NoneATLANTA (AP) — Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who won the presidency in the wake of the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, endured humbling defeat after one tumultuous term and then redefined life after the White House as a global humanitarian, has died. He was 100 years old. The longest-lived American president died on Sunday, more than a year after entering hospice care , at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died at 96 in November 2023 , spent most of their lives, The Carter Center said. “Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia,” the center said in posting about his death on the social media platform X. It added in a statement that he died peacefully, surrounded by his family. Businessman, Navy officer, evangelist, politician, negotiator, author, woodworker, citizen of the world — Carter forged a path that still challenges political assumptions and stands out among the 45 men who reached the nation’s highest office. The 39th president leveraged his ambition with a keen intellect, deep religious faith and prodigious work ethic, conducting diplomatic missions into his 80s and building houses for the poor well into his 90s. “My faith demands — this is not optional — my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can, with whatever I have to try to make a difference,” Carter once said. A moderate Democrat, Carter entered the 1976 presidential race as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad smile, outspoken Baptist mores and technocratic plans reflecting his education as an engineer. His no-frills campaign depended on public financing, and his promise not to deceive the American people resonated after Richard Nixon’s disgrace and U.S. defeat in southeast Asia. “If I ever lie to you, if I ever make a misleading statement, don’t vote for me. I would not deserve to be your president,” Carter repeated before narrowly beating Republican incumbent Gerald Ford, who had lost popularity pardoning Nixon. Carter governed amid Cold War pressures, turbulent oil markets and social upheaval over racism, women’s rights and America’s global role. His most acclaimed achievement in office was a Mideast peace deal that he brokered by keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the bargaining table for 13 days in 1978. That Camp David experience inspired the post-presidential center where Carter would establish so much of his legacy. Yet Carter’s electoral coalition splintered under double-digit inflation, gasoline lines and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran. His bleakest hour came when eight Americans died in a failed hostage rescue in April 1980, helping to ensure his landslide defeat to Republican Ronald Reagan. Carter acknowledged in his 2020 “White House Diary” that he could be “micromanaging” and “excessively autocratic,” complicating dealings with Congress and the federal bureaucracy. He also turned a cold shoulder to Washington’s news media and lobbyists, not fully appreciating their influence on his political fortunes. “It didn’t take us long to realize that the underestimation existed, but by that time we were not able to repair the mistake,” Carter told historians in 1982, suggesting that he had “an inherent incompatibility” with Washington insiders. Carter insisted his overall approach was sound and that he achieved his primary objectives — to “protect our nation’s security and interests peacefully” and “enhance human rights here and abroad” — even if he fell spectacularly short of a second term. Ignominious defeat, though, allowed for renewal. The Carters founded The Carter Center in 1982 as a first-of-its-kind base of operations, asserting themselves as international peacemakers and champions of democracy, public health and human rights. “I was not interested in just building a museum or storing my White House records and memorabilia,” Carter wrote in a memoir published after his 90th birthday. “I wanted a place where we could work.” That work included easing nuclear tensions in North and South Korea, helping to avert a U.S. invasion of Haiti and negotiating cease-fires in Bosnia and Sudan. By 2022, The Carter Center had declared at least 113 elections in Latin America, Asia and Africa to be free or fraudulent. Recently, the center began monitoring U.S. elections as well. Carter’s stubborn self-assuredness and even self-righteousness proved effective once he was unencumbered by the Washington order, sometimes to the point of frustrating his successors . He went “where others are not treading,” he said, to places like Ethiopia, Liberia and North Korea, where he secured the release of an American who had wandered across the border in 2010. “I can say what I like. I can meet whom I want. I can take on projects that please me and reject the ones that don’t,” Carter said. He announced an arms-reduction-for-aid deal with North Korea without clearing the details with Bill Clinton’s White House. He openly criticized President George W. Bush for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He also criticized America’s approach to Israel with his 2006 book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.” And he repeatedly countered U.S. administrations by insisting North Korea should be included in international affairs, a position that most aligned Carter with Republican President Donald Trump. Among the center’s many public health initiatives, Carter vowed to eradicate the guinea worm parasite during his lifetime, and nearly achieved it: Cases dropped from millions in the 1980s to nearly a handful. With hardhats and hammers, the Carters also built homes with Habitat for Humanity. The Nobel committee’s 2002 Peace Prize cites his “untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” Carter should have won it alongside Sadat and Begin in 1978, the chairman added. Carter accepted the recognition saying there was more work to be done. “The world is now, in many ways, a more dangerous place,” he said. “The greater ease of travel and communication has not been matched by equal understanding and mutual respect.” Carter’s globetrotting took him to remote villages where he met little “Jimmy Carters,” so named by admiring parents. But he spent most of his days in the same one-story Plains house — expanded and guarded by Secret Service agents — where they lived before he became governor. He regularly taught Sunday School lessons at Maranatha Baptist Church until his mobility declined and the coronavirus pandemic raged. Those sessions drew visitors from around the world to the small sanctuary where Carter will receive his final send-off after a state funeral at Washington’s National Cathedral. The common assessment that he was a better ex-president than president rankled Carter and his allies. His prolific post-presidency gave him a brand above politics, particularly for Americans too young to witness him in office. But Carter also lived long enough to see biographers and historians reassess his White House years more generously. His record includes the deregulation of key industries, reduction of U.S. dependence on foreign oil, cautious management of the national debt and notable legislation on the environment, education and mental health. He focused on human rights in foreign policy, pressuring dictators to release thousands of political prisoners . He acknowledged America’s historical imperialism, pardoned Vietnam War draft evaders and relinquished control of the Panama Canal. He normalized relations with China. “I am not nominating Jimmy Carter for a place on Mount Rushmore,” Stuart Eizenstat, Carter’s domestic policy director, wrote in a 2018 book. “He was not a great president” but also not the “hapless and weak” caricature voters rejected in 1980, Eizenstat said. Rather, Carter was “good and productive” and “delivered results, many of which were realized only after he left office.” Madeleine Albright, a national security staffer for Carter and Clinton’s secretary of state, wrote in Eizenstat’s forward that Carter was “consequential and successful” and expressed hope that “perceptions will continue to evolve” about his presidency. “Our country was lucky to have him as our leader,” said Albright, who died in 2022. Jonathan Alter, who penned a comprehensive Carter biography published in 2020, said in an interview that Carter should be remembered for “an epic American life” spanning from a humble start in a home with no electricity or indoor plumbing through decades on the world stage across two centuries. “He will likely go down as one of the most misunderstood and underestimated figures in American history,” Alter told The Associated Press. James Earl Carter Jr. was born Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains and spent his early years in nearby Archery. His family was a minority in the mostly Black community, decades before the civil rights movement played out at the dawn of Carter’s political career. Carter, who campaigned as a moderate on race relations but governed more progressively, talked often of the influence of his Black caregivers and playmates but also noted his advantages: His land-owning father sat atop Archery’s tenant-farming system and owned a main street grocery. His mother, Lillian , would become a staple of his political campaigns. Seeking to broaden his world beyond Plains and its population of fewer than 1,000 — then and now — Carter won an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1946. That same year he married Rosalynn Smith, another Plains native, a decision he considered more important than any he made as head of state. She shared his desire to see the world, sacrificing college to support his Navy career. Carter climbed in rank to lieutenant, but then his father was diagnosed with cancer, so the submarine officer set aside his ambitions of admiralty and moved the family back to Plains. His decision angered Rosalynn, even as she dived into the peanut business alongside her husband. Carter again failed to talk with his wife before his first run for office — he later called it “inconceivable” not to have consulted her on such major life decisions — but this time, she was on board. “My wife is much more political,” Carter told the AP in 2021. He won a state Senate seat in 1962 but wasn’t long for the General Assembly and its back-slapping, deal-cutting ways. He ran for governor in 1966 — losing to arch-segregationist Lester Maddox — and then immediately focused on the next campaign. Carter had spoken out against church segregation as a Baptist deacon and opposed racist “Dixiecrats” as a state senator. Yet as a local school board leader in the 1950s he had not pushed to end school segregation even after the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board of Education decision, despite his private support for integration. And in 1970, Carter ran for governor again as the more conservative Democrat against Carl Sanders, a wealthy businessman Carter mocked as “Cufflinks Carl.” Sanders never forgave him for anonymous, race-baiting flyers, which Carter disavowed. Ultimately, Carter won his races by attracting both Black voters and culturally conservative whites. Once in office, he was more direct. “I say to you quite frankly that the time for racial discrimination is over,” he declared in his 1971 inaugural address, setting a new standard for Southern governors that landed him on the cover of Time magazine. His statehouse initiatives included environmental protection, boosting