Farage: Badenoch must apologise for ‘crazy conspiracy theory’ on Reform numbersWill Elon kill Elmo? Panic grips public media over fears of DOGE cuts to $535m funding By CHARLIE SPIERING, SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER, WASHINGTON, DC Published: 21:52, 27 December 2024 | Updated: 21:52, 27 December 2024 e-mail View comments Executives for public broadcasting giants National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) are warily eying billionaire Elon Musk and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy 's mission to cut government waste out of the federal government. Musk and Ramaswamy were appointed by President-elect Donald Trump to the Department of Government Efficience (DOGE), vowing to give a top-to-bottom audit of the federal government and find ways to save taxpayer money. Leaders of NPR's biggest radio stations circulated a report warning of future threats to their government funding, according to the New York Times . 'While it's impossible to know what precisely will happen, it would be unwise to assume that events will play out as they have in the past,' the warning about DOGE reportedly stated. Congress approved $535 million in public funding for public broadcasting in 2024. But its coffers could soon be drained with DOGE taking control in January. Both Musk and Ramaswamy included the funding for public media on their list of federal expenditures that should be eliminated. For decades, Republicans have championed the idea of defunding public broadcasting, especially since the national brands are biased against conservatives . But efforts to defund the institutions typically generate widespread emotional pushback from Americans who harbor strong feelings for public programming like Sesame Street and local public radio. Any attempt to cut public broadcasting would be labeled by critics as an attempt to cancel or kill lovable characters like Elmo from Sesame Street. Elon Musk has vowed to address federal spending on public broadcasting media as part of his task to reduce government waste Any attempt to cut public broadcasting would be labeled by critics as an attempt to cancel or kill lovable characters like Elmo from Sesame Street Former failed presidential candidate Mitt Romney received widespread public outrage from Democrats after he declared in a debate that he would defund public broadcasting. 'I'm sorry Jim. I'm gonna stop the subsidy to PBS. I'm gonna stop other things,' Romney said during a 2012 debate with moderator Jim Lehrer of PBS. 'I like PBS, I like Big Bird, I actually like you too.' But Musk has previously signaled his opposition to federal funding for public media, particularly for NPR, which has received escalating criticism for its leftist bias. Should your tax dollars really be paying for an organization run by people who think the truth is a 'distraction'?' Musk wrote on X in November. He highlighted a video of NPR CEO Katherine Maher explaining to an audience that the 'reverence for the truth' had become a 'distraction' in the United States. Ramaswamy also reacted to the Maher video, calling for an end to taxpayer funding for outlets like NPR. 'Seeking truth isn't the real problem. It's wasteful federal spending,' he wrote . 'Let's turn off the spigot & see what happens. No one will be harmed.' In August, Vivek published a video on social media, criticizing them for ostracizing their journalists who demanded more political balance. 'NPR is quite literally state-funded media. At some point in the last decade, they started acting like it,' he warned. For decades, Republicans have championed the idea of defunding public broadcasting Former biotech executive Vivek Ramaswamy was appointed by Trump to work with Elon Musk to cut government waste Kari Lake, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for director of Voice of America Trump is committed to seeing significant change in direction from publicly funded media outlets. The president-elect selected failed Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake to lead Voice of America, a government-funded global news agency. Trump tasked Lake with making sure 'American values of Freedom and Liberty are broadcast around the World FAIRLY and ACCURATELY, unlike the lies spread by the Fake News Media.' Lake a former broadcast journalist reassured critics she would not try to remake the organization to serve a propaganda outlet for Trump and his agenda. 'I'm not there to make it Trump TV and MAGA TV,' she said in an interview with CBS. 