Celtic 1 Barcelona 5, Young Boys 0 Leverkusen 1, AC Milan 0 Arsenal 2, Paris Saint-Germain 0 PSV Eindhoven 1, Sporting Lisbon 1 Manchester City 4, Slovan Bratislava 0 Atalanta 3, Shakhtar Donetsk 0 Feyenoord 3, Girona 2 Liverpool 2, Bologna 0 Juventus 3, RB Leipzig 2 Benfica 4, Atlético Madrid 0 Dinamo Zagreb 2, Monaco 2 Lille 1, Real Madrid 0 Aston Villa 1, Bayern Munich 0 Club Brugge 1, Sturm Graz 0 AC Milan 3, Club Brugge 1 Monaca 5, Crvena zvezda 1 Paris Saint-Germain 1, PSV Eindhoven 1 Stuttgart 1, Juventus 0 Arsenal 1, Shakhtar Donetsk 0 Aston Villa 2, Bologna 0 Girona 2, Slovan Bratislava 0 Sporting Lisbon 2, Strum Graz 0 Real Madrid 5, Borussia Dortmund 2 Atalanta 0, Celtic 0 Brest 1, Leverkusen 1 Manchester City 5, Sparta Prague 0 Liverpool 1, RB Leipzig 0 Barcelona 4, Bayern Munich 1 Lille 3, Atlético Madrid 1 Feyenoord 3, Benfica 1 Dinamo Zagreb 2, Salzburg 0 Inter Milan 1, Young Boys 0 PSV Eindhoven 4, Girona 0 Dinamo Grazeb 4, Slovan Bratislava 1 AC Milan 3, Real Madrid 1 Liverpool 4, Leverkusen 0 Borussia Dortmund 1, Sturm Graz 0 Sporting Lisbon 4, Manchester City 1 Lille 1, Juventus 1 Celtic 3, RB Leipzig 1 Monaco 1, Bologna 0 Club Brugge 1, Aston Villa 0 Shakhtar Donetsk 2, Young Boys 1 Bayern Munich 1, Benfica 0 Atlético Madrid 2, Paris Saint-Germain 1 Inter Milan 1, Arsenal 0 Salzburg 3, Feyenoord 1 Barcelona 5, Red Star Belgrade 2 Brest 2, Sparta Prague 1 Atalanta 2, Stuttgart 0 AC Milan 3, Slovan Bratislava 2 Atlético Madrid 6, Sparta Prague 0 Manchester City 3, Feyenoord 3 Bayern Munich 1, Paris Saint-Germain 0 Inter Milan 1, RB Leipzig 0 Barcelona 3, Brest 0 Leverkusen 5, Salzburg 0 Arsenal 5, Sporting Lisbon 1 Atalanta 6, Young Boys 1 Red Star Belgrade vs. Stuttgart, 12:45 p.m. Strum Graz vs. Girona, 12:45 p.m. Liverpool vs. Real Madrid, 3 p.m. PSV Eindhoven vs. Shakhtar Donetsk, 3 p.m. Dinamo Zagreb Borussia Dortmund, 3 p.m. Celtic vs. Club Brugge, 3 p.m. Monaco vs. Benfica, 3 p.m. Aston Villa vs. Juventus, 3 p.m. Bologna vs. Lille, 3 p.m. Dinamo Zagreb vs. Celtic, 12:45 p.m. Girona vs. Liverpool, 12:45 p.m. RB Leipzig vs. Aston Villa, 3 p.m. Leverkusen vs. Inter Milan, 3 p.m. Atalanta vs. Real Madrid, 3 p.m. Club Brugge vs. Sporting Lisbon, 3 p.m. Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Bayern Munich, 3 p.m. Salzburg vs. Paris Saint-Germain, 3 p.m. Brest vs. PSV Eindhoven, 3 p.m. Atlético Madrid vs. Slovan Bratislava, 12:45 p.m. Lille Sturm Graz, 12:45 p.m. Borussia Dortmund vs. Barcelona, 3 p.m. Juventus vs. Manchester City, 3 p.m. Benfica vs. Bologna, 3 p.m. Arsenal vs. Monaco, 3 p.m. Inter Milan vs. Red Star Belgrade, 3 p.m. Feyenoord vs. Sparta Prague, 3 p.m. Stuttgart vs. Young Boys, 3 p.m. Atalanta vs. Sturm Graz, 12:45 p.m. Monaco vs. Aston Villa, 12:45 p.m. Slovan Bratislava vs. Stuttgart, 3 p.m. Club Brugge vs. Juventus, 3 p.m. Atlético Madrid vs. Leverkusen, 3 p.m. Benfica vs. Barcelona, 3 p.m. Liverpool vs. Lille, 3 p.m. Bologna vs. Borussia Dortmund, 3 p.m. Red Star Belgrade vs. PSV Eindhoven, 3 p.m. Leipzig vs. Sporting Lisbon, 12:45 p.m. Shakhtar vs. Brest, 12:45 p.m. Real Madrid vs. Salzburg, 3 p.m. Paris Saint-Germain vs. Manchester City, 3 p.m. Sparta Prague vs. Inter Milan, 3 p.m. Arsenal vs. Dinamo Zagreb, 3 p.m. Celtic vs. Young Boys, 3 p.m. Feyenoord vs. Bayern Munich, 3 p.m. Inter Milan vs. Girona, 3 p.m. Sporting Lisbon vs. Bologna, 3 p.m. PSV Eindhoven vs. Liverpool, 3 p.m. Young Boys vs. Red Star Belgrade, 3 p.m. Stuttgart vs. Paris Saint-Germain, 3 p.m. Sturm Graz vs. Leipzig, 3 p.m. Manchester City vs. Club Brugge, 3 p.m. Bayern Munich vs. Slovan Bratislava, 3 p.m. Inter Milan vs. Monaco, 3 p.m. Borussia Dortmund vs. Shakhtar, 3 p.m. Barcelona vs. Atalanta, 3 p.m. Leverkusen vs. Sparta Prague, 3 p.m. Juventus vs. Benfica, 3 p.m. Dinamo Zagreb vs. Inter Milan, 3 p.m. Salzburg vs. Atlético Madrid, 3 p.m. Lille vs. Feyenoord, 3 p.m. Aston Villa vs. Celtic, 3 p.m. Girona vs. Arsenal, 3 p.m. Brest vs. Real Madrid, 3 p.m.The benchmark S&P 500 and Nasdaq continued their upward trend on Tuesday, driven by a rally in technology stocks, while market participants considered President-elect Donald Trump's tariff proposals. The Federal Reserve's recent minutes revealed a division among officials regarding future interest rate cuts. U.S. short-term interest-rate futures reduced earlier losses following this revelation. The discussions from the Fed's November meeting suggested a wait-and-see approach in offering monetary policy guidance. Trump's announcement of a 25% conditional tariff on Canadian and Mexican imports, which may challenge an existing trade agreement, further intensified trade tensions. An additional 10% tariff on Chinese imports was also proposed, escalating the threat of a trade conflict. Shares of Ford and General Motors declined significantly, reflecting worries about increased production costs and potential revenue dips. Market analyst Robert Pavlik remarked on the current investor uncertainty. Major indices showed mixed results with the Dow Jones experiencing a slight decline, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq posted gains, supported by tech giants like Microsoft and Apple. Financial and automotive sectors faced challenges amid complex trade and regulatory landscapes. (With inputs from agencies.)
