Stock market today: Wall Street slips as the 'Magnificent 7' weighs down the market
B.C. Premier David Eby is promising to seek new export opportunities for the province after U.S. president-elect Donald Trump threatened to impose a 25-per-cent tariff on all Mexican and Canadian goods. British Columbia exports billions of dollars’ worth of commodities and products – coal and lumber, plastics and machinery – every month, with just over half bound for the United States. It could be worse. Canada as a whole sends three-quarters of its exports to the U.S. B.C. has less exposure to that single market thanks to a long-running policy, embraced by political parties of every stripe, of maintaining a diversified trade portfolio. “We’re going to continue to do our work to expand those trading opportunities,” Mr. Eby told reporters Wednesday. In the 1980s, B.C.’s political leaders set their economic sights on Asia, opening trade offices in Hong Kong, South Korea and Japan with the intent of reducing the province’s dependence on its dominant customer to the south. The province has bankrolled countless trade missions and now maintains 19 overseas trade offices. Yet the U.S. has consistently remained its most important trading partner over the past four decades. At best, the diversification strategy has dampened the siren call of the behemoth at its doorstep. “Canada is so privileged to be next door to this giant economic engine of the United States,” noted former B.C. premier Glen Clark in an interview. “We understand the laws there, we understand the language, we understand the people, and it’s very close, so it’s a natural.” But too much dependence on a single market – no matter how big, no matter how easy – comes with risk. Mr. Trump’s tariff threat should be a catalyst for a fresh commitment to cultivate new markets, said Mr. Clark, who led 13 trade missions to China alone during his term as premier, from 1996 to 1999. “Reviving that trade policy, only with different focus on parts of the world, makes a lot of sense as we move forward in this kind of dangerous time.” In 1987, Mike Harcourt, then the NDP opposition leader, stood up in the legislature and endorsed the Social Credit government’s early trade missions. Even as some Socred backbenchers dismissed the trips as “boondoggles,” Mr. Harcourt pressed for a more aggressive strategy. “We support those initiatives, but we’re not bold enough,” he said, insisting that the province needed to establish outposts in China and India. At the time, the Canada-U.S. softwood lumber dispute was demonstrating the ability of the U.S. to cripple the province’s forest sector. That conflict continues today – a textbook example for Canada of how U.S. protectionism can supersede good trade relations. British Columbia’s position as a trade gateway for Pacific Rim countries was already a reality before politicians tried to help. The year Mr. Harcourt was calling for trade offices in China, just 46 per cent of the province’s exports went to the United States. When he became Premier in 1991, Mr. Harcourt took the opportunity to pursue new markets aggressively. “I started talking about Vancouver being, not the last stop of the CPR railway, but the front door to Asia for Canada,” he said in an interview. But today he believes the province’s trade strategy needs an urgent update to prepare for 2025, when Mr. Trump returns to office. B.C.’s Trade Diversification Strategy was updated in 2023, but much has changed since. The value of softwood lumber exports has stagnated and is now rivalled by sales of machinery and equipment. Meanwhile, energy exports – especially coal – are climbing in value. Mr. Trump’s tariff threats aside, global trade relations are also more complex, particularly with China and India. The two countries are host to almost half of B.C.’s international trade offices outside the U.S. David Emerson helped steer Canada toward trade diversification. As deputy finance minister under then-Premier Bill Bennett and deputy minister to Premier Bill Vander Zalm, he crafted B.C.’s Asian Pacific trade strategy and later introduced the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative as the federal Minister of International Trade. He also was the minister who negotiated the one and only settlement on softwood lumber, in 2006. That agreement expired in 2015. Mr. Emerson says this is not a good time for British Columbia – and Canada – to face a strong protectionist leader in the U.S., because the alternatives are limited. “I do believe we need to grow market penetration in markets other than the U.S., but the greatest potential is in markets where we now have terrible relations,” he said. “Today, relations with China and India are a mess, and the great trade diversification strategy has run into serious trouble.” China is B.C.’s second-largest export destination – one that is growing in value. But Canada and China are in the midst of a trade spat. In August, Ottawa announced a 100-per-cent import tariff on Chinese electric vehicles and a 25-per-cent tariff on steel and aluminum products from China, after the U.S. and the European Union introduced similar measures. The following month, Beijing launched an anti-dumping investigation into imports of rapeseed from Canada. Meanwhile, Mr. Trump has signalled he is prepared to reignite trade tensions between the U.S. and China, which could put other trading partners in the crossfire. Canada’s relations with India soured after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last year that there were credible allegations the Indian government had links to the assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. Canada has since alleged that India’s Home Affairs Minister, Amit Shah, ordered the targeting of Sikh activists in Canada. Both countries have now expelled each other’s top diplomatic officials. Mr. Trump’s rationale for slapping tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports is to punish both countries for lax border security, allowing illegal migrants and illicit drugs to slip through into the U.S. On Wednesday, Mr. Trudeau met with the premiers to strategize and emerged with a promise to strengthen border security by pumping more money into the Canada Border Services Agency and the RCMP. Mr. Eby, who advocated for that investment as an answer to Mr. Trump’s complaints, said Canada should put up a united front to take on the U.S. trade threat. But in the meantime, he said, he’ll renew his government’s commitment to diversification. “This was definitely the right direction, obviously, in hindsight, and we do have to redouble those efforts, given the instability south of the border.” The decades of previous efforts have shown, however, that changing those trade patterns will be exceptionally difficult.CA duped of ₹22 lakhs in online share trading scam
