Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt players before Birmingham Bowl gameCotton prices plunge to 3-year low, ginning mills sufferIn a message to the American people, the King expressed “great sadness” at the news of Mr Carter’s death, describing him as “a committed public servant” who “devoted his life to promoting peace and human rights”. He added: “His dedication and humility served as an inspiration to many, and I remember with great fondness his visit to the United Kingdom in 1977. “My thoughts and prayers are with President Carter’s family and the American people at this time.” Mr Carter, a former peanut farmer, served one term in the White House between 1977 and 1981 and spent his post-presidency years as a global humanitarian, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Carter had “lived his values in the service of others to the very end” through “decades of selfless public service”. Praising a “lifelong dedication to peace” that saw him win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, Sir Keir added: “Motivated by his strong faith and values, President Carter redefined the post-presidency with a remarkable commitment to social justice and human rights at home and abroad.” Tributes to Mr Carter followed the announcement of his death by his family on Sunday, more than a year after he decided to enter hospice care. His son, Chip Carter, said: “My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love.” US President Joe Biden, one of the first elected politicians to endorse Mr Carter’s bid for the presidency in 1976, said the world had “lost an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian”. He said: “Over six decades, we had the honour of calling Jimmy Carter a dear friend. But, what’s extraordinary about Jimmy Carter, though, is that millions of people throughout America and the world who never met him thought of him as a dear friend as well. “With his compassion and moral clarity, he worked to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil rights and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless, and always advocate for the least among us.” Vice President Kamala Harris said Mr Carter “reminded our nation and the world that there is strength in decency and compassion”. “His life and legacy continue to inspire me — and will inspire generations to come,” she said. “Our world is a better place because of President Carter.” Other UK politicians also paid tribute to Mr Carter. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said he was “an inspiration” who “led a truly remarkable life dedicated to public service with a genuine care for people”. Scottish First Minister John Swinney described the former president as “a good, decent, honest man who strove for peace in all that he did”, while Welsh First Minister said he was “a remarkable man” and “a humanitarian and scholar”. Former prime minister Sir Tony Blair said Mr Carter’s “life was a testament to public service”. He added: “I always had the greatest respect for him, his spirit and his dedication. He fundamentally cared and consistently toiled to help those in need.” Gordon Brown, another former prime minister, said it was a “privilege” to have known Mr Carter, who “will be mourned, not just in America, but in every continent where human rights are valued”. Mr Carter is expected to receive a state funeral featuring public observances in Atlanta, Georgia, and Washington DC before being buried in his hometown of Plains, Georgia. A moderate democrat born in Plains in October 1924, Mr Carter’s political career took him from the Georgia state senate to the state governorship and, finally, the White House, where he took office as 39th president in the wake of the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam War. His presidency saw economic disruption amid volatile oil prices, along with social tensions at home and challenges abroad including the Iranian revolution that sparked a 444-day hostage crisis at the US embassy in Tehran. But he also brokered the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel, which led to a peace treaty between the two countries in 1979. After his defeat in the 1980 presidential election, he worked more than four decades leading The Carter Centre, which he and his late wife Rosalynn co-founded in 1982 to “wage peace, fight disease, and build hope”. Under his leadership, the Carter Center virtually eliminated Guinea Worm disease, which has gone from affecting 3.5 million people in Africa and Asia in 1986 to just 14 in 2023. Mrs Carter, who died last year aged 96, had played a more active role in her husband’s presidency than previous first ladies, with Mr Carter saying she had been “my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished”. Earlier this year, on his 100th birthday, Mr Carter received a private congratulatory message from the King, expressing admiration for his life of public service
