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California has been lately in the business of blowing up dams. So a decision to actually raise one is big news. In a deal approved by eight water agencies as well as the federal government, the San Luis Reservoir between Gilroy and Los Banos, the fifth-largest reservoir in the state, . Already at 382 feet, the added height will increase storage by 130,000 acre feet. That’s roughly the amount of water that would be consumed by 650,000 people in one year. Matthew Keller, ​​a spokesperson for the Santa Clara Valley Water District, one of the eight agencies, called it “ ,” which is no embellishment in a state that has made dam removal a centerpiece of its identity. In fact, California orchestrated the largest dam removal project in U.S. history: the dismantling of four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River near the Oregon border. Gov. Gavin Newsom called it “a monumental achievement,” and not only for the river “but for our entire state, nation and planet.” A Showdown Over Water and Delta Smelt A month after Newsom made that statement, the country elected Donald Trump for another term in the White House, setting up what is likely to be a bitter confrontation over water. Trump, of course, has a different view of water in California than does the ruling class in Sacramento and in the big cities. The latter sees only scarcity, but Trump sees abundance. During his campaign, he “promised Californians unprecedented access to water and reduced protections for a key fish species if he is reelected,” in September. Thirty-five million Californians , including farmers in the Central Valley — known as the “nation’s breadbasket” because it is one of the most productive agricultural regions on Earth — are denied water due to the struggle over a “key fish.” The rare, tiny Delta smelt looms “ ,” John Durand, a University of California, Davis, researcher told the British Guardian in 2019. It’s truly a matter of “ .” Writing in the California WaterBlog, environmental sociologist Caleb Scoville explains how a creature that typically measures has become a heated subject far beyond the state’s borders. “​​The dynamics and character of the Delta smelt controversy are better explained by national partisan divisions than as a regional struggle for access to water,” says Scoville. In other words, the Delta smelt is a proxy war between the blue agenda and red policies. Get Ready for the Rhetoric to Ramp Up With all the politics swirling over a small fish that is “ ” and “only occurs in the San Francisco Estuary,” there is bound to be a fusillade of rhetorical bombs lobbed from Sacramento to Washington and back over the next four years. If Trump follows up where he left off, one of his first acts his second time around is likely to be pumping more water through the ​​Central Valley Project, a federal Bureau of Reclamation . During his first term, Trump ordered the project to increase water delivery downstream. By 2020, flow southward had increased by about 5% due to Trump’s policies. But his agenda ran into environmentalist and political resistance, and a different administration, which critics have called “ ,” that did not see things the same way. Now he has to begin again, from the top, so to speak. Another project thought to be in Trump’s lineup is expanding the largest reservoir in the state, Lake Shasta. It was on his list in 2020. An environmental report that year looked at the feasibility of raising the dam by 18.5 feet, which would lift the lip by 3%, and increase the storage capacity “by 634,000 acre-feet, or more than 200 billion gallons,” enough, says the Bureau of Reclamation, “ .” While Sacramento is aligned against him — Newsom has called a special session to “safeguard California values” and “Trump-proof” the state — the thirsty farmers of the Central Valley, who feed not only the country but their own families from the slim profits they make, tend to favor Trump’s agenda — for obvious reasons. But then they’ve long been accustomed to getting better treatment from politicians outside the state.

I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! viewers have made up their minds on who they want to be booted out of the jungle first, and it seems a case of too much screen time has led to this backlash. The 2024 series of ITV 's hit reality show saw audiences quickly warm to the lively and cheerful radio personality Dean McCullough. The 33-year-old immediately captured attention with his reactions during tasks, with his terrified yelps providing huge entertainment and resulting in him being chosen for nearly every trial. But Dean's constant selection for trials has unintentionally caused other stars to be pushed into the background, receiving far less exposure. This has prompted viewers to suggest that Dean should be the first to leave, allowing others to step into the spotlight. Social media has been abuzz with calls for the Northern Irish presenter to be the first evicted from the camp, with one viewer writing: "Can we all collectively agree that dean must leave the jungle first #ImACeleb #imacelebrity." Another agreed: "Sick sore and tired of people voting Dean. Vote him out yes when the time comes but I'm sick of the sight of him, give someone else a go." A third added: "How long until Dean can be voted out? He’s making an entertaining show unbearable every time he’s on screen." There's also been a shift in sentiment towards Dean after he had a confrontation with Coronation Street 's Alan Halsall. Alan riled Dean with a request to help Jane Moore gather wood. The radio host sharply retorted: "Listen to me. If you're gonna wake me up, you need to give me a minute, alright? "It takes a couple of minutes for my contact lenses to get back working again, alright, so you don't need to turn around to me and say 'Do you not fancy it? OK?' And then turn around and walk away." Speaking on I'm A Celebrity Unpacked, Ant McPartlin also admitted he would like to see another celebrity take on the trial. "This is not a personal thing. It's not about Dean," Ant insisted. "It's about us, just seeing different people down there." He continued: "I think we want to see different people on the show doing [trials]. Some people are, unfortunately, aren't getting... I'd like to see Barry do a trial. I'd like to see Melvin down there. Or Oti... Who is still voting for Dean? I don't get it." Ant's relationship with Dean has been frosty since the show began, with the Britain's Got Talent presenter admitting to acting "unprofessional" during a trial. However, Ant seems to be softening towards the Radio 1 DJ as he congratulated Dean and shook his hand after he successfully won nine stars in Absolute Carnage with Coleen Rooney.

