646jili
Senator Risa Hontiveros during the Kapihan sa Senado forum on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. Noy Morcoso/INQUIRER.net Some government officials have been “coaching” people behind the now-banned Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) on how to mask their continued operations, according to a senator who had led the inquiry into Pogos’ alleged ties to organized crime. Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros raised this concern on Thursday, a day after Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla confirmed that certain Pogos had defied the ban by “disguising” themselves as restaurants and resorts. READ: Palace issues EO in nationwide Pogo ban “Pogos are still operating and they are getting more creative. They are making ways to change or conceal their identity. Others were pretending to be legal BPO (business process outsourcing) firms. We received reports that some government officials were the ones giving them such advice,” Hontiveros said during the Kapihan sa Senado forum. “Those are the reports we have been getting—government officials coaching them to change their form, at least legally, and register as BPOs. But behind these ‘BPOs’ are continuing Pogo operations,” she added. Asked if these government officials would be summoned by her committee in connection with its probe of Pogos, Hontiveros said “no names were given to us. It’s just the phenomenon; that it’s happening.” “But since we publicized it already, let this serve as a warning: If that is true, you know who you are. They should stop it,” Hontiveros added. READ: House panel OKs bill banning Pogos, imposing strict penalties But she said she would consult lawyers on her staff on the possible actions that can be taken. “I’ll ask, is it obstruction of justice? Whatever it is, definitely there are accountabilities. And if the regulators and members of the executive who are mandated to implement the law are the very ones violating the Pogo ban ... their accountability is heavier,” Hontiveros stressed. She reminded local governments that they may also be held liable if they fail to detect illegal Pogo operations in their areas or are found to be “providing (them) legal cover.” Subscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy .
California lawmakers begin special session to protect state laws from second Trump presidency
Buster Posey may be trying to get more of the gang back together. The former NL MVP Posey, now the president of baseball operations for the San Francisco Giants, appeared this week on The Athletic’s “The Windup” podcast . During the episode, Posey revealed that beloved former Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner is interested in returning to the team in an undetermined coaching capacity. “He surprised me that he wants to have some kind of involvement,” Posey said of Bumgarner. “I kinda figured once he was done that [we would] kinda never hear from him again and he would just disappear and ... go be in the woods somewhere. “But I’m extremely excited about him being able to just share some of his experience with some of our young pitchers,” added Posey. “I don’t have anything set in stone with him yet, and I don’t want to jump to anything with him. But I’m just happy that it seems like there’s a willingness for him to want to give back because he’s just a wealth of knowledge.” Bumgarner, still only 35, was longtime battery mates with Posey in San Francisco. The lefty pitcher was on the Giants from 2009-19, earning four All-Star selections and featuring on San Francisco’s World Series-winning teams in 2010, 2012, and 2014 (including as World Series MVP in 2014). Bumgarner, who last pitched for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023, was also very well-loved by Giants fans, especially for his many fiery antics . With Posey now in charge of San Francisco’s front office (replacing the fired Farhan Zaidi), a ridiculous number of former Giants stars now have staff roles in the organization. It looks like Bumgarner could be next on deck. This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.
