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Special Counsel Jack Smith is dropping the Justice Department’s criminal election interference and classified documents cases against Donald Trump , according to motions filed Monday in D.C. court. The cases were unlikely to see a trial or resolution given Trump’s victory in November’s election, and the incoming administration’s imminent control of the Justice Department. Monday’s motions by Smith mark the end of the government’s furious and fraught saga seeking accountability for Trump’s involvement in efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The future of the cases — especially the election inference case — were also in question given a July Supreme Court decision granting Trump, and all presidents, immunity from prosecution for “official” acts taken while in office. In July, Florida Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the DOJ’s classified documents case against Trump, claiming Smith’s appointment as a special counsel was inherently unconstitutional. Trump stood accused of wrongfully retaining and mishandling hundreds of classified documents following the end of his first term. Trump has vowed retribution on Smith and other prosecutors involved in criminal cases against him. As previously reported by Rolling Stone , the president-elect has spent his years out of office building an army of attorneys prepared to punish members of the DOJ and other law enforcement organizations involved in the myriad of investigations into Trump. “There are almost too many targets to keep track of,” one Trump adviser told Rolling Stone . Smith is expected to step down as special counsel before Trump is inaugurated in January, but it’s unlikely to prevent Trump’s Justice Department — which will likely be helmed by former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi — from going after him and those who worked on the cases against Trump.THE HAGUE (AP) — The world’s top war-crimes court issued arrest warrants Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and Hamas’ military chief, accusing them of crimes against humanity in connection with the 13-month war in Gaza. The warrants said there was reason to believe Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have used “starvation as a method of warfare” by restricting humanitarian aid and have intentionally targeted civilians in Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza — charges Israeli officials deny. The action by the International Criminal Court came as the death toll from Israel’s campaign in Gaza passed 44,000 people, according to local health authorities, who say more than half of those killed were women and children. Their count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. Experts say hunger has become widespread across Gaza and may have reached famine levels in the north of the territory, which is under siege by Israeli troops. Israel says it has been working hard to improve entry of aid, though the trickle of supplies into Gaza remains near the lowest levels of the war. Netanyahu condemned the warrant against him, saying Israel “rejects with disgust the absurd and false actions” by the court. In a statement released by his office, he said: “There is nothing more just than the war that Israel has been waging in Gaza.” Gallant, in a statement, said the decision "sets a dangerous precedent against the right to self-defense and moral warfare and encourages murderous terrorism.” The warrant marked the first time that a sitting leader of a major Western ally has been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity by a global court of justice. The decision turns Netanyahu and the others into internationally wanted suspects, putting them at risk of arrest when they travel abroad and potentially further isolating them . Israel and its top ally, the United States, are not members of the court. But others of Israel's allies, including some of its close European friends, are put in an awkward position. Several, including France, welcomed the court's decision and signaled they might arrest Netanyahu if he visited. The move “represents the most dramatic step yet in the court’s involvement in the conflict between Israel and Hamas," said Anthony Dworkin, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Israeli leaders, politicians and officials across the spectrum denounced the warrants and the ICC. The new defense minister, Israel Katz, who replaced Gallant earlier this month, said Thursday’s decision is “a moral disgrace, entirely tainted by antisemitism, and drags the international judicial system to an unprecedented low.” Human rights groups applauded the move. The warrants against both sides “break through the perception that certain individuals are beyond the reach of the law,” the associate international justice director at Human Rights Watch, Balkees Jarrah, said in a statement. The decision came six months after ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan requested the warrants. The court issued a warrant for Mohammed Deif, head of Hamas’ armed wing, over the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks that triggered Israel’s offensive in Gaza. It said it found reasonable grounds to believe Deif was involved in murder, rape, torture and the taking of hostages amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity. In the Hamas-led attack, militants stormed into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and taking some 250 others hostage. Around 100 Israelis remain captive in Gaza, around a third of them believed to be dead. Khan withdrew requests for warrants for two other senior Hamas