President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday nominated Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, as the US ambassador to France, in the latest of several controversial picks. Kushner "is a tremendous business leader, philanthropist, & dealmaker, who will be a strong advocate representing our Country & its interests," Trump said on his Truth Social website, adding that Jared "worked closely with me in the White House." The choice is in keeping with Trump's pattern, so far, of selecting people, often wealthy, who are close to his family or of proven loyalty. Kushner is a multimillionaire real estate executive and former attorney; his son was a senior adviser during Trump's first term. Trump did not mention, however, that the elder Kushner once served jail time -- a two-year sentence, most of it served in a federal prison. Kushner, who is now 70, pleaded guilty in 2004 to 18 counts of tax evasion, witness tampering and making illegal campaign contributions. The case, which was prosecuted by then US attorney Chris Christie, included sordid details, to which Kushner admitted: that he had hired a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, a man cooperating in a campaign finance inquiry, and then videotaped the encounter and sent it to the man's wife, Kushner's sister, to dissuade her from testifying against him. Christie, who worked on Trump's first presidential transition team and then opposed him in this year's Republican primary contests, later said Kushner had committed a "loathsome" and "disgusting crime." In 2020, Trump issued a pardon to Kushner, whose conviction had resulted in him being disbarred in three states. Nominees for key ambassadorships are often business associates of a president-elect, or major political donors. But it is rare, if not unprecedented, to name a convicted felon. The first two men to fill the prestigious Paris post were famed inventor and statesman Benjamin Franklin and a future president, Thomas Jefferson. If confirmed, Kushner would succeed Denise Bauer, a former ambassador to Belgium who was a major Democratic fundraiser and donor. md/bbk/mdNo. 10 Maryland holds off George Mason late, 66-56 in a matchup of unbeatens
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OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Notre Dame forward Danny Nelson scored twice, Western Michigan’s Hampton Slukynsky made 25 saves and the defending champion United States beat Latvia 5-1 on Saturday in the world junior hockey championship. The United States improved to 2-0 in Group A play, while Latvia dropped to 1-1 a day after stunning Canada with a 3-2 victory in a shootout. Boston College’s Ryan Leonard, Denver’s Zeev Buium and Minnesota Duluth’s Max Plante also scored for the Americans. They will be back in action Sunday at Canadian Tire Centre against Finland, then close group play Tuesday night against Canada. Davids Livsics scored for Latvia. Linards Feldbergs stopped 36 shots after making 55 saves against Canada and stopping all eight attempts in the shootout. In the only other game of the day, Czechia beat Kazakhstan 14-2 at TD Place. Czechia and Sweden are both 2-0 in Group B. Matej Mastalirsky, Vojtech Hradec and Jakub Stancl had hat tricks, with Hradec and Stancl also each assisting on two goals. ___ AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports Read more on the World Junior Hockey Championship at thestar.com
The mother of a Lincoln man found guilty of child abuse that resulted in the death of a 22-month-old child was sentenced Thursday for her role in tampering with evidence. Judge Kevin McManaman sentenced Karen Vestecka, 60, of Lincoln, to a total of 470 days in jail after she was found guilty of tampering with evidence and false reporting. Vestecka pleaded guilty in October to both charges after she took a gun and a pair of shoes from the home of her son, Joshua Tackett, as police were investigating him for the death of Rudy Requejo-Ybarra. Lincoln Police officers were outside of Tackett's home waiting to obtain a search warrant before entering when they observed Vestecka arrive empty-handed, enter the residence, and leave with a gun case carrying a rifle and a pair of shoes, according to Sgt. Trent Petersen's testimony at Vestecka's preliminary hearing . People are also reading... Paige Hubl, former Nebraska volleyball player and Lincoln Southeast coach, dies at age 34 Man found dead in north Lincoln, police say Driver of car dead after crash in downtown Lincoln; part of O Street closed Here's what Nebraska volleyball's loss to Penn State means for Huskers' Big Ten title hopes Wisconsin officer grabbing Donovan Raiola's arm a 'misunderstanding,' UW police say Iowa players say Nebraska refused pregame handshake, among other perceived slights Nebraska defensive lineman announces he’ll return for 2025 season Tony White leaves Nebraska for Florida State defensive coordinator job Sound waves: What others are saying about Nebraska's loss to Iowa Matt Rhule, Luke Fickell both downplay postgame encounter between Fickell, Donovan Raiola 