Jayden Daniels and the offense stalling have the Commanders on a three-game losing streak
Quarterback threw without pain Monday and 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan will wait until midweek to evaluate the progress of edge rusher and left tackle as the team determines whether they’ll play next weekend in Buffalo. It remains to be seen who will and won’t be available when the 49ers embark on a cross-country trip to face the AFC East-leading Bills, currently 9-2 and the No, 2 seed in the conference. The 49ers are expected to get a practice lift with the activation of linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who will begin his 21-day window off injured reserve after offseason Achilles surgery after being injured in the Super Bowl. Cornerback Charvarius Ward, who worked with the scout team last week as he works through his grief following the loss of his 23-month-old daughter, may also begin getting work again with the first team. Are things actually looking up for the 49ers? One thing for sure is that the 49ers are looking up at everybody else in the AFC West but are still only a game out of first place with Seattle and Arizona at 6-5 and the 49ers and Rams at 5-6. It’s clear to Shanahan that any pathway to the playoffs would be as a division title rather than as a wild card, where Washington holds the final spot at 7-5. “You look at the whole NFC picture and if you don’t win the division, 10-7 is not guaranteed to get in as a wild card by any means this year,” Shanahan told reporters during his weekly conference call. “That is why the Seattle game was so tough, and that’s why last night was even worse. “We know exactly what the playoff situation is, but really all that matters is this week when you do need to go on a run and put a lot of wins to even think of that, then you’d better be thinking of only one thing – and that’s Buffalo.” Should Purdy be unable to go, Shanahan said Brandon Allen would get a second start at quarterback after he played Sunday in Green Bay. Safeties Ji’Ayir Brown and Malik Mustapha and middle linebacker Fred Warner played every defensive snap. When Allen at quarterback and Jaylon Moore at left tackle play every snap (along with Colton McKivitz, Dominick Puni and Jake Brendel) then you know there’s a problem with injuries. And Allen and Moore were the least of their problems. Related Articles Leonard Floyd played 61 percent — about his usual number — even without Nick Bosa in the lineup. With 3 1/2 sacks in his last two games, he’s a half-sack behind Bosa for the team lead. Rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall Jr. played 67 percent of the snaps — the same as Deebo Samuel — and did not have a pass thrown his way. Robert Beal Jr. played a season-high number of snaps in Bosa’s absence at defensive end and did not appear on the stat sheet for having a tackle or an assist. Running back Jordan Mason has played 14 snaps in three games since McCaffrey’s return and has six carries for 26 yards. Tashaun Gipson was promoted to the 53-man roster but still hasn’t played on defense in three games at safety. He had four special teams snaps against Green Bay.The Post’s Joseph Staszewski brings you around the world of professional wrestling in his weekly Post Match Angle. It took some time for my head to wrap itself around it, to process and think back a little bit as to why creatively CM Punk and not Seth Rollins or Brock Lesnar was the best fifth man for Roman Reigns’ Survivor Series team. There is the obvious reason for Punk’s star power and his strong connection to Paul Heyman that a call from The Wise Man — after he reconnected his phone – made sense, as long as they don’t start calling him CM Uso. But as I thought about and factored in two key pieces of information, I started to appreciate Punk’s presence as not some callback to something in The Bloodline story, but the potential for a fresh and unfiltered voice in it – a chance to turn up the volume even more. After Punk helped clear the ring of Solo Sikoa’s Bloodline, Reigns looked confused at his presence, asking him – inaudibly – why he was there. Punk, the original Paul Heyman guy, told Reigns, it’s not about you but him — pointing to Heyman. Reigns replied by saying “He’s my Wise Man.” Punk quipped back with, “We’ll see.” An X user then posted Punk’s lone interaction with Sikoa’s crew back in June, when a scared-for-his-life Heyman asked “The Voice of the Voiceless” to “take me with you” away from the new Bloodline. Heyman hinted in August during an interview with Sam Roberts that his return would set up a year’s worth of storyline. Then, it clicked. Punk’s role in this can have three prongs. He should be seen as a threat by Reigns to take Heyman away from him and Punk helping out the OTC should further irk Rollins whenever it’s time for their feud. But more importantly, Punk needs to be an independent voice to call out Reigns for all the