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While President Joe Biden has cleared millions' student loan debt during his presidency, Congress could now approve a law that would increase student loan payments for a large number of borrowers. The College Cost Reduction Act is predicted to reduce the government deficit by $250 to $280 billion over a decade, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Specifically, Congress could save $155 billion from the law's changes to Pell grants and student loans and $127 billion from repealing and replacing Biden's SAVE income-driven repayment plan, which is currently facing legal challenges. North Carolina Republican Representative Virginia Foxx introduced the bill this year. If implemented, it would require borrowers to pay back what they owe on a 10-year standard payment and double the Pell grant award for juniors and seniors at college on track to graduate. "The positive aspect for these students is that Pell grant funding would increase," Michael Lux, an attorney and founder of the Student Loan Sherpa, told Newsweek. "Additionally, the goal of the act is to lower college costs, and to the extent that colleges lower prices, it could help some families. However, the act comes with a considerable downside." The bill would also eliminate PLUS loans for graduate students and the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant program, causing some concern over how it would actually end up impacting college affordability. There'd also be strict borrowing caps for students taking out loans. For undergraduates, the amount would be limited to $50,000, while graduate students would see a $100,000 maximum borrowing amount. "The borrowing caps could greatly restrict access to federal loans for students in expensive professional programs like law or medicine," Michael Ryan, a finance expert and the founder of michaelryanmoney.com, told Newsweek . "Interestingly, high-income graduate borrowers might benefit from the capped total payments compared to existing income-driven repayment plans." Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor for the University of Tennessee at Martin, said ultimately the law could hurt low-income students who already struggle to afford college in the long run. "The act would in some situations double the amount of assistance low income students could receive in their final two years of undergraduate study through the pell grant system, which sounds great in theory," Beene told Newsweek. "However, the proposal also looks to make universities take more responsibility for unpaid loans, and that could lead to college costs rising to create a financial cushion for that increased liability. At the end of the day, it's difficult to see outside of additional Pell grant assistance how this really saves incoming students on the price of an education." Jessica Thompson, Senior Vice President at The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS), called the bill a "misguided approach" to increasing college access and lowering costs. "The reality is, the College Cost Reduction Act would increase financial burdens and risks for students and borrowers," Jessica Thompson told Newsweek . "We conducted rigorous analysis on the bill and found that it would increase monthly student loan payments for most borrowers. It could also leave some borrowers indebted indefinitely, as well as increase delinquency and default rates." Newsweek reached out to Foxx for comment via email. Now that Trump is reentering the White House and Republicans won the House, passing the bill could become even more likely, said Kevin Thompson, a finance expert and the founder and CEO of 9i Capital Group. "I do believe the new administration would be looking to cut costs anywhere possible, and if this is a net benefit for the incoming administration, I would foresee this being passed," Kevin Thompson told Newsweek. Those in favor of the College Cost Reduction Act say it would force colleges to lower prices by getting rid of PLUS loans for parents and graduate students, but not everyone is certain. "The problem for many current and potential students is that without the help of PLUS loans, they can't attend school," Lux said. "Fewer students who can attend school might push prices down, but it only helps those who can afford to pay out of pocket or qualify for private financing." Due to the divided political climate in Congress, substantial revisions might be necessary in order for the bill to gain wider support, Ryan said. "Republicans are generally supportive of its accountability and cost-control measures while Democrats are concerned about potential negative impacts on low-income students," Ryan said.Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers praised Cameron Carter-Vickers and his side’s mentality after they dug out a Champions League point following the defender’s disastrous own goal against Club Brugge. The normally reliable centre-back passed the ball into his own net in the 26th minute after failing to spot goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel’s positioning. But a brilliant turn and finish on the hour mark from Daizen Maeda changed the game and ultimately earned the Scottish champions a 1-1 home draw. On the opener, Rodgers said: “Mistakes happen and it was just unfortunate. He’s played that pass a million times and it’s gone back and then we’ve been able to play forward. It was just one of those unfortunate moments in the game that happens. “But he’s a really, really tough character. He’s a great guy, he picked himself up. He was really strong and aggressive again in the game and got on with it and had a real bravery in the second half, because he was the one carrying the ball forward for us to start the attack.” Despite the gift, Brugge were worthy of their lead and Rodgers admitted his side were too passive in their pressing in the opening half. Some tactical tweaks – and the introduction of Paulo Bernardo – helped Celtic dominate after Maeda’s equaliser, although Brugge had a goal disallowed for a marginal offside. “I can only credit the players for the second half, because we had to fight,” Rodgers said. “And we’re still one of those teams that’s really pushing to try and make a mark at this level. So to make the comeback, score the goal, play with that courage, I was so pleased. “You want to win but I’ve been here enough times to have lost a game like that, but we didn’t. We showed a real strong mentality and we kept pushing right to the very end and the players did well. “I thought they showed great courage in the second half because we weren’t at our level in the first half. Sometimes a game like that can get away from you, but it didn’t. “We stayed with it, showed that determination, showed that mentality, never to quit, to keep going. And then we were much, much better, much freer in the second half. “So we’re on eight points, nine to play for. We’re still very much on course to get to where we want to get to and still three games to go.” Rodgers added: “It’s 20 games now and we’ve won 16 and drawn three and lost one, so it shows you the mentality is there, and especially at this level, you need to have that.”Last week, the UFC made its long-awaited return to China with UFC Macau , where Petr Yan turned in a vintage performance against Deiveson Figueiredo to reinsert himself into the bantamweight title conversation. Plus a whole bunch of other stuff happened including Conor McGregor being found civilly liable for sexually assaulting a woman in 2018. Needless to say, it was a busy week so let’s discuss it, along with what’s coming up. Conor McGregor fallout Do you see a fallout from Conor's lawsuit with regards to broadcast deal? A video game company already dropped him. UFC doesn't care unless it affects their bottom line; but could it affect negotiations? Or will the deal be too attenuated from the case? “Do you see a fallout from Conor’s lawsuit with regards to broadcast deal? A video game company already dropped him. UFC doesn’t care unless it affects their bottom line; but could it affect negotiations? Or will the deal be too attenuated from the case?” Let’s start here: while McGregor was found civilly liable for sexually assaulting Nikita Hand, and ordered to pay roughly a quarter million dollars in damages, it’s important to remember this was not a criminal conviction. For the uninitiated, the difference between civil and criminal (other than punishment, obviously) is that civil convictions require “a balancing of probabilities” while criminal convictions require a jury to convict “beyond a reasonable doubt.” To simplify, basically civil judgments require a 51% of certainty, while criminal ones require 99.99% of certainty. That being said, convictions in the court of public opinion require far less than a civil jury, and while there will always be people who reflexively defend anything, my anecdotal reading of the McGregor fallout has thus far led me to believe that a majority of people are out on McGregor. That fallout is already being felt by McGregor who has sponsors and projects dropping him like a heavy weight . Even his own whiskey brand (technically not his since he sold ownership, but you know what I mean) Proper No. Twelve has distanced themselves from him . Because this is what happens when you are credibly accused of rape. Of course, the UFC might be one of the few major companies in the world where that isn’t necessarily a deal breaker. After all, McGregor wouldn’t be the first person accused of terrible crimes to still get fights in the UFC . Far from it . For years, UFC CEO Dana White has written off all sorts of behavior that wouldn’t fly in any other context with a waive of the hand, and “I’ve got 700 lunatics under contract.” Given that this is not a criminal conviction, it’s easy to imagine the promotion will brush this under the rug as best it can. And I suspect it’ll be quite successful at doing so. White himself faced no recourse for slapping his wife in public and that went away in a matter of weeks. The fanbase, by and large, does not care and I struggle to think any broadcaster will have huge concerns either. After all, ESPN (a Disney-owned company) had no qualms with running Greg Hardy out there, and he wasn’t even really a needle mover. No, the fallout from McGregor’s actions will land squarely on McGregor himself. Because while the UFC is unlikely to care, as we’ve seen, the rest of the world does. There are simply too many other people to do business