NoneThe Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Dr. Hamid Bobboyi, Monday, underlined attitudinal change amongst teachers and administrators as one of the key factors that would bring about the required quality in the Nigerian education system. Dr Bobboyi made the charge in Kano, Monday, during he flag-off of an intensive training for teachers of smart schools organised by UBEC in collaboration with the National Teachers Institute (NTI). He stated that attitudinal change was especially necessary in smart schools across the country where the federal government had invested heavily to ensure that modern educational technologies, which are widely used around the world, are accessible to learners in Nigeria at the basic education level so as to bring Nigerian learners in line with their international counterparts. In the same vein, the director general of the NTI, Professor Musa Garba Maitafsir, stated the importance of training teachers on attitudinal change and expressed confidence in the institution’s ability to train teachers across the country. Professor Maitafsir further assured the executive secretary of UBEC of NTI’s readiness to train additional teachers. On his part, the national coordinator of the UBEC Digital Resource Centre, Professor Bashir Galadanci, while delivering welcome address at the flag-off event, outlined the goals of the smart schools initiative and stated the need for attitudinal change on the part of all administrators and teachers in order to ensure the success of the initiative. He emphasised the efforts and commitment in establishing the schools, which aims to advance the overall development of the education sector as demonstrated by the commission under the leadership of Dr. Hamid Bobboyi. The training locations included Kano, Lafia, Ibadan and Yola.
Olanipekun Donates Senate Building to Bamidele Olumilua University
The Sacramento Kings have fired coach Mike Brown less than halfway through his third season with the team mired in a five-game losing streak, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Friday because the firing hadn't been announced by the team. ESPN first reported the firing. Brown won NBA Coach of the Year in his first season in 2022-23, when he helped Sacramento end the longest playoff drought in NBA history at 16 seasons. But Sacramento lost in the play-in tournament last year and was off to a 13-18 start this season, leading to the move to fire Brown about six months after he agreed to a contract extension through the 2026-27 season. The Kings have lost an NBA-worst nine games this season after leading in the fourth quarter with the worst one coming in Brown's final game as coach Thursday night against Detroit. Sacramento led by 10 points with less than three minutes to play only to collapse down the stretch. Jaden Ivey converted a four-point play with 3 seconds left when he made a 3-pointer in the right corner and was fouled by De’Aaron Fox. That gave the Pistons a 114-113 win, leaving the Kings in 12th place in the Western Conference. The Kings came into the season with hopes of finishing in the top six in the West and avoiding the play-in tournament after acquiring DeMar DeRozan in a sign-and-trade deal over the summer to add to a core that featured Fox, Domanta Sabonis and Keegan Murray. Fox, who is in the second-to-last year of his five-year, $163 million contract, declined to sign an extension in the offseason. He said on a podcast with Draymond Green earlier this month that he wanted to be on a team that could “compete at a high level.” Sacramento has been far from that this season, thanks in large part to an NBA-worst 3-11 record in games decided by five points or fewer. Brown publicly criticized Fox for his role in the game-winning play Thursday night, saying he should have been closer to Ivey instead of committing a foul on a close out. "You should be hugged up to your man at the 3-point line,” Brown said. “Everybody should, and why there was a closeout by Fox, I’m not sure. I got to go back and watch the tape. But for sure 100% we told our guys, can’t give up a 3, can’t give up a 3, can’t give up a 3, stay on the high side, stay on the high side.” Brown has a 107-88 record in two-plus seasons in Sacramento with a winning record in both of his full seasons. Rick Adelman is the only other coach to post a winning record in a full season since the Kings moved to Sacramento Brown previously had two stints as coach in Cleveland and spent one-plus season as Lakers coach. He has a 455-304 record and has made the playoffs in seven of his nine full seasons. He won Coach of the Year twice, also getting the award in Cleveland in 2008-09. AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBAEx-Pixar Staffers Decry ‘Win or Lose’ Trans Storyline Being Scrapped: “Can’t Tell You How Much I Cried”
