234 to win
Okpebholo’s Plans To Probe Me, A Diversionary Tactic – ObasekiMaxwell Caulfield talks about the TV series ‘Landman’ on Paramount+
Israel cracks down on Palestinian citizens who speak out against the war in Gaza UMM AL-FAHM, Israel (AP) — In the year since the war in Gaza broke out, Israel's government has been cracking down on dissent among its Palestinian citizens. Authorities have charged Palestinians with “supporting terrorism” because of posts online or for demonstrating against the war. Activists and rights watchdogs say Palestinians have also lost jobs, been suspended from schools and faced police interrogations. Palestinians make up about 20% of Israel's population. Many feel forced to self-censor out of fear of being jailed and further marginalized in society. Others still find ways to dissent, but carefully. Israel's National Security Ministry counters that, “Freedom of speech is not the freedom to incite.” Israel says rabbi who went missing in the UAE was killed TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel says the body of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi who went missing in the United Arab Emirates has been found, citing Emirati authorities. The statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office on Sunday said Zvi Kogan was killed, calling it a “heinous antisemitic terror incident.” It said: “The state of Israel will act with all means to seek justice with the criminals responsible for his death." Kogan went missing on Thursday, and there were suspicions he had been kidnapped. His disappearance comes as Iran has been threatening to retaliate against Israel after the two countries traded fire in October. Israeli strike kills Lebanese soldier and wounds 18 as Hezbollah fires rockets at Israel BEIRUT (AP) — An Israeli strike on a Lebanese army center has killed one soldier and wounded 18 others. The Hezbollah militant group meanwhile fired around 160 rockets and other projectiles into northern and central Israel on Sunday, wounding at least five people. Israeli strikes have killed over 40 Lebanese troops since the start of the war between Israel and Hezbollah, even as Lebanon's military has largely kept to the sidelines. The Israeli military expressed regret over the strike, saying it occurred in an area of ongoing combat operations against Hezbollah. It said it does not target the Lebanese armed forces and that the strike is under review. The rising price of paying the national debt is a risk for Trump's promises on growth and inflation WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has big plans for the economy. He also has big debt problem that'll be a hurdle to delivering on those plan. Trump has bold ambitions on tax cuts, tariffs and other programs. But high interest rates and the price of repaying the federal government’s existing debt could limit what he’s able to do. The federal debt stands at roughly $36 trillion, and the spike in inflation after the pandemic has pushed up the government’s borrowing costs such that debt service next year will easily exceed spending on national security. After Trump's Project 2025 denials, he is tapping its authors and influencers for key roles WASHINGTON (AP) — During the campaign, President-elect Donald Trump had hailed what would become Project 2025 as a conservative roadmap for “exactly what our movement will do." Trump pulled an about-face when Project 2025 became a political liability. He denied knowing anything about the “ridiculous and abysmal” plans, even though some were written by his former aides and many allies. Now, after winning the 2024 election, Trump is stocking his second administration with key players in the effort he temporarily shunned. Trump has tapped Russell Vought for an encore as director of the Office of Management and Budget; Tom Homan, his former immigration chief, as “border czar;” and immigration hardliner Stephen Miller as deputy chief of policy. Forecasts warn of possible winter storms across US during Thanksgiving week WINDSOR, Calif. (AP) — Forecasters in the U.S. have warned of another round of winter weather that could complicate travel leading up to Thanksgiving. California is bracing for more snow and rain this weekend while still grappling with some flooding and small landslides from a previous storm. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for California's Sierra Nevada through Tuesday, with heavy snow expected at high elevations. Thousands remained without power in the Seattle area on Saturday after a “bomb cyclone” storm system hit the West Coast earlier in the week, killing two people. Parts of the Northeast and Appalachia also began the weekend with heavy precipitation. Pakistan partially stops mobile and internet services ahead of pro-Imran Khan protest ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan has suspended mobile and internet services “in areas with security concerns” as supporters of imprisoned former premier Imran Khan gear up for a protest in the capital. The government and Interior Ministry made the announcement on X, which is banned in Pakistan. Sunday's protest is to demand Khan's release. He has been in prison for more than a year but remains popular. His supporters rely heavily on social media and messaging apps to coordinate with each other. Pakistan has already sealed off Islamabad and shut down major roads and highways connecting the city with Khan's power bases. Here's what to know about the new funding deal that countries agreed to at UN climate talks BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — In the wee hours Sunday at the United Nations climate talks, countries from around the world reached an agreement on how rich countries can cough up the funds to support poor countries in the face of climate change. But it’s a far-from-perfect arrangement, with many parties still unsatisfied but hopeful that the deal will be a step in the right direction. Japan holds Sado mines memorial despite South Korean boycott amid lingering historical tensions SADO, Japan (AP) — Japan has held a memorial ceremony near the Sado Island Gold Mines despite a last-minute boycott of the event by South Korea that highlighted tensions between the neighbors over the issue of Korean forced laborers at the site before and during World War II. South Korea’s absence at Sunday’s memorial, to which Seoul government officials and Korean victims’ families were invited, is a major setback in the rapidly improving ties between the two countries, which since last year have set aside their historical disputes to prioritize U.S.-led security cooperation. Chuck Woolery, smooth-talking game show host of 'Love Connection' and 'Scrabble,' dies at 83 NEW YORK (AP) — Chuck Woolery, the affable, smooth-talking game show host of “Wheel of Fortune,” “Love Connection” and “Scrabble” who later became a right-wing podcaster, skewering liberals and accusing the government of lying about COVID-19, has died. He was 83. Mark Young, Woolery’s podcast co-host and friend, said in an email early Sunday that Woolery died at his home in Texas with his wife, Kristen, present. Woolery, with his matinee idol looks, coiffed hair and ease with witty banter, was inducted into the American TV Game Show Hall of Fame in 2007 and earned a daytime Emmy nomination in 1978. He teamed up with Young for the podcast “Blunt Force Truth” and became a full supporter Donald Trump.In a message to the American people, the King expressed “great sadness” at the news of Mr Carter’s death, describing him as “a committed public servant” who “devoted his life to promoting peace and human rights”. He added: “His dedication and humility served as an inspiration to many, and I remember with great fondness his visit to the United Kingdom in 1977. “My thoughts and prayers are with President Carter’s family and the American people at this time.” Mr Carter, a former peanut farmer, served one term in the White House between 1977 and 1981 and spent his post-presidency years as a global humanitarian, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Sir Keir Starmer said Mr Carter had “lived his values in the service of others to the very end” through “decades of selfless public service”. Praising a “lifelong dedication to peace” that saw him win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, Sir Keir added: “Motivated by his strong faith and values, President Carter redefined the post-presidency with a remarkable commitment to social justice and human rights at home and abroad.” Tributes to Mr Carter followed the announcement of his death by his family on Sunday, more than a year after he decided to enter hospice care. His son, Chip Carter, said: “My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights, and unselfish love.” Very sorry to hear of President Carter’s passing. I pay tribute to his decades of selfless public service. My thoughts are with his family and friends at this time. pic.twitter.com/IaKmZcteb1 — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) December 29, 2024 US President Joe Biden, one of the first elected politicians to endorse Mr Carter’s bid for the presidency in 1976, said the world had “lost an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian”. He said: “Over six decades, we had the honour of calling Jimmy Carter a dear friend. But, what’s extraordinary about Jimmy Carter, though, is that millions of people throughout America and the world who never met him thought of him as a dear friend as well. “With his compassion and moral clarity, he worked to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil rights and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless, and always advocate for the least among us.” Vice President Kamala Harris said Mr Carter “reminded our nation and the world that there is strength in decency and compassion”. “His life and legacy continue to inspire me — and will inspire generations to come,” she said. “Our world is a better place because of President Carter.” Other UK politicians also paid tribute to Mr Carter. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said he was “an inspiration” who “led a truly remarkable life dedicated to public service with a genuine care for people”. Scottish First Minister John Swinney described the former president as “a good, decent, honest man who strove for peace in all that he did”, while Welsh First Minister said he was “a remarkable man” and “a humanitarian and scholar”. Former prime minister Sir Tony Blair said Mr Carter’s “life was a testament to public service”. He added: “I always had the greatest respect for him, his spirit and his dedication. He fundamentally cared and consistently toiled to help those in need.” Gordon Brown, another former prime minister, said it was a “privilege” to have known Mr Carter, who “will be mourned, not just in America, but in every continent where human rights are valued”. Mr Carter is expected to receive a state funeral featuring public observances in Atlanta, Georgia, and Washington DC before being buried in his hometown of Plains, Georgia. A moderate democrat born in Plains in October 1924, Mr Carter’s political career took him from the Georgia state senate to the state governorship and, finally, the White House, where he took office as 39th president in the wake of the Watergate scandal and the Vietnam War. His presidency saw economic disruption amid volatile oil prices, along with social tensions at home and challenges abroad including the Iranian revolution that sparked a 444-day hostage crisis at the US embassy in Tehran. But he also brokered the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel, which led to a peace treaty between the two countries in 1979. After his defeat in the 1980 presidential election, he worked more than four decades leading The Carter Centre, which he and his late wife Rosalynn co-founded in 1982 to “wage peace, fight disease, and build hope”. Under his leadership, the Carter Center virtually eliminated Guinea Worm disease, which has gone from affecting 3.5 million people in Africa and Asia in 1986 to just 14 in 2023. Mrs Carter, who died last year aged 96, had played a more active role in her husband’s presidency than previous first ladies, with Mr Carter saying she had been “my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished”. Earlier this year, on his 100th birthday, Mr Carter received a private congratulatory message from the King, expressing admiration for his life of public serviceQuebec has highest rate in Canada of people under 25 diagnosed with ADHD
The Vikings came out on top in an NFC North battle with the Packers which ended much closer than it should have. The Vikings were leading 27-10 with 7 minutes left in the game but they ended up squeaking out a 27-25 victory to move to 14-2 on the season A Whole Lot Of Nothing The Vikings’ defense forced a fumble on the Packers’ 5th play of their 1st offensive drive. The Vikings’ offense settled for a punt that pinned the Packers deep in their territory. On the following drive, the Vikings’ defense forced a 3-and-out, and the Packers punted. The Vikings were moving the ball on their next until a couple of incompletions stalled the drive. They chose to send out Reichard for a 57-yard field goal attempt. Unfortunately, he was just short as he hit the crossbar and missed. The Flood Gates Begin To Open The Packers’ following drive had them moving down the field with a vengeance. There was a questionable low block call on Harrison Smith to extend the Packers’ drive. The Packers settled for a field goal after a goal-line stand by the Vikings’ defense. The Packers led 3-0 with 2 minutes left in the 1st quarter. Aaron Jones got things going in the run game for the Vikings on their next offensive drive. Sam Darnold found Jordan Addison for a few completions. However, Jalen Nailor got wide-open for a 31-yard TD pass from Sam Darnold. Will Reichard made the extra point and the Vikings led 7-3 with just under 12 minutes left in the 2nd quarter. Vikings Get Close To Another Touchdown But Settle for a Field Goal Darnold got big completions to Hockenson and Nailor. There was a big pass interference call on Keisean Nixon that extended the Vikings’ drive. Reichard nailed a short field goal attempt after Darnold had overthrown Jefferson in the endzone. Vikings led 10-3 with just over 2 minutes left in the 2nd quarter. Packers Start Moving The Ball But Stall, Packers’ Penalty Helps Vikings Make Field Goal The Packers were moving