Penrith halfback Nathan Cleary says he’s ahead of schedule after returning to training on Thursday just five weeks after shoulder surgery, hoping to develop a relationship with new recruit Blaize Talagi as the Panthers plot a path to what would be a staggering fifth-straight NRL premiership. It comes as the 27-year-old revealed the extreme dit measures he is taking while away from partner Mary Fowler on the comeback trail. Talagi, who crossed to the reigning champions from Parramatta, looms as the replacement in the halves for Jarome Luai, the latest in a lengthy line of premiership winners who have left in recent seasons. Both Talagi and superstar Penrith fullback Dylan Edwards have also had shoulder surgery in the off-season, but all could be available for their first game in Las Vegas, with Cleary looking good during Thursday’s session. The four-time premiership winner was with teammates at Nepean Hospital on Friday afternoon spreading Christmas cheer, with the locals stoked to see their main man looking so good just weeks after major surgery to repair a shoulder injury that plagued him in pre-season and ruled him out for a few weeks on the eve of the finals. “It’s pretty much a three or four month recovery so it’s been good so far. I came back to training yesterday (on Thursday) and it’s been good so far,” Cleary told NewsWire. “I’m slowly ticking the boxes and then it’ll start ramping up after Christmas. I’m a little bit ahead of schedule which is cool. “There are a few guys at the club who have come back from shoulder surgery and everyone is doing really well. We’re all progressing well together.” Cleary hasn’t been able to do full contact or major ball work, with the champion playmaker set to spend the pre-season building a relationship with 19-year-old Talagi. But it won’t be a simple swap for Luai, given Cleary and his former five-eighth spent a decade together coming through the junior grades before becoming a dominant pairing in the NRL. They were Batman and Robin for so long that everything felt second nature which is why Cleary doesn’t want to make any bold predictions about Talagi who is battling with Jack Cole for the number six jersey. “I don’t have any expectations at the moment,” he said. “He has come back in really good shape for a guy who had his shoulder done a week after me and he’s absolutely flying. “I’ve been getting to know him these past couple of days. He’s actually my locker neighbour so that’s been nice. “He’s a shy young kid but he’s really willing to learn. If you tell him something then he takes it on board straight away, and he’s a quick learner. “I don’t have any expectations yet, but I played him last season and know that he’s a great player with great talent, but he’s also got a lot to learn. “I just want to get to know him as a person first and help him where I can on the training field. “There’s a long way to go before round one comes around, and there are other guys who are putting their hands up for the number six position. It’s really healthy competition.” Cleary could invite Talagi over for dinner to share a few ideas where the teenager would be treated to sea moss, steaks, scrambled eggs and then some bone broth and more sea moss for dessert. It’s all part of Cleary’s carnivore diet which he turned to while dealing with repeated hamstring injuries which limited him to a career-low 13 matches in 2024. “When I was going through the hammy troubles last year, I wanted to have a clean slate and take a step back to look at everything I was doing,” he revealed. “If there was anything I could do to help me in any way then I’d do it. “The carnivore stuff isn’t full-time. I use it here and there as a bit of a cleanse and then I add fruit and sweet potato back in after that. “I just want to be more conscious of my diet and try to do any little one-percenters that will keep me on the field. “I go through periods where I’m quite disciplined, but after a game I’ll have a little treat here and there to keep a healthy balance. “I’ve been feeling really good, particularly in my gut, with my recovery time and my mental clarity.”

WALL, S.D. — Jim Boensch points out a number of switches and lights on a nearby electronic console. He gives a detailed rundown of what each does as well as gives a demonstration of an ear-piercing alarm. Everything seems to be operating just as it should. He nods and then turns to the others in the room and prepares to proceed. ADVERTISEMENT “OK,” he says with a stark calmness. “Let’s jump into World War III.” Thankfully, there is no danger of nuclear annihilation on the horizon. Boensch, a retired Air Force major, is in the underground Delta-1 Launch Control Facility at the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site just a short drive down Interstate 90 from Wall in western South Dakota. The equipment he is demonstrating is all era-accurate and authentic, though decommissioned, and was one of 15 such facilities in the state that once stood guard every second of every day in the event the president of the United States issued an order for a nuclear strike against a foreign enemy. With the late 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union, the chief nuclear rival of the United States, the need for the Delta-1 site and its South Dakota sister facilities became less crucial, and with the exception of the one near Wall, all were decommissioned and destroyed. “This is the last pair of this type in the world. There are no more,” Boensch told the Mitchell Republic during a tour of the grounds earlier this year, referring to the underground launch station and a deactivated missile silo just a few miles away. “They blew up the launch tubes and sold the land back. 149 of 150 missiles are gone.” Once part of the 44th Strategic Missile Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base, the site now serves as a museum, open to tours to the public and dedicated to the history of the Cold War and the role South Dakota and the Great Plains states played in the conflict. It is a chance to see the last remnants of the state’s nuclear Minuteman Missile fields. In 1985, if South Dakota had been ranked apart from the United States based on the number of nuclear warheads located within its borders, the 150 warheads on the Minuteman Missiles would have ranked the state sixth in the world. That would place it right behind China with 243. It had more nuclear warheads than India, Pakistan, Israel, North Korea and South Africa combined. ADVERTISEMENT When the United States dropped a pair of atomic bombs on Japan in 1944, it hastened the close of World War II. With Nazi Germany already defeated in Europe, the world breathed a sigh of relief as its armies, navies and air forces were recalled home and the conflict began to recede into the history books. Though the United States and Soviet Union were allies and on the same victorious side during World War II, a division in military aims and ideology soon began to widen between the superpowers. By 1949, the Soviet Union developed its own nuclear technology, and a decades-long arms race kicked off, with both countries building large nuclear arsenals that threatened to destroy the other side. Intercontinental ballistic nuclear missiles were part of those arsenals. Able to be launched at a moment’s notice and fly thousands of miles to deliver an atomic warhead payload on the enemy, the Minuteman Missiles were among the first developed by the United States as part of its “nuclear triad,” a series of nuclear warhead delivery methods that, along with the missiles, included missiles launched from submarines and bombs delivered by heavy bombers. When the United States was looking for a place to establish those nuclear missile launch