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slot online games Wray said at a town hall meeting that he would be stepping down “after weeks of careful thought,” roughly three years short of the completion of a 10-year term during which he tried to keep the FBI out of politics even as the bureau found itself entangled in a string of explosive investigations, including two that led to separate indictments of Trump last year as well as inquiries into Biden and his son. “My goal is to keep the focus on our mission — the indispensable work you’re doing on behalf of the American people every day,” Wray told agency employees. “In my view, this is the best way to avoid dragging the bureau deeper into the fray, while reinforcing the values and principles that are so important to how we do our work.” The intended resignation was not unexpected considering that Trump had settled on Patel to be director and had repeatedly aired his ire at Wray, whom he appointed during his first term. But his departure is nonetheless a reflection of how Trump's norm-breaking style has reshaped Washington, with the president-elect yet again flouting tradition by moving to replace an FBI director well before his term was up and Wray resigning to avert a collision with the incoming administration. “It should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway — this is not easy for me," Wray said. “I love this place, I love our mission, and I love our people — but my focus is, and always has been, on us and doing what’s right for the FBI.” Wray received a standing ovation following his remarks before a standing-room-only crowd at FBI headquarters and some in the audience cried, according to an FBI official who was not authorized to discuss the private gathering by name and spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press. Trump applauded the news on social media, calling it “a great day for America as it will end the Weaponization of what has become known as the United States Department of Injustice" and saying that Patel's confirmation will begin “the process of Making the FBI Great Again.” If confirmed by the Senate, Patel would herald a radical leadership transformation at the nation's premier federal law enforcement agency. He has advocated shutting down the FBI's Washington headquarters and called for ridding the federal government of “conspirators," raising alarms that he might seek to wield the FBI's significant investigative powers as an instrument of retribution against Trump's perceived enemies. Patel said in a statement Wednesday that he was looking forward to "a smooth transition. I will be ready to serve the American people on day one.” It's extremely rare for FBI directors to be ousted from their jobs before the completion of their 10-year terms, a length meant to insulate the agency from the political influence of changing administrations. But Trump has done it twice, placing Wray in the job in 2017 after firing Director James Comey amid an investigation into ties between Russia and the Republican president’s campaign. Despite having appointed Wray, Trump had telegraphed his anger with the FBI director on multiple occasions throughout the years, including as recently as the past week. In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday, Trump said, “I can’t say I’m thrilled with him. He invaded my home,” a reference to the FBI search of his Florida property , Mar-a-Lago, two years ago for classified documents from Trump’s first term as president. That search, and the recovery of boxes of sensitive government records, paved the way for one of two federal indictments against Trump. The case, and another one charging him with plotting to overturn the 2020 election, have both been dismissed by the Justice Department special counsel that brought them in light of Trump's November victory. Attorney General Merrick Garland praised Wray for having “served our country honorably and with integrity for decades.” He said: “Under Director Wray’s principled leadership, the FBI has worked to fulfill the Justice Department’s mission to keep our country safe, protect civil rights, and uphold the rule of law.” Natalie Bara, the president of the FBI Agents Association, said in a statement that Wray had led the FBI “through challenging times with a steady focus on doing the work that keeps our country safe. ” Throughout his seven years on the job, the self-professed "low-key, understated" Wray brought a workmanlike approach to the job, repeatedly preaching a “keep calm and tackle hard” mantra to bureau personnel despite a steady drumbeat of attacks from Trump and his supporters. He also sought to avoid public conflict when possible with the Trump White House, distancing himself and his leadership team from the FBI's Russia investigation over errors that took place before he took office and announcing dozens of corrective actions meant to prevent the recurrence of the surveillance abuses that plagued the inquiry. But there were other instances when he memorably broke from Trump — he did not agree, for instance, with Trump’s characterization of the Russia investigation as a “witch hunt." He made known his displeasure when the White House blessed the declassification of materials related to the surveillance of a former Trump campaign aide and contradicted a Trump talking point by stating that Ukraine had not interfered in the 2016 election. He repeatedly sought to keep the focus on the FBI's day-to-day work, using the bulk of his resignation announcement to praise the bureau's efforts in countering everything from violent crime and cyberattacks to Chinese espionage and terrorism. Yet