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ewin888 Activating Your Credit Card? Don’t Skip the Mobile Wallet StepBOSTON (AP) — Two men, including a dual Iranian American citizen, have been arrested on charges that they exported sensitive technology to Iran that was used in a that killed three American troops early this year and injured dozens of other service members, the Justice Department said Monday. The criminal case in federal court in Massachusetts charges the men, identified as Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi and Mohammad Abedininajafabadi, with export control violations. U.S. officials blamed the January attack on the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias that includes Kataib Hezbollah. Three Georgia soldiers — Sgt. William Jerome Rivers of Carrollton, Sgt. Breonna Moffett of Savannah and Sgt. Kennedy Sanders of Waycross — were killed in the Jan. 28 drone attack on a U.S. outpost in northeastern Jordan called Tower 22. In the attack, the one-way attack drone may have been mistaken for a U.S. drone that was expected to return back to the logistics base about the same time and was not shot down. Instead, it crashed into living quarters, killing the three soldiers and injuring more than 40. Tower 22 held about 350 U.S. military personnel at the time. It is strategically located between Jordan and Syria, only 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the Iraqi border, and in the months just after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, and Israel’s blistering response in Gaza, Iranian-backed militias intensified their attacks on U.S. military locations in the region. Following the attack, the U.S. launched a against 85 sites in Iraq and Syria used by Iran's Revolutionary Guard and Iranian-backed militia and bolstered Tower 22’s defenses. ____ Tucker and Copp reported from Washington. Steve Leblanc, Eric Tucker And Tara Copp, The Associated Press

Ukraine Studies Debris From New Russian Ballistic MissileSAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 26, 2024-- PagerDuty, Inc. (NYSE:PD), a leader in digital operations management, today announced financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2025, ended October 31, 2024. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241126811639/en/ (Graphic: Business Wire) “PagerDuty delivered a solid quarter with revenue and non-GAAP operating income results well above third quarter guidance ranges with annual recurring revenue increasing to $483 million, growing 10% year-over-year,” said Chairperson and CEO, Jennifer Tejada. “Consistent performance over the past four quarters has led to stabilization across all business segments, and along with improving leading indicators, positions the business on a strong upward trajectory.” Third Quarter Fiscal 2025 Financial Highlights Revenue was $118.9 million, an increase of 9.4% year over year. Loss from operations was $10.3 million; operating margin was negative 8.7%. Non-GAAP operating income was $25.0 million; non-GAAP operating margin was 21.0%. Net loss per share attributable to PagerDuty, Inc. common stockholders was $0.07. Non-GAAP net income per diluted share attributable to PagerDuty, Inc. common stockholders was $0.25. Net cash provided by operating activities was $22.1 million, with free cash flow of $19.4 million. Cash, cash equivalents, and investments were $542.2 million as of October 31, 2024. The section titled “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below contains a description of the non-GAAP financial measures and reconciliations between GAAP and non-GAAP financial information. Third Quarter and Recent Highlights Customers with annual recurring revenue over $100 thousand grew 6% to 825 as of October 31, 2024, compared to 778 a year ago. Dollar-based net retention rate was 107% as of October 31, 2024, compared to 110% a year ago. Free and paid customers totaled more than 30,000 as of October 31, 2024, representing approximately 11% growth year over year. Total paid customers were 15,050 as of October 31, 2024, compared to 15,049 a year ago. Remaining performance obligations were $405 million as of October 31, 2024. Of this amount, the Company expects to recognize revenue of approximately $278 million, or 69%, over the next 12 months with the balance to be recognized as revenue thereafter. (1) Lands and expands include: Alphonso Inc,, CFP Energy Limited, Cloudflare, Infosys, NVIDIA Corporation, Waste Management Inc., and Zscaler. Announced Jennifer Tejada as guest speaker during the 2024 AWS re:Invent keynote. Introduced enterprise-grade, AI-powered innovations. Released Total Economic Impact Study revealing a 249% return on investment over three years using the PagerDuty Operations Cloud. Recognized as a Leader in 2024 GigaOm Radar for AIOps. Showcased PagerDuty customer - Anaplan. Recognized by Fortune's Best Workplaces as one of the top 25 companies for women in their small and medium designation. (1) Beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2025, the Company began to include contracts with an original term of less than 12 months in this disclosure which comprised $116 million of remaining non-cancelable performance obligations as of October 31, 2024. Financial Outlook For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025, PagerDuty currently expects: Total revenue of $118.5 million - $120.5 million, representing a growth rate of 7% - 8% year over year. Non-GAAP net income per diluted share attributable to PagerDuty, Inc. common stockholders of $0.15 - $0.16 assuming approximately 93 million diluted shares and a non-GAAP tax rate of 23%. For the full fiscal year 2025, PagerDuty currently expects: Total revenue of $464.5 million - $466.5 million (compared to the previous guidance of $463.0 million - $467.0 million), representing a growth rate of 8% year over year. Non-GAAP net income per diluted share attributable to PagerDuty, Inc. common stockholders of $0.78 - $0.79 (up from $0.67 - $0.72) assuming approximately 95 million diluted shares and a non-GAAP tax rate of 23%. These statements are forward-looking and actual results may differ materially. Please refer to the section titled "Forward-Looking Statements" below for information on the factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements. PagerDuty has not reconciled forward-looking net loss per share attributable to PagerDuty, Inc. common stock holders to forward-looking non-GAAP net income per share attributable to PagerDuty, Inc. common stockholders because certain items are out of PagerDuty's control or cannot be reasonably predicted. Accordingly, such reconciliation is not available without unreasonable effort. Conference Call Information PagerDuty will host a conference call and live webcast (Zoom meeting ID 975 4160 6140) for analysts and investors at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time on November 26, 2024. For audio only, the dial-in number 1-312-626-6799 may be used. This news release with the financial results will be accessible from PagerDuty’s website at investor.pagerduty.com prior to the conference call. A live webcast of the conference call will be accessible from the PagerDuty investor relations website at investor.pagerduty.com . Supplemental Financial and Other Information Supplemental financial and other information can be accessed through PagerDuty’s investor relations website at investor.pagerduty.com . PagerDuty uses the investor relations section on its website as the means of complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Accordingly, we recommend that investors monitor PagerDuty’s investor relations website in addition to following PagerDuty’s press releases, SEC filings, social media, including PagerDuty’s LinkedIn account ( https://www.linkedin.com/company/482819 ), X (formerly Twitter) account @pagerduty, the X account @jenntejada and Facebook page (facebook.com/pagerduty), and public conference calls and webcasts. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including but not limited to, statements regarding our future financial performance and outlook, and market positioning. Words such as “expect,” “extend,” “anticipate,” “should,” “believe,” “hope,” “target,” “project,” “accelerate,” “goals,” “estimate,” “potential,” “predict,” “may,” “will,” “might,” “could,” “intend,” “shall,” and variations of these terms or the negative of these terms and similar expressions are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which involve factors or circumstances that are beyond our control. Our actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied in forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including but not limited to, risks and other factors detailed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K/A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 18, 2024. Additional information will be made available in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended October 31, 2024 and other filings and reports that we may file from time to time with the SEC. In particular, the following risks and uncertainties, among others, could cause results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements: the effect of unfavorable conditions in our industry or the global economy, or reductions in information technology spending on our business and results of operations; our ability to achieve and maintain future profitability; our ability to attract new customers and retain and sell additional functionality and services to our existing customers; our ability to sustain and manage our growth; our dependence on revenue from a single product; our ability to compete effectively in an increasingly competitive market; and general global market, political, economic, and business conditions. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. The forward-looking statements included in this press release represent our views as of the date of this press release. We anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause our views to change. We undertake no intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. About PagerDuty, Inc. PagerDuty, Inc. (NYSE:PD) is a global leader in digital operations management, enabling customers to achieve operational efficiency at scale with the PagerDuty Operations Cloud. The PagerDuty Operations Cloud combines AIOps, Automation, Customer Service Operations and Incident Management with a powerful generative AI assistant to create a flexible, resilient and scalable platform to increase innovation velocity, grow revenue, reduce cost, and mitigate the risk of operational failure. Half of the Fortune 500 and nearly 70% of the Fortune 100 rely on PagerDuty as essential infrastructure for the modern enterprise. To learn more and try PagerDuty for free, visit www.pagerduty.com . The PagerDuty Operations Cloud The PagerDuty Operations Cloud is the platform for mission-critical, time-critical operations work in the modern enterprise. Through the power of AI and automation, it detects and diagnoses disruptive events, mobilizes the right team members to respond, and streamlines infrastructure and workflows across your digital operations. The Operations Cloud is essential infrastructure for revolutionizing digital operations to compete and win as a modern digital business. PAGERDUTY, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (in thousands, except per share data) (unaudited) Three months ended October 31, Nine months ended October 31, 2024 2023 2024 2023 Revenue $ 118,946 $ 108,720 $ 346,053 $ 319,582 Cost of revenue (1) 20,268 19,705 59,691 57,474 Gross profit 98,678 89,015 286,362 262,108 Operating expenses: Research and development (1) 34,267 34,272 106,878 104,221 Sales and marketing (1) 49,272 49,630 148,737 143,155 General and administrative (1) 25,432 25,955 78,800 77,547 Total operating expenses 108,971 109,857 334,415 324,923 Loss from operations (10,293 ) (20,842 ) (48,053 ) (62,815 ) Interest income (2) 6,912 6,029 21,408 15,242 Interest expense (2,377 ) (1,454 ) (6,888 ) (4,184 ) Gain on partial extinguishment of convertible senior notes — 3,970 — 3,970 Other income (expense), net (2) 346 (834 ) 212 (960 ) Loss before (provision for) benefit from income taxes (5,412 ) (13,131 ) (33,321 ) (48,747 ) (Provision for) benefit from income taxes (715 ) 41 (1,335 ) 197 Net loss $ (6,127 ) $ (13,090 ) $ (34,656 ) $ (48,550 ) Net loss attributable to redeemable non-controlling interest (203 ) (324 ) (681 ) (1,513 ) Net loss attributable to PagerDuty, Inc. $ (5,924 ) $ (12,766 ) $ (33,975 ) $ (47,037 ) Less: Adjustment attributable to redeemable non-controlling interest 634 2,359 9,881 4,088 Net loss attributable to PagerDuty, Inc. common stockholders $ (6,558 ) $ (15,125 ) $ (43,856 ) $ (51,125 ) Weighted average shares used in calculating net loss per share, basic and diluted 91,438 93,104 92,530 92,257 Net loss per share, basic and diluted, attributable to PagerDuty, Inc. common stockholders $ (0.07 ) $ (0.16 ) $ (0.47 ) $ (0.55 ) (1) Includes stock-based compensation expense as follows: Three months ended October 31, Nine months ended October 31, 2024 2023 2024 2023 Cost of revenue $ 1,432 $ 1,820 $ 4,696 $ 5,860 Research and development 11,576 11,128 34,640 34,002 Sales and marketing 7,639 8,094 23,702 22,362 General and administrative 11,126 10,786 34,041 32,686 Total $ 31,773 $ 31,828 $ 97,079 $ 94,910 (2) Includes a reclassification for the three and nine months ended October 31, 2023 for a portion of other income to the interest income line item to conform to current period presentation. PAGERDUTY, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (in thousands) (unaudited) October 31, 2024 January 31, 2024 Assets Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 326,440 $ 363,011 Investments 215,722 208,178 Accounts receivable, net of allowance for credit losses of $803 and $1,382 as of October 31, 2024 and January 31, 2024, respectively 75,182 100,413 Deferred contract costs, current 19,632 19,502 Prepaid expenses and other current assets 17,157 12,094 Total current assets 654,133 703,198 Property and equipment, net 19,573 17,632 Deferred contract costs, non-current 24,167 25,118 Lease right-of-use assets 2,436 3,789 Goodwill 137,401 137,401 Intangible assets, net 23,698 32,616 Other assets 5,346 5,552 Total assets $ 866,754 $ 925,306 Liabilities, redeemable non-controlling interest, and stockholders’ equity Current liabilities: Accounts payable $ 7,116 $ 6,242 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 15,801 15,472 Accrued compensation 34,474 30,239 Deferred revenue, current 214,058 223,522 Lease liabilities, current 3,550 6,180 Convertible senior notes, net, current 57,332 — Total current liabilities 332,331 281,655 Convertible senior notes, net, non-current 392,697 448,030 Deferred revenue, non-current 2,659 4,639 Lease liabilities, non-current 6,119 6,809 Other liabilities 4,859 5,280 Total liabilities 738,665 746,413 Redeemable non-controlling interest 16,493 7,293 Stockholders' equity Common stock — — Additional paid-in capital 699,633 774,768 Accumulated other comprehensive loss (502 ) (733 ) Accumulated deficit (586,410 ) (552,435 ) Treasury stock (1,125 ) (50,000 ) Total stockholders’ equity 111,596 171,600 Total liabilities, redeemable non-controlling interest, and stockholders' equity $ 866,754 $ 925,306 PAGERDUTY, INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (in thousands) (unaudited) Three months ended October 31, Nine months ended October 31, 2024 2023 2024 2023 Cash flows from operating activities: Net loss attributable to PagerDuty, Inc. common stockholders $ (6,558 ) $ (15,125 ) $ (43,856 ) $ (51,125 ) Net loss and adjustment attributable to redeemable non-controlling interest 431 2,035 9,200 2,575 Net loss (6,127 ) (13,090 ) (34,656 ) (48,550 ) Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating activities: Depreciation and amortization 5,071 5,025 15,526 15,016 Amortization of deferred contract costs 5,555 5,123 16,261 15,286 Amortization of debt issuance costs 671 523 1,950 1,456 Gain on extinguishment of convertible senior notes — (3,970 ) — (3,970 ) Stock-based compensation 31,773 31,828 97,079 94,910 Non-cash lease expense 903 1,106 2,538 3,425 Other (1,387 ) (1,524 ) (3,852 ) (1,426 ) Changes in operating assets and liabilities: Accounts receivable (8,406 ) (5,420 ) 24,751 18,983 Deferred contract costs (5,311 ) (5,520 ) (15,441 ) (12,285 ) Prepaid expenses and other assets (2,217 ) (1,289 ) (5,079 ) (2,674 ) Accounts payable (176 ) (757 ) 603 (1,002 ) Accrued expenses and other liabilities (473 ) 781 (1,302 ) 767 Accrued compensation 4,823 5,706 4,002 (13,086 ) Deferred revenue (1,070 ) (119 ) (11,386 ) (12,547 ) Lease liabilities (1,556 ) (1,486 ) (4,505 ) (4,484 ) Net cash provided by operating activities 22,073 16,917 86,489 49,819 Cash flows from investing activities: Purchases of property and equipment (552 ) (245 ) (1,646 ) (1,193 ) Capitalized internal-use software costs (2,078 ) (1,441 ) (5,019 ) (3,812 ) Purchases of available-for-sale investments (54,721 ) (43,927 ) (153,121 ) (151,984 ) Proceeds from maturities of available-for-sale investments 54,250 56,500 147,827 164,064 Proceeds from sales of available-for-sale investments — — 2,237 — Purchases of non-marketable equity investments — — — (200 ) Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities (3,101 ) 10,887 (9,722 ) 6,875 Cash flows from financing activities: Proceeds from issuance of convertible senior notes, net of issuance costs — 391,543 (403 ) 391,543 Purchases of capped calls related to convertible senior notes — (55,102 ) — (55,102 ) Repurchases of convertible senior notes — (223,471 ) — (223,471 ) Investment from redeemable non-controlling interest holder — — — 1,781 Repurchases of common stock (70,310 ) (50,000 ) (97,523 ) (50,000 ) Proceeds from employee stock purchase plan — — 5,735 6,292 Proceeds from issuance of common stock upon exercise of stock options 723 973 1,527 8,390 Employee payroll taxes paid related to net share settlement of restricted stock units (8,531 ) (9,786 ) (22,659 ) (25,772 ) Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities (78,118 ) 54,157 (113,323 ) 53,661 Effects of foreign currency exchange rates on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash (86 ) (177 ) (109 ) (451 ) Net change in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash (59,232 ) 81,784 (36,665 ) 109,904 Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of period 389,234 302,139 366,667 274,019 Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of period $ 330,002 $ 383,923 $ 330,002 $ 383,923 Non-GAAP Financial Measures This press release and the accompanying tables contain the following non-GAAP financial measures: non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP research and development, non-GAAP sales and marketing, non-GAAP general and administrative, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP operating margin, non-GAAP net income attributable to PagerDuty, Inc. common stockholders, non-GAAP net income per share attributable to PagerDuty, Inc. common stockholders, free cash flow, and free cash flow margin. PagerDuty believes that non-GAAP financial measures, when taken collectively, may be helpful to investors because they provide consistency and comparability with past financial performance and can assist in comparisons with other companies, some of which use similar non-GAAP financial measures to supplement their GAAP results. The non-GAAP financial information is presented for supplemental informational purposes only, should not be considered a substitute for financial information presented in accordance with GAAP, and may be different from similarly-titled non-GAAP measures used by other companies. The principal limitation of these non-GAAP financial measures is that they exclude significant expenses and income that are required by GAAP to be recorded in PagerDuty’s financial statements. In addition, they are subject to inherent limitations as they reflect the exercise of judgment by PagerDuty’s management about which expenses and income are excluded or included in determining these non-GAAP financial