sites, they turned to a region in the Great Plains that included South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming and Montana. “Most of them were in the middle part of the United States, up north. These missiles would go over the North Pole, and it shortened the distance to your targets without having to build bigger missiles that would be required if you put them down in Texas or Florida,” Boensch said. The United States struck deals with local landowners, and by 1963 the first silos in South Dakota were active. Over their service life those silos housed the Minuteman I and II series of missiles, the second iteration of which could carry a 1.2 megaton warhead capable of delivering the equivalent devastation of 1.2 million tons of TNT with a range of 7,500 miles. That allowed it to strike virtually any target on Earth. Each one carried 66 times the power of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, a bomb that killed 144,000 people. There were 150 such missiles within South Dakota’s borders. Always at the ready, the missiles were never used and were removed from active status in 1991 before being completely removed later in the early 1990s. Congress established the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site in 1999, the legislation for which was passed after a bill to establish the site was introduced in 1998 by Senators Tom Daschle and Tim Johnson. ADVERTISEMENT Though now more than a quarter century removed from service, the Delta-01 launch facility, and its nearby companion historic site, the Delta-9 Missile Silo, appears much as it did when it was active. During its service, access to the facility was strictly controlled, but the existence of the missiles and even their locations were not top secret. Local residents were aware of the nature of their neighbors, and even the Soviet Union were keen as to where they were located. That was by design, said Boensch, who works as an education technician at the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site. “We were a deterrent force. To have a good deterrent, you have to have a really great weapon, so from the other side they know you’ve got it and they know you can use it,” Boensch said. “It was no secret. All you had to do was follow the power line out to the middle of nowhere and you had a missile.” The launch facility appears as a relatively small, unremarkable low-slung building surrounded by a chain link fence and gate. A basketball hoop stands just inside the fencing. Entering the building takes one into a receiving area, where missile crews, which were swapped out after every 24 hour shift, would be vetted and checked in. Through one door in that area, toward the back of the building, is a living area that housed facility personnel, including security. Preserved much as it was during its most recent active period, it features a lounge area with a television, a small dining area, kitchen and sleeping quarters for those on-site. Space is limited, the accommodations simple but comfortable. For the most part, it does not resemble a military facility. ADVERTISEMENT It is through a second door in the receiving area that the perception changes. There, an elevator with highly controlled access leads to the underground bunker that housed the actual launch controls for the missiles at their command. A brief elevator ride descends approximately 30 feet to reveal a dark, concrete bunker area. A few meters ahead, a 16,000 pound blast door that sealed the missileers from the outside world is propped open. In a display of tongue-in-cheek humor, a mock Domino’s Pizza box has been painted on the front with the slogan “Worldwide delivery in 30 minutes or less or your next one is free.” Squeezing past the blast door brings visitors into a brightly-lit room full of vintage equipment that was crucial to launch operations. Low frequency and satellite communication systems line the walls, and a pair of chairs bolted to slide rails gave personnel a station from which to tend to it all while remaining strapped in securely. Simple sleeping bunks with a curtain grace the opposite wall. Staff in the bunker drilled regularly for a number of different scenarios, including launches. But even with constant training, there was a lot of downtime below ground. Boensch said many missileers would spend their time reading textbooks, preparing for exams. “We read. About half of us got our master’s degree. It was a great place to study. And I had two little girls back at the base. I wanted to play with them when I got off duty (and not study),” Boensch said. Studying aside, they were also prepared in the event of a nuclear emergency. There is no one button to launch the missiles. Once a confirmed launch order was received, each missileer turned a key from their stations, which were about 12 feet apart. Each key had to be turned within two seconds of each other, which prevented any one person from initiating a launch without the other. ADVERTISEMENT On one wall is a small red metal lock box with two combination padlocks. Like the two-person key launch system, the padlocks are another safeguard against any single person going rogue and attempting an unauthorized launch on their own. Both people had to be in agreement to open the box. “Why in the world would you need a safe up here inside this bank vault? With two locks on it, you did not know the combination of your partner’s locks. You were the only person in the world that knew your opening combination. Trust was a very hard thing to come by when you’re dealing with nuclear weapons. You’ve got to be absolutely sure,” Boensch said. The box contained materials for authenticating communications to make sure any such launch order received was authorized by the president of the United States or their successor. The content of those authenticators is still classified to this day. The actual launch keys were also inside the box. Things begin to move quickly once the lock box is opened. “We lay our keys down on this cabinet. We pick the right one. We do this independently of the other person,” Boensch said. “We go through whatever procedures we do to authenticate the message. Once we agree it is a valid and authentic message, we’re going to war. Nuclear war. And we don’t have a lot of time to do this.” The hours of practice and drills kick in. The pair are now almost on autopilot, having ceaselessly trained for this exact moment. Each missileer inserts their launch key into the receptacle at their station. They strap their seatbelts on. At the end of the countdown sequence, both turn their keys. At that point, missile silos like the Delta-9 site preserved a few miles down the road, move into action. The door at the top of the silo is flung off, revealing the weapon underneath. ADVERTISEMENT “An explosive squib fires, dragging that whole thing into a recess in that 12-foot diameter launch tube, getting it out of the way of the missile. About the same time, two Howitzer shell-like gas generators drive a piston tied to a pulley down, rolling that massive 180,000-pound door sideways to the south, rolling on 18-inch steel wheels,” Boensch said. “It clears that tube in less than three seconds.” Moments after the launch order is received, a Minuteman Missile is airborne and bound for its target. World War III has begun. Boensch and his fellow Air Force colleagues never had to take those fateful steps to actually launch a nuclear missile. Cool heads and world-saving diplomacy eventually won the day, and with the collapse of the Soviet Union, a nuclear deterrent on the Cold War scale was no longer needed. The missile fields in South Dakota were decommissioned and destroyed, with the exception of the facilities at which Boensch and his