rural education and overhauling antiquated executive branch structures. He proclaimed Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the slain civil rights leader’s home state. And he decided, as he received presidential candidates in 1972, that they were no more talented than he was. In 1974, he ran Democrats’ national campaign arm. Then he declared his own candidacy for 1976. An Atlanta newspaper responded with the headline: “Jimmy Who?” The Carters and a “Peanut Brigade” of family members and Georgia supporters camped out in Iowa and New Hampshire, establishing both states as presidential proving grounds. His first Senate endorsement: a young first-termer from Delaware named Joe Biden. Yet it was Carter’s ability to navigate America’s complex racial and rural politics that cemented the nomination. He swept the Deep South that November, the last Democrat to do so, as many white Southerners shifted to Republicans in response to civil rights initiatives. A self-declared “born-again Christian,” Carter drew snickers by referring to Scripture in a Playboy magazine interview, saying he “had looked on many women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times.” The remarks gave Ford a new foothold and television comedians pounced — including NBC’s new “Saturday Night Live” show. But voters weary of cynicism in politics found it endearing. Carter chose Minnesota Sen. Walter “Fritz” Mondale as his running mate on a “Grits and Fritz” ticket. In office, he elevated the vice presidency and the first lady’s office. Mondale’s governing partnership was a model for influential successors Al Gore, Dick Cheney and Biden. Rosalynn Carter was one of the most involved presidential spouses in history, welcomed into Cabinet meetings and huddles with lawmakers and top aides. The Carters presided with uncommon informality: He used his nickname “Jimmy” even when taking the oath of office, carried his own luggage and tried to silence the Marine Band’s “Hail to the Chief.” They bought their clothes off the rack. Carter wore a cardigan for a White House address, urging Americans to conserve energy by turning down their thermostats. Amy, the youngest of four children, attended District of Columbia public school. Washington’s social and media elite scorned their style. But the larger concern was that “he hated politics,” according to Eizenstat, leaving him nowhere to turn politically once economic turmoil and foreign policy challenges took their toll. Carter partially deregulated the airline, railroad and trucking industries and established the departments of Education and Energy, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He designated millions of acres of Alaska as national parks or wildlife refuges. He appointed a then-record number of women and nonwhite people to federal posts. He never had a Supreme Court nomination, but he elevated civil rights attorney Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the nation’s second highest court, positioning her for a promotion in 1993. He appointed Paul Volker, the Federal Reserve chairman whose policies would help the economy boom in the 1980s — after Carter left office. He built on Nixon’s opening with China, and though he tolerated autocrats in Asia, pushed Latin America from dictatorships to democracy. But he couldn’t immediately tame inflation or the related energy crisis. And then came Iran. After he admitted the exiled Shah of Iran to the U.S. for medical treatment, the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun in 1979 by followers of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Negotiations to free the hostages broke down repeatedly ahead of the failed rescue attempt. The same year, Carter signed SALT II, the new strategic arms treaty with Leonid Brezhnev of the Soviet Union, only to pull it back, impose trade sanctions and order a U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. Hoping to instill optimism, he delivered what the media dubbed his “malaise” speech, although he didn’t use that word. He declared the nation was suffering “a crisis of confidence.” By then, many Americans had lost confidence in the president, not themselves. Carter campaigned sparingly for reelection because of the hostage crisis, instead sending Rosalynn as Sen. Edward M. Kennedy challenged him for the Democratic nomination. Carter famously said he’d “kick his ass,” but was hobbled by Kennedy as Reagan rallied a broad coalition with “make America great again” appeals and asking voters whether they were “better off than you were four years ago.” Reagan further capitalized on Carter’s lecturing tone, eviscerating him in their lone fall debate with the quip: “There you go again.” Carter lost all but six states and Republicans rolled to a new Senate majority. Carter successfully negotiated the hostages’ freedom after the election, but in one final, bitter turn of events, Tehran waited until hours after Carter left office to let them walk free. At 56, Carter returned to Georgia with “no idea what I would do with the rest of my life.” Four decades after launching The Carter Center, he still talked of unfinished business. “I thought when we got into politics we would have resolved everything,” Carter told the AP in 2021. “But it’s turned out to be much more long-lasting and insidious than I had thought it was. I think in general, the world itself is much more divided than in previous years.” Still, he affirmed what he said when he underwent treatment for a cancer diagnosis in his 10th decade of life. “I’m perfectly at ease with whatever comes,” he said in 2015 . “I’ve had a wonderful life. I’ve had thousands of friends, I’ve had an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence.” ----- By Bill Barrow for the Associated