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WASHINGTON — Former Rep. Matt Gaetz said Friday that he will not be returning to Congress after withdrawing his name from consideration to be attorney general under President-elect Donald Trump amid growing allegations of sexual misconduct. “I’m still going to be in the fight, but it’s going to be from a new perch. I do not intend to join the 119th Congress,” Gaetz told conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, adding that he has “some other goals in life that I’m eager to pursue with my wife and my family.” The announcement comes a day after Gaetz, a Florida Republican, stepped aside from the Cabinet nomination process amid growing fallout from federal and House Ethics investigations that cast doubt on his ability to be confirmed as the nation’s chief federal law enforcement officer. The 42-year-old has vehemently denied the allegations against him. Gaetz’s nomination as attorney general had stunned many career lawyers inside the Justice Department, but reflected Trump’s desire to place a loyalist in a department he has marked for retribution following the criminal cases against him. Hours after Gaetz withdrew, Trump nominated Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general, who would come to the job with years of legal work under her belt and that other trait Trump prizes above all: loyalty. It’s unclear what’s next for Gaetz, who is no longer a member of the House. He surprised colleagues by resigning from Congress the same day that Trump nominated him for attorney general. Some speculated he could still be sworn into office for another two-year term on Jan. 3, given that he had just won reelection earlier this month. But Gaetz, who has been in state and national politics for 14 years, said he’s done with Congress. “I think that eight years is probably enough time in the United States Congress,” he said.
Having concluded the nonconference portion of its schedule with four consecutive wins, No. 15 Houston will open Big 12 play with something of a clean slate. The Cougars (8-3) resemble the squad that claimed the regular-season Big 12 title in their first year in the league last season as they head to Stillwater, Okla., to face Oklahoma State on Monday. Their balanced offense was on full display in an 87-51 home victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Dec. 21, with Emanuel Sharp (18 points), L.J. Cryer (17), Terrance Arceneaux (13) and Milos Uzan (12) sharing the load as Houston made a season-high 14 3-pointers. The offensive display provided a complement to the Cougars' usual brand of stifling defense and tenacious rebounding, and Houston coach Kelvin Sampson found it worth celebrating for a team whose shortcomings are too often overanalyzed. "You can't always just focus on things you've got to get better at," Sampson said. "You'll never focus on the things you're good at." Oklahoma State will represent a step up in weight class, with the depth and athleticism to challenge the Cougars' emerging offense. That comes as no surprise for the Cougars, who quickly became accustomed to the rigors of the Big 12, especially when the stakes are highest on the road. "Being able to get shots at the goal and taking care of the ball in the hostile environment is always going to be a challenge when you go on the road in this league," Sampson said. "That's what we'll be challenged with." The Cowboys (8-3) improved to 5-0 at home with their 86-74 victory over Oral Roberts on Dec. 22. Senior forward Abou Ousmane paired a season-high 19 points with a team-high seven rebounds in the victory, further validating the need for Oklahoma State to run more of its offense through its second-leading scorer. Ousmane averages 12.2 points per game for the Cowboys, second to Marchelus Avery (13.0). "It helps when we get him the basketball," first-year Cowboys coach Steve Lutz said of Ousmane. "We don't throw him the basketball enough. To his credit, he runs in transition, he seals for the most part darn near every time and our guards have to do a better job as they come across halfcourt of getting their head up and reading where the big is and (determining) can we get him the basketball. "That's going to be our quickest and best opportunity to score. We've got to continue to focus on throwing the ball inside to him." Oklahoma State enters conference play with momentum, having won four of its last five games. And while nonconference losses to Florida Atlantic, Nevada and Oklahoma proved disappointing, the setbacks showed the Cowboys have room for improvement. "We still have a lot of work to do," Lutz said. "We still have a lot of growth. I don't ever like to look ahead at the beginning of the season and say our record should be X and X. I try to focus more on the day-to-day progress of our team, and there are days where I think we make progress and days where we slip back a little bit. "We've got to continue with the process and get better and better each day." --Field Level MediaAfter the declaration of the results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir, political experts were giving sermons that Omar Abdullah was incapable of leading the National Conference as he himself lost elections from the north Kashmir's Baramulla Parliamentary segment. The political experts had reasons to question capability of Omar to lead Jammu and Kashmir's oldest political party in the coming Assembly elections because margin of his defeat was more than two lakhs. But within three months after getting a crushing defeat Omar