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Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation Celebrates 50 Years of Transformative Impact in Arkansas
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that he wants real estate developer Charles Kushner , father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, to serve as ambassador to France. Trump made the announcement in a Truth Social post, calling Charles Kushner “a tremendous business leader, philanthropist, & dealmaker." Kushner is the founder of Kushner Companies, a real estate firm. Jared Kushner is a former White House senior adviser to Trump who is married to Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka. The elder Kushner was pardoned by Trump in December 2020 after pleading guilty years earlier to tax evasion and making illegal campaign donations. Prosecutors alleged that after Charles Kushner discovered his brother-in-law was cooperating with federal authorities in an investigation, he hatched a scheme for revenge and intimidation. Kushner hired a prostitute to lure his brother-in-law, then arranged to have the encounter in a New Jersey motel room recorded with a hidden camera and the recording sent to Kushner's own sister, the man’s wife, prosecutors said. Kushner eventually pleaded guilty to 18 counts including tax evasion and witness tampering. He was sentenced in 2005 to two years in prison — the most he could receive under a plea deal, but less than what Chris Christie, the U.S. attorney for New Jersey at the time and later governor and Republican presidential candidate, sought. Christie blamed Jared Kushner for his firing from Trump’s transition team in 2016, and called Charles Kushner’s offenses “one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes that I prosecuted when I was U.S. attorney.” Trump and the elder Kushner knew each other from real estate circles and their children were married in 2009. Among President-elect Donald Trump's picks are Susie Wiles for chief of staff, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, former Democratic House member Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general. Susie Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Trump named Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state, making a former sharp critic his choice to be the new administration's top diplomat. Rubio, 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket last summer. Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” Trump said of Rubio in a statement. The announcement punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom the senator called a “con man" during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. And as Trump campaigned for the presidency a third time, Rubio cheered his proposals. For instance, Rubio, who more than a decade ago helped craft immigration legislation that included a path to citizenship for people in the U.S. illegally, now supports Trump's plan to use the U.S. military for mass deportations. Pete Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend” and has been a contributor with the network since 2014, where he developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. Hegseth lacks senior military or national security experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises — ranging from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea. Hegseth is also the author of “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” published earlier this year. Trump tapped Pam Bondi, 59, to be attorney general after U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration. She was Florida's first female attorney general, serving between 2011 and 2019. She also was on Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020. Considered a loyalist, she served as part of a Trump-allied outside group that helped lay the groundwork for his future administration called the America First Policy Institute. Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. A fierce defender of Trump, she also frequently appears on Fox News and has been a critic of the criminal cases against him. Trump picked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a well-known conservative who faced sharp criticism for telling a story in her memoir about shooting a rambunctious dog, to lead an agency crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda. Noem used her two terms leading a tiny state to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics. South Dakota is usually a political afterthought. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions that other states had issued and instead declared her state “open for business.” Trump held a fireworks rally at Mount Rushmore in July 2020 in one of the first large gatherings of the pandemic. She takes over a department with a sprawling mission. In addition to key immigration agencies, the Department of Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service, and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports. The governor of North Dakota, who was once little-known outside his state, Burgum is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump, and spent months traveling to drum up support for him, after dropping out of the race. Burgum was a serious contender to be Trump’s vice presidential choice this summer. The two-term governor was seen as a possible pick because of his executive experience and business savvy. Burgum also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs. Trump made the announcement about Burgum joining his incoming administration while addressing a gala at his Mar-a-Lago club, and said a formal statement would be coming the following day. In comments to reporters before Trump took the stage, Burgum said that, in recent years, the power grid is deteriorating in many parts of the country, which he said could raise national security concerns but also drive up prices enough to increase inflation. “There's just a sense of urgency, and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration,” Burgum said. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president as a Democrat, than as an independent, and then endorsed Trump . He's the son of Democratic icon Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated during his own presidential campaign. The nomination of Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services alarmed people who are concerned about his record of spreading unfounded fears about vaccines . For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Scott Bessent, 62, is a former George Soros money manager and an advocate for deficit reduction. He's the founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management, after having worked on-and-off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary. He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trump’s campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending. “This election cycle is the last chance for the U.S. to grow our way out of this mountain of debt without becoming a sort of European-style socialist democracy,” he said then. Oregon Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her reelection bid this month, but received strong backing from union members in her district. As a potential labor secretary, she would oversee the Labor Department’s workforce, its budget and put forth priorities that impact workers’ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employer’s rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities. Chavez-DeRemer is one of few House Republicans to endorse the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and would add penalties for companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws that allow employees in more than half the states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their places of employment. Scott Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he’s yet selected for his administration, with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” Sean Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, “Fox and Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children. A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Write is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking — a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. Wright also has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.” The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States. Wright also won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump’s first term. President-elect Donald Trump tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump promised to dismantle. McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s initial term from 2017 to 2019 and twice ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut. She’s seen as a relative unknown in education circles, though she expressed support for charter schools and school choice. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. Brooke Rollins, who graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural development, is a longtime Trump associate who served as White House domestic policy chief during his first presidency. The 52-year-old is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration. She previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Trump chose Howard Lutnick, head of brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and a cryptocurrency enthusiast, as his nominee for commerce secretary, a position in which he'd have a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs. Trump made the announcement Tuesday on his social media platform, Truth Social. Lutnick is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team, along with Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration. Both are tasked with putting forward candidates for key roles in the next administration. The nomination would put Lutnick in charge of a sprawling Cabinet agency that is involved in funding new computer chip factories, imposing trade restrictions, releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. It is also a position in which connections to CEOs and the wider business community are crucial. Doug Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial, which centered on U.S. assistance for Ukraine. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential nomination, but he was acquitted by the Senate. Collins has also served in the armed forces himself and is currently a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command. "We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need," Trump said in a statement about nominating Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Karoline Leavitt, 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. The White House press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps. Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, was a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term before she became communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump's choice for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has been tapped by Trump to be director of national intelligence, keeping with the trend to stock his Cabinet with loyal personalities rather than veteran professionals in their requisite fields. Gabbard, 43, was a Democratic House member who unsuccessfully sought the party's 2020 presidential nomination before leaving the party in 2022. She endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him this fall. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community,” Trump said in a statement. Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions. Trump has picked John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who served as director of national intelligence during his first administration, to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his next. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump's first term, leading the U.S. government's spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. “I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation's highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement, calling him a “fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans” who would ensure “the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.” Trump has chosen former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to serve as his pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency . Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on X , “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.” “We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,” he added. During his campaign, Trump often attacked the Biden administration's promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referring to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often told his audiences during the campaign his administration would “Drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration. In a statement, Trump said Zeldin “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.” Trump has named Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, as the new chairman of the agency tasked with regulating broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband. Carr is a longtime member of the commission and served previously as the FCC’s general counsel. He has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate three times and was nominated by both Trump and President Joe Biden to the commission. Carr made past appearances on “Fox News Channel," including when he decried Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' pre-Election Day appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” He wrote an op-ed last month defending a satellite company owned by Trump supporter Elon Musk. Rep. Elise Stefanik is a representative from New York and one of Trump's staunchest defenders going back to his first impeachment. Elected to the House in 2014, Stefanik was selected by her GOP House colleagues as House Republican Conference chair in 2021, when former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after publicly criticizing Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election. Stefanik, 40, has served in that role ever since as the third-ranking member of House leadership. Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile. If confirmed, she would represent American interests at the U.N. as Trump vows to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine begun in 2022. He has also called for peace as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon to target Hezbollah. President-elect Donald Trump says he's chosen former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO. Trump has expressed skepticism about the Western military alliance for years. Trump said in a statement Wednesday that Whitaker is “a strong warrior and loyal Patriot” who “will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended” and “strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability.” The choice of Whitaker as the nation’s representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an unusual one, given his background is as a lawyer and not in foreign policy. A Republican congressman from Michigan who served from 1993 to 2011, Hoekstra was ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump's first term. “In my Second Term, Pete will help me once again put AMERICA FIRST,” Trump said in a statement announcing his choice. “He did an outstanding job as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands during our first four years, and I am confident that he will continue to represent our Country well in this new role.” Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah. “He loves Israel, and likewise the people of Israel love him,” Trump said in a statement. “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East.” Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland. Trump has been praised by some in this important Republican voting bloc for moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Trump on Tuesday named real estate investor Steven Witkoff to be special envoy to the Middle East. The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect's golf partner and was golfing with him at Trump's club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination. Witkoff “is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy,” Trump said of Witkoff in a statement. “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud." Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee. Trump said Wednesday that he will nominate Gen. Keith Kellogg to serve as assistant to the president and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as National Security Advisor to Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence. For the America First Policy Institute, one of several groups formed after Trump left office to help lay the groundwork for the next Republican administration, Kellogg in April wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.” (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) Trump asked Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, Trump announced in a statement Tuesday. The move puts Waltz in the middle of national security crises, ranging from efforts to provide weapons to Ukraine and worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah. “Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda,” Trump's statement said, "and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!” Waltz is a three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs. He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population. Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner , was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump's priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump's first administration. Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump's policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families. Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation's economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people who are in the United States illegally. Since Trump left office in 2021, Miller has served as the president of America First Legal, an organization made up of former Trump advisers aimed at challenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others over issues such as free speech and national security. Thomas Homan, 62, has been tasked with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history. Homan, who served under Trump in his first administration leading U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was widely expected to be offered a position related to the border, an issue Trump made central to his campaign. Though Homan has insisted such a massive undertaking would be humane, he has long been a loyal supporter of Trump's policy proposals, suggesting at a July conference in Washington that he would be willing to "run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.” Democrats have criticized Homan for his defending Trump's “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border. Dr. Mehmet Oz, 64, is a former heart surgeon who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show,” a long-running daytime television talk show. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of Trump, who endorsed Oz's bid for elected office. Elon Musk, left, and Vivek Ramaswamy speak before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at an Oct. 27 campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York. Trump on Tuesday said Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency" — which is not, despite the name, a government agency. The acronym “DOGE” is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said Musk and Ramaswamy will work from outside the government to offer the White House “advice and guidance” and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.” He added the move would shock government systems. It's not clear how the organization will operate. Musk, owner of X and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been a constant presence at Mar-a-Lago since Trump won the presidential election. Ramaswamy suspended his campaign in January and threw his support behind Trump. Trump said the two will “pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” Russell Vought held the position during Trump’s first presidency. After Trump’s initial term ended, Vought founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as “renew a consensus of America as a nation under God.” Vought was closely involved with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that he tried to distance himself from during the campaign. Vought has also previously worked as the executive and budget director for the Republican Study Committee, a caucus for conservative House Republicans. He also worked at Heritage Action, the political group tied to The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Dan Scavino, deputy chief of staff Scavino, whom Trump's transition referred to in a statement as one of “Trump's longest serving and most trusted aides,” was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign, as well as his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president. Scavino had run Trump's social media profile in the White House during his first administration. He was also held in contempt of Congress in 2022 after a month-long refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. James Blair, deputy chief of staff Blair was political director for Trump's 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee. He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and assistant to the president. Blair was key to Trump's economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign this year, a driving force behind the candidate's “Trump can fix it” slogan and his query to audiences this fall if they were better off than four years ago. Taylor Budowich, deputy chief of staff Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again, Inc., a super PAC that supported Trump's 2024 campaign. He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president. Budowich also had served as a spokesman for Trump after his presidency. William McGinley, White House counsel McGinley was White House Cabinet secretary during Trump's first administration, and was outside legal counsel for the Republican National Committee's election integrity effort during the 2024 campaign. In a statement, Trump called McGinley “a smart and tenacious lawyer who will help me advance our America First agenda, while fighting for election integrity and against the weaponization of law enforcement.” Jay Bhattacharya, National Institutes of Health Trump has chosen Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health. Bhattacharya is a physician and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, and is a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates. He