jollibee origin country
Jan. 4-7 _ The Sentry (Chris Kirk) Jan. 11-14 _ Sony Open in Hawaii (Grayson Murray) Jan. 18-21 _ The American Express (Nick Dunlap) Jan. 24-27 _ Farmers Insurance Open (Matthieu Pavon) Feb. 1-4 _ AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (Wyndham Clark) Feb. 8-11 _ WM Phoenix Open (Nick Taylor) Feb. 15-18 _ The Genesis Invitational (Hideki Matsuyama) Feb. 22-25 _ Mexico Open at Vidanta (Jake Knapp) Feb. 26 _ The Match IX (Rory McIlroy) Feb. 29-March 4 _ Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches (Austin Eckroat) March 7-10 _ Puerto Rico Open (Brice Garnett) March 7-10 _ Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard (Scottie Scheffler) March 14-17 _ THE PLAYERS Championship (Scottie Scheffler) March 21-24 _ Valspar Championship (Peter Malnati) March 28-31 _ Texas Children's Houston Open (Stephan Jaeger) April 4-7 _ Valero Texas Open (Akshay Bhatia) April 11-14 _ Masters Tournament (Scottie Scheffler) April 18-21 _ Corales Puntacana Championship (Billy Horschel) April 18-22 _ RBC Heritage (Scottie Scheffler) April 25-28 _ Zurich Classic of New Orleans (Tied) May 2-5 _ THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson (Taylor Pendrith) May 9-12 _ Myrtle Beach Classic (Chris Gotterup) May 9-12 _ Wells Fargo Championship (Rory McIlroy) May 16-19 _ PGA Championship (Xander Schauffele) May 23-26 _ Charles Schwab Challenge (Davis Riley) May 30-June 2 _ RBC Canadian Open (Robert Macintyre) June 6-9 _ the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday (Scottie Scheffler) June 13-16 _ U.S. Open (Bryson DeChambeau) June 20-23 _ Travelers Championship (Scottie Scheffler) June 27-30 _ Rocket Mortgage Classic (Cameron Davis) July 4-7 _ John Deere Classic (Davis Thompson) July 11-14 _ Genesis Scottish Open (Robert Macintyre) July 11-14 _ ISCO Championship (Harry Hall) July 18-21 _ Barracuda Championship (Nick Dunlap) July 18-21 _ The Open Championship (Xander Schauffele) July 25-28 _ 3M Open (Jhonattan Vegas) Aug. 8-12 _ Wyndham Championship (Aaron Rai) Aug. 15-18 _ FedEx St. Jude Championship (Hideki Matsuyama) Aug. 22-25 _ BMW Championship (Keegan Bradley) Aug. 29-Sept. 1 _ TOUR Championship (Scottie Scheffler) Sept. 12-15 _ Procore Championship (Patton Kizzire) Sept. 26-29 _ Presidents Cup (United States) Oct. 3-6 _ Sanderson Farms Championship (Kevin Yu) Oct. 10-13 _ Black Desert Championship (Matthew McCarty) Oct. 17-20 _ Shriners Children's Open (J.T. Poston) Oct. 24-27 _ ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP (Nicolas Echavarria) Nov. 7-10 _ World Wide Technology Championship (Austin Eckroat) Nov. 14-17 _ Butterfield Bermuda Championship (Rafael Campos) Nov. 21-24 _ The RSM Classic (Maverick McNealy) Dec. 5-8 _ Hero World Challenge, Nassau, Bahamas Dec. 12-15 _ Grant Thornton Invitational, Naples, Fla.By MICHELLE L. PRICE NEW YORK (AP) — Chad Chronister, Donald Trump’s pick to run the Drug Enforcement Administration, said Tuesday he was withdrawing his name from consideration, becoming the second person selected by the president-elect to bow out quickly after being nominated for a position requiring Senate confirmation. Sheriff Chronister, the top law enforcement officer in Hillsborough County, Florida, said in a post on X that he was backing away from the opportunity, which he called “the honor of a lifetime.” “Over the past several days, as the gravity of this very important responsibility set in, I’ve concluded that I must respectfully withdraw from consideration,” Chronister wrote. He did not elaborate, and Trump’s transition team did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. Chronister follows former Republican congressman Matt Gaetz , Trump’s first pick to serve as attorney general, in withdrawing his name for a post in the administration. Gaetz withdrew following scrutiny over a federal sex trafficking investigation that cast doubt on his ability to be confirmed as the nation’s chief federal law enforcement officer. Trump’s pick of Chronister for the DEA job drew backlash from conservatives, who raised concerns over his actions during the COVID-19 pandemic and his saying that his office “does not engage in federal immigration enforcement activities.” In March 2020, Chronister arrested the pastor of a megachurch who held services with hundreds of people and violated a safer-at-home order in place aimed at limiting the spread of the Covid virus. “Shame on this pastor, their legal staff and the leaders of this staff for forcing us to do our job. That’s not what we wanted to do during a declared state of emergency,” Chronister said at the time. “We are hopeful that this will be a wakeup call.” U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky, was among those airing public complaints, saying Chronister should be “disqualified” for the arrest. Others flagged comments Chronister made in a video about Florida’s immigration laws that he released in 2023 that circulated again online after Trump named him last weekend. Related Articles National Politics | Trump team signs agreement to allow Justice to conduct background checks on nominees, staff National Politics | President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers urge judge to toss his hush money conviction National Politics | Democrats stick with Schumer as leader, their strategy for countering Trump is far less certain National Politics | Trump vows to block Japanese steelmaker from buying US Steel, pledges tax incentives and tariffs National Politics | Democrats’ outgoing chair says Trump’s win forces party to reassess how it reaches voters In the video, Chronister praised the “rich diversity” of