measures. A reconciliation is provided below for each historical non-GAAP financial measure to the most directly comparable financial measure presented in accordance with GAAP. Specifically, PagerDuty excludes the following from its historical and prospective non-GAAP financial measures, as applicable: Stock-based compensation: PagerDuty utilizes stock-based compensation to attract and retain employees. It is principally aimed at aligning their interests with those of its stockholders and at long-term retention, rather than to address operational performance for any particular period. As a result, stock-based compensation expenses vary for reasons that are generally unrelated to financial and operational performance in any particular period. Employer taxes related to employee stock transactions: PagerDuty views the amount of employer taxes related to its employee stock transactions as an expense that is dependent on its stock price, employee exercise and other award disposition activity, and other factors that are beyond PagerDuty’s control. As a result, employer taxes related to employee stock transactions vary for reasons that are generally unrelated to financial and operational performance in any particular period. Amortization of acquired intangible assets: PagerDuty views amortization of acquired intangible assets as items arising from pre-acquisition activities determined at the time of an acquisition. While these intangible assets are evaluated for impairment regularly, amortization of the cost of purchased intangibles is an expense that is not typically affected by operations during any particular period. Acquisition-related expenses: PagerDuty views acquisition-related expenses, such as transaction costs, acquisition-related retention payments, and acquisition-related asset impairment, as events that are not necessarily reflective of operational performance during a period. In particular, PagerDuty believes the consideration of measures that exclude such expenses can assist in the comparison of operational performance in different periods which may or may not include such expenses. Amortization of debt issuance costs: The imputed interest rates of the Company's convertible senior notes (the "2025 Notes" and the "2028 Notes" or, collectively, the "Notes") was approximately 1.91% for the 2025 Notes and 2.13% for the 2028 Notes. This is a result of the debt issuance costs, which reduce the carrying value of the convertible debt instruments. The debt issuance costs are amortized as interest expense. The expense for the amortization of the debt issuance costs is a non-cash item, and we believe the exclusion of this interest expense will provide for a more useful comparison of our operational performance in different periods. Restructuring costs: PagerDuty views restructuring costs, such as employee severance-related costs and real estate impairment costs, as events that are not necessarily reflective of operational performance during a period. In particular, PagerDuty believes the consideration of measures that exclude such expenses can assist in the comparison of operational performance in different periods which may or may not include such expenses. Gains (or losses) on partial extinguishment of convertible senior notes: PagerDuty views gains (or losses) on partial extinguishment of debt as events that are not necessarily reflective of operational performance during a period. PagerDuty believes that the consideration of measures that exclude such gain (or loss) impact can assist in the comparison of operational performance in different periods which may or may not include such gains (or losses). Adjustment attributable to redeemable non-controlling interest: PagerDuty adjusts the value of redeemable non-controlling interest of its joint venture PagerDuty K.K. according to the operating agreement. PagerDuty believes this adjustment is not reflective of operational performance during a period and exclusion of such adjustments can assist in comparison of operational performance in different periods. Income tax effects and adjustments: Based on PagerDuty's financial outlook for fiscal 2025, PagerDuty is utilizing a projected non-GAAP tax rate of 23% in order to provide better consistency across the interim reporting periods by eliminating the impact of non-recurring and period specific items, which can vary in size and frequency. PagerDuty's estimated tax rate on non-GAAP income is determined annually and may be adjusted during the year to take into account events or trends that PagerDuty believes materially impact the estimated annual rate including, but not limited to, significant changes resulting from tax legislation, material changes in the geographic mix of revenue and expenses and other significant events. Non-GAAP gross profit and non-GAAP gross margin We define non-GAAP gross profit as gross profit excluding the following expenses typically included in cost of revenue: stock-based compensation expense, employer taxes related to employee stock transactions, amortization of acquired intangible assets, and restructuring costs. We define non-GAAP gross margin as non-GAAP gross profit as a percentage of revenue. Non-GAAP operating expenses We define non-GAAP operating expenses as operating expenses excluding stock-based compensation expense, employer taxes related to employee stock transactions, amortization of acquired intangible assets, acquisition-related expenses, which include transaction costs, acquisition-related retention payments, and asset impairment, and restructuring costs which are not necessarily reflective of operational performance during a given period. Non-GAAP operating income and non-GAAP operating margin We define non-GAAP operating income as loss from operations excluding stock-based compensation expense, employer taxes related to employee stock transactions, amortization of acquired intangible assets, acquisition-related expenses, which include transaction costs, acquisition-related retention payments, and asset impairment, and restructuring costs which are not necessarily reflective of operational performance during a given period. We define non-GAAP operating margin as non-GAAP operating income as a percentage of revenue. Non-GAAP net income attributable to PagerDuty, Inc. common stockholders We define non-GAAP net income attributable to PagerDuty, Inc. common stockholders as net loss attributable to PagerDuty, Inc. common stockholders excluding stock-based compensation expense, employer taxes related to employee stock transactions, amortization of debt issuance costs, amortization of acquired intangible assets, acquisition-related expenses, which include transaction costs, acquisition-related retention payments and asset impairment, restructuring costs, adjustment attributable to redeemable non-controlling interest, and income tax adjustments, which are not necessarily reflective of operational performance during a given period. Non-GAAP net income per share, basic and diluted We define non-GAAP net income per share, basic as non-GAAP net income attributable to PagerDuty, Inc. common stockholders divided by weighted average shares outstanding at the end of the reporting period. We define non-GAAP net income per share, diluted as non-GAAP net income attributable to PagerDuty, Inc. common stockholders divided by weighted average diluted shares outstanding at the end of the reporting period. Free cash flow and free cash flow margin We define free cash flow as net cash provided by operating activities, less cash used for purchases of property and equipment and capitalization of internal-use software costs. We define free cash flow margin as free cash flow as a percentage of revenue. In addition to the reasons stated above, we believe that free cash flow is useful to investors as a liquidity measure because it measures our ability to generate or use cash in excess of our capital investments in property and equipment in order to enhance the strength of our balance sheet and further invest in our business and potential strategic initiatives. A limitation of the utility of free cash flow as a measure of our liquidity is that it does not represent the total increase or decrease in our cash balance for the period. We use free cash flow in conjunction with traditional U.S. GAAP measures as part of our overall assessment of our liquidity, including the preparation of our annual operating budget and quarterly forecasts and to evaluate the effectiveness of our business strategies. There are a number of limitations related to the use of free cash flow as compared to net cash provided by operating activities, including that free cash flow includes capital expenditures, the benefits of which are realized in periods subsequent to those when expenditures are made. PagerDuty encourages investors to review the related GAAP financial measures and the reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures, which it includes in press releases announcing quarterly financial results, including this press release, and not to rely on any single financial measure to evaluate PagerDuty’s business. Please see the reconciliation tables at the end of this release for the reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to their most-comparable GAAP financial measures. PAGERDUTY, INC. RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (in thousands, except percentages and per share data) (unaudited) Three months ended October 31, Nine months ended October 31, 2024 2023 2024 2023 Non-GAAP gross profit and non-GAAP gross margin Gross profit $ 98,678 $ 89,015 $ 286,362 $ 262,108 Add: Stock-based compensation 1,432 1,820 4,696 5,860 Employer taxes related to employee stock transactions 29 21 112 138 Amortization of acquired intangible assets 2,200 2,087 6,875 6,260 Restructuring costs — — (2 ) 137 Non-GAAP gross profit $ 102,339 $ 92,943 $ 298,043 $ 274,503 Revenue $ 118,946 $ 108,720 $ 346,053 $ 319,582 Gross Margin 83.0 % 81.9 % 82.8 % 82.0 % Non-GAAP gross margin 86.0 % 85.5 % 86.1 % 85.9 % Non-GAAP operating expenses Research and development $ 34,267 $ 34,272 $ 106,878 $ 104,221 Less: Stock-based compensation 11,576 11,128 34,640 34,002 Employer taxes related to employee stock transactions 173 210 691 930 Acquisition-related expenses 227 161 750 484 Amortization of acquired intangible assets — 88 116 262 Restructuring costs — — (2 ) (5 ) Non-GAAP research and development $ 22,291 $ 22,685 $ 70,683 $ 68,548 Sales and marketing $ 49,272 $ 49,630 $ 148,737 $ 143,155 Less: Stock-based compensation 7,639 8,094 23,702 22,362 Employer taxes related to employee stock transactions 128 39 463 589 Amortization of acquired intangible assets 632 610 1,897 1,830 Restructuring costs — (1 ) (10 ) (49 ) Non-GAAP sales and marketing $ 40,873 $ 40,888 $ 122,685 $ 118,423 General and administrative $ 25,432 $ 25,955 $ 78,800 $ 77,547 Less: Stock-based compensation 11,126 10,786 34,041 32,686 Employer taxes related to employee stock transactions 122 145 463 658 Acquisition-related expenses — 530 (1 ) 530 Amortization of acquired intangible assets — 21 29 65 Restructuring costs — 133 24 1,451 Non-GAAP general and administrative $ 14,184 $ 14,340 $ 44,244 $ 42,157 Note: Certain figures may not sum due to rounding. PAGERDUTY, INC. RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (continued) (in thousands, except percentages and per share data) (unaudited) Three months ended October 31, Nine months ended October 31, 2024 2023 2024 2023 Non-GAAP operating income and non-GAAP operating margin Loss from operations $ (10,293 ) $ (20,842 ) $ (48,053 ) $ (62,815 ) Add: Stock-based compensation 31,773 31,828 97,079 94,910 Employer taxes related to employee stock transactions 452 415 1,729 2,315 Amortization of acquired intangible assets 2,832 2,806 8,917 8,417 Acquisition-related expenses 227 691 749 1,014 Restructuring costs — 132 10 1,534 Non-GAAP operating income $ 24,991 $ 15,030 $ 60,431 $ 45,375 Revenue $ 118,946 $ 108,720 $ 346,053 $ 319,582 Operating margin (8.7 )% (19.2 )% (13.9 )% (19.7 )% Non-GAAP operating margin 21.0 % 13.8 % 17.5 % 14.2 % Non-GAAP net income attributable to PagerDuty, Inc. common stockholders Net loss attributable to PagerDuty, Inc. common stockholders $ (6,558 ) $ (15,125 ) $ (43,856 ) $ (51,125 ) Add: Stock-based compensation 31,773 31,828 97,079 94,910 Employer taxes related to employee stock transactions 452 415 1,729 2,315 Amortization of debt issuance costs 671 523 1,950 1,456 Amortization of acquired intangible assets 2,832 2,806 8,917 8,417 Acquisition-related expenses 227 691 749 1,014 Restructuring costs — 132 10 1,534 Gain on extinguishment of convertible senior notes — (3,970 ) — (3,970 ) Adjustment attributable to redeemable non-controlling interest 634 2,359 9,881 4,088 Income tax effects and adjustments (6,310 ) (466 ) (16,402 ) (1,920 ) Non-GAAP net income attributable to PagerDuty, Inc. common stockholders $ 23,721 $ 19,193 $ 60,057 $ 56,719 Non-GAAP net income per share, basic Net loss per share, basic, attributable to PagerDuty, Inc. common stockholders $ (0.07 ) $ (0.16 ) $ (0.47 ) $ (0.55 ) Non-GAAP adjustments to net loss attributable to PagerDuty, Inc. common stockholders 0.33 0.37 1.12 1.16 Non-GAAP net income per share, basic, attributable to PagerDuty, Inc. common stockholders $ 0.26 $ 0.21 $ 0.65 $ 0.61 Non-GAAP net income per share, diluted (1) Net loss per share, diluted, attributable to PagerDuty, Inc. common stockholders $ (0.07 ) $ (0.16 ) $ (0.47 ) $ (0.55 ) Non-GAAP adjustments to net loss attributable to PagerDuty, Inc. common stockholders 0.32 0.36 1.10 1.13 Non-GAAP net income per share, diluted, attributable to PagerDuty, Inc. common stockholders $ 0.25 $ 0.20 $ 0.63 $ 0.58 Weighted-average shares used in calculating net loss per share, basic and diluted 91,438 93,104 92,530 92,257 Weighted-average shares used in calculating non-GAAP net income per share Basic 91,438 93,104 92,530 92,257 Diluted 94,036 96,235 95,549 100,834 Note: Certain figures may not sum due to rounding. (1) On October 13, 2023, the Company provided written notice to the trustee and the note holders of the 2025 Notes that it had irrevocably elected to settle the principal amount of its convertible senior notes in cash and pay or deliver, as the case may be, cash, shares of common stock or a combination of cash and shares of common stock, at the Company’s election, in respect to the remainder, if any, of the Company’s conversion obligation in excess of the aggregate principal amount of the 2025 Notes being converted. The company uses the if-converted method to calculate the non-GAAP net income per diluted share attributable to PagerDuty, Inc. related to the convertible notes due 2025 prior to the election on October 13, 2023. As such, approximately 5.8 million and 6.7 million shares related to the convertible notes due 2025 were included in the non-GAAP diluted outstanding share number for the three and nine months ended October 31, 2023, respectively, related to the period prior to the election on October 13, 2023. Similarly, for the three and nine months ended October 31, 2023, the numerator used to compute this measure was increased by $0.7 million and $2.5 million, respectively, for after-tax interest expense savings related to our convertible notes. PAGERDUTY, INC. RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES (continued) (in thousands, except percentages) (unaudited) Three months ended October 31, Nine months ended October 31, 2024 2023 2024 2023 Free cash flow and free cash flow margin Net cash provided by investing activities $ 22,073 $ 16,917 $ 86,489 $ 49,819 Purchases of property and equipment (552 ) (245 ) (1,646 ) (1,193 ) Capitalization of internal-use software costs (2,078 ) (1,441 ) (5,019 ) (3,812 ) Free cash flow $ 19,443 $ 15,231 $ 79,824 $ 44,814 Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities $ (3,101 ) $ 10,887 $ (9,722 ) $ 6,875 Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities $ (78,118 ) $ 54,157 $ (113,323 ) $ 53,661 Revenue $ 118,946 $ 108,720 $ 346,053 $ 319,582 Free cash flow margin 16.3 % 14.0 % 23.1 % 14.0 % View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241126811639/en/ CONTACT: Investor Relations Contact: Tony Righetti investor@pagerduty.comMedia Contact: Debbie O'Brien media@pagerduty.comSOURCE PagerDuty KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA CALIFORNIA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE DATA MANAGEMENT SOURCE: PagerDuty, Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 11/26/2024 04:05 PM/DISC: 11/26/2024 04:05 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241126811639/en

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Political analyst Mark Halperin said Tuesday that Vice President-elect JD Vance’s willingness to conduct interviews across a variety of platforms gives him “a huge advantage” over other possible 2028 presidential contenders. Vance participated in interviews on CNN , CBS News , NBC News , a New York Times podcast and comedians Theo Von and Joe Rogan’s podcasts during the 2024 campaign. Halperin, on “The Morning Meeting,” suggested Vance should continue leveraging media appearances as vice president, noting other potential candidates generally lack his competence. (RELATED: Poll Shows Majority Of Voters Approve Trump’s Transition) WATCH: “I think one of the smartest things JD Vance could do to consolidate his position ... is to go on those shows regularly. He can do it. He can develop personal relationships with those people, and people in the media, contrary to popular perception, are human beings,” Halperin said . “And if the vice president of the United States is stopping by your podcast every month and giving you time, you’re gonna be favorably disposed towards that person.” “And again, unlike [Vice President] Kamala Harris, I don’t think there’s a show in America JD Vance would turn down by saying, ‘You know, I can’t do it,’ or, ‘I’m worried about the reception I’d get.’ That’s a huge advantage for him,” he continued. “And if you look at the other people who are talked about as potential presidential candidates in both parties, [Democratic Pennsylvania] Governor Shapiro has been going on Fox News. He’s pretty confident about going places. The others, less so, and their performance level is just not that great.” Harris did not appear on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” unlike President-elect Donald Trump and Vance. Second gentleman Doug Emhoff’s senior adviser Jennifer Palmieri asserted on Nov. 13 that “some of” the Harris campaign’s “progressive staff” opposed the vice president appearing on the show due to concerns of potential “backlash,” the Financial Times reported . “I hear all the time from people who aren’t that into politics when they’re talking about moments from the campaign that are resonant for them, for Donald Trump, it’s positive moments going on different podcasts, particularly the alternative ones,” Halperin added. “And for Kamala Harris, it’s going on ‘The View’ and saying ‘nothing comes to mind.'” Harris told “The View” co-hosts in October that “not a thing comes to mind” regarding how she would govern differently than President Joe Biden, receiving widespread criticism . Former CNN political analyst Chris Cillizza speculated Monday about the possibility of Donald Trump Jr. running for president in 2028. He suggested that Trump Jr. could inherit his father’s “political movement” rather than Vance due to the president-elect’s family loyalty and his son’s political talent. “Look, I just think there will be an attempt at some point to hand off Trumpism, and Donald Trump will want to be in control of that handoff,” Cillizza said. “And the fact that his eldest son is standing right there, is someone who has shown that he gets the MAGA base in a way very few Republicans do, who has shown that he, in his own right, is extremely popular online, who gets the kind of social media trolling that goes hand in hand with being a Trump supporter, that he is related by blood to Donald Trump — these are all things that I think you cannot rule out Don Jr. of running in 2028.” All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org .

