WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — Central Indiana is counting down until it hosts another big golf tournament next summer. Last month, LIV Golf announced that it would play a tournament at The Club at Chatham Hills in Westfield. The event, called LIV Golf Indianapolis, will take place Aug. 15-17. The tournament will be the first LIV Golf event that has ever taken place in Indiana. LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman, a two-time major champion, was in Westfield on Thursday. While at the golf course, News 8 Sports’ Andrew Chernoff spoke exclusively to Norman about why Chatham Hills was the selected to host a LIV Golf event next year. “I’ve been through Indiana quite a few times in the past,” Norman said. “Some of my friends, ex-basketball player Larry Bird. So, I’ve spent quite a bit of time around here. I knew this neck of the woods was starving for the game of golf.” Norman was a longtime friend of legendary golf course designer Pete Dye. Dye designed the course at Chatham Hills, which makes it even more special to Norman that LIV Golf is going to play on the course his friend designed. “Obviously (the) relationship I had with Pete Dye and Alice Dye goes back deep for me,” Norman said. “And the conversations we had on a regular basis about golf, the way golf is going in Indiana, how can it get there, the growth of Indiana, the location of Indiana.” Norman said when LIV Golf looked at the golf course, it was a “no-brainer” that it could host an event. “The indicators are telling us we made the smartest decision (to play at Chatham Hills),” Norman said. LIV Golf Indianapolis will also serve as the individual championship for the league next year. Jon Rahm won the individual championship for LIV Golf in 2024.Over the past decade or so, there has been massive innovation when it comes to gaming technology, as well as the types of wagers that are most attractive to gamblers. On the slot machine side of casinos, reel-based slot machines and “low-volatility” games that have lots of smaller payouts have largely been replaced by ever-advancing digital games that focus on big payouts. As a result, gamblers largely play them with the hopes of hitting elusive bonus games and winning hand-paid jackpots (a single slot machine win of $1,200 or more must be manually paid out by casino staff and IRS tax forms issued). Related: Carnival Cruise Line shares surprising topless pool deck news Generally speaking, table games are designed around the main portion of the game. If you sit down at a $10 blackjack table, you’ll win $10 on some hands, lose $10 on others, and hope that your wins outnumber your losses, and you can cash out ahead at the end of the night. There are often side bets and progressives with table games, but they are typically little more than a straightforward way to wager an extra dollar or two in order for a long-shot chance at a big prize. And one big pain point is that the progressives are often difficult to understand, with pay tables, rules, and payouts that aren’t prominently displayed and need to be searched for. While table games like blackjack and three-card poker have begun incorporating side bets that offer potentially large payouts, slots have clearly been the more attractive place to pursue big wins. But that’s starting to change. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter to save money on your next (or your first) cruise. Image source: Matthew Frankel/ComeCruiseWith.com Carnival is bringing big jackpots to table games Galaxy Gaming's Galaxy Operating System (GOS) is now live on over 50 ships operated by Carnival Corporation (this includes Princess and Holland America ships as well as Carnival Cruise Line). In simple terms, the GOS incorporates progressive jackpots into table games, and in just months since its deployment has already awarded more than $5 million in jackpots to table game players. Now, the idea of progressive jackpots incorporated into table games isn’t exactly a new idea. There have been progressive jackpots on table games for achieving certain rare hands for many years. But the GOS takes it to another level with new progressive jackpot options and innovative capabilities. Just to name a few things, the GOS allows operators to add multiple jackpots with different tiers and denominations. As an example, there could be separate progressives for a $5 and $10 bonus bet at a certain game. It also extends beyond card games, such as a “make’em all” progressive on dice tables. There are digital tracking capabilities that let players see past numbers, streaks, and more. And, it features prominent displays and animations to boost engagement and to generally make the progressive aspects of table games more exciting. Be the first to see the best deals on cruises, special sailings, and more. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter. Carnival make table games more exciting (and profitable) To be perfectly clear, any type of side bet on a table game at a casino generally has significantly worse odds than the main game. Table games like blackjack and craps are well-known for having some of the best payback percentages in a casino, but the same is not true for side bets and progressives. ALSO READ: Top travel agents share how to get the best price on your cruise They can certainly add some excitement to your favorite games, but be aware that the odds on these bets are tilted more in the house’s favor. In addition, these side games are generally weighted like slot machines when it comes to earning casino points. This could make the table games more attractive to gamblers who like card and dice games but also want to earn free cruises. More Carnival news: With that in mind, if you’re a player who enjoys chasing large wins, Carnival is offering some new and exciting ways to do it from your favorite table games. If you’re looking for a hand-pay jackpot, you don’t necessarily need to find it from a slot machine. Are you taking a cruise or thinking about taking one? Visit our Come Cruise With Me website to have all your questions answered.