his community and called it “a place where people from all walks of life come together.” He said it was important to note his office “does not engage in federal immigration enforcement activities. We do not target individuals based on their immigration status. That’s the authority of federal agencies.” Trump has made a sweeping crackdown on immigration a central focus of his campaign and his aims for his coming administration. Associated Press writer Adriana Gomez Licon in Fort Lauderdale, Florida contributed to this report.Washington Secretary of Health Umair Shah said Tuesday he will step down next month, joining other state agency leaders planning to exit before Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson takes office. “As you can imagine, making this decision was not easy and came after much soul-searching and numerous discussions with my family,” Shah said in an email to employees of the Department of Health . “While there is important work left to be done, this decision allows me to spend time with family while exploring what is next on my horizon.” Shah is one of six members of Gov. Jay Inslee’s executive cabinet intending to leave on or around Jan. 15 when Ferguson, who is now attorney general, will begin his term as Washington’s 23rd governor. Both Inslee and Ferguson are Democrats. But even when partisan control of the governor’s office does not change hands, shakeups in the executive ranks aren’t unusual. The other departing agency executives are Jilma Meneses , secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services ; Sue Birch, director of the Health Care Authority ; Cheryl Strange , secretary of the Department of Corrections ; Ross Hunter , secretary of the Department of Children, Youth and Families ; and Laura Watson , secretary of the Department of Ecology . Watson will join Attorney General-elect Nick Brown as his chief deputy attorney general. Strange, who announced months ago she would retire in February, was recently appointed to the National Institute of Corrections Advisory Board by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland. In addition, Craig Bill , director of the Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs , a small cabinet agency, is leaving. And Dave Danner , chair of the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission , will need a successor as his term ends Dec. 3. The commission is part of Inslee’s executive cabinet but Danner, who has clashed with Inlsee , does not participate in cabinet meetings. Ferguson is expected Thursday to name members of Inslee’s administration as some of his first appointments. He previously named his eight-person executive leadership team. This story is from the Washington State Standard , which is an affiliate of the nonprofit States Newsroom.
Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk , an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail. In today’s edition, politics reporter Alexandra Marquez has a dispatch from the Democratic Governors Association's annual meeting, where the party's state leaders were full of concern and ideas about how to tackle future elections. Plus, we dive into the math of the Senate and what it means that the Democrats' class of 2006 has mostly faded away or lost seats. Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here. Democratic governors want to set a different tone for their party in a second Trump administration By Alexandra Marquez Democrats are still reeling and reflecting on what went so wrong for their party this year. But at Democratic governors’ annual gathering in California, they were in full agreement that something has to change for their party — and, in their eyes, hopefully one of them — to have a real shot at the White House in 2028. “We can worry later about who we run for president [in 2028] or policy tweaks,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy told NBC News, adding that for now, Democrats need to “build the foundation, build the infrastructure, elect a DNC chairman who is committed to doing just that.” And amid a pitch to rededicate the party to a focus on improving voters’ everyday lives, addressing key issues such as inflation, health care, infrastructure, transportation and education, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear warned Democrats about a key obstacle to their ambitions for redefinition: President-elect Donald Trump. In the last Trump administration, people focused “too much on Trump and what was happening in D.C. and not enough on [Democratic] priorities,” Beshear said. “Don’t fall into us versus them,” he said. “It’s not a winning strategy.” At other levels of the party — including among some of the “resistance” activist groups that gained prominence during Trump’s first term — there’s already broad agreement that Democrats can’t react to Trump in the same ways they did eight years ago. But some of the most prominent governors, who happen to be among those mentioned as potential presidential candidates, quickly leaned into setting up their states as bulwarks against Trumpism after his election. California Gov. Gavin Newsom called a special legislative session , while Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker talked about how to “ shore up ” his state against Trump. Others in purple and red states have taken less aggressive postures. At the Democratic Governors Association meetings, Beshear and fellow red-state Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly of Kansas said they’d look for room to work with Trump in areas that would benefit their constituents. Read more → Democrats' famed Senate class of 2006 has