colleagues give tours to the public. Modern land-based missile facilities are still a part of the United States’ defense forces, with locations still maintained in North Dakota, Montana and Wyoming. The Cold War may be over, but the need for a nuclear deterrent remains, Boensch said. Geopolitical winds can shift, and leadership changes at the national level can alter defense priorities. Regardless of election results, the safety of America remains paramount, Boensch said. In addition to the current modern land-based missile silos and submarine-based nuclear weapons, the Air Force is expected to purchase 100 new B-21 Raider bombers, the first of which will be hosted at Ellsworth Air Force Base. The new bomber, which will complement the current fleet of B1 and B2 bombers, represents a generational leap as a dual nuclear and conventionally capable, stealth, penetrating, long-range strike platform, according to a release from the Air Force. “I think regardless of what political party is in charge, I think everybody realizes it’s a necessity,” Boensch said. Once a domain strictly off-limits to the general public, the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site now welcomes them with open arms to share the story of the sentinels on the prairie that assured America’s enemies any attack would be met by an equal, if not greater, force in return. Nearly 100,000 people visited the site in 2020. Some of those are fellow veterans that Boensch gets to interact with, sharing his stories and listening to theirs. It also offers him a chance to reflect on his own service and the service of his fellow missileers, most of which were no older than their mid-20s when they were stationed here. The technology and procedures are indeed fascinating, but in the end, the life or death actions came at the hand of missileers with a pair of small brass keys. There was no glory in the role, just a call to serve their country and to be at the forefront of protecting it should it come under attack. “I had to do some heavy thinking on what I really valued in life, what I really considered important. And I think service is the real reason why we’re here. I really do,” Boensch said. “But it’s just so rewarding to shake the hands of these people. And the folks who never served, too.” The Minuteman Missile National Historic Site is open to tours to the public. More information on the facilities and tours can be found at www.nps.gov/mimi/index.htm or by calling 605-433-5552.Social media users are misrepresenting a report released Thursday by the Justice Department inspector general's office, falsely claiming that it's proof the FBI orchestrated the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. The watchdog report examined a number of areas, including whether major intelligence failures preceded the riot and whether the FBI in some way provoked the violence. Claims spreading online focus on the report's finding that 26 FBI informants were in Washington for election-related protests on Jan. 6, including three who had been tasked with traveling to the city to report on others who were potentially planning to attend the events. Although 17 of those informants either entered the Capitol or a restricted area around the building during the riot, none of the 26 total informants were authorized to do so by the bureau, according to the report. Nor were they authorized to otherwise break the law or encourage others to do so. Here's a closer look at the facts. CLAIM: A December 2024 report released by the Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General is proof that the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was a setup by the FBI. THE FACTS: That's false. The report found that no undercover FBI employees were at the riot on Jan. 6 and that none of the bureau's informants were authorized to participate. Informants, also known as confidential human sources, work with the FBI to provide information, but are not on the bureau’s payroll. Undercover agents are employed by the FBI. According to the report, 26 informants were in Washington on Jan. 6 in connection with the day's events. FBI field offices only informed the Washington Field Office or FBI headquarters of five informants that were to be in the field on Jan. 6. Of the total 26 informants, four entered the Capitol during the riot and an additional 13 entered a restricted area around the Capitol. But none were authorized to do so by the FBI, nor were they given permission to break other laws or encourage others to do the same. The remaining nine informants did not engage in any illegal activities. None of the 17 informants who entered the Capitol or surrounding restricted area have been prosecuted, the report says. A footnote states that after reviewing a draft of the report, the U.S. attorney's office in Washington said that it “generally has not charged those individuals whose only crime on January 6, 2021 was to enter restricted grounds surrounding the Capitol, which has resulted in the Office declining to charge hundreds of individuals; and we have treated the CHSs consistent with this approach.” The assistant special agent in charge of the Washington Field Office's counterterrorism division told the inspector general's office that he “denied a request from an FBI office to have an undercover employee engage in investigative activity on January 6.” He, along with then-Washington Field Office Assistant Director in Charge Steven D'Antuono, said that FBI policy prohibits undercover employees at First Amendment-protected events without investigative authority. Many social media users drew false conclusions from the report's findings. “JANUARY 6th WAS A SETUP!" reads one X post that had received more than 11,400 likes and shares as of Friday. “New inspector general report shows that 26 FBI/DOJ confidential sources were in the crowd on January 6th, and some of them went into the Capitol and restricted areas. Is it a coincidence that Wray put in his resignation notice yesterday? TREASON!” The mention of Wray's resignation refers to FBI Director Christopher Wray's announcement Wednesday that he plans to resign at the end of President Joe Biden's term in January. Other users highlighted the fact that there were 26 FBI informants in Washington on Jan. 6, but omitted key information about the findings of the report. These claims echo a fringe conspiracy theory advanced by some Republicans in Congress that the FBI played a role in instigating the events of Jan. 6, 2021, when rioters determined to overturn Republican Donald Trump's 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden stormed the Capitol in a violent clash with police. The report knocks that theory down. Wray called such theories “ludicrous” at a congressional hearing last year. The inspector general's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the false claims about its report. In addition to its findings about the the FBI's involvement on Jan. 6, the report said that the FBI, in an action its now-deputy director described as a “basic step that was missed,” failed to canvass informants across all 56 of its field offices for any relevant intelligence ahead of time. That was a step, the report concluded, “that could have helped the FBI and its law enforcement partners with their preparations in advance of January 6.” However, it did credit the bureau for preparing for the possibility of violence and for trying to identify known “domestic terrorism subjects” who planned to come to Washington that day. The FBI said in a letter responding to the report that it accepts the inspection general’s recommendation “regarding potential process improvements for future events.” — Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck .

NEW YORK (AP) — The huge rally for U.S. stocks lost momentum on Thursday as Wall Street counted down to a big jobs report that’s coming on Friday. The crypto market had more action, and bitcoin briefly burst to a record above $103,000 before pulling back. The S&P 500 slipped 0.2% from the all-time high it had set the day before, its 56th of the year so far, to shave a bit off what’s set to be one of its best years of the millennium . The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 248 points, or 0.6%, while the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.2% from its own record set the day before. Bitcoin powered above $100,000 for the first time the night before, after President-elect Donald Trump chose Paul Atkins, who's seen as a crypto advocate, as his nominee to head the Securities and Exchange Commission. The cryptocurrency has climbed dramatically from less than $70,000 on Election Day, but it fell back as Thursday progressed toward $99,000, according to CoinDesk. Sharp swings for bitcoin are nothing new, and they took stocks of companies enmeshed in the crypto world on a similar ride. After rising as much as 9% in early trading, MicroStrategy, a company that’s been raising cash just to buy bitcoin, swung to a loss of 4.8%. Crypto exchange Coinbase Global fell 3.1% after likewise erasing a big early gain. Elsewhere on Wall Street, stocks of airlines helped lead the way following the latest bumps up to financial forecasts from carriers. American Airlines Group soared 16.8% after saying it’s making more in revenue during the last three months of 2024 than it expected, and it will likely make a bigger profit than it had earlier forecast. The airline also chose Citi to be its exclusive partner for credit cards that give miles in its loyalty program. That should help its cash coming in from co-branded credit card and other partners grow by about 10% annually. Southwest Airlines climbed 2% after saying it’s seeing stronger demand from leisure travelers than it expected. It also raised its forecast for revenue for the holiday traveling season. On the losing end of Wall Street was Synposys, which tumbled 12.4%. The supplier for the semiconductor industry reported better profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected, but it also warned of “continued macro uncertainties” and gave a forecast for revenue in the current quarter that fell short of some analysts’ estimates. American Eagle Outfitters fell even more, 14.3%, after the retailer said it’s preparing for “potential choppiness” outside of peak selling periods. It was reminiscent of a warning from Foot Locker earlier in the week and raised more concerns about how resilient U.S. shoppers can remain. Solid spending by U.S. consumers has been one of the main reasons the U.S. economy has avoided a recession that earlier seemed inevitable after the Federal Reserve hiked interest rates to crush inflation. But shoppers are now contending with still-high prices and a slowing job market . This week’s highlight for Wall Street will be Friday’s jobs report from the U.S. government, which will show how many people employers hired and fired last month. A report on Thursday said the number of U.S. workers applying for unemployment benefits rose last week but remains at historically healthy levels. Expectations are high that the Fed will cut its main interest rate again when it meets in two weeks. The Fed began easing its main interest rate from a two-decade high in September, hoping to offer more support for the job market. In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury edged down to 4.17% from 4.18% late Wednesday. The S&P 500 fell 11.38 points to 6,075.11. The Dow sank 248.33 to 44,765.71, and the Nasdaq composite lost 34.86 to 19,700.26. In stock markets abroad, indexes were mostly calm in Europe after far-right and left-wing lawmakers in France joined together to vote on a no-confidence motion that will force Prime Minister Michel Barnier and his Cabinet to resign. The CAC 40 index in Paris added 0.4%. In South Korea, the Kospi fell 0.9% to compound its 1.4% decline from the day before. President Yoon Suk Yeol was facing possible impeachment after he suddenly declared martial law on Tuesday night. He revoked the martial law declaration six hours later. Crude oil prices slipped after eight members of the OPEC+ alliance of oil exporting countries decided to put off increasing oil production. AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott contributed.