Fellowship Opportunity For Journalists To Attend UN Ocean Conference 2025
It looked like a recipe for disaster. So, when his country's swimmers were being accused of doping earlier this year, one Chinese official cooked up something fast. He blamed it on contaminated noodles. In fact, he argued, it could have been a culinary conspiracy concocted by criminals, whose actions led to the cooking wine used to prepare the noodles being laced with a banned heart drug that found its way into an athlete's system. This theory was spelled out to international anti-doping officials during a meeting and, after weeks of wrangling, finally made it into the thousands of pages of data handed over to the lawyer who investigated the case involving 23 Chinese swimmers who had tested positive for that same drug. The attorney, appointed by the World Anti-Doping Agency, refused to consider that scenario as he sifted through the evidence. In spelling out his reasoning, lawyer Eric Cottier paid heed to the half-baked nature of the theory. “The Investigator considers this scenario, which he has described in the conditional tense, to be possible, no less, no more,” Cottier wrote. Even without the contaminated-noodles theory, Cottier found problems with the way WADA and the Chinese handled the case but ultimately determined WADA had acted reasonably in not appealing China's conclusion that its athletes had been inadvertently contaminated. Critics of the way the China case was handled can't help but wonder if a wider exploration of the noodle theory, details of which were discovered by The Associated Press via notes and emails from after the meeting where it was delivered, might have lent a different flavor to Cottier's conclusions. “There are more story twists to the ways the Chinese explain the TMZ case than a James Bond movie,” said Rob Koehler, the director general of the advocacy group Global Athlete. "And all of it is complete fiction.” In April, reporting from the New York Times and the German broadcaster ARD revealed that the 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for the banned heart medication trimetazidine, also known as TMZ. China's anti-doping agency determined the athletes had been contaminated, and so, did not sanction them. WADA accepted that explanation , did not press the case further, and China was never made to deliver a public notice about the “no-fault findings,” as is often seen in similar cases. The stock explanation for the contamination was that traces of TMZ were found in the kitchen of a hotel where the swimmers were staying. In his 58-page report , Cottier relayed some suspicions about the feasibility of that chain of events — noting that WADA's chief scientist “saw no other solution than to accept it, even if he continued to have doubts about the reality of contamination as described by the Chinese authorities.” But without evidence to support pursuing the case, and with the chance of winning an appeal at almost nil, Cottier determined WADA's “decision not to appeal appears indisputably reasonable.” A mystery remained: How did those traces of TMZ get into the kitchen? Shortly after the doping positives were revealed, the Institute of National Anti-Doping Organizations held a meeting on April 30 where it heard from the leader of China's agency, Li Zhiquan. Li's presentation was mostly filled with the same talking points that have been delivered throughout the saga — that the positive tests resulted from contamination from the kitchen. But he expanded on one way the kitchen might have become contaminated, harkening to another case in China involving a low-level TMZ positive. A pharmaceutical factory, he explained, had used industrial alcohol in the distillation process for producing TMZ. The industrial alcohol laced with the drug “then entered the market through illegal channels,” he said. The alcohol "was re-used by the perpetrators to process and produce cooking wine, which is an important seasoning used locally to make beef noodles,” Li said. “The contaminated beef noodles were consumed by that athlete, resulting in an extremely low concentration of TMZ in the positive sample. "The wrongdoers involved have been brought to justice.” This new information raised eyebrows among the anti-doping leaders listening to Li's report. So much so that over the next month, several emails ensued to make sure the details about the noodles and wine made their way to WADA lawyers, who could then pass it onto Cottier. Eventually, Li did pass on the information to WADA general counsel Ross Wenzel and, just to be sure, one of the anti-doping leaders forwarded it, as well, according to the emails seen by the AP. All this came with Li's request that the noodles story be kept confidential. Turns out, it made it into Cottier's report, though he took the information with a grain of salt. “Indeed, giving it more attention would have required it to be documented, then scientifically verified and validated,” he wrote. Neither Wenzel nor officials at the Chinese anti-doping agency returned messages from AP asking about the noodles conspiracy and the other athlete who Li suggested had been contaminated by them. Meanwhile, 11 of the swimmers who originally tested positive competed at the Paris Games earlier this year in a meet held under the cloud of the Chinese doping case. Though WADA considers the case closed, Koehler and others point to situations like this as one of many reasons that an investigation by someone other than Cottier, who was hired by WADA, is still needed. “It gives the appearance that people are just making things up as they go along on this, and hoping the story just goes away," Koehler said. “Which clearly it has not.” AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