with who don’t have something so terrible following them around. So I suspect McGregor will continue to get dropped by sponsors, and from business deals, and any plans there were for him to break into Hollywood are out the window. Who needs the headache of tying themselves to someone like that? In fact, in a weird and tragic twist of fate, this may actually be the thing to bring McGregor back to fighting. He certainly doesn’t need to as he’s still richer than cream, but with the world closing itself off to McGregor for the first time in years, and few other business opportunities available to him, this might be what pushes him back into the gym. In fact, he’s already hinting at just that . Because if there’s one thing that’s been proven time and again its that people can forgive damn near anything if you give them a reason to love you again. After all, Mike Tyson actually went to prison for rape and yet not even a month ago 60 million households tuned in to watch him fight again . Maybe McGregor can take a similar journey back into the good graces of the public. UFC Macau What do you thing Figgies next move should be? “What do you thing Deiveson Figueiredo’s next move should be?” Now on to some happier topics, namely the aftermath of UFC Macau. On Saturday, Petr Yan and Deiveson Figueiredo put on one of the best fights of 2024. It won’t win Fight of the Year, and it probably won’t even crack the top-five, but it was the definition of elite MMA on every level. With the win, we all know where Yan should go next — a five-round rematch with Sean O’Malley — but what about Figgy Smalls? Figueiredo is about to turn 37, which means we probably don’t have that much longer left for the prime of his career. As such, we should not waste it. Figueiredo should exclusively fight in fun matchups, and the first one that jumps off the page to me is Jose Aldo . Both are coming off competitive losses (Aldo should’ve won, I’ll die on this hill) and both are former champions in a different division then they started in. When the UFC heads back to Brazil next years, book that for five rounds as the co-main event. Carlos Ulberg What next for Carlos Ulberg after win #7 in a row? “What next for Carlos Ulberg after win #7 in a row?” Ulberg beat Volkan Oezdemir in a professional yet uninspiring performance on the main card of UFC Macau. Now, he sits at No. 7 in the UFC light heavyweight rankings and with his big winning streak, looks poised for a title run. Given all that, there’s no wrong way to eat this Reese’s, really, but Ulberg vs. Khalil Rountree in a striking matchup seems fun and appropriate. Jon Jones How do you determine if Jon Jones is trying to get paid what he's worth to fight Tom Aspinall or if he's pricing himself out because he has no real intentions of fighting him, aka ducking? “How do you determine if Jon Jones is trying to get paid what he’s worth to fight Tom Aspinall or if he’s pricing himself out because he has no real intentions of fighting him, aka ducking?” Well, Jones will never get paid what he’s worth to fight Tom Aspinall because he fights in the UFC and they don’t do that. But setting that aside, the answer is that we will never know. Only Jon Jones knows what’s in his own heart and what his motivations are. So unless you’re Jones, we can only guess. And unless Jones comes out and says “I will only do it for $1 billion” then a guess is all we have. Unless, of course, the UFC does decide to spend the money needed to make the fight. If the UFC meets Jon’s demands and then he starts moving the goalposts, then that’s a clear indication he never wanted the action in the first place. But again, will we ever know that? Unlikely. So ultimately, you’ll just have to decide for yourself whether Jones asking for more money than he normally would (which is what he himself is saying he’s doing) is savvy negotiation or a tacit admission that he thinks he could lose to Aspinall and thus only will risk it if he’s paid a king’s ransom. I know where I stand, and honestly, I don’t blame him for the choice I believe he’s making even if I don’t necessarily like it. PFL Championships What are you looking forward to more, Thanksgiving or a gazillion hours of the 2024 PFL Championship? “What are you looking forward to more, Thanksgiving or a gazillion hours of the 2024 PFL Championship?” Why not both? PFL Championships and Thanksgiving is a tradition like the NBA and Christmas. OK, it’s not quite like that, but I’ll admit that I do enjoy the PFL Championships every year. Because even if you haven’t kept up with the season format or whatever, we’re still talking about meaningful fights. Six new millionaires will be created on Friday, and even if the fights are all terrible (they could be!), that’s still pretty damn cool. Having said that, I am once again begging the PFL to please hire me as a consultant, because doing one mega-card on Friday strains event the most optimistic of fans (like myself). There is simply no reason to hold all six tournament championships on the same card, and there is REALLY NO REASON WHATSOEVER to also have five more regional championship bouts on that same card. 10 fights that can possibly go 25 minutes is INSANE! Plus, for some reason known to only God and Donn Davis, the event also has 