Falcons feeling the pressure at .500 as Cousins' interceptions put spotlight on downturn for offenseHow to reach the end of the year without burning out
Tight end Colston Loveland announced on social media Friday that he is going to enter the 2025 NFL Draft. Loveland spent the last three years at Michigan and is ranked as one of this year’s top prospects at the position. Loveland caught 56 passes for 582 yards and five touchdowns in 10 games for the Wolverines this season. He had 45 catches for 649 yards and four touchdowns on the way to winning a national title during the 2023 season. The Wolverines also saw defensive lineman Mason Graham and cornerback Will Johnson declare for the draft this week as the final remnants of that title team make their way from Ann Arbor to the professional ranks.NoneSACRAMENTO, Calif. , Dec. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- This holiday season, help give the drivers in your life the gift of convenience and control with the Reviver RPLATE ® — the exclusive digital license plate of the Sacramento Kings. The innovative RPLATE is the world's first digital license plate, allowing drivers to monitor and customize their license plate through the ease of a mobile application. Whether it is a teenager's first ride, or the dream car your parents always wanted, the holidays are the perfect time to gift your loved ones with a new car. Reviver has the perfect companion gift for a new car — the RPLATE, a smart and sleek digital license plate. The RPLATE helps make owning and maintaining a car easier and more enjoyable by turning the license plate into a connected vehicle platform. Through the RPLATE, drivers can quickly renew and update their vehicle's registration via the secure Reviver app. The RPLATE also offers fun personalization features with its weatherproof display, such as light/dark mode and banner messages. "I created Reviver and the RPLATE because I observed that the license plate and vehicle registration ecosystem wasn't innovating to meet the needs of the modern world," said Reviver Founder and Chief Strategy Officer Neville Boston . "At Reviver, we want to reimagine the driving experience and what a license plate can do. We want to make life easier for drivers, businesses, and government." Today, more than 65,000 drivers own an RPLATE including Cedric the Entertainer, Marshall Faulk and DJ Skee. Sacramento Kings fans can learn more about Reviver and the innovative RPLATE at an upcoming home game at Golden 1 Center. ABOUT REVIVER ® Reviver ® is a technology company on a mission to modernize the driving experience. As developer of the world's first digital license plate platform, Reviver products transform the license plate into a connected vehicle platform, enabling consumers and commercial businesses to digitize vehicle registration renewals and experience a growing set of personalization, convenience, and safety features, all managed through a mobile or web app interface. Reviver's digital license plates are legal for sale in Arizona and California , along with Texas for commercial fleet vehicles. Ten additional states are in various stages of adoption. Founded in 2009, Reviver is headquartered in Northern California , and is the official patch partner of the Sacramento Kings and the official innovation partner of the Sacramento Kings and Golden 1 Center. To purchase an RPLATE click here . To learn more about the RPLATE, click here . View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/help-them-drive-like-a-sacramento-king-give-the-gift-of-a-reviver-rplate-302337650.html SOURCE ReviverIf you happened to catch streaming coverage of the recently completed BFGoodrich SCORE Baja 1000, off-road racing’s newest technology was front and center for those knowing not what they were watching, but how it was possible in the first place. For hours, SCORE’s production group provided viewers real time live in-car coverage shot in the middle of Baja’s vast wilderness, all without a cell tower or relay helicopter in sight. At one point the production cut to a live shot from inside Rob MacCachren’s chase team located on a highway directly behind the race-winning McMillin Racing Trophy-Truck. The SCORE in-studio announcing team was able to speak directly with MacCachren’s wife Amber, who was giving updates in real time from the chase truck. In-car cameras are certainly not new, but the ability to connect cameras, voice and data from some of the world’s most remote locations is. All of it can be attributed to off-road racing’s increasing use of the Starlink satellite communications system engineered and marketed by SpaceX. First adopted by the marine and RV industries, the mobile Starlink units have seen a strong uptick in use by desert racing teams to greatly improve communications between race vehicles, chase teams and crew members. With direct internet access, all the old radio (with relays perched high on mountain tops or planes) and satellite phone technology is quickly becoming a thing of the past. The advent of installing the Starlink units on to the race vehicles themselves is a newer trend as advancements in products specifically made for this application come to market. PCI Race Radios, for example, now sells complete installation kits for the Starlink Gen 2, Gen 3 and the recently released Starlink Mini that includes custom mounts that house the dish itself and protects