Press Associated Press journalist Alex Sanz contributed to this report.WASHINGTON (AP) — Thomas Sorber's 22 points helped Georgetown defeat Coppin State 83-53 on Saturday. Sorber also had 12 rebounds and four blocks for the Hoyas (11-2). Drew Fielder scored 20 points while shooting 6 of 7 from the field and 8 for 8 from the line and added 13 rebounds. Malik Mack finished with 15 points. The Eagles (1-13) were led in scoring by Toby Nnadozie, who finished with 22 points. Julius Ellerbe added 12 points and six steals for Coppin State. Zahree Harrison finished with nine points and four steals. Georgetown took the lead with 19:44 left in the first half and did not give it up. The score was 37-30 at halftime, with Sorber racking up 13 points. Georgetown pulled away with a 21-2 run in the second half to extend a seven-point lead to 26 points. They outscored Coppin State by 23 points in the final half, as Mack led the way with a team-high nine second-half points. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
Another reminder this week of how things don't end well under Marxism. Welcome to the West Coast, Messed CoastTM where California is still counting the votes and where the story of the People's Temple is haunting the news cycle again on the 46th anniversary week of the story from whence we get the saying, "Drinking the Kool-Aid." Advertisement Jim Jones: political insider Jim Jones was one of the communist fellow travelers who infiltrated the church to feed his poor and minority members, not with the Gospel of Jesus Christ but with the social gospel according to the "god" they worshiped: him. In 2012, PJ Media's Ed Driscoll excerpted books and articles about the story of Jones's atheist "church," The People's Temple. Jim Jones was an evangelical communist who became a minister to infiltrate the church with the gospel according to Marx and Lenin. He was an atheist missionary bringing his message of socialist redemption to the Christian heathen. "I decided, how can I demonstrate my Marxism?," remembered Jones of his days in 1950s Indiana. "The thought was, infiltrate the church." Years later, after Jones started his cult in San Francisco, he has his followers were so powerful that People's Temple cult members infiltrated the leadership at San Francisco City Hall. Here's Driscoll again: Mayor George Moscone, who would be assassinated days after the Jonestown tragedy, appointed Jones to the city's Housing Authority in 1975. Jones quickly became chairman, which proved beneficial to the enlargement of the pastor's flock–and his coffers, as Jones seized welfare checks from new members. One of the Peoples Temple's top officials becoming an assistant district attorney, a man so thoroughly indoctrinated in the cult that he falsely signed an affidavit (ultimately his child's death warrant) disavowing paternity to his own son and ascribed paternity to Jones, similarly enhanced the cult's power base within the city. How, one wonders, did victimized Peoples Temple members... Victoria Taft
Sorber scores 22 as Georgetown beats Coppin State 83-53Trump vows to pursue executions after Biden commutes most of federal death row
Friendswood ISD’s board of trustees approved the district’s 2024-27 technology strategic plan at its Dec. 9 meeting. The plan includes new goals in regard to staff orientation, artificial intelligence and classroom digital safety, among other topics. The overview The 2024-27 FISD technology plan was written and recommended by members of the Technology Plan Committee in 2023, and was updated in 2024 when the new Executive Director of Technology Jeremy Walker began his role in spring 2023. The update included new goals in the following areas: Staff orientation Student internship programs Artificial intelligence Instructional technology enhancements Responsible use guidelines Classroom digital safety Diving in deeper The areas were formed into the following six goals: Goal 1: Increase and stabilize bandwidth capabilities and reliability. A presentation by the district notes that FISD has a reliable network but access to quality technology is not consistent throughout the district. Some objectives within this goal is to get the district onto the next generation Wi-Fi, and upgrade connection bandwidth to elementary and secondary campuses. Goal 2: Provide intentional, proactive and responsive support systems to learners, facilitators and the community. An objective on this goal is to use data to plan and provide professional learning on technology use for staff. Goal 3: Research the best practices for digital instruction; provide resources and training that promotes creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration; and increase the pattern of responsible technology use where all learners are engaged. Goal 4: Digital citizenship, which addresses student safety and behavior online. Goal 5: Data safety, which maps out what the district is doing to keep personal data secure. Goal 6: Provide staff with information and development on new communication mediums, which will also support communication within the district regarding the availability of equipment and services for staff. Quote of note Board members and district officials also discussed a potential technology refresh for the district . Walker estimated the district needed to invest about $500,000 to “get us back on track.” “It is a pretty heavy price tag, and I know it’s a really big ask for the district, ... especially with the budget landscape that we have in Austin,” Walker said. “If we have to prioritize, we'll prioritize. We want to make sure that we're providing the right tools for the teachers and students.”I worked alongside former US President Jimmy Carter for 30 years. Here's what he was like as a mentor.