NEW YORK, Dec. 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ready Capital Corporation (NYSE: RC ) ("Ready Capital" or the "Company") today announced that it priced an underwritten public offering of $115.0 million aggregate principal amount of 9.00% Senior Notes due 2029 (the "Notes"). The Notes will be issued in minimum denominations and integral multiples of $25.00. The Company has granted to the underwriters a 30-day over-allotment option to purchase up to an additional $17.25 million aggregate principal amount of the Notes at the public offering price, less the underwriting discount. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from this offering to originate or acquire target assets consistent with its investment strategy and for general corporate purposes. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, Piper Sandler & Co., RBC Capital Markets, LLC, UBS Investment Bank and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC served as book-running managers for the offering. The offering is expected to close on December 10, 2024 and is subject to customary closing conditions. The Company intends to apply to list the Notes on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "RCD" and, if the application is approved, trading is expected to commence within 30 days of the closing of the offering. A registration statement relating to the securities was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and immediately became effective on March 22, 2022. The offering was made only by means of a preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus, which have been filed with the SEC. A copy of the prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus may be obtained free of charge at the SEC's website at www.sec.gov or from the underwriters by contacting: Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC by calling 1-800-584-6837, Piper Sandler & Co. at 1251 Avenue of the Americas, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10020, or by calling toll-free 866-805-4128, or by email at fsg-dcm@psc.com , RBC Capital Markets, LLC by calling 1-866-375-6829 or by emailing rbcnyfixedincomeprospectus@rbccm.com , UBS Investment Bank by calling 1-888-827-7275, Wells Fargo Securities, LLC by calling 1-800-645-3751 or by emailing wfscustomerservice@wellsfargo.com . This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any of the Company's securities, nor shall there be any sale of the Company's securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state. About Ready Capital Corporation Ready Capital Corporation (NYSE: RC) is a multi-strategy real estate finance company that originates, acquires, finances and services lower-to-middle-market investor and owner occupied commercial real estate loans. Ready Capital specializes in loans backed by commercial real estate, including agency multifamily, investor, construction, and bridge as well as U.S. Small Business Administration loans under its Section 7(a) program. Headquartered in New York, New York, Ready Capital employs approximately 350 professionals nationwide. Ready Capital is externally managed and advised by Waterfall Asset Management, LLC. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements. Words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "continue," "intend," "should," "could," "would," "may," "potential" or the negative of those terms or other comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to the inherent uncertainties in predicting future results and conditions, many of which are beyond the control of the Company, including, without limitation, the risk factors and other matters set forth in the prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and the Company's Annual Report on Form 10–K for the year ended December 31, 2023 filed with the SEC and in its other filings with the SEC. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law. Contacts: Investor Relations Ready Capital Corporation 212-257-4666 InvestorRelations@readycapital.comMiddle East latest: Israeli strikes on Gaza hospital wound 3, Netanyahu vows 'iron fist' in Lebanon
NoneCooperCompanies Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2024 Results