the ball against the Vikings until an illegal formation penalty against a Packers’ WR stalled the drive. The Vikings got a huge completion from Darnold to Hockenson. Sam Darnold took a big sack that moved the Vikings out of field goal range. They got another big completion to Hockenson to get back into field goal range but they had to use a timeout to save time for the field goal attempt. The Packers got an offsides penalty so the Vikings got another chance at a field goal after Reichard Missed the 55-yard field goal attempt. The Packers took a timeout to try to ice Reichard but then Reichard made the 50-yard attempt. The Vikings led 13-3 going into halftime. The Vikings’ Offense Starts the Second Half With A Quick TD Drive, and Green Bay Forces the First Turnover Darnold got completions to Nailor and Jefferson. The drive was capped off with a beautiful pass from Darnold to Addison in the endzone. The Vikings led 20-3 with just under 10 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. The Vikings’ defense made a stand and forced a 3-and-out by the Packers. Packers’ punter Whelan was only able to get a 29-yard punt to MIN-30. The pass protection failed Darnold, he got hit hard and threw an INT to Carrington Valentine. The Packers’ offense was able to take advantage of the turnover as Josh Jacobs ran it into the endzone. The Vikings still lead 20-10 with just over 5 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. Vikings’ Offense Recovers From INT, Cam Akers Takes Screen Pass To The House Darnold completed longer passes to Aaron Jones, Justin Jefferson, and Addison. Jones had a couple of bigger runs before the Vikings ran a screen to Cam Akers for a TD. After a successful extra point attempt by Reichard, the Vikings led 27-10 with 51 seconds left in the 3rd quarter. The Packers Move The Ball Until An Illegal Formation Penalty Stalls The Drive The Packers were able to convert on a 3rd down attempt and were moving down the field. The Vikings’ defense came up big again and forced the Packers to punt. The Vikings started their next offensive drive hot when Darnold completed a 37-yard pass to Justin Jefferson. However, their drive ultimately stalled out after a run for loss by Ty Chandler and an incomplete pass from Darnold that was intended for Jefferson. The Vikings settled for another field goal attempt, this one being from 43 yards out. Unfortunately, Reichard missed just enough to hit the left upright and the ball bounced away from the uprights. The Packers Take Advantage Of Missed Field Goal, Get Their Second TD of Game The Packers started their next drive at their 33-yard line. After a second down sack by Blake Cashman, it looked like the Vikings were ready to close out the game and have an easy double-digit victory. However, that could not be further from the truth as Jordan Love completed consecutive passes to Bo Melton and Tyler Kraft. This moved them down to the 19-yard line and Josh Jacobs ran it into the endzone for a touchdown. Fortunately for the Vikings, there was an offensive holding penalty called against the Packers and the points were taken off of the board. Unfortunately for the Vikings, the Packers continued moving the ball down the field and found the endzone. This time it was Emanuel Wilson who found paydirt for the Packers. They chose to go for two and their attempt was successful due to pass from Love to Romeo Doubs. The Vikings still led at this point but it was only 27-18 with just over 6 minutes left in the 4th quarter. Vikings’ Next Offensive Drive Was A Mess The Vikings’ following offensive drive was marred with penalties and poor execution. Darnold was sacked and fumbled the ball until the officials reviewed the play and reversed the fumble ruling, making it an incomplete pass. Cam Akers kept moving things on the ground before a big pass to Jefferson, which was called back on an offensive holding penalty. Darnold missed on a pass intended for Addison, and the Vikings were forced to punt. Packers Continue Their Comeback Efforts, But Come Up Short The Packers’ next drive started well enough for the Vikings in that Dallas Turner was able to corral Love for a sack. Jordan Love had a couple of connections to Doubs before ultimately connecting with Malik Heath for a touchdown. They were successful on the point after attempt and the score was 27-25, with the Vikings hanging on by a thread. The Vikings successfully ran out the clock with a couple of passes, a run by Akers, a pass to Akers, and Darnold knelt the ball three times to get the clock to hit triple zeroes. The Vikings came out on top and the Vikings and Lions will be playing for the NFC North crown in next week’s matchup. They will be playing at Ford Field on either the 4th or 5th of January. This article first appeared on Total Apex Sports and was syndicated with permission.
