BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The day after this month's election, more than 115,000 X users deactivated their accounts, according to social media analytics websites Similar Web. At the same time, the site reported daily usage on Bluesky, a platform modeled on Twitter and started by its former CEO, saw a 500% surge. James Madison University professor of communications Jason Mollica believes some users have become increasingly frustrated with the content on X and its owner, Elon Musk. "The election was sort of, I think, the last straw for many. I don't think it was the absolute thing that drove people," Mollica said. Politicians, mostly Democrats so far, have followed the trend, including a number of New York state legislators. State Sen. Rachel May, D-Syracuse, said she stopped using her personal account on X when Musk took over and last week announced she would no longer use her public account while directing people to find her on other social media, including Bluesky. "I think when they stopped doing any kind of monitoring for the real hate speech, that was what pushed me off. I just felt like it was getting flooded with comments and language that I just didn't want to be associated with," May said. Mollica said politicians should consider Bluesky if they believe they have an audience there. However, he said pulling away from X altogether doesn't make sense from a strategic communications standpoint. "You should still at least keep your Twitter account and then keep the engagement. You don't have to be every day, but keep it enough where it keeps people informed that hey, you're still here and to understand that you should be following me at Bluesky as well," he said. May said it's important to communicate with people who may not agree with her political views. However, she said even before X began to tilt more conservatively, she used the platform primarily to make statements for the media, not direct communication with constituents. "I think we need to find ways that we can communicate with each other. I've been talking to my staff about really making sure that in the coming session we're getting out and directly interacting more with people," May said.
Bills opening Michigan governor, lawmakers to FOIA die amid House turmoilCut IT rates, hand out Vouchersto drive consumption, urges CII
Pet passports for dogs, cats and ferrets to travel within UK ‘an outrage’
HORSE RACING: Prat sets single-year jockey stakes record with winning ride aboard Poster in G2 Remsen
South Korean President Yoon's impeachment failsThe condemnation came as the House of Lords debated regulations paving the way for a scheme which would require animal lovers on the British mainland to have documentation in order to visit Northern Ireland. Critics view the move as further evidence of Northern Ireland still having to follow EU rules post-Brexit and being treated differently from the rest of the UK – a major source of contention to the unionist community. The paperwork, which will be free to apply for, includes a declaration that the owner will not travel onwards to Ireland or another EU country with their pet or assistance dog. Animals will have to be microchipped and have their own individual pet travel document, which will be valid for its lifetime. Northern Ireland residents returning after a stay in Great Britain with their pet or assistance dog will not need a travel document. The scheme is being introduced under the Windsor Framework, a revised deal for Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit trading arrangements aimed at tackling issues caused by the protocol. Raising her concerns in Parliament, Baroness Hoey, a Northern Irish Brexit supporter and former Labour MP, said: “These regulations are in effect about a new aspect of the Irish Sea border that has not had expression until this point because of the grace periods.” She added: “The experience of visiting Northern Ireland with your pet dog or cat, or even a ferret, will be made to feel like a visit to a foreign country. Lady Hoey went on: “This could spell the end of holiday trips for pet owners from GB to NI and then on to the Republic, when they want to explore both Northern Ireland and the Republic. “If they have a pet passport, they will have renounced their right to go to the Republic. That makes the border more of an obstruction than having border control posts on it, because at least in that eventuality, you could still cross over it.” Rejecting claims it was a result of the UK leaving the EU, she said: “The reality is that this is happening precisely because Northern Ireland has not