all but disappeared. Here’s why it matters. By Mark Murray The celebrated Democratic Senate class of 2006 — the six Senate Dems who flipped GOP-held seats that midterm cycle — fueled Democratic majorities over the past two decades, helped pass the party’s legislative achievements over the next decade and a half and included some of Democrats’ biggest electoral overperformers in the most challenging of states. Now, after the 2024 elections, just one of the six will remain in the Senate beginning next year: Sheldon Whitehouse, of Rhode Island. That attrition tells an important story about the geographical transformation in American politics over the last 20 years, and it highlights the Democratic Party’s challenging path back to the Senate majority after their defeats in November. The first member of the 2006 class to go was Jim Webb, of Virginia, who decided not to seek re-election in 2012 — but whose seat stayed in Democratic hands with Tim Kaine. The next to go was Claire McCaskill, of Missouri, who won re-election in 2012 but lost six years later in 2018. And in 2024, three more members of that vaunted class lost as Donald Trump carried their states: Jon Tester, of Montana, Sherrod Brown, of Ohio, and Bob Casey, of Pennsylvania. Senate Democrats began the 21st century winning in states like Missouri, Montana and Ohio. (Equally important, Republicans were holding Senate seats in places like Rhode Island and Virginia.) Now? It seems unfathomable how Democrats could win statewide federal elections in those three states, not to mention the likes of West Virginia and North Dakota. And that reality underscores Democrats’ challenge to win back the Senate in 2026 or 2028 — and beyond. After the recent election, the party controls all but one Senate seat in every state Kamala Harris carried. (The lone outlier? Susan Collins in Maine.) Democrats also have 10 of the 14 Senate seats in the seven key presidential swing states. Yet that gets them to only 47 Senate seats. Even if they defeat Collins and flip the four other Senate seats in battleground states (two in North Carolina, one in Wisconsin, one in Pennsylvania) while holding the others, that maxes out at 52. If Democrats want more than that, they will need to figure out how to win again in places like Missouri, Ohio and other now-reliably red states. There’s one other important story about the Democratic class of 2006: At the beginning of that election cycle, few observers thought Democrats would be able to flip more than a couple of Senate seats, let alone six. But the unpopularity of the Iraq war and George W. Bush’s administration expanded the Senate battleground far beyond initial expectations. That’s a reminder that no political map stays in place forever. It’s always changing. That’s all from the Politics Desk for now. If you have feedback — likes or dislikes — email us at politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com And if you’re a fan, please share with everyone and anyone. They can sign up here .
Ahilyabai hailed for pro-women stance
Heights library has full slate of programs during the holidays, including the new yearNone
TORONTO -- TORONTO (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump was joking when he suggested Canada become the 51st U.S. state during a dinner with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a Canadian minister who attended their recent dinner said Tuesday. Fox News reported that Trump made the comment in response to Trudeau raising concerns that Trump's threatened tariffs on Canada would damage Canada's economy. Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who attended the Friday dinner at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, said Trump's comments were in jest. “The president was telling jokes. The president was teasing us. It was, of course, on that issue, in no way a serious comment,” LeBlanc told reporters in Ottawa. LeBlanc described it as a three-hour social evening at the president’s residence in Florida on a long weekend of American Thanksgiving. “The conversation was going to be light-hearted,” he said. He called the relations warm and cordial and said the fact that “the president is able to joke like that for us” indicates good relations. On Tuesday, Trump appeared to continue with the joke, posting on his Truth Social platform an AI-generated image of himself standing on a mountain with a Canadian flag next to him with the caption “Oh Canada!" Some Canadians had fun with it. “If I were President Trump, I’d think twice before invading Canada. The last time the U.S. tried something like that— back in the War of 1812 —it didn’t exactly end well. Canada even burned down the White House,” former Quebec Premier Jean Charest joked on X. Earlier last week, the Republican president-elect threatened to impose a 25% tax on all products entering the U.S. from Canada and Mexico unless they stem the flow of migrants and drugs. Trudeau requested the meeting in a bid to avoid the tariffs by convincing Trump that the northern border is nothing like the U.S. southern border with Mexico . Trudeau held a rare meeting with opposition leaders on Tuesday about U.S-Canada relations and later said that opposition Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre shouldn’t amplify the erroneous narratives that Americans are saying about the border. “Less than one percent of migrants coming into the United States irregularly come from Canada and 0.2 percent of the fentanyl coming into the United States comes from Canada,” Trudeau said in Parliament. Canadian officials have said there are plans to put more helicopters, drones and law enforcement