(The Center Square) – Adoption of institutional neutrality is supported by better than 6 in 10 tenured and nontenured faculty at the University of North Carolina, Wake Forest University and Duke University, a report says. Nationally, 66% of faculty say “colleges and universities should not take positions on political and social issues,” says Silence in the Classroom, the 2024 FIRE Faculty Survey Report. At Duke, the percentage is 71%, at Carolina 65%, and at Wake 64%. Higher education is facing mounting challenges, from the costs to the positions it favors. Silencing students or faculty has drawn sharp criticism from Capitol Hill to every corner of the nation sending people to the ballot box. Carolina, established in 1789, is the nation’s oldest public university. It also earlier this year became embattled in free speech controversy tied to the war between Hamas and Israel. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression , as FIRE is more formally known, is a nonprofit nonpartisan organization billing itself as “defending and sustaining the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought.” Surveys on topics related to free expression and academic freedom were made of 6,269 tenured, tenure-track and nontenure faculty at 55 four-year colleges and universities in America. In North Carolina, the sampling was of 145 at Carolina, 80 at Duke, and 55 at Wake Forest. For each campus, respondents said the top “difficult issue to discuss” is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Asked for top three issues, the Middle East saga was 79% at Carolina, 71% at Wake Forest and 68% at Duke. Each campus was split on the second and third choices. At Duke, 57% said affirmative action and 51% transgender rights. At Carolina, 54% said affirmative action and 53% racial inequality. And at Wake, 63% said racial inequality and 55% transgender rights. All were talking points of various candidates, particularly the presidential race, in the election cycle climaxing last month. In response to faculty feeling “they could not express their opinion because of how others would respond,” the choices of “occasionally,” “fairly often” and “very often” drew a combined 69% at Wake Forest, 69% at Duke and 67% at Carolina. Fairly often and very often were 35% at Duke. Statements pledging commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is rarely or never justified of faculty job candidates, said 61% at Duke, 44% at Carolina and 42% at Wake Forest. Nationally, the response was 50%. Academic freedom leaned more toward secure than not at all three institutions on a split of about 60%-40%. As for faculty feeling a need to “hide their political beliefs from other faculty in an attempt to keep their job,” answers of “never” were chosen by 43% at Duke, 42% at Carolina and 36% at Wake Forest. Among the national findings of the FIRE survey: • More faculty (35%) than during the McCarthy era (9%) say they toned down their writing for fear of controversy. • Threats of discipline for teaching, research, academic talks or other off-campus speech was incurred by 14%. • Faculty feeling unable to speak freely for fear of how others would respond was 27%. • Fear of damaged reputations because of misunderstandings with something said or done was 40%. • Fear of losing jobs because of misunderstandings with something said or done was 23%.Free-agent forward Jae Crowder is close to a deal with the Sacramento Kings , sources told ESPN on Tuesday. At 8-10 and dealing with injuries, the Kings are finalizing a deal with the 13-year NBA veteran, who has made two NBA Finals appearances. Crowder worked out for the Kings in the offseason as well, sources said. Crowder is expected to be available as soon as Wednesday's road game against the Minnesota Timberwolves . Crowder averaged 6.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 23.1 minutes over 50 games for the Milwaukee Bucks last season. In 803 games in the NBA, Crowder has averaged 9.3 points and 4.2 rebounds while playing for Dallas, Boston, Cleveland, Utah, Memphis, Miami, Phoenix and Milwaukee. He was part of Finals berths with the Heat in 2020 and the Suns in 2021.Amazon investing another $10 billion in Ohio-based data centers
Brazil's federal police on Thursday formally accused former president Jair Bolsonaro and 36 other people of attempting a coup to keep him in office after his defeat in the 2022 elections. Police said their sealed findings were being delivered Thursday to Brazil's Supreme Court, which will refer them to Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet, who decides either to formally charge Bolsonaro and put him on trial, or toss the investigation. Bolsonaro told the website Metropoles that he was waiting for his lawyer to review the accusation, reportedly about 700 pages long. But he said he would fight the case and dismissed the investigation as being the result of "creativity." The former right-wing president has denied all claims he tried to stay in office after his narrow electoral defeat in 2022 to his rival, leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro has faced a series of legal threats since then. Police said in a brief statement that the Supreme Court had agreed to reveal the names of all 37 people who were accused "to avoid the dissemination of incorrect news." Dozens of former and current Bolsonaro aides also were accused, including Gen. Walter Braga Netto, who was his running mate in the 2022 campaign; former army commander Gen. Paulo Sergio Nogueira de Oliveira; Valdemar Costa Neto, the chairman of Bolsonaro's Liberal Party; and his veteran former adviser, Gen. Augusto Heleno. Other investigations produced formal accusations of Bolsonaro's roles in smuggling diamond jewelry into Brazil without properly declaring them and in directing a subordinate to falsify his and others' COVID-19 vaccination statuses. Bolsonaro has denied any involvement in either. Another probe found that he had abused his authority to cast doubt on the country's voting system, and judges barred him from running again until 2030. Still, he has insisted that he will run in 2026, and many in his orbit were heartened by the recent U.S. election win of Donald Trump, despite his own swirling legal threats. But the far-reaching investigations already have weakened Bolsonaro's status as a leader of Brazil's right wing, said Carlos Melo, a political science professor at Insper University in Sao Paulo. "Bolsonaro is already barred from running in the 2026 elections," Melo told the The Associated Press. "And if he is convicted he could also be jailed by then. To avoid being behind bars, he will have to convince Supreme Court justices that he has nothing to do with a plot that involves dozens of his aides. That's a very tall order," Melo said. A formal accusation of an attempted coup means the investigation has gathered indications of "a crime and its author," said Eloisa Machado de Almeida, a law professor at Getulio Vargas Foundation, a university in Sao Paulo. She said she believed there was enough legal grounds for the prosecutor-general to file charges. Bolsonaro's allies in Congress have been negotiating a bill to pardon individuals who stormed the Brazilian capital and rioted on Jan. 8, 2023 in a failed attempt to keep the former president in power. Analysts have speculated that lawmakers want to extend the legislation to cover the former president himself. However, efforts to push a broad amnesty bill may be "politically challenging" given recent attacks on the judiciary and details emerging in investigations, Machado said. On Tuesday, Federal Police arrested four military and a Federal Police officer, accused of plotting to assassinate Lula and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes as a means to overthrow the government following the 2022 elections. And last week, a man carried out a bomb attack in the capital Brasilia. He attempted to enter the Supreme Court and threw explosives outside, killing himself.Travis Hunter named AP player of the year
