Supreme Court might not 'have the stomach' to accept Trump's new legal demand: expertInvestigators seek arrest warrant for President Yoon
TORONTO (AP) — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told that Americans would also suffer if the president-elect follows through on a , a Canadian minister who attended their recent dinner said Monday. Trump if they don’t stop what he called the flow of drugs and migrants across their borders with the United States. He said on social media last week that he would impose a 25% tax on as one of his first executive orders. Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, whose responsibilities include border security, attended a dinner with Trump and Trudeau at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club on Friday. Trudeau requested the meeting in that the northern border is . “The prime minister of course spoke about the importance of protecting the Canadian economy and Canadian workers from tariffs, but we also discussed with our American friends the negative impact that those tariffs could have on their economy, on affordability in the United States as well,” LeBlanc said in Parliament. If Trump on everything imported from Mexico and Canada, with his campaign promise to give American families a break from inflation. Economists say companies would have little choice but to pass along the added costs, for food, clothing, automobiles, alcohol and other goods. The Produce Distributors Association, a Washington trade group, said last week that tariffs will raise prices for fresh fruit and vegetables and hurt U.S. farmers when the countries retaliate. Canada is already tariffs on certain items from the U.S. should Trump follow through on the threat. After his dinner with Trump, returned home without assurances the president-elect will back away from threatened tariffs on all products from the major American trading partner. Trump called the talks “productive” but signaled no retreat from a pledge that Canada says unfairly lumps it in with Mexico over the flow of drugs and migrants into the United States. “The idea that we came back empty handed is completely false,” LeBlanc said. “We had a very productive discussion with Mr. Trump and his future Cabinet secretaries. ... The commitment from Mr. Trump to continue to work with us was far from empty handed.” Joining Trump and Trudeau at dinner were Howard Lutnick, Trump’s nominee for commerce secretary, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Trump’s pick to lead the Interior Department, and Mike Waltz, Trump’s choice to be his national security adviser. Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., Kirsten Hillman, told The Associated Press on Sunday that “the message that our border is so vastly different than the Mexican border was really understood.” Hillman, who sat at an adjacent table to Trudeau and Trump, said Canada is not the problem when it comes to drugs and migrants. On Monday, Mexico’s president rejected those comments. “Mexico must be respected, especially by its trading partners,” President Claudia Sheinbaum said. She said Canada had its own problems with fentanyl consumption and “could only wish they had the cultural riches Mexico has.” Flows of migrants and seizures of drugs at the two countries’ border are vastly different. U.S. customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border during the last fiscal year, compared with 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border. Most of the fentanyl reaching the U.S. — where it causes about 70,000 overdose deaths annually — is using precursor chemicals smuggled from Asia. On immigration, the U.S. Border Patrol reported 1.53 million encounters with migrants at the southwest border with Mexico between October 2023 and September 2024. That compares to 23,721 encounters at the Canadian border during that time. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85% of U.S. electricity imports as well. Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing for national security.
AP 12:21 JST, December 30, 2024 TBILISI, Goergia (AP) — Former soccer player Mikheil Kavelashvili was formally inaugurated as president of Georgia on Sunday, cementing the ruling party’s grip in what the opposition calls a blow to the country’s EU aspirations and a victory for former imperial ruler Russia. Outgoing pro-Western Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili said Sunday morning that she would vacate her residence at the Orbeliani Palace in Tbilisi, but insisted she was still the legitimate office holder. “I will come out of here, come out to you and be with you. ... This presidential residence was a symbol as long as there was a president here who was legitimate. I bring legitimacy with me,” Zourabichvili told a crowd of supporters outside the palace. She called Kavelashvili’s inauguration a “parody.” Kavelashvili, 53, who was the only candidate on the ballot, easily won the vote earlier in December given the Georgian Dream party’s control of a 300-seat electoral college that replaced direct presidential elections in 2017. It is made up of members of Parliament, municipal councils and regional legislatures. In his speech Sunday, Kavelashvili promised to be “everyone’s president, regardless of whether they like me or not.” He called for the nation to unite behind him around “shared values, the principles of mutual respect, and the future we should build together.” Georgian Dream retained control of Parliament in the South Caucasus nation in an Oct. 26 election that the opposition alleges was rigged with Moscow’s help. The party has vowed to continue pushing toward accession in the European Union but also wants to “reset” ties with Russia. Georgia’s outgoing president and main pro-Western parties have boycotted the post-election parliamentary sessions and demanded a rerun of the ballot. In 2008 Russia fought a brief war with Georgia, which led to Moscow’s recognition of two breakaway regions as independent, and an increase in the Russian military presence in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Critics have accused Georgian Dream — established by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a shadowy billionaire who made his fortune in Russia — of becoming increasingly authoritarian and tilted toward Moscow, accusations the ruling party has denied. The party recently pushed through laws similar to those used by the Kremlin to crack down on freedom of speech and LGBTQ+ rights. Georgian Dream’s decision last month to suspend talks on their country’s bid to join the EU added to the opposition’s outrage and galvanized protests. Protesters in front of the parliament building on Sunday held red cards, in reference to Kavelashvili’s career in soccer. “Because today our president is a footballer, we are showing him a red card. The next step will be sending him off the pitch. The Georgian people will definitely do this, because it was a circus that they have held today in the parliament,” protester Sofia Shamanidi told The Associated Press. Zourabichvili, 72, was born in France to parents with Georgian roots and had a successful career with the French Foreign Ministry before President Mikheil Saakashvili named her Georgia’s top diplomat in 2004. Constitutional changes made the president’s job largely ceremonial before Zourabichvili was elected by popular vote with Georgian Dream’s support in 2018. She became sharply critical of the ruling party, accusing it of pro-Russia policies, and Georgian Dream unsuccessfully tried to impeach her. Zourabichvili has rejected government claims that the opposition was fomenting violence. “We are not demanding a revolution,” she told The Associated Press. “We are asking for new elections, but in conditions that will ensure that the will of the people will not be misrepresented or stolen again. Georgia’s opposition has mocked Kavelashvili for lacking higher education. He was a striker in the English Premier League for Manchester City and played for several clubs in the Swiss Super League. He was elected to Parliament in 2016 on the Georgian Dream ticket, and in 2022 co-founded the People’s Power political movement, which was allied with Georgian Dream and become known for its strong anti-Western rhetoric. Kavelashvili was one of the authors of a controversial law requiring organizations that receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “pursuing the interest of a foreign power,” similar to a Russian law used to discredit critical organizations. The EU, which granted Georgia candidate status in December 2023 on condition that the country meets the bloc’s recommendations, put its accession on hold and cut financial support in June following approval of the “foreign influence” law. Thousands of demonstrators converged on the parliament building every night after the government announced the suspension of EU accession talks on Nov. 28. Riot police used water cannons and tear gas almost daily to disperse and beat scores of protesters, some of whom threw fireworks at police officers and built barricades on the capital’s central boulevard. Hundreds were detained and over 100 treated for injuries. Several journalists were beaten by police and media workers accused authorities of using thugs to deter people from attending anti-government rallies, which Georgian Dream denies. The crackdown has drawn strong condemnation from the United States and EU officials.
By JOSH BOAK WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday voiced his support for the dockworkers union before their contract expires next month at Eastern and Gulf Coast ports, saying that any further “automation” of the ports would harm workers. Related Articles National Politics | Will Kamala Harris run for California governor in 2026? The question is already swirling National Politics | Watchdog finds FBI intelligence missteps before Jan. 6 riot, but no undercover agents were present National Politics | Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people National Politics | Trump taps immigration hard-liner Kari Lake as head of Voice of America National Politics | Trump extends unprecedented invites to China’s Xi and other world leaders for his inauguration The incoming president posted on social media that he met Harold Daggett, the president of the International Longshoreman’s Association, and Dennis Daggett, the union’s executive vice president. “I’ve studied automation, and know just about everything there is to know about it,” Trump posted. “The amount of money saved is nowhere near the distress, hurt, and harm it causes for American Workers, in this case, our Longshoremen. Foreign companies have made a fortune in the U.S. by