Sundry Photography Coupang, Inc. ( NYSE: CPNG ) stock, termed “the Amazon of South Korea,” dropped today along with most South Korean stocks. The declaration of martial law (now in doubt ) by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, even Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of CPNG either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.Denmark boosts Greenland defence spending after Trump calls for US controlAmerican Airlines said on Tuesday its flights had resumed after a technical glitch forced the carrier to issue an hour-long ground stop, disrupting travel for thousands on Christmas Eve, one of the busiest periods of the year. A vendor technology issue briefly affected its ability to get planes in the air, the carrier said, without identifying the provider. While customers were still pressing for details on their delayed flights, the relatively brief stoppage means American will likely avoid a full-scale meltdown that could ripple for days during the peak holiday travel season. "Not a good start to Christmas Eve travel as current flight is grounded and Captain cannot provided ETA on resolution from system outage and/or paperwork error at national level. Will make connections or refunds more complicated too," a user said, tagging American Airlines on X. Shares of the carrier were down 0.6% in morning trade. It is the latest technical snag after carriers were hit by a global tech outage tied to Microsoft's Azure cloud platform and a software issue at cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike earlier this year. The outage had cost Delta Air Lines at least $500 million. Two years ago, Southwest Airlines experienced a meltdown with its systems during the holidays that led to 16,900 flight cancellations and stranded 2 million passengers. It was eventually fined $140 million in the largest-ever civil penalty for a travel disruption. Airlines have upgraded their cybersecurity and operational software systems, but given that there was an exodus of talented workers during the pandemic, the glitches over the last few years are not altogether unexpected, said Ken Quinn, partner at law firm Clyde & Co. American Airlines operates thousands of flights per day to more than 350 destinations in more than 60 countries. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration in a statement on Tuesday referred Reuters to the airline, reiterating that the carrier had reported a technical issue. The issue with American was reportedly the inability of an automated system to calculate or deliver weight and balance (passenger/baggage/cargo mass and overall center of gravity) data required to legally dispatch each flight, said Robert Mann, a former airline executive who now runs a consulting firm. The management system may have been unable to load and compute engine power requirements and takeoff performance, he said. American Airlines was not immediately available to elaborate on the technical snag on Tuesday. The airline, along with its wholly owned regional carriers in the U.S., has canceled over 23,000 flights, or about 1.3% of their scheduled flights this year, according to FlightAware data. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen a record 40 million passengers over the holidays.
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Americans stocking up for this year’s Thanksgiving dinner should see a dip in their grocery bills for the second year in a row, according to the 39th annual American Farm Bureau Federation survey of the ingredients for a classic feast. A dinner for 10 is estimated to cost $58.90 in the Midwest, down 5% from last year. However, this is still 19% higher than pre-pandemic years. While consumers are getting some relief after years of elevated retail prices, these grocery bills also reflect some hard conversations around the dinner table for farm and ranch families. “We should all be thankful that we live in a country with such an abundant food supply,” Zippy Duval, the American Farm Bureau president, said in a statement Wednesday. “We are seeing modest improvements in the cost of a Thanksgiving dinner for a second year, but America’s families, including farm families, are still being hurt by high inflation.” For one week each year, volunteer shoppers from all 50 states and Puerto Rico visit their local grocery store or its website to survey the prices of items for the feast. Since 1986, the volunteers have collected price data on turkey, cubed stuffing, sweet potatoes, dinner rolls, frozen peas, fresh cranberries, celery, carrots, pumpkin pie mix and crusts, whipping cream and whole milk. Thanksgiving meals in 2024 will cost different amounts, depending on where they are being prepared. The bill for a classic dinner is a mixed bag of savings and squeezes. Seven items dropped in price this year, including turkey, sweet potatoes, frozen peas, a vegetable tray of carrots and celery, pumpkin pie mix, pie crusts and whole milk. However, the remaining four items — dinner rolls, fresh cranberries, whipping cream and cubed stuffing — rose in price. Over the span of the survey, turkey has accounted for an average of 43% of the total dinner cost. This year is right on the mark, the farm bureau said a 16-pound turkey accounts for 44.2% of the cost of a 10-person dinner. Given its large share of the total dinner bill, differences in the grocery bill year-over-year closely follow the change in turkey prices. “The turkey is traditionally the main attraction on the Thanksgiving table and is typically the most expensive part of the meal,” said Bernt Nelson, an economist with the farm bureau. “The American turkey flock is the smallest it’s been since 1985 because of avian influenza, but overall demand has also fallen, resulting in lower prices at the grocery store for families planning a holiday meal.” According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Turkeys