With just a few games left in the season, the race for the La Liga title is poised to go down to the wire. Every point gained or dropped will have a significant impact on the final standings, making each match a potential turning point in the title race.By LISA MASCARO and FARNOUSH AMIRI WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard faced fresh scrutiny Monday on Capitol Hill about her proximity to Russian-ally Syria amid the sudden collapse of that country’s hardline Assad rule. Gabbard ignored shouted questions about her 2017 visit to war-torn Syria as she ducked into one of several private meetings with senators who are being asked to confirm Trump’s unusual nominees . Related Articles National Politics | Trump promises to end birthright citizenship: What is it and could he do it? National Politics | Trump has flip-flopped on abortion policy. His appointees may offer clues to what happens next National Politics | In promising to shake up Washington, Trump is in a class of his own National Politics | Election Day has long passed. In some states, legislatures are working to undermine the results National Politics | Trump taps his attorney Alina Habba to serve as counselor to the president But the Democrat-turned-Republican Army National Reserve lieutenant colonel delivered a statement in which she reiterated her support for Trump’s America First approach to national security and a more limited U.S. military footprint overseas. “I want to address the issue that’s in the headlines right now: I stand in full support and wholeheartedly agree with the statements that President Trump has made over these last few days with regards to the developments in Syria,” Gabbard said exiting a Senate meeting. The incoming president’s Cabinet and top administrative choices are dividing his Republican allies and drawing concern , if not full opposition, from Democrats and others. Not just Gabbard, but other Trump nominees including Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth, were back at the Capitol ahead of what is expected to be volatile confirmation hearings next year. The incoming president is working to put his team in place for an ambitious agenda of mass immigrant deportations, firing federal workers and rollbacks of U.S. support for Ukraine and NATO allies. “We’re going to sit down and visit, that’s what this is all about,” said Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., as he welcomed Gabbard into his office. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary pick Hegseth appeared to be picking up support from once-skeptical senators, the former Army National Guard major denying sexual misconduct allegations and pledging not to drink alcohol if he is confirmed. The president-elect’s choice to lead the FBI, Kash Patel , who has written extensively about locking up Trump’s foes and proposed dismantling the Federal Bureau of Investigation, launched his first visits with senators Monday. “I expect our Republican Senate is going to confirm all of President Trump’s nominees,” said Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., on social media. Despite widespread concern about the nominees’ qualifications and demeanors for the jobs that are among the highest positions in the U.S. government, Trump’s team is portraying the criticism against them as nothing more than political smears and innuendo. Showing that concern, nearly 100 former senior U.S. diplomats and intelligence and national security officials have urged Senate leaders to schedule closed-door hearings to allow for a full review of the government’s files on Gabbard. Trump’s allies have described the criticisms of Hegseth in particular as similar to those lodged against Brett Kavanaugh, the former president’s Supreme Court nominee who denied a sexual assault allegation and went on to be confirmed during Trump’s first term in office. Said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., about Hegseth: “Anonymous accusations are trying to destroy reputations again. We saw this with Kavanaugh. I won’t stand for it.” One widely watched Republican, Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, herself a former Army National Guard lieutenant colonel and sexual assault survivor who had been criticized by Trump allies for her cool reception to Hegseth, appeared more open to him after their follow-up meeting Monday. “I appreciate Pete Hegseth’s responsiveness and respect for the process,” Ernst said in a statement. Ernst said that following “encouraging conversations,” he had committed to selecting a senior official who will “prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks. As I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.” Ernst also had praise for Patel — “He shares my passion for shaking up federal agencies” — and for Gabbard. Once a rising Democratic star, Gabbard, who represented Hawaii in Congress, arrived a decade ago in Washington, her surfboard in tow, a new generation of potential leaders. She ran unsuccessfully for president in 2020. But Gabbard abruptly left the party and briefly became an independent before joining with Trump’s 2024 campaign as one of his enthusiasts, in large part over his disdain for U.S. involvement overseas and opposition to helping Ukraine battle Russia. Her visit to Syria to meet with then-President Bashar Assad around the time of Trump’s first inauguration during the country’s bloody civil war stunned her former colleagues and the Washington national security establishment. The U.S. had severed diplomatic relations with Syria. Her visit was seen by some as legitimizing a brutal leader who was accused of war crimes. Gabbard has defended the trip, saying it’s important to open dialogue, but critics hear in her commentary echoes of Russia-fueled talking points. Assad fled to Moscow over the weekend after Islamist rebels overtook Syria in a surprise attack, ending his family’s five decades of rule. She said her own views have been shaped by “my multiple deployments and seeing firsthand the cost of war and the threat of Islamist terrorism.” Gabbard said, “It’s one of the many reasons why I appreciate President Trump’s leadership and his election, where he is fully committed, as he has said over and over, to bring about an end to wars.” Last week, the nearly 100 former officials, who served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, said in the letter to Senate leaders they were “alarmed” by the choice of Gabbard to oversee all 18 U.S. intelligence agencies. They said her past actions “call into question her ability to deliver unbiased intelligence briefings to the President, Congress, and to the entire national security apparatus.” The Office of the Director of National Intelligence was created after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to coordinate the nation’s intelligence agencies and act as the president’s main intelligence adviser. Associated Press writer Stephen Groves contributed to this report. 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Should You Forget Bitcoin and Buy Ethereum in 2025?AP News Summary at 2:47 p.m. EST
Title: Sun Ce's Unparalleled Quality Degrades, Guardian Oath New Legend Revealed, Multiple New Skins Set to Debut
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The situation in Syria serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerability faced by Chinese nationals living in conflict zones across the globe. While diplomatic efforts are made to ensure the safety of citizens abroad, the reality is that in times of crisis, individuals must often rely on their own resourcefulness and ingenuity to safeguard their lives and well-being.Moreover, there have been complaints regarding the instability and poor performance of the Tencent Video platform, including frequent buffering, slow loading times, and technical glitches. Many users have reported encountering difficulties while streaming videos, leading to a subpar viewing experience and frustration with the overall service quality. Despite numerous updates and maintenance efforts, these issues persist and have contributed to the growing dissatisfaction among members.
