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7-bet Aziz Shamuratov Listen below or on the go on Apple Podcasts and Spotify The department store chain accepts at $6.5B buyout offer. (0:16) The Container Store files for Chapter 11 . (1:15) U.K. looks to facial recognition to limit social media use. (4:46) This is an abridged transcript of the podcast. Our top story so far. Department store chain Nordstrom ( NYSE: JWN ) has accepted a $6.25 billion all-cash buyout offer to end its 53-year run as a publicly traded company. Operators signed a deal with Erik, Pete, Jamie Nordstrom and other members of the Nordstrom family and El Puerto de Liverpool, S.A.B. de C.V. ( OTCPK:ELPQF ). Following the close of the transaction, the Nordstrom family will have a majority ownership stake in the company. Common shareholders will receive $24.25 per share. In addition, the board intends to authorize a special dividend of up to $0.25 per share immediately before and contingent on the close of the transaction. Nordstrom first went public in August 1971. At that time, it offered shares under the name "Nordstrom Best" and was recognized as the West Coast's largest volume fashion specialty store shortly thereafter, with annual sales surpassing $100 million by 1973. The company then formally changed its name to Nordstrom, Inc. Shares of the retailer peaked in 2015. In addition, the Container Store Group ( OTC:TCSG ) filed for Chapter 11 after 46 years in business. The company plans to implement a recapitalization transaction to bolster its financial position, fuel growth initiatives, and drive enhanced long-term profitability. CEO Satish Malthora said, "The Container Store is here to stay. Our strategy is sound, and we believe the steps we are taking today will allow us to continue to advance our business, deepen customer relationships, expand our reach, and strengthen our capabilities." Looking to the economy, November durable goods orders (moved a day earlier due to the shortened trading day on Christmas Eve) sank more than expected. New orders of durable goods fell -1.1% M/M , reversing from a 0.8% increase in October, which was revised up from 0.2%. The forecast was for a drop of -0.3%. Core durable goods, which excludes transportation, saw orders tick down -0.1% vs. a 0.2% rise in October and a +0.3% rise expected. Nondefense new orders for capital goods dipped 0.3% during the month. Pantheon Macroeconomist Samuel Tombs notes: “A slump in aircraft orders was responsible for nearly all the drop in headline durable goods orders. In addition, orders ex-transportation were held back by a 12% decline in defense orders.” “The somewhat better performance of orders compared to shipments in November might reflect businesses starting to place orders for delivery in a few months time, in order to lock in prices ahead of potential import tariffs.” In addition, the Conference Board’s measure of consumer confidence unexpectedly fell to 104.7 in December from 112.8 in November. Economists predicted a small rise to 113 with a change in the White House ahead. But the Expectation Index sank 12.6 points to 81.1 points, just above the threshold of 80 that usually signals a recession ahead. The Present Situation Index fell by 1.2 points to 140.2, and Tombs said: “Households have become more downbeat on future business and employment conditions, as well as income expectations. The cutoff for the survey was December 16, before the FOMC meeting and the associated drop in stock prices, so we think the deterioration likely reflects the incoming administration starting to talk about spending cuts, which were not part of Mr. Trump's election pitch.” Among active stocks today, the fact that a federal jury ruled in favor of Qualcomm ( QCOM ) on two of three counts in its lawsuit with Arm Holdings ( ARM ) is seen as a "clear win" for the San Diego-based chipmaker. Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon says, "At this point Qualcomm’s roadmap (and their license?) appear safe." Perhaps most importantly, the third question that the jury decided on — whether Qualcomm's CPUs that use designs from Nuvia are licensed under Qualcomm's Arm architectural license — was a big decisive victory, Rasgon added. Xerox ( XRX ) said it will acquire Lexmark International from Ninestar , PAG Asia Capital and Shanghai Shouda Investment Centre in a $1.5 billion deal. The deal is expected to be immediately accretive to earnings per share and free cash flow. And ResMed ( RMD ) and Inspire Medical Systems ( INSP ), two companies reliant on sleep apnea devices, are under pressure after Eli Lilly's ( LLY ) Zepbound gained an additional indication for sleep apnea in obese individuals . ResMed is a top manufacturer of CPAP machines, considered the gold standard treatment for sleep apnea. Inspire makes a neurostimulation implant for sleep apnea. In other news of note, social media companies will be expected to remove millions of underage users from their platforms using facial recognition age checks, according to John Higham, head of online safety policy at the U.K.'s communications watchdog Ofcom. Apps like Meta's ( META ) Facebook, Instagram, TikTok ( BDNCE ), and Snapchat ( SNAP ) could face multi-billion-pound fines under the Online Safety Act if they fail to protect children from harmful content online. According to Ofcom estimates, around 60% of children aged 8-11 years - about 1.6M kids - in the U.K. have social media accounts despite the apps having a minimum 13-year age limit. And a third of children aged 5-7 are reportedly using social media unsupervised. Higham said in a newspaper interview: "It doesn't take a genius to work out that children are going to lie about their age," adding that Ofcom will announce plans next month detailing how apps would be expected to handle the issue. "The sort of thing we might look to is some facial age estimation technology that we see companies bringing in now, which we think is really pretty good at determining who is a child. We will expect the technology to be highly accurate and effective," he said. And in the Wall Street Research Corner, Goldman’s equity team introduced a model to pick industries that are poised to outperform an equal-weighted index by 5 percentage points or more “to identify ‘high conviction’ views with significant alpha potential.” Strategist David Kostin says: “Our model incorporates macro, fundamental, and valuation data as independent variables. We run the profit model for each sector separately and only include variables with statistical and economic significance. Our model does not capture fiscal policy changes or secular themes such as artificial intelligence.” The model's highest-conviction picks are in materials and in software and services, while it also currently recommends Overweights in health care, utilities and real estate. “Our model recommends a large number of defensive Overweights in part because of the level of economic growth optimism already priced into the equity market today,” Kostin said. Among the value stock picks in those sectors are Akamai ( AKAM ) and IBM ( IBM ) in software, Mosaic ( MOS ) and Eastman Chemical ( EMN ) in Materials, NRG Energy ( NRG ) and ConEd ( ED ) in Utilities and Biogen ( BIIB ) in Healthcare. Growth names include Palantir ( PLTR ) and ServiceNow ( NOW ) in software, FreeportMcMoRan (FRE) in Materials, Realty Icome ( O ) in Real Estate and Merck ( MRK ) and Lilly ( LLY ) in Healthcare. Editor's Note: This article discusses one or more securities that do not trade on a major U.S. exchange. Please be aware of the risks associated with these stocks.It’s that time of year. You saw family for Thanksgiving and now you have to see them again for Christmas. You bought something for yourself on Cyber Monday, but still have to buy something for the people in your life, whether they deserve it or not. Money is going out the door. All you really want to do is walk down a snowy sidewalk, all relaxed and wearing a scarf like they do in Netflix or Hallmark rom-coms, but you’re too harried. No doubt about it, the lead up to the holidays stressful. Well, we’re here to help. This is a short, curated list of things that we like and find cool — and we think that you will, too. And if it gives you some ideas and makes your life easier, even better. was the movie of the summer here at , and the movie dropped on Blu-ray, DVD, etc on Dec. 3, with all the usual bonus fixins. But in a nod to the franchise’s roots and heyday, also put out a fully functioning VHS tape version of the movie exclusively from Walmart. The packaging has a “limited edition” note as one of those round little stickers from the era and features artwork by poster artist . The bad news is that the VHS version, which was priced around $60, is already out of stock. The good news is that it’s already on eBay (where it’s now an instant collector’s item and selling for around $100). With phones in everyone’s hands, many feel like the need for watches is obsolete. Wrong. This just makes watches more of a statement and more of a personal expression than ever before. Enter Citizen. Citizen’s collaborations with Disney includes watches with an eye for the geek collector, like the Wolverine and Deadpool offerings, and more subtle items that let your nerd out in more stylish ways. The popular has glow-in-the dark detailing highlighting the hand, eyes and markers, which is a very popular element in the Citizen line. We like (on sale for $337.50), which also takes good advantage of luminous opportunities (check out the hands as lightsabers and the little X-Wing at the bottom of the face). At the top of our list, however, is the (on sale for $262.50), which features the iconic “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility” phrase on the back of the case, and the ($318.75) with a blue dial with web designs and red accents. Whether you play them or display them, records are back like it’s the 20th century. And they are great gifts. If you want to be current, there’s the vinyl (one red and black, the other blue and yellow) that features pop songs from the movie. But Disney also re-issued music from the 1960s era of the Merry Marvel Marching Society and the animated series , the latter with its fun Jack