Raised report, farmers raised 205 million turkeys in 2024, down 6% from last year and the lowest since 1985. The highly communicable avian influenza is responsible for the decline. Typically, fewer turkeys would mean an increase in price, but demand for turkey fell in 2024. USDA estimates per capita demand for turkey is 13.9 pounds per person, down a pound from 2023. This drop in demand has caused prices to fall, according to the farm bureau. Prices for ham, Russet potatoes and frozen green beans were added to the survey in 2018 to reflect more Thanksgiving favorites, with all of them showing a year-over-year reduction in price. When including the additional items, the meal cost rose to $77.34, or $7.73 per person, with more leftovers, of course. The largest increases in the Thanksgiving dinner bill this year come from processed products. Dinner rolls and cubed stuffing both increased over 8% from 2023. Nonfood inflation and labor shortages have driven up costs for partners across the food supply chain. Buying the goods for Thanksgiving dinner will be a little bit less expensive in 2024 than it was in recent years. Fresh cranberries had the next-largest price increase at 12%. This is a stabilization of prices after a significant 18% drop in prices from 2022 to 2023. Despite the year-over-year price increase, cranberries are still more affordable than historical averages. In fact, when adjusted for inflation, this is the lowest price for cranberries since 1987. The prices for Thanksgiving staples vary across the U.S. In the West, a grocery bill will be at least 14% steeper than the rest of the country: $67.05 for a party of 10. The other regions of the U.S. are lower by $8 or more. Southern dinners will cost the least at $56.81, followed closely by the Northeast at $57.36 and $58.90 in the Midwest, which includes Nebraska. Even though the price tag for this year’s Thanksgiving meal is down 5%, it’s still up nearly 20% from just five years ago. The average American also has to work fewer hours to buy the same meal than in previous years. Wages continued to grow faster following the COVID-19 pandemic, even as inflation cooled. Because average wages rose 4% from 2023 to 2024, it took 9% less work time for us to pay for this year’s Thanksgiving dinner. kevin.cole@owh.com , 402-444-1272 We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter.CATL Launches the Bedrock Chassis That Withstands 120 km/h Impact Without Catching Fire or ExplodingUS Economy Surprised Again in 2024 Despite Fed, Election DramaBrazil’s Supreme Court on Wednesday started examining four cases that turn on how far social media should be regulated, and what responsibilities platforms have in cracking down on illegal content. The judicial review comes a month after the same court forced Elon Musk’s X platform to obey rulings aimed at battling online disinformation. That issue has taken on heat in recent days in Brazil, with federal police accusing far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro and allied officials of using social media disinformation as part of a 2022 “coup” plot against Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, then the country’s president-elect. The alleged plot involved using online posts to undermine public trust in the electoral system to justify Bolsonaro holding onto the presidency after Lula defeated him at the polls. Bolsonaro says he is innocent. The Supreme Court’s deliberations in the cases are not expected to be concluded until sometime next year. One key point it is looking at is whether social media platforms can be fined for illegal content posted by users. Another is whether the platforms should themselves be required to monitor and remove any illegal content without a prior court order to do so. The court’s rulings will become precedents that will have to be applied generally to all social media platforms operating in Brazil. Brazil — many of whose 216 million inhabitants are heavy users of WhatsApp and Facebook — does not have legislation in that area. Global social media networks, however, already have to abide by laws in the EU against illegal online content, under the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which could guide them in terms of Brazilian compliance. One of the Brazilian Supreme Court’s judges, Alexandre de Moraes, in August ordered Musk’s X be blocked across the country for failing to comply with a series of court orders against online disinformation. On October 9, the platform was allowed to resume activities after paying around $5 million in fines and deactivating the accounts of several Bolsonaro supporters accused of spreading disinformation and online hate speech. The court’s presiding judge, Luis Roberto Barroso, told AFP that “digital platforms... open paths to disinformation, hate, deliberate lies and conspiracy theories.” He added: “In the whole democratic world there are debates about protecting free speech without permitting everyone to fall into a pit of incivility.” He pointed to the European Union’s DSA as a form of regulation “that seeks a point of ideal equilibrium”. Brazil, in his opinion, should carve out its own regulation “with a minimum of government intervention where it comes to freedom of thought, while preventing increased criminality and inciting violence.” With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.