'That's not what this is about. That's not what Voice of America is.' Politics Share or comment on this article: Will Elon kill Elmo? Panic grips public media over fears of DOGE cuts to $535m funding e-mail Add commentNORMAL, Ill. — In closing the 2024 season on a cloudy, cold Saturday afternoon, the UND football program was consistent right up to the bitter end. The Fighting Hawks consistently struggled to stop the run and consistently were unable to perform on the road. ADVERTISEMENT UND lost a fifth-straight game for the first time since 1986 with a 35-13 loss against No. 14 Illinois State at Hancock Stadium. The Fighting Hawks gave up at least 35 points for the fifth-straight game and finished the year 0-5 on the road. UND ends the year 5-7, finishing under .500 for the fourth time in Bubba Schweigert's 11 years as head coach. Schweigert signed a contract extension through the 2027 season this past offseason but a lengthy losing skid to close 2024 has produced a growing buzz of those questioning his job security. "There's two people that I have concern how they feel and that's our athletic director and the president of the university," Schweigert said when asked about his future after the game. "The other stuff is outside noise." Illinois State's Wenkers Wright ran for 118 yards and two touchdowns as the Redbirds piled up 420 yards of total offense. "We've got to tackle better," Schweigert said. "We know that's a fundamental that we have to get better at. We have to be more physical up front and fit the run better." The game's turning point came early in the third quarter. ADVERTISEMENT The Fighting Hawks trailed 14-10 at halftime and the defense forced a stop on Illinois State's opening drive of the second half. UND running back Sawyer Seidl took the next three carries. The young speedster busted off a run of 11 yards, then an 18-yard run in which the Hawks' offensive line helped push the pile in a scrum situation. Seidl entered another scrum situation on his next carry and UND's sideline was energized by the physical running game. As the scrum carried on, however, Illinois State was able to rip a fumble away from Seidl at the last moment. Nine plays later, Wright scored from 18 yards out to extend the Illinois State lead to 21-10. "I didn't see it but it went to review and they confirmed it," Schweigert said. "We had three, four physical plays in a row. Sawyer was running hard, and it was unfortunate he lost the ball." UND was limited to 266 yards of total offense as quarterback Simon Romfo was 11-for-26 for 135 yards. "We left a lot of plays out there," said UND wide receiver Bo Belquist, who had three catches for 42 yards. "I thought our offensive line and running backs were super physical and did a great job. We got stuck on a couple of drives, and you can't do that against good teams and that's why they're in the playoffs." ADVERTISEMENT Belquist finishes his decorated career one touchdown shy of Greg Hardin's Division I school record for touchdown catches (31). "Not the way you want to end (your career)," Belquist said. "It wasn't my greatest performance out there but it's over and it is what it is. You have to move on and embrace the memories you made over the years and the relationships you created. Life goes on."
BETHESDA, Md. , Dec. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- AGNC Investment Corp. (Nasdaq: AGNC) ("AGNC" or the "Company") announced today that its Board of Directors has declared cash dividends on the outstanding depositary shares 1 of the following series of preferred stock for the fourth quarter 2024: Series of Preferred Stock Ticker Per Annum Dividend Rate Dividend Per Depositary Share 1 7.00% Series C Fixed-to-Floating Rate AGNCN 10.01991% 2 $0.64016 6.875% Series D Fixed-to-Floating Rate AGNCM 9.24091% 3 $0.59039 6.50% Series E Fixed-to-Floating Rate AGNCO 9.90191% 4 $0.63262 6.125% Series F Fixed-to-Floating Rate AGNCP 6.125 % $0.3828125 7.750% Series G Fixed-Rate Reset AGNCL 7.750 % $0.48438 1. Each depositary share represents a 1/1,000th interest in a share of preferred stock. 2. The Series C Depositary Shares accrue dividends at a floating rate equal to Three-Month CME Term SOFR plus 0.26161% plus 5.111%. The dividend rate for the dividend period ending January 14, 2025 is 10.01991% per annum. 3. The Series D Depositary Shares accrue dividends at a floating rate equal to Three-Month CME Term SOFR plus 0.26161% plus 4.332%. The dividend rate for the dividend period ending January 14, 2025 is 9.24091% per annum. 