got Brexit. “As we say repeatedly, it is still subject to EU rules and the EU could change the rules overnight.” Former DUP deputy leader Lord Dodds of Duncairn said: “Every one of the statutory instruments that come forward under the Windsor Framework must be properly debated, because these laws are being brought forward to implement what a foreign jurisdiction has decided should be the law of the United Kingdom. “In the 21st century, we should not accept colonial rule. We abolished it elsewhere. We believe it should not be tolerated for one second. People should have the democratic right to decide their laws for themselves, in their interests.” He added: “The ridiculous part about this debate is that we are having to debate European laws regulating the movement of pet animals owned by British citizens between one part of the United Kingdom and another. That is an outrage.” Lord Dodds went on: “As I said, there will be hundreds, thousands more of these regulations, in all areas, affecting the daily lives of people in Northern Ireland. They all add up to a grievous assault on Northern Ireland’s constitutional position.” But former leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick said: “I support the Windsor Framework because it is a necessary legal device to deal with the complexities that were presented to us in Ireland, north and south, on the issue of Brexit. “We need a pragmatic solution rather than choosing to have political contests and duels simply for the sake of them.” Introducing the regulations, environment minister Baroness Hayman of Ulloch said: “This scheme will simplify the requirements associated with moving pet dogs, cats and ferrets from Great Britain to Northern Ireland significantly. “It replaces single-use animal health certificates with a free-of-charge lifelong travel document and removes the need for costly pet health treatments. “Pet owners who travel frequently with their pets, or those who rely on the services of an assistance dog to travel independently, will benefit substantially from this change in approach.” However, she acknowledged the concerns raised by peers and promised to continue engagement with them.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Cam Skattebo and Arizona State are on quite a run in their Big 12 debut after being the preseason pick to finish at the bottom of the conference. Now the Sun Devils will represent their new 16-team league in the 12-team College Football Playoff after a 45-19 win over Iowa State in the Big 12 championship game Saturday. The tough-running Skattebo had 170 yards rushing, including a 28-yard gain on the first offensive snap. There were long, tackle-evading runs to open the two drives he ended with short touchdowns, and he later turned a short pass into another score. “I've got the best seat in the house,” said Sam Leavitt, the freshman quarterback who hands off to Skattebo. “Get ready for a gain of 5 or whatever, and I just see the dude kind of weaving through some traffic ... and busts loose." The Sun Devils (11-2, No. 15 CFP), with their 34-year-old head coach Kenny Dillingham, take a six-game winning streak into the playoff. Iowa State (10-3, No. 16 CFP), which already had the first 10-win season in the program’s 133-year history, trailed 24-10 before turnovers in its own territory on its first three drives after halftime. Arizona State capitalized with Leavitt throwing touchdowns each time. “It doesn’t get that much more deflating than that,” Cyclones coach Matt Campbell said. “Their ability to take care of the football and our inability to do that in the third quarter was just paralyzing.” Skattebo struck the Heisman Trophy pose multiple times during the game, and he wore a Big 12 championship T-shirt afterward. “Nobody respects the fact that I’m the best running back in the country. And I’m going to stand on that,” he said. “I'm going to keep proving people wrong. And whatever NFL team takes me is going to get a gem.” That can wait until after Arizona State's guaranteed playoff spot as one of the five highest-ranked conference champions. The Sun Devils almost certainly will rank below Mountain West champion Boise State (12-1, No 10). That would give the Broncos a first-round bye and send the Sun Devils on the road for a first-round game, much to the dismay of Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark , who before the title game re-iterated his feelings about that. “Last year, they left a team out because of a quarterback (then-undefeated Florida State). We're 11-1 with our starting quarterback, having beat four ranked teams and we won the Big 12 