promoted the idea of herd immunity during the pandemic, arguing that people at low risk should live normally while building up immunity to COVID-19 through infection. The National Institutes of Health funds medical research through competitive grants to researchers at institutions throughout the nation. NIH also conducts its own research with thousands of scientists working at its labs in Bethesda, Maryland. Jamieson Greer, U.S. trade representative Kevin Hassett, Director of the White House National Economic Council Trump is turning to two officials with experience navigating not only Washington but the key issues of income taxes and tariffs as he fills out his economic team. He announced he has chosen international trade attorney Jamieson Greer to be his U.S. trade representative and Kevin Hassett as director of the White House National Economic Council. While Trump has in several cases nominated outsiders to key posts, these picks reflect a recognition that his reputation will likely hinge on restoring the public’s confidence in the economy. Trump said in a statement that Greer was instrumental in his first term in imposing tariffs on China and others and replacing the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, “therefore making it much better for American Workers.” Hassett, 62, served in the first Trump term as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. He has a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and worked at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute before joining the Trump White House in 2017. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.Nagler Foot Center Offers Top-Notch Bunions Treatment in Houston
One of the pillars for building a virile nation is spirituality. We have neglected this to our ruin. The role of religion in ushering in the industrial revolution that swept across what is today known as Europe is well documented by history. The strong bond between the early church and the Greeco/Roman Empire was not for fun, it was about substance. It was about the inevitability of the spiritual in achieving a healthy society. We know the various interplays that took place between the church and various emperors of the Roman Empire before one of them finally accepted Christianity as a partner in progress and as long as the collaboration lasted the empire thrived and remained very healthy. More judgements curbed the animalistic tendencies in every man. Someone once said, “If you give a man the best in education and deny him moral training, you end up producing a monster.” A critical assessment of the history of development of many nation-states would show this statement to be very true. When the mind is open, psychologists after so many empirical studies have told us, it will be so ready to receive whatever influences flying around. In this condition it is more susceptible to negative vices often prevalent in natural settings. Doing evil is like pulling down an edifice that took several years to build. Destruction is easier than construction. The struggle between England and Anglicanism on the one hand, and the Romans and Catholicism on the other was only about national independence and pride. It bordered also on the place of pure spiritualism in national development. When the British created a class system, which suggested that except a person climbed into the Republican grade, one had no societal standing, hence no contributions to make. Those below were in ordinary, plain language sub-humans. This created a system that was not only inhuman and therefore unacceptable, it was a provoker of all that could destabilize a society and it did cause much problem to the British Empire. America came to be from the ashes of the controversy as the church pushed for change. Those who couldn’t stand the messy situation packed their belongings and left in search of New World and new country – that is the America, which is today pushing the frontiers of freedom in every corner of the globe. Space won’t allow one talk about the place of religious puritans, “The Great Awakening” crusade and the making of modern America. It is a rich and positive history to read. Most, if not all the cardinal constitutional law and civil jurisprudence of America have their roots in Christian principles and rules. We have neglected the spiritual side, and like one observed earlier, it has become too costly. In the course of an argument with someone just last week, he said: “Even men and women who profess major faiths have been in the business of running down the country.” He began to reel out leaders with Christian names in highly placed public positions. The answer one gave was simple and direct: “Most of those people are Christians by accident of birth” – just individuals born into Christian families which in truth doesn’t qualify one as a member of the household of faith. He didn’t understand and we hadn’t the advantage of time to enable me give him further explanations. One has seen friends bear the name ‘Musa’ and you ascribe Islam to him and the person quickly says, “No I am not a Moslem.” Yet names for a greater part of the world is of great significance. Take for example Chukwuemeka. The mere mention of the name takes one’s mind straight to the Southeast. The same goes with Toyin, which would point to Southwest. Politics of identity is embedded in us but our formal education and non-formal tutorship guide us on how we fight this conflict. In all it will require valour which flows from plenty of discretion. It is foolish to rise and punch your “brother” in eyes when it should be very obvious if your senses are still in place that he could become blind as a result of that action from your part. That would reckless we all know. One can’t easily remember the particular sage who said, “there is an external force that pushes men to act in ways contrary to sane thinking.” In the Christian faith it is a strong belief our names unleash forces that propel our behavior. We take a few examples. In Isaiah 9:6-7, the Bible announces the coming of Jesus and it was emphatic on the name: “He will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace.” Jesus turned out to be all that. Abram, meaning “exalted father” stayed just so in his idolatrous family until he was 70 years old, no achievement receiving vain glory until God intervened beginning with a change of name from Abram to Abraham before he gained fruitfulness. Jacob meant a supplanter; he walked the earth that way until God came to change the name to Israel and he birthed modern Israel. Sarai had to be changed to Sarah before a lady who had passed menopause could get a child. Esau was to be senseless, and so for food he gave away his birthright. Reuben’s case is very pathetic far more than the rest. The spirit of the old Jacob had a strong hold on him even in ripe adult life. His father was a supplanter so Reuben came to be, talk of ancestral curse and here we have a classical example to work with. Biblical Reuben was careless and ruthless, a horrible combination to find in one person. Bible says he was unstable. He went after his father’s concubine, Bilhad, who had given birth to two children for the father. Reuben “knew” the lady and from that point he lost himself and a kingdom. He lost his father’s blessing, his position as first son and his tribe, which was to be the first was relegated downwards. All because of one act of indiscretion. When we calculate and make plans to build a modern Nigeria it is very crucial we take spiritual aspect as serious as the physical dimension. Definitely, there is more to earthly journey than what our physical senses can comprehend.