The S&P 500 index is a benchmark used to gauge the broader U.S. market. Its 500 large-cap and megacap components come from every sector of the economy, and reflect investing categories from value to growth. As those companies account for about 80% of the value of the U.S. stock market, the S&P 500 makes a fairly good proxy for it. However, each company's weight in the index is proportional to its market cap, and some companies have in recent years grown so big that now, just a few have a disproportionate amount of influence over it. Today, more than one-third of the S&P 500's value comes from just eight companies. The "Fateful Eight" If you follow the market, it should be no surprise that the broader market has become concentrated. High-flying tech and artificial intelligence stocks surged in price, with their gains offsetting hundreds of underperformers in the S&P 500 and carrying the index to a roughly 26% broader gain in 2024 (as of Dec. 27). Over the last two years, the S&P 500 is up by more than 55%. Here are the eight stocks that now make up roughly 34.4% of the market and their weights in the S&P 500: 1. Apple ( AAPL -1.32% ) : 7.66% 2. Nvidia ( NVDA -2.09% ) : 6.71% 3. Microsoft Corp ( MSFT -1.73% ) : 6.37% 4. Amazon ( AMZN -1.45% ) : 4.16% 5. Meta Platforms ( META -0.59% ) : 2.57% 6. Tesla ( TSLA -4.95% ) : 2.48% 7. Alphabet ( GOOGL -1.45% ) ( GOOG -1.55% ) : 2.24% 8. Broadcom ( AVGO -1.47% ) : 2.24% The first seven names have become known as the "Magnificent Seven" due to their massive market shares in their industries, their fortress balance sheets, and their incredible technological innovations. However, after Broadcom's market cap recently surged past the $1 trillion mark, a group of Wall Street pundits added it to the pack, dubbing the expanded group the "Fateful Eight." Their performances this year have (with one exception) been extraordinary. TSLA data by YCharts. Every stock in the Fateful Eight except Microsoft outperformed the S&P 500 in 2024. In fact, all of those other seven have at least doubled the gains of the broader market. However, consider that 168 stocks in the S&P 500 are down for the year, while more than 70% of the names in the index have underperformed it. Does this make the broader market risky? Some might wonder if investing in the broader market is safe considering that such a large proportion of its gains have come from such a narrow group of companies. Many of the Fateful Eight trade at nosebleed valuations, making them more vulnerable to pullbacks if they deliver weak earnings or miss their guidance, or if inflation reignites. After all, Treasury yields have marched higher, and many investors pared back their expectations for interest rate cuts in 2025. One assumption is that the market's gains will eventually broaden. If the lofty valuations on the Fateful Eight normalize, the rest of the stocks in the S&P 500, which generally trade at cheaper valuations, could appreciate, offsetting the impact of that normalization. However, some market strategists now view these big tech names as defensive plays, assuming that in an economic environment featuring more inflation and fewer interest rate cuts, mere mortal companies will suffer and investors will flee to safety in the Fateful Eight. These are interesting dynamics, and I do not know what the future holds. However, I think it's important for investors to understand that when they look at some metrics intended to reflect the broader market, the picture they present is not as diverse right now as it usually is. Because of that, the S&P 500 could be susceptible to a big pullback due to its high concentration in tech mega-caps stocks. Risks remain because inflation could reignite, and a recession is also not out of the question, although economic data does not currently suggest one is imminent. For investors who are concerned about the concentration risks in the S&P 500, one option would be to invest in a fund like the Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF ( RSP -0.68% ) . Every quarter, equal-weight funds rebalance their holdings back to a condition where each company in the portfolio accounts for the same share of the total -- an even weighting not based on market cap. Equal-weighted S&P 500 funds have vastly underperformed standard S&P 500 funds this year, but they would be more resilient if the members of the Fateful Eight experience a pullback, or if the market's growth from here shifts toward the stocks that have been laggards lately.Sydney Thomas , the ring girl who went viral during the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight , insisted she has plenty of brains to go along with her brawn. Thomas, 21, took to TikTok — where she recently hit 1 million followers — to update her new fans about who she is outside of the ring. “I feel like you guys have seen me on TV and you don’t actually know who I am,” Thomas said in the Monday, November 25 video . “I’m gonna give you guys a little rundown about me because there’s more to me than just what you see.” A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Thomas is currently in her junior year at the University of Alabama where is studying “management and entrepreneurship” and plans on graduating this spring. “Contrary to popular opinion or popular belief, I actually am smart,” Thomas urged. “People get the image that a pretty blonde doesn’t have a brain. But I got a 33 on my ACT in high school and I’m finishing college a year early. So, take it as you want.” When she’s not working for Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions as a ring girl, Thomas explained how she likes to focus on maintaining both her mind and body. “I’m very athletic,” she said. “I love to work out, I love the gym, I love health, I love wellness, I love fitness. I love anything that has to do with improving yourself physically, mentally, emotionally.” Thomas added, “I am very driven with self-improvement and just becoming the best version of yourself. I think the biggest investment you can make in life is an investment in yourself.” While she admitted all of her newfound fame and attention has been overwhelming, Thomas expressed optimism and excitement about all that lies ahead. “My path is just so different and so unique,” Thomas said. “I take it day-by-day. I don’t really stress too much about the future. I know the path I’m on is the right one. I will end up where I need to be when I need to be there. It will all work out in the end.” You have successfully subscribed. By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive emails from Us Weekly Check our latest news in Google News Check our latest news in Apple News In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly after the fight, Thomas said she was “very blessed and very grateful” for all of her new fans — whom she is looking forward to taking along on this new journey. “I think what’s next for me is to continue building up my social media and continue working with [Paul’s] Most Valuable Promotions and being a ring girl,” Thomas expressed. “I think dialing into the ring girl and modeling aspect of my life and sharing that with my audience that I’ve now built up.” She added, “And then obviously continuing with school, graduating, getting my degree and then seeing where things take me from there.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — One year after the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol attack, Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department was committed to holding accountable all perpetrators “at any level” for “the assault on our democracy.” That bold declaration won’t apply to at least one person: Donald Trump. Special counsel Jack Smith’s move on Monday to abandon the against Trump means jurors will likely never decide whether the president-elect is criminally responsible for his attempts to cling to power after losing the 2020 campaign. The decision to walk away from the election charges and the separate against Trump marks an abrupt end of the Justice Department’s unprecedented legal effort that once threatened his liberty but appears only to have galvanized his supporters. The abandonment of the cases accusing Trump of endangering American democracy and national security does away with the most serious legal threats he was facing as he returns to the White House. It was the culmination of a monthslong defense effort to delay the proceedings at every step and use the criminal allegations to Trump’s political advantage, putting the final word in the hands of voters instead of jurors. “We always knew that the rich and powerful had an advantage, but I don’t think we would have ever believed that somebody could walk away from everything,” said Stephen Saltzburg, a George Washington University law professor and former Justice Department official. “If there ever was a Teflon defendant, that’s Donald Trump.” While prosecutors left the door open to the possibility that federal charges could be re-filed against Trump after he leaves office, that seems unlikely. Meanwhile, Trump’s presidential victory has thrown into question the future of the two state criminal cases against him in New York and Georgia. Trump was supposed to be sentenced on Tuesday after his , but it’s possible the sentencing could be delayed until after Trump leaves office, and the defense is pushing to dismiss the case altogether. Smith’s team stressed that their decision to abandon the federal cases was not a reflection of the merit of the charges, but an acknowledgement that they could not move forward under longstanding Justice Department policy that says sitting presidents cannot face Trump’s presidential victory set “at odds two fundamental and compelling national interests: On the one hand, the Constitution’s requirement that the President must not be unduly encumbered in fulfilling his weighty responsibilities . . . and on the other hand, the Nation’s commitment to the rule of law,” prosecutors wrote in court papers. The move just weeks after Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris underscores the immense personal stake Trump had in the campaign in which he turned his legal woes into a political rallying cry. Trump accused prosecutors of bringing the charges in a bid to keep him out of the White House, and he promised revenge on his perceived enemies if he won a second term. “If Donald J. Trump had lost an election, he may very well have spent the rest of his life in prison,” Vice President-elect JD Vance, wrote in a social media post on Monday. “These prosecutions were always political. Now it’s time to ensure what happened to President Trump never happens in this country again.” After the Jan. 6 attack by Trump supporters that left more than 100 police officers injured, Republican leader Mitch McConnell and several other Republicans said it was up to the justice system to hold Trump accountable. The Jan. 6 case brought last year in Washington alleged an increasingly desperate criminal conspiracy to subvert the will of voters after Trump’s 2020 loss, accusing Trump of using the angry mob of supporters that attacked the Capitol as “a tool” in his campaign to pressure then-Vice President and obstruct the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory. Hundreds of Jan. 6 rioters — many of whom have said they felt called to Washington by Trump — have pleaded guilty or been convicted by juries of federal charges at the same courthouse where Trump was supposed to stand trial last year. As the trial date neared, officials at the courthouse that sits within view of the Capitol were busy making plans for the crush of reporters expected to cover the historic case. But Trump’s argument that he from prosecution quickly tied up the case in appeals all the way up to the Supreme Court. The high court ruled in July that , and sent the case back to the trial court to decide which allegations could move forward. But the case was dismissed before the trial court could got a chance to do so. The other indictment brought in Florida accused Trump of at his Mar-a-Lago estate sensitive documents on nuclear capabilities, enlisting aides and lawyers to help him hide records demanded by investigators and cavalierly showing off a Pentagon “plan of attack” and classified map. But U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon . Smith appealed to the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, but abandoned that appeal on Monday. Smith’s team said it would continue its fight in the appeals court to revive charges against Trump’s two co-defendants because “no principle of temporary immunity applies to them.” In New York, jurors spent weeks last spring hearing evidence in a state case alleging a Trump scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through who said the two had sex. New York prosecutors recently expressed openness to delaying sentencing until after Trump’s second term, while Trump’s lawyers are fighting to have the conviction dismissed altogether. In Georgia, a trial while Trump is in office seems unlikely in a state case charging him and more than a dozen others with conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. The case has been on hold since an appeals court agreed to review whether to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over her with the special prosecutor she had hired to lead the case. ____ Associated Press reporter Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed.Opinion: Clarence Page: How Democrats let a rising generation of supporters slip away

Simon Ekpa will be extradited to Nigeria to face terrorism charges, says DHQMan City stunned by FeyenoordLittler, who won the Grand Slam of Darts last week, hit checkouts of 170, 164 and 136 as he threatened to overturn an early deficit, but Humphries held his nerve to win the last three legs. “I’m really, really proud of that one to be honest,” Humphries told Sky Sports. FOR THE SECOND TIME 🏆🏆 Luke Humphries retains his 2024 Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals title, beating Luke Littler 11-7 in the final. pic.twitter.com/QUhxvSbGeu — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) November 24, 2024 “I didn’t feel myself this week playing-wise, I felt like I was a dart behind in a lot of the scenarios but there’s something that Luke does to you. He really drives me, makes me want to be a better player and I enjoy playing him. “He let me in really early in that first session to go 4-1 up, I never looked back and I’m proud that I didn’t take my foot off the gas. These big games are what I live for. “Luke is a special talent and he was right – I said to him I’ve got to get these (titles) early before he wins them all. “I’d love to be up here and hitting 105 averages like Luke is all the time but he’s a different calibre, he’s probably the best player in the world right now but there’s something about me that never gives up. “This is a great way to go into the worlds.” HUMPHRIES GOES BACK-TO-BACK! 🏆 Luke Humphries retains his Players Championship Finals title! Cool Hand puts on an absolute clinic to defeat Luke Littler 11-7 in an epic final! 📺 https://t.co/AmuG0PMn18 #PCF2024 | Final pic.twitter.com/nZDWPUVjWE — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) November 24, 2024 Littler, who lost the world championship final to Humphries last year, said: “It was tough, missed a few doubles and if you don’t take chances early on, it’s a lot to come back. “I hit the 170 and the 164 but just didn’t have enough in the end. “It’s been a good past two weeks. I just can’t wait to go home, chill out, obviously practice at home for the worlds. That’s it now, leading up to the big one.”