These new California laws will go into effect in 2025Big Ten could place four teams in playoff, thanks to IU's riseA pair of New England senators are calling on the Biden administration to make it clear that the U.S. military should not be used against U.S. citizens except under the most dire circumstances. U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), said in a letter that it’s imperative that President Joe Biden and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin issue a policy directive informing U.S. troops of their obligations to disobey unlawful orders and laying out when a president may lawfully order the troops to act against their fellow Americans. “It’s long been the law that the military should not be used on U.S. soil, except under extraordinary circumstances. Donald Trump campaigned on using our military to go after the ’ enemy from within ,’ so it’s important for President Biden to clarify the Defense Department’s policies. The Trump administration will need to justify any expansion of the military’s role against its fellow citizens,” Warren told the Herald. In the letter, the pair say that Biden’s directive should make clear that U.S. law “prohibits the mobilization of active duty military or federalizing National Guard personnel to be deployed against their fellow Americans unless specifically authorized.” Use of federal troops in domestic law enforcement operations is outlawed under the Posse Comitatus Act , unless authorized by Congress or the president invokes the Insurrection Act . There too, the senators write, Biden should clarify to the troops what that law permits. “We urge you to issue a policy directive that makes clear that the narrow application of the Insurrection Act should be limited to instances when State or local authorities are so overwhelmed and that the chief executive of the State requests assistance or attacks against the U.S. government overwhelm State or local authorities,” they wrote. Even if troops are called to duty under presidential authority, the current president should explain that they still must follow “the Standing Rules for the Use of Force and cannot violate the writ of habeas corpus, federal law, or where applicable, federal or state law.” The pair say their letter serves as direct acknowledgment of the incoming Trump administration. “President-elect Trump’s comments have indicated he could invoke the Insurrection Act ‘on his first day in office’ He has called his political opponents ‘the enemy from within’ and said they ‘should be very easily handled by — if necessary, by National Guard, or if really necessary, by the military.’ When asked to clarify these remarks in late October, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance reiterated that President-elect Trump would use force against Americans,” they wrote. Trump, the senators write, has a history of attempting to turn the military against civilians in response to protests or “to advance the president’s political interests,” and the only barriers in the way during his last term were members of his administration and their allegiance to the rule of law. Now, however, the U.S. Supreme Court has made clear that a president is immune from criminal liability for “official acts.” Not immune from prosecution, the senators say, are the members of the military who might be ordered to carry out unlawful acts. After the high court’s decision, what precisely would constitute an unlawful order is an open question, and Biden should provide some clarification before he’s not in a position to offer it anymore. “Given the disagreement amongst scholars on the serious implications of the recent Supreme Court decision, it is reasonable to assume that service members, other DoD personnel, and the broader military community may not be aware of or fully understand their rights and responsibilities. If unaddressed, any ambiguity on the lawful use of military force, coupled with President-elect Trump’s demonstrated intent to utilize the military in such dangerous and unprecedented ways, may prove to be devastating,” they wrote. A policy directive issued by Biden could be overturned by Trump when he takes office.The University of Colorado basketball honored Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter on a successful season, and before the ceremony, the two had some fun on the court. Hunter seemed to have a little more fun, though, as he decided to show off his crazy athletic ability. The Heisman Trophy winner was doing between-the-legs dunks and shooting no-look half-court shots while Shedeur looked on in awe. Originally, when they were suiting up, Shedeur just wanted to have a three-point contest with his teammate. But Travis upped the ante and challenged him to a dunk contest. The only catch: Shedeur can’t dunk. “C’mon, you selfish bro,” Shedeur said in protest , however, with a big smile on his face. “You know I can’t dunk, and I ain’t going to try.” While the possible future number one overall pick wasn’t too thrilled with the idea, it didn’t stop Hunter. He stole the show on the court. The lefty made a Steph Curry-like half-court shot, for one, that even got a reaction from Shedeur. He followed that up with a couple of sweet dunks that looked straight out of the NBA dunk contest. It was a funny interaction between the two soon-to-be opponents. Furthermore, Shedeur expressed afterward that he was genuinely happy for Hunter. Not just because he got to show off his basketball skills, but he’s just happy in general for his friend. It’s been a dream year for Hunter. He won several awards to go along, including the Heisman Trophy. Hunter boosted his draft stock a ton over the course of the season as well. He’s now projected to be picked in the top three with his teammate, Shedeur. Sanders is fully supportive of the recognition Hunter has received this year, and why shouldn’t he be? The two have been inseparable since they arrived at Jackson State with Shedeur’s father, Deion. They do media appearances together, podcasts, and of course, Shedeur threw the ball to Hunter for several years. One thing fans haven’t particularly considered is how weird it’s going to be to see the two playing against each other. That’s why Colorado decided to host the event with the two before their basketball game against Bellarmine. It might be the second-to-last time we see the two wearing the same jersey for quite some time. They are set to appear in the upcoming Bowl Game against BYU. Since Shedeur, Hunter, and Deion arrived in Colorado, everything across the board has gone up. Student enrollment rates, football attendance numbers, and ticket prices have all skyrocketed. This will go a long way in helping with facility, stadium, and even campus upgrades. A lot of exciting things are in store for the program, for sure. It was nice to see the duo on the court together. Now, the two turn their full attention towards the 2025 NFL Draft.