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Vance takes on a more visible transition role, working to boost Trump’s most contentious picksKing and PM honour former US president Jimmy Carter after his death aged 100DEAR DEIDRE: I KNOW I’ll end up sitting alone on Christmas Day with my two cats for company while my boyfriend is up to heaven knows what. We’ve been together for two years and he works away most of the time up North. I live in the South. He’s got a business selling cheap household products and says he has to travel to collect stock. He then moves it on at car-boot sales or sells it to small convenience stores. He visits once a month, I cook him a meal and we have sex, but he never wants to know about me. He never wants to talk to me. In fact the only time I really have his attention is for five minutes when he takes me to bed for a bit of passion. When he’s staying, he has an Xbox at my house so he’s either on that or his phone. I’m 34 and he’s 39. I saw some heart emojis come up on a text from somebody and then I found some condoms in his washbag but we never use them. I know he still talks to his ex-wife. They’ve got two kids together. He tells me he stays in an apartment when he’s up in Scotland or Newcastle but he often declines my calls. He won’t allow me the app, Find My Friends so that I can see where he is. I’ve asked him whether I could be with him for Christmas this year but he said, “No love. I’m a busy man.” Am I being taken for a fool? DEIDRE SAYS: Even if this man isn’t cheating, ask yourself what exactly does he bring to the party. It sounds like you’re looking for commitment, not a monthly booty call. Is this man capable of offering you that? I see someone who’s taking advantage of your kind hospitality and picking you up and dropping you as he wishes. Don’t take this as a rejection of you. It sounds as if he’s a commitment-phobe with his own issues, possibly with another woman who he’s cheating on too. This is a destructive, dead-end, no-strings-sex arrangement which will only leave you feeling used. Tell him that being casual isn’t right for you. You want a full-on relationship. If he has any serious feelings for you he’ll soon be asking for more. If not, move on. My support pack called Your Lover Not Free will help you to realise that you deserve better. Every problem gets a personal reply from one of our trained counsellors. Fill out and submit our easy-to-use and confidential form and the Dear Deidre team will get back to you. You can also send a private message on the DearDeidreOfficial Facebook page or email us at: deardeidre@the-sun.co.uk
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Washington — A number of Republican senators have expressed concern about Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's choice to lead the Defense Department, potentially putting his intended nomination at risk. Hegseth, who has been meeting with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill this week to try to build support ahead of his confirmation hearings, has faced a round of negative stories involving allegations of sexual misconduct, financial mismanagement at veterans' charities , repeated intoxication and infidelity. "Some of these articles are very disturbing. He obviously has a chance to defend himself here, but some of this stuff is, it's going to be difficult," Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told reporters Tuesday. "Time will tell." Sen. Kevin Cramer, a North Dakota Republican, also said he found the allegations "disturbing" but added, "We all love a good redemption story." Cramer suggested Hegseth's alleged behavior stemmed from alcohol abuse, adding that "almost everything else can come from that one abuse." Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, who noted he has also read the reporting and is aware of the allegations, said Hegseth will have to address them. "I want to know if they are true and I want to hear his side of the story and he is going to have to address them," he said Tuesday, adding that he wasn't sure if Hegseth's nomination would face headwinds. On Monday, the New Yorker reported that before he became a full-time Fox News host, Hegseth was forced to step down from two nonprofit advocacy groups — Veterans for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America — amid complaints about his alleged behavior that included repeatedly being intoxicated while on the job, leading a hostile work environment and mismanaging the charities' funds. CBS News reported that Jessie Jane Duff, a Marine veteran who served as one of Trump's 2024 campaign executive directors, was among those who pushed to have him ousted from Concerned Veterans for America in 2016. A lawyer for Hegseth has denied the allegations. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, a Wyoming Republican, said Tuesday that the allegations "are a surprise to all of us" and that his ability to be confirmed by the Senate "depends on how he addresses the issues that have been raised." Lummis said the allegations also came as a surprise to Trump. "Some of the earlier issues that were raised about an incident in California, I think were satisfactorily addressed and would not have interfered with his nomination, but some new things that have come to light in the last 12 to 14 hours are things he needs to address," she said. Hegseth, an Army veteran turned Fox News star, was investigated for sexual assault in 2017 in Monterey, California. Authorities declined to file charges in the case, saying none were "supported by proof beyond a reasonable doubt." Hegseth told investigators that the sexual encounter with the woman was consensual and he has denied any wrongdoing. He paid a confidential settlement to the woman out of concern that her accusation could result in his firing from Fox News, his lawyer said after the claims became public in mid-November. But Sen. Tommy Tuberville pushed back on the notion that Trump may have concern about his pick. "I talked to him last night," the Alabama Republican said Tuesday. "I don't think there's any concern. Why would there be?" Asked Monday whether he thought the Senate would confirm him to lead the Pentagon, Hegseth said he was "taking it meeting by meeting." Trump has already had one Cabinet pick withdraw from the process. Former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida pulled his name from consideration amid scrutiny over allegations of sex trafficking and illicit drug use, which he denies. Alan He contributed to this report. United States Senate Donald Trump Pete Hegseth Defense Department Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.AP Sports SummaryBrief at 2:35 p.m. EST
The 9-2 Minnesota Vikings are preparing for their first home game in nearly a month, this week vs the Arizona Cardinals . They haven’t played in front of the league’s best crowd at U.S. Bank Stadium since November 3, a win over the Indianapolis Colts. There has been a lot of construction going on with the roster, the last couple days. On Tuesday , we saw them place ILB Ivan Pace Jr. on Injured Reserve. They also signed inside linebacker Jamin Davis, off the Green Bay Packers practice squad, and activated UDFA outside linebacker Gabe Murphy off of IR. Minnesota Vikings roster construction continued on Wednesday Wednesday was more of the same... but different. After days of rumors connecting Daniel Jones to the Minnesota Vikings, it was announced this morning that he was indeed signing with the purple. This afternoon, more roster moves were announced. One day after being activated to the 53-man , Gabe Murphy was waived. As long as he isn’t claimed, it’s expected that the UDFA out of UCLA will land on the Vikings’ practice squad. Taking his place on the active roster is long-snapper, Jake McQuaide. Tight end Nick Muse was signed to the practice squad, after he was activated to the 53-man on November 23 , then waived on November 25. The #Vikings have announced the following roster moves – Signed LS Jake McQuaide to the 53-man roster – Signed TE Nick Muse to the practice squad – Waived OLB Gabriel Murphy pic.twitter.com/ZTCvpiWehT Daniel Jones is not expected to arrive in Eagan, until Friday, according to head coach Kevin O’Connell . That means we’ll probably see him added to the practice squad roster, at that time. That’s probably around the same time that Murphy will join the practice squad, as well. LS Jake McQuaide was signed a few weeks ago, after Pro Bowl long-snapper Andrew DePaola was placed on injured reserve. He and replacement kicker John Parker Romo have played together in the past . The two have helped combine for 8-of-8 on field goal tries, since putting on a Minnesota Vikings uniform in week 10 . This article first appeared on Minnesota Sports Fan and was syndicated with permission.