Tariffs won't be the Grinch that stole Abercrombie & Fitch's ( ANF ) profits. At least not yet. Abercrombie & Fitch delivered another big earnings beat on Tuesday as its namesake division continued to resonate with young adults. The upside surprise came from the value-focused Hollister division — a business that is only now turning the corner amid new product introductions such as college-themed apparel. “Hollister is back,” Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Fran Horowitz told Yahoo Finance. Abercrombie & Fitch stock fell about 5% in midday trading as sales results at the Abercrombie division only matched elevated analyst estimates. Still, Citi analyst Paul Lejuez called the quarter "strong" in a note to clients. The Street may also have been concerned that the company's inventory growth outpaced sales growth going into a holiday shopping season where consumers continue to spend cautiously. Horowitz said the holiday season has started "strong." Fresh potential tariffs on China that President-elect Trump floated late Monday also appeared to be weighing on investor sentiment. Abercrombie operates stores in China and sources apparel from the country. Trump proposed an additional 10% tariff on all products from China, contending the country was shipping illegal drugs to the US. CEOs such as Brooks Running' Dan Sheridan said tariffs could hammer the apparel industry on Yahoo Finance's Opening Bid podcast . Former longtime Gap and J Crew CEO Mickey Drexler echoed that sentiment on Opening Bid as well . Price increases could hurt consumer demand. Consumers would pay $13.9 billion to $24 billion more for apparel in the worst-case scenario for tariffs, the National Retail Federation estimated . Read more: How do tariffs work, and who really pays them? "When we understand truly what's happening, we will have to make some adjustments, and we will adjust accordingly," Horowitz said. "It's exactly what we did in 2018 when we had the same challenge. In 2024 we will not be receiving more than 5% or 6% of our US receipts from China. We're taking a look at it country by country, but the agility that we've built into our supply chain is really what's going to help us manage through this." Net sales: +14% year over year to $1.2 billion, vs. estimates for $1.2 billion Comparable sales: +16% vs. +11% estimate Abercrombie & Fitch division sales: $629.8 million, +15% year on year, vs. $629.5 million estimate Hollister division sales: $579.1 million, +14% year on year, vs. $552.6 million estimate Gross profit margin: 65.1% compared to 64.9% a year ago, vs. estimates for 65% Adjusted diluted EPS: +32% year over year to $2.50, vs. $2.37 estimate Sales have increased by a double-digit percentage for six straight quarters. Inventories only rose by 16% year over year, faster than sales growth. The company repurchased $100 million in stock in the quarter. Analyst note: The buybacks "underscore our view that Abercrombie & Fitch has opportunity to buyback ~30% of the float in the next 3-4 years," Lejuez wrote in a note. Earnings call note: Execs confirmed they will "prioritize" buybacks in the fourth quarter. Fourth quarter outlook: Net sales: +5% to +7% Operating margin: around 16%, compared to 9.6% a year ago Full-year outlook: Net sales: +14 to +15% (previous: +12% to +13%) Operating margin: around 15% (previous: 14% to 15%, compared to 11.4% a year ago) Brian Sozzi is Yahoo Finance's Executive Editor. Follow Sozzi on X @BrianSozzi and on LinkedIn . Tips on deals, mergers, activist situations, or anything else? Email brian.sozzi@yahoofinance.com. Click here for all of the latest retail stock news and events to better inform your investing strategyNC State and East Carolina meet in next season's opener. But first, the Military Bowl
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson is heading to the NFL draft after leading the Southeastern Conference in rushing and setting a handful of school records. The SEC Offensive Player of the Year announced on social media his intention Friday to leave after his junior season. He helped the seventh-ranked Vols go 10-3 with a first-round loss in the College Football Playoff where Sampson was limited by an injured hamstring. Sampson thanked his family, Tennessee coaches and fans, saying he learned so much and had the chance to be part of something special. Tennessee went 3-7 in 2020, and he leaves with the Vols having won 30 games over his three seasons. “I poured my heart and soul into this program and this community,” Sampson wrote. “With that being said, I will be declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft.” Sampson set a school record running for 1,491 yards. He also set a program record with a league-best 22 rushing touchdowns, breaking a mark that had stood for 95 years. He was part of coach Josh Heupel's first full signing class in December 2021 out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He also set school records for total touchdowns scored (22), points scored (132) and consecutive games with a rushing touchdown (11). He led the SEC in nine different categories, including rushing attempts (258), rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, 100-yard rushing games with 10, averaging 114.7 yards rushing per game, points scored, points per game (10.2), all-purpose yards (1,638) and all-purpose yards per game (126.0). He finished this season tied for fifth all-time in the SEC ranks for rushing TDs in a single season with Leonard Fournette of LSU. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
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Stock market today: Wall Street hits records despite tariff talkNC State and East Carolina meet in next season's opener. But first, the Military BowlAustralia Judo Bank Services PMI declined to 49.6 in November from previous 51
Premier League: Arsenal 1 (Havertz 23') Ipswich UNCONVINCING ARSENAL did just enough with a first-half Kai Havertz goal to move up to second place in the Premier League table and narrow the gap to the end of year pace setters, Liverpool, to six points. The leaders go into the New Year with a game in hand, too, and Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta will be hoping for more than his side showed in a match they dominated without ever really impressing. The result is all that really matters to Arteta amid a busy run of fixtures and without their most creative player Bukayo Saka, who sat out the first match of what is expected to be a couple of months out injured. Ipswich have now lost five in six and remain rooted in the relegation zone. Arsenal remain in the title hunt, but will face a tougher test, surely, away at Brentford on New Year’s Day and it was an improved return on their last home game. Arsenal’s air of superiority possibly cost them in their goalless draw against struggling Everton last time out in the Premier League here and there was a similar sense of entitlement going into this match. The club’s pre-match preview said how they were looking to extend a 16-game unbeaten home run against a side who had not won in London N5 since 1979. That, for those of us with long enough memories, remember it was the season after Ipswich shocked them in the FA Cup final too and know the Suffolk side are never to be underestimated. Then, as if on cue while Arsenal fans were still confidently belting out their North London Forever anthem as the match kicked off in an eerie fog, Ipswich nearly scored through Sammie Szmodics with less than a minute gone. It was the first and last time Kieran McKenna’s side touched the ball in the other half of the pitch for some time. Not that the Fermanagh manager had come excepting