officers at the border. At the dinner, Kristen Hillman, Canada's ambassador to the U.S., said America’s trade deficit with Canada was also raised. Hillman said the U.S. had a $75 billion trade deficit with Canada last year but noted a third of what Canada sells into the U.S. is energy exports and prices have been high. “Trade balances are something that he focuses on so it’s important to engage in that conversation but to put it into context,” Hillman told The Associated Press. “We are one-tenth the size of the United States so a balanced trade deal would mean per capita we are buying 10 times more from the U.S. than they are buying from us. If that’s his metric we will certainly engage on that.” Hillman said Canada sold $170 billion worth of energy products last year to the U.S. About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85% of U.S. electricity imports as well. Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing for national security. About 77% of Canada’s exports go to the U.S. Trudeau's government successfully employed a “Team Canada” approach during Trump’s first term in office when the free trade deal between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico was renegotiated. But Trudeau’s minority government is in a much weaker position politically now and faces an election within a year. Poilievre, Canada's opposition leader, said the tariffs would harm Americans. “The president-elect was elected on a promise to make America richer. These tariffs would make America poorer,” Poilievre said after meeting with Trudeau. Poilievre said the U.S. would be wise to do more free trade with its best friend and closest ally. Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly 3.6 billion Canadian dollars ($2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. Trudeau returned home after the dinner at Mar-a-Lago club in Florida without assurances Trump would back away from threatened tariffs on all products from the major American trading partner. Trump called the talks “productive” but signaled no retreat from a pledge that Canada says unfairly lumps it in with Mexico over the flow of drugs and migrants into the United States. The flows of migrants and seizures of drugs are vastly different. U.S. customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border during the last fiscal year, compared with 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border. Most of the fentanyl reaching the U.S. — where it causes about 70,000 overdose deaths annually — is made by Mexican drug cartels using precursor chemicals smuggled from Asia. On immigration, the U.S. Border Patrol reported 1.53 million encounters with irregular migrants at the southwest border with Mexico between October 2023 and September 2024. That compares to 23,721 encounters at the Canadian border during that time.
NEW YORK (AP) — After acquiring Juan Soto for a one-year rental and failing to keep him as a free agent, the New York Yankees are taking the same chance with Devin Williams. New York acquired the All-Star closer from the Milwaukee Brewers for left-hander Nestor Cortes and infield prospect Caleb Durbin on Friday. The Yankees will send $2 million to the Brewers as part of the trade. “He's a year away from free agency but someone that we’ve tried to acquire for a number of years,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. “I’m sure we weren’t the only bidders here in the end.” A 30-year-old right-hander, Williams is eligible for free agency after the 2025 season. He was diagnosed during spring training with two stress fractures in his back and didn’t make his season debut until July 28 . “Certainly not trying to downplay the impact the Devin had, but we feel like we still have a good amount of strength there with our bullpen,” Brewers general manager Matt Arnold said. Williams was 14 for 15 in save chances with a 1.25 ERA, striking out 38 and walking 11 among 88 batters over 21 2/3 innings. His fastball averaged 94.7 mph and he threw it on 53.5% of his pitches, mixing in 45% changeups — known as the “Airbender” — and around 1.5% cutters. William's 43.2% strikeout percentage was the highest in the major leagues among pitchers with at least 20 innings. “Certainly doesn’t seem to be afraid,” Cashman said. “You can’t do that job if you’re afraid of the big stage.” An All-Star in 2022 and 2023, Williams was a second-round pick in the 2013 amateur draft. He is 27-10 with a 1.83 ERA and 68 saves in 78 chances over six seasons, striking out 375 and walking 112 in 235 2/3 innings over 241 games. Milwaukee declined a $10.5 million club option in favor of a $250,000 buyout last month, making Williams eligible for arbitration. Williams joins a bullpen that includes Luke Weaver, who took over as closer from Clay Holmes in September, Jake Cousins and Ian Hamilton. The Yankees don’t have a left-handed reliever on their 40-man roster. “If you have right handers that can neutralize lefties, that’s a benefit. It limits your desperation for immediately a left on left,” Cashman said. Cortes, who turned 30 on Tuesday, was an All-Star in 2022 when he went 12-4 with a career-best 2.44 ERA in 28 starts. He made just one start after May 30 in 2023 because of a strained left rotator cuff and was sidelined late in the 2024 season by a flexor strain in his left elbow. He returned for the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers and entered in the 10th inning of the opener, retiring Shohei Ohtani on a foulout with his first pitch and giving up a game-ending grand slam to Freddie Freeman on his second. "He’s had a fully healthy offseason," Arnold said. “We expect him