The death of Russian Lieutenant-General Igor Kirillov, the head of the country's nuclear and chemical defense forces, has led to retellings of anti-Ukrainian and anti-United States falsehoods that he helped spread from his seat of power. Kirillov, 54, was leaving a residential block on Tuesday when an explosive device hidden in a scooter detonated, killing him and his assistant, officials cited by the Associated Press said. An official at Ukraine's security service, the SBU, said the agency was behind the attack. The individual, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described Kirillov as a "war criminal and an entirely legitimate target," according to AP. Over the past six years, Kirillov helped to spread several baseless conspiracies, including that the U.S. developed COVID-19, that Ukraine and the U.S. were developing bioweapons facilities in Ukraine, and that President Joe Biden 's son, Hunter Biden , was linked to bioweapons development. These have been debunked, but Kirillov's death sparked the re-emergence of the same unsubstantiated talking points. A post on X, formerly Twitter , by the account Shadow of Ezra, posted on December 17, 2024, said: "Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, a key figure in uncovering controversial bioweapons programs, has been k*lled in a Moscow explosion triggered by an explosive device. "Kirillov gained international attention for investigating alleged U.S.-backed biolabs in Ukraine, claiming they were researching methods to spark a pandemic and frame Russia. "He publicly denounced COVID-19 as a man-made virus created by the U.S. government and exposed the involvement of vaccine giants Pfizer and Moderna in U.S. military and biological operations in Ukraine. "He went further and revealed that Hunter Biden's Rosemont Seneca Investment Fund and the Soros Foundation were financing Ukrainian biolaboratories." The claims in this post are false. As Newsweek previously reported, the Russian Defense Ministry, in 2022, said it had obtained evidence that Ukraine and the U.S. had collaborated to develop biological weapons. Kirillov delivered official briefings that shared this falsehood. While the U.S. and Ukraine have had a partnership since 2005 to prevent the threat of outbreaks of infectious diseases, there is no evidence that this was part of any plan to develop biological weapons or create a disease outbreak. A statement released by the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine in April 2020 said: "The U.S. Embassy would like to set the record straight regarding disinformation spreading in some circles in Ukraine that mirrors Russian disinformation regarding the strong U.S.-Ukrainian partnership to reduce biological threats. "Here in Ukraine, the U.S. Department of Defense's Biological Threat Reduction Program [BTRP] works with the Ukrainian Government to consolidate and secure pathogens and toxins of security concern in Ukrainian government facilities, while allowing for peaceful research and vaccine development. "We also work with our Ukrainian partners to ensure Ukraine can detect and report outbreaks caused by dangerous pathogens before they pose security or stability threats. "Our joint efforts help to ensure that dangerous pathogens do not fall into the wrong hands." The partnership between the U.S. Defense Department and the Ukraine Ministry of Health is part of the Cooperative Threat Reduction Program (CTR), which began in 1991 with the aim of reducing the threat of weapons of mass destruction following the fall of the Soviet Union. According to a fact sheet released by the Defense Department, the U.S. works with Ukraine and other countries to research the threats of dangerous diseases affecting animals and humans. Through BTRP, the U.S. has invested $200 million in Ukraine since 2005 to support 46 laboratories and their research into disease threats. Such work in Ukraine helped the country in its response to the COVID-19 outbreak . There is no evidence of U.S.-funded labs in Ukraine developing germ warfare capabilities. Similar conspiracy theories have been pushed by Russia for decades, including claims that HIV/AIDS was created in a U.S. military lab. Falsehoods about the U.S. having biological laboratories in Ukraine began to emerge in the weeks before the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. As reported by PolitiFact, Russia and China helped spread the false claim that the U.S. had biolabs along each of their borders, suggesting the U.S. was responsible for COVID-19. As the false biolab narrative took hold, attempts were also made to try and connect these programs with Hunter Biden and his business dealings in Ukraine. A branch of Biden's former investment firm, Rosemont Seneca, invested and raised money for Metabiota, a technology company that researches the "impact of outbreaks and epidemics on human and animal health. It received subcontract work through government funding "Ukraine research programs," as Newsweek's Fact Check team previously reported . As reported by The Washington Post, Kirillov was among the voices spreading falsehoods about Biden's links, telling Russian state-owned media outlet RIA Novosti in 2022, "Hunter