Biomarin: Challanges Mount, But Sale Rumours Make For A Risky "Buy" Call
As No. 16 Colorado prepares to finish out the regular season against Oklahoma State this week, NFL personnel appear to be paying close attention to the Buffaloes' draft-eligible prospects. Deion Sanders' Buffaloes may have a pair of top five 2025 NFL draft selections, as star quarterback Shedeur Sanders and wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter continue to be highly regarded by draft experts. According to Athlon Sports' latest mock draft , Hunter (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Sanders (Tennessee Titans) are taken off the board with the first two overall picks. Hunter leads the Big 12 in receptions (82) and receiving touchdowns (11) while leading Colorado in interceptions (3) and pass breakups (9). Sanders sits second in the country in passing touchdowns (30) and fifth in passing yards (3,488). © Nick Tre. Smith-Imagn Images Sanders, a senior, plans to graduate in the winter and prepare for the NFL draft. He passed up that opportunity in 2023 and has seemingly benefited from the decision after putting together a career year. In an appearance in a video created by Deion Sanders Jr . on Tuesday, New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen is seen speaking with Deion Sanders off to the side of a Colorado practice. Schoen and the Giants recently released franchise quarterback Daniel Jones, who signed a four-year, $160 million deal in March of 2023. New York (2-9) initiated the change at the position after the Giants continued to struggle offensively this season. New York Giants Gm Joe Schoen was at Colorado Practice today 👀 🎥 : @DeionSandersJr pic.twitter.com/wwcpciQgaY The Giants are expected to be one of the few teams at the top of the draft who will be in the hunt for their next franchise quarterback. In the meantime, New York has turned to former undrafted free agent Tommy DeVito, who saw time last season with Jones recovering from a knee injury. Sanders could be the answer for Schoen's Giants, who rank 28th in the league with just 2,067 passing yards through 11 games. Sanders (6-foot-2, 215 pounds) has amassed 6,718 passing yards with 57 touchdowns to 10 interceptions in two years with the Buffaloes after transferring from Jackson State. The Buffaloes (8-3) will attempt to keep their Big 12 championship and College Football Playoff hopes alive on Friday as they take on Oklahoma State (3-8). Kickoff is set for noon ET (ABC).
Mayor Olivia Chow’s city hall has inconsistently addressed antisemitism in Toronto, based on a range of community complaints
Who are Jimmy Carter’s children and grandchildren?
Stock market today: Wall Street climbs as bitcoin bursts above $99,000
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (AP) — EJ Farmer scored 16 points as Youngstown State beat Detroit Mercy 73-64 on Sunday for their seventh victory in a row. Farmer had three steals for the Penguins (9-5, 4-0 Horizon League). Gabe Dynes scored 12 points while going 4 of 5 and 4 of 6 from the free-throw line and added five rebounds and four blocks. Nico Galette had 10 points. Orlando Lovejoy led the Titans (5-10, 1-3) with 23 points and three steals. Legend Geeter and TJ Nadeau both scored eight. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
AI voice cloning: How programs are learning to pick up on pitch and tone
The University of Maine held a ground-breaking ceremony for its new outdoor track, soccer and basketball facilities on Saturday. The new soccer facility and outdoor track should be ready sometime next October while the multi-purpose Morse Arena, which will be home to the two basketball programs, has a target date of the 2027-28 season, according to University of Maine Athletic Director Jude Killy. A $170 million gift from the Harold Alfond Foundation for facilities upgrades and other multi-million dollar donations are paying for the construction. New Balance Athletics donated $7 million toward the track and soccer field and Phil and Susan Morse provided a $10 million commitment for the multi-purpose arena. Killy said construction on the track and soccer fields is expected to begin right after Thanksgiving and the entire project will cost “a little bit