6 more fights scheduled! There are jurisdictions that would consider this a war crime. The very obvious, simple answer here is that the PFL Championships should be a two-day extravaganza! Half the tournament bouts on Friday and then the other half on Saturday. Take over the entire weekend, and deliver not just championship bouts, but fill in with as many other good fights as you can. Aside from it being good business, don’t you think fighters might like the chance to earn some money right before the holidays and the long break you have until the start of next season? This isn’t hard and I don’t know why they can’t see it. Bellator Thoughts on the Bellator lack of fights situation? “Thoughts on the Bellator lack of fights situation?” And along those lines, PFL has to get its shit together with Bellator. When nearly every one of the best fighters you acquired in buying out Bellator has spoken out publicly against you , you’re screwing the pooch. All the good will PFL had at the start of the year is gone, and I truly have no clue what the hell they are doing at this point. When PFL bought Bellator, my immediate thought was that this was a great move, because while PFL has a good broadcast deal and some things in its favor, what it didn’t have was a roster of talent. Acquiring Bellator greatly helped them on that front, but to seem them flounder and flub all these great fighters has been nothing short of a disaster. Not just because it sucks as a fan, but because it’s killing the PFL brand. When respected fighters shit on you en masse, that doesn’t make other fighters start lining up to join the promotion. It’s just terrible business that won’t just hurt them this year, but will very likely greatly impede the PFL’s ability to re-sign this talent when the time comes. It’s a completely unforced error. My best guess is that PFL couldn’t financially close up Bellator after acquiring it for some legal or financial reasons and instead had to keep it limping along to run out a clock. Frankly, it feels like that clock is near its end, and my guess is that by next year, Bellator will be folded completely under the PFL brand, at which point fighters may have an easier time getting booked, but the damage may already be done by then. I thought 2024 could be a transformative year for the PFL, and it’s looking like I might be right, just not in the way I imagined. Thanks for reading, and thank you for everyone who sent in tweets (Xs?)! Do you have any burning questions about things at least somewhat related to combat sports? Then you’re in luck, because you can send your tweets to me, @JedKMeshew , and I will answer my favorite ones! Doesn’t matter if they’re topical or insane, just so long as they are good. Thanks again, and see y’all next week.
IMRIS ( OTCMKTS:IMRSQ – Get Free Report ) and Integer ( NYSE:ITGR – Get Free Report ) are both medical companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, valuation, earnings and profitability. Profitability This table compares IMRIS and Integer’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets. Earnings & Valuation This table compares IMRIS and Integer”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation. Insider and Institutional Ownership 99.3% of Integer shares are held by institutional investors. 2.0% of Integer shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth. Analyst Ratings This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for IMRIS and Integer, as provided by MarketBeat. Integer has a consensus price target of $139.75, suggesting a potential downside of 0.68%. Given IMRIS’s higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe IMRIS is more favorable than Integer. Summary Integer beats IMRIS on 8 of the 9 factors compared between the two stocks. About IMRIS ( Get Free Report ) IMRIS Inc. designs, manufactures, and sells image-guided therapy solutions worldwide. The company offers VISIUS Surgical Theatres, a surgical environment that provides intraoperative vision to clinicians to assist in decision-making and enhance precision in treatment. Its VISIUS Surgical Theatre incorporates magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography, and fluoroscopy into multi-purpose surgical suites to provide intraoperative imaging for specific medical applications by bringing advanced imaging into the operating room (OR). The company sells the VISIUS Surgical Theatres to hospitals that deliver clinical services to patients in the neurosurgical, spinal, cerebrovascular, and cardiovascular markets. It also provides service and extended maintenance contracts, and accessories and disposables. The company was founded in 2005 and is based in Winnipeg, Canada. About Integer ( Get Free Report ) Integer Holdings Corporation operates as a medical device outsource manufacturer in the United States, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, and internationally. It operates through two segments, Medical and Non-Medical. The company offers products for interventional cardiology, structural heart, heart failure, peripheral vascular, neurovascular, interventional oncology, electrophysiology, vascular access, infusion therapy, hemodialysis, non-vascular, urology, and gastroenterology procedures. It also provides cardiac rhythm