mnl168.orig

mnl168.orig

ANNAPOLIS — The 2024 high school football seasons for Fort Hill and Northern will finish just how they started. The Sentinels and Huskies met in Week 1, a 42-7 Fort Hill win in early September that feels like ages ago. Now 13 weeks later, they’ll square off for all the marbles with the Class 1A state championship on the line at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. Kickoff between eighth-seeded Fort Hill (6-7) and seventh-seeded Northern (8-5) is scheduled for noon. “Being able to play for a state championship is the goal that we set every year,” Fort Hill head coach Zack Alkire said. “To reach that goal is very important for us. It’s been a goal as long as I’ve ever been around Fort Hill, whether we were winning state championships or not. I’m hopeful that we’re able to finish the job this weekend and bring home the title. “Really happy for coach (Phil) Carr and his program. One of the great guys in this area in the sports landscape locally. Really looking forward to the matchup.” Fort Hill is making its 10th championship game appearance in 11 seasons and is playing for a state-record-tying fourth consecutive title. The Sentinels have eight state crowns in the last 10 years and 10 overall. Fort Hill has an 11-2 record on the field, but five forfeits dealt the Sentinels the No. 8 seed in the state playoffs, forcing the team to hit the road. The Sentinels came back in the second half in each of their prior two games, edging Perryville, 24-21, in the semis and dispatching top-seeded Cambridge-South Dorchester, 30-12, in the quarters. Fort Hill won’t be the only road warrior on the field Saturday. Northern upset Mountain Ridge, 23-13, on the road in the West Region co-finals and proceeded to rout second-seeded Boonsboro, 49-0, in a road quarterfinal mud bowl and down SEED School, 41-27, in Baltimore to get to Annapolis. The championship appearance is Northern’s first in school history, another notch on the belt in the illustrious career of coach Carr, who has a 146-132 record in 28 seasons with the Huskies. “It’s a huge opportunity for our kids and our community,” Carr said. “The kids are just so excited. I’m excited myself. I’ve always wanted to get to play for a championship. It took a long time to get there, but we made it.” Northern’s Cinderella run also made it four straight seasons in which two Western Maryland squads will play for the Class 1A title. Fort Hill defeated Mountain Ridge, 45-21, 16-14 and 51-31, the prior three finals under coach Alkire. “Very prideful of our community and our region,” Alkire said. “Playing four years in a row against someone from the region is a big deal. Hopefully that translates to more respect for Western Maryland schools, and we can get more coaches out here to take a look at our kids. “There are a number of talented kids that go virtually untouched out here.” While Fort Hill will have the obvious advantage in championship game experience — a vital tool to calm the nerves in a stadium atmosphere — only 16 Sentinels are back from last year’s team and only a handful played. Northern will be playing with house money, as few expected the Huskies to get this far, let alone win the title. Fort Hill is 11-0 against Northern all-time, winning all 11 by double digits. Asked how Carr thinks his players will react playing in a stadium that seats more than 30,000 for the first time, he said: “We don’t know for sure. Our guys have played enough football, but you’re going to walk into a lot bigger environment in a stadium. It might take us a couple plays or a drive to get comfortable.” While Garrett County schools were closed Thursday due to blizzard conditions in the region, the Huskies were able to practice inside. Per Allegany County rules, Fort Hill wasn’t allowed to practice at all when school was called off. Still, Fort Hill is a heavy favorite after its five-touchdown win in Week 1, though neither coach put too much stock in that game. Fort Hill’s offensive line has improved immensely since that game, Carr said, and Northern took off after falling to 2-3, changing its defensive front and its personnel. Above all else, the Huskies are brimming with confidence, something that wasn’t the case after Northern fell to 3-5 before rattling off five consecutive wins to play for the championship. “Most of our guys are full strength and healthy, and we didn’t have that in Week 1,” Carr said. “We know that’s a great team, a great tradition. Coach Alkire has done a great job in his years there, he has a great staff and they have some talented players. “A lot of it’s just confidence. We’ve gained all this confidence in these playoff wins. The changes we made, getting guys in the right place after that Hampshire game (a 37-15 loss). Since that time, we’ve played pretty well. “With that said, we’re going to have to play perfect football.” The key for both teams will be stopping the run. Fort Hill senior Jabril Daniels eclipsed the 2,000-yard mark last week and is up to 2,027 yards and 31 total touchdowns on 209 carries (9.7 yards per carry). With 77 touchdowns, Daniels is one touchdown away from entering the top 10 in Maryland all time (Ben Tate, Decatur/Snow Hill), and his 4,445 rushing yards are 27th in state history. Daniels is no stranger to the bright lights. On Navy’s field one year ago, the senior rushed for nearly 300 yards and five touchdowns in the first half against Mountain Ridge, setting a championship game rushing record for a half. Braelyn Younger is second on the Sentinels with 552 yards and nine touchdowns on 52 carries, Tristan Ross has 460 yards and four total scores, and Carson Bender has 537 yards of total offense and 12 total touchdowns. It has used a two-quarterback system: Nash Cassell when under center and Noah House in spread formations. The duo have combined for 533 yards, 10 touchdowns and four interceptions. Fort Hill’s line struggled to produce holes against Perryville, but the Huskies won’t have the same kind of athleticism and strength that gave the Sentinels trouble. Northern may have to hope for special teams touchdowns and turnovers to spark its offense, both of which have come in bunches this season. The Huskies have a plus-18 turnover margin thanks to their 29 takeaways. Nine different Northern players both have at least one interception and one fumble recovery. Robert Deatelhauser has three interceptions for touchdowns and Cole Folk has done so twice off fumbles, part of Northern’s nine defensive scores this season. Fort Hill has been turnover prone the last two weeks with three lost fumbles against Cambridge and two at Perryville. “They’ve been a little sloppy with turnovers the last couple games,” Carr said. “We have to force them into turnovers and penalties. We just have to not make things easy for them. “Week 1, we had them in third-and-longs, not only did they get first downs, they scored touchdowns. We need to make them drive the football and eat clock.” Northern’s leading tackler is senior Nick Riley with 114 stops. Both teams have shown dynamic return games this season. Tristan Ross returned a kickoff 77 yards for a touchdown at Perryville last week, one of Fort Hill’s four special teams scores this year. Gamil Daniels has a pair of punt returns for touchdowns, and Chase Lamb has the other. Northern’s Luke Ross is a dynamic threat with nearly 700 return yards and two touchdowns. Ross enters this afternoon with 2,050 all-purpose yards and 23 total touchdowns. On the ground, the senior has amassed 1,091 yards and 20 touchdowns on 125 totes. He’s joined in the backfield by Evan Graham (153 carries, 745 yards, eight TDs) and Caleb Hinebaugh (76 carries, 491 yards, six TDs). Fort Hill’s defense, led by Nick Willison (172 tackles) and Mason Bennett (100 tackles) up front and House (99 tackles) and Daniels (98) at backer, has been impossible to run on over the past eight weeks. The Sentinels have allowed only 194 rushing yards over that span, an average of 24 a game. “If you stop the run, I feel really good about our chances,” Alkire said. “They have three really good running backs that do really good things with the ball. Big up front, move people off the ball.” Northern will have to get its passing game involved if Fort Hill does go Cover-0 and play man-to-man coverage with no safeties, which it’s done with regularity over the past three seasons. The Huskies’ Liam Stewart is 38 for 60 through the air for 590 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. The junior also has 302 rushing yards and eight more scores. As for the kicking game, both teams have the ability to make field goals from 40-plus. Fort Hill’s Bobby Brauer is 4 of 5 on kicks with a long of 43, and he’s converted 58 of 63 extra points. Northern’s Wally Brands is 4 for 6 with a long of 47. He’s 34 for 42 on PATs. As in any rematch, both coaching staffs are expected to empty the playbook with anything from new formations to trick plays. With an enrollment just north of 400, Northern is one of the smallest schools in state history to advance to the championship game, up there with Snow Hill and Valley in the early years of the playoffs. For Fort Hill, Saturday is just another opportunity to exhibit its championship pedigree. The Sentinels have displayed that on the road all postseason and can finish the job today. “They’ve shown a lot of resilience, that championship mentality we preach to them all the time,” Alkire said. “The last couple weeks, falling behind, being able to maintain their composure and coming back to get those victories. It’s very impressive.”Riversgold hits more high-grade gold including 8 metres at 4.86 g/t at Northern Zone

DAMASCUS, Syria — Syria's prime minister said Monday that most cabinet ministers were back at work after rebels overthrew President Bashar Assad, but some state workers failed to return to their jobs, and a United Nations official said the country's public sector came "to a complete and abrupt halt." Meanwhile, streams of refugees crossed back into Syria from neighboring countries, hoping for a more peaceful future and looking for relatives who disappeared during Assad's brutal rule. The rebel alliance now in control of much of the country is led by a former senior al-Qaida militant who severed ties with the extremist group years ago and promises representative government and religious tolerance. The rebel command said Monday they would not tell women how to dress. Syrian citizens stand on a government forces tank that was left on a street Monday as they celebrate in Damascus, Syria. "It is strictly forbidden to interfere with women's dress or impose any request related to their clothing or appearance, including requests for modesty," the command said on social media. Nearly two days after rebels entered the capital, some key government services shut down after state workers ignored calls to go back to their jobs, the U.N. official said, causing issues at airports and borders and slowing the flow of humanitarian aid. Rebel leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was long known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, also met for the first time with Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi Jalali, who stayed in Syria when Assad fled. Israel said it carried out airstrikes on suspected chemical weapons sites and long-range rockets to keep them from falling into the hands of extremists. Israel also seized a buffer zone inside Syria after Syrian troops withdrew. Syrians wait to cross into Syria from Turkey on Monday at the Oncupinar border gate near the town of Kilis, southern Turkey. In northern Syria, Turkey said allied opposition forces seized the town of Manbij from Kurdish-led forces backed by the United States, a reminder that even after Assad's departure, the country remains split among armed groups that have fought in the past. The Kremlin said Russia granted political asylum to Assad, a decision made by President Vladimir Putin. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on Assad's specific whereabouts and said Putin did not plan to meet with him. Damascus was quiet Monday, with life slowly returning to normal, though most shops and public institutions were closed. In public squares, some people still celebrated. Civilian traffic resumed, but there was no public transport. Long lines formed in front of bakeries and other food stores. There was little sign of any security presence, though in some areas small groups of armed men were stationed in the streets. Syrian citizens celebrate Monday during the second day of the takeover of the city by the insurgents in Damascus, Syria. Across swathes of Syria, families are now waiting outside prisons, security offices and courts, hoping for news of loved ones who were imprisoned or who disappeared. Just north of Damascus in the feared Saydnaya military prison, women detainees, some with their children, screamed as rebels broke locks off their cell doors. Amnesty International and other groups say dozens of people were secretly executed every week in Saydnaya, and they estimate that up to 13,000 Syrians were killed between 2011 and 2016. "Don't be afraid," one rebel said as he ushered women from packed cells. "Bashar Assad has fallen!" In southern Turkey, Mustafa Sultan was among hundreds of Syrian refugees waiting at border crossings to head home. He was searching for his older brother, who was imprisoned under Assad. "I haven't seen him for 13 years," he said. "I am going to go see whether he's alive." Jalali, the prime minister, sought to project normalcy since Assad fled. "We are working so that the transitional period is quick and smooth," he told Sky News Arabia TV on Monday, saying the security situation already improved from the day before. Israeli soldiers sit on top of a tank Monday along the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights from Syria, in the town of Majdal Shams. At the court of Justice in Damascus, which was stormed by the rebels to free detainees, Judge Khitam Haddad, an aide to the justice minister in the outgoing government, said Sunday that judges were ready to resume work quickly. "We want to give everyone their rights," Haddad said outside the courthouse. "We want to build a new Syria and to keep the work, but with new methods." But a U.N. official said some government services were paralyzed as worried state employees stayed home. The public sector "has just come to a complete and abrupt halt," said U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria Adam Abdelmoula, noting, for example, that an aid flight carrying urgently needed medical supplies was put on hold after aviation employees abandoned their jobs. "This is a country that has had one government for 53 years and then suddenly all of those who have been demonized by the public media are now in charge in the nation's capital," Abdelmoula told The Associated Press. "I think it will take a couple of days and a lot of assurance on the part of the armed groups for these people to return to work again." People wave Syrian opposition flags at City Hall Square in Copenhagen, Denmark, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (Emil Nicolai Helms/Ritzau Scanpix via AP) People attend a rally celebrating the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad's government, at central Syntagma square, in Athens, Greece, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis) People wave Syrian opposition flags at City Hall Square in Copenhagen, Denmark, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (Emil Nicolai Helms/Ritzau Scanpix via AP) People gather to react following the fall of Syrian president Bashar Assad’s government, in Trafalgar Square, in London, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali) People wave Syrian opposition flags at City Hall Square in Copenhagen, Denmark, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (Emil Nicolai Helms/Ritzau Scanpix via AP) People gather to react following the fall of Syrian president Bashar Assad’s government, in Trafalgar Square, in London, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali) People attend a rally celebrating the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad's government, at central Syntagma square, in Athens, Greece, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis) Members of the Syrian community in Finland wave a Syrian flag and celebrate in Helsinki, Finland, Dec. 8, 2024. (Roni Rekomaa/Lehtikuva via AP) People attend a rally celebrating the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad's government, at central Syntagma square, in Athens, Greece, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis) Syrians wave opposition flags and give out sweets during a spontaneous rally in Wuppertal, Germany, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, following the fall of Syrian president Bashar Assad’s government. (Christoph Reichwein/dpa/dpa via AP) Syrians celebrate the fall of the Assad regime in Syria at a demonstration in Stockholm, Sweden, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (Jonas Ekstroemer/TT News Agency via AP) A Syrian man waves a flag during a spontaneous demonstration celebrating the fall of the Assad regime, in Nicosia, Cyprus, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias) People gather to celebrate the Syrian government fall at Faith mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) Syrians wave Syrian opposition flags at a rally in Wuppertal, Germany, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, following the fall of Syrian president Bashar Assad’s government. (Christoph Reichwein/dpa/dpa via AP) People wave Syrian opposition flags at City Hall Square in Copenhagen, Denmark, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (Emil Nicolai Helms/Ritzau Scanpix via AP) Syrians living in France gather on Republique square after the Syrian government fell early today in a stunning end to the 50-year rule of the Assad family, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) People gather to celebrate the Syrian government fall at Faith mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) People gather to celebrate the Syrian government fall at Faith mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) People gather to celebrate the Syrian government's fall, in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) Syrians living in France hug during a rally on Republique square after the Syrian government fell early today in a stunning end to the 50-year rule of the Assad family, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard) People gather to react following the fall of Syrian president Bashar Assad’s government, in Trafalgar Square, in London, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali) People gather to celebrate the Syrian government fall at Faith mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) People attend a rally celebrating the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad's government, at central Syntagma square, in Athens, Greece, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis) A Syrian man waves a flag during a spontaneous demonstration celebrating the fall of the Assad regime in Nicosia, Cyprus, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias) Get local news delivered to your inbox!Arne Slot makes Jurgen Klopp admission after banishing Liverpool's 'pain in the a**'

This news release constitutes a "designated news release" for the purposes of the Company's amended and restated prospectus supplement dated October 4, 2024, to its short form base shelf prospectus dated November 10, 2023. TORONTO, Ontario and BROSSARD, Québec , Dec. 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bitfarms Ltd. (Nasdaq/TSX: BITF ) ("Bitfarms" or the "Company"), a global vertically integrated Bitcoin data center company, today announced that, in connection with the Securities and Exchange Commission's ("SEC") review of its annual report for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 (the "SEC Review"), and in consultation with its Audit Committee of the Board of Directors and management, the Company has determined that its previously issued consolidated financial statements for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 and the related management's discussion and analysis for the year ended December 31, 2023, as well as the unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023 (such interim periods together with the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, the "Restatement Periods") and the related management's discussion and analysis for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024, should be restated to correct a material error in the classification of proceeds derived from the sale of digital assets. Shareholders and users of Bitfarms' financial statements should note that the restatements are not a result of any change to its operations, business or financial operating performance for the periods being restated. For any and all of the Restatement Periods, there is no impact on the Company's overall cash position or net cash flows. Bitfarms previously categorized proceeds derived from the sale of digital assets as a cash flow from operating activities. In conjunction with the SEC review, it was determined that proceeds from the sale of digital assets should be classified as cash flow from investing activities. Due to the materiality of the error in classification, the Company is restating the financial statements for the Restatement Periods. In addition to the correction to the consolidated statements of cash flows, the Company is also restating its financials to adjust for an error in the accounting for the redemption of warrants in 2023. A summary of the restatements is described in further detail in the tables set forth below (expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars). More details may be found in the revised financial statements and related revised management's discussion and analyses, which are available on the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov/edgar . Adjustments to consolidated statements of cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2022* - Restatement Year ended December 31, 2022 (as reported) Cash flow reclassification 2022 (as restated) Cash flows from (used in) operating activities Net loss (175,644 ) — (175,644 ) Adjustments for: — Proceeds from sale of digital assets earned 158,674 (158,674 ) — Net change in cash related to operating activities 36,250 (158,674 ) (122,424 ) Cash flows from (used in) investing activities Proceeds from sale of digital assets earned — 158,674 158,674 Net change in cash related to investing activities (155,011 ) 158,674 3,663 Adjustments to consolidated statements of cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2023* - Restatement