By JOSH BOAK WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday voiced his support for the dockworkers union before their contract expires next month at Eastern and Gulf Coast ports, saying that any further “automation” of the ports would harm workers. Related Articles National Politics | Will Kamala Harris run for California governor in 2026? The question is already swirling National Politics | Biden says healthy women help US prosperity as he highlights White House initiative on their health National Politics | Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people National Politics | Trump taps immigration hard-liner Kari Lake as head of Voice of America National Politics | Trump extends unprecedented invites to China’s Xi and other world leaders for his inauguration The incoming president posted on social media that he met Harold Daggett, the president of the International Longshoreman’s Association, and Dennis Daggett, the union’s executive vice president. “I’ve studied automation, and know just about everything there is to know about it,” Trump posted. “The amount of money saved is nowhere near the distress, hurt, and harm it causes for American Workers, in this case, our Longshoremen. Foreign companies have made a fortune in the U.S. by giving them access to our markets. They shouldn’t be looking for every last penny knowing how many families are hurt.” The International Longshoremen’s Association has until Jan. 15 to negotiate a new contract with the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents ports and shipping companies. At the heart of the dispute is whether ports can install automated gates, cranes and container-moving trucks that could make it faster to unload and load ships. The union argues that automation would lead to fewer jobs, even though higher levels of productivity could do more to boost the salaries of remaining workers. The Maritime Alliance said in a statement that the contract goes beyond ports to “supporting American consumers and giving American businesses access to the global marketplace – from farmers, to manufacturers, to small businesses, and innovative start-ups looking for new markets to sell their products.” “To achieve this, we need modern technology that is proven to improve worker safety, boost port efficiency, increase port capacity, and strengthen our supply chains,” said the alliance, adding that it looks forward to working with Trump. In October, the union representing 45,000 dockworkers went on strike for three days, raising the risk that a prolonged shutdown could push up inflation by making it difficult to unload container ships and export American products overseas. The issue pits an incoming president who won November’s election on the promise of bringing down prices against commitments to support blue-collar workers along with the kinds of advanced technology that drew him support from Silicon Valley elite such as billionaire Elon Musk. Trump sought to portray the dispute as being between U.S. workers and foreign companies, but advanced ports are also key for staying globally competitive. China is opening a $1.3 billion port in Peru that could accommodate ships too large for the Panama Canal. There is a risk that shippers could move to other ports, which could also lead to job losses. Mexico is constructing a port that is highly automated, while Dubai, Singapore and Rotterdam already have more advanced ports. Instead, Trump said that ports and shipping companies should eschew “machinery, which is expensive, and which will constantly have to be replaced.” “For the great privilege of accessing our markets, these foreign companies should hire our incredible American Workers, instead of laying them off, and sending those profits back to foreign countries,” Trump posted. “It is time to put AMERICA FIRST!”
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Bill Belichick is on to North Carolina. The six-time Super Bowl champion head coach was officially introduced as the newest leader of the North Carolina Tar Heels on Thursday, marking one of the most surprising developments in the football world in 2024. After parting ways with the New England Patriots following the 2023 season and not landing a gig last offseason, it was widely assumed that Belichick would find his way back to coaching in 2025. Most, if not everyone, who monitors these types of movements expected Belichick to find a job somewhere in the NFL . Instead, he's opting for the college game, agreeing to a five-year deal with the school . However, we can't entirely rule out a possible return to the NFL for Belichick down the line due to an interesting wrinkle in his contract with UNC. Included in his deal is a buyout , which is essentially an opportunity for Belichick to terminate his deal without cause. If the contract is terminated before June 1, 2025, the buyout is $10 million. If the contract is terminated after June 1, 2025, it would cost the legendary head coach just $1 million to get out of the deal. So, the buyout period that sits at $10 million for Belichick is really to prevent him from taking a job during this upcoming hiring cycle in the NFL. However, it would only cost him $1 million to jump ship next year if the right opportunity in the league came calling after the 2025 NFL season. "I didn't come here to leave," Belichick said during his introductory press conference. While he did try to snuff the possibility of leaving UNC from the jump, the structure of the buyout will make a potential return to the NFL an ever-looming topic, particularly after June 1, 2025. After all, Belichick remains just 15 wins shy of passing the late Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Don Shula for the all-time wins record. If a team could get him over that threshold and wanted to bring him aboard as its newest head coach, it might be hard to ignore. That said, it's unclear if that opportunity will ever truly come to his doorstep. Belichick struck out on the hiring cycle a year ago, and there was no guarantee that an organization would give him total control this go-round either. So, if they weren't going to hand over the reins to him at 72 years old, it's hard to imagine a team doing so when he would be 74 by the start of the 2026 season. Still, whenever a big-time head-coaching job does open up in the NFL next cycle, the door is ajar for the Hoodie to make his return.Exiled Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof's definition of home is shiftingBest Of 2024: Butt Movements, Pitches, And 9-Volt's Retro Microgames - We Speak With WarioWare's Chief Director