management products, including implantable pacemakers, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, insertable cardiac monitors, implantable cardiac pacing and defibrillation leads, and heart failure therapies; neuromodulation products, such as implantable spinal cord stimulators; and non-rechargeable batteries, feedthroughs, device enclosures, machined components, and lead components and sub-assemblies. In addition, the company offers rechargeable batteries and chargers; and arthroscopic, laparoscopic, and general surgery devices and components, such as harmonic scalpels, shaver blades, burr shavers, radio frequency probes, biopsy probes, trocars, electrocautery components, wound dressings, GERD treatment components, and phacoemulsification needles. Further, it provides orthopedic products that include instruments used in hip, knee, and spine surgeries, as well as reamers and chisels. Additionally, the company offers customized battery power and power management systems, and battery solutions for the energy, military, and environmental markets. Furthermore, the company provides medical technologies. It serves multi-national original equipment manufacturers and their affiliated subsidiaries in the cardiac rhythm management, neuromodulation, orthopedics, vascular, and advanced surgical and portable medical markets. Integer Holdings Corporation was founded in 1970 and is headquartered in Plano, Texas. Receive News & Ratings for IMRIS Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for IMRIS and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .After his team's 102-89 home win on Wednesday night over Purdue Fort Wayne, Penn State coach Mike Rhoades challenged his team's fan base to show up and make more noise. "Sweat with us," he said at one point. At 5-0, the Nittany Lions haven't had to sweat much to get off to a fast start. They might not have to expend much perspiration to make it 6-0 on Monday when they meet Fordham in a semifinal matchup at the Sunshine Slam tournament in Daytona Beach, Fla. Penn State hasn't played a strong schedule so far, but the team has been impressive. It's averaging 98.2 points per game and 13.8 steals per game, both of which ranked second in Division I through Saturday's play. The Nittany Lions were seventh per kenpom.com in turnover rate, forcing 25.3 per 100 possessions. Point guard Ace Baldwin Jr. is leading the charge, scoring 16.4 points and dishing out 7.8 assists while chipping in 2.6 steals. Zach Hicks has nearly doubled his scoring average from 8.4 last season to 15.8 this season, while Northern Illinois transfer Yanic Konan Niederhauser has beefed up the interior, tallying 12.2 points and 7.2 rebounds. Meanwhile, Fordham (3-3) is coming off a 73-71 home loss Friday night against Drexel in New York. The Rams blew a seven-point lead early in the second half and missed a chance to force overtime when leading scorer Jackie Johnson III missed a layup as time expired. Johnson, a UNLV transfer, is averaging 19 points per game and is making nearly 48 percent of his shots as one of three Rams with double-figure scoring averages. Jahmere Tripp scores at an 11.0 clip while Japhet Medor is contributed 10.5, but Fordham is struggling to make shots, canning only 41.5 percent from the field. The Rams were picked for a 14th-place finish in the Atlantic 10 despite returning more scoring than any team in the league except for VCU. Third-year coach Keith Urgo thinks his team can defy low external expectations. "We're experienced and I think we're poised to have a tremendous year," he said. --Field Level Media
NBI asked: Why still summon journos in probe of Sara rant?
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Sydenham District Councillor Conny Glenn is among 41 municipal city councillors who signed an open letter requesting the Ontario Big City Mayors (OBCM) rescind an open letter calling for the use of the notwithstanding clause, and instead explore “evidence-based solutions to homelessness.” Glenn said on Tuesday that councillors who signed the letter are concerned that using the notwithstanding clause is overreach from the provincial government, and that not all options have been exhausted to get to that point. She says at the end of the day, its not a practical route if it’s actually about helping people, and will take a lot more expense and work than is being communicated by the province or the OBCM. “Even if you use the notwithstanding clause the simple reality is that we do not have the resources available to house and treat people,” Glenn said. “This is not as simple as it’s painted out that ‘hey, we’ll just sweep everybody up and take care of it’. It doesn’t work that way.” Glenn says councillors were also concerned that the letter was sent based on the suggestion of Doug Ford. While Kingston Mayor Bryan Paterson was not a signatory of the letter from OBCM, he is a member of the group and has said he remains in support of everything the OBCM is asking for. On the same day the letter came out, the Ontario government tabled The Safer Streets, Stronger Communities Act, which takes aim at supervised consumption sites, among other changes to enforcement and road laws. The legislation would close any supervised consumption site that is within 