Allspring Multi-Sector Income Fund ( NYSEAMERICAN:ERC – Get Free Report ) declared a dividend on Friday, December 27th, NASDAQ Dividends reports. Investors of record on Monday, January 13th will be given a dividend of 0.0729 per share on Monday, February 3rd. The ex-dividend date is Monday, January 13th. Allspring Multi-Sector Income Fund has increased its dividend payment by an average of 8.2% annually over the last three years. Allspring Multi-Sector Income Fund Price Performance ERC stock opened at $8.95 on Friday. Allspring Multi-Sector Income Fund has a 1 year low of $8.77 and a 1 year high of $9.60. Allspring Multi-Sector Income Fund Company Profile Allspring Multi-Sector Income Fund is a closed-ended fixed income mutual fund launched and managed by Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC. The fund is co-managed by First International Advisors, Inc and Wells Capital Management Incorporated. It invests in fixed income markets across the globe. The fund primarily invests in a mix of non-investment-grade corporate debt securities, including bank loan securities, foreign and emerging markets debt securities, adjustable and fixed-rate mortgages, and investment-grade corporate bonds. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Allspring Multi-Sector Income Fund Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Allspring Multi-Sector Income Fund and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Taylor Swift once raved about the sweet potato casserole served at a New York City restaurant and now that recipe pops up every now and again at Thanksgiving. The holidays encourage many of us to try new recipes. Social media right now is flooded with recipes for appetizers, side dishes and desserts. Anyone making that cornbread casserole from TikTok? While we might not get to share a Thanksgiving feast with Swift — is your name Blake Lively? — or other celebrities beloved by Kansas City, we can eat like them. So here’s the recipe for that casserole Swift loved so much, and favorite family side dish recipes from Donna Kelce and Eric Stonestreet. Enjoy. If we tried to guess how many holiday dinner rolls Travis Kelce and his brother, Jason Kelce, have scarfed over the years, would it be in the hundreds? Thousands? Their mom has spoken often about the batches of holiday crescent rolls she has baked over the years. Based on the recipe that won the 1969 Pillsbury Bake-Off, Pillsbury’s Magic Marshmallow Crescent Puffs , they’re now known as Mama Kelce’s Dinner Rolls. They blend the crescent roll pastry with marshmallows, cinnamon and sugar. Dinner roll or dessert? We bet they didn’t last long enough in front of Travis and Jason for that debate. Ingredients Rolls •1/4 cup granulated sugar •2 tablespoons Pillsbury Best all-purpose flour •1 teaspoon ground cinnamon •2 (8-ounce) cans refrigerated Pillsbury Original Crescent Rolls (8 Count) •16 large marshmallows •1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted Glaze •1/2 cup powdered sugar •1/2 teaspoon vanilla •2-3 teaspoons milk •1/4 cup chopped nuts Directions Make the rolls 1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 16 medium muffin cups with nonstick baking spray. 2. In a small bowl, mix the granulated sugar, flour and cinnamon. 3. Separate the dough into 16 triangles. For each roll, dip 1 marshmallow into melted butter; roll in the sugar mixture. Place marshmallow on the shortest side of a triangle. Roll up, starting at shortest side and rolling to opposite point. Completely cover the marshmallow with the dough; firmly pinch edges to seal. Dip 1 end in remaining butter; place butter side down in muffin cup. 4. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. 5. When done, remove from the oven and let the puffs cool in the pan for 1 minute. Remove rolls from muffin cups; place on cooling racks set over waxed paper. Make the glaze and assemble In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar, vanilla and enough milk for desired drizzling consistency. Drizzle glaze over warm rolls. Sprinkle with nuts. Serve warm. Eric Stonestreet attends 'Eric Stonestreet visits The SiriusXM Hollywood Studios in Los Angeles' at SiriusXM Studios on Oct. 8, 2019, in Los Angeles. (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for SiriusXM/TNS) Thanksgiving is one of the “Modern Family” star’s favorite holidays. Three years ago, as part of a campaign honoring hometown heroes , he shared one of his favorite recipe with McCormick Spices: Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Butternut Squash . This recipe serves eight. Ingredients •1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved •1 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut into bite-size cubes •1 tablespoon olive oil •1/2 teaspoon garlic powder •1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves •1/2 teaspoon salt •1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper •5 slices bacon, chopped •1 shallot, finely chopped •1/2 cup dried cranberries •1/4 cup balsamic vinegar •1 teaspoon whole grain mustard •1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted (optional) •1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese, (optional) Directions 1. Preheat oven to 475°F. Spray large shallow baking pan with no stick cooking spray; set aside. Place Brussels sprouts and squash in large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder, thyme, salt and pepper; toss to coat evenly. Spread in single layer on prepared pan. 2. Roast 16 to 18 minutes or until tender and lightly browned, stirring halfway through cooking. 3. Meanwhile, cook bacon in medium skillet on medium heat about 6 minutes or until crispy. Remove using slotted spoon and place on paper towels to drain. Add shallot to same skillet; cook and stir 2 minutes until softened and lightly browned. Stir in cranberries, vinegar and mustard until well blended. Transfer mixture to small bowl; set aside. 4. Arrange roasted Brussels sprouts and squash on serving platter. Drizzle with cranberry balsamic glaze and toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with cooked bacon, toasted pecans, and crumbled blue cheese, if desired. Serve immediately. Donna Kelce, left, mother of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce watched the game with pop superstar Taylor Swift, center, during the first-half on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. (Tammy Ljungblad/Kansas City Star/TNS) Swift gushed about the sweet potato casserole served at Del Frisco’s Grille in New York City, a dish crowned with a crunchy candied pecan and oatmeal crumble. “I’ve never enjoyed anything with the word casserole in it ever before, but it’s basically sweet potatoes with this brown sugary crust,” she told InStyle. ”Oh my God, it’s amazing.” The media rushed to find the recipe, which Parade has published this Thanksgiving season . “Similar to T. Swift herself, we think this recipe is a mastermind, especially if you’ve been asked to bring the sweet potato side dish to this year’s Thanksgiving feast. It seriously begs the question: who needs pumpkin pie?” the magazine writes. Ingredients •4 lbs sweet potatoes •1⁄3 cup oats •12 oz unsalted butter, divided •1⁄2 cup packed brown sugar •1⁄2 cup toasted pecans •1⁄2 cup granulated sugar •1 tsp kosher salt •2 tsp vanilla extract •4 large eggs, beaten Directions Preheat oven to 375°F. 1. Scrub sweet potatoes. Pierce each several times with a fork and wrap tightly in foil. Place on a sheet pan. Bake 90 minutes or until tender. Set aside until cool enough to handle. 2. Meanwhile, place oats in a food processor; process 1 minute. Add 4 oz butter, brown sugar and pecans; pulse five times to combine. Spread mixture on a baking sheet; bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven, crumble. Bake 5 minutes or until golden brown. 3. Melt remaining 8 oz butter. Remove skin from cooled sweet potatoes. In a large bowl, whisk sweet potatoes, melted butter, granulated sugar and remaining ingredients until slightly lumpy. Transfer to a greased baking dish, smoothing surface evenly. Top with oat mixture. Bake 12 minutes or until heated through. Make-ahead tips •Sweet potato filling can be made up to 2 days in advance. Prepare the sweet potato filling, cool, place in a casserole dish and keep refrigerated. •Oat-pecan crust can also be made up to 2 days ahead. Make the crust according to recipe directions, cool and store in an airtight container at room temperature. Sprinkle over the sweet potato filling just before baking. With our weekly newsletter packed with the latest in everything food.WASHINGTON (AP) — Matt Gaetz withdrew Thursday as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general amid continued fallout over a federal sex trafficking investigation that cast doubt on his ability to be confirmed as the nation's chief federal law enforcement officer. The announcement caps a turbulent eight-day period in which Trump sought to capitalize on his decisive election win to force Senate Republicans to accept provocative selections like Gaetz, who had been investigated by the Justice Department before being tapped last week to lead it. The decision could heighten scrutiny on other controversial Trump nominees, including Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth , who faces sexual assault allegations that he denies. “While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition,” Gaetz, a Florida Republican who one day earlier met with senators in an effort to win their support, said in a statement. “There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1," he added. Trump, in a social media post, said: “I greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General. He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect. Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!” He did not immediately announce a new selection. Last week, he named personal lawyers Todd Blanche, Emil Bove and D. John Sauer to senior roles in the department. Another possible contender, Matt Whitaker, was announced Wednesday as the U.S. ambassador to NATO. The withdrawal, just a week after the pick was announced, averts what was shaping up to be a pitched confirmation fight that would have tested how far Senate Republicans were willing to go to support Trump’s Cabinet picks. The selection of the fierce Trump ally over well-regarded veteran lawyers whose names had circulated as possible contenders stirred concern for the Justice Department's independence at a time when Trump has openly threatened to seek retribution against political adversaries. It underscored the premium Trump places on personal loyalty and reflected the president-elect's desire to have a disruptor lead a Justice Department that for years investigated and ultimately indicted him. In the Senate, deeply skeptical lawmakers sought more information about Justice Department and congressional investigations into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls, which Gaetz has denied. Meanwhile, Justice Department lawyers were taken aback by the pick of a partisan lawmaker with limited legal experience who has echoed Trump's claims of a weaponized criminal justice system. As Gaetz sought to lock down Senate support, concern over the sex trafficking allegations showed no signs of abating. In recent days, an attorney for two women said his clients told House Ethics Committee investigators that Gaetz paid them for sex on multiple occasions beginning in 2017, when Gaetz was a Florida congressman. One of the women testified she saw Gaetz having sex with a 17-year-old at a party in Florida in 2017, according to the attorney, Joel Leppard. Leppard has said that his client testified she didn’t think Gaetz knew the girl was underage, stopped their relationship when he found out and did not resume it until after she turned 18. The age of consent in Florida is 18. "They’re grateful for the opportunity to move forward with their lives,” Leppard said Thursday of his clients. “They’re hoping that this brings final closure for all the parties involved.” Gaetz has vehemently denied any wrongdoing. The Justice Department’s investigation ended last year with no charges against him. Gaetz’s political future is uncertain. He had abruptly resigned his congressional seat upon being selected as attorney general, a move seen as a way to shut down the ethics investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. He did win reelection in November for the new Congress, which convenes Jan. 3, 2025, but he said in his resignation letter last week to House Speaker Mike Johnson that he did not intend to take the oath of office. He transmitted a similar letter to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as the state launched a special election process to fill the vacancy. Republicans on the House Ethics Committee declined this week to release the panel's findings, over objections from Democrats in a split vote. But the committee did agree to finish its work and is scheduled to meet again Dec. 5 to discuss the matter. As word of Gaetz's decision spread across the Capitol, Republican senators seemed divided. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who served with Gaetz in the House, called it a “positive move." Maine Sen. Susan Collins said Gaetz “put country first and I am pleased with his decision.” Others said they had hoped Gaetz could have overhauled the department. Florida Sen. Rick Scott, a close ally of Trump, said he was “disappointed. I like Matt and I think he would have changed the way DOJ is run.” Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul said he hoped that Trump will pick someone “equally as tenacious and equally as committed to rooting out and eliminating bias and politicization at the DOJ.” Gaetz is not the only Trump pick facing congressional scrutiny over past allegations. A detailed investigative police report made public Wednesday shows that a woman told police that she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Hegseth, the former Fox News host now tapped to lead the Pentagon, after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave. “The matter was fully investigated and I was completely cleared,” Hegseth told reporters Thursday at the Capitol, where he was meeting with senators to build support for his nomination. Associated Press writers Michelle L. Price, Lisa Mascaro, Mary Clare Jalonick and Adriana Gomez Licon contributed to this report. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Get local news delivered to your inbox!