California Gov. Newsom's team considering ways to help illegal immigrants ahead of second Trump admin: report
ACCUSED assassin Luigi Mangione is in for a culture shock contrary to his glamorous "old money" upbringing as he prepares to spend his first Christmas inside a prison hellhole, an expert has said. Mangione , the man charged with executing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson , is facing two separate indictments related to the cold-hearted, calculated December 4 shooting in Midtown Manhattan . Advertisement 10 Luigi Mangione was arraigned on 11 criminal counts on Monday in Manhattan Criminal Court Credit: Getty - Pool 10 Mangione is in federal custody and housed at the notorious Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn Credit: Reuters 10 Luigi Mangione grins from ear to ear in the back of a police vehicle after pleading not guilty to 11 state criminal charges Credit: Getty Images - Getty 10 A prison expert told The U.S. Sun Luigi Mangione is in a situation unlike anything he's experienced before Credit: Reuters After being extradited from Pennsylvania to New York on December 19, Mangione was immediately turned over to FBI officials. Federal prosecutors unsealed a four-count indictment charging Mangione, 26, with murder through the use of a firearm, stalking, and firearm offenses. Mangione now finds himself jailed in the notorious federal lockup in Brooklyn - the Metropolitan Detention Center - a place he "never expected to himself in," a prison expert said. 'HELL ON EARTH' "Luigi, he's like right now, his mind is a little f**ked up. He never thought that he'd be in the feds," prison expert Larry Levine, founder of Wall Street Prison Consultants, told The U.S. Sun. Advertisement Read more in The U.S. Sun 'KILLER' SMIRK Smug CEO ‘assassin’ cracks smile in court as he pleads not guilty to murder CELL MATES Luigi Mangione & Diddy to be held in same hellish prison with rats & raw sewage "He's acclimating himself to his new surroundings. His lawyers are thanking God he's in New York, and they don't have to travel to Pennsylvania to visit him. So, he's just adjusting to where he's at. "He'll be there for a week or so, maybe two weeks. Then maybe in a month, they'll move him where Diddy is. "But [Diddy] can handle his s**t. I just know [Mangione] is f**king scared, and now they're probably trying to force-feed him. "They're gonna offer him psych meds. He's gonna be like a f**king zombie. That's a given." Advertisement Most read in The US Sun REFFIN' HELL KMI panel reveals FIVE more VAR blunders including THREE mistakes in one game TRAGIC LOSS Olympic snowboarder Sophie Hediger dead aged 26 after being caught in avalanche IN THE DOCK Suspect appears in court charged with murder of man near Scots nightclub RANGERS RAGE Gers slam SFA over 'serious concerns' as final VAR officials return to action You're talking old, old, million old money. Now he can have cheese crackers, and maybe a bottle of a plastic bottle of soda. Larry Levine Levine, who served 10 years in federal prison on racketeering, securities fraud, obstruction of justice, and narcotics trafficking charges, said Mangione is in a situation unlike anything he's experienced before. The Metropolitan Detention Center is plagued with inmate death and violence, rodents, raw sewage, understaffing, and a deteriorating infrastructure. Chilling moment CEO ‘assassin’ Luigi Mangione tells classmates to ‘challenge the world’ in valedictorian speech Cameron Lindsay, a former warden at the infamous federal building, told The New York Times in 2019 that the site is "one of the most trouble, if not the most troubled facility in the Bureau of Prisons." 'OLD MONEY' WEALTH Mangione was born to a prominent, well-established Italian-American family in Baltimore, Maryland . Advertisement Nicholas Mangione Sr., the family patriarch and the young Mangione's grandfather, left his 10 kids and 37 grandchildren an extensive multi-million dollar real estate portfolio, including country clubs, nursing homes, and a radio station. Luigi Mangione came from a privileged upbringing, attending the prestigious high school Gilman School in Baltimore, where tuition is currently $37,690 per year. He was on the wrestling and soccer teams and was valedictorian of his graduating class of 2016. After high school, he continued his academic success, attending the University of Pennsylvania for his undergraduate and graduate studies. Advertisement Then, after college, Mangione landed several internships with tech companies and found a job as a software engineer at TrueCar, an online marketplace based in Santa Monica, California . The perks of his job allowed Mangione to work remotely, and he eventually found himself living in a shared space in a high-rise apartment in Honolulu, Hawaii , where he paid about $2,000 per month. During a trip to Thailand in April, Mangione boasted to another traveler that he was making "lawyer money" as a coder for TrueCar and claimed to have $6 million in his bank account thanks to his wealthy family, according to TMZ . 