Biden's Rosemont Seneca investment fund financed the Pentagon 's military biological program in Ukraine." However , according to a company official who spoke to the Post , Metabiota's work was effectively as a hiring agency, identifying staff that could work in a biological research lab . The investment between Rosemont Seneca and Metabiota was tenuous, separated by another investment arm that Biden was said not to have been a decision-making member. Investments in Metabiota were around when Biden was eased out of the company. In 2022, Kirillov tried to connect a United States Agency for International Development program called Predict to Metabiota and made baseless claims trying to tie Predict research on preventing pandemics to COVID-19. Predict shutdown in 2019, ahead of the global COVID pandemic. He also spread baseless claims tying a pandemic simulation run by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security to the actual outbreak of COVID, a conspiracy that United Kingdom-based fact checkers Full Fact has debunked. As for Kirillov's claims about the involvement of Pfizer and Moderna in biomilitary weapons labs, these appear to have been a continuation of other falsehoods about bioweapons labs that were not supported by any evidence or data. Kirillov made these claims to Russian state media in 2022 but did not present any evidence to support his allegations. Newsweek reached out to a media representative for Pfizer and Moderna for comment. Kirillov headed Russia's nuclear, biological, and chemical defense forces, known as RKhBZ. He was charged in Ukraine in absentia on Monday for the use of banned chemical weapons in the war started by Moscow and had also been sanctioned by the U.K. and other countries for his role in Russia's use of the weapons. The Security Service of Ukraine has accused Russia of using chemical weapons more than 4,800 times throughout the war. Kirillov had headed Russia's nuclear protection forces since 2017 and also reportedly helped to introduce the TOS-2 "Tosochka" multiple rocket launcher, capable of using thermobaric warheads.Among the many countries Michael Kim flew to in the 2024 PGA Tour season was Mexico for the World Wide Technology Championship. Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images The life of a PGA Tour pro can seem glamorous, darting across the globe and back all year long chasing giant purses. But to accomplish all that jetting around, pro golfers rely on, well, jets. And all that airline travel, plus the hotel stays once they arrive, comes at a shocking cost. We know that thanks to Tour pro Michael Kim . Kim has become one of the best follows on social media for golfers. He regularly dispenses valuable and interesting insight into the behind-the-scenes life of a PGA Tour pro , both the good and the bad. It’s the kind of transparency modern sports fans love to see, and Kim provided his latest dose this week to his followers on X. In a post on Friday morning, Kim shared a screenshot of a graph showing the total money he spent on flights and hotels for PGA Tour events in the 2024 season, revealing a staggering sum: $92,698.11 . That enormous cost accumulated while Kim played in 30 different PGA Tour events in 2024, including stops in Hawaii, Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Bermuda and points all across the continental U.S. Kim added that the $92K+ total he spent featured “zero dollars spent on private flights, and rarely business class.” Unlike some Tour stars, Kim always flies commercial, presumably making his travel costs far lower than others, as he noted in his post. “Can’t imagine some of the top guys’ costs,” Kim wrote. 😅 This is my spending on flights and hotels for 30 tournaments in 2024. Zero dollars spent on private flights, and rarely business class. Can’t imagine some of the top guys’ costs... At least I’m racking up some CC points! pic.twitter.com/tnqLHRl2fF Kim’s example is helpful to educate golf fans on how costly it can be to be a pro golfer outside of the elite ranks. You have to spend big to have any chance of making a living, and little money is guaranteed. Kim, who has one career Tour victory, still ended up in the green for the 2024 season. Despite missing 13 cuts and only capturing two top-10 finishes, Kim’s official money for the season came out to $1,484,233 . The lion’s share of those earnings, though, came from just five tournaments, further showing the financial insecurity many players on the lower rungs of the Tour face. Ironically, his biggest paycheck of the season was $310,800 for a T6-finish at the American Express, which was just his second start of the year and was played in California, the state where he grew up. Latest In News Golf.com Editor As managing producer for GOLF.com, Cunningham edits, writes and publishes stories on GOLF.com, and manages the brand’s e-newsletters, which reach more than 1.4 million subscribers each month. A former two-time intern, he also helps keep GOLF.com humming outside the news-breaking stories and service content provided by our reporters and writers, and works with the tech team in the development of new products and innovative ways to deliver an engaging site to our audience.