200 metres of a school or any child care centre, and would also require municipalities to get permission from the province in order to open new sites. While the legislation doesn’t explicitly ban them in the province, it does insert itself in between municipalities and the federal government for exceptions in order to run the sites. Health Minister Sylvia Jones has also told reporters, plainly, that no more supervised consumption sites will be opened under the oversight of the Ford government. As an alternative, the provincial government will open intensive addiction recovery HART hubs, 19 of which are set to be opened in the province under a $378 million budget. Dr. Piotr Oglaza, KFL&A Public Health’s Medical Officer of Health, said the HART hubs could be an effective tool in helping to meet people where they are in their recovery journey, but that supervised consumption sites also play a significant role in the current landscape. “Harm reduction programs and services such as supervised consumption sites, safer supply programs, and needle syringe programs have demonstrated many health and social benefits,” Dr. Oglaza said in a statement. “Harm reduction is based off a set of internationally recognized, evidence-based strategies that reduce deaths and unsafe drug-use behaviours, prevent certain infectious diseases and lessen the burden on emergency departments. It is a pillar of KLF&A’s comprehensive approach, and focuses on mitigating the adverse health, social and economic consequences of substance use without requiring people to stop using substances as a precondition for support.” Dr. Oglaza also noted that the Integrated Care Hub won’t among those sites forced to close due to proximity to a school or childcare facility, however it will have to adhere to enhanced mandatory reporting requirements, transparency and safety procedures if the bill passes. Councillor Glenn said encampments and supervised consumption sites are symptoms of the problem, which still aren’t being addressed sufficiently in proposals coming from the province. “What we’re likely to see then is instead of people going to one site that’s safe for consumption, people will be out in our parks and other public places potentially doing this,” Glenn said. “If we had followed up safe consumption sites with provision of more spots for treatment, more housing for people, we would see that we were making progress, but we haven’t done that in sufficient quantity to get the headway that we actually need.” She added that until more comprehensive solutions are created for those using supervised consumption sites or living in encampments, they’re an unfortunate necessity. “I don’t want encampments, I don’t want to have to have safe consumption sites. It’s an unfortunate reality that we’re in that they exist,” Glenn said. “What I want is the proper funding for us to be able to end them and that’s not what we’re getting, and trying to force people into treatment that doesn’t exist makes no sense.”
The normally reliable centre-back passed the ball into his own net in the 26th minute after failing to spot goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel’s positioning. But a brilliant turn and finish on the hour mark from Daizen Maeda changed the game and ultimately earned the Scottish champions a 1-1 home draw. On the opener, Rodgers said: “Mistakes happen and it was just unfortunate. He’s played that pass a million times and it’s gone back and then we’ve been able to play forward. It was just one of those unfortunate moments in the game that happens. “But he’s a really, really tough character. He’s a great guy, he picked himself up. He was really strong and aggressive again in the game and got on with it and had a real bravery in the second half, because he was the one carrying the ball forward for us to start the attack.” Despite the gift, Brugge were worthy of their lead and Rodgers admitted his side were too passive in their pressing in the opening half. Some tactical tweaks – and the introduction of Paulo Bernardo – helped Celtic dominate after Maeda’s equaliser, although Brugge had a goal disallowed for a marginal offside. “I can only credit the players for the second half, because we had to fight,” Rodgers said. “And we’re still one of those teams that’s really pushing to try and make a mark at this level. So to make the comeback, score the goal, play with that courage, I was so pleased. “You want to win but I’ve been here enough times to have lost a game like that, but we didn’t. We showed a real strong mentality and we kept pushing right to the very end and the players did well. “I thought they showed great courage in the second half because we weren’t at our level in the first half. Sometimes a game like that can get away from you, but it didn’t. “We stayed with it, showed that determination, showed that mentality, never to quit, to keep going. And then we were much, much better, much freer in the second half. “So we’re on eight points, nine to play for. We’re still very much on course to get to where we want to get to and still three games to go.” Rodgers added: “It’s 20 games now and we’ve won 16 and drawn three and lost one, so it shows you the mentality is there, and especially at this level, you need to have that.”
Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC Raises Stake in NVIDIA Co. (NASDAQ:NVDA)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden's decision to break his word and pardon his son Hunter has spurred a broader discussion about what else he should be doing with the broad clemency powers of the presidency before he leaves office in January, including whether he should be pardoning Donald Trump. Biden on Tuesday ducked questions about his son, ignoring calls for him to explain his reversal as he was making his first presidential trip to Angola . He dismissed shouted questions about the matter with a laugh during a meeting with Angolan President João Lourenço at the presidential palace, telling the Angolan delegation: “Welcome to America.” Biden was not scheduled to take questions from the press during his trip to Africa, and he has largely avoided interactions with reporters since President-elect Trump’s victory last month. Biden’s decision to offer his son a blanket pardon for actions over the past 11 years has sparked a political uproar in Washington, after the president repeatedly had said he would not use his extraordinary powers for the benefit of his family. Biden claimed that the Justice Department had presided over a “miscarriage of justice” in prosecuting his son, using some of the same language that Trump uses to describe his own legal predicaments. Biden's reversal drew criticism from many Democrats , who are working to calibrate their approach to Trump as he prepares to take over the Oval Office in seven weeks. There is concern the pardon — and Biden's claims that his son was prosecuted for political reasons — will erode their ability to push back on the incoming president’s legal moves. And it has threatened to cloud Biden's legacy as he prepares to leave office on Jan. 20. Hunter Biden is the closest presidential relative ever to be granted clemency, but other leaders have pardoned family members and close friends. Bill Clinton pardoned his brother Roger for drug charges after Roger Clinton had served his sentence. By the time Trump left office after his first term, he had issued 144 pardons, which included Charles Kushner , the father of his son-in law, Jared Kushner. He also pardoned fervent supporters Steve Bannon, Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn and other people convicted in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. In the months after the 2020 election, Trump and his allies were trying to overturn his loss, a failed effort that culminated in the violent riot by his supporters at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. There were discussions at the time over whether Trump would preemptively pardon some of those involved in the effort — and maybe even himself — before he left office. But that never happened. Now, Democrats are having similar discussions about preemptive pardons on their side because of Trump's rhetoric on the campaign trail. He's made no secret of his desire to seek revenge on those who prosecuted him or crossed him. He talks about "enemies from within." He's circulated social media posts that call for the jailing of Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, former Vice President Mike Pence and Sens. Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer. He's also taken aim at Liz Cheney, a conservative Republican who campaigned for Harris, promoting a social media post that suggested he wanted military tribunals to punish her because she was guilty of treason. Sen. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, said last week on Boston Public Radio that Biden might consider broad pardons to protect people against whatever wrath Trump may seek, but also as a way to move the country past this acrimonious and divided time. “I think that without question, Trump is going to try to act in a dictatorial way, in a fascistic way, in a revengeful first year at least of his administration toward individuals who he believes harmed him,” Markey said. Presidents enjoy expansive pardon powers when it comes to federal crimes . That includes granting clemency to people who have not yet been charged, as President Gerald Ford did in 1974 when he pardoned his predecessor, Richard Nixon, over the Watergate scandal. The decision at the time caused an uproar but has been seen in the ensuing decades as a move that helped restore order. Markey cited Ford's pardon as a way for the country “just to close that chapter and move on to a new era.” Biden could do the same, Markey said, to help the country move on “to an agenda that deals with the ordinary families.” Sen. Joe Manchin, the Democrat-turned-independent from West Virginia, took it a step further and suggested Biden should even pardon Trump for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, federal charges that are now evaporating with Trump's upcoming return to the White House. “Why don't you go ahead and pardon Donald Trump for all his charges?" he said in an interview with CNN. “It would have gone down a lot more balanced. I'm just saying, wipe them out.” At the same time, Democratic lawmakers and criminal justice reformers are pushing Biden to grant pardons to broad groups of Americans. Democrats Ayanna Pressley, Jim Clyburn and Mary Gay Scanlon wrote to Biden on Nov. 20, asking him to use his clemency powers to "address longstanding injustices in our legal system, and set our nation on the path toward ending mass incarceration.” The letter, also signed by 61 others, suggested Biden could use his powers to send a powerful message of criminal justice reform and "rectify unjust and unnecessary criminal laws passed by Congress and draconian sentences given by judges.” “We encourage you to use your clemency powers to help broad classes of people and cases, including the elderly and chronically ill, those on death row, people with unjustified sentencing disparities, and women who were punished for defending themselves against their abusers,” they wrote. So far, Biden has pardoned 25 people. Most presidents tend to grant a flurry of clemency requests at the end of their terms, and it's likely Biden will do the same. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre has said Biden is “thinking through that process very thoroughly.” Weissert reported from Luanda, Angola.
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