north of $20 million.” The track will not circle the soccer field. They will be separate venues with the soccer field oriented north and south behind Mahaney Diamond while the track will run east to west behind the field hockey facility, according to Killy. “We hope to have the track operational in some capacity next fall and be ready for the spring of 2026 and we are shooting for the soccer field to be ready in October but I have no idea whether it will be Oct. 1 or Oct. 30,” said Killy. “We’d like to play as many home games as possible.” The reigning two-time America East women’s soccer championship team has been playing on Mahaney Diamond for several years. It will have a press box, scoreboard, lights and seating for 500 which include chairback and bleacher seats. A new field hockey facility and softball complex have already been built in the past three years with money from the Harold Alfond Foundation gift. The Morse Arena should be ready during the 2027-28 season but Killy said he would love to see it be open for the start of the campaign. Both basketball teams currently play in the antiquated Memorial Gym, which was built in 1933. Killy said the new arena will cost in the vicinity of $80 million and will seat approximately 2,500. “We are currently in the schematic design phase for the arena,” said Killy. Killy noted that the $45 million renovation to Alfond Arena has been going along well and he is hoping that will be completed by the end of the 2025 calendar year. Killy said he feels grateful to all the donors who have come forward to improve the facilities at UMaine and to UMaine System Chancellor Dannel Malloy and President Joan Ferrini-Mundy and the UMaine Board of Trustees for their support. “Everybody is aligned about what we want from athletics and how it can help the university,” said Killy. “I feel really fortunate to have them believe in us and support us.”Voice cloning is an emerging technology powered by artificial intelligence and it's raising alarms about its potential misuse. Earlier this year, New Hampshire voters experienced this firsthand when a deepfake mimicking President Joe Biden’s voice urged them to skip the polls ahead of the primary. The deepfake likely needed only several seconds of the president's voice to create the clone. According to multiple AI voice cloning models, about 10 seconds of an actual voice is all that is needed to recreate it. And that can easily come from a phone call or a video from social media. "A person's voice is really probably not that information-dense. It's not as unique as you may think," James Betker, a technical staff member at OpenAI, told Scripps News. Betker developed TortoiseTTS, an open-source voice cloning model. "It's actually very easy to model, very easy to learn, the distribution of all human voices from a fairly small amount of data," Betker added. How AI voice cloning works AI models have been trained on vast amounts of data, learning to recognize human speech. Programs analyze the data and train repeatedly, learning characteristics such as rhythm, stress, pitch and tone. "It can look at 10 seconds of someone speaking and it has stored enough information about how humans speak with that kind of prosody and pitch. Enough information about how people speak with their processing pitch and its weights that it can just continue on," Betker said. Imagine a trained AI model as a teacher, and the person cloning the voice to be a student. When a student asks to create a cloned voice, it starts off as white noise. The teacher scores how close the student is to sounding correct. The student tries again and again based on these scores until the student produces something close to what the teacher wants. While this explanation is extremely simplified, the concept of generating a cloned voice is based on bit-by-bit, based on probability distributions. "I think, at its core, it's pretty simple," Betker said. "I think the analogy of just continuing with what you're given will take you pretty far here." There are currently some AI models that claim to only need two seconds of samples. While the results are not convincing yet, Betker says future models will need even fewer voice samples to create a convincing clone.
