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Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) argued Democratic lawmakers ought to engage with Republicans on the Department of Government Efficiency, as voters want their lawmakers to work together “to make the American government more efficient” and save taxpayer money. The Florida Democrat became the first member of his party to announce he would join the House DOGE Caucus, which will aim to slash unnecessary government spending . In explaining his decision to join the caucus, Moskowitz contended that Democrats need to partake in discussions on improving the government’s efficiency, as these discussions will be held “with or without Democrats at the table.” “I think Democrats should go have that conversation. What are we afraid of?” Moskowitz said on Fox News’s America Reports. “We shouldn’t just run to save space. No, we should run in the room and have this argument. There’s going to be disagreements. I’m not going there because I’m going to agree with every idea that they have. But where there is agreement, I think the American people expect us to try to make the American government more efficient and to save taxpayer money.” Moskowitz cited how Republicans opted not to join the Democrats with their Jan. 6 committee, which ended up being “a strategic mistake” for Republicans. As such, he was joining the caucus to “push back” on disagreements between him and the Republicans in the caucus while working with them to solve “bipartisan” matters. Among the top problems Moskowitz would like to see DOGE address, he explained, include balancing the budget, arguing the United States is spending far more money than it is bringing in and “hasn’t had a balanced budget since Bill Clinton.” Another problem he wanted to help the government adopt is technology, saying the federal government is “not using anywhere near” the amount of technology the private sector is using, and fixing this would improve the government’s efficiency. “So there’s definitely going to be ways in which you’re going to see, I think, both parties come together on some ideas, and in other areas, we’re going to diverge,” Moskowitz said. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER Last month, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) was tapped to head the new Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency . She expressed enthusiasm for her new role in DOGE in a statement, explaining that the main purpose of DOGE is “to bring accountability and GUT useless government agencies.” Billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the co-heads of DOGE, have stated they will conduct a weekly podcast detailing their work on cutting government waste. Ahead of President-elect Donald Trump 's inauguration, many have expressed excitement for DOGE to get to work, including Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) , who said he would do “anything I can to help them.”
How to Watch the NBA Today, December 8BLACK Isle history buffs had lots to look forward to as they took stock on an exciting season over festive refreshments. Following a busy and well-attended trio of meetings in the autumn about Black Isle hospitals pre-NHS, the amazing archaeological discoveries of High Pasture Cave on Skye and Dingwall’s diaspora around the world, Cromarty History Society members enjoyed a fascinating talk from Evanton’s Andrew Newton on the Egyptian, Greek and Roman origins of much of today’s medicine . That was followed by mulled wine, Christmas cake and mince pies. SEE ALSO Under threat Alness hub is ‘treasure trove’ of local history Free Ross-shire news briefing twice a week straight to your inbox Members are now looking forward to 2025 when on January 30th the Society will join with Cromarty’s Fourways Club at 2-4pm for a talk by Scilla Aitchison on The Countess of Sutherland’s Shopping List , and its Black Isle connections. February 18th at 7.30pm sees the Society learning about The Vikings in Northern Scotland when they are to hear UHI Professor Donna Heddle explain the Norse invasion of the North Highlands as far south as the Black Isle’s north coast, the Black Isle’s southern parts being still Pictish. Architect Calum Maclean has worked on many historic sites and on March 18th at 7.30pm will speak on his latest research into the work of Alexander Ross who designed so many buildings across the Black Isle and beyond, the subject of Calum’s latest book. Finally, on April 15 at 7.30pm, Dr Jim Mackay will explain The Marriage Lintels and Date Stones Close to You , which we all see as we go about our daily business but don’t always understand. There are many such stones on old buildings across the Highlands. Meetings are followed by refreshments and chat and all are held at the Victoria Hall in Cromarty. Each meeting costs £5 but £15 membership will cover the rest of the meetings until April 2025. The society has members from across the area and visitors are welcome. Further information can be found on the society’s website at www.cromartyhistory.scot . While you’re here... Use the code HECTORMACKENZIE to get unlimited online access to all of our titles (including Inverness Courier and titles across the north, plus the HNM app) for just £10 for 12 months. Subscribe here.Gatos Silver Announces Date of Special Meeting of Stockholders and Filing of Definitive Proxy Statement