damage he’s done. Give Punk a microphone next Friday and let him absolutely tear into Reigns. “You know why I’m here? I’m here to help clean up the mess you left after WrestleMania,” Punk should say. “I’m here because you packed up and went home after losing to Cody Rhodes. You left Paul on his own, scared for his life as Solo moved into the void you created and it ultimately got him powerbombed through a table at Madison Square Garden while you were nowhere to found. Where were you? “So I’m here to make sure that never happens again and to help take out the people who hurt my friend Paul. I’m not here for you. I’m here for him because as long as Solo has any power, Paul’s not safe. I’ve shown you can’t be trusted to keep him safe. I’ll always look after him because he always looked after me, even if it means taking him far away from you.” Sure, Reigns can make a quip about Punk taking his ball and going home for 10 years. Punk can tap into having a hand in Reigns’ success after picking him to be in The Shield, but it will be hard for him to argue with anything that’s said. It immediately creates the riff needed to make fans ponder if this union is actually going to work at Survivor Series and foreshadow the eventual explosion between Punk and Reigns. We kind of know how Rollins and Lesnar’s interactions with Reigns here would end. Punk’s presence is much more open-ended for both he and Heyman — which could even include a betrayal. Let the next act begin. The 10 Count If Kevin Owens hadn’t taken out Randy Orton with a banned piledriver, he made a compelling case to be the babyface in this story with his promo on SmackDown — no lies detected. It obviously touched a nerve with Cody Rhodes and brought out a rage while attacking Carmelo Hayes we’ve rarely, if ever, seen from him since he arrived in WWE. The Julia Hart vignettes really have been some of the highlights of AEW TV the past few weeks. Maybe the best part of the behind the scenes footage of CM Punk’s return that WWE release is the look of nerves and joy and disbelief on his face right before he goes out. When the time is right, Johnny Gargano really should turn on his friend Alex Shelley and the Motor City Machine Guns. Mega-heel Johnny Gargano sounds like a fun thing to explore instead of another split with Tommaso Ciampa. Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods crushed their explosive argument on Raw after all the boiling frustration heading into the New Day’s 10-year celebration. It was raw and nothing was off limits — even Kingston’s WWE championship loss to Brock Lesnar. I wondered why the Chris Jerichi-Ishii contract signing was starting in the locker room, but it made a lot more sense as Jericho tried to escape to the ring without signing. A nice twist on an old concept. The field for the second Continental Classic is better than the first, though I was hoping to get Jay White back in to eventually face Continental champion Kazuchika Okada. Instead, I’m hoping for a first-time match between Okada and Ricochet in the final. If Finn Balor isn’t careful, he may suffer the same fate Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley have by trying to be Judgment Day’s leader. Bayley helping Bianca Belair ... a true gesture of trust or a decoy before a heel turn? Naomi sure looked suspicious too when the attack on Jade Cargill was brought up on Raw. Congrats to Ring of Honor Pure champion Lee Moriarty, who will have his painting debut at NADA Miami 2024 during art week from Dec 2-8. Moriarty’s paintings attempt to capture the duality of wrestling, often showing wrestlers in masks enjoying leisurely activities or embracing their more delicate nature. Social Media Post of the Week Wrestler of the Week Kyle Fletcher, AEW It was a coming-out party for the 25-year-old Aussie, who has spent a lot of time as a tag team wrestler. He got the biggest win of his career beating Will Ospreay at Full Gear on Saturday. Fletcher went toe-to-toe and move for move with arguably the best in-ring performer in the world and showed real promise in his ability to tell a story in the ring with his facial expressions and intensity. Next up is a spot in the Continental Classic, where the sky is the limit moving forward. Match to watch Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Sami Zayn vs. Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, Toma Tonga, Tonga Loa, Bronson Reed: Men’s WarGames at Survivor Series (Sunday, 6 p.m., Peacock) This will be the OG Bloodline’s first match together since they won WarGames two years ago, but will now include the combustible element that is CM Punk. So much of where the Bloodline story goes depends on the outcome of this match. A win by the OGs and they could be done with the new group. A loss, and Reigns will likely have to face Sikoa one-on-one for the right to be Tribal Chief. The Rock will find his way into this story eventually, but Sunday feels too soon.