10 Mangione, who came from a privileged upbringing, will experience a 'different life, different world' while in federal lockup, a prison expert said Credit: Getty Images - Getty Advertisement 10 Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was executed outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan on the morning of December 4 Credit: AFP 10 Police place bullet casing markers outside of a Hilton hotel where Brian Thompson was fatally shot Credit: Getty Images - Getty 'DIFFERENT LIFE, DIFFERENT WORLD' However, Mangione's elite lifestyle was upended when he was arrested on December 9 at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 280 miles west of where he allegedly assassinated the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare . "You're talking old, old million, old money," Levine told The U.S. Sun. Advertisement "Now he can have cheese crackers and maybe a bottle of a plastic bottle of soda. "He'll buy a honey bun. It's like all knock-offs, too. They don't sell the real s**t in the feds. "What is it called, Mrs. Freshly - I never heard of it until I went in. I saw it once at a $.99 store. "So, he'll be eating like off-brand, knock-off convenience, snacks, and s**t when he finally gets to get that." Advertisement Levine added, "So, different life, different world, you know. It's not like he's in the state where you can buy your own TV set. "He's gonna have to deal with inmates, and he's not gonna be making the decisions. "So yeah, that's a mindf**k." 'LIFE BEHIND BARS' Levine compared Mangione's living conditions in the Metropolitan Detention Center to "living in your bathroom." Advertisement "You know, if he's living in a cell like Diddy was for a while, you know how big those cells are? Picture living in your bathroom with no TV, no computer as well," Levine said. "That's what his cell life will be like. You got nothing to read. "Here's your Bible, though. So, he'll be reading the Bible, he'll be getting discovery, but what real discovery is there. "He didn't commit a sophisticated crime. So, they'll give him discovery, 'We found this, and we found that this were his movements,' for the next whatever period of time. Advertisement "The guy already admitted that he did it, so you know what kind of big investigation do you need on that." 10 The Metropolitan Detention Center is also where disgraced music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs is being held while he awaits trial Credit: Reuters 10 Prison consultant Larry Levine believes Mangione is 'scared' and 'never expected to be in the feds' Credit: AP:Associated Press 10 Surveillance video captured the moment a masked, hooded gunman assassinated Brian Thompson as he arrived at the Hilton hotel for an investor conference Credit: AP Advertisement 'HUMAN PING-PONG BALL' On Monday, Mangione pleaded not guilty to 11 state criminal counts, including a first-degree murder that brands him as a terrorist. A grinning Mangione appeared in Manhattan Criminal Court, where his attorney raised issues with the New York City Police Department's "staged" perp walk of her client. "He's a young man, and he's being treated like a human ping-pong ball by two warring jurisdictions here," defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo argued. "They're treating him like a human spectacle." Advertisement Agnifilo questions Mayor Eric Adam's presence at the December 19 perp walk, where dozens of heavily armed police officers and FBI officials waited for Mangione to arrive at a heliport near Wall Street. "What was the New York City mayor doing at this press conference - that is utterly political," the attorney added. "The New York City mayor should know more than anyone the presumption of innocence." Despite her concerns, Judge Gregory Carro assured Agnifilo that Mangione would receive a fair trial, saying, "We will carefully select a jury." Advertisement Read more on the Scottish Sun SHOCK SWOOP Former Celtic boss 'lines up shock January transfer swoop for Kyogo Furuhashi' MAKE THE YULETIDE GREY White Christmas update for Scots as snow & 80mph winds wreak chaos Mangione's next court date in state court is scheduled for February 21. Before then, he is expected to appear in federal court on January 18. Timeline of Brian Thompson's murder BRIAN Thompson, the 50-year-old CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot to death in Manhattan in an execution-like killing. Here is everything we know about Thompson's murder so far. Monday, December 2 - Thompson travels from his home in Minnesota to New York City for an investor conference in Midtown Manhattan. Wednesday, December 4, 6:45 am - Thompson walks from his hotel across the street to the New York Hilton Midtown and is murdered by a masked shooter . The execution was caught on surveillance, and the suspect was seen biking away toward Central Park. Cops spark a citywide search for the assassin. 