as he leaves office at a time of heightened threats , much of the public focus has been on the politically sensitive investigations of his tenure. Besides the inquiries into Trump, the FBI in recent years also investigated Biden's handling of classified information as well as Biden's son Hunter for tax and gun violations. Hunter Biden was pardoned by his father last week. A particular flashpoint came in August 2022, when FBI agents searched Mar-a-Lago — an action officials defended as necessary given the boxes of documents that were being concealed at the Palm Beach property and the evidence of obstruction that the Justice Department said had been gathered. Trump railed against the FBI over that search and has kept up his criticism ever since. Trump was angered by Wray's comment at a congressional hearing that there was “some question about whether or not it’s a bullet or shrapnel” that struck Trump's ear during an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania in July. The FBI later stated unequivocally that it was indeed a bullet. Before being named FBI director, Wray worked at a prestigious law firm, King & Spalding, where he represented former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie during the “Bridgegate” scandal. He also led the Justice Department’s criminal division for a period during President George W. Bush’s administration.ATLANTA (AP) — Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who tried to restore virtue to the White House after the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, then rebounded from a landslide defeat to become a global advocate of human rights and democracy, has died. He was 100 years old . The Carter Center said the 39th president died Sunday afternoon, roughly 22 months after entering hospice care , at his home in Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died in November 2023, lived most of their lives. The center said he died peacefully, surrounded by his family. President Joe Biden mourned Carter’s death, saying the world lost an “extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian” and he also lost a dear friend. Biden cited Carter’s work to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil and human rights, promote free and fair elections and house the homeless as an example for others. Biden spoke later Sunday evening about Carter, calling it a “sad day” but one that “brings back an incredible amount of good memories.” “I’ve been hanging out with Jimmy Carter for over 50 years,” Biden said in his remarks. He recalled the former president being a comfort to him and his wife Jill when their son Beau died in 2015 of cancer. The president remarked how cancer was a common bond between their families, with Carter himself having cancer later in his life. “Jimmy knew the ravages of the disease too well,” said Biden. The president has ordered a state funeral for Carter in Washington. A moderate Democrat, Carter ran for president in 1976 as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad grin, effusive Baptist faith and technocratic plans for efficient government. His promise to never deceive the American people resonated after Richard Nixon’s disgrace and U.S. defeat in southeast Asia. “If I ever lie to you, if I ever make a misleading statement, don’t vote for me. I would not deserve to be your president,” Carter said. Carter’s victory over Republican Gerald Ford, whose fortunes fell after pardoning Nixon, came amid Cold War pressures, turbulent oil markets and social upheaval over race, women’s rights and America’s role in the world. His achievements included brokering Mideast peace by keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at Camp David for 13 days in 1978. But his coalition splintered under double-digit inflation and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran. His negotiations ultimately brought all the hostages home alive, but in a final insult, Iran didn’t release them until the inauguration of Ronald Reagan, who had trounced him in the 1980 election. Humbled and back home in Georgia, Carter said his faith demanded that he keep doing whatever he could, for as long as he could, to try to make a difference. He and Rosalynn co-founded The Carter Center in 1982 and spent the next 40 years traveling the world as peacemakers, human rights advocates and champions of democracy and public health. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, Carter helped ease nuclear tensions in North and South Korea, avert a U.S. invasion of Haiti and negotiate cease-fires in Bosnia and Sudan. By 2022, the center had monitored at least 113 elections around the world. Carter was determined to eradicate guinea worm infections as one of many health initiatives. Swinging hammers into their 90s, the Carters built homes with Habitat for Humanity. The common observation that he was better as an ex-president rankled Carter. His allies were pleased that he lived long enough to see biographers and historians revisit his presidency and declare it more impactful than many understood at the time. Propelled in 1976 by voters in Iowa and then across the South, Carter ran a no-frills campaign. Americans were captivated by the earnest engineer, and while an election-year Playboy interview drew snickers when he said he “had looked on many women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times,” voters tired of political cynicism found it endearing. The first family set an informal tone in the White House, carrying their own luggage, trying to silence the Marine Band’s traditional “Hail to the Chief” and enrolling daughter, Amy, in public schools. Carter was lampooned