A judge on Monday rejected a request to block a San Jose State women’s volleyball team member from playing in a conference tournament on grounds that she is transgender. Monday’s ruling by U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Kato Crews in Denver will allow the player, who has played all season, to continue competing in the Mountain West Conference women’s championship scheduled for later this week in Las Vegas. The ruling comes after a lawsuit was filed by nine current players who are suing the Mountain West Conference to challenge the league’s policies for allowing transgender players to participate. The players argued that letting her compete was a safety risk and unfair. While some media have reported those and other details, neither San Jose State nor the forfeiting teams have confirmed the school has a trans women’s volleyball player. The Associated Press is withholding the player’s name because she has not publicly commented on her gender identity. School officials also have declined an interview request with the player. Judge Crews referred to the athlete as an “alleged transgender” player in his ruling and noted that no defendant disputed that San Jose State rosters a transgender woman volleyball player. He said the players who filed the complaint could have sought relief much earlier, noting that the individual universities had acknowledged that not playing their games against San Jose State this season would result in a forfeit in league standings. He also said injunctions are meant to preserve the status quo. The conference policy regarding forfeiting for refusing to play against a team with a transgender player had been in effect since 2022 and the San Jose State player has been on the roster since 2022 – making that the status quo. The player competed at the college level three previous seasons, including two for San Jose State, drawing little attention. This season’s awareness of her identity led to an uproar among some players, pundits, parents and politicians in a political campaign year. The tournament starts Wednesday and continues Friday and Saturday. San Jose State is seeded second. The judge's order maintains the seedings and pairings for the tournament. Several teams refused to play against San Jose State during the season, earning losses in the official standings. Boise State and Wyoming each had two forfeits while Utah State and Nevada both had one. Southern Utah, a member of the Western Athletic Conference, was first to cancel against San Jose State this year. Nevada’s players stated they “refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes,” without providing further details. Crews served as a magistrate judge in Colorado’s U.S. District Court for more than five years before President Joe Biden appointed him to serve as a federal judge in January of this year. Gruver reported from Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Hanson from Helena, Montana.

DMW: 75 OFWs repatriated from LebanonTrump’s lawyers rebuff DA’s idea for upholding his hush money conviction, calling it ‘absurd’

Social media users are misrepresenting a report released Thursday by the Justice Department inspector general's office, falsely claiming that it's proof the FBI orchestrated the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. The watchdog report examined a number of areas, including whether major intelligence failures preceded the riot and whether the FBI in some way provoked the violence. Claims spreading online focus on the report's finding that 26 FBI informants were in Washington for election-related protests on Jan. 6, including three who had been tasked with traveling to the city to report on others who were potentially planning to attend the events. Although 17 of those informants either entered the Capitol or a restricted area around the building during the riot, none of the 26 total informants were authorized to do so by the bureau, according to the report. Nor were they authorized to otherwise break the law or encourage others to do so. Here's a closer look at the facts. CLAIM: A December 2024 report released by the Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General is proof that the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was a setup by the FBI. THE FACTS: That's false. The report found that no undercover FBI employees were at the riot on Jan. 6 and that none of the bureau's informants were authorized to participate. Informants, also known as confidential human sources, work with the FBI to provide information, but are not on the bureau’s payroll. Undercover agents are employed by the FBI. According to the report, 26 informants were in Washington on Jan. 6 in connection with the day's events. FBI field offices only informed the Washington Field Office or FBI headquarters of five informants that were to be in the field on Jan. 6. Of the total 26 informants, four entered the Capitol during the riot and an additional 13 entered a restricted area around the Capitol. But none were authorized to do so by the FBI, nor were they given permission to break other laws or encourage others to do the same. The remaining nine informants did not engage in any illegal activities. None of the 17 informants who entered the Capitol or surrounding restricted area have been prosecuted, the report says. A footnote states that after reviewing a draft of the report, the U.S. attorney's office in Washington said that it “generally has not charged those individuals whose only crime on January 6, 2021 was to enter restricted grounds surrounding the Capitol, which has resulted in the Office declining to charge hundreds of individuals; and we have treated the CHSs consistent with this approach.” The assistant special agent in charge of the Washington Field Office's counterterrorism division told the inspector general's office that he “denied a request from an FBI office to have an undercover employee engage in investigative activity on January 6.” He, along with then-Washington Field Office Assistant Director in Charge Steven D'Antuono, said that FBI policy prohibits undercover employees at First Amendment-protected events without investigative authority. Many social media users drew false conclusions from the report's findings. “JANUARY 6th WAS A SETUP!" reads one X post that had received more than 11,400 likes and shares as of Friday. “New inspector general report shows that 26 FBI/DOJ confidential sources were in the crowd on January 6th, and some of them went into the Capitol and restricted areas. Is it a coincidence that Wray put in his resignation notice yesterday? TREASON!” The mention of Wray's resignation refers to FBI Director Christopher Wray's announcement Wednesday that he plans to resign at the end of President Joe Biden's term in January. Other users highlighted the fact that there were 26 FBI informants in Washington on Jan. 6, but omitted key information about the findings of the report. These claims echo a fringe conspiracy theory advanced by some Republicans in Congress that the FBI played a role in instigating the events of Jan. 6, 2021, when rioters determined to overturn Republican Donald Trump's 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden stormed the Capitol in a violent clash