Urbont-composed theme songs for Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, and Namor. The vinyls sell on for $14.98. For those looking for something more expansive (and more expensive), check out the . It features John Williams’ score from and , each as two-LP sets. There is also a poster from each film and a map, all packaged in a neat satchel-looking box. We hate snakes, but we love this one. $299.98. Yes, this year we’re recommending actual postage stamps. But what stamps these are. Timed to the 50 anniversary of the role-playing game, the USPS put out a set of . You can get a sheet of 20 for $14.60. (If you’re feeling fancy, there are also options for such items as a pressing sheet, first day of issue envelopes, framed stamps and more.) It all comes after D&D saw a massive resurgence in the last few years, partially thanks to , which featured the game. , written by Frank Miller and drawn by David Mazzucchelli, is one of the seminal Batman stories. It’s been reprinted many times, but never like this: through Mazzucchelli’s original art. from IDW’s line that showcases the original art of key comics and creators, is the art book of the year, whether you’re a Bat-fanatic or an aficionado of the sequential artform. The book is a massive 14 x 21 inches, reproducing the artist’s pages in their original size, and uncolored form. The museum gallery-worthy art would cost a few million to own in its entirety, but this is only $150. Have someone that needs an exclamation point of an art piece for their place? And wants to show their love of Star Wars? And want to immerse themselves in the hyperfocus of building? Then look no further than Jabba’s Sail Barge set ($499.99) from Lego’s Ultimate Collector Series. The 3,942-piece set is in the top 10 biggest Star Wars Lego sets of all time, and it’s a beauty. The sides fold down, the sails lift and the interior brings to life with a cockpit, prison cell, armory, kitchen and entertainment room equipped with Jabba’s bed. It also comes with 11 minifigs – Jabba the Hutt, Princess Leia, Bib Fortuna, C-3PO, Max Rebo, Kithaba, Vizam, Wooof, Gamorrean Guard, Salacious Crumb and R2-D2 with a bar table accessory. And there’s a display stand along with an information plaque. Alternate idea: A different sail ship hit Lego stores last week and is aimed at a different collector, this one less galactically-minded. It’s a 3,011-piece set replica model of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s The Endurance ($269.99). The majestic ship features three towering masts, 10 full sails, a flying red ensign flag and intricate rigging. A detailed multi-level deck, connected by stairs, has removable sections for access to port and starboard cabins and the ship’s steam engine. There’s also four detachable lifeboats, a chained bower anchor and a ship’s wheel that operates the rudder. It too, comes with a display stand. A great stocking stuffer idea: Star Trek coffee mugs from . Even better, a gift set that pairs the mugs with Star Trek-themed coffee. The company run by founder Ethan Terra, producer Kyle Newman and publisher Lukas Kendall, has a “black sunshine”-glazed Klingon mug, the “denim-dipped” Starfleet Command mug, a “midnight with plum” glazed Enterprise mug, a Vulcan sky-colored Vulcan salute mug, and a teal and rose white colored Voyager mug, which go for $42.99 each. Paired with Star Trek blends — Vulcan Vanilla, Captain’s Choice, Klingon Raktajino, Borg Blend, Federation Roast, and Janeway Coffee Black – the gift sets are $55.99. (The company also has Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles coffee and mugs as well.) THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day More from The Hollywood ReporterCould Chiefs bring Eric Bieniemy back around team like last year?

LARAMIE – During a wellness forum hosted by the University of Wyoming, Gov. Mark Gordon will discuss The Wy We Care initiative, an extensive statewide collaborative effort among all branches of state government, local community teams and private sector providers aimed a reducing suicide risk and promoting mental health. The event, open to students, faculty, staff and community members, will be held in the Wyoming Union Ballroom on Dec. 3 from 5:30 until 7 p.m. The governor will be joined by suicidologist/psychologist Kent Corso and University of Wyoming Violence Prevention Coordinator Bob Vines for a fireside discussion, followed by audience Q&A. Vines will share his personal story of mental health challenges during the isolation of the COVID pandemic. The event is sponsored by the Associated Students of the University of Wyoming (ASUW), as well as the Dean of Students Office, Violence Prevention Center and Student Wellness. The forum is part of a continuing month of mental health awareness events at the university. Additional upcoming events include an evening of storytelling from UW students, faculty and staff on Dec. 4 at Pokes Pub starting at 6 p.m. and a “beard shave” during Union After Dark on Dec. 6. Get any of our free email newsletters — news headlines, sports, arts & entertainment, state legislature, CFD news, and more.