championship,” Dillingham said. “We made a standard that the quarterback is that valuable ... I definitely think we should host a game.” Xavier Guillory had TD catches of 8 and 21 yards in a 71-second span after the Iowa State turnovers. Skattebo then turned a third-down swing pass into a 33-yard score for a 45-10 lead that he punctuated with one of his Heisman poses. Skattebo's 2,074 yards from scrimmage (1,568 rushing and 506 receiving) are a single-season school record. Before his 3-yard TD, Skattebo had a 47-yard run when he spun away at the line from defenders, then shrugged off others. He had a 2-yard score in the final minute of the first half after a 53-yard run, again after contact at the line before twisting and turning through chasing Cyclones. “He’s an ‘A’ player, and he played an ‘A’ game today,” Campbell said. “In these moments, you need your ‘A’ players to play ‘A’ football, and he certainly did it.” Even without injured leading receiver Jordan Tyson , the Sun Devils had plenty of big plays. Leavitt's first pass was a 22-yarder to Melquan Stovall, who later had a 63-yard catch to convert a fourth-and-1. Arizona State had six plays of more than 20 yards — all in the first half, when the longest play by Iowa State was 19 yards. The Cyclones' got a late 25-yard TD pass from Rocco Becht to Jaylin Noel, one of their two 1,000-yard receivers. Tyson, who had 624 yards receiving in five November games, injured his left arm in the second half of the regular-season finale against Arizona. Becht has thrown TD passes in 17 consecutive game. His 3-yarder to Carson Hansen on the Cyclones' opening drive gave them their only lead at 7-3. Becht completed 21 of 35 pass for 214 yards and two TDs. Arizona State has its first outright conference title since winning the Pac-10 in 1996. After going 3-9 in their final Pac-12 season, the Sun Devils' eight-win improvement is a school record — the previous was five. Arizona State and Indiana (11-1) are the only FBS schools with eight-win improvements over last year. Iowa State got into November undefeated for the first time since 1938. The Cyclones then lost back-to-back games before winning three in a row to get into their second Big 12 title game. They lost to Oklahoma in the 2020 game. Arizona State finds out Sunday who and where it will start the playoff. Iowa State waits for its bowl destination, likely either the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio or the Pop Tarts Bowl in Orlando. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Shareholders of ( ) have enjoyed an impressive 47% return this year. That comes in addition to a solid dividend, which just saw another hike last quarter. Headquartered in New Orleans, Entergy provides electric power utilities to 3 million customers across Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi and Texas. The impressive returns this year are driven by a surge in data-center demand to supply the power needs of artificial intelligence. This growth has sparked renewed excitement in the once sleepy utility sector. According to McKinsey & Co., data center energy consumption in the U.S. is projected to grow from about 4% of total energy demand today to 11%-12% by 2030. Entergy has already seen solid earnings growth, which is only set to accelerate in the longer term. The company expects 8%-9% earnings growth post 2025. Dividend Stock And Data Centers These growth expectations are not just speculation. Earlier this month, Facebook's parent company, ( ), announced plans to invest $10 billion in what will be its largest data center, in Louisiana. To power the plant, Entergy plans to bring . While Entergy's annualized 3.2% dividend yield is much higher than the S&P 500 average of 1.2%, it is lower than most companies profiled in IBD's Income Investor column. Still, the story remains compelling due to steady dividend growth. In November, the company by 6%, to $1.20 per share. If Entergy meets its growth projections, investors can likely expect continued, sizable dividend increases. Given the monopolistic characteristics of the utility market, this seems like a strong bet. Additionally, the company is in a solid fiscal position, with its debt rated at investment-grade (BBB+) by S&P Global. However, there is some uncertainty about where future data center growth will occur. And if the industry doesn't meet long-term expectations, Entergy's current valuation could be called into question. Shares of Entergy are currently finding support at their , with an entry point around 73.50. This is the first buy area since the dividend stock cleared a base in August, according to .