China is focusing on large language models (LLMs) in the artificial intelligence space. Blackdovfx | Istock | Getty Images China's attempts to dominate the world of artificial intelligence could be paying off, with industry insiders and technology analysts telling CNBC that Chinese AI models are already hugely popular and are keeping pace with — and even surpassing — those from the U.S. in terms of performance. AI has become the latest battleground between the U.S. and China, with both sides considering it a strategic technology. Washington continues to restrict China's access to leading-edge chips designed to help power artificial intelligence amid fears that the technology could threaten U.S. national security. It's led China to pursue its own approach to boosting the appeal and performance of its AI models, including relying on open-sourcing technology and developing its own super-fast software and chips. China is creating popular LLMs Like some of the leading U.S. firms in the space, Chinese AI firms are developing so-called large language models, or LLMs, which are trained on huge amounts of data and underpin applications such as chatbots. Unlike OpenAI's models which power the hugely popular ChatGPT, however, many of these Chinese companies are developing open-source, or open-weight, LLMs which developers can download and build on top of for free and without stringent licensing requirements from the inventor. On Hugging Face, a repository of LLMs, Chinese LLMs are the most downloaded, according to Tiezhen Wang, a machine learning engineer at the company. Qwen, a family of AI models created by Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba , is the most popular on Hugging Face, he said. "Qwen is rapidly gaining popularity due to its outstanding performance on competitive benchmarks," Wang told CNBC by email. He added that Qwen has a "highly favorable licensing model" which means it can be used by companies without the need for "extensive legal reviews." Qwen comes in various sizes, or parameters, as they're known in the world of LLMs. Large parameter models are more powerful but have higher computational costs, while smaller ones are cheaper to run. "Regardless of the size you choose, Qwen is likely to be one of the best-performing models available right now," Wang added. DeepSeek, a start-up, also made waves recently with a model called DeepSeek-R1. DeepSeek said last month that its R1 model competes with OpenAI's o1 — a model designed for reasoning or solving more complex tasks. These companies claim that their models can compete with other open-source offerings like Meta 's Llama, as well as closed LLMs such as those from OpenAI, across various functions. "In the last year, we've seen the rise of open source Chinese contributions to AI with really strong performance, low cost to serve and high throughput," Grace Isford, a partner at Lux Capital, told CNBC by email. China pushes open source to go global Open sourcing a technology serves a number of purposes, including driving innovation as more developers have access to it, as well as building a community around a product. It is not only Chinese firms that have launched open-source LLMs. Facebook parent Meta, as well as European start-up Mistral, also have open-source versions of AI models. But with the technology industry caught in the crosshairs of the geopolitical battle between Washington and Beijing, open-source LLMs give Chinese firms another advantage: enabling their models to be used globally. "Chinese companies would like to see their models used outside of China, so this is definitively a way for companies to become global players in the AI space," Paul Triolo, a partner at global advisory firm DGA Group, told CNBC by email. While the focus is on AI models right now, there is also debate over what applications will be built on top of them — and who will dominate this global internet landscape going forward. "If you assume these frontier base AI models are table stakes, it's about what these models are used for, like accelerating frontier science and engineering technology," Lux Capital's Isford said. Today's AI models have been compared to operating systems, such as Microsoft's Windows, Google 's Android and Apple 's iOS, with the potential to dominate a market, like these companies do on mobile and PCs. If true, this makes the stakes for building a dominant LLM higher. "They [Chinese companies] perceive LLMs as the center of future tech ecosystems," Xin Sun, senior lecturer in Chinese and East Asian business at King's College London, told CNBC by email. "Their future business models will rely on developers joining their ecosystems, developing new applications based on the LLMs, and attracting users and data from which profits can be generated subsequently through various means, including but far beyond directing users to use their cloud services," Sun added. Chip restrictions cast doubt over China's AI future AI models are trained on vast amounts of data, requiring huge amounts of computing power. Currently, Nvidia is the leading designer of the chips required for this, known as graphics processing units (GPUs). Most of the leading AI companies are training their systems on Nvidia's most high-performance chips — but not in China. Over the past year or so, the U.S. has ramped up export restrictions on advanced semiconductor and chipmaking equipment to China. It means Nvidia 's leading-edge chips cannot be exported to the country and the company has had to create sanction-compliant semiconductors to export. Despite, these curbs, however, Chinese firms have still managed to launch advanced AI models. "Major Chinese technology platforms currently have sufficient access to computing power to continue to improve models. This is because they have stockpiled large numbers of Nvidia GPUs and are also leveraging domestic GPUs from Huawei and other firms," DGA Group's Triolo said. Indeed, Chinese companies have been boosting efforts to create viable alternatives to Nvidia . Huawei has been one of the leading players in pursuit of this goal in China, while firms like Baidu and Alibaba have also been investing in semiconductor design. "However, the gap in terms of advanced hardware compute will become greater over time, particularly next year as Nvidia rolls out its Blackwell-based systems that are restricted for export to China," Triolo said. Lux Capital's Isford flagged that China has been "systematically investing and growing their whole domestic AI infrastructure stack outside of Nvidia with high-performance AI chips from companies like Baidu." "Whether or not Nvidia chips are banned in China will not prevent China from investing and building their own infrastructure to build and train AI models," she added.