Iowa moves on without injured quarterback Brendan Sullivan when the Hawkeyes visit Maryland for a Big Ten Conference contest on Saturday afternoon. Former starter Cade McNamara is not ready to return from a concussion, so Iowa (6-4, 4-3) turns to former walk-on and fourth-stringer Jackson Stratton to lead the offense in College Park, Md. "Confident that he'll do a great job," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said of Stratton on his weekly radio show. "He stepped in, did a really nice job in our last ballgame. And he's got a good ability to throw the football, and he's learning every day. ... We'll go with him and see what we can do." Iowa had been on an upswing with Sullivan, who had sparked the Hawkeyes to convincing wins over Northwestern and Wisconsin before suffering an ankle injury in a 20-17 loss at UCLA on Nov. 8. Stratton came on in relief against the Bruins and completed 3 of 6 passes for 28 yards. Another storyline for Saturday is that Ferentz will be opposing his son, Brian Ferentz, an assistant at Maryland. Brian Ferentz was Iowa's offensive coordinator from 2017-23. "We've all got business to take care of on Saturday," Kirk Ferentz said. "I think his experience has been good and everything I know about it. As a parent, I'm glad he's with good people." Maryland (4-6, 1-6) needs a win to keep its hopes alive for a fourth straight bowl appearance under Mike Locksley. The Terrapins have dropped five of their last six games, all by at least 14 points, including a 31-17 loss at home to Rutgers last weekend. "It's been a challenging last few weeks to say the least," Locksley said. The challenge this week will be to stop Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson, who leads the Big Ten in rushing yards (1,328) and touchdowns (20), averaging 7.1 yards per carry. "With running backs, it's not always about speed. It's about power, vision and the ability to make something out of nothing," Locksley said. "This guy is a load and runs behind his pads." Maryland answers with quarterback Billy Edwards Jr., who leads the Big Ten in passing yards per game (285.5) and completions (268). His top target is Tai Felton, who leads the conference in catches (86) and receiving yards (1,040). --Field Level Media
For all its speed and centrifugal force, all its peril and push-the-envelope ingenuity, stock-car racing for decades subsisted on its array of characters. Guys named Fonty and Fireball, the Intimidator and the King, Foyt and France. They were an ensemble of ruffians and renegades, booze runners and barrier crashers, united by a critical common denominator. All were mavericks. Now, their audacity and achievements have been recounted in a sleek, photo-filled coffee-table book. “NASCAR Mavericks: The Rebels and Racers Who Revolutionized Stock Car Racing,” was been released. Published by Motorbooks (an imprint of the Quarto Publishing Group), it’s available at various online sites including Amazon and store.nascar.com . H.A. “Herb” Branham and Holly Cain, both former Tampa Tribune motorsports writers, spent 10 months on the project, interviewing roughly 100 sources. “What does it mean to be a maverick?” three-time NASCAR champ Tony Stewart asks rhetorically in his foreword. “Speaking from personal experience, it’s doing what you think is right, even when others say you’re wrong. And it’s being told you can’t, so you go even harder just to prove them wrong.” What ensues over the next 192 pages is an illustrated digest of sorts; character sketches in simple, unapologetic prose of those who embodied the maverick approach. “We talked to just about anybody that was relevant to the stories that were still alive, including obviously the people themselves,” Branham said. The mavericks include visionaries who helped propel the sport from red-clay tracks to major speedways (i.e. Bill France Sr.), crew chiefs who bent the rules to nearly their breaking point (i.e. Smokey Yunick), and drivers who had developed their automotive chops by running from the law in the South’s nether regions (i.e. Curtis Turner). The group also features those who sped full-throttle into what was once deemed a Southern-male sport. Among them: Wendell Scott, the first Black racer to win a NASCAR Cup Series race; and Sara Christian, the first female driver in the Strictly Stock Division (forerunner to the NASCAR Cup Series). Of course, the stars of NASCAR’s heyday — such as Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip and Richard Petty — get their due, as do modern-day mavericks such as Stewart, Kurt and Kyle Busch, and Hall of Fame crew chief Chad Knaus. Even maverick-style developments (a tobacco company becoming a corporate sponsor, the network TV takeover, the creation of a street race in Chicago) are chronicled. “It was a little bit of Wild West-style,” said Branham, who worked in NASCAR’s communications department nearly two decades. “It’s really not a corporate book at all. NASCAR, I think, is consciously just trying to ungloss what we did during my time there, where we just put lacquers over all of the history, at times which was deemed maybe not the type of stuff that mainstream America would like. And I think NASCAR now is trying to put it in reverse a little bit, and they’re really trying to recapture that great history.” Complementing that history are hundreds of photos — some iconic — that help bring the characters and cars to life. Noticeably absent is Michael Jordan’s ongoing antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR — a maverick move in itself — but Branham said the book had been completed long before that litigation arose. “We would’ve dealt with it,” he said. “We would’ve mentioned it, because there’s really not a whole lot of punches pulled in this book, which kind of makes it a little bit different.” Kind of a hardcover maverick. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