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By Usman Daudu In this past week, stampedes happened in three locations in the country and people lost their lives. In Ibadan, over 30 children died during an event by the former Queen of the Ooni of Ife to host 5, 000 children. And last Saturday, 10 persons died at a food-sharing event at a church in Abuja while 22 people also died in a rush for food in Okija, Anambra State. It is sad that these Nigerians died while on a mission to get succour from palliatives. It feels sadder that these incidents might have been averted had perhaps proper planning and execution been put in place. And that is why the latest news from the Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani, is gladdening. According to reports, the governor opened bank accounts for two million poor residents of the state. Sani disclosed this last Thursday during the distribution of food items and palliatives for Christmas and New Year at the Umaru Yar’adua Conference Centre, Kaduna, which was spearheaded by Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu. “Through our financial inclusion programme, we have opened over two million bank accounts for poor, vulnerable, and underserved persons to enable them to benefit from state and Federal Government social intervention programmes,” the governor said. Ordinarily, this story should not even make the news given that it is perhaps the most logical route to follow given the technology available in the financial ecosystem. Sadly, it is a novelty. During the last administration of President Muhammadu Buhari as president, the federal government initiated the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA) which had the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) as one of its programmes. Under the CCT, citizens classified as ‘the poorest of the poor’ were to get Ten Thousand Naira. With the existence of the Bank Verification Number (BVN) which mandates every account holder in Nigeria to be biometrically verified, one would have expected the federal government to utilise the banks for transacting payment. But no. Rather, government officials physically took large sums of cash to crowded venues to share to the beneficiaries. According to multiple reports, at those venues, beneficiaries were just asked to sign and handed over envelopes which sometimes contained less than Five Thousand Naira. Such fraud implied those concerned didn’t want a more efficient way to disburse the funds to the poor. For their selfish reasons. Hence, while the idea of the CCT was noble, its execution was very disappointing and left a sour taste in the mouth of even some supporters of the programme. I mean, in today’s age of electronic banking, who goes about physically distributing sums running into hundreds of millions? The mere logistical horror associated with such a venture should even be enough to deter those who go that route. Then, there is also the case of accountability. When the Buhari administration initiated Trader-Moni and Markket-Moni. Good schemes. But again, its implementation was flawed. Instead of deploying BVN to track recipients of the funds, the funds were channelled via cash, with some middlemen conniving and ripping the government as well as the beneficiaries. The other process of having the poor come to a venue and organisers carrying large sums of money to share, should, at best, remain in the 1970s. It cannot be argued that it is more efficient to disburse funds to poor people by sending them money via their bank accounts. For instance, at the push of a button, one can initiate credit transfer to multiple persons instantaneously. With this method too, transparency is achieved as the use of BVN details particulars of every recipient. With the strategy Sani has adopted in Kaduna, funds meant for the poor can be effectively monitored and verified. Anyway, while some commentators argue that the recent stampedes resulted because of poverty, perhaps the more important factor concerns the organisers’ obligations. What numbers were they expecting? What preparations were on ground to receive and accommodate the expected numbers? What was the anticipated flow of movement designed? Did they have enough space and manpower to cater for the expected numbers? Were there better ways of dispersing their charity other than gathering a crowd in a particular space? These are serious questions organisers are expected to satisfy themselves with before beginning to gather a crowd. Thankfully, after the sad incidents of last week, Nigerians have become wary of palliative-seeking crowds. Some states have even listed conditions for distribution of palliatives. Lagos State declared that organisers of palliative sharing events with more than 250 persons must get clearance with the state safety agencies. Also, on Sunday, the Edo State Police Command urged the state government and other organisations to collaborate with the police in the distribution of palliatives to avoid a stampede. “Following recent cases of stampedes leading to avoidable deaths in some parts of the country, the Edo State Police Command has proactively called on government officials, community leaders, religious bodies, and non-governmental organisations to collaborate with the state command for a comprehensive and organised way of going about the distribution of any palliatives,” said the command’s spokesman, Moses Yamu, in a statement. “The Commissioner of Police, Ozigi Umoru, therefore warns groups and organisers of similar events to ensure they involve the Police or other security agencies to avoid such occurrences in the state. The Command remains committed to always ensuring the safety of lives and property.” The poor would always be in our midst. And as conscientious individuals and government, we cannot shy away from charity. But this charity must be done in ways to eliminate disasters such as those that happened in those three places. The Kaduna example by which the state government has opened bank accounts for the poor is commendable. Through that, no fanfare would follow transmission of whatever tokens the government intends for the poor. It would be a silent alert that would bring the loud joy from those deserving of it. In fact, Christians are taught to be discrete when giving as the bible preaches in the book of Matthew: ‘But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.’ Other religions too do not encourage a show-off when it comes to charity. Since assuming office as governor, his administration has distributed palliatives, agricultural inputs, grants, and soft loans to farmers and small-scale enterprises. As a passionate activist, it is expected that Sani’s administration would further elevate the condition of the poor residents of Kaduna. By opening bank accounts for the poor, the Kaduna State government is set to bring efficiency to assisting the poor. It would also be good for other individuals, organisations and particularly governments to copy this Kaduna format of cash transfers to the poor. It’s the 21st century and with the basic technology which all the banks deploy daily, there is no charity too large that cannot be reduced to gifting credit ‘alerts.’ It would be shameful to continue toying with the lives of the poor just for a show of charity.
Two of the nine teens in the Government’s bootcamp pilot are missing in the days after another participant died in a car accident. Oranga Tamariki deputy chief executive Tusha Penny, appearing before a Parliament select committee, confirmed two of the nine pilot participants had absconded and their location was currently unknown. The Herald has requested further comment from Oranga Tamariki and police on the matter. Oranga Tamariki officials are due to respond in a media stand-up in Wellington at 12.30pm. Children’s Minister Karen Chhour yesterday told the Herald she was aware of just one pilot participant absconding.Traumatic Brain Injury Diagnostic Market 2024 Size, Share, Growth Report 2032