The move could usher in an end to a protracted political crisis in the European Union country following the annulment of a presidential election by a top court. Parliament approved the new administration in a 240-143 vote in Romania's 466-seat legislature. The new coalition is made up of the leftist Social Democratic Party, or PSD, the center-right National Liberal Party, PNL, the small ethnic Hungarian UDMR party and national minorities. It caps a month-long period of turmoil in which far-right nationalists made significant gains in a Dec. 1 parliamentary election , a week after a first-round presidential race saw the far-right outsider Calin Georgescu emerge as the front-runner. “It will not be an easy mandate for the future government,” Ciolacu, whose PSD party topped the polls in the parliamentary election, said in a statement Monday. “We are aware that we are in the midst of a deep political crisis," he said. "It is also a crisis of trust, and this coalition aims to regain the trust of citizens, the trust of the people.” Romani's 16 ministerial positions will be shared among the parties, which will hold a slim majority in the legislature. It's widely seen as a tactical partnership to shut out far-right nationalists whose voices found fertile ground amid high living costs and a sluggish economy. President Klaus Iohannis was expected to swear in the new government later Monday. Ciolacu, who came third in the first-round presidential ballot despite polls indicating he would win the most votes, has served as prime minister since June 2023. Romania was plunged into turmoil after Georgescu’s surprise success in the presidential race, after allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference emerged. Days before the Dec. 8 runoff, the Constitutional Court made the unprecedented move to annul the presidential race . “We go through complicated times, but I think we all learned from mistakes of the past,” Ciolacu said. “I hope that together with my colleagues in the coalition, we’ll find the best solutions to get past the challenges we have in front of us.” Ciolacu said that the new government would aim to quickly organize the rerun of the presidential election in which the new coalition has agreed to put forward an agreed common pro-European candidate. George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, which came second in the parliamentary election, said that all lawmakers from his party on Monday would vote against the Ciolacu government. In 2021, the PSD and the PNL also formed an unlikely but increasingly strained coalition together with UDMR, which exited the Cabinet last year after a power-sharing dispute. Stephen McGrath reported from Warwick, England.Fireweed Metals Corp. awarded up to C$35.4 M in joint US-Canadian government funding to advance Mactung and essential Infrastructure to unlock the critical minerals district at Macmillan Pass, Yukon TerritoryStocks closed higher on Wall Street as the market posted its fifth straight gain and the Dow Jones Industrial Average notched another record high. The S&P 500 rose 0.3%. The benchmark index’s 1.7% gain for the week erased most of its loss from last week. The Dow rose 1% as it nudged past its most recent high set last week, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.2%. Markets have been volatile over the last few weeks, losing ground in the runup to elections in November, then surging following Donald Trump's victory, before falling again. The S&P 500 has been steadily rising throughout this week to within close range of its record. It's now within about 0.5% of its all-time high set last week. “Overall, market behavior has normalized following an intense few weeks,” said Mark Hackett, chief of investment research at Nationwide, in a statement. Several retailers jumped after giving Wall Street encouraging financial updates. Gap soared 12.8% after handily beating analysts' third-quarter earnings and revenue expectations, while raising its own revenue forecast for the year. Discount retailer Ross Stores rose 2.2% after raising its earnings forecast for the year. EchoStar fell 2.8% after DirecTV called off its purchase of that company's Dish Network unit. Smaller company stocks had some of the biggest gains. The Russell 2000 index rose 1.8%. A majority of stocks in the S&P 500 gained ground, but those gains were kept in check by slumps for several big technology companies. Nvidia fell 3.2%. Its pricey valuation makes it among the heaviest influences on whether the broader market gains or loses ground. The company has grown into a nearly $3.6 trillion behemoth because of demand for its chips used in artificial-intelligence technology. Intuit, which makes TurboTax and other accounting software, fell 5.7%. It gave investors a quarterly earnings forecast that fell short of analysts’ expectations. Facebook owner Meta Platforms fell 0.7% following a decision by the Supreme Court to allow a multibillion-dollar class action investors’ lawsuit to proceed against the company. It stems from the privacy scandal involving the Cambridge Analytica political consulting firm. All told, the S&P 500 rose 20.63 points to 5,969.34. The Dow climbed 426.16 points to 44,296.51, and the Nasdaq picked up 42.65 points to close at 2,406.67. European markets closed mostly higher and Asian markets ended mixed. Crude oil prices rose. Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.41% from 4.42% late Thursday. In the crypto market, bitcoin hovered around $99,000, according to CoinDesk. It has more than doubled this year and first surpassed the $99,000 level on Thursday. Retailers remained a big focus for investors this week amid close scrutiny on consumer spending habits headed into the holiday shopping season. Walmart, the nation's largest retailer, reported a quarter of strong sales and gave investors an encouraging financial forecast. Target, though, reported weaker earnings than analysts' expected and its forecast disappointed Wall Street. Consumer spending has fueled economic growth, despite a persistent squeeze from inflation and high borrowing costs. Inflation has been easing and the Federal Reserve has started trimming its benchmark interest rates. That is likely to help relieve pressure on consumers, but any major shift in spending could prompt the Fed to reassess its path ahead on interest rates. Also, any big reversals on the rate of inflation could curtail spending. Consumer sentiment remains strong, according to the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index. It revised its latest figure for November to 71.8 from an initial reading of 73 earlier this month, though economists expected a slight increase. It's still up from 70.5 in October. The survey also showed that consumers' inflation expectations for the year ahead fell slightly to 2.6%, which is the lowest reading since December of 2020. Wall Street will get another update on how consumers feel when the business group The Conference Board releases its monthly consumer confidence survey on Tuesday. A key inflation update will come on Wednesday when the U.S. releases its October personal consumption expenditures index. The PCE is the Fed's preferred measure of inflation and this will be the last PCE reading prior to the central bank's meeting in December.

Trae Young, Hawks hoping to win big in Vegas at the NBA Cup semifinalsRevolut , the London-based fintech unicorn, shared a few items on the company’s 2025 roadmap at a corporate event in London on Friday. One of its main focuses for next year will be the introduction of an AI-enabled assistant to help its 50 million customers navigate the financial app, manage their money, and customize the software. Given that artificial intelligence is on everyone’s mind, the move isn’t surprising. But the AI assistant could definitely help differentiate Revolut from traditional banking services which are slower to adopt new technologies. When Revolut launched its app nearly 10 years ago, many people discovered the concept of debit cards with real-time payment notifications. Users could also freeze the card from the app. Many banks now let you control your card from your phone. But they are unlikely to offer AI features that are actually helpful yet. In addition to the AI assistant, Revolut said they will roll out branded ATMs. These will dispense cash (of course), but also cards — a move that could foster new signups. In the future, Revolut said it plans to add facial recognition features to its ATMs, which could help you authenticate without the usual card and PIN code protocol. It will be interesting to see how it implements the tech in a way that stays on the right side of European Union data protection rules which require explicit consent for use of biometrics for ID. Revolut ATMs will start appearing in Spain in early 2025, per the company. Revolut has had a banking license in Europe for a while , meaning that it can offer credit products to its retail customers. In some countries, it already offers credit cards and personal loans. Now the company plans to expand to mortgages — one of the most popular credit products in Europe — with a focus on speed. If it’s a simple application, customers should expect instant approval in principle and a final offer in one business day. However mortgages are rarely straightforward, so it’s also going to be interesting to see whether Revolut is overpromising here. Mortgages sounds like it will be a slow rollout. Revolut said it is starting in Lithuania, with Ireland and France slated to follow suit. Though all these launches are planned for 2025. Finally, Revolut is going to ramp up its business offering in Europe with its first credit products and savings accounts. On the payment front, it will let business customers offer ‘buy now, pay later’ payment options. For restaurants and stores specifically, Revolut will introduce Revolut Kiosks with biometric payments. If all these features sound overwhelming it’s because Revolut has consistently fired on all cylinders on the product dev front, rapidly introducing new features. And 2025 looks no different.None