What does Big Tech hope to gain from warming up to Trump?Mikel Arteta hailed the best away European performance of his Arsenal reign after watching his side dismantle Sporting Lisbon 5-1. The Gunners delivered the statement Champions League victory their manager had demanded to bounce back from a narrow defeat at Inter Milan last time out. Goals from Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes, Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard got their continental campaign back on track, lifting them to seventh place with 10 points in the new-look 36-team table. It was Arsenal’s biggest away win in the Champions League since beating Inter by the same scoreline in 2003. “For sure, especially against opposition we played at their home who have not lost a game in 18 months – they have been in top form here – so to play with the level, the determination, the purpose and the fluidity we showed today, I am very pleased,” said Arteta. “The team played with so much courage, because they are so good. When I’m watching them live they are so good! They were all exceptional today. It was a big performance, a big win and we are really happy. “The performance was there a few times when we have played big teams. That’s the level that we have to be able to cope and you have to make it happen, and that creates belief.” A memorable victory also ended Sporting’s unbeaten start to the season, a streak of 17 wins and one draw, the vast majority of which prompted Manchester United to prise away head coach Ruben Amorim. The Gunners took the lead after only seven minutes when Martinelli tucked in Jurrien Timber’s cross, and Saka teed up Havertz for a tap-in to double the advantage. Arsenal added a third on the stroke of half-time, Gabriel charging in to head Declan Rice’s corner into the back of the net. To rub salt in the wound, the Brazilian defender mimicked Viktor Gyokeres’ hands-over-his-face goal celebration. That may have wound Sporting up as they came out after the interval meaning business, and they pulled one back after David Raya tipped Hidemasa Morita’s shot behind, with Goncalo Inacio netting at the near post from the corner. But when Martin Odegaard’s darting run into the area was halted by Ousmane Diomande’s foul, Saka tucked away the penalty. Substitute Trossard added the fifth with eight minutes remaining, heading in the rebound after Mikel Merino’s shot was saved. A miserable night for prolific Sporting striker Gyokeres was summed up when his late shot crashed back off the post.Voice cloning is an emerging technology powered by artificial intelligence and it's raising alarms about its potential misuse. Earlier this year, New Hampshire voters experienced this firsthand when a deepfake mimicking President Joe Biden’s voice urged them to skip the polls ahead of the primary. The deepfake likely needed only several seconds of the president's voice to create the clone. According to multiple AI voice cloning models, about 10 seconds of an actual voice is all that is needed to recreate it. And that can easily come from a phone call or a video from social media. "A person's voice is really probably not that information-dense. It's not as unique as you may think," James Betker, a technical staff member at OpenAI, told Scripps News. Betker developed TortoiseTTS, an open-source voice cloning model. "It's actually very easy to model, very easy to learn, the distribution of all human voices from a fairly small amount of data," Betker added. How AI voice cloning works AI models have been trained on vast amounts of data, learning to recognize human speech. Programs analyze the data and train repeatedly, learning characteristics such as rhythm, stress, pitch and tone. "It can look at 10 seconds of someone speaking and it has stored enough information about how humans speak with that kind of prosody and pitch. Enough information about how people speak with their processing pitch and its weights that it can just continue on," Betker said. Imagine a trained AI model as a teacher, and the person cloning the voice to be a student. When a student asks to create a cloned voice, it starts off as white noise. The teacher scores how close the student is to sounding correct. The student tries again and again based on these scores until the student produces something close to what the teacher wants. While this explanation is extremely simplified, the concept of generating a cloned voice is based on bit-by-bit, based on probability distributions. "I think, at its core, it's pretty simple," Betker said. "I think the analogy of just continuing with what you're given will take you pretty far here." There are currently some AI models that claim to only need two seconds of samples. While the results are not convincing yet, Betker says future models will need even fewer voice samples to create a convincing clone.