Year ended December 31, 2023 (as reported) Cash flow reclassification 2023 warrants adjustment 2023 (as restated) Cash flows from (used in) operating activities Net loss (104,036 ) — (4,886 ) (108,922 ) Adjustments for: Net financial expenses 32,308 — 4,886 37,194 Proceeds from sale of digital assets earned 129,309 (129,309 ) — — Net change in cash related to operating activities 23,598 (129,309 ) — (105,711 ) Cash flows from (used in) investing activities Proceeds from sale of digital assets earned — 129,309 — 129,309 Net change in cash related to investing activities (58,343 ) 129,309 — 70,966 Adjustments to consolidated statements of financial position as of December 31, 2023* - Restatement As of December 31, Adjustment As of December 31, 2023 (as reported) 2023 warrants adjustment 2023 (as restated) Shareholders' equity Share capital 530,123 4,886 535,009 Contributed surplus 56,622 — 56,622 Revaluation surplus 2,941 — 2,941 Accumulated deficit (294,924 ) (4,886 ) (299,810 ) Total equity 294,762 — 294,762 Adjustments to consolidated statements of profit or loss and comprehensive profit or loss for the year ended December 31, 2023* - Restatement Year ended December 31, 2023 (as reported) 2023 warrants adjustment 2023 (as restated) Operating loss (72,129 ) — (72,129 ) Net financial expenses (32,308 ) (4,886 ) (37,194 ) Net loss before income taxes (104,437 ) (4,886 ) (109,323 ) Income tax recovery 401 — 401 Net loss and total comprehensive loss (104,036 ) (4,886 ) (108,922 ) Other comprehensive income (loss) Item that will not be reclassified to profit or loss: Change in revaluation surplus - digital assets, net of tax 9,242 — 9,242 Total comprehensive loss, net of tax (94,794 ) (4,886 ) (99,680 ) Loss per share Basic and diluted (0.40 ) (0.02 ) (0.42 ) Weighted average number of common shares outstanding Basic and diluted 262,237,117 — 262,237,117 Adjustments to interim consolidated statements of cash flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2024* - Restatement Nine months ended September 30, Nine months ended September 30, 2024 (as reported) Cash flow reclassification 2024 (as restated) 2023 (as reported) Cash flow reclassification 2023 (as restated) Cash flows from (used in) operating activities Net loss (69,228 ) — (69,228 ) (46,877 ) — (46,877 ) Adjustments for: Proceeds from sale of digital assets 111,264 (111,264 ) — 87,724 (87,724 ) — Net change in cash related to operating activities 14,104 (111,264 ) (97,160 ) 10,028 (87,724 ) (77,696 ) Cash flows from (used in) investing activities Proceeds from sale of digital assets — 111,264 111,264 — 87,724 87,724 Net change in cash related to investing activities (268,862 ) 111,264 (157,598 ) (35,373 ) 87,724 52,351 Adjustments to consolidated statements of financial position as of September 30, 2024* - Restatement As of September 30, Adjustment As of September 30, 2024 (as reported) 2023 warrants adjustment 2024 (as restated) Shareholders' equity Share capital 796,751 4,886 801,637 Contributed surplus 63,785 — 63,785 Accumulated deficit (351,823 ) (4,886 ) (356,709 ) Revaluation surplus 3,311 — 3,311 Total equity 512,024 — 512,024 *U.S. $ in thousands The Company's management has previously concluded that the Company had a material weakness in its internal control over financial reporting during the Restatement Periods. Management is in the process of implementing remediation measures to address the material weakness in respect of the errors described above. About Bitfarms Ltd. Founded in 2017, Bitfarms is a global Bitcoin data center company that contributes its computational power to one or more mining pools from which it receives payment in Bitcoin. Bitfarms develops, owns, and operates vertically integrated mining farms with in-house management and company-owned electrical engineering, installation service, and multiple onsite technical repair centers. The Company's proprietary data analytics system delivers best-in-class operational performance and uptime. Bitfarms currently has 12 operating Bitcoin data centers and two under development, and two under Hosting agreements, situated in four countries: Canada, the United States, Paraguay, and Argentina. Powered predominantly by environmentally friendly hydro-electric and long-term power contracts, Bitfarms is committed to using sustainable and often underutilized energy infrastructure. To learn more about Bitfarms' events, developments, and online communities: www.bitfarms.com https://www.facebook.com/bitfarms/ https://twitter.com/Bitfarms_io https://www.instagram.com/bitfarms/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/bitfarms/ Forward-Looking Statements This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking information") that are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release and are covered by safe harbors under Canadian and United States securities laws. The statements and information in this release regarding the impact of the Restatement, the filing of the Restated Financials and Restated MD&A, the Company's plans to remediate the material weakness in its internal control over financial reporting and other statements regarding future growth, plans and objectives of the Company are forward-looking information. Any statements that involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "prospects", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information. This forward-looking information is based on assumptions and estimates of management of Bitfarms at the time they were made, and involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of Bitfarms to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors, risks and uncertainties include, among others: the pending SEC Review; the potential that additional restatements of the financial statements will be required; the potential that the Company identifies additional material weaknesses in its control over financial reporting; the ability of the Company to remediate known material weaknesses; the acquisition, construction and operation of new facilities may not occur as currently planned, or at all; expansion of existing facilities may not materialize as currently anticipated, or at all; new miners may not perform up to expectations; revenue may not increase as currently anticipated, or at all; the ongoing ability to successfully mine Bitcoin is not assured; failure of the equipment upgrades to be installed and operated as planned; the availability of additional power may not occur as currently planned, or at all; expansion may not materialize as currently anticipated, or at all; the power purchase agreements and economics thereof may not be as advantageous as expected; For further information concerning these and other risks and uncertainties, refer to Bitfarms' filings on www.sedarplus.ca (which are also available on the website of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") at www.sec.gov ), including the restated MD&A for the year-ended December 31, 2023, filed on December 9, 2024 and the restated MD&A for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2024 filed on December 9, 2024. Although Bitfarms has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, including factors that are currently unknown to or deemed immaterial by Bitfarms. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results, and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Bitfarms undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking information other than as required by law. Trading in the securities of the Company should be considered highly speculative. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange, Nasdaq, nor any other securities exchange or regulatory authority accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Investor Relations Contacts: Bitfarms Tracy Krumme SVP, Head of IR & Corp. Comms. +1 786-671-5638 tkrumme@bitfarms.com Media Contacts: Québec: Tact Louis-Martin Leclerc +1 418-693-2425 lmleclerc@tactconseil.ca © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.PFTA stock touches 52-week low at $10.33 amid market shifts

President-elect Donald Trump has filled the key posts for his second term in office, prioritizing loyalty to him after he felt bruised and hampered by internal squabbling during his first term. Some of his choices could face difficult confirmation fights in the Senate, even with Republicans in control, and one candidate has already withdrawn from consideration. Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz was Trump's initial pick for attorney general, but he ultimately withdrew following scrutiny over a federal sex trafficking investigation he was embroiled in. Here's a look at Trump's choices: Trump would turn a former critic into an ally as the nation's top diplomat. Rubio , 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate before the slot went to JD Vance. Rubio is vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. His selection punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom the senator once called a “con man" during his own unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. Hegseth , 44, was a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox and Friends Weekend” and had been a contributor with the network since 2014. He developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. Hegseth served in the Army National Guard from 2002 to 2021, deploying to Iraq in 2005 and Afghanistan in 2011 and earning two Bronze Stars. He lacks senior military and national security experience and would oversee global crises ranging from Europe to the Middle East. A woman told police that she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Hegseth after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave, according to a detailed investigative report recently made public. Hegseth told police at the time that the encounter had been consensual and has denied any wrongdoing. Bessent , 62, is a former money manager for George Soros , a big Democratic donor, and an advocate for deficit reduction . He founded the hedge fund Key Square Capital Management after having worked on and off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, Bessent would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary. He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trump’s campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending. Gabbard, 43, is a former Democratic House member from Hawaii who has been accused of echoing Russian propaganda. She unsuccessfully sought the party’s 2020 presidential nomination and left the party in 2022. Gabbard endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him. Gabbard has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades and deployed to Iraq and Kuwait. If confirmed she would come to the role as an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, spent several years in top national security and intelligence positions. Bondi , 59, was Florida's first female attorney general, serving between 2011 and 2019. She was on Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020. Considered a loyalist , Bondi also has served with the America First Policy Institute, a Trump-allied group that has helped lay the groundwork for his future administration. Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush-money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. A fierce defender of Trump, she also frequently appeared on Fox News and has been critical of the criminal cases against him. The Republican U.S. House member narrowly lost her reelection bid on Nov. 5 but had received strong backing from union members in her district. As a potential labor secretary, Chavez-DeRemer would oversee the department's workforce and budget and put forth priorities that affect workers’ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employer’s rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities. Chavez-DeRemer is one of a few House Republicans to endorse the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act that would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and penalize companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws in more than half the states. Lutnick heads the brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and is a cryptocurrency enthusiast. He is co-chair of Trump's transition operation, charged along with Linda McMahon, a former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration, with helping the president-elect fill key jobs in his second administration. As secretary, Lutnick would play a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs. He would oversee a sprawling Cabinet department whose oversight ranges from funding new computer chip factories and imposing trade restrictions to releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. Noem is a well-known conservative who used her two terms as South Dakota's governor to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions like other states, instead declaring South Dakota “open for business.” More recently, Noem faced sharp criticism for writing in her memoir about shooting and killing her dog. She is set to lead a department crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda as well as other missions. Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports. Ratcliffe , a former U.S. House member from Texas, was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump’s first term. He led U.S. government’s spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. If confirmed, Ratcliffe will have held the highest intelligence positions in the U.S. Kennedy , 70, ran for president as a Democrat, then as an independent before he dropped out and then endorsed Trump . He's the son of Democratic icon Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968 during his own presidential campaign. Kennedy's nomination alarmed people who are concerned about his record of spreading unfounded fears about vaccines . For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Rollins , 52, is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for Trump's second administration. She is a Texas attorney who was Trump's domestic policy adviser and director of his office of American innovation during his first term. Rollins previously was an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry , who also served in Trump's first term. Rollins also ran the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years , sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, “Fox and Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children. Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential campaign, but was acquitted by the Senate. Collins also served in the armed forces himself. He is a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command. The North Dakota governor , 68, is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump after he dropped out of the running. Burgum then became a serious contender to be Trump’s vice presidential choice in part because of his executive experience and business savvy. He also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs. Trump said Burgum would chair a new National Energy Council and have a seat on the National Security Council, which would be a first for the Interior secretary. A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Wright is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking — a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. He also has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. Wright said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.” The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States. McMahon, a billionaire professional wrestling mogul , would make a return appearance in a second Trump administration. She led the Small Business Administration from 2017 to 2019 in Trump’s first term and twice ran unsuccessfully in Connecticut as a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University. She has expressed support for charter schools and school choice. Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on X , “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI" and "we will do so while protecting access to clean air and water.” Trump often attacked the Biden administration’s promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referred to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often said his administration would “drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration. Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he’s yet selected for his administration, with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” Greer is a partner at King & Spalding, a Washington law firm. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be responsible for negotiating directly with foreign governments on trade deals and disputes, as well as memberships in international trade bodies such as the World Trade Organization. He previously was chief of staff to Robert Lighthizer, who was the trade representative in Trump's first term. Wiles , 67, was a senior adviser to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. She has a background in Florida politics , helping Ron DeSantis win his first race for Florida governor. Six years later, she was key to Trump’s defeat of him in the 2024 Republican primary. Wiles’ hire was Trump’s first major decision as president-elect and one that could be a defining test of his incoming administration considering her close relationship with him. Wiles is said to have earned Trump’s trust in part by guiding what was the most disciplined of Trump’s three presidential campaigns. Waltz is a three-term Republican congressman from east-central Florida. A former Army Green Beret , he served multiple tours in Afghanistan and worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs. He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population. Hassett, 62, is a major advocate of tax cuts who was chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers in the first Trump term. In the new role as chairman of the National Economic Council, Trump said Hassett will play an important role in helping American families recover from inflation as well as in renewing and improving tax cuts Trump enacted in 2017, many of which are set to expire after 2025. Homan, 62, has been tasked with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history. He led the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Trump's first administration. Democrats have criticized Homan for defending Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings in the first term, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border. Vought, 48, held the position during Trump’s first presidency. He the founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as “renew a consensus of America as a nation under God.” Vought also was closely involved with Project 2025 , a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that Trump tried to distance himself from during the campaign. Miller, an immigration hardliner , was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump’s priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump’s first term. Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump’s policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families. Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation’s economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people living illegally in the U.S. Scavino was an adviser in all three of the president-elect's campaigns and was described by the transition team as one of “Trump’s longest serving and most trusted aides." He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president. Scavino previously ran Trump’s social media profile in the White House. Blair was political director for Trump’s 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee. He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and an assistant to the president. Blair was key to Trump’s economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign. Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again, Inc., a super PAC that supported Trump’s 2024 campaign. He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president. Leavitt , 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. McGinley was Cabinet secretary during Trump's first administration and was outside legal counsel for the Republican National Committee's election integrity effort during the 2024 campaign. The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect's golf partner and they were golfing at Trump's club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination. Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee. Kellogg , 80, is a highly decorated retired three-star general and one of the architects of a staunchly conservative policy book that lays out an “America First” national security agenda for Trump's second term. He has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues and served as national security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence . Kellogg also was chief of staff of the National Security Council under Trump and stepped in as an acting national security adviser for Trump after Michael Flynn resigned the post. Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests. Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland. Huckabee has rejected a Palestinian homeland in territory occupied by Israel. His daughter, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, served as White House press secretary in Trump's first term. Stefanik, 40, is a U.S. representative from New York and one of Trump's staunchest defenders dating to his first impeachment trial. She was elected chair of the House Republican Conference in 2021, the third-highest position in House leadership, after then-Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after she publicly criticized Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election. Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile. A former acting attorney general during Trump's first administration and tight end on the University of Iowa football team, Whitaker , 55, has a background in law enforcement but not in foreign policy. A fierce Trump localist, Whitaker, is also a former U.S. attorney in Iowa and served as acting attorney general between November 2018 and February 2019 without Senate confirmation, until William Barr was confirmed for the role. That was when special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference was drawing to a close. Whitaker also faced questions about his past business dealings, including his ties to an invention-promotion company that was accused of misleading consumers. A Republican congressman from Michigan who served from 1993 to 2011, Hoekstra was ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump's first term. Oz , 64, is a former heart surgeon who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show,” a long-running daytime TV talk show. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of Trump, who endorsed Oz’s bid for elected office. Makary is a Johns Hopkins surgeon and author who argued against pandemic lockdowns. He routinely appeared on Fox News during the COVID-19 pandemic and wrote opinion articles questioning masks for children. He cast doubt on vaccine mandates but supported vaccines generally. Makary also cast doubt on whether booster shots worked, which was against federal recommendations on the vaccine. Nesheiwat is a general practitioner who serves as medical director for CityMD, a network of urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey. She has been a contributor on Fox News. Weldon is a former Florida congressman who recently ran for a Florida state legislative seat and lost; Trump backed Weldon’s opponent. In Congress, Weldon weighed in on one of the nation’s most heated debates of the 1990s over quality of life and a right-to-die and whether Terri Schiavo, who was in a persistent vegetative after cardiac arrest, state should have been allowed to have her feeding tube removed. He sided with the parents who did not want it removed. Bhattacharya , 56, is a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates. As head of the NIH, the leading medical research agency in the United States, Trump said Bhattacharya would work with Kennedy Jr. to direct U.S. medical research and make important discoveries that will improve health and save lives. Bhattacharya is professor at Stanford University School of Medicine and was one of three authors of the Great Barrington Declaration, an October 2020 open letter maintaining that lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic were causing irreparable harm. Gaetz, 42, withdrew from consideration to become the top law enforcement officer of the United States amid fallout over a federal sex trafficking investigation that cast doubt on his ability to be confirmed by the Senate. In choosing Gaetz, Trump had passed over more established lawyers whose names had been floated as possible contenders for the job. Gaetz resigned from Congress after Trump announced him on Nov. 13. The House Ethics Committee has been investigating an allegation that he paid for sex with a 17-year-old. Gaetz has denied wrongdoing. Associated Press writers Colleen Long, Zeke Miller, Farnoush Amiri, Lolita C. Baldor, Jill Colvin, Matthew Daly, Edith M. Lederer, Adriana Gomez Licon, Lisa Mascaro, Chris Megerian, Michelle L. Price, Will Weissert and Darlene Superville contributed to this report. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.With just days left before Ireland goes to the polls, the leaders of Ireland’s three largest political parties appeared on the national broadcaster for their final televised debate before the general election. The leaders of the three main political parties took part in the final debate of the campaign in a Prime Time special led by Miriam O’Callaghan and Sarah McInerney. Speaking to reporters on arrival, Mr Harris said he was ‘really looking forward to the debate’ but acknowledged that ‘things don’t always go right in campaigns’. He was questioned on contact between his team and RTE before the clip of a contentious exchange he had with a care worker went public. The Taoiseach has previously said he ‘made mistakes’ in how he handled the interaction. When asked if one his officials had alleged to RTE that the care worker was a member of Sinn Fein, Mr Harris said: ‘I don’t believe so at all.’ Later asked if he was tired, Mr Harris added: ‘Not at all, I’m really energised.’ The final leader’s debate on RTÉ came just over a week after the debate which included all ten political party leaders, which was hosted on Upfront with Katie Hannon. In the debate, the party leaders outlined their policies and briefly touched on who they would or wouldn’t go into coalition with. The debate comes also in the wake of what could potentially be the defining moment for An Taoiseach Simon Harris as he continues to deal with the fall out following a frosty interaction with a care worker while campaigning in North Cork last week. Simon Harris responds to questions about his interaction with care sector worker, Charlotte Fallon, in Kanturk, and whether his staff contacted RTÉ about coverage of it. #rtept | @RTENews pic.twitter.com/pRpAoKboNe The Taoiseach and party leader was forced to apologise to Charlotte Fallon on Saturday after a clip of him engaging with her – and walking off mid-conversation as she became emotional – went viral. In the video, which has been viewed more than 3.4million times, Mr Harris can be seen disagreeing with Ms Fallon about the work the Government has done for carers, and becoming frustrated. Asked on Monday if any member of his team had contacted RTÉ in a bid not to have the footage run , Mr Harris said: ‘I don’t believe so.’ But the Irish Daily Mail established that Fine Gael figures contacted staff in RTÉ to express their concern over the video and how it would be featured. The first question was to Simon Harris about the video from Kanturk on his interaction with a carer and whether Fine Gael communicated with RTÉ in the aftermath about coverage of the matter. Harris said he had ‘no knowledge’ of any request being made not to air the clip. Micheal Martin and Simon Harris should feel ‘very ashamed’ over the Government’s record on carers and disability, Mary Lou McDonald said. The Sinn Fein leader took aim at the heads of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael during RTE Prime Time’s televised leaders’ debate. She said the outgoing Government did not seem ‘capable’ of listening to people’s experiences. Asked if he felt ashamed, Mr Martin said he was not happy with the ‘level of progress’ but said there had been advancements in some areas. Mr Harris said the issue of disability is something he has been passionate about his entire life. He said there needed to be a radical expansion of training places for occupational therapy and speech and language therapy. As the debate moved on, Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin said Sinn Fein’s ‘enormous’ tax increases will destroy Ireland’s enterprise economy. Mr Martin said: ‘Sinn Fein do not get the enterprise economy, they don’t get trade.’ Meanwhile, Fine Gael leader Simon Harris said his party was proposing the least amount of spending in its manifesto, when compared to the other two parties. Mr Harris said Friday marks election day and the 14th anniversary of the bailout programme following the financial crash. He said: ‘People sitting at home tonight are still living with the scars of that financial crash, and we have to learn from that as a country.’ Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said the financial crash was instigated and driven by Fianna Fail, while austerity was brought by Fine Gael. Ms McDonald said she would agree with Mr Harris and added: ‘There are people watching this programme who still the bear the scars of your crash and of your austerity.’ Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin said he “learned from” his time in Government during the financial crash. Speaking during the RTE Prime Time debate, he said: ‘I get the crash, I was in Government.’ Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald interrupted: ‘I know, sure you authored it.’ Mr Martin continued: ‘I learned from the experience, I kept with politics, I kept with public service. ‘I supported through confidence and supply the [Fine Gael] Government to get the country through Brexit. ‘One thing that people can be guaranteed with Micheal Martin is I will always put the country before party.’ Fianna Fail has taken ‘radical action’ on housing, Micheal Martin later said. He was responding to a question on the Housing Commission’s recommendation for a radical reset in housing policy. Mr Martin defended actions already taken by Fianna Fail and added: ‘It is not about some magical reset right now.’ Asked if Fine Gael had failed to make housing a top priority – as contended by former housing minister Eoghan Murphy, party leader Simon Harris said those comments came in the context of Brexit. He added: ‘Housing is the number one priority.’ Pressed on whether Fine Gael had put the party in front of the country on reforming housing policy, Mr Harris said: ‘My party never put party before country.’ He added: ‘My party’s never crashed the economy.’ "There is a need for a radical reset on housing policy..." Simon Harris responds to questions from Sarah McInerney about Fine Gael's approach to housing. #rtept | @RTENews pic.twitter.com/uwnzqydjIS Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald has said Government parties ‘do not recognise the scale of the problem’ around housing delivery, as she defended her own party’s policies. Pressed on whether banks would definitely lend to home buyers under a Sinn Fein scheme where people would not own the land under the house, Ms McDonald said: ‘We’ve engaged with the banks. The banks have requirements that will have to be met. ‘I don’t think anybody should be shocked by that, they’re not some kind of Robin Hood institution giving money away. ‘The bottom line is they will want to know that if they invest that they’ll get their money back. We’re absolutely confident that those requirements can be met.’ Ms McDonald said her party had done “due diligence” in relation to the policy. “At no stage has the banking Federation said that ‘we will not lend into a scheme of this nature’.” Viewers took to X to have their say on all the key moments of the final TV debate of the General Election 2024 trail. One viewer spoke about An Taoiseach’s response towards whether FG communicated with RTE over the now-viral clip and said: ‘Still dodging it basically not a black or white yes/no’. Another person wrote: ‘Simon Harris is very shifty so far, Kanturk has him absolutely rattled.’ TD for Wicklow John Brady wrote: ‘Simon Harris talks about his ‘lived experience’ and ‘since his teenage years’ the fact is Fine Gael has been in government since his teenage years and disability services have been on a downward spiral during all those years! The reality is that the longer Fine Gael are in Government the worse the lived experience is for those with disabilities.’ Michael Martin: “I get the crash, I was in government for the crash.” @MaryLouMcDonald : “I know, sure you were the author of it.” Zinger #RTEPT There’s just something about Mary Lou calmly calling Micheál Martin and Simon Harris “Gentlemen” when they try to argue with her #leadersdebate pic.twitter.com/uDygTaZDem Debate drinking game: Take a drink every time Simon Harris talks about his "lived experience " #RTEPT At the end of the day, FFers will think Michéal Martin won, SFers will think Mary Lou McDonald has won, and FGers will think Simon Harris won Beauty is in the eye of the beholder #LeadersDebate One other viewer wrote: This isn’t a debate, it is just 2 RTÉ journos asking questions of the three leaders. Rather than call it the #leadersdebate maybe it should be called the #leadersgrilling.’ Another viewer took to X to say: ‘The winner of this debate is Sarah McInerney. She’s not letting them dodge her questions.’