Trump threatens to impose sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China on first day in office NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is threatening to impose sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China as soon as he takes office as part of his efforts to crack down on illegal immigration and drugs. He said he would impose a 25% tax on all products entering the country from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10% tariff on goods from China as one of his first executive orders. The tariffs, if implemented, could dramatically raise prices for American consumers on everything from gas to automobiles to agricultural products. The U.S. is the largest importer of goods in the world, with Mexico, China and Canada its top three suppliers. Trump’s latest tariff plan aims at multiple countries. What does it mean for the US? WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump has identified what he sees as an all-purpose fix for what ails America: Slap huge new tariffs on foreign goods entering the United States. On Monday, Trump sent shockwaves across the nation’s northern and southern borders, vowing sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada, as well as China, as part of his effort to crack down on illegal immigration and drugs. Trump said he will impose a 25% tax on all products entering the country from Canada and Mexico, and an additional 10% tariff on goods from China, as one of his first executive orders. Canadian officials blast Trump's tariff threat and one calls Mexico comparison an insult TORONTO (AP) — Some Canadian officials have blasted President-elect Donald’s Trump’s threat to impose sweeping tariffs. The leader of Canada's most populous province on Tuesday called Trump’s comparison of Canada to Mexico “the most insulting thing I’ve ever heard.” Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on products from Canada, Mexico and China as soon as he takes office in January as part of efforts to crack down on illegal immigration and drugs. He said he would impose a 25% tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico. Canadians say their economy and the U.S. one are deeply intertwined and Americans would feel tariffs, too. Biden proposes Medicare and Medicaid cover costly weight-loss drugs for millions of obese Americans WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of obese Americans would be eligible to have popular weight-loss drugs like Wegovy or Zepbound covered by Medicare or Medicaid under a new rule the Biden administration proposed Tuesday morning. The proposal, which would not be finalized until after President-elect Donald Trump takes office, could cost taxpayers as much as $35 billion over the next decade. It would give millions of people access to weekly injectables that have helped people shed pounds so quickly that some people have labeled them miracle drugs. Surveillance tech advances by Biden could aid in Trump's promised crackdown on immigration President-elect Donald Trump will return to power next year with a raft of technological tools at his disposal that would help deliver his campaign promise of cracking down on immigration — among them, surveillance and artificial intelligence technology that the Biden administration already uses to help make crucial decisions in tracking, detaining and ultimately deporting immigrants lacking permanent legal status. One algorithm, for example, ranks immigrants with a “Hurricane Score,” ranging from 1-5, to assess whether someone will “abscond” from the agency’s supervision. Thanksgiving travel is cranking up. Will the weather cooperate? The Thanksgiving travel rush is picking up, with Tuesday and Wednesday expected to be much busier than the last couple days. A lot of travelers will be watching weather forecasts to see if rain or snow could slow them down. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen more than 2.8 million people on Tuesday and 2.9 million on Wednesday after handling more than 2.5 million people on Monday. So far, relatively few flights have been canceled this week, but there have been thousands of delayed flights every day. That is becoming normal for U.S. airlines. Federal agency raises the size of most single-family loans the government can guarantee to $806,500 The Federal Housing Finance Agency is increasing the size of home loans that the government can guarantee against default as it takes into account rising housing prices. Beginning next year, mortgage buyers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be able to acquire loans of up to $806,500 on single-family homes in most of the country, the agency said Tuesday. The new conforming loan limit is a 5.2% increase from its 2024 level. FHFA oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which buy home loans from banks and other lenders. FHFA adjusts the loan limits annually to reflect changes in U.S. home values, which have been rising this year despite a national home sales slump. Stock market today: Wall Street hangs near its records despite tariff talk NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are hanging near their records on Tuesday as Wall Street takes Donald Trump’s latest talk about tariffs in stride. The S&P 500 rose 0.4% in Tuesday afternoon trading and was on track to top its all-time high set a couple weeks ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 49 points from its own record set the day before, while the Nasdaq composite rose 0.6%. Stock markets abroad were down, but mostly only modestly, after President-elect Trump said he plans to impose sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China as soon as he takes office. Treasury yields rose modestly in the bond market. What Black Friday's history tells us about holiday shopping in 2024 NEW YORK (AP) — The holiday shopping season is about to reach full speed with Black Friday, which kicks off the post-Thanksgiving retail rush later this week. The annual sales event no longer creates the midnight mall crowds or doorbuster mayhem of recent decades, in large part due to the ease of online shopping and habits forged during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hoping to entice equivocating consumers, retailers already have spent weeks bombarding customers with ads and early offers. Still, whether visiting stores or clicking on countless emails promising huge savings, tens of millions of U.S. shoppers are expected to spend money on Black Friday itself this year. Biden administration to loan $6.6B to EV maker Rivian to build Georgia factory that automaker paused ATLANTA (AP) — President Joe Biden’s administration will loan $6.6 billion to electric vehicle maker Rivian Automotive to build a Georgia factory. The announcement Tuesday comes less than two months before Donald Trump becomes president again. It’s unclear whether the Biden administration can complete the loan in that time, or whether the Trump administration might try to claw the money back. Rivian announced a $5 billion Georgia factory in 2021. But the startup automaker couldn't meet production targets and rapidly burned through cash. The company paused construction of the Georgia plant in March. The company now says its plans for producing electric vehicles in Georgia are back on.NEW ORLEANS -- A 93-year-old former Catholic priest sentenced to life in prison earlier this month for raping a teenage boy has died, Louisiana authorities and his lawyer confirmed Friday. Less than two weeks after being sentenced to spend the rest of his life behind bars, Lawrence Hecker died of natural causes at 3 a.m. Thursday at the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center, according to Ken Pastorick, Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections communications director. Hecker had pleaded guilty to charges including first-degree rape and aggravated kidnapping shortly before jury selection for his long-delayed trial had been scheduled to begin earlier this month, with other victims prepared to testify against him. The survivor of the assault to which Hecker pleaded guilty had said that Hecker raped him after offering to instruct him in wrestling moves ahead of tryouts for a school team in the mid-1970s. “The only prayer I can come up with I hope he spends eternity in hell after God's judgment of him,” the survivor said in a written statement provided by his attorney, Richard Trahant. “Now after his death I feel vindicated and free,” he said. The Associated Press does not identify those who say they have been sexually assaulted. Hecker's trial had been delayed for months partly because of questions around his mental competency. Hecker had suffered from dementia, his lawyer Bobby Hjortsberg said. Hecker had been ordained as an archdiocesan priest in 1958 and remained in this position even after facing an undisputed complaint of child molestation in the late 1980s, according to court records . Hecker left the ministry in 2002. Hecker's conviction occurred amid a wave of sexual abuse allegations against the Catholic church in New Orleans, many resurfacing from decades ago. The fallout has left the Archdiocese of New Orleans embroiled in bankruptcy negotiations. ___ Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Brook on the social platform X: @jack_brook96 ___ This story has been updated to clarify that Hecker died at the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center. Authorities had previously stated he died at a Baton Rouge hospital.