(The Center Square) – Illinois’ pension debt compared to personal income is the second worst in the nation. Fitch Ratings reviewed pension funds for public employee retirees from every state. “In aggregate, states had $924 billion in Fitch-adjusted [net pension liabilities] as of state fiscal 2023 audits,” the report said. “This was up 21.2% from the $762 billion reported last year, as post-pandemic asset values surged, but it remained below the $1 trillion level reached in fiscal 2021.” The report found Illinois’ unfunded pension liability, when including other post employment benefits, is $206.5 billion. “The median ratio of direct debt to personal income measured only 1.8% in fiscal 2023, below the 2% level in fiscal 2022,” the report said. “Since fiscal 2016, when the median was 2.3% of personal income, the burden of state direct debt has been flat to declining.” The ratings agency’s recent report has the long-term liabilities for Illinois making up 22.8% of the state’s personal income, the second worst in the country behind Connecticut. Illinois was singled out several times in Fitch’s report as being among states that didn’t have the most recent comprehensive annual report and for having a magnitude of post employment benefits with high legal barriers for a state to modify benefits. State Sen. Robert Martwick, D-Chicago, is chairman of the Senate’s pension committee. He said it’s not surprising Illinois’ pension debt is among the worst in the country in Fitch’s report. Fixing it means addressing many issues, he said. Diminishing benefits isn’t in the cards. “The constitution in Illinois prohibits unilateral pension benefits and to be fair I agree with that,” Martwick told The Center Square. “I don’t think the way to save money is to punish people that did nothing wrong.” State Rep. Blaine Wilhour, R-Beecher City, is on the House committee dealing with pensions and said things have to change. And the first thing is to not make it worse. “There’s a huge push going on in Springfield right now,” Wilhour said. “The public sector special interests are rallying here to basically make Tier II into Tier I.” Legislators have been discussing enhancing benefits for employees hired after 2011. The push is to bring the Tier II benefits in line with Social Security equivalent retirement guidelines. Martwick said they have to fix it because the cost of making good along with any subsequent penalties after the fact would be more expensive for taxpayers. “It’s gonna happen and the cost is a moving target because of course there are different ideas on what that should look like,” Martwick said. Martwick said Gov. J.B. Pritzker has made his pitch. The Labor unions have made theirs. “I believe over the course of the next six to seven months, we will have a lot of hearings and negotiations and see if we can land that plane on something that satisfies both ends,” Martwick said. Wilhour said increasing benefits goes in the wrong direction of making progress in paying down the liability. “But as they generally do in Springfield, they make it worse because they’re more worried about buying votes than they are in protecting the citizens of this state,” Wilhour said. Fitch’s report has Connecticut’s $74.9 billion in debt at 23% of personal income as the worst. The best state was Tennessee with $4.4 billion at 1% of personal income.Roblox chief product officer Manuel Bronstein sells $518,789 in stock
( MENAFN - PR Newswire) Combination Expands Differentiated Portfolio of Offerings to Pipeline Operators TULSA, Okla. and EDMONTON, AB, Dec. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- T.D. Williamson (TDW), a global leader in pipeline technology and services, announced today it has joined forces with Petro-Line, a premier provider of unique, patented pipeline repair and maintenance products and services, which has been serving customers throughout Western Canada as a trusted provider for several decades. Petro-Line has an excellent reputation for great people, a high-quality solution and excellent customer service. It is best known for its innovative and patented PETROSLEEVE® . The PETROSLEEVE® is a differentiated, industry-leading solution that quickly and permanently repairs pipeline defects without interrupting operations or requiring complex in-service welding procedures. This efficient and reliable technology significantly minimizes downtime while prioritizing safety, making it a preferred choice for operators seeking to extend the life of their pipelines. TDW offers a wide range of fundamental pipeline technologies and services including in-line inspection, pigging, hot tapping and isolation. The PETROSLEEVE® technology adds a new capability to the growing TDW portfolio of differentiated solutions for pipeline operators. Bob McGrew, TDW president