The Department of Telecommunications said in a press release on Tuesday that it wants all telecom service providers to show "international call" on the phone when subscribers receive calls from outside India in order to prevent cyber scams, in which scammers pose as the Indian government and its authorities to deceive people in the country. Airtel has already begun to do this, and other telcos are investigating the viability of the move. A specialized task team established by the DoT to handle the problem of fraudulent calls coming from overseas made this recommendation. The amount of incoming international calls that are mistakenly shown as coming from Indian numbers on caller ID that the DoT's new technology detected and prohibited decreased by 95.6 percent from 13.5 million per day in October to roughly 600,000 per day in December. ALSO READ: Christmas 2025: Delhi Police Issues Traffic Advisory, To Deploy Force Around Churches Tomorrow For the DoT, this indicates that their new system, launched in October, has “successfully tackled the issue of cyber-crimes that were being conducted through calls that were being made from abroad, but the CLI [calling line identity] was tampered to look as Indian number." This system, designated the “International Incoming Spoofed Calls Prevention System”, can detect and prevent such calls before they are even picked up by people in India. Such calls have been used by scammers abroad to target people in India by impersonating as police, FedEx employees, and others. But the DoT cautioned that scammers were now posing as government officials by making calls that showed numbers starting with +8, +85, and +65. Approximately 15 million calls were received in India in October, reaching the international long-distance network of the telcos and displaying a +91 number on the caller ID. This indicates that about 90% of all international calls that flashed +91 in October were spoof calls, which are calls that originate from a non-Indian number but are shown as an Indian number.
The demands of achieving both one-day shipping and a satisfying orgasm collide in Halina Reijn’s a kinky and darkly comic erotic thriller about sex in the Amazon era. stars as Romy Mathis, the chief executive of Tensile, a robotics business that pioneered automotive warehouses. In the movie’s opening credits, a maze of conveyor belts and bots shuttle boxes this way and that without a human in sight. Romy, too, is a little robotic. She intensely presides over the company. Her eyes are glued to her phone. She gets Botox injections, practices corporate-speak presentations (“Look up, smile and never show your weakness”) and maintains a floor-through New York apartment, along with a mansion in the suburbs that she shares with her theater-director husband ( ) and two teenage daughters (Esther McGregor and Vaughan Reilly). But the veneer of control is only that in “Babygirl,” a sometimes campy, frequently entertaining modern update to the erotically charged movies of the 1990s, like “Basic Instinct” and “9 1/2 Weeks.” Reijn, the Dutch director of has critically made her film from a more female point of view, resulting in ever-shifting gender and power dynamics that make “Babygirl” seldom predictable — even if the film is never quite as daring as it seems to thinks it is. The opening moments of “Babygirl,” which A24 releases Wednesday, are of Kidman in close-up and apparent climax. But moments after she and her husband finish and say “I love you,” she retreats down the hall to writhe on the floor while watching cheap, transgressive internet pornography. The breathy soundtrack, by the composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer, heaves and puffs along with the film’s main character. One day while walking into the office, Romy is taken by a scene on the street. A violent dog gets loose but a young man, with remarkable calmness, calls to the dog and settles it. She seems infatuated. The man turns out to be Samuel (Harris Dickinson), one of the interns just starting at Tensile. When they meet inside the building, his manner with her is disarmingly frank. Samuel arranges for a brief meeting with Romy, during which he tells her, point blank, “I think you like to be told what to do.” She doesn’t disagree. Some of the same dynamic seen on the sidewalk, of animalistic urges and submission to them, ensues between Samuel and Romy. A great deal of the pleasure in “Babygirl” comes in watching Kidman, who so indelibly depicted uncompromised female desire in Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut,” again wade into the mysteries of sexual hunger. “Babygirl,” which Reijn also wrote, is sometimes a bit much. (In one scene, Samuel feeds Romy saucers of milk while George Michael’s “Father Figure” blares.) But its two lead actors are never anything but completely magnetic. Kidman deftly portrays Romy as a woman falling helplessly into an affair; she both knows what she’s doing and doesn’t. Dickinson