4. The Series E Depositary Shares accrue dividends at a floating rate equal to Three-Month CME Term SOFR plus 0.26161% plus 4.993%. The dividend rate for the dividend period ending January 14, 2025 is 9.90191% per annum. The dividend for each series of outstanding preferred stock is payable on January 15, 2025 to holders of record as of January 1, 2025 . For further information or questions, please contact Investor Relations at (301) 968-9300 or IR@AGNC.com . ABOUT AGNC INVESTMENT CORP. Founded in 2008, AGNC Investment Corp. (Nasdaq: AGNC) is a leading investor in Agency residential mortgage-backed securities (Agency MBS), which benefit from a guarantee against credit losses by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or Ginnie Mae . We invest on a leveraged basis, financing our Agency MBS assets primarily through repurchase agreements, and utilize dynamic risk management strategies intended to protect the value of our portfolio from interest rate and other market risks. AGNC has a track record of providing favorable long-term returns for our stockholders through substantial monthly dividend income, with over $13 billion of common stock dividends paid since inception. Our business is a significant source of private capital for the U.S. residential housing market, and our team has extensive experience managing mortgage assets across market cycles. To learn more about The Premier Agency Residential Mortgage REIT , please visit www.AGNC.com , follow us on LinkedIn and X , and sign up for Investor Alerts . CONTACT: Investor Relations - (301) 968-9300 View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/agnc-investment-corp-declares-fourth-quarter-dividends-on-preferred-stock-302329441.html SOURCE AGNC Investment Corp.New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation Friday filed a fifth chargesheet against five accused in the alleged theft of question papers for the NEET 2024 undergraduate entrance test. The chargesheet was filed before a special CBI court in Patna under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 120-B ( criminal conspiracy ), 109 (abetment), 409 (criminal breach of trust), 420 (cheating), 380 (theft), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) and 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property), as well as the Prevention of Corruption Act . The accused named in the latest chargesheet are: Amit Kumar Singh (a resident of Dhanbad), Sudip Kumar (Bokaro), Yuvraj Kumar (Bokaro), Abhimanyu Patel (Nalanda) and Amit Kumar (Patna). With this, the CBI has filed chargesheets against 45 people. All of them are in judicial custody . The federal agency had taken over the investigation in June. Finance AI and Generative AI for Finance By - Hariom Tatsat, Vice President- Quantitative Analytics at Barclays View Program Leadership Building Your Winning Startup Team: Key Strategies for Success By - Dr. Anu Khanchandani, Startup Coach with more than 25 years of experience View Program Marketing Performance Marketing for eCommerce Brands By - Zafer Mukeri, Founder- Inara Marketers View Program Office Productivity Mastering Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and 365 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Web Development A Comprehensive ASP.NET Core MVC 6 Project Guide for 2024 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Office Productivity Excel Essentials to Expert: Your Complete Guide By - Study At Home, Quality Education Anytime, Anywhere View Program Office Productivity Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide 2024 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI-Powered Python Mastery with Tabnine: Boost Your Coding Skills By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance Financial Literacy for Non-Finance Executives By - CA Raja, Chartered Accountant | Financial Management Educator | Former AVP - Credit, SBI View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Master in Python Language Quickly Using the ChatGPT Open AI By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Strategy Succession Planning Masterclass By - Nigel Penny, Global Strategy Advisor: NSP Strategy Facilitation Ltd. View Program Marketing Future of Marketing & Branding Masterclass By - Dr. David Aaker, Professor Emeritus at the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley, Author | Speaker | Thought Leader | Branding Consultant View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Mastering C++ Fundamentals with Generative AI: A Hands-On By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Web Development Mastering Full Stack Development: From Frontend to Backend Excellence By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Web Development Intermediate Java Mastery: Method, Collections, and Beyond By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Pam Moore By - Pam Moore, Digital Transformation and Social Media Expert View Program Web Development JavaScript Essentials: Unlock AI-Driven Insights with ChatGPT By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital marketing - Wordpress Website Development By - Shraddha Somani, Digital Marketing Trainer, Consultant, Strategiest and Subject Matter expert View Program Leadership Business Storytelling Masterclass By - Ameen Haque, Founder of Storywallahs View Program Data Science SQL for Data Science along with Data Analytics and Data Visualization By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance Tally Prime & GST Accounting: Complete Guide By - CA Raj K Agrawal, Chartered Accountant