and CEO, shares his enthusiasm for having Petro-Line on board: "We are thrilled to welcome the Petro-Line team to TDW. Their proven track record of innovation and excellence in pipeline maintenance, along with their dedication to safety and customer satisfaction, aligns perfectly with TDW's values and vision for the future. This combination reinforces our shared commitment to providing best-in-class, technically differentiated solutions to critical energy infrastructure, and allow us to support our customers in new ways. "We are pleased with the future opportunities this transaction will unlock for Petro-Line and its stakeholders," said Petro-Line Vice President Darcy Miller. "We chose to partner with TDW because of their innovative capabilities, global presence and premier brand. With their relentless commitment to innovation and service to their customers, we are confident that partnering with TDW will provide significant growth and substantial development opportunities for our people. " About TDW Founded over 100 years ago, TDW serves the gathering, transmission, and distribution sectors of the pipeline infrastructure industry with a global patented portfolio of technology, products and services, including advanced isolation, integrated pigging, and integrity assessment solutions. With both onshore and offshore applications, TDW offers expansive pipeline maintenance and asset optimization activities. TDW cultivates long-term relationships with pipeline operators that endure throughout the life of a pipeline. To learn more, visit . About Petro-Line Petro-Line, incorporated in 1977, is a leading provider of pipeline repair and maintenance services, serving customers throughout Western Canada. The company is headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta. To learn more, visit . Advisors RBC Mid-Market Mergers & Acquisitions served as exclusive financial advisor to Petro-Line. Dentons Canada LLP served as the legal advisor to Petro-Line. Osler, Hoskin, & Harcourt LLP served as the legal advisor to TDW. For further information, please contact: T.D. Williamson Jeff Wilson +1.9182308971 [email protected] SOURCE T.D. Williamson MENAFN17122024003732001241ID1109004783 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
New Zealand police begin arrests for gang symbol ban as new law takes effectIsrael and Lebanon's Hezbollah agree to a ceasefire after nearly 14 months of fighting JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel has approved a ceasefire agreement with Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants, setting the stage for an end to nearly 14 months of fighting linked to the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire is set to take hold at 4 a.m. local time on Wednesday. Israeli warplanes have carried out the most intense wave of strikes in Beirut and its southern suburbs since the start of the conflict amid a record number of evacuation warnings. At least 42 people were killed in strikes across Lebanon, according to local authorities. President Joe Biden said his administration now would make a renewed push for a ceasefire in Gaza. What both sides are saying about the ceasefire deal between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah A ceasefire deal that could end more than a year of cross-border fighting between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group won backing from Israeli leaders. The truce that is set to take effect early Wednesday raised hopes and renewed difficult questions in a region gripped by conflict. Hezbollah leaders also signaled tentative backing for the U.S.-brokered deal, which offers both sides an off-ramp from hostilities But the deal does little directly to resolve the much deadlier war that has raged in Gaza since Hamas militants attacked southern Israel last October. Cheap Ozempic? How millions of Americans with obesity may get access to costly weight-loss drugs WASHINGTON (AP) — Millions of obese Americans would get access to popular weekly injectables that would help them shed pounds quickly if a $35 billion proposal from the Biden administration is blessed by President-elect Donald Trump. The rule, unveiled Tuesday by the Health and Human Services Department, would require Medicare and Medicaid to cover weight-loss drugs like Wegovy or Zepbound for a large segment of Americans who are obese. But it’s unclear if the proposal, which would not go into effect until after Trump takes office, will have support from his new administration — including from Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an opponent of the drugs who has been tapped by the president-elect to serve as head of HHS. Trump vows tariffs over immigration. What the numbers say about border crossings, drugs and crime. WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump is threatening tariffs on Mexico and Canada as he seeks to portray them as responsible for illegal immigration and drug smuggling. Over its tenure, the Biden administration has struggled with growing numbers of migrants arriving at the southern border. But this year, the number of people crossing the border without documents has actually been falling. That's due in part to stricter enforcement by Mexican authorities as well as asylum restrictions announced earlier this year by the Biden administration. When it comes to fentanyl smuggling, much of the deadly supply comes from Mexico though statistics show more than 86% of those sentenced for fentanyl trafficking crimes in the 12 months ending September 2023 were U.S. citizens. AP finds that a Pentagon-funded study on extremism in the military relied on old data Early this year, Pete Hegseth told a Fox News audience a new, Pentagon-funded study proved that the number of military service members and veterans involved in the Jan. 6 insurrection did not indicate a wider problem in the armed forces. Hegseth, Donald Trump's pick to head the Department of Defense, wasn’t alone. The Wall Street Journal’s opinion page highlighted the same report as evidence that extremists in military communities were “phantoms” created by a “false media narrative.” The X account for Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee posted that the study showed the focus on extremism in the military was a “witch hunt.” But The Associated Press has found that the study relied on old data, misleading analyses and ignored evidence that pointed to the opposite conclusion. How Trump's bet on voters electing him managed to silence some of his legal woes WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Jack Smith move to abandon two federal cases accusing Trump of endangering American democracy and national security does away with the most serious legal threats Trump was facing as he returns to the White House. It was the culmination of a monthslong defense effort to delay the proceedings at every step and use the criminal allegations to Trump's political advantage, putting the final word in the hands of voters instead of jurors. The move just weeks after Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris underscores the immense personal stake Trump had in the campaign in which he turned his legal woes into a political rallying cry. Walmart's DEI rollback signals a profound shift in the wake of Trump's election victory NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart’s sweeping rollback of its diversity policies is the strongest indication yet of a profound shift taking hold at U.S. companies that are re-evaluating the legal and political risks associated with bold programs to bolster historically underrepresented groups in business. The changes announced by the world’s biggest retailer on Monday followed a string of legal victories by conservative groups that have filed an onslaught of lawsuits challenging corporate and federal programs aimed at elevating minority and women-owned businesses and employees. The retreat from such programs crystalized with the election of former President Donald Trump, whose administration is certain to make dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs a priority. Brazil’s Bolsonaro planned and participated in a 2022 coup plot, unsealed police report alleges SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro was fully aware of and actively participated in a coup plot to remain in office after his defeat in the 2022 election, according to a Federal Police report that has been unsealed. Brazil’s Federal Police last Thursday formally accused Bolsonaro and 36 other people of attempting a coup. They sent their 884-page report to the Supreme Court, which lifted the seal. Bolsonaro called a meeting in December 2022, during which he presented a draft decree to the commanders of the three divisions of the armed forces, that would have declared the vote fraudulent, to justify a possible military intervention. Bolsonaro has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. New rule allows HIV-positive organ transplants People with HIV who need a kidney or liver transplant will be able to receive an organ from a donor with HIV. That's according to a new rule announced Tuesday by U.S. health officials. Previously, such transplants could be done only as part of research studies. The new rule takes effect Wednesday. It's expected to shorten the wait for organs for all, regardless of HIV status, by increasing the pool of available organs. The practice is supported by a decade of research, during which 500 transplants of kidneys and livers from HIV-positive donors have been done in the U.S. 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.