11:30 am - Cops released disturbing images of the execution, offered a reward for information, and made a desperate plea for New Yorkers to keep their eyes out. 12:00 pm - Thompson's estranged wife Paulette revealed her husband had been threatened before he was shot. 2:45 pm - Cops released more eerie images of the suspect ordering at Starbucks that partially revealed his face. The U.S. Sun confirmed the coffee shop was just two blocks away from the shooting, but it's unclear when he stopped by. December 5, 6 am - Reports claim the words "deny," "dispose," and "defend" were engraved on live rounds and shell casings left behind by the assassin. These words echo the book Delay, Deny, Defend, which is about the failings of the healthcare industry. The author of the book had no comment on the reports. 8 am - Cops raid a hostel in the Upper West Side of New York City where the suspect is said to have stayed. It's believed he wore a mask for most of the time he was there. 11 am - A person of interest in Thompson's murder is pictured . He's wearing a hood in the photo, but his full face could be seen breaking into a beaming grin. Still, no arrests have been made in the investigation. Afternoon - Law enforcement confirms the suspect arrived in New York City on a Greyhound bus on November 24. It's also confirmed that the suspect dropped a burner cell phone near the scene of the shooting. December 6, 3 pm - Police announce they believe the killer has left New York City via interstate bus. They release more surveillance footage that shows him taking a taxi to the George Washington Bridge Bus Station. December 9 - Luigi Mangione, 26, is arrested as a "strong person of interest" at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He was carrying a three-page manifesto, fake IDs, and a gun similar to the one used in Thompson's murder.
Supreme Court Dismisses Meta's Appeal to Block Multibillion-Dollar SuitAzincourt Energy Corp. ( CVE:AAZ – Get Free Report ) rose 50% on Friday . The stock traded as high as C$0.02 and last traded at C$0.02. Approximately 253,181 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 2% from the average daily volume of 259,671 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.01. Azincourt Energy Stock Up 50.0 % The firm has a market capitalization of C$4.48 million, a PE ratio of -1.50 and a beta of 2.78. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of C$0.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of C$0.02. Azincourt Energy Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) Azincourt Energy Corp., an exploration and development company, focuses on the alternative fuels/alternative energy sector in Canada and Peru. It explores for uranium and lithium deposits, as well as other clean energy elements. The company owns interest in the East Preston project covering an area of approximately 25,000 hectares located in Saskatchewan, Canada; and the Big Hill Lithium project covering approximately an area of 7,500 hectares located in southwestern Newfoundland, Canada. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Azincourt Energy Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Azincourt Energy and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
In this period of uncertainty, that provide a higher level of could be exactly what investors are looking for. in Australia remain quite high, so income-seekers may want to find investments that can provide a higher level of than a term deposit. Unlike a term deposit, ASX dividend shares can deliver growth, so I'm going to discuss two stocks below that provide a mixture of good , income growth, and longer-term capital growth. Universal Store Holdings Ltd ( ) Universal Store is an impressive , in my view, with a number of youth fashion brands. Its main business is its Universal Store shop network. It also has CTC (which trades as THRILLS and Worship brands) and Perfect Stranger. The business has more than 100 stores across Australia. In my opinion, this business already has an impressive dividend record. It started paying a dividend in 2021 and has paid a dividend every year since then. Some other ASX retail shares have cut their dividends in the last couple of years amid the and elevated cost of living. The ASX dividend share paid an annual dividend per share of 35.5 cents