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Justin Baldoni ’s 27-minute proposal video for his now-wife, Emily Baldoni, has resurfaced after his It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively sued him for sexual harassment . Earlier this month, Lively first issued a lawsuit against Baldoni, alleging he exhibited behavior on the set of their movie that caused her “severe emotional distress” and that he orchestrated a “smear campaign” against her after she asked for complaints to be addressed. Now, Baldoni’s 2012 proposal video to his wife — which was posted on YouTube by Baldoni’s company, Wayfarer Studios — has been resurfaced by fans. The 27-minute footage started with the Jane the Virgin alum at a restaurant, Blu Jam Cafe, that he’d rented out to pop the question. The restaurant was also where he and Emily went on their first date. Once Emily sat down at her table, after Baldoni initially told her he was running late to their date, she was surprised by a recorded video of him. While Baldoni told his partner that he was on his way, the video cut to him on a fake radio show, where he started to propose to her, before learning that segment wasn’t on the air. He then said he’d figure out another way to pop the question, and the video continued with him and his friend lip-syncing to three different songs: NSYNC’s “God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You”, Boyz II Men’s “I’ll Make Love to You,” and ABBA’s “Dancing Queen.” Baldoni’s video for Emily didn’t stop there, as the footage then went into a flash mob he did at the mall to Bruno Mars’s hit song, “Marry Me.” The moment was then followed by a fake crime drama scene, showing him running around with a briefcase before finding his engagement ring. After showing a montage of sweet moments of him and Emily, Baldoni’s video continued with him running toward the restaurant and greeting his family. That video officially came to an end when Baldoni himself stepped into the restaurant and greeted his partner at her table. “I have a whole bunch I want to say but, baby, all that stuff, that’s for me. You don’t care about that stuff. You care about this,” Baldoni told his then-girlfriend, who he now shares two daughters with. “You’re the woman that has changed my life. I’ve never been happier, never been sadder. I’ve never been more angry, life has never been more beautiful.” After Baldoni’s parents stepped in for the rest of the proposal, Emily’s mother joined them for the emotional moment. He concluded by paying tribute to Emily’s father and sharing a video of himself at his grave, where he asked for Emily’s hand in marriage. Now, many fans on social media have reacted to Lively’s lawsuit by mentioning and criticizing Baldoni’s 2012 proposal. “Feeling vindicated because I have ALWAYS thought Justin Baldoni was sketchy ever since he released that one-hour long dance mob cringe fest proposal video on YouTube in 2013,” one person wrote on X. “The Justin Baldoni situation makes way more sense if you remember that he was the guy who did that viral flash mob engagement video that was 27 minutes long,” another person tweeted. Meanwhile, one TikTok user who goes by the username @cuntychanel posted a now-viral video about Baldoni’s proposal, claiming: “You can tell everything about a man by the way he proposes.” “This should be all about his future wife, he makes it all about himself. It’s a very bad sign,” she said in the clip, which has more than 1m views. She went on to play snippets of the proposal video, adding: “If your boyfriend makes you watch a 30-minute video of himself, as a proposal to you, you need to run girl. Like this is not normal.” In her lawsuit against Baldoni, it was revealed that Lively asked the studio for several requirements after concerns about Balidoni’s behavior on the set of It Ends With Us , which he also directed. Her requirements included “no more showing nude videos or images of women to Blake, no more mention of Baldoni’s alleged previous ‘pornography addiction,’ no more discussions about sexual conquests in front of Blake and others, no further mentions of cast and crew’s genitalia, and no more inquiries about Blake’s weight.” Blake also asked for Baldoni to no longer say he had communicated with Blake’s father, who has passed away several years earlier. The lawsuit says that the distributors of the film, Sony Pictures, approved Lively’s requests. However, the Age of Adaline star claims in the filing that Baldoni then began a campaign to “destroy” her reputation in response. She cited texts from Baldoni’s crisis PR representative as evidence. Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, has called Lively’s allegations “false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt.” Freedman alleged that Lively had caused issues on the film set by “threatening to not [show] up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release.” Hours after Lively’s lawsuit was made public, Baldoni was reportedly dropped by his management, the WME agency . During the press tour for It Ends With Us , based on the Colleen Hoover book of the same name, Lively was criticized for her “tone-deaf” approach to promoting the work, which focuses on domestic violence and abuse, which now seems to have been part of Baldoni’s PR camapaign against her. Now, Lively’s close friends and former colleagues have spoken out, showing their support for her decision to file the