British business confidence fell to its lowest level of 2024 in December but employers were a bit more optimistic about the wider economy, according to a survey published on Monday, while separate data showed a pre-Christmas rise in hiring and pay. The Lloyds Bank Business Barometer measure of confidence among companies fell by 2 points to 39 percent, still above its long-run average of 29 percent. Hann-Ju Ho, senior economist at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said the fall extended a drift down since the summer. "The key difference in this month's results is that the fall in confidence is driven by firms' own trading prospects," he said. "There was, however, more positivity regarding the wider economy and, going into 2025, this offers some hope if companies continue to feel confident about the economy." Britain's economy contracted in September and October - the first consecutive monthly falls in output since the Covid-19 pandemic - as employers worried about the new government's first budget which was announced on October 30. The Bank of England last week forecast zero growth in gross domestic product in the final quarter of 2024 but it kept interest rates on hold as it awaited more clarity on the impact on inflation from the budget's tax increases for employers. Lloyds' gauge of price intentions increased slightly in December and remained well above the long-run average. A separate survey suggested the labour market was recovering some of its momentum in the run-up to the Christmas holidays. After a bumpy week for stocks, Wall Street's main indexes ended Friday with gains after cooler-than-expected inflation data eased worries about the path of interest rates. Online jobs website Adzuna said its measure of growth in vacancies rose by the most in 2024 so far in November, up by 2.3 percent from October, driven in part by the logistics sector. Average salaries advertised on Adzuna last month rose by 6.5 percent from a year earlier, the biggest increase since April 2021. Official data last week showed unexpectedly fast pay growth across the economy of 5.2 percent, well above the rate of around 3 percent which the BoE views as consistent with stable inflation. However, Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, said employment trends were soon likely to reflect the impact of the budget as well as the slowdown in the economy. "Right now we are seeing a very competitive hiring landscape," Hunter said. "Yet we expect that the wider macroeconomic environment may begin to impact hiring figures early next year." British business confidence fell to its lowest level of 2024 in December but employers were a bit more optimistic about the wider economy, according to a survey published on Monday, while separate data showed a pre-Christmas rise in hiring and pay. The Lloyds Bank Business Barometer measure of confidence among companies fell by 2 points to 39 percent, still above its long-run average of 29 percent. Hann-Ju Ho, senior economist at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said the fall extended a drift down since the summer. "The key difference in this month's results is that the fall in confidence is driven by firms' own trading prospects," he said. "There was, however, more positivity regarding the wider economy and, going into 2025, this offers some hope if companies continue to feel confident about the economy." Britain's economy contracted in September and October - the first consecutive monthly falls in output since the Covid-19 pandemic - as employers worried about the new government's first budget which was announced on October 30. The Bank of England last week forecast zero growth in gross domestic product in the final quarter of 2024 but it kept interest rates on hold as it awaited more clarity on the impact on inflation from the budget's tax increases for employers. Lloyds' gauge of price intentions increased slightly in December and remained well above the long-run average. A separate survey suggested the labour market was recovering some of its momentum in the run-up to the Christmas holidays. After a bumpy week for stocks, Wall Street's main indexes ended Friday with gains after cooler-than-expected inflation data eased worries about the path of interest rates. Online jobs website Adzuna said its measure of growth in vacancies rose by the most in 2024 so far in November, up by 2.3 percent from October, driven in part by the logistics sector. Average salaries advertised on Adzuna last month rose by 6.5 percent from a year earlier, the biggest increase since April 2021. Official data last week showed unexpectedly fast pay growth across the economy of 5.2 percent, well above the rate of around 3 percent which the BoE views as consistent with stable inflation. However, Andrew Hunter, co-founder of Adzuna, said employment trends were soon likely to reflect the impact of the budget as well as the slowdown in the economy. "Right now we are seeing a very competitive hiring landscape," Hunter said. "Yet we expect that the wider macroeconomic environment may begin to impact hiring figures early next year."