Trump selects longtime adviser Keith Kellogg as special envoy for Ukraine and RussiaDETROIT — After being titled American Youth Football and Cheer state champions over the weekend, the Detroit City Lions youth teams have set their eyes on Naples, Florida, to bag the national championship. But there is a major hurdle in their way, which could break their young hearts. 7 News Detroit reporter Faraz Javed is raising the voices of over 30 kids, asking for your help to make their dreams come true. These twenty-nine little warriors are loud and proud of their nine-and-under Detroit City Lions Youth Club's football team. Darien Vanpalt plays right tackle and is laser-focused on his goal. "To protect the quarterback," said Darien. And that would be Kayden Buskins. "What's that feeling like leading a team?" asked Faraz. "Sometimes it be a lot of pressure... Like I don't yell at them, I would be like, ay, you doing good, but you can improve on this and that," said Kayden. This past weekend, the Little Lions beat teams from Milwaukee, Chicago, and Cleveland to win the AYF Midwest Regional Championship, which was held in Detroit for the first time. "Win downtown Detroit at Corner Ball Park. How exciting is that? For now, Detroit is the limelight that this is a great city, great people here, great talent," said co-founder Devon Buskins. Buskins created this club 5 years ago to provide at-risk young boys and girls with much-needed sports programs and academic services. After bagging this cup, Devon is even more determined to continue the mission. "With that grit on our back that we were not going to give up, and our kids are special. They've fought all year round," said Devon. That also includes the club's ten-and-under cheer team, who also bagged this year's AYF Midwest Cheer Championship and are also Florida-bound for the finals. "But there is a hiccup?" asked Faraz. "Yes, major! It's financial," said Devon. Devon says that football is an expensive sport to pursue, and the club doesn't have the budget to cover the cost of the trip. "It kind of hurts me. Saddens me to see my son not, possibly, be able to go on a trip because of financial issues," said Darrin. Darien's dad has a pet grooming business, and Darrin says things have just not been the same. "You have to put in extra hours, to work extra hard, and sometimes it's just not enough to cover everything, like sports because you have to make sure home is taken care of first and everybody eats," said Darrin. Devon says nearly every parent that's part of the club is struggling to raise $720 per kid, especially during the holidays. "My family started this organization out of our pockets because we believe not only in our kids but all kids. And all kids need a chance. And that's why organizations, and companies and individuals that can donate should donate to Detroit City Lions. We are one of the most diverse youth club organization, grass-rooted. Last year we serviced 3900 kids," said Devon. "Just in case you cannot raise the money, are you saying their dreams will be crushed?" asked Faraz. "There is a huge possibility. Give a dollar, a quarter, it adds up, and create an experience for these young people that they may never get again," said Devon. "You got to do what you got to do to win," said Kayden. The DCL is looking to raise a total of $28,000 for both the club's football and cheer teams. The AYF Championship game is on December 7th; the donation process is simple; just head to www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=PKZRCYVAYW4PE You can also learn more about the club here: www.detroitcitylions.org Where Your Voice Matters

By TRÂN NGUYỄN SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California, home to some of the largest technology companies in the world, would be the first U.S. state to require mental health warning labels on social media sites if lawmakers pass a bill introduced Monday. The legislation sponsored by state Attorney General Rob Bonta is necessary to bolster safety for children online, supporters say, but industry officials vow to fight the measure and others like it under the First Amendment. Warning labels for social media gained swift bipartisan support from dozens of attorneys general, including Bonta, after U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called on Congress to establish the requirements earlier this year, saying social media is a contributing factor in the mental health crisis among young people. “These companies know the harmful impact their products can have on our children, and they refuse to take meaningful steps to make them safer,” Bonta said at a news conference Monday. “Time is up. It’s time we stepped in and demanded change.” State officials haven’t provided details on the bill, but Bonta said the warning labels could pop up once weekly. Up to 95% of youth ages 13 to 17 say they use a social media platform, and more than a third say that they use social media “almost constantly,” according to 2022 data from the Pew Research Center. Parents’ concerns prompted Australia to pass the world’s first law banning social media for children under 16 in November. “The promise of social media, although real, has turned into a situation where they’re turning our children’s attention into a commodity,” Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, who authored the California bill, said Monday. “The attention economy is using our children and their well-being to make money for these California companies.” Lawmakers instead should focus on online safety education and mental health resources, not warning label bills that are “constitutionally unsound,” said Todd O’Boyle, a vice president of the tech industry policy group Chamber of Progress. “We strongly suspect that the courts will set them aside as compelled speech,” O’Boyle told The Associated Press. Victoria Hinks’ 16-year-old daughter, Alexandra, died by suicide four months ago after being “led down dark rabbit holes” on social media that glamorized eating disorders and self-harm. Hinks said the labels would help protect children from companies that turn a blind eye to the harm caused to children’s mental health when they become addicted to social media platforms. “There’s not a bone in my body that doubts social media played a role in leading her to that final, irreversible decision,” Hinks said. “This could be your story.” Common Sense Media, a sponsor of the bill, said it plans to lobby for similar proposals in other states. California in the past decade has positioned itself as a leader in regulating and fighting the tech industry to bolster online safety for children. The state was the first in 2022 to bar online platforms from using users’ personal information in ways that could harm children. It was one of the states that sued Meta in 2023 and TikTok in October for deliberately designing addictive features that keep kids hooked on their platforms. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, also signed several bills in September to help curb the effects of social media on children, including one to prohibit social media platforms from knowingly providing addictive feeds to children without parental consent and one to limit or ban students from using smartphones on school campus. Federal lawmakers have held hearings on child online safety and legislation is in the works to force companies to take reasonable steps to prevent harm. The legislation has the support of X owner Elon Musk and the President-elect’s son, Donald Trump Jr . Still, the last federal law aimed at protecting children online was enacted in 1998, six years before Facebook’s founding.It appears that McDonald’s 2022 “farewell tour” for its McRib was, like so many rock stars’ farewells, a little premature. The fast food giant will bring back the sandwich for a limited time during the holiday season. The launch is Dec. 3, according to a news release that didn’t include a price. McRib made its debut in 1981 and has been on and off McDonald’s menu ever since. It’s made with a boneless pork patty slathered in barbecue sauce and topped with slivered onions and pickles on a toasted bun. For the first time, McDonald’s will be selling the sauce in half-gallon jugs. The item is dubbed A Whole Lotta McRib Sauce and it will be available online only at wholelottamcribsauce.com beginning Monday, Nov. 25. The price is $19.99. The promotion includes a jingle with Rankin/Bass-type characters on YouTube . McDonald’s is also marking the season with the return of its Holiday Pie , a custard-filled pastry topped with rainbow sprinkles. It sells for about $1.99. McDonald’s prices vary by location. And McDonald’s has holiday cups with Doodles designs for hot McCafe beverages. Information: mcdonalds.com

Trump selects longtime adviser Keith Kellogg as special envoy for Ukraine and Russia

President-elect Donald Trump has filled the key posts for his second term in office, prioritizing loyalty to him after he felt bruised and hampered by internal squabbling during his first term. Some of his choices could face difficult confirmation fights in the Senate, even with Republicans in control, and one candidate has already withdrawn from consideration. Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz was Trump's initial pick for attorney general, but he ultimately withdrew following scrutiny over a federal sex trafficking investigation he was embroiled in. Here's a look at Trump's choices: Trump would turn a former critic into an ally as the nation's top diplomat. Rubio , 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate before the slot went to JD Vance. Rubio is vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. His selection punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom the senator once called a “con man" during his own unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. Hegseth , 44, was a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox and Friends Weekend” and had been a contributor with the network since 2014. He developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. Hegseth served in the Army National Guard from 2002 to 2021, deploying to Iraq in 2005 and Afghanistan in 2011 and earning two Bronze Stars. He lacks senior military and national security experience and would oversee global crises ranging from Europe to the Middle East. A woman told police that she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Hegseth after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave, according to a detailed investigative report recently made public. Hegseth told police at the time that the encounter had been consensual and has denied any wrongdoing. Bessent , 62, is a former money manager for George Soros , a big Democratic donor, and an advocate for deficit reduction . He founded the hedge fund Key Square Capital Management after having worked on and off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, Bessent would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary. He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trump’s campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending. Gabbard, 43, is a former Democratic House member from Hawaii who has been accused of echoing Russian propaganda. She unsuccessfully sought the party’s 2020 presidential nomination and left the party in 2022. Gabbard endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him. Gabbard has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades and deployed to Iraq and Kuwait. If confirmed she would come to the role as an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, spent several years in top national security and intelligence positions. Bondi , 59, was Florida's first female attorney general, serving between 2011 and 2019. She was on Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020. Considered a loyalist , Bondi also has served with the America First Policy Institute, a Trump-allied group that has helped lay the groundwork for his future administration. Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush-money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. A fierce defender of Trump, she also frequently appeared on Fox News and has been critical of the criminal cases against him. The Republican U.S. House member narrowly lost her reelection bid on Nov. 5 but had received strong backing from union members in her district. As a potential labor secretary, Chavez-DeRemer would oversee the department's workforce and budget and put forth priorities that affect workers’ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employer’s rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities. Chavez-DeRemer is one of a few House Republicans to endorse the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act that would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and penalize companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws in more than half the states. Lutnick heads the brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and is a cryptocurrency enthusiast. He is co-chair of Trump's transition operation, charged along with Linda McMahon, a former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration, with helping the president-elect fill key jobs in his second administration. As secretary, Lutnick would play a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs. He would oversee a sprawling Cabinet department whose oversight ranges from funding new computer chip factories and imposing trade restrictions to releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. Noem is a well-known conservative who used her two terms as South Dakota's governor to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions like other states, instead declaring South Dakota “open for business.” More recently, Noem faced sharp criticism for writing in her memoir about shooting and killing her dog. She is set to lead a department crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda as well as other missions. Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports. Ratcliffe , a former U.S. House member from Texas, was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump’s first term. He led U.S. government’s spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. If confirmed, Ratcliffe will have held the highest intelligence positions in the U.S. Kennedy , 70, ran for president as a Democrat, then as an independent before he dropped out and then endorsed Trump . He's the son of Democratic icon Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1968 during his own presidential campaign. Kennedy's nomination alarmed people who are concerned about his record of spreading unfounded fears about vaccines . For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Rollins , 52, is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for Trump's second administration. She is a Texas attorney who was Trump's domestic policy adviser and director of his office of American innovation during his first term. Rollins previously was an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry , who also served in Trump's first term. Rollins also ran the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years , sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, “Fox and Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children. Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential campaign, but was acquitted by the Senate. Collins also served in the armed forces himself. He is a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command. The North Dakota governor , 68, is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump after he dropped out of the running. Burgum then became a serious contender to be Trump’s vice presidential choice in part because of his executive experience and business savvy. He also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs. Trump said Burgum would chair a new National Energy Council and have a seat on the National Security Council, which would be a first for the Interior secretary. A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Wright is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking — a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. He also has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. Wright said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.” The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States. McMahon, a billionaire professional wrestling mogul , would make a return appearance in a second Trump administration. She led the Small Business Administration from 2017 to 2019 in Trump’s first term and twice ran unsuccessfully in Connecticut as a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University. She has expressed support for charter schools and school choice. Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on X , “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI" and "we will do so while protecting access to clean air and water.” Trump often attacked the Biden administration’s promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referred to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often said his administration would “drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration. Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he’s yet selected for his administration, with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” Greer is a partner at King & Spalding, a Washington law firm. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be responsible for negotiating directly with foreign governments on trade deals and disputes, as well as memberships in international trade bodies such as the World Trade Organization. He previously was chief of staff to Robert Lighthizer, who was the trade representative in Trump's first term. Wiles , 67, was a senior adviser to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. She has a background in Florida politics , helping Ron DeSantis win his first race for Florida governor. Six years later, she was key to Trump’s defeat of him in the 2024 Republican primary. Wiles’ hire was Trump’s first major decision as president-elect and one that could be a defining test of his incoming administration considering her close relationship with him. Wiles is said to have earned Trump’s trust in part by guiding what was the most disciplined of Trump’s three presidential campaigns. Waltz is a three-term Republican congressman from east-central Florida. A former Army Green Beret , he served multiple tours in Afghanistan and worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs. He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population. Hassett, 62, is a major advocate of tax cuts who was chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers in the first Trump term. In the new role as chairman of the National Economic Council, Trump said Hassett will play an important role in helping American families recover from inflation as well as in renewing and improving tax cuts Trump enacted in 2017, many of which are set to expire after 2025. Homan, 62, has been tasked with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history. He led the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Trump's first administration. Democrats have criticized Homan for defending Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings in the first term, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border. Vought, 48, held the position during Trump’s first presidency. He the founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as “renew a consensus of America as a nation under God.” Vought also was closely involved with Project 2025 , a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that Trump tried to distance himself from during the campaign. Miller, an immigration hardliner , was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump’s priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump’s first term. Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump’s policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families. Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation’s economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people living illegally in the U.S. Scavino was an adviser in all three of the president-elect's campaigns and was described by the transition team as one of “Trump’s longest serving and most trusted aides." He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president. Scavino previously ran Trump’s social media profile in the White House. Blair was political director for Trump’s 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee. He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and an assistant to the president. Blair was key to Trump’s economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign. Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again, Inc., a super PAC that supported Trump’s 2024 campaign. He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president. Leavitt , 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. McGinley was Cabinet secretary during Trump's first administration and was outside legal counsel for the Republican National Committee's election integrity effort during the 2024 campaign. The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect's golf partner and they were golfing at Trump's club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination. Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee. Kellogg , 80, is a highly decorated retired three-star general and one of the architects of a staunchly conservative policy book that lays out an “America First” national security agenda for Trump's second term. He has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues and served as national security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence . Kellogg also was chief of staff of the National Security Council under Trump and stepped in as an acting national security adviser for Trump after Michael Flynn resigned the post. Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests. Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland. Huckabee has rejected a Palestinian homeland in territory occupied by Israel. His daughter, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, served as White House press secretary in Trump's first term. Stefanik, 40, is a U.S. representative from New York and one of Trump's staunchest defenders dating to his first impeachment trial. She was elected chair of the House Republican Conference in 2021, the third-highest position in House leadership, after then-Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after she publicly criticized Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election. Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile. A former acting attorney general during Trump's first administration and tight end on the University of Iowa football team, Whitaker , 55, has a background in law enforcement but not in foreign policy. A fierce Trump localist, Whitaker, is also a former U.S. attorney in Iowa and served as acting attorney general between November 2018 and February 2019 without Senate confirmation, until William Barr was confirmed for the role. That was when special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian election interference was drawing to a close. Whitaker also faced questions about his past business dealings, including his ties to an invention-promotion company that was accused of misleading consumers. A Republican congressman from Michigan who served from 1993 to 2011, Hoekstra was ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump's first term. Oz , 64, is a former heart surgeon who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show,” a long-running daytime TV talk show. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of Trump, who endorsed Oz’s bid for elected office. Makary is a Johns Hopkins surgeon and author who argued against pandemic lockdowns. He routinely appeared on Fox News during the COVID-19 pandemic and wrote opinion articles questioning masks for children. He cast doubt on vaccine mandates but supported vaccines generally. Makary also cast doubt on whether booster shots worked, which was against federal recommendations on the vaccine. Nesheiwat is a general practitioner who serves as medical director for CityMD, a network of urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey. She has been a contributor on Fox News. Weldon is a former Florida congressman who recently ran for a Florida state legislative seat and lost; Trump backed Weldon’s opponent. In Congress, Weldon weighed in on one of the nation’s most heated debates of the 1990s over quality of life and a right-to-die and whether Terri Schiavo, who was in a persistent vegetative after cardiac arrest, state should have been allowed to have her feeding tube removed. He sided with the parents who did not want it removed. Bhattacharya , 56, is a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates. As head of the NIH, the leading medical research agency in the United States, Trump said Bhattacharya would work with Kennedy Jr. to direct U.S. medical research and make important discoveries that will improve health and save lives. Bhattacharya is professor at Stanford University School of Medicine and was one of three authors of the Great Barrington Declaration, an October 2020 open letter maintaining that lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic were causing irreparable harm. Gaetz, 42, withdrew from consideration to become the top law enforcement officer of the United States amid fallout over a federal sex trafficking investigation that cast doubt on his ability to be confirmed by the Senate. In choosing Gaetz, Trump had passed over more established lawyers whose names had been floated as possible contenders for the job. Gaetz resigned from Congress after Trump announced him on Nov. 13. The House Ethics Committee has been investigating an allegation that he paid for sex with a 17-year-old. Gaetz has denied wrongdoing. Associated Press writers Colleen Long, Zeke Miller, Farnoush Amiri, Lolita C. Baldor, Jill Colvin, Matthew Daly, Edith M. Lederer, Adriana Gomez Licon, Lisa Mascaro, Chris Megerian, Michelle L. Price, Will Weissert and Darlene Superville contributed to this report.Published 10:38 pm Monday, December 9, 2024 by Amanda Shavers Dear Dave: I have $100,000 in student loan debt. Since the amount is so large, is there a special place in your Baby Steps plan for it? — Jules Dear Jules: I hope you have a nice, large income with which to fight that big pile of student loan debt. I’ve seen even worse situations, though. I’ve talked to people who went $200,000 into debt for a four-year degree in a field where they’ll make $45,000. Yes, that kind of thinking and behavior is out there, and it’s ridiculous. The fact that it’s a large amount of student loan debt doesn’t change anything. Baby Step 2 is where you pay off all debt except for your home. So, don’t let this student loan debt hang around for years and years. You’ve got to get focused and intense about getting control of your money. That means living on a strict, basics-only monthly budget. After that, start throwing every nickel and dime you can scrape together, and save toward paying off those student loans as fast as possible. Email newsletter signup Your income is your largest wealth-building tool, Jules. You can’t save, and plan for the future, when all your money is flying out the door to pay off debt. — Dave Find a Good Money Market Account Dear Dave: My wife and I are completely debt-free, and we’re saving up for our first house. We currently have about $140,000 in savings, and we’d like to buy a home with cash when the time is right. Where should we put our money, so it will work for us while we save more? — Andy Dear Andy: If I were in your shoes, and maybe looking at a window of three or four years, I’d just park the cash in a good money market account. You won’t make a lot off it, but your money will be safe. I mean, all you’re looking for is a smart place to stash it for a little while. When it comes to long-term investing, I’m a big fan of growth stock mutual funds. The problem with that in your situation would be the volatility of the market. By the time you’ve saved up more money, and spent time deciding on a house, the market may be down. You two are in a great place financially right now. With the path you’re on, just imagine how incredible it will be in a few years to have a new home and be debt-free! — Dave Amanda Shavers joined The Cullman Times in 1997 as the paper's first staff photographer. She has been News Editor since 2008. She is also Content Editor for Cullman Magazine (quarterly), Cullman County Graduation magazine, Fall in Love With Cullman magazine, Salute to Industry magazine and the Senior and Retiree Directory magazine. She is also Content Editor for the weekly St. Clair News-Aegis and she assists with the twice-weekly Athens News Courier. (Column) Big mules ain’t all bad (Column) Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: Will he make America healthy again? (Column) Alabama vs. Auburn, a house divided (Column) The Trump TriumphSyrian government services come to a 'complete halt' as state workers stay home

Radical Jaguar rebrand and new logo sparks ire online NEW YORK (AP) — A promotional video for a rebrand of British luxury car brand Jaguar is being criticized online for showing models in brightly colored outfits — and no car. The rebrand, which includes a new logo, is slated to launch Dec. 2 during Miami Art Week, when the company will unveil a new electric model. But Jaguar Land Rover, a unit of India’s Tata Motors Ltd., has been promoting it online. The Jaguar brand is in the middle of a transition to going all-electric. “Copy Nothing,” marketing materials read. “We’re here to delete the ordinary. To go bold. To copy nothing.” Trump has promised again to release the last JFK files. But experts say don’t expect big revelations DALLAS (AP) — The nation is set to mark 61 years since President John F. Kennedy was assassinated as his motorcade passed through downtown Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963. Even after over six decades, conspiracy theories about what happened that day still swirl and the desire to follow every thread of information hasn’t waned. President-elect Donald Trump made promises over the summer that if reelected he would declassify the remaining records. At this point, only a few thousand of millions of pages of governmental records related to the assassination have yet to be fully released. And those who have studied what's been released so far say that the public shouldn’t anticipate any earth-shattering revelations even if the remaining files are declassified. Bitcoin is at the doorstep of $100,000 as post-election rally rolls on NEW YORK (AP) — Bitcoin is jumping again, rising above $98,000 for the first time Thursday. The cryptocurrency has been shattering records almost daily since the U.S. presidential election, and has rocketed more than 40% higher in just two weeks. It's now at the doorstep of $100,000. Cryptocurrencies and related investments like crypto exchange-traded funds have rallied because the incoming Trump administration is expected to be more “crypto-friendly.” Still, as with everything in the volatile cryptoverse, the future is hard to predict. And while some are bullish, other experts continue to warn of investment risks. NFL issues security alert to teams and the players' union following recent burglaries The NFL has issued a security alert to teams and the players’ union following recent burglaries involving the homes of Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. In a memo obtained by The Associated Press, the league says homes of professional athletes across multiple sports have become “increasingly targeted for burglaries by organized and skilled groups.” Law enforcement officials noted these groups target the homes on days the athletes have games. Players were told to take precautions and implement home security measures to reduce the risk of being targeted. Some of the burglary groups have conducted extensive surveillance on targets. Penn State wins trademark case over retailer's use of vintage logos, images PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Penn State has won a closely watched trademark fight over an online retailer’s use of its vintage logos and images. A Pennsylvania jury awarded Penn State $28,000 in damages earlier this week over products made and sold by the firms Vintage Brand and Sportswear Inc. Penn State accused them of selling “counterfeit” clothing and accessories. The defendants said their website makes clear they are not affiliated with Penn State. At least a dozen other schools have sued the defendants on similar grounds, but the Pennsylvania case was the first to go to trial. Has a waltz written by composer Frederic Chopin been discovered in an NYC museum? NEW YORK (AP) — A previously unknown musical work written by composer Frederic Chopin appears to have been found in a library in New York City. The Morgan Library & Museum says the untitled and unsigned piece is the first new manuscript of the Romantic era virtuoso to be discovered in nearly a century. Robinson McClellan, the museum’s curator, says he stumbled across the work in May while going through a collection brought to the Manhattan museum years earlier. He worked with outside experts to verify the document's authenticity. But there’s debate whether the waltz is an original Chopin work or merely one written in his hand. Volcano on Iceland's Reykjanes Peninsula erupts for the 7th time in a year GRINDAVIK, Iceland (AP) — A volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula in southwestern Iceland is spewing lava from a fissure in its seventh eruption since December. Iceland's seismic monitors said the eruption started with little warning late Wednesday and created a long fissure but looked to be smaller than eruptions in August and May. Around 50 houses were evacuated after the Civil Protection agency issued the alert, along with guests at the famous Blue Lagoon resort, according to the national broadcaster. The repeated eruptions over the past year have caused damage to the town of Grindavík and forced people to relocate. Australian teen and British woman who drank tainted alcohol in Laos have died, bringing toll to 5 VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) — An Australian teenager and a British woman have died after drinking tainted alcohol in Laos in what Australia’s prime minister said was every parent’s nightmare. Officials earlier said an American and two Danish tourists also had died following reports that multiple people had been sickened in town popular with backpackers. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Parliament that 19-year-old Bianca Jones had died after being evacuated from Vang Vieng, Laos, for treatment in a Thai hospital. Her friend, also 19, remains hospitalized in Thailand. Later Thursday, Britain said a British woman also died and the media in the U.K. identified her as 28-year-old Simone White. US ahead in AI innovation, easily surpassing China in Stanford's new ranking The U.S. leads the world in developing artificial intelligence technology, surpassing China in research and other important measures of AI innovation, according to a newly released Stanford University index. There’s no surefire way to rank global AI leadership but Stanford researchers have made an attempt by measuring the “vibrancy” of the AI industry across a variety of dimensions, from how much research and investment is happening to how responsibly the technology is being pursued to prevent harm. Following the U.S. and China were the United Kingdom, India and the United Arab Emirates. Pop star Ed Sheeran helps favorite soccer team sign player before getting on stage with Taylor Swift It turns out British pop star Ed Sheeran is also good at recruiting soccer players. Sheeran is a minority shareholder at English soccer team Ipswich Town and it needed his help over the summer to get a player to join the club. Ipswich CEO Mark Ashton tells a Soccerex industry event in Miami: “Ed jumped on a Zoom call with him at the training ground, just before he stepped on stage with Taylor Swift. Hopefully that was a key part in getting the player across the line.” Ashton didn’t disclose the player in question, saying only: “He’s certainly scoring a few goals.”Editor’s Note: CNN’s 5 Things newsletter is your one-stop shop for the latest headlines and fascinating stories to start and end your busy day. Sign up here. 👋 Welcome to 5 Things PM! Among the many travel hacks making the rounds on social media, one continues to pop up: How to get a full bottle of water through US airport security. Turns out the answer is simple. Don’t worry, though — it’s TSA-approved . Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. 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