to come into camp ready to go as normal.” Known for his many deliveries, Cortes is 33-21 with a 3.80 ERA in 86 starts and 49 relief appearances over seven seasons. He is eligible for arbitration and also can become a free agent after next season. “He brings a real stability, I think, to our rotation,” Arnold said. “Somebody that's been a major piece of a really good championship-caliber team in the New York Yankees, I think will fit us very well, especially after the loss of Willy Adames .” New York had an excess of starters after reaching a $218 million, eight-year agreement with left-hander Max Fried that is pending. The rotation also is projected to include ace Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Luis Gil and Clarke Schmidt, with Marcus Stroman also available. Durbin, who turns 25 in February, hit .287 with 10 homers, 60 RBIs and 29 stolen bases this year at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. “We just felt it was harder to acquire someone at the level of Devin Williams than it would be to try to figure out the infield circumstances,” Cashman said. Durbin was with the big league team last spring training “I think he’s a stud,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said last month. “Great bat-to-ball, elite ability on the bases as a base stealer, good defender in the middle of the diamond, second base. He’s really started over the last year-plus to create some position flexibility, too. He’s played some short, he’s played some third. We introduced him to some outfield this year.” Durbin hit .312 with five homers, 21 RBIs and 29 steals in 24 games at the Arizona Fall League. “We love the style of game that he brings to our team,” Arnold said. “I think that’s going to be a really nice fit with Pat Murphy's style of baseball.” Cashman said he's spoken with Scott Boras about the agent's remaining free agent clients, who include third baseman Alex Bregman and first baseman Pete Alonso. “Certainly respect the player and his ability and how much winning he’s been a part of,” Cashman said of Bregman, “but that’s about as far as I will say at this point.” This story has been corrected to note New York is sending cash to Milwaukee, not the other way around. AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlbA group of Republican lawmakers is asking President-elect Donald Trump to stop the U.S. Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) free online tax filing tool Direct File as soon as he returns to the White House. “The program’s creation and ongoing expansion pose a threat to taxpayers’ freedom from government overreach,” they wrote. Direct File users file taxes via the IRS rather than a trusted tax preparation service. As such, through the program, the agency “asserts itself as the tax assessor, collector, preparer, and enforcer—all in one.” The lawmakers said this was “deeply concerning and a clear conflict of interest.” The tax agency has no incentive to ensure that Americans filing through Direct File do not end up paying more taxes than what is due, they noted. The Republicans alleged the Direct File program is part of a larger plan to surveil the finances of American citizens and audit those who disagree with them. “Even prior to the Biden-Harris administration, the IRS has a long record of abusing its authority to target political opponents. How can we entrust the IRS to responsibly prepare and enforce taxes when it has encroached on Americans’ individual liberties at every opportunity?” the lawmakers wrote. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen said President Joe Biden was “committed to saving Americans time and money and ensuring families receive the tax benefits they’re owed” and that Direct File is key to fulfilling these goals. The department noted that during the pilot phase, Direct File is estimated to have helped users save roughly $5.6 million in filing costs while allowing them to claim over $90 million in refunds. The letter from House Republicans said that the IRS budgeted $114 million for Direct File in 2024. Given that there were roughly 140,000 taxpayers who used the service, the cost of the program comes to $814 per return, which the lawmakers said was “not an efficient use of government resources.” The private sector already offers “better tax preparation services at no cost to the federal government,” they said. The IRS should focus on promoting these existing free options using a fraction of the resources it used to create Direct File. “The results of such efforts would be better for all taxpayers,” the lawmakers said. The Epoch Times reached out to the IRS for comment on the GOP letter. During the pilot period, Direct File was available in the following states—Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington State, and Wyoming. For the 2025 season, the service will also be available in Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The agency estimates that over 30 million taxpayers in these 24 states will be qualified to use Direct File next year. “Direct File is an important component of a stronger, more comprehensive tax system that gives taxpayers electronic filing options that best suit their needs,” said IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel. “It is a critical tool in the IRS’s effort to meet taxpayers where they are, give them options to interact with us in ways that work for them, and help them meet their tax obligations as easily and quickly as possible.” The letter was also sent to Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, both of whom Trump has selected to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).