anything else with his five-man defence and safety-first time-wasting tactics. Ipswich were in League One just two years ago and fresh from a thrashing by Newcastle so their approach was understandable. Winless after the first 10 games they have since picked up a couple of victories and played with purpose despite being locked in the relegation zone. There is only so long Arsenal can have the ball without being dangerous, however and their 23rd minute lead was wholly deserved. Leandro Trossard, called up in the absence of injured Bukayo Saka, clipped in a cross from the left and Havertz wriggled clear of a defensive pack to nonchalantly side-foot in a right foot volley. Trossard is not always a match winner but is the only outfield player to feature in every single Premier League game for Arsenal this season. German forward Havertz is not always man of the match either, but his contribution is never under-estimated here. He is also his side’s leading scorer with 12 goals so far in all competitions. Now, the onus was on McKenna’s men to come out and play or think about damage limitations. They managed to find a happy medium, despite conceding an all-time Premier League high 84 per cent possession, and keep the match alive, going into half-time only one goal down. They also started the second half with some attacking intent and Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya was scrambling back to cover his goal – only for an Ipswich shot never to materialise. They did, however, look like a match for Arsenal for a prolonged spell. They could and should have been two goals down after 63 minutes as we witnessed that rarest of events – Gabriel missing a free header from a Declan Rice corner. No wonder the usually clinical Brazil defender howled in horror. The major miss also gave Ipswich a further injection of purpose, ever more alert they were still in this. match. How Arsenal could have done with the midfield magic of their watching former player Santi Cazorla. The Spaniard used to make Arsenal tick like few other players and they badly needed someone to regain their grip on the game as their stranglehold loosened and Ipswich played with increasing freedom. Arteta responded by withdrawing Gabriel Jesus for Mikel Merino as McKenna sent on Jack Clarke for Szmodics with around 20 minutes to go. The changes instantly lifted Arsenal as Martin Odegaard, Rice and Havertz all went close to scoring moments later. They kept pressing for a second goal but ran out of energy and ideas as Ipswich finished looking like they might steal a point. That would have been harsh on Arsenal but since when has football been fair? Arsenal: Raya 6, Timber 6, Saliba 6, Magalhaes 6, Lewis-Skelly 6, Rice 7 (Partey 87), Odegaard 6, Havertz 7, Martinelli 6, Trossard 7, Jesus 6 (Merino 72). Subs: Neto, Kiwior, Zinchenko, Jorginho, Calafiori, Nwaneri. Ipswich: Muric 6, Johnson 6 (Broadhead 80), O'Shea 6, Greaves 6, Davis 6, Woolfenden 6 (H.Clarke 90), Cajuste 6 (Taylor 80), Phillips 7, Hutchinson 6, Szmodics 6 (J.Clarke 72), Delap 5 (Al-Hamadi, 80). Subs: Walton, Burns, Chaplin, Townsend. Ref : Darren England 6WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has imposed sanctions on the founder of Georgia’s ruling political party, which has steered the country away from a pro-Western stance and towards Russia, U.S. officials said Friday. The State and Treasury departments said they hit Georgian Dream party founder and honorary chairman with penalties “for undermining the democratic and Euro-Atlantic future of Georgia for the benefit of the Russian Federation," according to a statement. The designation of Ivanishvili is the latest in a series of sanctions the U.S. has slapped on Georgian politicians, lawmakers and others this year. Those sanctions include freezes on assets and properties those targeted may have in U.S. jurisdictions or that might enter U.S. jurisdictions as well as travel bans on the targets and members of their families. “We strongly condemn Georgian Dream’s actions under Ivanishvili’s leadership, including its ongoing and violent repression of Georgian citizens, protestors, members of the media, human rights activists, and opposition figures,” the State Department said in a statement. “The United States is committed to promoting accountability for those undermining democracy and human rights in Georgia." Ivanishvili is a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia and served briefly as Georgia’s prime minister. In 2012, he founded Georgian Dream, Georgia’s longtime ruling party. Critics have accused Georgian Dream of becoming increasingly authoritarian and tilted toward Moscow. The party recently pushed through laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to crack down on freedom of speech and LGBTQ+ rights, prompting the European Union to suspend Georgia’s membership application process indefinitely. In October, Georgian Dream won another term in a divisive parliamentary election that has led to more mass protests. Last month, the country’s prime minister, , announced a four-year suspension of talks on Georgia's bid to join the European Union, fueling
The RCMP will create a new aerial intelligence task force to provide round-the-clock surveillance of Canada’s border using helicopters, drones and surveillance towers. The move is part of the federal government’s $1.3-billion upgrade to border security and monitoring to appease concerns of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump about the flow of migrants and illegal drugs. Trump has threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian and Mexican exports to the U.S. as soon as he is inaugurated next month unless both countries move to improve border security. Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he has discussed parts of the plan with American officials and that he is optimistic about its reception. Canada will also propose to the United States to create a North American “joint strike force” to target organized crime groups that work across borders. The government also intends to provide new technology, tools and resources to the Canada Border Services Agency to seek out fentanyl using chemical detection, artificial intelligence and canine teams. The union representing rank-and-file Mounties is welcoming the federal plan unveiled in the fall economic update Monday. Money, to be spread over six fiscal years, is earmarked for the RCMP, Public Safety Canada, the Canada Border Services Agency and the cyberspies at the Communications Security Establishment. RCMP members enforce laws between official points of entry and investigate criminal activities related to the border. National Police Federation president Brian Sauvé says members have been protecting the border with limited resources, and the new money will allow them to continue delivering on their mandate. Aaron McCrorie, the border services agency’s vice-president of intelligence and enforcement, said in a recent interview that irregular migration and smuggling of drugs such as fentanyl are common concerns for Canada and the United States. “These aren’t concerns that are unique to the United States. We share those same concerns,” he said. “In that sense, it really speaks to the need for us to work collaboratively.” McCrorie said the Canadian border agency is working closely with U.S. counterparts including Customs and Border Protection, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security, as well as with agencies in Britain, Australia and New Zealand. “Criminal enterprises, organized crime, they don’t respect international boundaries. They collaborate, they exploit weaknesses in the system,” McCrorie said. “And so the best way to confront them is to is to collaborate on our side, fill those gaps, support each other’s efforts.” He said Canada’s border agency has two targeting officers