Abdullah not only won elections from two Assembly segments but also steered his party National Conference to a historic victory in the political history of Jammu and Kashmir. Omar Abdullah became the first Chief Minister of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The year 2024 was an eventful period in the political life of Omar Abdullah from a losser he emerged as victorious by heading the first popular government in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It was a year that started from the defeat in the Lok Sabha elections to the heights of victory in Assembly polls for the National Conference vice president, who had earlier announced not to contest Assembly polls unless restoration of statehood in Jammu and Kashmir. Political journey in 2024 started with a defeat Omar Abdullah witnessed ups and downs in the year 2024 as he started his political journey with a defeat in the Lok Sabha elections from north Kashmir's Baramulla Parliamentary constituency. In a political gamble, Omar Abdullah decided to contest the Lok Sabha election from north Kashmir's Baramulla seat but he was defeated by jailed leader Abdul Rashid Sheikh, popularly known as Engineer Rashid, who contested the election as an Independent candidate defeated Omar Abdullah by a margin of 2.04 lakh votes. Engineer Rashid secured 4,72,481 votes while Omar Abdullah managed to get 2, 68, 339 votes. Omar Abdullah himself admitted that defeat from the Baramulla seat was a setback for him and many questions were raised over his political career and his ability to lead his party in the upcoming Assembly elections in the Union Territory. Surprising comeback in three months Undeterred by defeat in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Omar Abdullah took it a challenge to campaign for his party in the upcoming Assembly elections. With the announcement of Assembly elections on August 16, 2024, Omar Abdullah started an aggressive campaign for the National Conference. Although Omar Abdullah had earlier announced not to contest Assembly elections in the Union Territory, he decided to join the electoral battle to boost the morale of his party candidates and workers. The decision seemed risky to many, but it became a testimony to his political astuteness. Omar Abdullah launched the election campaign with new energy and focus. He promised stability, development, and effective representation to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, focusing on local issues. The results of the Assembly elections were surprising and encouraging for Omar Abdullah contested two Assembly seats and won comfortably on both of the seats. Omar Abdullah won the Ganderbal Assembly segment by a margin of 10574 votes by defeating Peoples Democratic Party's candidate Bashir Ahmed Dar and the Budgam seat by defeating Peoples Democratic Party candidate Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi by a margin of 18485 votes. Formation of the first popular government in Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah created history by winning Assembly elections for his party, the National Conference. Out of a total 90 Assembly seats, the National Conference emerged as a single largest party by winning 42 seats. With the support of six Independent MLA, Omar Abdullah managed to secure a majority in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly and became first Chief Minister of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The Omar Abdullah-led regime became the first popular government after the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir became a Union Territory. Through his political ability and power to connect with the people, Omar Abdullah took his party back to power. Future challenges Although the year 2024 was a symbol of victory for Omar Abdullah, the challenges before him are not less. The new government faces many complex issues such as unemployment, development and restoring public faith in the democratic process. Apart from this, running a coalition government with independent MLAs also requires political acumen and consensus building. Nevertheless, 2024 will be considered a defining chapter in Omar Abdullah's political career, in which he silenced critics and scripted one of the most remarkable comeback stories in Indian politics. As Jammu and Kashmir looks to the future, Omar Abdullah's triumph and resurrection in 2024 will be remembered as an important chapter in the region's political history. "Reimagining Jammu and Kashmir" is a visual masterpiece of resilience and progress, a must read Light rain, snow likely in J&K during next 24 hours Reservation Row in J&K: Why is BJP, Congress Silent Amid Rising Demand for RationalizationDiljit Dosanjh Honors Manmohan Singh at Concert