for wearing a cardigan and urging Americans to turn down their thermostats. But Carter set the stage for an economic revival and sharply reduced America’s dependence on foreign oil by deregulating the energy industry along with airlines, trains and trucking. He established the departments of Energy and Education, appointed record numbers of women and nonwhites to federal posts, preserved millions of acres of Alaskan wilderness and pardoned most Vietnam draft evaders. Emphasizing human rights , he ended most support for military dictators and took on bribery by multinational corporations by signing the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. He persuaded the Senate to ratify the Panama Canal treaties and normalized relations with China, an outgrowth of Nixon’s outreach to Beijing. But crippling turns in foreign affairs took their toll. When OPEC hiked crude prices, making drivers line up for gasoline as inflation spiked to 11%, Carter tried to encourage Americans to overcome “a crisis of confidence.” Many voters lost confidence in Carter instead after the infamous address that media dubbed his “malaise” speech, even though he never used that word. After Carter reluctantly agreed to admit the exiled Shah of Iran to the U.S. for medical treatment, the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun in 1979. Negotiations to quickly free the hostages broke down, and then eight Americans died when a top-secret military rescue attempt failed. Carter also had to reverse course on the SALT II nuclear arms treaty after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979. Though historians would later credit Carter’s diplomatic efforts for hastening the end of the Cold war, Republicans labeled his soft power weak. Reagan’s “make America great again” appeals resonated, and he beat Carter in all but six states. Born Oct. 1, 1924, James Earl Carter Jr. married fellow Plains native Rosalynn Smith in 1946, the year he graduated from the Naval Academy. He brought his young family back to Plains after his father died, abandoning his Navy career, and they soon turned their ambitions to politics . Carter reached the state Senate in 1962. After rural white and Black voters elected him governor in 1970, he drew national attention by declaring that “the time for racial discrimination is over.” Carter published more than 30 books and remained influential as his center turned its democracy advocacy onto U.S. politics, monitoring an audit of Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results. After a 2015 cancer diagnosis, Carter said he felt “perfectly at ease with whatever comes.” “I’ve had a wonderful life,” he said. “I’ve had thousands of friends, I’ve had an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence.” Sanz is a former Associated Press reporter.Antonovych Home Forecasts Revolutionary Changes In Premium Furniture Design For 2025

( MENAFN - EIN Presswire) MASSENA , NY, UNITED STATES, December 24, 2024 /EINPresswire / -- Bruce Gonyea's latest literary work, The Tavern Files, presents a narrative that blends elements of detective fiction with an unfolding familial mystery. Central to the plot is Detective Fred Tavern, who encounters a series of complex cases while simultaneously unraveling the truth about his own lineage. Throughout The Tavern Files, readers accompany Detective Tavern on his journey across various locations, facilitated by Gonyea's detailed knowledge of logistics and transportation, derived from his extensive career with the US Air Force. This expertise infuses the narrative with a rich, realistic texture, particularly in the depiction of innovative technologies and methodologies employed in law enforcement. As the story progresses, it is revealed that Detective Tavern is unknowingly connected to a broader familial network, consisting of a biological father and six half-sisters, each sharing a distinctive birthmark. This mark, symbolizing their collective heritage, leads them to a mysterious island-a central motif that propels the narrative toward a revelation of their extraterrestrial origins. The Tavern Files is a novel that combines traditional detective work with speculative elements, exploring themes of identity, legacy, and the interconnectivity of human experience across seemingly disparate worlds. Bruce Gonyea, leveraging his military background and his academic credentials in Logistic Management from the Community College of the Air Force, crafts a story that is as engaging as it is thought-provoking. About the Author Bruce Gonyea is a veteran of the US Air Force, where he specialized in logistics and transportation. He holds an AA in Logistic Management from the Community College of the Air Force. After retiring from military service, Gonyea continued his career as a contractor for the US Air Force at Los Angeles AFB, California, a position he held for 17 years. His writing career began during a recovery period from multiple ankle surgeries and was formalized following his retirement due to a disability from the military in 2018. Gonyea's experiences, both domestic and abroad, deeply influence his narratives, bringing authenticity and depth to his stories. Now residing in Northern New York, he dedicates his time to writing, drawing from a rich background in logistics and personal experiences across various states and countries. Amazon link: Bruce Gonyea Authors Book Publishing email us here Visit us on social media: Facebook X LinkedIn Instagram YouTube Legal Disclaimer: EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above. MENAFN24122024003118003196ID1109028428 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.