‘No deal better than a bad deal’ – COP29 climate talks facing collapse
15 ASX 200 stocks going ex-dividend before New Year's Eve
The decision sent shockwaves through the football world, with fans, pundits, and rival clubs all weighing in on the implications of the ruling. Manchester City supporters rejoiced at the news, seeing it as a validation of their club's integrity and a chance to compete on equal footing with Europe's elite once again.Economist and is coming around after this year's blistering stock market rally. While he says his updated view doesn't amount to "throwing in the towel," he admits that the technology-fueled AI boom is requiring him to reframe his thinking on the broader stock market. "It's high time for me to stop pontificating on all the reasons why the U.S. stock market is crazily overvalued and all the reasons to be bearish based on all the variables I have relied on in the past," Rosenberg wrote to his clients on Thursday. Rosenberg has long relied on today's stock market valuations relative to the past to highlight just how historically extreme the stock market is currently valued. And he's not wrong. Longtime stock bull Ed Yardeni this week that showed that valuations have been stretched to historical extremes. However, according to Rosenberg, the extreme valuations may actually be warranted if AI can unleash a wave of productivity upon the economy. This idea was echoed by BlackRock in which argued that comparing today's market valuations to those of the past is "apples to oranges" given the profound shift in America's tech-led economy. Perhaps more importantly, the promise of AI is ultimately leading investors to extend their time horizons beyond the traditional one-year outlook. "Investors are clearly looking out beyond one year across an entire gamut of indicators and developments, so the classic way we look at valuations may not be appropriate today," Rosenberg said. Rosenberg added that even if the stock market is in a bubble, it may not be apparent for years to come, similar to the internet bubble that began to form in the mid-1990s before ultimately popping in 2000. With profits booming for technology companies like Nvidia, the exuberance gripping investors doesn't appear to be extreme or unsustainable. "A bear market only ensues if and when these expectations prove to have been excessive. That day may well come, but Mr. Market has been saying for some time: Rosenberg said. A shift in the Federal Reserve's interest rate policy could also send markets lower, but that doesn't seem to be in the cards in the near term. Going forward, Rosenberg said he is keeping a more open mind toward the idea that the stock market bull rally could "go further than anyone thinks." "The way to redress the lament of a bear is to keep an open mind as we head into 2025 and learn from the mistakes of the past year," Rosenberg said. Read the original article on
With the development of The Witcher 4 now well underway , questions about what platforms the title will launch on are already being asked, with one dev not so keen on the approach taken with regards to 2023's Game of the Year, Baldur's Gate 3 . In a recent interview with Eurogamer , Charles Tremblay, vice president of technology at Witcher developer CD Projekt Red , was questioned about a potential PC-first launch for the sequel to 2015 Game of the Year The Witcher 3 , similar to Larian Studios' approach to Baldur's Gate 3. This was posited as a means of avoiding some of the development struggles Cyberpunk 2077 faced thanks to working with last-gen consoles, but is something that Tremblay did not seem particularly keen on. "It's something we discussed, actually, but we're not 100 percent sure. Maybe - so it's hard to say if we want to go this way at this stage." he begins. " would assume that as long as I understand, like, the strategy we want to do - I'm just trying not to say too much, bear with me - most likely, the launch, we will not have a PC-only launch, for example." On the other hand, Tremblay made clear that while The Witcher 4 will likely launch across multiple platforms, this certainly does not mean it will launch on all platforms. "That being said, will it mean that we will have - let's say there were 20 platforms available - we'll have 20 at launch? Maybe not. But at least PC only, and then scattered, it's not necessarily the approach we want to go forward, for sure." However, The Witcher 4 is, of course, still very early in development, and while the team at CDPR have a strategy in place for how the game's launch will likely take place, there's plenty of time for things to change before that release date comes. For now, though, console fans can likely rest easy that a PC-only launch does not seem on the cards for The Witcher 4. "I don't think this is a strategy we want to adopt right now." While you wait for CDPR's next masterpiece, check out some of the best RPGs around to tide you over.Why renewables growth won’t go away under Trump
As the holiday season approaches, South Mountain is delighted to announce its nationwide voucher campaign, offering customers the opportunity to enjoy generous discounts on a wide range of products. With discounts of up to 400 yuan available on single purchases, along with incredible deals such as the Xiaomi Smart Plug 3 for just 38.8 yuan after voucher, now is the perfect time to take advantage of these incredible savings.
Manchester United's decision to mercilessly sack Ashworth, a well-respected figure within the club, has left the team's staff increasingly on edge. The once harmonious atmosphere within the organization has been shattered, with employees now living in constant fear of being next in line for dismissal.
Real Madrid will be looking to capitalize on their games in hand and put pressure on Barcelona to slip up. With a squad brimming with talent and experience, they will be confident of closing the gap and potentially overtaking their rivals in the race for the title.