embedded with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the American agency plans to soon send a targeting officer to Canada.Pumpkin spice lattes have given way to turkey and stuffing, which in turn has given way to ugly sweaters and pop star Christmas albums and specials. For working professionals, it’s a time for prognostications about what might change in their industry in the new year. End of year predictions make timely reads in part because they come at a time when people are winding down for the year and getting ready to take their mind off of their day to day work. Yet while they may give us a broad and varied view into expectations (or hopes and dreams), the vast majority of predictions about how healthcare will change in 2025 are likely to be wrong. Not because prognosticators are foolish, but because our modern healthcare system has evolved over 80+ years, and any major change over the course of any twelve month period is unlikely; add the enormous complexity of healthcare and its myriad special interests, and forecasting a specific change is that much more difficult. Given this, and perhaps sprinkling a bit of Grinch spirit onto the season, below are six things that experts view as unlikely to change in healthcare in 2025, followed by a dash of optimism. 1. GLP-1 Access Issues Will Take Time To Solve GLP-1s have been hailed as miracle drugs in recent years. Clinical studies are producing findings that support the enthusiasm. The class of drugs has been a miracle for the pharmaceutical firms that manufacture them, as spending has increased by more than 400% from 2019 to 2023 in Medicaid populations alone. Add to these developments the recent announcement that the Biden Administration is seeking to expand access to GLP-1 drugs among Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries (essentially by relaxing strict indications of use solely for diabetes), and there is palpable excitement about the continued use and healthcare system implications of these drugs. Yet thorny problems remain. First and foremost, the rapid increase in demand for these drugs has resulted in dramatic shortages, which in turn has led some pharmacies and virtual care companies to produce non-FDA approved (but legal) GLP-1 drugs via compounded generic ingredients. “We must first figure out the basics: how can we help more people access GLP-1s and achieve the best possible outcomes. Solving those problems means lowering the cost of treatment, through things like drug price competition and expanded insurance coverage, and overcoming barriers to access, through solutions like telehealth,” explains Zach Reitano of Ro, a virtual care company that offers access to FDA-approved and compounded GLP-1 drugs. Others point to the fact that while the drugs are promising, their impact may be transitory. “They’re not a silver bullet,” says Sean Duffy of Omada, a digital health company that focuses on helping consumers manage chronic diseases through lifestyle changes. Duffy argues that to have a lasting impact at scale, GLP-1s must be, “appropriately paired with proper nutrition, exercise, and other lifestyle improvements that have been proven over decades of research.” 2. Provider Consolidation And Desire For Scale And Efficiency Won’t Stop Horizontal mergers. Vertical acquisitions. Cross-market mergers. Between 2005 and 2022, the share of community hospitals that were part of a multi-hospital system increased from 53% to 68%. Related, the share of physicians practicing in hospital-owned practices increased to 41% in 2021 (up from 29% a decade earlier). The multitude of factors driving provider consolidation are many: administrative and operational challenges , increasing competition from private equity, and revenue uncertainty with shifting patient populations and preferences, among others. Given the industry’s inertia and the number of drivers, it seems unlikely that provider consolidation slows down in 2025. Scott Barclay, Managing Director of Insight Partners, a global venture capital and growth equity firm, sees relationship dynamics with health plans driving hospital self-interest and self-preservation. “We believe large providers will continue trying to buy market share and raise prices, and insurance companies will continue to raise premiums and fight with providers,” Barclay explains. (Disclosure: the author’s consulting firm works with Insight Partners). Where Barclay focuses on hospital relationships with health plans, others see continued strain on relationships with consumers. "The pressure on health systems to acquire new commercially-insured patients will only increase as more and more people age into Medicare. Ensuring that these patients are able to access the system will be a critical challenge for organizations already operating at 100% capacity,” says Graham Gardner, MD and CEO of Kyruus Health, a technology platform helping providers better connect with and improve access to consumers. 3. Hype Around Generative AI In Healthcare Remains Mostly That: Hype A Flare Capital report suggests $30 billion has been invested into healthcare AI in the past five years. The report highlights opportunities for AI to transform areas ranging from financial and back office functions to patient engagement to clinical care, among others. An Andreesen Horowitz analysis suggests that AI can help unlock $314 billion through more efficient healthcare operations. The numbers suggest massive investor enthusiasm in the technology. And certainly, the application of generative AI to certain use cases, most notably ambient scribe technology, seems to be finding the elusive product-market fit in healthcare. Yet for all of the excitement, there is a fair amount of skepticism around the actual application of AI within real world healthcare environments, or the ability to scale successful AI-first businesses in healthcare. "Generative AI has been proven useful in certain instances, but it is not the answer to everything in the healthcare industry,” says David Schweppe, Chief Analytics Officer of MedeAnalytics, an analytics and (ironically) AI company. Gardner of Kyruuus Health is skeptical that companies building AI-first solutions can stand out in a crowded field. “Point solutions — particularly new entrants leveraging AI — will struggle to differentiate themselves and risk having their features subsumed by incumbent vendors building these capabilities into their core offerings,” Gardner explains. Perhaps the most important insight relates to how AI should be used in the future: to build upon, rather than replace, the human connection that is (or should be) at the center of health. “True personalization will come from a people-centered approach... We're losing sight of how powerful it can be to simply ask patients, "How are you doing?",” notes Robin Glass of Included Health, a comprehensive virtual care provider. 4. Neither Retail Nor Tech Is Coming To The Rescue (But Won’t Stay Away Entirely) When Tim Cook announced in January 2019 that he thought that Apple’s lasting impact would be about health, it set the healthcare industry afire with speculation: what direction would Apple’s healthcare strategy take, and how would it impact healthcare stakeholders? More than five years later, it seems Apple has not made much progress toward achieving the impact its CEO hoped for. Judging by its own assessment, neither Apple’s own efforts nor its results are material enough to mention. This hasn’t prevented Cook from recently recommitting to his vision. Color industry insiders are skeptical, if still supportive. But the skepticism is not just reserved for Apple: after dozens of failed high profile initiatives and investment from big tech (e.g., Amazon’s Haven partnership) and big retailers (e.g., Walmart and Walgreen), even Harvard Business Review is doubtful about disruption from corporate outsiders. “It’ll be definitive in 2025 that Amazon will be the only major corporation in “FAANG” (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, and Google) that is truly committed to transforming care delivery,” expects Duffy of Omada, who points to Amazon’s long term thinking and focus on pharmacy and care delivery (via its Oneedical acquisition). 