it from water, dust and vibration. The units can use a magnetic mount or incorporated into solid mounts on a steel chassis or roll cage. The key development in transforming Starlink connectivity into a live streaming service provider is the invention of the Star Stream system. Invented by California-based Star Stream company founder George Hammel, a patent-pending control unit named the StreamBox Pro takes input from two GoPro cameras and re-streams the feed to content production trucks or directly to social media platforms. Racers can use the StreamBox Pro to switch camera angles, add image overlays and provide their feeds to a dedicated profile on Star Stream to send private coverage links directly to team members, sponsors, friends and family. A primary example leading teams creating their own relevant content is 1Nine Industries, a top manufacturer of Trophy Trucks based in Fountain Valley, Calif. Formerly Herbst-Smith Fabrication, in recent years the rebranded company has expanded from a private operation for the legendary Herbst off-road family of Nevada to providing turn-key vehicles, maintenance and race support for a variety of customers. 1Nine Industries and the Herbst family is not only providing a testing platform to perfect the technology, but also important funding to create proof of concept. Together with cinematographer Bryan Moore, the team integrated the use of the Star Stream system and live helicopter coverage to provide real time coverage of 1Nine Industries’ racing desert racing efforts in Baja and the U.S. All the camera footage is streamed directly to Star Stream’s production studios and cut live with graphics for hours of streaming content. The result has been nothing short of impressive, producing 75,000,000 Terrible Herbst Motorsports social media views in 2024. As verified by sponsorship analytics company Hookit, the live Herbst Motorsports live racing experience and social media generated 63.8 million impressions on Instagram and 18.5 million on YouTube. “That’s a big number, isn’t it?” enthused 1Nine Industries and Terrible Herbst Motorsports President Ryan Arciero. “Now everything is in real time, and we have never had access like that before. It’s changed everything for the better, and our sport’s future has blown wide open.” As applicable as the system is to remote desert racing applications, Crandon International Raceway and its production partners at TRG Rennsport and Long Haul Productions successfully introduced Star Stream to short-course racing at the Labor Day weekend Polaris Crandon World Championships and Red Bull Crandon World Cup event. With the help of progressive race teams looking to advance the sport (and pay for their own systems) for the first time in the sport’s 56-year history viewers enjoyed real time in-car cameras as part of MAVTV network’s record-breaking 16 hours of live Crandon coverage. Hammel and his company have now started working with the promoters of offshore boat racing, as well as producing all the streaming for the Legacy Racing Association desert series as well. While all of this surely represents a way to greatly expand off-road racing’s footprint and audience, new technology also comes with growing pains. One issue is the interface with the race teams creating content within a sanctioned event in which the “broadcast” material is owned by the organizing body. Imagine the Ferrari F1 team producing live content from a race but having the ability to stream live footage on its own social media platforms. It would never happen. The counter-argument to that is certainly a relevant one. The off-road audience when juxtaposed to F1 or even IMSA for that matter is growing, but smaller. In the case of the Baja 1000 or Crandon, the race teams themselves pay for all the equipment and installation costs, not the promoter or sanctioning body. The costs for a single Starlink/Star Steam package starts at around $4500 per vehicle, plus a mobile subscription from Starlink. In the case of the Terrible Herbst Motorsports team, the agreement with SCORE International is that they have the rights to livestream on their channels only if SCORE’s production group has equal access to the same live footage. What is not allowed currently is for teams like Terrible Herbst to provide the footage to any of its sponsors for use on their social media channels unless they pay SCORE a substantial licensing fee. The argument, of course, is that expansion of the sport is better served with additional eyeballs, something that the Terrible Herbst team could provide via primary sponsors like Monster Energy and BFGoodrich. With off-road desert racing teams competing for little to no prize or championship money while also paying for the livestream production equipment, that argument is more than relevant. Another challenge lies in the sheer quantity of live content. At the Baja 1000, Hammel shared that Star Stream-equipped teams added 94 additional in-car cameras for coverage of the event. With that much coming in, there is no way to guarantee teams little to any coverage within the official SCORE livestream. A final challenge is one based in technology. This type of access to internet communication can also allow live telemetry (which Star Stream is currently working on) from the race vehicle to an engineer, and vice versa — thus opening the door for in-race engine, shock and transmission tuning from anywhere in the world. The wide-open unlimited rules package in desert racing’s fastest classes allows for this, but not in the much more controlled environment of short-course racing, for instance. No matter the outcome, thanks to SpaceX, Starlink and innovators like Hammel, the power of real time, in-car content and unlimited internet access has arrived to greatly impact off-road racing’s future. Given the environment, it changes this form of motorsports far more than almost any other on earth.