lawsuit, including her co-stars from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants , America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, and Amber Tamblyn . “As Blake’s friends and sisters for over 20 years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation,” they wrote. “Throughout the filming of It Ends With Us , we saw her summon the courage to ask for a safe workplace for herself and colleagues on set, and we are appalled to read the evidence of a premeditated and vindictive effort that ensued to discredit her voice.”SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Marquel Sutton scored 23 points as Omaha beat Sacramento State 70-60 on Saturday night. Sutton added eight rebounds for the Mavericks (4-7). Tony Osburn scored 15 points and added five rebounds and three steals. JJ White had nine points and went 4 of 5 from the field. Jacob Holt led the way for the Hornets (2-7) with 15 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Mike Wilson added nine points and six rebounds for Sacramento State. Chudi Dioramma had seven points, 10 rebounds and two blocks. Omaha's next game is Friday against Northern Iowa on the road, and Sacramento State hosts UC Davis on Saturday. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .The Latest: Former President Jimmy Carter is dead at age 100
From pagans to pansexuals... how civil servants are being encouraged to mark an array of 'woke weeks' at work By MARTIN BECKFORD Published: 23:03, 26 December 2024 | Updated: 23:09, 26 December 2024 e-mail View comments Civil servants are being encouraged to mark a baffling array of ‘ woke weeks’ at work. Diversity and inclusion calendars produced by Whitehall departments and quangos include the dates of everything from Pansexual Visibility Day and Stress Awareness Month to the pagan festivals of Samhain and Yule. NHS England’s calendar marks more than 350 awareness events including gender-fluid visibility week and transgender parent day. Staff support groups often hold talks or put up displays in offices to coincide with the dates although the Government insists that employees do not have to commemorate them. Earlier this year the Mail told how the Foreign Office was flying the flag for bisexuality awareness week outside its grand headquarters. Last night Elliot Keck, head of campaigns at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘The extent to which the diversity demagogues have taken over Whitehall is truly alarming. ‘While there are key religious and national dates that the public sector should be aware of, the focus of internal calendars should be on driving home deadlines for delivering improvements to public services. ‘Ministers should remind civil servants that their duty is to the public as a whole.’ Obscure: Pagan festivals, such as last week’s Winter Solstice at Stonehenge, are marked in internal calendars Diversity and inclusion calendars produced by Whitehall departments and quangos include the dates of everything from Pansexual Visibility Day and Stress Awareness Month to the pagan festivals of Samhain and Yule Caroline Ffiske from Conservatives for Women said: 'Whoever put Pansexual Visibility Day in this calendar should be invited to write up the history of this day and would be shown to struggle to cover half of the back of a small envelope' And Caroline Ffiske from Conservatives for Women said: ‘It’s offensive, and illustrates a lack of judgement and courage from the organisers, to see recently made-up woke nonsense treated with the same degree of seriousness as important days for Christians and those of other faiths. ‘Whoever put Pansexual Visibility Day in this calendar should be invited to write up the history of this day and would be shown to struggle to cover half of the back of a small envelope.’ The Forestry Commission, which manages publicly owned woodland, said in a recent equality report: ‘A Diversity and Inclusion calendar has been published for 2024, which has helped to inform our communications plan for internal and external engagement. It also raises awareness of key dates affecting our stakeholders and wider society.’ Details of the calendar obtained by the Mail reveal that it includes Latinx Heritage Month, a gender-neutral term for people of South American background which is mainly used in the USA, and the birthday of Rastafarian divinity Haile Selassie. So crowded is the Forestry Commission’s calendar that Men’s Health Awareness Month, Islamophobia Awareness Month and Disability History Month are all included in November while June is Pride Month as well as Gypsy, Roma and Travellers History Month. A Forestry Commission spokesman said: ‘The dates are not automatically added to staff calendars – they are available to access as an e-resource as part of our commitment to fostering an inclusive culture in our workplaces and understanding the people we serve.’ The Ministry of Justice meanwhile issues a list of ‘core awareness’ dates containing events not included by the Forestry Commission. April is Stress Awareness Month as well as containing Intergenerational Week, but National Stress Awareness Day is in November along with Inter Faith Week. In the shadow of the stones a group of revellers go through ultra stretches and bends during the Winter Solstice celebrations Carers Week takes place in June as does Social Mobility Awareness Day. The Ministry of Justice said: ‘Religious holidays and other notable occasions, like Holocaust Memorial Day, Carers Week and Black History Month are widely marked and these events are recognised across government. ‘Recognising them helps tackle discrimination and supports our drive to build a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve across England and Wales.’ The Crown Commercial Service, a procurement quango within the Cabinet Office, lists hundreds of events in its inclusion and diversity calendars. They range from World Braille Day and International Mother Language Day to Pansexual Visibility Day. As well as major religious holidays such as Easter and Ramadan, it includes the Declaration of Bab celebrated by the Baha’i faith and even the Beltane and Yule festivals sacred to pagans. Christmas Day is not mentioned in the diversity calendar but the Government insisted this is because it is already included in the main calendars seen by all staff on their computer systems. A Cabinet Office spokesman said: ‘As you would expect, Christmas and other public holidays are all rightly marked in teams’ calendars by default. ‘These optional, shared calendars provide additional dates for awareness only. Inclusion in the calendar does not mean they are officially marked by CCS.’ All three public bodies highlight the National Day for Staff Networks, the support groups for employees of different races, faiths and sexualities that have sprung up across the public sector in recent years. Share or comment on this article: From pagans to pansexuals... how civil servants are being encouraged to mark an array of 'woke weeks' at work e-mail Add commentMicrosoft announces quarterly dividendBut alongside his stark warning of the threats facing Britain and its allies, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said there would be only a “remote chance” Russia would directly attack or invade the UK if the two countries were at war. The Chief of the Defence Staff laid out the landscape of British defence in a wide-ranging speech, after a minister warned the Army would be wiped out in as little as six months if forced to fight a war on the scale of the Ukraine conflict. The admiral cast doubt on the possibility as he gave a speech at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) defence think tank in London. He told the audience Britain needed to be “clear-eyed in our assessment” of the threats it faces, adding: “That includes recognising that there is only a remote chance of a significant direct attack or invasion by Russia on the United Kingdom, and that’s the same for the whole of Nato.” Moscow “knows the response will be overwhelming”, he added, but warned the nuclear deterrent needed to be “kept strong and strengthened”. Sir Tony added: “We are at the dawn of a third nuclear age, which is altogether more complex. It is defined by multiple and concurrent dilemmas, proliferating nuclear and disruptive technologies and the almost total absence of the security architectures that went before.” He listed the “wild threats of tactical nuclear use” by Russia, China building up its weapon stocks, Iran’s failure to co-operate with a nuclear deal, and North Korea’s “erratic behaviour” among the threats faced by the West. But Sir Tony said the UK’s nuclear arsenal is “the one part of our inventory of which Russia is most aware and has more impact on (President Vladimir) Putin than anything else”. Successive British governments had invested “substantial sums of money” in renewing nuclear submarines and warheads because of this, he added. The admiral described the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers on Ukraine’s border alongside Russian forces as the year’s “most extraordinary development”. He also signalled further deployments were possible, speaking of “tens of thousands more to follow as part of a new security pact with Russia”. Defence minister Alistair Carns earlier said a rate of casualties similar to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would lead to the army being “expended” within six to 12 months. He said it illustrated the need to “generate depth and mass rapidly in the event of a crisis”. In comments reported by Sky News, Mr Carns, a former Royal Marines colonel, said Russia was suffering losses of around 1,500 soldiers killed or injured a day. “In a war of scale – not a limited intervention, but one similar to Ukraine – our Army for example, on the current casualty rates, would be expended – as part of a broader multinational coalition – in six months to a year,” Mr Carns said in a speech at Rusi. He added: “That doesn’t mean we need a bigger Army, but it does mean you need to generate depth and mass rapidly in the event of a crisis.” Official figures show the Army had 109,245 personnel on October 1, including 25,814 volunteer reservists. Mr Carns, the minister for veterans and people, said the UK needed to “catch up with Nato allies” to place greater emphasis on the reserves. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Defence Secretary John Healey had previously spoken about “the state of the armed forces that were inherited from the previous government”. The spokesman said: “It’s why the Budget invested billions of pounds into defence, it’s why we’re undertaking a strategic defence review to ensure that we have the capabilities and the investment needed to defend this country.”
Supervisors shuffle $1.3M in unspent COVID relief funds