President-elect Donald Trump will return to power next year with a raft of technological tools at his disposal that would help deliver his campaign promise of cracking down on immigration — among them, surveillance and artificial intelligence technology that the Biden administration already uses to help make crucial decisions in tracking, detaining and ultimately deporting immigrants lacking permanent legal status. While immigration officials have used the tech for years, an October letter from the Department of Homeland Security obtained exclusively by The Associated Press details how those tools — some of them powered by AI — help make life-altering decisions for immigrants, including whether they should be detained or surveilled. One algorithm, for example, ranks immigrants with a “Hurricane Score,” ranging from 1-5, to assess whether someone will “abscond” from the agency's supervision. The letter, sent by DHS Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer Eric Hysen to the immigrant rights group Just Futures Law, revealed that the score calculates the potential risk that an immigrant — with a pending case — will fail to check in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. The algorithm relies on several factors, he said, including an immigrant’s number of violations and length of time in the program, and whether the person has a travel document. Hysen wrote that ICE officers consider the score, among other information, when making decisions about an immigrant’s case. “The Hurricane Score does not make decisions on detention, deportation, or surveillance; instead, it is used to inform human decision-making,” Hysen wrote. Also included in the government’s tool kit is a mobile app called SmartLINK that uses facial matching and can track an immigrant’s specific location. Nearly 200,000 people without legal status who are in removal proceedings are enrolled in the Alternatives to Detention program, under which certain immigrants can live in the U.S. while their immigration cases are pending. In exchange, SmartLINK and GPS trackers used by ICE rigorously surveil them and their movements. The phone application draws on facial matching technology and geolocation data, which has been used before to find and arrest those using the app. Just Futures Law wrote to Hysen earlier this year, questioning the fairness of using an algorithm to assess whether someone is a flight risk and raising concerns over how much data SmartLINK collects. Such AI systems, which score or screen people, are used widely but remain largely unregulated even though some have been found to discriminate on race, gender or other protected traits. DHS said in an email that it is committed to ensuring that its use of AI is transparent and safeguards privacy and civil rights while avoiding biases. The agency said it is working to implement the Biden administration’s requirements on using AI , but Hysen said in his letter that security officials may waive those requirements for certain uses. Trump has publicly vowed to repeal Biden's AI policy when he returns to the White House in January. “DHS uses AI to assist our personnel in their work, but DHS does not use the outputs of AI systems as the sole basis for any law enforcement action or denial of benefits,” a spokesperson for DHS told the AP. Trump has not revealed how he plans to carry out his promised deportation of an estimated 11 million people living in the country illegally. Although he has proposed invoking wartime powers, as well as military involvement, the plan would face major logistical challenges — such as where to keep those who have been detained and how to find people spread across the country — that AI-powered surveillance tools could potentially address. Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for Trump, did not answer questions about how they plan to use DHS’ tech, but said in a statement that “President Trump will marshal every federal and state power necessary to institute the largest deportation operation” in American history. Over 100 civil society groups sent a letter on Friday urging the Office of Management and Budget to require DHS to comply with the Biden administration’s guidelines. OMB did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Just Futures Law’s executive director, Paromita Shah, said if immigrants are scored as flight risks, they are more likely to remain in detention, "limiting their ability to prepare a defense in their case in immigration court, which is already difficult enough as it is.” SmartLINK, part of the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program, is run by BI Inc., a subsidiary of the private prison company The GEO Group. The GEO Group also contracts with ICE to run detention centers. ICE is tight-lipped about how it uses SmartLINK’s location feature to find and arrest immigrants. Still, public records show that during Trump’s first term in 2018, Manassas, Virginia-based employees of BI Inc. relayed immigrants’ GPS locations to federal authorities, who then arrested over 40 people. In a report last year to address privacy issues and concerns, DHS said that the mobile app includes security features that “prohibit access to information on the participant’s mobile device, with the exception of location data points when the app is open.” But the report notes that there remains a risk that data collected from people "may be misused for unauthorized persistent monitoring.” Such information could also be stored in other ICE and DHS databases and used for other DHS mission purposes, the report said. On investor calls earlier this month, private prison companies were clear-eyed about the opportunities ahead. The GEO Group’s executive chairman George Christopher Zoley said that he expects the incoming Trump administration to “take a much more aggressive approach regarding border security as well as interior enforcement and to request additional funding from Congress to achieve these