with police. The report knocks that theory down. Wray called such theories “ludicrous” at a congressional hearing last year. The inspector general's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the false claims about its report. In addition to its findings about the the FBI's involvement on Jan. 6, the report said that the FBI, in an action its now-deputy director described as a “basic step that was missed,” failed to canvass informants across all 56 of its field offices for any relevant intelligence ahead of time. That was a step, the report concluded, “that could have helped the FBI and its law enforcement partners with their preparations in advance of January 6.” However, it did credit the bureau for preparing for the possibility of violence and for trying to identify known “domestic terrorism subjects” who planned to come to Washington that day. The FBI said in a letter responding to the report that it accepts the inspection general’s recommendation “regarding potential process improvements for future events.” — Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck .As the New York modern and contemporary auctions come to a close, one story in particular has captured public attention. The art world, and the world in general, are being driven bananas by Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian (2019) – a work made of, well, a banana duct-taped to a wall. (It’s been a big week for bananas, with leaked emails having emerged detailing the intense phobia of the fruit suffered by a Swedish government minister. Rakewell apologises for any distress this article might cause.) Sotheby’s sold the work, which may or may not be a satire aimed at the art market, for $6.2m with fees. It is not so much the price, however, which excites Rakewell, but what the buyer has said he will do with the work. Justin Sun, the Chinese crypto entrepreneur who bought the work, has said that ‘in the coming days, I will personally eat the banana as part of this unique artistic experience, honouring its place in both art history and popular culture’. Your roving correspondent is unclear how digestion can honour art history but looks forward to the result, while also hoping that a period spent in Customs and Excise does not result in the fruit disintegrating into a rotten, mashed version of its former self. Mr Sun is not the first art collector to put an art object to use in a surprising way. Liu Yiqian, fresh from making a fortune on the stock exchange (though he seems to make much of having been a taxi driver), bought the Meiyintang ‘chicken cup’ in 2014 from Sotheby’s, which was described by the auction house – in terms that just pulled back from hyperbole – as ‘arguably the most celebrated porcelain throughout the centuries’. This cup, made during the Chenghua era (1465–87), entered Mr Liu’s collection for $36m. He promptly decided to use the cup for a nice brew. Perhaps the actions of Sun and Liu are in fact markers of respect. Artists have long used edible materials in their work – in Urs Fischer’s Faules Fundament (Rotten Foundation)! (2017), the natural process of decay is precisely the point. Viewers of Felix Gonzalez-Torres’s Untitled (Portrait of Ross in L.A.) (1991) were encouraged to eat the sweets that made up the artwork. And then there is the work of Dieter Roth. In the 1960s Roth incorporated chocolate into his work and started to make sculptures out of bread. Again, decay and the time it took was part of the work, though, as Rakewell can attest, this has posed something of a problem for the institutions where the work is kept. Rakewell once saw a Roth being restored, not for any fading of colour or form but because weevils were working their way through the sculpture. Perhaps Justin Sun is being neither naive or disrespectful by eating the $6m artwork he has just bought. It might be that he is simply adding a new layer of meaning. Or maybe Comedian has another joke still to tell. Subscribe to get unlimited and exclusive access to the top art stories, interviews and exhibition reviews. The Dutch artist was a dab hand at painting spuds, but why haven’t more artists been inspired by the terrific tuber? A 19th-century artist spent decades creating this remarkable pomological collection A feud in Fife involving a single-minded outsider artist and his unhappy neighbour gives Apollo’s roving correspondent cause to reflect

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BUFFALO, N.Y. – When Tyson Kozak looks down at the ink on his left forearm, he sees a friendly reminder. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * BUFFALO, N.Y. – When Tyson Kozak looks down at the ink on his left forearm, he sees a friendly reminder. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? BUFFALO, N.Y. – When Tyson Kozak looks down at the ink on his left forearm, he sees a friendly reminder. As someone who left Souris at the age of 16 to pursue his dream, the feisty forward decided to get a tattoo with some special significance. “Those are the co-ordinates of my hometown,” Kozak said Thursday in a one-on-one interview hours before making his NHL debut with the Buffalo Sabres against the Winnipeg Jets. “I got it just before I went back for my second or third junior season. I’ve been away from home for a long time, just coming back in the summer. Jeffrey T. Barnes / The Associated Press Buffalo Sabres centre Tyson Kozak left his hometown of Souris at 16 to pursue his hockey dreams. “It’s for remembering where you came from and not getting too high. Stay grounded and stay humble.” It’s clear that being from Souris is something of which Kozak is immensely proud. “Yeah. I spent a lot of time on the outdoor rink and played with the same guys every year, being from a small town. I played with the same group every year growing up. They’ve been texting me since I’ve been here, letting me know how proud they are of me,” said Kozak. “It’s pretty special because everybody pretty much knows everybody, growing up in a small town. It means a lot for my family and for the people back home. There are kids playing hockey back there and seeing someone from our small town has a chance to play (in the NHL), it could give them hope and maybe spark something inside them.” During a 10-minute conversation, it’s also evident Kozak has remained humble and grounded and that’s part of what helped him achieve his goal. Chosen in the seventh round of the 2021 NHL Draft, Kozak’s high motor, willingness to go to the hard areas and shift disturber mentality are what helped him earn his first recall and a spot on Lindy Ruff’s lineup card. “I would say I’m a 200-foot player who is responsible in his own zone. I may not be a point machine or anything but I’m hard on the forecheck, a physical player,” said Kozak, who played AAA hockey with the Southwest Cougars before earning a spot with the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League. “Before I got to junior, I was trying to be more of a skilled guy. Once I got to junior, I realized there are a lot of those guys out there. I realized what my role was and that I needed to change it if I wanted to be a successful hockey player.” The change is now paying dividends for Kozak, who spent the first two seasons and change adapting to the