Nancy Pelosi was a leading figure in the ouster of Joe Biden from the US Presidential election race, according to reports, and has been blamed by many for the loss of Kamala Harris against Republican Party's Donald Trump . Meanwhile, if all of this was not enough, she is now planning a major cleanup drive within the Democratic Party bracket, and is initially targeting the top member of her party on the Judiciary Committee , Jerry Nadler, according to a Daily Beast report. Is Pelosi restructuring within her own party? The US Presidential elections 2024 race is now finally over and it is Donald Trump, who will become the President next, but Pelosi is still adamant in leading the political charge, and this time, within her own party. Meanwhile, reports suggest that her efforts are more like a move to bring in young guns into the Democratic fold, rather than aged politicians, who do not have the standing or strength to go after Donald Trump and other hotshot Republicans in the upcoming administration. Why is Pelosi bringing in fresh-blood Democrats into the fold? Trump will be adapting a combative approach towards law and order, and he has made that very clear since day one of winning the US Presidential elections. He has also appointed a federal department to look into excess government expenses, and if all of these are needed to be countered in the House or the Senate, it will need fierce Democrats, which Pelosi is claiming to be her motive for her latest political moves, if reports are to be believed. FAQs: Is Donald Trump the winner of the US elections? Yes, Donald Trump emerged as the winner of the US Presidential elections 2024, after beating Kamala Harris convincingly on November 5. Is Nancy Pelosi working against her own party? Nancy Pelosi appears to be restructuring within her own party, as a bid to bring in fierce Democrats to counter Trump and his upcoming administration. 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Related Articles Business | The year in money: inflation eased, optimism ticked upward Business | Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds Business | How to protect your communications through encryption Business | About 2.6 million Stanley cups recalled after malfunctions caused burns. Is your mug included? Business | Musk says US is demanding he pay penalty over disclosures of his Twitter stock purchases Whether you’ve been saving since your first job or you’re getting a late start, you can leverage expert-recommended strategies to gauge your progress on the road to retirement. And if you’re not quite on track, don’t sweat it — the experts we spoke to offered actionable tips to help you close the gap. 5 ways to tell if you’re on track for retirement You might have a general idea of how much money you need to save for retirement . A few quick calculations can give you an estimate, but to truly appreciate where you stand, you’ll need to dive into the numbers. Here’s how to get started. 1. Use the Rule of 25 to get a ballpark number A good rule of thumb to estimate your retirement savings goal is the Rule of 25 . Simply multiply your desired annual retirement income by 25. The result is roughly how much you’ll need to save before hitting retirement. For example, if you plan to spend $50,000 a year, you’ll need about $1.25 million to make it a reality. The Rule of 25 is based on the idea that withdrawing 4% annually from your retirement savings should last you about 30 years. While it’s not an exact science by any means — health care costs and lifestyle changes can skew the numbers, for example — the Rule of 25 can be a good starting point to figure out how much you need to save. 2. Compare your savings to Fidelity guidelines Fidelity Investments, a behemoth in the retirement planning space, offers savings guidelines to help you determine if you’re on track . —By age 30: Save 1x your annual salary —By age 40: Save 3x your annual salary —By age 50: Save 6x your annual salary —By age 60: Save 8x your annual salary —By age 67: Save 10x your annual salary For example, if you earn $60,000 annually, you should aim for $600,000 in savings by age 67. But like the Rule of 25, Fidelity’s guidelines offer a 10,000-foot look at retirement goals, and they’re not customized to your situation. Maybe you earned a low salary in your 20s, but you’re working hard in your 30s to make up for it. Use these estimates as a benchmark — but don’t get discouraged if you’re lagging behind. 3. Use an online retirement calculator Now it’s time to zoom in a little. To get a clearer snapshot of your progress, use an online retirement calculator. These tools factor in your age, current savings, income and lifestyle goals to estimate whether you’re on track. You’ll get a more refined estimate without crunching the numbers yourself. Bankrate’s retirement calculator even lets you input different rates of return on your investments and accounts for estimated annual salary increases. 