giving them access to our markets. They shouldn’t be looking for every last penny knowing how many families are hurt.” The International Longshoremen’s Association has until Jan. 15 to negotiate a new contract with the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents ports and shipping companies. At the heart of the dispute is whether ports can install automated gates, cranes and container-moving trucks that could make it faster to unload and load ships. The union argues that automation would lead to fewer jobs, even though higher levels of productivity could do more to boost the salaries of remaining workers. The Maritime Alliance said in a statement that the contract goes beyond ports to “supporting American consumers and giving American businesses access to the global marketplace – from farmers, to manufacturers, to small businesses, and innovative start-ups looking for new markets to sell their products.” “To achieve this, we need modern technology that is proven to improve worker safety, boost port efficiency, increase port capacity, and strengthen our supply chains,” said the alliance, adding that it looks forward to working with Trump. In October, the union representing 45,000 dockworkers went on strike for three days, raising the risk that a prolonged shutdown could push up inflation by making it difficult to unload container ships and export American products overseas. The issue pits an incoming president who won November’s election on the promise of bringing down prices against commitments to support blue-collar workers along with the kinds of advanced technology that drew him support from Silicon Valley elite such as billionaire Elon Musk. Trump sought to portray the dispute as being between U.S. workers and foreign companies, but advanced ports are also key for staying globally competitive. China is opening a $1.3 billion port in Peru that could accommodate ships too large for the Panama Canal. There is a risk that shippers could move to other ports, which could also lead to job losses. Mexico is constructing a port that is highly automated, while Dubai, Singapore and Rotterdam already have more advanced ports. Instead, Trump said that ports and shipping companies should eschew “machinery, which is expensive, and which will constantly have to be replaced.” “For the great privilege of accessing our markets, these foreign companies should hire our incredible American Workers, instead of laying them off, and sending those profits back to foreign countries,” Trump posted. “It is time to put AMERICA FIRST!”CHICAGO (AP) — Matt Duchene and Jamie Benn each had a goal and two assists, and the Dallas Stars beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-1 on Sunday night. Jason Robertson, Evgenii Dadonov and Wyatt Johnston each had a goal and an assist for Dallas, which had lost three of four. Jake Oettinger made 24 saves. Chicago dropped its fourth consecutive game. It lost three of four in its season series against Dallas. Connor Bedard scored his 10th goal for the Blackhawks, and Arvid Soderblom made 30 stops. Next up for Bedard and company is the Winter Classic on Tuesday against St. Louis. Dallas grabbed control after Chicago forward Tyler Bertuzzi was ejected 8:11 into the second period. Bertuzzi was sent off for elbowing Stars forward Colin Blackwell in the face. Robertson made it 2-1 when he converted a wrist shot from the right circle at 8:23. It was Robertson's first goal since Dec. 14 and No. 8 on the season. Dadonov got a slick pass from Duchene and scored his 10th goal with 5:14 left in the second. Stars: Miro Heiskanen added two assists as the Stars used their superior depth to control much of the game. Blackhawks: Once again, not enough offensive opportunities. It has been a recurring problem for the Blackhawks for much of the season so far. Johnston's stick broke right before he scored his eighth goal 10 seconds into the third period. Duchene's pass went off Johnston and past Soderblom, giving the Stars a 4-1 lead. The Stars are 12-3-0 against the Blackhawks since the 2021-22 season. Dallas opens a three-game homestand on Tuesday night against Buffalo. Chicago plays St. Louis on Tuesday at Wrigley Field. AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Probation for Kamloops RCMP constable who tackled woman after snatching her phone (Kamloops)For Iowa, it's a chance to tune up going into the bulk of its Big Ten Conference schedule. For New Hampshire, it's an opportunity to collect a nice paycheck and perhaps even pull off a memorable upset. The Hawkeyes and Wildcats will finish their nonconference schedules Monday night when they meet in Iowa City. Iowa (9-3) last played on Dec. 21, erasing an 11-point second-half deficit to outgun Utah 95-88 in Sioux Falls, S.D. Payton Sandfort scored a season-high 24 points and added eight rebounds for the Hawkeyes, while Owen Freeman added 16 despite running into foul trouble. Hawkeyes coach Fran McCaffery praised fifth-year senior Drew Thelwell, Iowa's sixth-leading scorer, who matched his season high with 15 points. "The energy in the building was phenomenal. Drew was right in the middle of that," McCaffery said. "His defense and drawing six fouls, those are stats that are critical to a team's ability to win. Get to the bonus, get to the double bonus. We do that by driving the ball and drawing fouls and that's