NEW YORK (AP) — Bitcoin extended its streak of record highs after ticking above $99,000 for the first time. The cryptocurrency has rocketed more than 40% in just two weeks. Now, bitcoin is at the doorstep of $100,000, just two years after dropping below $17,000 following the collapse of crypto exchange FTX . The dramatic rally rolls on as industry players expect the incoming Trump administration to bring a more “crypto-friendly” approach toward regulating the digital currency. Bitcoin was trading at $99,526 Friday afternoon, according to CoinDesk. As with everything in the volatile crypto markets, the future is impossible to know. And while some are bullish, other experts continue to warn of investment risks. Here’s what you need to know. Cryptocurrency has been around for a while now. But, chances are, you've heard about it more and more over the last few years. In basic terms, cryptocurrency is digital money. This kind of currency is designed to work through an online network without a central authority — meaning it’s typically not backed by any government or banking institution — and transactions get recorded with technology called a blockchain. Bitcoin is the largest and oldest cryptocurrency, although other assets like ethereum, tether and dogecoin have also gained popularity over the years. Some investors see cryptocurrency as a “digital alternative” to traditional money, but the large majority of daily financial transactions are still conducted using fiat currencies such as the dollar. Also, bitcoin can be very volatile, with its price reliant on larger market conditions. A lot of the recent action has to do with the outcome of the U.S. presidential election. Crypto industry players have welcomed Trump’s victory, in hopes that he would be able to push through legislative and regulatory changes that they’ve long lobbied for — which, generally speaking, aim for an increased sense of legitimacy without too much red tape. Trump, who was once a crypto skeptic, recently pledged to make the U.S. “the crypto capital of the planet” and create a “strategic reserve” of bitcoin. His campaign accepted donations in cryptocurrency and he courted fans at a bitcoin conference in July. He also launched World Liberty Financial, a new venture with family members to trade cryptocurrencies. How of this will actually pan out — and whether or not Trump will successfully act quickly on these promises — has yet to be seen. “This is not necessarily a short-term story, it’s likely a much longer-term story," Citi macro strategist David Glass told The Associated Press last week. "And there is the question of how quickly can U.S. crypto policy make a serious impact on (wider adoption).” One step Trump must take in the short-term is name a new head of the Securities and Exchange Commission, which shares oversight of cryptocurrencies. Gary Gensler, current chair of the SEC, has led the U.S. government’s crackdown on crypto over recent years, penalizing a number of companies for violating securities laws. But he's also faced criticism from industry players in the process, like the chief legal officer of Robinhood , who described Gensler's approach toward crypto as “rigid” and "hostile.” Gensler will step down in January when Trump takes office. Adam Morgan McCarthy, a research analyst at Kaiko, thinks the industry is craving “just some sort of clarity.” Much of the approach to regulating crypto in the past has been “enforcement based,” he notes, which has been helpful in weeding out some bad actors — but legislation might fill in other key gaps. Despite crypto’s recent excitement around Trump, McCarthy said that 2024 has already been a “hugely consequential year for regulation in the U.S.” — pointing to January’s approval of spot bitcoin ETFs, for example, which mark a new way to invest in the asset. Spot ETFs have been the dominant driver of bitcoin for some time now — but, like much of the crypto’s recent momentum, saw record inflows postelection. According to Kaiko , bitcoin ETFs recorded $6 billion in trade volume for the week of the election alone. In April, bitcoin also saw its fourth “halving” — a preprogrammed event that impacts production by cutting the reward for mining, or the creation of new bitcoin, in half. In theory, if demand remains strong, some analysts say this “supply shock” can also help propel the price long term. Others note it may be too early to tell. History shows you can lose money in crypto as quickly as you’ve made it. Long-term price behavior relies on larger market conditions. Trading continues at all hours, every day. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, bitcoin stood at just over $5,000. Its price climbed to nearly $69,000 by November 2021, during high demand for technology assets, but later crashed during an aggressive series of Federal Reserve rate hikes. And the late-2022 collapse of FTX significantly undermined confidence in crypto overall, with bitcoin falling below $17,000. Investors began returning in large numbers as inflation started to cool — and gains skyrocketed on the anticipation and then early success of spot ETFs. But experts still stress caution, especially for small-pocketed investors. And lighter regulation from the coming Trump administration could mean less guardrails. “I would say, keep it simple. And don’t take on more risk than you can afford to," McCarthy said — adding that there isn't a “magic eight ball” to know for certain what comes next. Assets like bitcoin are produced through a process called “mining,” which consumes a lot of energy. Operations relying on pollutive sources have drawn particular concern over the years. Recent research published by the United Nations University and Earth’s Future journal found that the carbon footprint of 2020-2021 bitcoin mining across 76 nations was equivalent to the emissions from burning 84 billion pounds of coal or running 190 natural gas-fired power plants. Coal satisfied the bulk of bitcoin’s electricity demands (45%), followed by natural gas (21%) and hydropower (16%). Environmental impacts of bitcoin mining boil largely down to the energy source used. Industry analysts have maintained that clean energy has increased in use in recent years, coinciding with rising calls for climate protections
Lindian Resources taps experienced resources executive Blake Steele for director role