President-elect Donald Trump’s lawyers urge judge to toss his hush money convictionNumber of people illegally gained entry to Athlone international protection housing centre
NEW YORK — 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.
Jeremy Clarkson backpedals on previous claim he bought farm for tax reasons
The Atlanta Braves are in somewhat unfamiliar territory. Atlanta has been great in recent years and has had a very solid core. Most of the team's top pieces have stuck together but changes could come this offseason. All-Star starting pitcher Max Fried is one of the most sought-after free agents on the open market and it's unclear if he will sign back. It seems unlikely at this point but there will be options to replace him. Newsweek's Zach Pressnell put together a list of six options to replace Fried and suggested that the Braves pull off a blockbuster trade with the Chicago White Sox for Garrett Crochet. "(Left-handed pitcher) Garrett Crochet, Chicago White Sox," Pressnell said. "If the Braves are exploring the trade market, they could look to acquire the best arm on the market: Chicago White Sox ace Garrett Crochet. "Crochet would require a huge haul to acquire, but that's something the Braves could explore. The flamethrowing southpaw would provide the Braves with one of the higher potential starters in the game. Atlanta likely doesn't have the farm system to comfortably make this deal, but it's something worth exploring for sure." Crochet is a fellow left-handed All-Star and would cost significantly less. He is projected to make $2.9 million in 2025 and is under team control for the 2026 season as well. It would be tough to part with enough prospects to bring Crochet to town, but if Fried leaves maybe the Braves would consider such a move. More MLB: Braves urged to sign projected $60M star if Max Fried cuts ties with ATL
MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) — Zach Tanner threw two touchdown passes to Shawn Charles and Robert Morris ended the season with a 31-13 win over Stonehill on Saturday. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) — Zach Tanner threw two touchdown passes to Shawn Charles and Robert Morris ended the season with a 31-13 win over Stonehill on Saturday. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) — Zach Tanner threw two touchdown passes to Shawn Charles and Robert Morris ended the season with a 31-13 win over Stonehill on Saturday. Tanner and Charles hooked up for an 86-yard score on the second snap for the Colonials (7-5, 4-2 Northeast Conference) and then went for 51 yards to make it 21-0 after one quarter. Tanner was 13 of 20 for 268 yards with two interceptions. Charles caught four passes for 149 yards. DJ Moyer capped a 69-yard drive in the first quarter with a 1-yard plunge. Danny Hurley kicked two field goals to help get the Skyhawks (1-10, 0-6) within eight points but a field goal and a Turner Schmidt fumble recovery for a score wrapped up the game for Robert Morris. ___ AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25 AdvertisementTrump selects longtime adviser Keith Kellogg as special envoy for Ukraine and Russia
One of the last actions the Biden-Harris administration takes could be the disbursal of tens of millions of dollars to a pro-Palestinian nonprofit that disseminated protest materials exalting Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of Israel. In December 2023, the EPA selected Climate Justice Alliance (CJA), a Berkeley, California-based “environmental justice” nonprofit, to receive a $50 million grant award despite the entity engaging in anti-Israel advocacy following Hamas’ October 7th attacks and promoting the “defund the police” movement. Nearly a year later, the EPA has not moved forward in obligating the grant to CJA, and the pro-Palestinian nonprofit is demanding that EPA disburse the cash before President-elect Donald Trump takes office. (RELATED: Biden-Harris Admin Routed ‘Environmental Justice’ Cash To Left-Wing Activists, House Report Details) “Now more than ever, the promises of the IRA [Inflation Reduction Act] should be delivered on and the obligated funds that Climate Justice Alliance is waiting on should be released by December,” KD Chavez, executive director of CJA, wrote in a press release on Wednesday. Please join us in asking the Environmental Protection Agency to obligate funds now. #OurResourcesOurCommunities It’s up to us to have each other’s backs, and to realize the Just Transition & the thriving future that we & future generations deserve. Solidarity Forever! – KD Chavez pic.twitter.com/AhjkuYMmew — Climate Justice Alliance (CJA) 🌻 (@CJAOurPower) November 20, 2024 “We know that these next few years are going to be delivering compounding threats to our frontline and fenceline communities,” Chavez