goals.” “In GEO’s ISAP program, we can scale up from the present 182,500 participants to several hundreds of thousands, or even millions of participants,” Zoley said. That same day, the head of another private prison company told investors he would be watching closely to see how the new administration may change immigrant monitoring programs. “It’s an opportunity for multiple vendors to engage ICE about the program going forward and think about creative and innovative solutions to not only get better outcomes, but also scale up the program as necessary,” Damon Hininger, CEO of the private prison company CoreCivic Inc. said on an earnings call. GEO did not respond to requests for comment. In a statement, CoreCivic said that it has played “a valued but limited role in America’s immigration system” for both Democrats and Republicans for over 40 years.The best Black Friday and Cyber Monday LEGO deals that are still live
It's about a kicking conundrum that has turned into a crisis. Can the Ravens make it to the Super Bowl with Justin Tucker? One of the more surprising subplots of this NFL season has been Tucker's decline from one of the greatest of all time to a week-in, week-out liability. Sunday's loss to Philadelphia might have been the nadir — he missed two field goals and an extra point in a game the Ravens ultimately lost 24-19 . “Points were at a premium in the game. They have been in a few of these games. Sometimes we haven't made the most of our opportunity to score points,” coach John Harbaugh said Monday. "We're racking our brains, talking to Justin, looking at what we're doing. I'm very confident that it's going to get fixed. I believe it will. It has to. “And he's the guy to get it fixed.” Harbaugh has given every indication that he's standing by Tucker, who is in his 13th season and is under contract through 2027. When he's at his best, he's the type of kicker that gives his team a clear advantage in close games, but this season he has missed eight field goals. Sunday showed that against a good defensive team, the Ravens (8-5) can't simply assume their excellent offense will pile up points. There almost certainly will be close games in the weeks to come. Tucker's ability to come through will be tested again, and it's hard for Baltimore to feel too confident at the moment. “When he was hitting, three or four years ago, hitting bombs, we were going 57, 58, 56 pretty regularly," Harbaugh said. “That's tightened up a little bit.” The Ravens continue to do a good job stopping the run. Although Saquon Barkley did eventually surpass the 100-yard mark late in the game, Baltimore held the Eagles to 140 yards on the ground, well below their usual output. Even beyond Tucker's problems, Sunday wasn't a great showing by Baltimore's special teams. Tylan Wallace was shaky returning punts, and the Ravens had to start four drives inside their own 20 and two inside their own 10. “They had great bounces, and they downed right down in there,” Wallace said. "I’m pretty sure we’ll come back and talk about those and see what we can do to avoid those.” The Ravens' defense continued to show signs of improvement, holding Philadelphia to 252 total yards. “I think we’ve just locked in on some things, and we’re playing our deep coverages better, bottom line,” Harbaugh said. "You watch the coverage, you watch the guys’ spacing, positioning, eyes, the communication, the checks that get made, and you just keep chasing doing the right things. It’s not (that we) changed the defense. We’re just playing it a lot better.” Harbaugh was vague on receiver Diontae Johnson's situation. He was active Sunday but didn't play, and he has only one catch in four games since the Ravens acquired him in a trade from Carolina. “I’m going to have to wait just to clarify it,” Harbaugh said. "There’s some moving parts there that we’re going to have to figure out and explore and just see where we’re at. I know that’s not the answer you want, but that’s the best I can do in fairness to everybody right now.” The Ravens were missing pass-rushing ace Kyle Van Noy (hamstring/neck) on Sunday, and WR Rashod Bateman was dealing with knee soreness. Through his first 12 seasons, Tucker made field goals at a 90% clip. That's dropped to 70% this season. He had a 95% success rate from under 50 yards, and that's dipped to 83%. The Ravens have this week off before a Dec. 15 road game against the New York Giants. Then comes a home matchup with Pittsburgh that may determine whether Baltimore has any shot to win the AFC North. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflSchwartz’s annual term is due to expire and he won’t be reinstated, said Mayor Vincent DeSantis, declining to elaborate on the situation. When The Leader-Herald reached out to Schwartz for comment Friday, the phone call was abruptly disconnected. A job posting for a new director of public works has been posted on Indeed.com and shared on the City of Gloversville’s Facebook page . The salary is listed at $73,720. While some municipalities have elected DPW leaders, Gloversville’s post is filled by annual appointment and has become “ political football ” in recent years, according to DeSantis in a 2021 article. Gloversville has had issues in the past regarding DPW directors, with former director Chris Perry stepping down from the position twice — once in regard to former Republican mayoral candidate William Rowback Jr. in January 2021, where Perry alleged that Rowback, who was on the Common Council at the time, and “his more boisterous supporters” made comments attacking DeSantis’ character, as well as threatening to not reappoint Perry to the position once “Rowback became mayor.” Perry was convinced to rescind his resignation a short time later, and then officially announced his retirement in November 2021. In the interim, the Common Council appointed Schwartz as a temporary assistant to the DPW director in December 2021 in a 6-1 vote, but quickly dropped the “assistant” title in favor