'Not what we want to do': Nebraska's Matt Rhule talks pregame handshake snub with Iowa Taco restaurant started by brothers in Grand Island expands to Lincoln Nebraska portal tracker: Jimari Butler and reserve RB among Huskers entering Amie Just: Takeaways from Nebraska volleyball's NCAA tourney, including a Rattler flashback Signing Day: Nebraska football has signatures from 20 of its 20 commits for 2025 class Petersen said the rifle and shoes were essential to the investigation early on because Rudy sustained pattern injuries that may have matched the butt stock of the rifle or the soles of the sneakers. Police later discovered through forensic testing that neither of the items was a match to the injuries Rudy had. Tackett received a sentence of 70 years to life in prison after being found guilty of child abuse resulting in Rudy's death. At the sentencing hearing, Vestecka apologized for her actions, saying they were done out of fear. "During my time in jail, I noticed there were very few women like me," Vestecka said. "Most of them are career criminals, and that is not me." Her attorney, Mona Burton, asked McManaman to consider probation for Vestecka, who had not had a run-in with the law since the 1980s. Lancaster County Deputy Attorney Amy Goodro vehemently argued that Vestecka deserved to serve more time for the actions she committed. "The defendant, Ms. Vestecka, much like Brittany Cook is, a liar," she said. Cook was Rudy's mother, who, in September, was found guilty of intentional child abuse resulting in Rudy's death. She was sentenced to 70 years to life in prison for her role in the young child's death. "Similar to Ms. Cook, (Vestecka) lied during the investigation and continues to lie now," Goodro added. She continued to say that a criminal sentence is about more than rehabilitation. It is also about retribution and accountability. Goodro referenced Vestecka breaking a previous condition of her bond that prohibited her from speaking with Tackett, which she did. Later, she claimed she believed the condition was dropped because Tackett's trial ended. Goodro refuted that claim, saying that the court was clear when it provided her bond information that she was not able to speak with Tackett unless the court had approved it. "Her intent throughout the case was to help her son ... which is a problem for society when the majority of her children are criminals and she creates excuses and lies for their criminal behavior." McManaman gave Vestecka a sentence of 470 days and gave her 125 days of credit for time already served.Winter storm warnings and advisories are in place across multiple states, with widespread high winds and freezing temperatures expected and forecasters predicting up to 40 inches of snow in some areas of Wyoming. Why It Matters Such conditions could create hazardous travel conditions and power outages. The NWS is urging residents to prepare for dangerous conditions, stock up on essentials, and avoid unnecessary travel. What To Know Storm warnings: Utah Heavy snow is forecast, with additional snow accumulations of 8 to 18 inches, locally up to 2 feet in the upper Cottonwoods. A warning is in place until 11 p.m. MST Saturday. Winter driving conditions can be expected on all mountain routes. Traction law restrictions may be enacted. Colorado A first warning forecasts accumulations of up to two inches of snow, with winds gusts of up to 60 mph. A second warning, forecasts total snow accumulations between three and 24 inches, with winds gusting as high as 55 mph at Rabbit Ears Pass, Elkhead and Park Mountains. The first warning is in place until 6 a.m. MST Saturday, with advisories and a second warning, from 11 a.m. Saturday to 11 a.m. MST Sunday. Snow and ice-covered roads will make travel hazardous, with the possibility of very difficult or impossible travel. Wyoming Total snow accumulations between 10 and 18 inches, with 15 to 30 inches above 9,000 feet at Wind River Mountains West are forecast. Total snow accumulations between 15 and 30 inches are expected, with 30 to 40 inches possible in the Teton Range. A westerly wind gusting 25 to 35 mph is forecast, resulting in areas of blowing and drifting snow. Additional snow accumulations between 12 and 20 inches late morning Saturday through late morning Sunday are expected, with winds gusting as high as 45 mph in the Sierra Madre Range. Winds gusting as high as 60 mph in the Snowy Range are forecast. Warnings and advisories are in place from 11 p.m. Friday to 11 a.m. MST Monday. Idaho Additional snow accumulations of five to 15 inches below pass level, and 15 to 25 inches above pass level, especially in the backcountry of the Big Hole Mountains and Bear River Range, are forecast. Winds gusting as high as 40 mph are expected and periods of blowing and drifting snow are likely, with limited visibility. The warning and advisories are in place until 3 p.m. MST Monday. Additional snow accumulations of four to eight inches in valleys including Stanley and Ketchum are forecast, and 10 to 20 inches from pass level into the backcountry including Galena and