exudes a disarming intensity; his chemistry with Kidman, despite their quickly forgotten age gap, is visceral. As their affair evolves, Samuel’s sense of control expands and he begins to threaten a call to HR. That he could destroy her doesn’t necessarily make Romy any less interested in seeing him, though there are some delicious post-#MeToo ironies in their clandestine CEO-intern relationship. Also in the mix is Romy’s executive assistant, Esme (Sophie Wilde, also very good), who’s eager for her own promotion. Where “Babygirl” heads from here, I won’t say. But the movie is less interested in workplace politics than it is in acknowledging authentic desires, even if they’re a little ludicrous. There’s genuine tenderness in their meetings, no matter the games that are played. Late in the film, Samuel describes it as “two children playing.” As a kind of erotic parable of control, “Babygirl” is also, either fittingly or ironically, shot in the very New York headquarters of its distributor, A24. For a studio that’s sometimes been accused of having a “house style,” here’s a movie that goes one step further by literally moving in. What about that automation stuff earlier? Well, our collective submission to digital overloads might have been a compelling jumping-off point for the film, but along the way, not every thread gets unraveled in the easily distracted “Babygirl.” Saucers of milk will do that. “Babygirl,” an A24 release, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for “strong sexual content, nudity and language.” Running time: 114 minutes. Three stars out of four.( ), ( ) and Mitsubishi on Monday confirmed they are in talks regarding a possible merger at a time of auto industry upheaval. Honda stock tried to regain a key level on Tuesday after jumping on the merger news. The possible three-way merger would see Japan's second and third biggest carmakers join forces, along with smaller Mitsubishi. That combination would create the world's third largest automaker by annual sales, behind only Japanese peer Toyota Motor ( ) and German giant Volkswagen ( ). Embattled car giants Honda and Nissan hope to stave off falling sales and intensifying competition. Their joint statement on Monday alluded to "dramatic changes in the environment surrounding both companies and the automotive industry," a likely reference to these powerful forces gaining strength: : Legacy auto giants are in the middle of a massive shift from gas and diesel cars to electric and hybrid vehicles in a bid to lower polluting emissions. Newer vehicles are also increasingly software defined. All this adds up to steep development costs. By merging, Honda and Nissan could jointly develop such vehicles and use common platforms to share and optimize costs. Cost saving is especially important for the co right now. Both Honda and Nissan's sales are in a sharp two-year slump. Honda posted a steep quarterly profit drop in November, mainly due to a challenging Chinese market. : Chinese EV makers continue to rise in the domestic and overseas markets. China dominates global EV supply chains and subsidizes its EV industry, with its automakers churning out affordable electric cars. Affordable doesn't necessarily mean cheap. Chinese EV giant ( ) and its startup peers, including ( ) and ( ), make technology-driven electric cars. Korean EV makers like Hyundai and Kia are also on the rise. By comparison, Japan's auto giants are trying to catch up in fully battery electric vehicles, though they are leaders in hybrid cars. A merger could improve efficiencies in their EV investments. : Analysts at Morgan Stanley identified a third force forcing Honda and Nissan to consider a merger: the rise of semi autonomous or fully autonomous vehicles. Tesla and some of its Chinese rivals are the clear leaders in vehicle autonomy, with . Maturing autonomous technologies have placed Nissan and Honda under new pressure to fund AI and software development, the Morgan Stanley analysts said. They noted Tesla's doubling to $1.5 trillion market capitalization in the span of six weeks, adding: "If the age of autonomy has truly arrived, then things will move very fast from here." Honda Stock, Nissan Stock And EV Stocks Shares of Honda Motor popped nearly 1% in Tuesday's . Honda stock tested the falling 50-day moving average after jumping nearly 13% on Monday after the possible merger confirmation. The stock has dropped 28% from a March high, and carries a very weak IBD Composite Rating of 38. Nissan stock popped more than 7% on Friday, extending its rally above the 50-day line and giving it a 27% gain for December. Tesla stock climbed 5%, extending Monday's rally on solid EV delivery news. China EV stocks, including Tesla archrival BYD, traded broadly higher.
Brazilian police indict former President Bolsonaro and aides over alleged 2022 coup attemptVirtua Fighter 5 is returning for the first time in 18 years, sort of
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