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K Dobbins is unlikely to play against the Atlanta Falcons this week because of a knee injury. Dobbins was hurt in the first half of the Chargers’ 30-23 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night. He had six carries for 40 yards and three catches for 19 yards before leaving the game. Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh declined to get into specifics of the injury Wednesday, other than confirming Dobbins is “working through something with his knee,” he said. Dobbins had been putting together a strong first season for the Chargers (7-4) after his past three years in Baltimore had been injury-riddled. He has 766 yards rushing and eight touchdowns through 11 games for Los Angeles, which had positioned Dobbins as a strong candidate for AP Comeback Player of the Year. Dobbins tore his Achilles tendon in the 2023 season opener for Baltimore. He also tore his ACL in 2021, and the effects of that injury lingered into the following season. Dobbins played in just 24 of a possible 67 regular-season games for the Ravens, who drafted him in the second round in 2020. “We feel horrible for him,” quarterback Justin Herbert said. “He’s such a tough, tough teammate, and the way he’s fought through so many injuries, we have no doubt he’s going to be back better than ever. And so it’s up to us. It’s our responsibility to hold it down while he’s gone.” The absence of Dobbins leaves Gus Edwards, Hassan Haskins and rookie Kimani Vidal as the Chargers’ current options at running back. Edwards missed four games because of a high ankle sprain and has 206 yards and one touchdown in seven appearances. Haskins has mostly been a special teams contributor, while Vidal has been inactive for seven games, including each of the past three. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFLA majority of Supreme Court justices didn't seem convinced Monday that federal regulators misled companies before refusing to allow them to sell sweet-flavored vaping products following a surge in teen e-cigarette use. The conservative-majority court did raise questions about the Food and Drug Administration crackdown that included denials of more than a million nicotine products formulated to taste like fruit, dessert or candy. Teen vaping use has since dropped to its lowest level in a decade, but the agency could change its approach after the inauguration next month of President-elect Donald Trump, who has promised to “save” vaping. Vape companies have long marketed their products as a way to help adults quit traditional cigarettes, and say the FDA changed its standards with little warning and blocked the sale of over a million new flavored products. Justice Elena Kagan, though, was skeptical. “I guess I’m not really seeing what the surprise is here,” she said. “You knew what the FDA’s point of view was ... that blueberry vapes are really problematic in terms of youth smoking." RELATED STORY | Supreme Court decision could have endless impact on transgender medical care The FDA was slow to regulate the now multibillion-dollar vaping market, and even years into the crackdown flavored vapes that are technically illegal nevertheless remain widely available. The agency says the companies were denied because they couldn't show flavored vapes had a net public benefit, as laid out in the law. It has approved some tobacco-flavored vapes, and recently allowed its first menthol-flavored electronic cigarettes for adult smokers after the company provided data showing the product was more helpful in quitting, Deputy Solicitor General Curtis Gannon said. The issue came before the high court when the agency appealed a decision from the conservative 5th Circuit Court of Appeals tossing out one of its denials. While other lower courts rebuffed vaping company lawsuits, the 5th Circuit sided with Dallas-based company Triton Distribution. The decision allowed the sale of e-juices like “Jimmy The Juice Man in Peachy Strawberry" and “Suicide Bunny Mother's Milk and Cookies” which are heated by an e-cigarette to create an inhalable aerosol. RELATED STORY | Could Democrats pressure Justice Sotomayor to step down for replacement? Justice Neil Gorsuch questioned whether the FDA process had given the companies a fair chance to make their claims, given that their businesses were at stake. Conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh expressed concern about what recourse companies have if agencies issue misleading guidance, though he also elicited that the FDA wasn't required to issue the guidance it gave in the vaping case. “I'm trying to figure out what the legal error is here,” he said. The vape companies, he said, can reapply for sales authorization even if they don't win in court. Triton attorney Eric Heyer said that process would take so long that the company could be forced to close. The court has overall been skeptical of the power of federal regulators, including by striking down the so-called Chevron doctrine that had judges deferring to agencies' interpretation of the law. Justice Amy Coney Barrett questioned whether the vaping companies wanted the court to take that concept a step further. “It’s almost a reverse Chevron deference, except we're deferring to the applicant," she said. The court is expected to decide the case in the coming months.North Dakota lawmakers gather for day 1 of organizational sessionFantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Week 13 lineup advice, best matchups, DFS picks | Sporting News
Dow ends at fresh record as oil prices pull back on ceasefire hopes