what we did." Freeman is averaging a team-high 17.1 points and shooting 66.1 percent from the field, while Sandfort adds 16.7 ppg. Iowa has its usual high-powered attack, ranking seventh in Division I in scoring at 87.8 ppg and canning 50.2 percent from the field. The Hawkeyes could add more gaudy offensive numbers against New Hampshire (2-12), which has lost six straight games, including a 90-83 decision on Dec. 22 at Stonehill. The Wildcats have experienced trouble defensively, allowing opponents to sink 45.2 percent of their field goal attempts and score 76.5 ppg. Coming off a successful 2023-24 campaign that saw the Wildcats go 16-15 and win a game in the America East Conference tournament, New Hampshire returned just three players and had to replace AEC Player of the Year Clarence Daniels and his 19.4 ppg. It hasn't gone to the plan of second-year coach Nathan Davis, but he's still hopeful his team can figure things out in conference play. "We've improved across the board as far as our talent level," he said this summer. "I like our pieces." This is the first meeting between the Wildcats and Hawkeyes. --Field Level MediaYOU can now pick up your groceries in style with an affordable Waitrose buy. However, the supermarket chain has had to take steps to prevent people from reselling the popular designer buys. 3 Waitrose have implemented new rules to prevent people reselling their designer bags for life Credit: WAITROSE In a post on the Facebook group Overheard in Waitrose , one shopper shared the new rule Waitrose have implemented for customers. The poster explained that the shop's designer bags for life have been the target of resellers. According to the Facebook user, Waitrose has come up with a simple workaround to avoid this issue. "Designer bags rationed to two per person in my local Worthing Waitrose," they wrote. Read More On Designer Brands OH BABY Influencer slammed after she puts newborn in £1k designer onesie to come home The shopper was able to confirm the reason behind the restriction when speaking with employees. "People are reselling them for a hefty markup according to staff," they revealed. The Facebook user included a picture of some of the designer bags for life on the shelves. Designed to be reused, bags for life have become increasingly popular since the implementation of the single-use plastic bag fee in 2015. Most read in Fabulous VAPE HELL The terrifying reason you should NEVER share your pal's vape - and it’s not germs IN FEAR Bonnie Blue hit with death threats & told she'd leave Freshers sex event 'in a box' MYSTIC MEG Single? New passion can be ticking close to a stopped clock IVF MIRACLE I was world's first ever test tube baby - trolls called me 'Frankenbaby' Waitrose has teamed up with popular designers to create more fashion forward options for their shoppers. The WR Lulu Guinness Chess Bag is currently available for £12 from Waitrose. I'm a mum of six and I live in a council house but my baby only wears designer clothes - people mistake her for a doll Shoppers can also pick up the Lulu Guinness Flurry Reusable Bag for £15. The look features Lulu's iconic lipstick stain symbol and has a removable zip for every day use. They also include internal and external pockets as well as dual straps to allow you to carry it over your shoulder or in your hand. Facebook users shared their thoughts on the new restriction in the comments section. "Seen them on Vinted for £25 and up to £40," wrote one commenter. Spotting Fake Designer Goods SPOTTING the real deal from a knock off is harder than ever. These days fake clothes, bags and jewellery are almost identical to the real thing making it harder to spot the difference. Here, Clemmie Fieldsend gives you tips on how to spot if your buys are counterfeit or legit. Bags: Real designer bags do not come with authenticity cards Tags should not be attached to the bag, these usually come with the receipt or are tucked into the packaging Designer bags usually have a serial number The bag should look and feel high-quality. Check for even stitching, tidy material, no frayed edges and clear colour matching Watches: A genuine high end watch will feel heavy due to high quality materials The second hand movement on the watch should not be rigid The model name and serial number on a fake may be used across all of their pieces rather than individual ones Check for the official branding and compare with a genuine model if you can The fine details won’t be as refined, including placement and spacing etc Sunglasses: The lenses on designer shades should be of superior quality. Know what you're buying. Classic Ray-Ban designs, for instance, are made from glass. Fake frames feel lighter than real ones Watch out for stiff or loose hinges "In Windsor, they were pinching them. Staff only put one out which was security tagged," wrote another person. "These are good for stocking-fillers - or to put presents in," pointed out a third reader. "I must be bucking the trend as I bought one and simply used it myself," said another Facebook user. Read more on the Scottish Sun FESTIVE FIZZ Coca-Cola Christmas truck in Scotland: Dates, locations & all you need to know AND RELAX Scots seaside hotel with outdoor hot tub and firepit named UK's top spa resort "Good to know, I'll take care of mine!" joked one shopper. "You can buy as many as you want in Hersham! Old design by the way," said another reader. 3 People reported seeing the £12 buy listed on Vinted for up to £40 Credit: WAITROSE 3 The supermarket chain have limited customers to buying two designer bags per purchase (stock image) Credit: GettyTrump offers support for dockworkers union by saying ports shouldn’t install more automated systems