4. Map out your retirement budget Having a general savings goal is nice, but to avoid falling short in retirement, you’ll need more than a ballpark figure. Experts recommend creating a retirement budget to get an up-close-and-personal look at how much you’ll really need once you leave the workforce. First, estimate how much you’ll spend per month in retirement. While some costs will increase, like health care, others will likely decrease, like dining out and commuting. “Estimating expenses can be challenging for some people, so as a starting point, I often use your net take-home pay,” says Jeff DeLarme, a certified financial planner and president of DeLarme Wealth Management. For example, if you receive a direct deposit of $2,500 every two weeks from work, use $5,000 as your estimated monthly spending in retirement. “Assuming this was enough to pay the bills while working, we can use $5,000 a month as a starting budget to plan for,” says DeLarme. Next, map out your sources of income in retirement. Social Security is the largest income stream for most retirees, but don’t neglect other inflows, such as: —Workplace retirement accounts, like 401(k)s —Personal retirement accounts, like a traditional or Roth IRA —Pensions —Annuities —Selling your home or business —Rental income —Inheritance “If there’s a gap between your expected expenses and income, you’ll have a good idea of how much you need to save,” says Mike Hunsberger, a certified financial planner and owner of Next Mission Financial Planning. From there, you can adjust your savings and investment strategy accordingly. 5. Talk to a financial adviser For something as important (and complex) as retirement planning, it pays to speak with a professional. Financial advisers can analyze your savings, investments and retirement goals to create a personalized plan. Advisers use special planning software that account for more variables than an online calculator, giving you a much more precise, granular look at your financial life in retirement. Many financial advisers can also help you optimize your tax strategy, which can potentially save you thousands of dollars over time. Make sure the adviser you hire is a fiduciary , meaning they’re legally obligated to prioritize your interests over their own. A fiduciary won’t push investments to earn a commission or recommend products that aren’t aligned with your needs. A certified financial planner is one of the most well-recognized designations for fiduciaries. You can use Bankrate’s adviser matching tool to find a certified financial planner in your area in minutes. 5 ways to catch up on retirement savings Maybe you did the math and realized you’re not quite where you need to be. Don’t panic if you’re behind schedule. Here are five strategies experts recommend to help you catch up on your retirement savings . 1. Scale back your spending now and in retirement Cutting expenses now frees up more cash to invest in your retirement accounts. Evaluate your budget and identify areas where you can cut costs, like dining out, streaming subscriptions or shopping. Don’t rule out bigger lifestyle changes either, especially if retirement is rapidly approaching. Housing is the biggest monthly expense for most people. Getting creative here can help amplify the amount you can sock away, says Joseph Boughan, a certified financial planner and managing member at Parkmount Financial Partners. It can also reduce your expenses in retirement, so you may not need to save as much as before. “Downsizing can be a great way to cut expenses,” says Boughan. “This can even free up cash if you don’t end up needing all that money for a new home.” Moving somewhere with lower property taxes or income taxes can also help bring your retirement plan back in line. And if you’re a renter, making tough short-term decisions, like taking on a roommate or moving to a lower cost-of-living area, can free up hundreds of dollars a month for your retirement. “Everyone’s plan is unique, so exploring all the options is important,” Boughan says. Joe Conroy, a certified financial planner and owner of Harford Retirement Planners, recommends taking a “retirement test drive” as you near your target date. “Start to live on what income you think you can afford in retirement and stash all the extra income into savings and investments,” says Conroy. “If you can make it through each month, you’re ready for retirement. If you run short, then adjust your plan accordingly.” 2. Delay retirement by a year or two Working a little longer can be a game-changer for your retirement nest egg. Not only does it give you more time to save, it also gives your investments room to grow. “Working longer or even just part time for a few years early in retirement is one of the best ways to reduce the amount of money you need to save,” says Hunsberger. Postponing retirement can also boost your Social Security benefits . “You can claim as early as 62, but your benefits will be reduced significantly,” says Hunsberger. Meanwhile, each year you delay claiming Social Security benefits beyond your full retirement age , your monthly check will increase by 8%, though this benefit maxes out at age 70. So waiting can really pay off. 3. Save more It may seem obvious, but if you’re behind on retirement savings, you’ll need to boost your contributions as