Banner Summits. Winds are expected to gust as high as 30 mph. The warning is in place until 5 a.m. MST Monday. Advisories: Oregon Winds gusting as high as 60 mph are expected. Total snow accumulations of 10 to 16 inches are possible, with up to 24 inches above 5500 feet at South Washington Cascades and the Northern and Central Cascades of Oregon . The Winter Weather Advisory is in place until 1 p.m. PST Saturday. Nevada Snow above 6000 feet is forecast, with accumulations of two to five inches with locally higher amounts of up to eight inches on higher mountain peaks. West to southwest winds up to 55 mph are expected, including in areas below 6,000 feet in Lassen, Eastern Plumas and Eastern Sierra Counties. The Greater Lake Tahoe area is set for wind gusts up to 60 mph with ridge winds over 100 mph. Wave heights could reach two to five feet on Lake Tahoe. The advisory runs from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. PST Sunday. The Rocky Mountain National Park and the Medicine Bow Range, the mountains of Summit County, the Mosquito Range, and the Indian Peaks are set for one inch of snow and gusty winds. Advisories are in place until 11 a.m. MST Sunday. Maine Total ice accumulations of up to two-tenths of an inch are forecast, with the highest ice accumulations in the St. John Valley. An advisory is in place from 11 a.m. Sunday to 4 a.m. EST Monday. Northeast New Jersey and Southeast New York Additional ice accumulations around a light glaze are forecast with an advisory in place until 9 a.m. EST Saturday. Very slippery sidewalks, roads and bridges are possible. Montana Additional snow accumulations up to 4 inches are forecast, with winds gusting as high as 35 mph in Northwest Beaverhead County. An advisory is in place across the state including East Glacier Zone and until 5 p.m. MST Saturday. Pennsylvania Additional ice accumulations in a portion of northeast Pennsylvania are expected and an advisory is in place until 9 a.m. EST Saturday. Massachusetts There will be ice accumulations across the state and ab advisory is in place until 1 p.m. EST Saturday. Alaska Total snow accumulations of up to three inches are forecast, with winds gusting as high as 40 mph. Visibility could be reduced to one half mile at Thompson Pass and Keystone Canyon. An advisory is in place until 6 a.m. AKST Sunday. Washington Advisories are in place across the state, with total snow accumulations between six and 18 inches at West Slopes North Cascades and Passes. There are advisories until 4 p.m. PST Saturday.
HOUSTON, Dec. 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tidal Investments LLC (“Tidal”) announced today that Days Global Advisors (“DGA”), a leading innovator in ETF management, will change the listing exchange for shares of DGA Core Plus Absolute Return ETF (ticker: HF) from NYSE Arca, Inc. to the New York Stock Exchange LLC (“NYSE”), effective December 12, 2024. DGA is committed to enhancing the trading experience for its clients and investors. By listing on the NYSE, the ETF will benefit from the expertise of a Designated Market Maker (DMM). This strategic shift reflects DGA’s commitment to delivering superior investment products and optimizing trading outcomes for its investors. The ETF will commence trading on the NYSE as of the open of trading on December 12, 2024. Shareholders of the ETF are not anticipated to be impacted or need to take any action in connection with the change in listing exchange. The ticker of the ETF will remain unchanged. About Tidal Investments LLC Formed by ETF industry pioneers and thought leaders, Tidal Investments LLC sets out to revolutionize the way ETFs have historically been developed, launched, marketed, and sold. With a focus on growing AUM, Tidal offers a comprehensive suite of services, proprietary tools, and methodologies designed to bring lasting ideas to market. Tidal is an advocate for ETF innovation. The firm is on a mission to provide issuers with the intelligence and tools needed to efficiently and to effectively launch ETFs and to optimize growth potential in a highly competitive space. For more information, visit https://www.tidalfinancialgroup.com/ . About Days Global Advisors Days Global Advisors is a premier asset management firm specializing in innovative ETF solutions. With a focus on enhancing liquidity, transparency, and investor confidence, DGA delivers tailored investment products that align with market trends and investor needs. For more information, visit http://www.daysadvisors.com . Important Information Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses carefully before investing. For a prospectus or summary prospectus with this and other information about the Fund, please visit our website at www.daysadvisors.com . Read the prospectus or summary prospectus carefully before investing. Investment Objective: The DGA Core Plus Absolute Return ETF seeks long-term capital appreciation as a primary objective, with capital preservation as a secondary objective. Investments involve risk. Principal loss is possible. New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decision. Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. Cybersecurity Risk. With the increased use of technologies such as the Internet to conduct business, the Fund is susceptible to operational, information security, and related risks. Equity Market Risk. The equity securities in which the Fund invests may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. Political Criteria Risk. Because the Sub-Adviser evaluates the political activity of the companies in the Fund’s investment universe as part of its portfolio management process, it may forego some market opportunities available to other funds that do not consider political factors. Tidal Financial Group (Tidal) serves as the Investment Adviser for the Fund. Days Global Advisors (DGA) serves as the Sub-Adviser to the Fund. The Fund is distributed by Foreside Fund Services, LLC. Foreside, Tidal, and DGA are not related. Media Contact: Tidal Financial Group Gavin Filmore gfilmore@tidalfg.com (262) 318-8466
JENNI MURRAY: I thought I was too savvy to be scammed... until now
Abortion has become slightly more common despite bans or deep restrictions in most Republican-controlled states, and the legal and political fights over its future are not over yet. It's now been two and a half years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and opened the door for states to implement bans. The policies and their impact have been in flux ever since the ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. Here's a look at data on where things stand: Overturning Roe and enforcing abortion bans has changed how woman obtain abortions in the U.S. But one thing it hasn't done is put a dent in the number of abortions being obtained. There have been slightly more monthly abortions across the country recently than there were in the months leading up to the June 2022 ruling, even as the number in states with bans dropped to near zero. “Abortion bans don’t actually prevent abortions from happening,” said Ushma Upadhyay, a public health social scientist at the University of California San Francisco. But, she said, they do change care. For women in some states, there are major obstacles to getting abortions — and advocates say that low-income, minority and immigrant women are least likely to be able to get them when they want. For those living in states with bans, the ways to access abortion are through travel or abortion pills. As the bans swept in, abortion pills became a bigger part of the equation. They were involved in about half the abortions before Dobbs. More recently, it’s been closer to two-thirds of them, according to research by the Guttmacher Institute. The uptick of that kind of abortion, usually involving a combination of two drugs, was underway before the ruling. But now, it's become more common for pill prescriptions to be made by telehealth. By the summer of 2024, about 1 in 10 abortions was via pills prescribed via telehealth to patients in states where abortion is banned. As a result, the pills are now at the center of battles over abortion access. This month, Texas sued a New York doctor for prescribing pills to a Texas woman via telemedicine. There's also an effort by Idaho, Kansas and Missouri to roll back their federal approvals and treat them as “controlled dangerous substances,” and a push for the federal government to start enforcing a 19th-century federal law to ban mailing them. Clinics have closed or halted abortions in states with bans. But a network of efforts to get women seeking abortions to places where they're legal has strengthened and travel for abortion is now common. The Guttmacher Institute found that more than twice as many Texas residents obtained abortion in 2023 in New Mexico as New Mexico residents did. And as many Texans received them in Kansas as Kansans. Abortion funds, which benefitted from “rage giving” in 2022, have helped pay the costs for many abortion-seekers. But some funds have had to cap how much they can give . Since the downfall of Roe, the actions of lawmakers and courts have kept shifting where abortion is legal and under what conditions. Here's where it stands now: Florida, the nation’s third most-populous state, began enforcing a ban on abortions after the first six weeks of pregnancy on May 1. That immediately changed the state from one that was a refuge for other Southerners seeking abortion to an exporter of people looking for them. There were about 30% fewer abortions there in May compared with the average for the first three months of the year. And in June, there were 35% fewer. While the ban is not unique, the impact is especially large. The average driving time from Florida to a facility in North Carolina where abortion is available for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy is more than nine hours, according to data maintained by Caitlin Myers, a Middlebury College economics professor. The bans have meant clinics closed or stopped offering abortions in some states. But some states where abortion remains legal until viability – generally considered to be sometime past 