The Air Jordan 2/3 Just Dropped in "White/Gum"ST. LOUIS (AP) — Missouri’s governor on Monday denied clemency for Christopher Collings , a death row inmate facing execution for sexually assaulting and killing a 9-year-old girl and leaving her body in a sinkhole. Collings, 49, is scheduled to receive a single injection of pentobarbital at 6 p.m. CST Tuesday at the state prison in Bonne Terre, Missouri, for the 2007 killing of fourth-grader Rowan Ford. It would be the 23rd execution in the U.S. this year and the fourth in Missouri. “Mr. Collings has received every protection afforded by the Missouri and United States Constitutions, and Mr. Collings’ conviction and sentence remain for his horrendous and callous crime,” Republican Gov. Mike Parson said in a statement. Parson’s decision likely sealed Collings’ fate. Earlier Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court denied an appeal on behalf of Collings, without comment. No additional appeals are planned, Collings' attorney, Jeremy Weis, said. Parson's decision was not unexpected — a former sheriff, Parson has overseen 12 previous executions without granting clemency. Weis said Parson has allowed other executions to proceed for inmates with innocence claims, intellectual disabilities and for men who were “reformed and remorseful” for their crimes. “In each case of redemption, the Governor has ignored the evidence and sought vengeance,” Weis said in a statement. Collings confessed to killing Rowan, a child who referred to him as “Uncle Chris” after Collings lived for several months with the girl’s family in tiny Stella, Missouri. Rowan was killed on Nov. 3, 2007. Her body was found in a sinkhole outside of town six days later. She had been strangled. The clemency petition said an abnormality of Collings’ brain causes him to suffer from “functional deficits in awareness, judgment and deliberation, comportment, appropriate social inhibition, and emotional regulation.” It also noted that he suffered from frequent and often violent abuse as a child. “The result was a damaged human being with no guidance on how to grow into a functioning adult,” the petition stated. The petition also challenged the fairness of executing Collings when another man charged in the crime, Rowan’s stepfather, David Spears, also confessed but was allowed to plead to lesser crimes. Spears served more than seven years in prison before his release in 2015. Collings told authorities that he drank heavily and smoked marijuana with Spears and another man in the hours before the attack on Rowan, according to court records. Collings said he picked up the sleeping child from her bed, took her to the camper where he lived and assaulted her there. He said he strangled the child with a rope when he realized she recognized him. Collings told investigators that he took the girl's body to a sinkhole. He burned the rope used in the attack, along with the clothes he was wearing and his bloodstained mattress, prosecutors said. Spears also implicated himself in the crimes, according to court documents and the clemency petition. A transcript of Spears’ statement to police, cited in the petition, said he told police that Collings handed him a cord and that he killed Rowan. “I choke her with it. I realize she’s gone. She’s ... she’s really gone,” Spears said, according to the transcript. It was Spears who led authorities to the sinkhole where her body was found, according to court documents. No phone listing could be found for Spears. The Supreme Court appeal challenged the reliability of the key law enforcement witness at Collings’ trial, a police chief from a neighboring town who had four AWOL convictions while serving in the Army. Failure to disclose details about that criminal history at trial violated Collings’ right to due process, Weis contended. “His credibility was really at the heart of the entire case against Mr. Collings," Weis said in an interview. Three men have been executed in Missouri this year — Brian Dorsey on April 9, David Hosier on June 11 and Marcellus Williams on Sept. 24. Only Alabama, with six, and Texas, with five, have performed more executions than Missouri in 2024.PHILADELPHIA — Saquon Barkley rushed for 167 yards to top 2,000 on the season, backup quarterback Kenny Pickett ran and threw for scores before departing with injured ribs, and the Philadelphia Eagles clinched the NFC East title by routing the Dallas Cowboys 41-7 on Sunday. Barkley has 2,005 yards and needs 101 in next week’s mostly meaningless regular-season finale to top Eric Dickerson and his 2,105 yards for the Los Angeles Rams in 1984. The Eagles led 24-7 in the third quarter when Pickett was drilled by defensive end Micah Parsons, ending his first start in place of the concussed Jalen Hurts. Tanner McKee, a career third-stringer, entered the game and the Eagles finished the drive with a field goal. McKee later threw two TD passes, a 20-yarder to A.J. Brown and a 25-yarder to DeVonta Smith, in front of a roaring crowd delighted to watch