of temporary director of public works, leaving two directors running the department before Perry officially retired on Jan. 14, 2022. Councilman-at-Large Rowback voted against hiring Schwartz, citing issues with Schwartz’s experience and lack of a commercial driver’s license at the time. Prior to his appointment as director of public works, Schwartz worked as director of environmental support services at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany, where he managed the janitorial staff.Naheed Nenshi is still looking to find his feet — and a seat in the legislature — after six months on the job as leader of Alberta’s NDP. “I really am still getting my skis under me,” the former Calgary mayor said of his new gig in a recent year-end interview. Without a seat in the house, he’s been watching the cut and thrust of the provincial legislature from the sidelines, and he’s trying new things. The Opposition NDP has become more targeted in its media messaging and its approach to debates in the house, in part to avoid the trap of responding to the United Conservative Party government with daily outrage, he said. “It’s almost been useful for me to have the freedom to go talk to the nurses or the teachers or the parents or the cops, rather than be sitting in that room watching really, really bad acting and really terrible drama on the other side of the aisle,” he said. Still, the question of where and when Nenshi might get a seat in that hostile theatre is likely to continue to dog him in 2025. This year was bookended by former Rachel Notley announcing in January her resignation as party leader and recently that she would leave the legislature Dec. 30. In June, Nenshi took the helm. With Notley’s Edmonton-Strathcona seat soon to be vacant, Nenshi could look to get elected in the capital, where he now spends much of his time. He said he isn’t expecting Premier Danielle Smith to call a byelection before the six-month deadline to do so in June, after the house traditionally breaks for the summer. “The premier will delay the byelection to keep me out so that I can’t be part of the budget debates,” he said. In more ways than one, the NDP is still under construction. Hanging over Nenshi’s head is a steady stream of UCP attack ads accusing the provincial New Democrats of being under the thumb of Jagmeet Singh’s federal NDP. Provincial members automatically become part of the federal party, despite clear policy differences between the two, especially when it comes to the oil and gas industry. Nenshi has long said he wants to bring the federal membership issue to his party members to decide as soon as possible. The earliest NDP members could debate, and potentially change that sticking point in the party’s constitution, is in early May at the next NDP policy convention in Edmonton. There, members are also expected to steer the direction of what has largely remained a blank slate of a plan and platform. In the new year, Nenshi said the focus will continue to be on what he says has been missing from the UCP’s legislative agenda: affordability, jobs, health care, public safety and education. “These are not priorities for this government at all.” He has moved on one front by putting his former health critic, Luanne Metz, in charge of consulting on and fleshing out a health-care plan next year. “(The UCP is) making this up as they go along and we’re going to take the time to get it right,” Nenshi said. The NDP offered a few priorities in the fall. New Democrats pitched private member’s bills that aim to protect workers’ tips from being pocketed by employers, bring in cancer care delivery standards and take action on Indigenous reconciliation. A proposal to bring back school class size reporting was defeated. There are UCP policies Nenshi hopes to one day repeal, including what he calls the “cruel, hateful” legislation that restricts transgender health care and will bring in pronoun policy in schools. And, after the first full year of the government’s loosened ethics rules for political staff to accept gifts, Nenshi has another proposal. “Throw open the curtains so that we can see all of the grift and corruption that has happened under this government to make sure it’s not repeated ever,” he said.
Bo Nix says he’ll be ready to play. The Denver Broncos listed Nix was listed as a limited participant in a practice with a back injury last week. Nix was seen getting treatment to his back from the athletic training staff near the end of the team’s 29-19 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders last week. Nix may have tweaked his back, but he did not miss a snap in the game. While the team listed him as “limited” in Thursday’s walk-through session, he looked like he had full range of movement during practice on Friday . Nix the declared himself ready to face the Cleveland Browns on Monday night. “I’m good to go, ready to roll,” Nix told reporters on Friday. Nix has been on a roll in recent games and the Broncos (7-5) need for him to continue playing well as they pursue their first playoff berth since the 2015 season. Nix has thrown 16 touchdown passes this season, breaking the franchise rookie record of 14 touchdown passes set by Marlin Briscoe in 1968. He has thrown eight touchdown passes in his last three games and 11 in the past five games. All of his touchdown passes have come in his last nine games and he has accounted for 20 touchdowns (16 passing, four running) and no turnovers in the past 10 games. The Broncos will play in primetime and Nix is looking forward to the opportunity for the team to be in the national spotlight. “These are awesome [games], and [they are] why you play this sport,” Nix told reporters on Friday. “This is why you play the game and what you dream about for the NFL. Every week, you feel like you’re playing one of the top guys. It’s just how good the league is and how supreme the talent is. All we can do is worry about ourselves. We just need to focus and execute.”