Mangaluru: Carmel School proudly celebrates diamond jubileeGREENWICH, Conn., Dec. 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GXO Logistics, Inc. (NYSE: GXO) today announced that Malcolm Wilson, chief executive officer, has informed the board of directors that he plans to retire in 2025. He will continue to lead the company during the executive search process for his successor. Brad Jacobs, chairman of the GXO Board of Directors, said, “Malcolm’s countless contributions to GXO and its legacy parent XPO span nearly a decade. Under his leadership, GXO has added more than $3 billion of revenue and received global recognitions each year for innovation and workplace culture. Our incoming CEO will inherit a best-in-class management team and strong industry positioning, while Malcolm will embark on a well-deserved retirement. I fully support this decision and wish him all the best.” Since being named CEO in August 2021, Mr. Wilson has led GXO’s growth to 130,000 employees and more than 200 million square feet of facility space in the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. During his tenure, GXO has acquired Clipper Logistics and Wincanton among others; increased revenue from $7.9 billion in 2021 to $11 billion in the twelve months ended September 30, 2024; increased adjusted EBITDA from $633 million in 2021 to $757 million in the twelve months ended September 30, 2024; and achieved a return on invested capital of more than 30% per year. Malcolm Wilson said, “My time at GXO has been the highlight of my three decades in logistics. We have an outstanding organization that embraces new technologies, keeping us at the forefront of the industry. I’m grateful to the team and our customers for their support — and I look forward to working with the Board to ensure the company is in excellent hands.” About GXO Logistics GXO Logistics, Inc. (NYSE: GXO) is the world’s largest pure-play contract logistics provider and is capitalizing on the rapid growth of ecommerce and automation. GXO is committed to providing a world-class, diverse workplace for more than 130,000 team members in more than 970 facilities totaling approximately 200 million square feet. The company partners with the world’s leading blue-chip companies to solve complex logistics challenges with technologically advanced supply chain and ecommerce solutions. GXO is headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut, USA. Visit GXO.com for more information and connect with GXO on LinkedIn , X , Facebook , Instagram and YouTube . Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical fact are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as “plans,” “continue,” “will,” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terms. However, the absence of these words does not mean that the statements are not forward-looking. Unknown or unpredictable factors could cause actual events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements expressed herein. Contacts Investors Chris Jordan chris.jordan@gxo.com Media Matthew Schmidt matt.schmidt@gxo.comNEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks tiptoed to more records amid a mixed Tuesday of trading, tacking a touch more onto what’s already been a stellar year so far. The S&P 500 edged up by 2 points, or less than 0.1%, to set an all-time high for the 55th time this year. It’s climbed in 10 of the last 11 days and is on track for one of its best years since the turn of the millennium. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 76 points, or 0.2%, while the Nasdaq composite added 0.4% to its own record set a day earlier. AT&T rose 4.6% after it boosted its profit forecast for the year. It also announced a $10 billion plan to send cash to its investors by buying back its own stock, while saying it expects to authorize another $10 billion of repurchases in 2027. On the losing end of Wall Street was U.S. Steel, which fell 8%. President-elect Donald Trump reiterated on social media that he would not let Japan’s Nippon Steel take over the iconic Pennsylvania steelmaker. Nippon Steel announced plans last December to buy the Pittsburgh-based steel producer for $14.1 billion in cash, raising concerns about what the transaction could mean for unionized workers, supply chains and U.S. national security. Earlier this year, President Joe Biden also came out against the acquisition. Tesla sank 1.6% after a judge in Delaware reaffirmed a previous ruling that the electric car maker must revoke Elon Musk’s multibillion-dollar pay package. The judge denied a request by attorneys for Musk and Tesla’s corporate directors to vacate her ruling earlier this year requiring the company to rescind the unprecedented pay package. All told, the S&P 500 rose 2.73 points to 6,049.88. The Dow fell 76.47 to 44,705.53, and the Nasdaq composite gained 76.96 to 19,480.91. In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady after a report showed U.S. employers were advertising slightly more job openings at the end of October than a month earlier. Continued strength there would raise optimism that the economy could remain out of a recession that many investors had earlier worried was inevitable. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.23% from 4.20% from late Monday. Yields have seesawed since Election Day amid worries that Trump’s preferences for lower tax rates and bigger tariffs could spur higher inflation along with economic growth. But traders are still confident the Federal Reserve will cut its main interest rate again at its next meeting in two weeks. They’re betting on a nearly three-in-four chance of that, according to data from CME Group. Lower rates can give the economy more juice, but they can also give inflation more fuel. The key report this week that could guide the Fed’s next move will arrive on Friday. It’s the monthly jobs report , which will show how many workers U.S. employers hired and fired during November. It could be difficult to parse given how much storms and strikes distorted figures in October. Based on trading in the options market, Friday’s jobs report appears to be the biggest potential market mover until the Fed announces its next decision on interest rates Dec. 18, according to strategists at Barclays Capital. In financial markets abroad, the value of South Korea’s currency fell 1.1% against the U.S. dollar following a frenetic night where President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law and then later said he’d lift it after lawmakers voted to reject military rule. Stocks of Korean companies that trade in the United States also fell, including a 1.6% drop for SK Telecom. Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped 1.9% to help lead global markets. Some analysts think Japanese stocks could end up benefiting from Trump’s threats to raise tariffs , including for goods coming from China . Trade relations between the U.S. and China took another step backward after China said it is banning exports to the U.S. of gallium, germanium, antimony and other key high-tech materials with potential military applications. The counterpunch came swiftly after the U.S. Commerce Department expanded the list of Chinese technology companies subject to export controls to include many that make equipment used to make computer chips, chipmaking tools and software. The 140 companies newly included in the so-called “entity list” are nearly all based in China. In China, stock indexes rose 1% in Hong Kong and 0.4% in Shanghai amid unconfirmed reports that Chinese leaders would meet next week to discuss planning for the coming year. Investors are hoping it may bring fresh stimulus to help spur growth in the world’s second-largest economy. In France, the CAC 40 rose 0.3% amid continued worries about politics in Paris , where the government is battling over the budget. AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott contributed.
NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers formally asked a judge Monday to throw out his hush money criminal conviction , arguing that continuing the case would present unconstitutional “disruptions to the institution of the Presidency.“ In a filing made public Tuesday, Trump’s lawyers told Manhattan Judge Juan M. Merchan that anything short of immediate dismissal would undermine the transition of power, as well as the “overwhelming national mandate" granted to Trump by voters last month. They also cited President Joe Biden’s recent pardon of his son, Hunter Biden, who had been convicted of tax and gun charges . “President Biden asserted that his son was ‘selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,’ and ‘treated differently,’" Trump’s legal team wrote. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, they claimed, had engaged in the type of political theater "that President Biden condemned.” Prosecutors will have until Dec. 9 to respond. They have said they will fight any efforts to dismiss the case but have indicated a willingness to delay the sentencing until after Trump’s second term ends in 2029. In their filing Monday, Trump's attorneys dismissed the idea of holding off sentencing until Trump is out of office as a “ridiculous suggestion.” Following Trump’s election victory last month, Merchan halted proceedings and indefinitely postponed his sentencing, previously scheduled for late November, to allow the defense and prosecution to weigh in on the future of the case. He also delayed a decision on Trump’s prior bid to dismiss the case on immunity grounds. Trump has been fighting for months to reverse his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels to suppress her claim that they had sex a decade earlier. He says they did not and denies any wrongdoing. The defense filing was signed by Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, who represented Trump during