A man in Florida has been accused of violently murdering a man at a Florida golf course earlier this week. Junior Boucher, 36, has been charged with first-degree murder after he allegedly killed 65-year-old Brian Hiltebeitel on the first hole at Sandhill Crane Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens on Monday afternoon. Boucher is accused of “viciously” attacking Hiltebeitel with his own golf clubs and then drowning him in a pond, according to WPTV . “Once in the water, Boucher jumped on top of Hiltebritel and appeared to be choking him,” a witness told police, according to TMZ . Boucher then got off of Hiltebritel, who was no longer moving, and retrieved a golf club and struck him repeatedly in the head.” A witness told police that Hiltebritel yelled multiple times that Boucher was “trying to kill me!” As Boucher chased Hiltebritel, they arrived at the pond where Boucher jumped on top of the victim and “appeared to be choking him,” police said. Officers said that when they arrived at the scene Boucher was naked and running away. When he wouldn’t stop, police said they used an “electronic control weapon” to subdue him. Hiltebritel had “deep lacerations to the back of his head” and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. The attack appears to have been random. “At this time, it does not appear that Boucher had any legitimate purpose for being at the golf course,” Palm Beach Gardens Police Chief Dominick Pape told reporters on Tuesday. “This appears to be a random act of violence where Boucher used the victim’s golf clubs as weapons and viciously attacked the victim, ultimately killing him.” Boucher was denied bond in court on Tuesday, and ordered to have no contact with witnesses or to hold weapons.Barco’s HDR Technology Explained In An Engaging Masterclass By Anthon Muller At 55th IFFI. - TRIPURA STAR NEWS

Mystery drones over NJ: Biden officials say ‘no evidence’ of ill intent despite few answersNone

This month marks the twentieth anniversary of Ukraine’s Orange Revolution. When protests over a rigged presidential election first erupted in downtown Kyiv on November 22, 2004, few observers could have imagined that they were witnessing the opening act in a geopolitical drama that would eventually lead to the largest European conflict since World War II. And yet there can be little doubt that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s desire to crush Ukraine first began to take shape two decades ago as he watched the Ukrainian people defy their own authoritarian rulers and demand a democratic future. For the past twenty years, there has been a tendency to view the Orange Revolution primarily as a political failure. This assessment is easy enough to understand. After all, while the revolution overturned a fraudulent presidential vote and brought reformist candidate Viktor Yushchenko to power, it did not lead to the kind of political transformation that the millions of Ukrainians who participated in the protest movement hoped for. Instead, Yushchenko spent much of his presidency squabbling with colleagues and compromising with opponents, before eventually losing the 2010 election to Orange Revolution villain Viktor Yanukovych. While the revolution clearly fell short of its lofty political goals, focusing exclusively on domestic Ukrainian politics is short-sighted. In order to appreciate the true historic significance of the Orange Revolution, it must viewed in a far broader context. Prior to the revolution, post-Soviet Russia had substantial influence in Ukraine, with Vladimir Putin topping polls as the most popular politician among Ukrainians. At the same time, the two countries were already quite distinct. The centralized power vertical in Russia created the conditions for hard authoritarianism. In contrast, the need to balance competing centers of influence and power in Ukraine gave rise to a softer authoritarianism. Putin’s heavy-handed promotion of Viktor Yanukovych ahead of the 2004 presidential election, and his subsequent push for a crackdown on protesters during the Orange Revolution, highlighted the growing differences between the two nations. This hastened Ukraine’s trajectory away from Russia, a pattern that continues to this day. As the world watches the Russian invasion of Ukraine unfold, UkraineAlert delivers the best Atlantic Council expert insight and analysis on Ukraine twice a week directly to your inbox. Putin played a very prominent personal role in the Orange Revolution. Russian television, which was at the time widely watched in Ukraine, relentlessly pushed the candidacy of Viktor Yanukovych during the buildup to Ukraine’s presidential election. On the eve of the vote, Putin made the fateful decision to intervene directly. He traveled to Kyiv in late October 2004, where he was greeted with an impromptu military parade before appearing on national TV to lecture the Ukrainian public at length on the importance of backing his preferred presidential pick. It soon became clear that Putin had miscalculated disastrously. His open and unapologetic attempt to interfere in Ukraine’s internal affairs was widely interpreted as a grave insult and an indication of his contempt for Ukrainian statehood. This electrified public opinion and helped mobilize millions of previously apolitical Ukrainians. Weeks later, after a deeply flawed second round of voting, Ukrainians would respond to the attempted theft of their election by flooding into central Kyiv in huge numbers. It is no exaggeration to say that Putin’s act of supreme imperial hubris was one of the key causes of the Orange Revolution. This pattern has repeated itself throughout the past twenty years, with Putin’s efforts to impose his will on Ukraine consistently backfiring and pushing the two countries further apart. In 2013, he pressured his Ukrainian ally Yanukovych to abandon European integration and return the country to the Kremlin orbit, only for this to provoke a second revolution and the fall of the Yanukoych regime. Putin then opted for a military solution. He began the invasion of Ukraine in February 2014 with the seizure of Crimea, before sending forces into eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region weeks later. When it became obvious that this limited military intervention had merely succeeded in strengthening Ukraine’s resolve to exit the Russian sphere of influence entirely, Putin began plotting what would become the full-scale invasion of February 2022. Since the Orange Revolution, Putin’s quest to reconquer Ukraine has come to define his entire reign. In his single-minded pursuit of this goal, he has demonstrated a willingness to incur huge costs. In addition to the lives of the countless Russian soldiers killed or maimed while fighting in Ukraine, Putin has also sacrificed Russia’s economic prosperity, the country’s international standing, and its ties to the developed world. The historic shift in Putin’s worldview was already evident soon after the Orange Revolution. Within a few months of Ukraine’s people power uprising, he ordered work to begin on the development of what would become the Kremlin’s flagship RT English-language media platform. This was the first step in a process that has established the Putin regime as the undisputed global leader in the dissemination of anti-Western disinformation. In spring 2005, the Kremlin also backed a nationwide campaign encouraging Russians to display orange-and-black St. George’s ribbons in honor of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany. With images of rebellious Ukrainians sporting orange ribbons still fresh in everyone’s minds, the loyalist symbolism of this counter-gesture was hard to miss. St. George’s ribbons have gone on to establish themselves at the heart of a fanatical victory cult as the Putin regime has sought to justify its own authoritarianism via ever more extravagant forms of WWII reverence. What began life as a reaction to the orange ribbons of Ukraine’s revolution has become the ultimate symbol of the entire Putin era. Why is Putin so obsessed with Ukraine, and what was it about the country’s Orange Revolution that triggered him so irreversibly? The answers to these questions lie in Putin’s imperialistic understanding of Russian identity and his formative political experiences as a KGB officer in Eastern Europe during the collapse of the Soviet Empire. Putin was in East Germany in 1989 when the Berlin Wall fell. He watched helplessly as the entire Soviet presence throughout the region crumbled amid a surge in pro-democracy protests. In his own account of this traumatic time, Putin claims that his stunned superiors informed him, “Moscow is silent.” This experience has haunted Putin and left him convinced that Moscow must never be “silent” again, especially when confronted by mass protest movements or attempts to shake off Kremlin control. Putin is particularly sensitive to modern Ukraine’s national awakening and its embrace of European democracy because he views the country as part of Russia’s imperial heartlands. If a democratic political culture can take root in a place as central to Russia’s national identity as Ukraine, this could prove contagious and serve as a catalyst for similar demands within Russia itself. Tellingly, Putin first began to indicate his opposition to Ukrainian independence soon after the Orange Revolution. In April 2005, he had recent events in Ukraine very much in mind when he branded the fall of the USSR “the greatest political catastrophe of the twentieth century.” This is apparent from some of the lesser quoted segments of his speech, which also referenced an “epidemic of disintegration” and bemoaned the fate of the “tens of millions of countrymen” who found themselves beyond the borders of Russia in 1991. At the time, Ukraine was home to by far the largest population of ethnic Russians in the former Soviet Union. Little has changed during the intervening twenty years. Today’s ongoing Russian invasion is a direct result of Putin’s firm conviction that the loss of Ukraine would pose an existential threat to Russia itself. It is therefore delusional to suggest that some kind of limited territorial settlement could end the current war and lead to a sustainable peace. Instead, any attempt to offer concessions will only result in a temporary pause in hostilities before Putin resumes his campaign to extinguish Ukrainian statehood. Vladimir Putin’s efforts to reassert Russian control over Ukraine date back to the 2004 Orange Revolution and have now escalated from political interference to the bloodiest European war for generations. He sees the destruction of the Ukrainian state as his historic mission and believes the fate of Russia hinges on his success. In such circumstances, talk of compromising with the Kremlin is futile. Instead, Peace will only be possible if Putin can be convinced that Ukrainian independence is irreversible. Peter Dickinson is editor of the Atlantic Council’s UkraineAlert service. Further reading The views expressed in UkraineAlert are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Atlantic Council, its staff, or its supporters.CHICAGO (WLS) -- Sammy Sosa is set to return to the Chicago Cubs' winter fan convention. Sosa and the Cubs reconciled last week , ending their 17-year estrangement after the former slugger apologized for making "mistakes" during his playing career. Minutes after the apology was released, the Cubs invited Sosa to the Cubs Convention for the first time since he retired in 2007. The 2025 Cubs Convention will take place Jan. 17-19 at the Sheraton Grand in Chicago. The Cubs officially announced Saturday that Sosa will be in attendance. Sosa, who has been linked to performance-enhancing drugs for decades, stopped short of directly admitting to PED use in a statement released December 19. But the former National League MVP said that at times throughout his playing career he "did whatever I could to recover from injuries in an effort to keep my strength up to perform over 162 games" and added, "I never broke any laws, but in hindsight, I made mistakes and I apologize." Sosa, 56, hit 609 home runs -- the ninth most in Major League Baseball history -- during an 18-year career highlighted by his 13-year stint with the Cubs. He hit at least 60 homers in three seasons over a four-year stretch from 1998 to 2001, all of which came in the heart of baseball's steroid era. Sosa is one of a group of players, including Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire, who haven't been elected to the Hall of Fame in part because of their ties to the steroid era, which occurred from about 1994 to 2004, when more stringent testing began. Sosa testified in front of Congress in 2005 and denied using PEDs, although the New York Times later reported he had tested positive in 2003. Sosa, Bonds and McGwire all fell well short of Hall of Fame election in 2022 on their 10th and final appearance on the Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot. Sosa received a high of 18.5% support in his final year, less than a quarter of the 75% needed. His next chance for consideration would be if he were put on the ballot for the contemporary player committee, which meets next December. Cubs ownership hinted at the need for an apology from Sosa before welcoming him back to the organization or even inviting him to an offseason team function. "We appreciate Sammy releasing his statement and for reaching out," Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said in a statement Dec. 19. "No one played harder or wanted to win more. Nobody's perfect but we never doubted his passion for the game and the Cubs. It is an understatement to say that Sammy is a fan favorite. We plan on inviting him to the 2025 Cubs Convention and, while it is short notice, we hope that he can attend. We are all ready to move forward together." Sosa's 545 home runs in a Cubs uniform is the most in franchise history. "We can't change the past, but the future is bright," Sosa said in his statement. "In my heart, I've always been a Cub and I can't wait to see Cubs fans again." ESPN contributed to this report.

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