5. Progress On Data Interoperability Continues, But Painfully Slowly "The politics of access to healthcare data will continue as if it's a 6th grade student council election,” says Jonathan Bush, industry luminary and CEO of health data platform Zus Health. Bush could be referring to many things here: the ongoing difficulties in consumer access to their own data (or even awareness this is possible), the public feud between Oracle Health and Epic Systems regarding which company is the true enabler (or laggard) of data interoperability, whether federal efforts to support interoperability via standards are too heavy handed or not enough, or the dispute and subsequent antitrust lawsuit between startup Particle Health and Epic Systems regarding data accessibility. Alon Jaffee, Cofounder and CEO of Eleos Health, agrees, noting that while virtually all stakeholders want interoperability between their systems, we’re unlikely to see robust progress in 2025. “Legacy systems are too complex and lack the right incentives,” he explains. Despite the complexity and incentives, there is a sense of movement, if it feels plodding. That may be okay, given the implications. “Privacy concerns, regulatory uncertainty from a new administration, and the rapid emergence of new data producers complicate the landscape,” describes Nick Stepro, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Arcadia, an analytics and data platform enabling healthcare organizations to pivot to value-based models of care. (Disclosure: the author’s consulting firm works with Arcadia.) Bush is optimistic, if for no other reason than emerging financial incentives. “There’s too much economic force profiting from the liberated data, and that economic force is reducing the cost of care. Once the genie gets out of the bottle, he is very hard to squeeze back in," he notes. 6. Antitrust in Healthcare Scrutiny Remains, Especially On the Highest Profile Cases One area of the incoming Trump Administration that seems clear, with respect to its posture toward how the private sector functions and antitrust policy in particular, is that it intends to ensure it is getting a fair shake from traditional and social media companies. Hence what may have contributed to ABC News’ recent settlement offer of $15 million and Meta’s (Facebook’s) $1 million contribution to the Trump inauguration fund, among others. Outside of that, speculation abounds: will the administration return to a more traditionally Republican-held laissez-faire view of private sector competition, or hue towards J.D. Vance’s advocacy of Lina Khan, who has worked to expand Federal Trade Commission’s remit and scope? It is worth noting that the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) antitrust case against Google, which a judge found guilty of anticompetitive practices in August, was initiated under the previous Trump Administration. As were many other cases. A review of the DOJ's website suggests an average of ~42 antitrust case filings during the first Trump Administration versus ~32 antitrust filings per year during the Biden Administration. Based on the data and previous experience, as well as the current political and public climate facing healthcare, it seems reasonable to expect continued focus at a minimum on single firm conduct among dominant firms. Within healthcare, that suggests the DOJ’s investigation into UnitedHealth Group is likely to continue. So too with the FTC’s ongoing feud with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), who also face bipartisan policymaker pressure. Related to health technology, Stepro of Arcadia points to the issues affecting health data interoperability as creating barriers to innovation and improved insights in healthcare. “There’s growing friction between new and innovative entrants and incumbent organizations that threaten to slow momentum without sufficient incentives to embrace true openness.” While they may be on their way out, current top antitrust enforcers seem to be aware of the interoperability issues, and the extent to which they may be exacerbated by large technology incumbents. When recently asked about the Particle Health lawsuit alleging anticompetitive conduct by Epic, FTC Chairperson Lina Khan acknowledged awareness of the issue. “We're not involved in that litigation, which is brought by a private company, but it's actually something I had heard concerns about, especially among entrepreneurs and startups that were trying to enter the healthcare space,” Khan said . Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter recently echoed the awareness of technology platforms. “Using the outdated... approach, antitrust enforcement and policy missed opportunities to assess how broader changes in business, such as the rise of platform business models, health care technology and regulatory incentives, impacted competition.” A Case For Rational Optimism So if relatively little is likely to change writ large in 2025, and we have a healthcare system that produces below-average outcomes for exceptionally high spend, why be optimistic? Adjusting the aperture can be helpful. A Bill Gates quote comes to mind: “'Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.” Specific to healthcare, Alon Joffee, Cofounder and CEO of Eleos Healthcare thinks we live in the best time ever to impact the system. “We finally have the technological tools to best the cost curve. It will still take time and be an uphill battle, but at least we have the tools to fight it,” he explains. Likewise, Barclay of Insight Partners advises taking a longer term view of progress. “There are many negatives in our current moment, but in the long run, they are only a moment in time,” he says. Working to improve healthcare can at times feel like a Sisyphean task. It also can be difficult to recognize progress in the moment. With this in mind, perhaps the wisest prediction (or just insight) comes from an unlikely source: a media and public relations executive, not normally known for their desire to keep things low key. “Healthcare takes a minute,” advises and predicts Darren Brandt of Sloane PR. Amidst a prediction season that touts all the ways the world might change in the next 12 months, sometimes the diligence to keep one’s head down and patience to see things through is the reminder we all need.Applied Optoelectronics Filed a Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against Accelight Technologies, Inc. (ATI)