NEW YORK (AP) — In a string of visits, dinners, calls, monetary pledges and social media overtures, big tech chiefs — including Apple’s Tim Cook, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos — have joined a parade of business and world leaders in trying to improve their standing with President-elect Donald Trump before he takes office in January. “The first term, everybody was fighting me,” Trump said in remarks at Mar-a-Lago . “In this term, everybody wants to be my friend.” Tech companies and leaders have now poured millions into his inauguration fund, a sharp increase — in most cases — from past pledges to incoming presidents. But what does the tech industry expect to gain out of their renewed relationships with Trump? A clue to what the industry is looking for came just days before the election when Microsoft executives — who’ve largely tried to show a neutral or bipartisan stance — joined with a close Trump ally, venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, to publish a blog post outlining their approach to artificial intelligence policy. “Regulation should be implemented only if its benefits outweigh its costs,” said the document signed by Andreessen, his business partner Ben Horowitz, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and the company’s president, Brad Smith. They also urged the government to back off on any attempt to strengthen copyright laws that would make it harder for companies to use publicly available data to train their AI systems. And they said, “the government should examine its procurement practices to enable more startups to sell technology to the government.” Trump has pledged to rescind President Joe Biden’s sweeping AI executive order, which sought to protect people’s rights and safety without stifling innovation. He hasn’t specified what he would do in its place, but his campaign said AI development should be “rooted in Free Speech and Human Flourishing.” Trump’s choice to head the Interior Department, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, has spoken openly about the need to boost electricity production to meet increased demand from data centers and artificial intelligence. “The AI battle affects everything from defense to healthcare to education to productivity as a country,′′ Burgum said on Nov. 15, referring to artificial intelligence. “And the AI that’s coming in the next 18 months is going to be revolutionary. So there’s just a sense of urgency and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration′′ to address it. Demand for data centers ballooned in recent years due to the rapid growth of cloud computing and artificial intelligence, and local governments are competing for lucrative deals with big tech companies. But as data centers begin to consume more resources, some residents are pushing back against the world’s most powerful corporations over concerns about the economic, social and environmental health of their communities. “Maybe Big Tech should buy a copy of ‘The Art of The Deal’ to figure out how to best negotiate with this administration,” suggested Paul Swanson, an antitrust attorney for the law firm Holland & Hart. “I won’t be surprised if they find ways to reach some accommodations and we end up seeing more negotiated resolutions and consent decrees.” Although federal regulators began cracking down on Google and Facebook during Trump’s first term as president — and flourished under Biden — most experts expect his second administration to ease up on antitrust enforcement and be more receptive to business mergers. Google may benefit from Trump’s return after he made comments on the campaign trail suggesting a breakup of the company isn’t in the U.S. national interest, after a judge declared its search engine an illegal monopoly . But recent nominations put forward by his transition team have favored those who have been critical of Big Tech companies, suggesting Google won’t be entirely off the hook. Cook’s notoriously rocky relationship with the EU can be traced back to a 2016 ruling from Brussels in a tax case targeting Apple. Cook slammed the bloc’s order for Apple to pay back up to $13.7 billion in Irish back taxes as “total political crap.” Trump, then in his first term as president, piled on, referring to the European Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, who was spearheading a campaign on special tax deals and a crackdown on Big Tech companies, as the “tax lady” who “really hates the U.S.” Brussels was eventually vindicated after the bloc’s top court rejected Apple’s appeal this year, though it didn’t stop Cook from calling Trump to complain, Trump recounted in a podcast in October. Trump hosted Cook for a Friday evening dinner at the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago resort, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment publicly. Neither Apple nor the Trump transition team has commented on the nature of their discussions. Altman , Amazon and Meta all pledged to donate $1 million each to Trump’s inaugural fund. During his first term, Trump criticized Amazon and railed against the political coverage at The Washington Post, which billionaire Bezos owns. Meanwhile, Bezos had criticized some of Trump’s past rhetoric. In 2019, Amazon also argued in a court case that Trump’s bias against the company harmed its chances of winning a $10 billion Pentagon contract. More recently, Bezos has struck a more conciliatory tone. He recently said at The New York Times’ DealBook Summit in New York that he was “optimistic” about Trump’s second term, while also endorsing president-elect’s plans to cut regulations. The donation from Meta came just weeks after Zuckerberg met with Trump privately at Mar-a-Lago. During the 2024 campaign, Zuckerberg did not endorse a candidate for president, but voiced a more positive stance toward Trump. Earlier this year, he praised Trump’s response to his first assassination attempt. Still, Trump in recent months had continued to attack Zuckerberg publicly. And Altman, who is in a legal dispute with AI rival Elon Musk, has said he is “not that worried” about the Tesla CEO’s influence in the incoming administration. Musk, an early OpenAI investor and board member, sued the artificial intelligence company earlier this year alleging that the maker of ChatGPT betrayed its founding aims of benefiting the public good rather than pursuing profits.