NoneReaders Write: One Minnesota, drunken driving, burial assistance
NoneNoneTehran: Iran said on Sunday that it would hold nuclear talks in the coming days with the three European countries that initiated a censure resolution against it adopted by the UN's atomic watchdog. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said the meeting of the deputy foreign ministers of Iran, France, Germany and the United Kingdom would take place on Friday, without specifying a venue. "A range of regional and international issues and topics, including the issues of Palestine and Lebanon, as well as the nuclear issue, will be discussed," the spokesman said in a foreign ministry statement. Baghaei described the upcoming meeting as a continuation of talks held with the countries in September on the sidelines of the annual session of the UN General Assembly in New York. On Thursday, the 35-nation board of governors of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) adopted a resolution denouncing Iran for what it called a lack of cooperation. The move came as tensions ran high over Iran's atomic program, which critics fear is aimed at developing a nuclear weapon -- something Tehran has repeatedly denied. It also came after IAEA head Rafael Grossi returned from a trip to Tehran, where he appeared to have made headway. During the visit, Iran agreed to an IAEA demand to cap its sensitive stock of near weapons-grade uranium enriched up to 60 percent purity. In response to the resolution, Iran announced it was launching a "series of new and advanced centrifuges". Centrifuges enrich uranium transformed into gas by rotating it at very high speed, increasing the proportion of fissile isotope material (U-235). "We will substantially increase the enrichment capacity with the utilisation of different types of advanced machines," Behrouz Kamalvandi, Iran's atomic energy organisation spokesman, told state TV. The country, however, also said it planned to continue its "technical and safeguards cooperation with the IAEA". Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in power since July and a supporter of dialogue with Western countries, has said he wants to remove "doubts and ambiguities" about his country's nuclear programme. In 2015, Iran and world powers reached an agreement that saw the easing of international sanctions on Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. But the United States unilaterally withdrew from the accord in 2018 under then-president Donald Trump and reimposed biting economic sanctions, which prompted Iran to begin rolling back on its own commitments. Tehran has since 2021 decreased its cooperation with the IAEA by deactivating surveillance devices monitoring the nuclear programme and barring UN inspectors. At the same time, it has increased its stockpiles of enriched uranium and the level of enrichment to 60 percent. That level is close, according to the IAEA, to the 90 percent-plus threshold required for a nuclear warhead, and substantially higher than the 3.67 percent limit it agreed to in 2015.
Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes letters from readers online and in print each day. To contribute, click here . ••• The writer of “ ‘One Minnesota,’ my foot” (Nov. 17) clearly expressed a lot of anger. But with anger, distortion usually comes with it. Calamitous nationwide loss? It wasn’t. The numbers say otherwise, but those of us who did not vote for Trump acknowledge that he won. You’re going to scrutinize Gov. Tim Walz’s every pronouncement (which you deem to be “fake”) and his agenda (deemed “tired”) and his supposed “love affair” with socialism (if you even know what socialism actually is). I get it. You and many of the folks you claim to speak for are angry. The agenda and talking points put forward by the Democrats this past election didn’t speak to the things you are looking for from government. Fair enough. The problems of the folks you claim to speak for are problems we all want solutions to. These problems are systemic and they have long historical tentacles. Their complexities don’t lend themselves well to “silver bullet” solutions. Any solution that will actually work must be reflective of a variety of points of view. Diversity of opinions and points of view is essential to problem solving and should be welcomed, not condemned. The elections are over. We all need to show up and get to work. We need to listen to one another and respect our democratic process, which over time is the only thing that has safeguarded our liberty. Gregory Olson, Eden Prairie ••• I’m glad the writer of “ ‘One Minnesota,’ my foot” got another opportunity to vent to the readers. I would, however, like to ask him what part of the surplus spending he would like to have back? Meals for kids? Child care help? I would also like to ask him to tell us where there has ever been a mine holding pond for hazardous residue that has not leaked? Please, tell us. Otherwise, we will think you just want to cut taxes for your buddies. Fredric Rau, Hugo ••• About the wording regarding voters’ choice of Donald Trump’s agenda — “massive national mandate” — stated in a letter to the editor