the Eagles dominate their fiercest rival to wrap up the division title and at least the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Hurts was injured in last week’s loss at Washington and remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol — he didn’t practice all week — which opened the door for Pickett to start. BUCCANEERS 48, PANTHERS 14: Baker Mayfield threw for 359 yards and five touchdowns to help Tampa Bay keep its division title and playoff hopes alive with a home blowout over Carolina. Tampa Bay’s fifth win in the past six weeks nudged the first-place Bucs a half-game ahead of Atlanta for the best record in the NFC South, with the Falcons set to play on the road later Sunday night at Washington. Atlanta holds the tiebreaker in the division race and can end Tampa Bay’s three-year reign as NFC South champions by beating the Commanders and winning again next week at home against the last-place Panthers. GIANTS 45, COLTS 33: New York snapped a franchise-record 10-game losing streak and ended Indianapolis’ slim playoff hopes as Drew Lock threw four touchdown passes and ran for another. New York earned its first home win of the season and it no longer has control of the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Lock sandwiched touchdown passes of 31 and 59 yards to Malik Nabers around TD passes of 32 yards to Darius Slayton and 5 yards to Wan’Dale Robinson in leading the Giants to their first win since beating Seattle on Oct. 6. JAGUARS 20, TITANS 13: Mac Jones threw two touchdown passes, including one to standout rookie Brian Thomas Jr., and host Jacksonville beat Tennessee in the rain to sweep the season series for the fourth time in 30 years. Jones completed 15 of 22 passes for 174 yards, with most of them going to Thomas. The first-round draft pick from LSU finished with seven receptions for 91 yards. DOLPHINS 20, BROWNS 3: Tyler Huntley scrambled for a touchdown and threw for one while starting for Tua Tagovailoa, and Miami stayed in the playoff race heading into its season finale with a road victory over Cleveland. Miami needs to win next weekend at the New York Jets and hope the Broncos lose at home to Kansas City to get a wild-card berth. RAIDERS 25, SAINTS 10: Aidan O’Connell passed for two touchdowns, tight end Brock Bowers broke two rookie NFL records, and Las Vegas won for just the fourth time this season, beating struggling New Orleans at the Superdome. BILLS 40, JETS 14: Josh Allen threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, and host Buffalo clinched the AFC’s No. 2 seed with a rout of New York. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
WNBA teams reveal schedules on social media with humorous videosTrump offers support for dockworkers union by saying ports shouldn’t install more automated systemsElon Musk wants to turn SpaceX's Starbase site into a Texas cityLive: Former treasurer hits back at 'desperate' claims Labor politicising Future Fund
-- Shares Facebook Twitter Reddit Email Elon Musk joked that he was mulling a purchase of liberal-leaning cable news network MSNBC in a post to X on Friday. The world's richest man and Tesla CEO is a member of Donald Trump's administration. Musk chimed in about the potential sale of the Trump-averse network after being alerted to it on X, a social media company he also owns , by Donald Trump Jr. Trump Jr. pitched a purchase to Musk as the "funniest idea ever" on X. “How much does it cost?” Musk replied. MSNBC parent company Comcast announced on Wednesday that it's looking to spin the network off into a new entity along with several other cable channels like USA, Oxygen and CNBC. The shareholder-owned spin-off grouping of NBCUniversal's cable networks — called SpinCo for the time being — will theoretically be able to focus on rapid growth in a way that the Comcast conglomerate can not. Comcast chairman Brian Roberts said the move "set these businesses up for future growth,” but Musk and others can't help but notice that the smaller portfolio of cable-only networks is also easier to sell. Related Not knowing how to cover Donald Trump is still the news' biggest problem MSNBC is currently in the midst of a ratings and identity crisis. Ratings are down 38% post-election compared to pre-election 2024 averages. Star anchor Rachel Maddow reportedly took a pay cut in a new deal with the seemingly struggling network. "Morning Joe" hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski didn't help public perception of the network any when they decided to meet with President-elect Donald Trump. Were Musk to go through with his purchase of MSNBC, it wouldn't be the only spite-induced media purchase of 2024. Satirical newspaper The Onion recently purchased Alex Jones' conspiracist media company Infowars at a bankruptcy auction. That sale came after Jones was hit with a staggering defamation judgment ordering that he pay $1.4 billion to the families of the victims of the Sandy Hook mass shooting. The Onion has said it plans to relaunch Infowars as a parody of itself. Should Musk want to do something similar, he's certainly not hurting for funds. The SpaceX owner's net worth ballooned to nearly $350 billion this week following Trump’s reelection, a sign that his tens of millions in campaign contributions may have paid off. Read more about Elon Musk Merkel calls Musk's role in Trump's second term a "huge concern" How this dark-horse hard seltzer helped reelect Donald Trump Musk and Ramaswamy are banking on the Supreme Court letting Trump unilaterally slash spending MORE FROM Griffin Eckstein MORE FROM Alex Galbraith Advertisement:
Rams claim CB Emmanuel Forbes off waivers from Washington
By JOSH BOAK WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday voiced his support for the dockworkers union before their contract expires next month at Eastern and Gulf Coast ports, saying that any further “automation” of the ports would harm workers. Related Articles National Politics | Will Kamala Harris run for California governor in 2026? The question is already swirling National Politics | Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people National Politics | Trump taps immigration hard-liner Kari Lake as head of Voice of America National Politics | Trump extends unprecedented invites to China’s Xi and other world leaders for his inauguration National Politics | Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump The incoming president posted on social media that he met Harold Daggett, the president of the International Longshoreman’s Association, and Dennis Daggett, the union’s executive vice president. “I’ve studied automation, and know just about everything there is to know about it,” Trump posted. “The amount of money saved is nowhere near the distress, hurt, and harm it causes for American Workers, in this case, our Longshoremen. Foreign companies have made a fortune in the U.S. by giving them access to our markets. They shouldn’t be looking for every last penny knowing how many families are hurt.” The International Longshoremen’s Association has until Jan. 15 to negotiate a new contract with the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents ports and shipping companies. At the heart of the dispute is whether ports can install automated gates, cranes and container-moving trucks that could make it faster to unload and load ships. The union argues that automation would lead to fewer jobs, even though higher levels of productivity could do more to boost the salaries of remaining workers. The Maritime Alliance said in a statement that the contract goes beyond ports to “supporting American consumers and giving American businesses access to the global marketplace – from farmers, to manufacturers, to small businesses, and innovative start-ups looking for new markets to sell their products.” “To achieve this, we need modern technology that is proven to improve worker safety, boost port efficiency, increase port capacity, and strengthen our supply chains,” said the alliance, adding that it looks forward to working with Trump. In October, the union representing 45,000 dockworkers went on strike for three days, raising the risk that a prolonged shutdown could push up inflation by making it difficult to unload container ships and export American products overseas. The issue pits an incoming president who won November’s election on the promise of bringing down prices against commitments to support blue-collar workers along with the kinds of advanced technology that drew him support from Silicon Valley elite such as billionaire Elon Musk. Trump sought to portray the dispute as being between U.S. workers and foreign companies, but advanced ports are also key for staying globally competitive. China is opening a $1.3 billion port in Peru that could accommodate ships too large for the Panama Canal. There is a risk that shippers could move to other ports, which could also lead to job losses. Mexico is constructing a port that is highly automated, while Dubai, Singapore and Rotterdam already have more advanced ports. Instead, Trump said that ports and shipping companies should eschew “machinery, which is expensive, and which will constantly have to be replaced.” “For the great privilege of accessing our markets, these foreign companies should hire our incredible American Workers, instead of laying them off, and sending those profits back to foreign countries,” Trump posted. “It is time to put AMERICA FIRST!”Playing twice per year for every year since 1961 — with the exception of the 1982 strike-shortened season, when they faced each other just once — the Vikings and Lions have met 126 times. Their 127th meeting will be the biggest one yet. The NFL has announced that, next Sunday night, the 2024 regular season will conclude with the 14-2 Vikings visiting the 14-2 or 13-3 Lions for all the NFC marbles. The winner will be the No. 1 seed. The loser will be the No. 5 seed. Earlier this year, Detroit won in Minnesota, 31-29. After the Vikings failed to convert a third-and-four that would have iced the game, the Lions drove for the game-winning field goal. Even if Detroit loses to the 49ers on Monday night, a victory over the Vikings will forge a 14-3 tie, with the Lions winning the tiebreaker via the head-to-head sweep. The Lions have opened as 2.5-point favorites. It will be the first time in NFL history that two teams with 13 or more wins have met in the regular season. The outcome will give the winner a bye, and home-field advantage if/when there’s a postseason rematch. If that happens, it’ll be the first time the Vikings and Lions have ever met in the postseason. It all gets started next Sunday night in Detroit, at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.