said in a video that CJA posted on X. “We can help mitigate some of these threats through the Inflation Reduction Act’s Thriving Communities Grantmaking program.” “Solidarity forever,” Chavez added. Trump Admin Could Rescind Leftover Funds The CJA’s $50 million grant award is a part of the EPA’s $600 million Environmental Justice and Thriving Communities Grantmaking (EJTCGM) program under the Inflation Reduction Act’s $3 billion Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grants provision . The EPA’s selectees include recipients that operate in China under the supervision of the Chinese Communist Party foreign influence operation, support open borders, hand out funds to a group blacklisted by U.S. credit card companies over their fiscal support for a Palestinian terror group and advocate for defunding the U.S. military, according to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s extensive reporting on the program. CJA is the only nonprofit out of the 11 announced recipients of the EPA’s EJTCGM program that has not received a portion of its grant award, according to a DCNF review of USA Spending grant obligation amounts. If the Agency does not formally obligate the total $600 million in grant funding by Jan. 20, the Trump administration could refuse to award the leftover money. “There’s no reason why they [the Trump EPA] can’t reconsider how money is being spent consistent with the law,” Daren Bakst, director of the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Center for Energy and Environment, told the DCNF in an interview. “They should carefully review whether or not, in fact, the money has been properly obligated. They need to make sure they have proper oversight and accountability for the money and make sure that there’s not waste and abuse, which is a serious concern with all the IRA spending from the EPA,” Bakst added. The pro-Palestinian nonprofit came under congressional scrutiny in May following Republican West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito’s discovery of a “Palestine art for protests” collection on the CJA’s website, which contained images appearing to glorify Hamas’ brutal invasion of Israel and justify violent Palestinian resistance. Republican West Virginia Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, speaks on Climate Justice Alliance’s “anti-Israel” views during a Senate GOP Leadership press conference on May 21, 2024. (Photo by Capito’s office) “If you dig deeper they want to defund the police, defund the military — either them or their affiliates want to have very radical, drastic initiatives that I think are anti-American, and are certainly anti-Israel and antisemitic,” Capito said during the press conference. “Policing has always been and will always be used as a force in continued oppression of marginalized people and communities,” an April 23, 2021, CJA press release states. “We want to end all policing, all prisons and the freedom and liberation of our people.” The nonprofit also calls for the elimination of all fossil fuel production and opposes nuclear energy and hydropower, which garner widespread bipartisan support. ‘One Of The Top-Scoring Applicants’ The CJA was one of the “top-scoring applicants” among all of the nonprofits that applied to serve as “environmental justice” grantmakers to disburse IRA funding to subgrantees, according to CJA’s press release published on Wednesday. “Political affiliations played no role in the evaluation, scoring, and selection of Grantmakers,” an EPA spokesperson told Fox News in May. The EPA could face litigation from CJA if the agency tries to break its contractual agreement with the nonprofit to withhold the $50 million award, Administrator Michael Regan appeared to tell House lawmakers during a July oversight hearing . 🔥 🔥 🔥 Rep. Mace GOES OFF on EPA Administrator Michael Regan who won’t admit to allotting $50M to a climate justice group that is anti-police, pro-Hamas. “Does this sign protect the environment?” pic.twitter.com/8f5YIxMtPK — Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) July 10, 2024 “I have to legally go through a process to ensure that they either are in or out of the bounds because there’s going to be litigation one way or another,” Regan said. “They’re going through a very thorough evaluation.” An EPA spokesperson told E&E News on Wednesday that the Agency is still reviewing CJA’s $50 million award. The EPA did not respond to the DCNF’s inquiry about the state of the award obligation. “This is a larger attack on civil society and due process in our democratic grantmaking and environmental work,” Chavez said in during an interview with E&E News on Wednesday during which the nonprofit also alleged “viewpoint discrimination.” “So I just hope that they do the right thing and that this