Today’s news headlines and Thought for the Day for school assembly: 27 November 2024NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump was on the verge of backing a 16-week federal abortion ban earlier this year when aides staged an intervention. According to Time magazine's cover story on his selection as its 2024 Person of the Year, Trump's aides first raised concerns in mid-March that the abortion cutoff being pushed by some allies would be stricter than existing law in numerous states. It was seen as a potential political liability amid ongoing fallout over the overturning of Roe v. Wade by a conservative majority on the Supreme Court that includes three justices nominated by Trump in his first term. Trump political director James Blair went to work assembling a slide deck — eventually titled “How a national abortion ban will cost Trump the election" — that argued a 16-week ban would hurt the Republican candidate in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, the magazine reported. “After flipping through Blair’s presentation" on a flight to a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in April, Trump dropped the idea, according to the report. "So we leave it to the states, right?" Trump was quoted as saying. He soon released a video articulating that position. At the time, Trump’s campaign denied that he was considering supporting the 16-week ban, calling it “fake news” and saying Trump planned to “negotiate a deal” on abortion if elected to the White House. Here are other highlights from the story and the president-elect's 65-minute interview with the magazine: Trump reaffirmed his plans to pardon most of those convicted for their actions during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. “It’s going to start in the first hour,” he said of the pardons. “Maybe the first nine minutes.” Trump said he would look at individuals on a “case-by-case" basis, but that “a vast majority of them should not be in jail.” More than 1,500 people have been charged with federal crimes stemming from the riot that left more than 100 police officers injured and sent lawmakers running into hiding as they met to certify Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 victory . More than 1,000 defendants have pleaded guilty or been convicted at trial of charges, including misdemeanor trespassing offenses, assaulting police officers and seditious conspiracy. Trump insisted he has the authority to use the military to assist with his promised mass deportations , even though, as his interviewers noted, the Posse Comitatus Act prohibits the use of the military in domestic law enforcement. “It doesn’t stop the military if it’s an invasion of our country, and I consider it an invasion of our country," he said. “I’ll only do what the law allows, but I will go up to the maximum level of what the law allows. And I think in many cases, the sheriffs and law enforcement is going to need help." Trump did not deny that camps would be needed to hold detained migrants as they are processed for deportation. “Whatever it takes to get them out. I don’t care," he said. “I hope we’re not going to need too many because I want to get them out and I don’t want them sitting in camp for the next 20 years.” Trump told Time he does not plan to restore the policy of separating children from their families to deter border crossings, but he did not rule it out. The practice led to thousands of children being separated from their parents and was condemned around the globe as inhumane. “I don’t believe we’ll have to because we will send the whole family back,” he said. “I would much rather deport them together, yes, than separate.” Trump dismissed the idea that Elon Musk will face conflicts of interest as he takes the helm of the Department of Government Efficiency , an advisory group that Trump has selected him to lead. The panel is supposed to find waste and cut regulations, including many that could affect Musk's wide-ranging interests , which include electric cars, rockets and telecommunications. “I don’t think so," Trump said. “I think that Elon puts the country long before his company. ... He considers this to be his most important project." Trump lowered expectations about his ability to drive down grocery prices. “I’d like to bring them down. It’s hard to bring things down once they’re up. You know, it’s very hard. But I think that they will,” he said. Trump said he is planning “a virtual closure" of the "Department of Education in Washington.” “You’re going to need some people just to make sure they’re teaching English in the schools," he said. “But we want to move education back to the states.” Yet Trump has proposed exerting enormous influence over schools. He has threatened to cut funding for schools with vaccine mandates while forcing them to “teach students to love their country" and promote “the nuclear family,” including “the roles of mothers and fathers” and the “things that make men and women different and unique.” Asked to clarify whether he was committed to preventing the Food and Drug Administration from stripping access to abortion pills , Trump replied, “It’s always been my commitment.” But Trump has offered numerous conflicting stances on the issue, including to Time. Earlier in the interview, he was asked whether he would promise that his FDA would not do anything to limit access to medication abortion or abortion pills. "We’re going to take a look at all of that,” he said, before calling the prospect “very unlikely.” “Look, I’ve stated it very clearly and I just stated it again very clearly. I think it would be highly unlikely. I can’t imagine, but with, you know, we’re looking at everything, but highly unlikely. I guess I could say probably as close to ruling it out as possible, but I don’t want to. I don’t want to do anything now.” Pressed on whether he would abandon Ukraine in its efforts to stave off Russia's invasion , Trump said he would use U.S. support for Kyiv as leverage against Moscow in negotiating an end to the war. “I want to reach an agreement,” he said, “and the only way you’re going to reach an agreement is not to abandon.” Trump would not commit to supporting a two-state solution, with a Palestinian state alongside Israel, as he had previously. “I support whatever solution we can do to get peace," he said. "There are other ideas other than two state, but I support whatever, whatever is necessary to get not just peace, a lasting peace. It can’t go on where every five years you end up in tragedy. There are other alternatives.” Asked whether he trusted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , he told Time: “I don’t trust anybody.” Trump would not rule out the possibility of war with Iran during his second term. “Anything can happen. It’s a very volatile situation," he said. Asked if he has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin since the Nov. 5 election, Trump continued to play coy: "I can’t tell you. It’s just inappropriate.” Trump insisted that his bid to install Matt Gaetz as attorney general ”wasn’t blocked. I had the votes (in the Senate) if I needed them, but I had to work very hard.” When the scope of resistance to the former Republican congressman from Florida became clear, Trump said, “I talked to him, and I said, ‘You know, Matt, I don’t think this is worth the fight.'" Gaetz pulled out amid scrutiny over sex trafficking allegations, and Trump tapped former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi for the Cabinet post. Trump, who has named anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, did not rule out the possibility of eliminating some childhood vaccinations even though they have been proved safe in extensive studies and real world use in hundreds of millions of people over decades and are considered among the most effective public health measures in modern history. Pressed on whether “getting rid of some vaccinations” — neither Trump nor the interviewers specified which ones — might be part of the plan to improve the health of the country, Trump responded: “It could if I think it’s dangerous, if I think they are not beneficial, but I don’t think it’s going to be very controversial in the end.” “I think there could be, yeah," Trump said of the prospect of others in his family continuing in his footsteps. He pointed to daughter-in-law Lara Trump , who served as co-chair of the Republican National Committee and is now being talked about as a potential replacement for Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, whom Trump has chosen for secretary of state. Trump said the former and soon-to-be first lady Melania Trump will be joining him at the White House during second term and will "be active, when she needs to be.” “Oh yes,” he said. “She’s very beloved by the people, Melania. And they like the fact that she’s not out there in your face all the time for many reasons.”