21 weeks of pregnancy , though there’s no fixed time for it – have seen clinics open and expand . Illinois, Kansas and New Mexico are among the states with new clinics. There were 799 publicly identifiable abortion providers in the U.S. in May 2022, the month before the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade. And by this November, it was 792, according to a tally by Myers, who is collecting data on abortion providers. But Myers says some hospitals that always provided some abortions have begun advertising it. So they’re now in the count of clinics – even though they might provide few of them. How hospitals handle pregnancy complications , especially those that threaten the lives of the women, has emerged as a major issue since Roe was overturned. President Joe Biden's administration says hospitals must offer abortions when they're needed to prevent organ loss, hemorrhage or deadly infections, even in states with bans. Texas is challenging the administration’s policy and the U.S. Supreme Court this year declined to take it up after the Biden administration sued Idaho. More than 100 pregnant women seeking help in emergency rooms and were turned away or left unstable since 2022, The Associated Press found in an analysis of federal hospital investigative records. Among the complaints were a woman who miscarried in the lobby restroom of Texas emergency room after staff refused to see her and a woman who gave birth in a car after a North Carolina hospital couldn't offer an ultrasound. The baby later died. “It is increasingly less safe to be pregnant and seeking emergency care in an emergency department,” Dara Kass, an emergency medicine doctor and former U.S. Health and Human Services official told the AP earlier this year. Since Roe was overturned, there have been 18 reproductive rights-related statewide ballot questions. Abortion rights advocates have prevailed on 14 of them and lost on four. In the 2024 election , they amended the constitutions in five states to add the right to abortion. Such measures failed in three states: In Florida, where it required 60% support; in Nebraska, which had competing abortion ballot measures; and in South Dakota, where most national abortion rights groups did support the measure. AP VoteCast data found that more than three-fifths of voters in 2024 supported abortion being legal in all or most cases – a slight uptick from 2020. The support came even as voters supported Republicans to control the White House and both houses of Congress. Associated Press writers Linley Sanders, Amanda Seitz and Laura Ungar contributed to this article.King laughs at British comedian’s impression of Donald Trump at Royal Variety
Kochi, Dec 28, 2024 In recognition to the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute’s (CMFRI) pivotal role in advancing fisheries science, two of its scientists have been honoured by the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) for their exceptional contributions. Established in 1990, NAAS is dedicated to promoting excellence in agricultural sciences, encompassing other areas such as crop and animal husbandry, fisheries, agroforestry, and the agriculture-industry interface. Dr Eldho Varghese, senior Scientist at CMFRI, has been elected as a NAAS Fellow, while Dr T.G. Sumithra has been selected as a NAAS Associate. These prestigious recognitions underline their contributions to agricultural research in their respective domains. NAAS Fellowships are awarded to distinguished scientists from India and abroad for outstanding contributions to agriculture and allied sciences. The Associateship program, introduced to recognise young scientists under 40 years of age working in agriculture-related disciplines in India, highlights emerging talent in the field. Dr Eldho Varghese was honoured for his innovative contributions to statistics, particularly in designing experiments for agricultural and fisheries research. His work includes statistical and ecosystem modelling, fish stock assessment, applying deep learning models in marine fisheries research, and developing computational tools for advanced data analysis. Dr T.G. Sumithra was recognized for her groundbreaking research in fish health and marine microbiology. Her studies focus on the marine fish microbiome, fish diseases, and antimicrobial resistance. Her work has led to the creation of guidelines for responsible antibiotic use in aquaculture and eco-friendly technologies for bioethanol production and sustainable fish waste management. NAAS, a national body devoted to agricultural sciences, serves as a premier platform for agricultural scientists to deliberate on pressing issues in research, education, and extension. It provides policy recommendations to planners and decision-makers while fostering cutting-edge research across diverse fields of agricultural sciences.(Agency)
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Trump taps Charles Kushner, father of his son-in-law, as envoy to FranceNotre Dame's Danny Nelson scores twice, defending champ US beats Latvia 5-1 in world junior hockey