Probe finds Trump ally paid for underage sexCOLUMBIA, South Carolina (AP) — Victims' families and others affected by crimes that resulted in federal death row convictions shared a range of emotions on Monday, from relief to anger, after President Joe Biden commuted dozens of the sentences . Biden converted the sentences of 37 federal death row inmates to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The inmates include people who were convicted in the slayings of police, military officers and federal prisoners and guards. Others were involved in deadly robberies and drug deals. Three inmates will remain on federal death row: Dylann Roof , convicted of the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; the 2013 Boston Marathon Bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev ; and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of life Synagogue in 2018 , the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S history. Opponents of the death penalty lauded Biden for a decision they'd long sought. Supporters of Donald Trump , a vocal advocate of expanding capital punishment, criticized the move as an assault to common decency just weeks before the president-elect takes office. Victims' families and former colleagues share relief and anger Donnie Oliverio, a retired Ohio police officer whose partner was killed by one of the men whose death sentence was commuted, said the execution of “the person who killed my police partner and best friend would have brought me no peace.” “The president has done what is right here,” Oliverio said in a statement also issued by the White House, “and what is consistent with the faith he and I share.” Heather Turner, whose mother, Donna Major, was killed in a bank robbery in South Carolina in 2017, called Biden's commutation of the killer's sentence a “clear gross abuse of power” in a Facebook post, adding that the weeks she spent sitting in court with the hope of justice were now “just a waste of time.” “At no point did the president consider the victims,” Turner wrote. “He, and his supporters, have blood on their hands.” Decision to leave Roof on death row met with conflicting emotions There has always been a broad range of opinions on what punishment Roof should face from the families of the nine people killed and the survivors of the massacre at the Mother Emanuel AME Church. Many forgave him, but they can’t forget and their forgiveness doesn’t mean they don’t want to see him put to death for what he did. Felicia Sanders survived the shooting shielding her granddaughter while watching Roof kill her son, Tywanza, and her aunt, Susie Jackson. Sanders brought her bullet-torn bloodstained Bible to his sentencing and said then she can’t even close her eyes to pray because Roof started firing during the closing prayer of Bible study that night. In a text message to her lawyer, Andy Savage, Sanders called Biden’s decision to not spare Roof’s life a wonderful Christmas gift. Michael Graham, whose sister, Cynthia Hurd, was killed, told The Associated Press that Roof’s lack of remorse and simmering white nationalism in the country means he is the kind of dangerous and evil person the death penalty is intended for. “This was a crime against a race of people," Graham said. “It didn’t matter who was there, only that they were Black.” But the Rev. Sharon Richer, who was Tywanza Sanders’ cousin and whose mother, Ethel Lance, was killed, criticized Biden for not sparing Roof and clearing out all of death row. She said every time Roof’s case comes up through numerous appeals it is like reliving the massacre all over again. “I need the President to understand that when you put a killer on death row, you also put their victims' families in limbo with the false promise that we must wait until there is an execution before we can begin to heal,” Richer said in a statement. Richer, a board member of Death Penalty Action, which seeks to abolish capital punishment, was driven to tears by conflicting emotions during a Zoom news conference Monday. “The families are left to be hostages for the years and years of appeals that are to come,” Richer said. “I’ve got to stay away from the news today. I’ve got to turn the TV off — because whose face am I going to see?” Biden is giving more attention to the three inmates he chose not to spare, something they all wanted as a part of what drove them to kill, said Abraham Bonowitz, Death Penalty Action’s executive director. “These three racists and terrorists who have been left on death row came to their crimes from political motivations. When Donald Trump gets to execute them what will really be happening is they will be given a global platform for their agenda of hatred,” Bonowitz said. One inmate's attorney expresses thanks — and his remorse Two of the men whose sentences were commuted were Norris Holder and Billie Jerome Allen, on death row for opening fire with assault rifles during a 1997 bank robbery in St. Louis, killing a guard, 46-year-old Richard Heflin. Holder’s attorney, Madeline Cohen, said in an email that Holder was sentenced to death by an all-white jury. She said his case “reflects many of the system’s flaws,” and thanked Biden for commuting his sentence. “Norris’ case exemplifies the racial bias and arbitrariness that led the President to commute federal death sentences,” Cohen said. “Norris has always been deeply remorseful for the pain his actions caused, and we hope this decision brings some measure of closure to Richard Heflin’s family.” ___ Swenson reported from Seattle. Associated Press writer Jim Salter in O'Fallon, Missouri, contributed to this report. Jeffrey Collins And Ali Swenson, The Associated Press

S&P Dow Jones Indices Announces Dow Jones Sustainability Indices 2024 Review Results