The incoming administration of President Donald Trump, and the Republican-controlled Congress, are preparing to demand changes in South Africa’s foreign policy as the price for continued trade preferences from the United States. Fox News reported Thursday: Key Republicans are already pressing the incoming Trump administration to kick South Africa out of lucrative trade arrangements, should the South African government not change its position on Russia, China, Iran and Israel. ... South Africa joins Russia’s military aircraft and naval vessels on exercises, allowing Pretoria’s naval bases to be used by the Kremlin and Russia’s sanctioned warships. Senior South African military officials have received training in Moscow. At the U.N., South Africa has refused to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. South Africa’s majority ANC party has met with terror group Hamas, and recently one branch of the ANC supported a local Muslim leader who reportedly shouted to a cheering crowd, “I am Hamas, Cape Town is Hamas, Viva Hamas!” The government also issued a statement condemning the killing this year of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh . The country’s foreign minister, Ronald Lamola, spoke out against the “assassination” of this designated terrorist leader, saying “such acts of extrajudicial killings violate international law.” In addition, South Africa has led the charge at the UN’s International Court of Justice to accuse Israel of “genocide.” As Breitbart News has noted , the Trump administration holds unusual leverage over South Africa — not just because it is one of South Africa’s most important trading partners, but also because the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which benefits South Africa, comes up for renewal in 2025. Moreover, President-elect Donald Trump will likely travel to South Africa for the G-20 conference next November — but could also withdraw his participation. South Africa has returned former Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool to Washington, despite his history of support for radical Islamists in their fight against Israel. He is seen as a moderate and says South Africa should put away its “megaphone” on the Middle East, at least until it secures a renewal of AGOA. South Africa appears to expect that American beneficence will continue under Trump as it did under Joe Biden, but winds of change are blowing. Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of The Agenda: What Trump Should Do in His First 100 Days , available for pre-order on Amazon. He is also the author of The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency , now available on Audible. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak .
The 2024 Guangzhou International Auto Show opened grandly, highlighting the style of Chinas manufacturing industryOrchestra BioMed to Participate in the Piper Sandler 36th Annual Healthcare Conference
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose to records Tuesday after Donald Trump’s latest talk about tariffs created only some ripples on Wall Street, even if they could roil the global economy were they to take effect. The S&P 500 climbed 0.6% to top the all-time high it set a couple weeks ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 123 points, or 0.3%, to its own record set the day before, while the Nasdaq composite gained 0.6% as Microsoft and Big Tech led the way. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
Would you pay $700 a night to sleep under the stars at this Colorado resort?They’re tired of saying “Bring Them Home.” It’s been 14 months since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas kidnapped their family members — 14 months of agony, loneliness, anger and tears, with few glimmers of hope. On that fateful day, Hamas killed more than 1,200 people in Israel, beginning a war that continues today. Desperate to get the hostages freed, family members have been traveling around the world to plead their case. This week, they’re in South Florida, speaking with politicians, the media and community leaders, hoping for possible connections to President-elect Donald Trump’s administration and what they hope is his power to get the estimated 100 men, women and children out of captivity. The South Florida visit, which includes two events open to the public, is presented by We Are All Hostages, a volunteer organization that has helped hostage families travel to Washington, D.C., New York and Europe over the past few months. On Wednesday evening, the families will share their stories during a free forum at the David Posnack Jewish Community Center in Davie. The following night will feature an in-depth remembrance at the Nova Exhibition, an ongoing exhibit in North Miami that offers a timeline of events and remains rescued from the music festival grounds where 364 were killed on Oct. 7. The family members’ visit comes at a time when news reports say a deal to free the captives may be close to happening . Yehuda Cohen, father of hostage Nimrod Cohen, said he has heard reports like this before. “I don’t want to put my hopes too high because I don’t want to be disappointed again,” said Cohen, 55, an engineer at an American technology company in Rehovot, Israel. Nimrod Cohen, 20, was a soldier whose tank malfunctioned near the border with Gaza. His father plans to tell South Florida political leaders and community members that a ceasefire and hostage deal are the best way to get the Israelis out. In the meantime, he hopes his son somehow sees that he is fighting to get him freed. “I want him to know all the time that he’s not alone,” Cohen said. “I hope there is the smallest chance that my words get to him.” In addition to Cohen, the following family members are traveling in South Florida this week: “I could not miss this trip because maybe there is one word I will say that will liberate them,” Schnaider said. The family, natives of Peru, immigrated to Israel in 1971. His sister was Shiri Bibas’ mother, Margit, who was killed with her husband, Yossi, on Oct. 7 at Kibbutz Nir Oz. “I can’t erase from my mind how my sister died,” said Schnaider, 68, who lives in Kingston, New York. “I’m fighting for my family but also for every single hostage.” The families will share personal stories as relatives of hostages during a presentation, “Voices of Resilience,” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 18, at the David Posnack Jewish Community Center, 5850 S. Pine Island Road, Davie. Free; register at dpjcc.org/events . They will also speak at an in-depth remembrance of the Oct. 7 massacre at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 19, as part of the Nova Music Festival Exhibition, 12100 NE 16th Ave., North Miami. Cost is $18; register at novafestival.seetickets.com .