in FY24, which translates into a grossed-up dividend yield of 6.5%, including . Universal Store's recent showed very promising numbers to help dividend growth in the 2025 financial year. The company announced its FY25 year-to-date direct-to-customer sales were up 19.3% year over year. Universal Store's total sales were up 15.5%, Perfect Stranger's total sales were up 111.1%, and CTC's total sales grew 7.4%. The company said its store rollout is on track to open nine to 15 new stores in FY25, with seven expected to open by Christmas. It said its was in line with the second half of FY24. However, its cost of doing business as a percentage of sales was approximately 1% above the prior year because of inflation pressures and investments in its team's capability. According to the forecasts on Commsec, Universal Store is valued at 16x FY25's estimated earnings. MFF Capital Investments Ltd ( ) and . Impressively, thanks to the quality-focused portfolio, MFF shares have delivered average total shareholder returns (TSR) per annum of 12.1%, which doesn't include the benefits of . In terms of passive income, MFF has grown its annual ordinary dividend every year since 2018, which is a solid and growing record. One reason I like this investment is that we can buy the ASX dividend shares at a discount to their underlying value, called the . In other words, we can buy $1 of shares for 90 cents (if the NTA discount were 10%). As of 29 November 2024, its pre-tax NTA was $4.85. At the current MFF share price, it's trading at a 10% discount to that value, which I think is an appealing discount. In FY25, it's expecting to pay a grossed-up dividend yield of 5.25%, including franking credits.On December 27, 1983, Pope John Paul II visited a man in an Italian prison to offer him forgiveness. More than two years earlier, that man had done his very best to kill the pontiff. Mehmet Ali Agca was a Turkish ultranationalist who had escaped from prison in his home country after murdering a newspaper editor. Two years later, on May 13, 1981, Agca and an accomplice entered St Peter's Square in Rome, where the Pope was greeting supporters. Agca opened fire with a handgun, hitting the Pope four times and striking two others non-fatally. He was immediately grabbed by spectators, a nun, and the Vatican security chief. After the Pope's visit and granting of forgiveness, he and Acga would correspond for years. Acga was eventually pardoned in Italy in 2000 at the Pope's request and deported to Turkey, where he was jailed for another decade and converted to Roman Catholicism. Scientist Charles Darwin embarked on his landmark voyage on the HMS Beagle on December 27, 1831. It was from this voyage that Darwin, then aged 22, first formulated his theory of evolution. But that wasn't his original goal. (The HMS Beagle at Tierra Del Fuego, as painted by on-board draughtsman Conrad Martens.) Darwin joined the expedition, which ventured down past South America, then to Tahiti and Australia in its circumnavigation of the globe, as a geologist. But his discovery of fossilised bones of extinct animals, and his observations of plants and animals, made him question the then-prevalent belief that species were fixed. The result was Darwin's theory of evolution, and his landmark book On the Origin of Species, first published years later in 1859. Former prime minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto was assassinated at a public rally in Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007. Bhutto, who served as prime minister from 1988 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1996, had returned from eight years of self-imposed exile overseas to lead the opposition Pakistan People's Party to the January 2008 elections. At her final rally (pictured), she was shot at by an assassin before a suicide bomb was detonated. Twenty-three others were killed in the bombing. Bhutto had already survived one assassination attempt since her return. Bhutto, pictured in 1988, was the first woman elected to lead a Muslim-majority country. Despite coming from a wealthy and aristocratic family, her own political leanings were liberal and secularist. Bhutto's body was entombed in her family mausoleum in Garhi Khuda Baksh, Pakistan. Her death spurred the Pakistan Peoples' Party to electoral wins the next year. While the government initially blamed al-Quaeda as a chief suspect in the attack, two senior police officers were later jailed, one for mishandling security and the other for damaging evidence. Pervez Musharraf, who was president of Pakistan when Bhutto was killed, was later charged with high treason and sentenced to death in absentia, due to what a court said was his failure to provide Bhutto with sufficient security despite her requests.