the trial and have since been selected by the president-elect to fill senior roles at the Justice Department. Taking a swipe at Bragg and New York City, as Trump often did throughout the trial, the filing argues that dismissal would also benefit the public by giving him and “the numerous prosecutors assigned to this case a renewed opportunity to put an end to deteriorating conditions in the City and to protect its residents from violent crime.” Clearing Trump, the lawyers added, would also allow him to “to devote all of his energy to protecting the Nation.” Merchan hasn’t yet set a timetable for a decision. He could decide to uphold the verdict and proceed to sentencing, delay the case until Trump leaves office, wait until a federal appeals court rules on Trump’s parallel effort to get the case moved out of state court or choose some other option. An outright dismissal of the New York case would further lift a legal cloud that at one point carried the prospect of derailing Trump’s political future. Last week, special counsel Jack Smith told courts that he was withdrawing both federal cases against Trump — one charging him with hoarding classified documents at his Florida estate, the other with scheming to overturn the 2020 presidential election he lost — citing longstanding Justice Department policy that shields a president from indictment while in office. The hush money case was the only one of Trump’s four criminal indictments to go to trial, resulting in a historic verdict that made him the first former president to be convicted of a crime. Prosecutors had cast the payout as part of a Trump-driven effort to keep voters from hearing salacious stories about him. Trump’s then-lawyer Michael Cohen paid Daniels. Trump later reimbursed him, and Trump’s company logged the reimbursements as legal expenses — concealing what they really were, prosecutors alleged. Trump has said the payments to Cohen were properly categorized as legal expenses for legal work. A month after the verdict, the Supreme Court ruled that ex-presidents can’t be prosecuted for official acts — things they did in the course of running the country — and that prosecutors can’t cite those actions to bolster a case centered on purely personal, unofficial conduct. Trump’s lawyers cited the ruling to argue that the hush money jury got some improper evidence, such as Trump’s presidential financial disclosure form, testimony from some White House aides and social media posts made during his first term. Prosecutors disagreed and said the evidence in question was only “a sliver” of their case. If the verdict stands and the case proceeds to sentencing, Trump’s punishments would range from a fine to probation to up to four years in prison — but it’s unlikely he’d spend any time behind bars for a first-time conviction involving charges in the lowest tier of felonies. Because it is a state case, Trump would not be able to pardon himself once he returns to office. ___ Michael R. Sisak And Jake Offenhartz, The Associated Press
Canada Post says it has removed the deadline for its Santa Claus letter program amid an ongoing national workers’ strike that has halted mail delivery leading up to the holiday season. Some 55,000 workers walked off the job more than two weeks ago, suspending mail service — and a program that helps deliver up to 1.5 million letters from Canadian kids to the North Pole each year. The postal service says in a statement that while the initial deadline to mail a letter to Santa with the iconic H0H 0H0 postal code was Dec. 6, it has now removed the deadline from its website. It says once operations resume, it will ensure that all letters make it to the North Pole and receive a reply, but it cannot guarantee delivery dates. Canada Post says since the program began more than 40 years ago, Santa’s North Pole post office has delivered replies to more than 45 million letters. During the strike, some communities have stepped up to deliver Santa’s mail themselves, offering their own local programming on social media to make sure letter writers receive a reply by Christmas. The strike entered its 19th day as the Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping weekend came to a close. Canada Post said Monday it was waiting for the union to respond to a framework it presented over the weekend for reaching negotiated agreements. The Canadian Union of Postal Workers has said it’s reviewed the proposal. It said Canada Post has moved closer to the union’s position on some issues, but the framework “still remains far from something members could ratify.” One of the sticking points has been a push to add weekend delivery, with the union and Canada Post disagreeing over how the rollout would work. The federal government has been under pressure from the business community to intervene in the strike but has said that’s not in the cards.Stock market today: Wall Street inches higher to set more records