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SBP issues updated framework for exchange companiesMONTREAL — are increasingly choosing to stay in Quebec, according to a new report from , but the same isn’t true in the Atlantic region, which continues to lose newcomers to the rest of the country. Out of all the immigrants admitted into Quebec in 2021, almost 94 per cent of them were still in the province one year later — a jump of 8.8 percentage points compared with the 2018 cohort of newcomers. The largest increases of newcomers choosing to stay in Quebec were in the economic category, the StatCan report said. Catherine Xhardez, assistant professor of political science at Universite de Montreal, said the StatCan report is welcome news for Quebec because unlike in the rest of the country, the provincial government controls its economic immigration stream. “It’s also a question of competition. You want the best and brightest to stay because if you invest in them, if you select them, you do not want them to go to Ontario,” said Xhardez, who also directs ERIQA, a research group that studies immigration to Quebec. Decades ago, when the Quebec unemployment rate was much higher than the current 5.7 per cent, immigrants were leaving the province at a much higher rate, Xhardez pointed out, saying job opportunities and social programs are key to keeping newcomers. “It really depends on living conditions and opportunities for migrants. That is the biggest factor for people moving from one province to another province,” she said. With the latest data already a few years old, Xhardez admits that changes in Quebec’s political climate — the government regularly blames immigration for threatening the French language — and the province’s recent decision to freeze several immigration programs may impact future immigration trends. Such actions may have the effect of driving immigrants away, she said, especially considering other provinces also target francophones. Quebec isn’t the only province to have high immigrant retention rates. Ontario leads the country — 94.6 per cent of newcomers admitted to the province in 2021 were still there one year later. In British Columbia it was 91.7 per cent and in Alberta is was 89.5 per cent. However, Atlantic Canada offers a stark contrast. The four provinces recorded decreases in one-year retention rates for immigrants admitted in 2020 compared with 2021. Newfoundland and Labrador recorded a 14.1 percentage point drop, Nova Scotia saw a 11.7 percentage point decrease, the drop in Prince Edward Island was 8.9 percentage points, and in New Brunswick it was 2.2 percentage points. “Immigrants who left their intended Atlantic provinces were increasingly likely to settle in Ontario,” the report said. Meanwhile, the statistics agency also looked at five-year retention rates, analyzing how many immigrants admitted in the country between 2013 to 2017 were still in their intended provinces five years later. “Among immigrants admitted from 2013 to 2017, those who intended to live in Ontario, , Alberta and Quebec were the most likely to reside in the same province five years after their admission,” the report said. Five-year retention rates were highest in Ontario at 93.5 per cent, B.C. at 87.5 per cent, Alberta at 87.3 per cent and Quebec with 79.7 per cent. Once again, the retention rates in were among the lowest in the country. In Nova Scotia, 61.7 per cent of immigrants admitted in 2013 were still in the province five years later, rising to 62.1 per cent for the cohort of newcomers who came in 2017. In New Brunswick, 51.7 per cent of immigrants admitted in 2017 were in the province five years later, a rise of 3.9 percentage points compared with the cohort who came in 2013. For the cohort of immigrants who arrived in 2017, 45.6 per cent of them were still in Newfoundland and Labrador five years later; 25.7 of them were still in Prince Edward Island. Those figures come as no surprise to Tony Fang, economics professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland, who said “lack of meaningful employment or perceived lack of it” was primarily to blame. “That’s the number one reason why they don’t stay in the region,” he said in an interview Monday. “The second is family ties .... The third reason is a lack of community support,” he said, explaining that close-knit communities in the region can be difficult for newcomers, making them sometimes feel like outsiders. Newcomers can more easily find their cultural communities and families in big cities like Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, Fang said, adding that the region would do well to accept larger numbers of immigrants at once, as did with Ukrainian and Syrian refugees. And while immigration may be outpacing housing and social services in the country, he said the Atlantic region desperately needs newcomers to boost its economic development. “We have the oldest population. We have the most severe labour demographic deficits. We have more severe skilled labour shortages, so immigration certainly has more positive impact for Atlantic Canada,” Fang said.

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