View Program Web Development Advanced C++ Mastery: OOPs and Template Techniques By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Marketing & Sales Strategies for Startups: From Concept to Conversion By - Dr. Anu Khanchandani, Startup Coach with more than 25 years of experience View Program Names of the candidates who had benefitted from the question paper theft or unfair means, and names of the MBBS students who had solved the stolen paper or impersonated as candidates in the exam have already been identified and shared with the National Testing Agency and the Ministry of Education, the CBI said in a press release on Friday. The CBI had filed its first chargesheet in the case on August 1, naming 13 for criminal conspiracy, cheating and under other provisions of the IPC. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
New Zealand police begin arrests for gang symbol ban as new law takes effectFitness wearable company Whoop claims data from its screenless wristband has revealed a "novel biomarker" for tracking menstruation, which could make some health issues easier to catch earlier on. Vital signs, including body temperature and heart rate, change through each phase of a person's menstrual cycle. But Whoop's research , published on Monday, indicates that the amplitude, or size, of those changes can tell us more than previously thought. Also: The best fitness trackers you can buy The company's study reviewed data from more than 11,500 women who opted in, ultimately including 45,000 menstrual cycles. "Amplitude was found to be suppressed in individuals with characteristics linked to reduced fertility, such as higher BMI & older age. This non-invasive marker could help identify reproductive health issues earlier, cutting time to diagnosis," Whoop Founder and CEO Will Ahmed shared in an X thread on Thursday. NEW @WHOOP RESEARCH - NOVEL BIOMARKER FOR UNDERSTANDING MENSTRUAL CYCLES Excited to share groundbreaking research from the WHOOP Research team, just published in Nature Digital Medicine. A leap forward in understanding and monitoring female physiology. 🧵 The study explains that for women who get a period and are premenopausal, menstrual cycle changes can indicate potential health issues, like hormonal fluctuations that suggest certain disorders. "Those experiencing irregular menstrual cycles have been found to have a higher risk of coronary heart disease, cancers, and osteoporosis later in life," the study notes. "Unfortunately, recognizing these cycle disruptions can be challenging as it may take several months before an individual identifies irregular or missed menses." Also: I test wearable tech for a living. These are my favorite products of 2024 The study suggests that, based on the data Whoop collects, irregularities found by wearables could be used to diagnose conditions more quickly and easily -- without the need for blood tests or other more invasive and slower methods of diagnosis. "Since wearable technology provides continuous and accurate cardiovascular measures such as resting heart rate (RHR) and the root mean square of successive differences measure of heart rate variability (RMSSD), and these cardiovascular measures are known to vary across the menstrual cycle, the combination of wearable technology and menstrual cycle tracking offers an intriguing opportunity to monitor health across the reproductive lifespan and to rapidly identify menstrual irregularities," the study continues. The data points to the increased popularity of wearable tech and how much we could gain from the ever-growing data pool they make possible. "This discovery was powered by our 24/7 data and global scale. Over 1 million days of data enabled insights not possible without an always-on wearable," Ahmed explained in the thread. Also: Why Oura Ring 4 is ZDNET's product of the year - besting Samsung, Apple, and others in 2024 More and more people are using their smartphones to track menstrual cycles -- data from April to December of 2021 alone tracked 250 million downloads for the top three most popular options. As smart rings link up with fertility trackers like Natural Cycles, that trend is likely to experience an uptick across personal tech. That increase in popularity isn't without security concerns, however. Fertility information can be extremely sensitive , and not all apps share the same privacy standards or adherences. Before using an app, take a look at its privacy policy, whether it's HIPAA-compliant, and whether the company backing it has had any recent data breaches (and how it handled them). ZDNET's product of the year: Why Oura Ring 4 bested Samsung, Apple, and others in 2024 15 surprising ways I used AI to save me weeks of work in 2024 If your Windows 10 PC can't be upgraded, you have 5 options before time runs out I test wearable tech for a living. These are my favorite products of 2024