much as possible. Here are a few ways to make saving for retirement easier: —Increase your contribution rate: Allocate a larger portion of your paycheck to a workplace retirement plan. Even bumping up your contributions by 1% or 2% can make a huge difference down the road. —Take advantage of your employer match: Don’t leave free money on the table. Many employers will chip in between 3 and 5% depending on your plan, so make sure you’re contributing enough to take advantage of the benefit. —Use “unexpected” money to catch up: If you get a raise or bonus at work, funnel part of it directly into your 401(k). And if you get a refund at tax time, siphon some of it off to beef up your IRA. 4. Invest more aggressively If you’ve been investing in low-risk, low-return investments, you may not be keeping up with inflation, let alone growing your nest egg. Reallocating part of your portfolio to stocks or low-cost growth exchange-traded funds (ETFs) is one way to get your money working harder. Higher-risk investments like stocks carry more volatility but also offer higher potential returns. Work with a financial adviser or use a robo-adviser to strike the right balance between growth and your personal risk tolerance. 5. Take advantage of new retirement account catch-up contributions Contribution limits for 401(k) plans and IRAs are higher for people over 50. For 2025, employees aged 50 and up who participate in most 401(k) plans or the federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan can save up to $31,000 annually, including a $7,500 catch-up contribution . But thanks to SECURE 2.0 , a sweeping retirement law, a new higher catch-up contribution limit of $11,250 applies for employees ages 60 to 63. So, if you’re in this age group, you can squirrel away a whopping $34,750 a year during the final stretch of your career. Of course, you’ll need a big salary (think six figures) in order to take full advantage of such massive contribution limits. But if you can afford it, these catch-up allowances can put your plan back on track, especially if you struggled to save much early in your career. Bottom line There’s no GPS to gauge your progress on the road to retirement. If you’ve veered off course or aren’t sure where to start, begin by getting a quick estimate of how much you’ll need before mapping out a retirement budget. And if you’re behind, don’t panic — adjusting your spending, boosting your contributions and speaking with a financial adviser can help you catch up. ©2024 Bankrate.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Published 00:22 IST, December 30th 2024 As 2024 comes to a close, Google has published its Year in Search report, revealing the most searched topics across the world. As 2024 comes to a close, Google has published its Year in Search report, revealing the most searched topics across the world and what users looked most into the search engine. In 2024, the highest search traffic was driven by topics such as global elections, major news events, and sports events. Here’s a look at Top Trending Searches Across Globe Football tournament Copa America generated the most traffic searches on Google. Defending champions Argentina secured a historic 16th Copa America title, defeating Colombia 1-0 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Florida on July 14. Lionel Messi added another title to his illustrious career. The next in list was UEFA Euros which was held in month of June-July. Spain defeated England England 2-1 on July 14 and registered its fourth European crown. In 2024, India clinched the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, ending a 13-year wait for an ICC trophy by defeating South Africa in the final. The next on the list: 4. England cricket team's tour of India , 5. Liam Payne (One Direction band member) who passed away in November, 6. Donald Trump , 7. India vs Bangladesh , 8. iPhone 16 , 9. Paris 2024 Olympics , and 10. Catherine, Princess of Wales' who got diagnosed with cancer this year, were in the top 10 global searches across Google. Top 10 Most Searched News The 2024 news cycle on Google was dominated by the US presidential elections. President Joe Biden withdrew from the race for the White House, with the Democrats nominating Kamala Harris, who ultimately lost to the Republican candidate, Donald Trump. According to several reports, the year 2024 has been declared as the hottest year since the recording of temperature began. This caused a surge in global searches for the term on the search engine. Paris olympics was among the newsmakers for the year 2024. India registered 6 medals in the the Olympics. The tournament was marred with a boxing controversy where an Italian boxer Angela Carini went up against Algerian Imane Khelif. Khelif had been disqualified from the previous year's world championships due to a failed gender eligibility test. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) granted Khelif permission to compete in the 2024 Olympic Games. Hurricane Milton made landfall in the Gulf of Mexico, impacting several states of the US. According to estimates, more than $50 billion of infrastructure was damaged while several people were killed. In May, Israel initiated a limited operation in Rafah targeting Hamas militants. The operation quickly gained attention on social media, with the hashtag #AllEyesonRafah trending. A CrowdStrike update triggered a major IT outage, causing millions of Windows systems to crash in August. The disruption of critical services and business operations highlighted the risks associated with heavy reliance on technology. In July, Donald Trump was shot and wounded in his upper right ear by Thomas Crooks, a 20-year-old man in Pennsylvania. Crooks also killed one audience member and critically injured two others. The documentary on The Menendez Brothers was released on the streaming platform Netflix, which captured the sensational crime of murdering their parents. Brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez have pleaded their case. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared monkeypox a public health emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on August 14, 2024, which led to a surge in search traffic. Get Current Updates on India News , Entertainment News along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world. Updated 00:25 IST, December 30th 2024Hail Flutie: BC celebrates 40th anniversary of Miracle in MiamiNew Travel Alert as Pennsylvania, Southeastern Wisconsin, Great Lakes, Milwaukee, Chicago Experiencing Chilling Effect
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Snap-On Inc. stock underperforms Monday when compared to competitors(The Center Square) – Although it remains unclear how many Democratic Senators will vote for the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, some House members in the party have explained why they voted yes, despite a controversial provision restricting military-funded transgender surgeries for minors. The nearly $900 billion bill passed the House 281-140 Wednesday, with 200 Republicans and 81 Democrats voting in favor versus 124 Democrats and 16 Republicans voting against it. Most of the NDAA consists of bipartisan agreements, such as pay raises for service members, strengthened ties with U.S. allies, and funding of new military technology. But a critical point of contention is a Republican addition that would prohibit the military’s health program from covering any gender dysphoria treatments on minors that could "result in sterilization.” The must-pass bill is so critical that nearly 40% of House Democrats voted in favor–but not without expressing their disappointment. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., condemned Republican colleagues who, she said, “chose to sully this bill with political culture wars;” nevertheless, she voted in favor. “While it doesn't address everything we asked for and consider important, including the full ability of parents to make their own decisions about healthcare for their children, it marks a rare moment of productive bipartisan agreement on what is arguably the most crucial legislation we take up as a body each year,” Houlahan said. The bill’s provision does not forbid service members’ children from receiving transgender therapy. It forbids the military’s health insurance provider, TRICARE, from covering treatments on minors that “may result in sterilization.” Reps. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, and Terri Sewell, D-Ala., also voted in favor of the bill despite their displeasure at the ban. “The NDAA is a hugely important bill. We had to pass it, which is why I voted yes,” Landsman posted on X Friday. “However, the anti-trans language that was attached to it was mean and awful and should never have been included.” “I have serious concerns about some remaining provisions that were placed in the bill for political purposes,” Sewell said Wednesday. “Still, the responsibility to support our service members and provide for our national security is one that I do not take lightly, which is why I ultimately chose to support the bill.” Besides the importance of annual military funding, another reason some House Democrats assented to the legislation is because they were successful in axing other House Republican amendments, such as a plan to eliminate reimbursements for service members who travel to obtain abortions. The Senate is expected to pass the bill within the next few days, after which President Joe Biden is expected to sign it into law.What Are The New Travel Trends in US Tourism Sector and How It Will Affect in Industry ?
BERLIN (Reuters) – U.S. billionaire Elon Musk drew criticism from German politicians from the government and opposition on Sunday for an opinion piece he wrote backing the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) which they deemed “intrusive” outside influence. The support of the AfD from Musk, who is set to serve U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s administration as an outside adviser, comes as Germans are set to vote on Feb. 23 after a coalition government led by Chancellor Olaf Scholz collapsed. The commentary published in German in the Welt am Sonntag newspaper, flagship of the Axel Springer media group, expanded on a post by Musk on social media platform X last week in which he wrote “only the AfD can save Germany” and praised the party’s approach to regulation, taxes and market deregulation. In response to the publication of his commentary, the editor of the newspaper’s opinion section said on X that she had resigned. Friedrich Merz, leader of the opposition Christian Democrats and current favourite to succeed Scholz as chancellor, said in an interview with the Funke Media Group: “I cannot recall a comparable case