pro game with the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League. On Nov. 29, Kozak was preparing for a game against the Syracuse Crunch when he was called into the head coach’s office. Kozak was about to be a healthy scratch, but for the best reason possible. “I was about to start warming up and we just had a team meeting and we were actually watching the Sabres game on the TV. They were in overtime against Vancouver and my coach called me into the office and told me I had been called up,” said Kozak. “It was a whirlwind of emotions and it was crazy.” Those emotions were front and centre once again on Thursday, when Kozak finally got into the Sabres lineup. Whether it was his helmetless warm-up that included the rookie solo lap or being in the starting lineup against the team from his home province, Kozak admitted to feeling butterflies. “My legs were shaking, hands were shaking. But after that first shift, I felt very comfortable,” Kozak said. The evidence would support Kozak’s assessment of his own game. He didn’t look the least bit out of place, using his skating ability to create some chaos on a fourth line with Beck Malenstyn and Nicolas Aube-Kubel. In 8:26 of ice time, Kozak had one shot on goal, five shot attempts, two hits and was 63 per cent in the faceoff circle. With 2:24 to go in the second period, Kozak appeared to have scored his first NHL goal, finding a loose puck in front and beating Connor Hellebuyck with a shot that would have given the Sabres a 3-2 lead. The Jets used a coach’s challenge for goalie interference and the overhead view clearly showed that Malenstyn made contact with Hellebuyck inside the crease and the memorable goal was taken off the board. “Just saw (an) open net and I had the puck in the slot, and decided to put it in,” said Kozak, whose parents, Trevor and Michelle, and younger sister Paige were inside KeyBank Center for the monumental moment. “It sucks for it to be disallowed, and, obviously, it sucks even more for us to lose in overtime.” The topic du jour around the NHL this week was the unveiling of the 4 Nations Face-Off rosters for Canada, the United States, Sweden and Finland and right on cue, folks around the country were quick to weigh in on the choices — with the level of vitriol ranging but often reaching a high intensity level. Count us among those surprised Jets centre Mark Scheifele wasn’t chosen by Team Canada. Jets head coach Scott Arniel revealed he’d spoken to Team Canada GM Don Sweeney and Scheifele about his omission, but that he’s still under consideration as an injury replacement should the need to add the forward arise. In his first game since the announcements were made public, Scheifele had his best game since his hat trick against the Florida Panthers, notching a pair of assists in just under 25 minutes of ice time. He looked more like himself and the Jets top line with Kyle Connor and Gabe Vilardi scored an even-strength marker on a beautiful redirection by Vilardi and had numerous shifts where they created a number of scoring chances. There’s no doubt Scheifele is at not being named to the roster, but the best thing he can do to keep himself on the radar is to continue to play a determined game. Speaking of Team Canada, in the spirit of full transparency and keeping the receipts, Ken correctly identified 10 of the 13 forwards, five of the seven D-men and two of the three goalies in our projections one month ago, while Mike correctly identified eight of the 13 forwards, five of the seven D-men and all three goalies. I had mentioned both Winnipegger Seth Jarvis and Tampa Bay Lightning centre Anthony Cirelli in the sleeper category, but opted to put Zach Hyman and Alexis Lafreniere ahead of them on my list on Nov. 8. On the most exciting day of his hockey life, Kozak shared some thoughts on Jarvis getting the call to play for his country. “I played with him when I was younger and I played with him in junior. It’s pretty insane (to see him named). It’s good for him though,” said Kozak. “He’s such a hard worker. In junior, he was the hardest working guy on the team, all the time. I couldn’t be more proud.” There’s little doubt that it was a difficult task to make the final selections and even a full roster of the snubs generated plenty of buzz for still having more-than-capable players that were left off the “B” team for Canada. No, this won’t be quite as good as the previous Olympics, but it’s well past time for NHLers to be involved in best-on-best competition and we can’t wait to tune in to see what it’s going to look like in February. It’s nice to see that former Jets’ sniper Patrik Laine is in a better place and finding joy on the ice once again. Since returning to the Montreal Canadiens lineup earlier this week, Laine has scored a goal in consecutive games, recorded five shots on goal and is averaging just over 17 minutes of ice time per game. Laine and the Canadiens will be in Winnipeg to face the Jets Dec. 14, and you can expect he will receive a warm welcome. It was definitely a bit surprising to see former Jets defenceman and New York Rangers captain Jacob Trouba involved in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks on Friday. Although Trouba’s name was circulating in trade rumours at the 2024 NHL Draft, the expectation was that he would finish this season with the Broadway Blueshirts and then be on the move during the summer. Instead, with the Rangers stuck in a serious rut, GM Chris Drury acted swiftly and shipped Trouba to a West Coast team that has some skilled D-men in the organization but could use a bit more grit and leadership. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. The Ducks were one of the few teams that could absorb the entire US$8 million AAV Trouba is carrying this season and next, but the really interesting thing to monitor will be whether the physical blue-liner will finish out the contract in Anaheim or if he’s on the move again — either at the trade deadline or later down the road. ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca X and Bluesky: @WiebesWorld mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca X and Bluesky: @mikemcintyrewpg Raised in the booming metropolis of Altona, Man., Ken Wiebe grew up wanting to play in the NHL, but after realizing his hands were more adept at typing than scoring, he shifted his attention to cover his favourite sport as a writer. Mike McIntyre grew up wanting to be a professional wrestler. But when that dream fizzled, he put all his brawn into becoming a professional writer. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider . Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support. Raised in the booming metropolis of Altona, Man., Ken Wiebe grew up wanting to play in the NHL, but after realizing his hands were more adept at typing than scoring, he shifted his attention to cover his favourite sport as a writer. Mike McIntyre grew up wanting to be a professional wrestler. But when that dream fizzled, he put all his brawn into becoming a professional writer. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider . Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support. Advertisement AdvertisementReport: Chargers expect WR Ladd McConkey, LB Khalil Mack to play vs. Ravens