doesn’t set a pretty sizable precedent for all future progressive funding going into this next administration,” Chavez added. ‘Who Defines EJ Projects? We Do’ CJA is partnering with seven other entities to disburse subawards of up to $350,000 under the $50 million grant award to “community-based organizations” across 12 states in the Western part of the United States, Alaska and Hawaii in a program called United Network for Impact, Transformation and Equity in Environmental Justice Communities (UNITE-EJ). One of CJA’s UNITE-EJ partners is the NDN Collective, an “indigenous rights” advocacy group that frequently protests Israel’s use of military force against Hamas and Hezbollah and supports defunding the police and the U.S. military. (RELATED: Biden-Harris Interior Directs Public To Use Terrorist Sympathizers As ‘Resource’) Another UNITE-EJ partner is the Amalgamated Foundation, which gave $150,000 to the Alliance for Global Justice in 2022, according to a DCNF review of AGJ’s most recent tax filings. The AGC is a fiscal sponsor of a front group financing a Palestinian terrorist organization designated as a “foreign terrorist organization” by the U.S. government. Members of Climate Justice Alliance march in a pro-Palestine protest in Washington D.C., following Hamas’ invasion of Israel on Nov. 4, 2023. (Photo by Michael Malcolm, The Peoples Justice Council Media) “Is this group really going to be funding cleaning up the water and cleaning up the soil and cleaning up the air,” Capito asked during the May press conference on CJA’s anti-Israel advocacy. “Or are they going to be funding things like the protests they had in Hart [Senate Office Building] just several weeks ago where several of them were arrested?” Capito was referring to the Grassroots Global Justice Alliance, a member organization of the CJA, which frequently organizes illegal anti-Israel protests on U.S. government property. The GGJA co-led a protest against giving military aid to Israel in the Senate Hart office building in December 2023 — the same month EPA named the CJA as a recipient of 50 million taxpayer dollars. On Monday, the GGJA joined several other pro-Palestine advocacy groups to protest in support of independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ resolutions to halt U.S. weapons sales to Israel. 🚨BREAKING: Dozens of protestors from across the country are blocking Netanyahu’s motorcade to send a message that WAR CRIMINALS ARE NOT WELCOME HERE! We demand that Congress stop platforming genocide and STOP ARMING ISRAEL! #ArrestNetanyahu #ShutItDown4Palestine #CeasefireNOW pic.twitter.com/79d3bdDF6u — GGJ (@ggjalliance) July 24, 2024 “Who defines EJ [environmental justice] projects? We do,” Courtenay Brown, director of the UNITE-EJ program, said during a CJA-organized panel in New York City in September. “ We get the opportunity to define what is environmental justice and what gets funded through that.” “Climate justice calls upon us to wage love for people and the planet. Now is the time to rise up and join the fight to free Palestine,” a CJA statement celebrating the group’s participation in a Nov. 4, 2023, pro-Palestinian protest in Washington, D.C. ‘Over $330 Million That We Are Directly Influencing’ In addition to the $50 million award that CJA could still receive, the nonprofit is also slated to influence the disbursal of more than $270 million in IRA funding through its 100-plus member organizations that are direct recipients or partners of other grant awards. “Just to contextualize the public monies moment, I also want to say CJA is an alliance,” Chavez said during the September panel. “With folks directly involved in public monies with IRA funding, we have people in [EPA] regions 1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10. So that’s over $330 million that we are directly influencing the flow to frontline communities right now.” (RELATED: EPA Chief Insists His Agency Has Not Sent ‘One Dime’ To Hardline Left-Wing Org — But There’s A $50 Million Problem) The EPA is on track to formally obligate the vast majority — if not all — of the announced “environmental justice” funding by Trump’s inauguration, according to a statement Ali Zaidi, national climate advisor, gave to Politico in September. “I would not like to see any organization that expresses bigotry or any kind of racist behavior or discrimination — I would not like to see any organization get any money from the federal government — it’s abhorrent,” Regan said during the July oversight hearing to House lawmakers. The CJA did not respond to the DCNF’s requests for comment. 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Okay, Fine, I’ll Buy A PSVR2No. 11 Tennessee crushes UTEP to enhance CFP chancesAdams puts up 21, CSU Northridge defeats Montana State 72-69 in OT