of interference, in the history of Western democracies, in the election campaign of a friendly country.” Merz described the commentary as “intrusive and pretentious”. Saskia Esken, co-leader of Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD), vowed fierce resistance to attempts by state actors as well as the rich and influential to influence Germany’s elections. “In Elon Musk’s world, democracy and workers’ rights are obstacles to more profit,” Esken told Reuters. “We say quite clearly: Our democracy is defensible and it cannot be bought.” Welt’s editor-in-chief designate defended the decision to publish the commentary, saying that democracy and journalism thrive on freedom of opinion, including polarising positions. The AfD is running second in opinion polls and might be able to thwart a centre-right or centre-left majority. Germany’s mainstream, more centrist parties have pledged to shun any support from the AfD at the national level.MINOT — Measure 4, a constitutional amendment to abolish taxes on property values, went down in flames last month, with more than 63% of North Dakotans saying "no." The measure campaign, called End Unfair Property Tax, was organized by former state lawmaker Rick Becker. It failed to win even a single county. The closest the measure got to a majority anywhere in the state was just over 47% of the vote in Ward County. ADVERTISEMENT It lost, I think, not because North Dakotans, who are perpetually aggrieved with their property taxes, are necessarily against change, but because of two factors. The first, and somewhat less important reason, is that the spokesman for the campaign was Becker, a deeply polarizing and unpopular political figure. The second and far more critical issue is that the proposal gave voters no inkling as to what might replace the current property tax regime. Would it be another form of property tax? Would other taxes or fees go up? Could we be assured of efficiently funding local projects and keeping some semblance of local control? In essence, voters needed to know they wouldn't be jumping out of the frying pan of the status quo and into the fires of the unknown. Becker and the Measure 4 campaign couldn't deliver any convincing assurances. So Measure 4 flopped, but we're about to have a significant debate about property tax reform during the coming legislative session. And you know what? Even though Measure 4 was a very bad idea, some of the ideas its supporters are kicking around are worth taking seriously. A reader forwarded to me the minutes from the last of the Measure 4 committee's meetings, which was held Nov. 19 in Minot. In addition to closing out the books on their campaign, the committee discussed what sort of reforms they would and would not support going forward. The things they say they'll support? And what won't the committee members support? ADVERTISEMENT I'm impressed, given what an astoundingly bad idea Measure 4 was. I should note that some of the property tax proposals that have been made public are already coalescing around some of these ideas. Rep. Scott Louser, R-Minot, for instance, is proposing legislation that would have the state take over K-12 funding (Louser estimates that this would be a 25% to 50% reduction in property tax bills, depending on where you live), coupled with a cap on taxes that could be rolled over from budget cycle to budget cycle if a governing entity doesn't use its full tax. There will be more proposals — there are already dozens of drafts ready to be filed ahead of the regular session — but what the Measure 4 committee is backing serves as a good framework for what reform should look like. "The things they support are very much in line with things I support," one person who worked on the campaign against Measure 4 told me. Caps, at this point, are a given. State lawmakers have appropriated billions to buy down property taxes, but I'm not sure many North Dakotans can say they've felt the relief. Expect lobbyists for local governing interests to fight hard against them, but every lawmaker I've spoken to since Election Day has indicated to me that caps are all but assured. But the calls for ending foreclosures and reforming tax exemptions? Those are superb ideas and should be central to any property tax package from this legislative session. Property tax foreclosures don't happen very often, but they do happen, and what happens more frequently is that someone who can't afford the property taxes voluntarily sells before reaching the point of foreclosure. Moving to liens provides adequate accountability for failure to pay without the draconian step of foreclosure. Taking a hard look at property tax exemptions, too, is a good idea. We can start with a simple question: Are they actually working? Have they had measurable success? If not, ax them, but even if they can be said to be working, are they worth the cost? Every new property tax exemption narrows the property tax base and puts upward pressure on the bills of every taxpayer who didn't receive an exemption. ADVERTISEMENT Good tax policy consists of taxes that are broad, simple and low. Property taxes in North Dakota have increasingly become narrow, complicated and high. Exemptions are a part of that problem. Again, Measure 4 was a bad idea, and I'm glad it failed, but the committee backing it has some good ideas on how we move forward. They deserve credit for that.