on Nov. 17, the percentage of the popular vote Trump earned for president in 2024 was about 49.9% . That does not warrant the use of that term. Also: Thank you, Minnesota Star Tribune, for focusing on people’s real-life, daily connections to public land and spaces. In the Strib Voices section, I found people giving the gift of writing to folks in Grand Marais ( ”Letters from Grand Marais” ). Folks enjoying their right to support public land use in their neighborhood and a young person’s musing about the beauty and history of the public land on the Mississippi. Keep reminding us of these daily life experiences so we can be helped in moving through divisive times. Marcia Willett, Edina ••• Can we please stop giving space to the man who wrote “ ‘One Minnesota,’ my foot” in the Sunday Readers Write section? This frequent contributor has repeatedly shown us who he is and what he considers to be fair game language-wise when describing things he disagrees with. His Sunday letter, which your editors saw fit to highlight, no less, is loaded with non-truths and downright lies. He gets away with this Gish gallop of BS-level complaining by loading his letters with sufficient garbage as to induce exhaustion in anyone attempting to refute. Just one example: “Across the nation your party is plotting to destroy the Trump agenda — which is backed by a massive national mandate .” Emphasis mine. As of Nov. 9, Trump’s percentage was 51.4% while Kamala Harris’ percentage stood at 48.4%, per Newsweek. Since then, the percentages have edged closer, as not all votes were tallied by that date. The difference stands nearer to 49.9% to 48.2%. Exact numbers have yet to be published. That hardly qualifies as a mandate. The House and Senate are also very near 50/50, both slightly in the GOP’s favor. Nearly half the country disagrees with the adjudicated felon’s policies going forward. Plenty of Minnesotans were and are happy with the Democratic administration, Gov. Tim Walz’s agenda, and his successful handling of our state thus far. Speak for yourself, but don’t speak for all of us. I get that the Star Tribune wants to give time and space to both sides of every opinion, but can we please limit it to politeness and truths? At least half of Minnesota would rejoice. Becky Huebner, Inver Grove Heights ••• Who is being divisive? Front page of Sunday’s paper: “Dems plan state-level Trump fight.” I clearly remember Kamala Harris saying that we all would work together, no matter the party, for all Americans. Ha! Luckily, the majority of America did not fall for those lies. And now the Democratic Party is showing its real colors ... hatching plans to block every change that America resoundingly voted for. Time for the Democrats to accept the fact that America does not want their woke agenda! Listen to the people ... stop the hatred! Kay Osterman, Brandon, Minn. A disservice to readers, families I just finished reading the Nov. 17 article “Hallucinations cited for DNR specialist’s arrest” by Dennis Anderson. I was disappointed to see that a half page of the sports section was dedicated to trying to somehow vindicate a man who was highly intoxicated while driving a state-funded vehicle on Minnesota roads. As an ER physician, I see daily how drunken driving impacts and at times ends the lives of people, both the drivers and also the passengers and innocent bystanders. To get a blood alcohol level of 0.26 (as was reported in the article) and be able to operate a motor vehicle let alone stand upright indicates that a person is very familiar with alcohol. And it also would strongly suggest that this is not the first time one has been behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated. I don’t doubt that the gentleman discussed in the article is a decent person. However, to donate half a page of your newspaper to telling of the exceedingly rare syndrome that he might have and to imply that this somehow may have impacted the multitude of poor decisions that were made leading up to the arrest does a great disservice to your readers and to the families that have been destroyed by drunken driving. Michael D. Zwank, St. Paul Burial dignity for all Thank you to Hennepin and Ramsey Counties and their partnerships with local funeral homes, like Oakwood Funeral Home in Maplewood, for compassionate burial assistance with persons and families in financial need ( “Burial aid strained as costs rise,” Nov. 17). As the article explained, funeral costs for burial services — like many services these days — are rising, which places pressure on providers as well as families and those facing their mortality. As my husband and I explore our own intentions for end-of-life care and burial, we are interested in learning more about emerging options that offer both financial and ecological sustainability. My hope is that the counties can also look into green and natural burial practices that also offer dignity, compassion and respectful care as options for people in need. Thank you for continuing to publish articles exploring these options and how we can care for our dead, our communities and the earth as well. Nancy M. Victorin-Vangerud, Minneapolis