figures, Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh , who have both since been killed. Israel says it also killed Deif in an airstrike, but Hamas has never confirmed his death. The warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant were issued by a three-judge panel in a unanimous decision. The panel said there were reasonable grounds to believe that both men bear responsibility for the war crime of starvation and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts. The judges said the lack of food, water, electricity, fuel and specific medical supplies created conditions “calculated to bring about the destruction of part of the civilian population in Gaza,” including the deaths of children due to malnutrition and dehydration. They also found that by preventing hospital supplies and medicine from getting into Gaza, doctors were forced to operate, including performing amputations, without anesthesia or with unsafe means of sedation that led to “great suffering.” Israeli diplomatic officials said the government is lobbying the international community to speak out against the warrants and is considering an appeal to the court. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity pending a formal decision on how the government will proceed. Despite the warrants, none of the suspects is likely to face judges in The Hague anytime soon. Member countries are required to detain suspects facing a warrant if they set foot on their soil, but the court has no way to enforce that. For example, Russian President Vladimir Putin, wanted on an ICC warrant for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, recently visited Mongolia, a member state in the court but also a Russian ally. He was not arrested. Still, the threat of arrest now complicates any travel abroad by Netanyahu and Gallant. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the warrants are binding on all 27 members countries of the European Union. France signaled it could arrest Netanyahu if he came to its territory. Foreign Ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine called it a “complex legal issue” but said France supports the court’s actions. “Combating impunity is our priority,” he said. “Our response will align with these principles.” Hamas in a statement welcomed the warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant but made no mention of the one against Deif. Israel’s opposition leaders fiercely criticized the ICC’s move. Benny Gantz, a retired general and political rival to Netanyahu, said it showed “moral blindness” and was a “shameful stain of historic proportion that will never be forgotten.” Israel’s campaign has caused heavy destruction across Gaza and driven almost the entire population of 2.3 million people from their homes, leaving most dependent on aid to survive. Two days after Hamas’ attack on southern Israel, Gallant announced a total seal on Gaza, vowing not to let in food, fuel or other supplies. Under U.S. pressure, Israel began allowing a trickle of humanitarian aid to enter a few weeks later. Israel now says it puts no limit on the supplies permitted into Gaza, and it blames the U.N. distribution system. But Israel's official figures show the amount of aid it has let in has plunged since the beginning of October. The U.N has blamed Israeli military restrictions, along with widespread lawlessness that has led to theft of aid shipments. The case at the ICC is separate from another legal battle Israel is waging at the top U.N. court, the International Court of Justice, in which South Africa accuses Israel of genocide , an allegation Israeli leaders staunchly deny. Lawyers for Israel argued in court that the war in Gaza was a legitimate defense of its people and that it was Hamas militants who were guilty of genocide. Associated Press journalists Raf Casert in Brussels, Mike Corder in The Hague and Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.We often read about toxic bosses. What about their employee equivalents? I’m referring to the employee who wants to extract as much money from the company for as little work as possible and is prepared to go to any means to do so. In fact, given the abundance of social legislation supporting employees, they have ample available (often governmental) helping hands enabling them to do so. What can an employer do? Here’s a list of common scenarios and how best to navigate them. In Ontario, an employee is entitled to overtime at time and a half if the employer permits them to work more than 44 hours per week. In other provinces and federally, it is 40 hours. What does one do about an employee who creates and submits fictitious “records” of their hours, often after they are fired. I have seen those overtime hours add up to more than the employee’s ! Many employers are flummoxed. The employment standards branch, to which the employee complains to obtain that time and a half, requires employers to keep records of employees’ time and, if they have not created those records as required, will presumptively accept the employee’s version. Calling evidence to disprove the employee’s recording that they were working at specific times can be difficult and sometimes impossible. The best technique to protect themselves is to have a written memo, signed by everyone, advising that employees are prohibited from ever working over those 44 hours a week without the employer’s written consent. If an employer does that, unless the employee can prove the employer was wilfully blind and observed all of this overtime being worked and permitted it, the employer will have protected itself. Many employees combine long weekends and compliant doctors to obtain illegitimate paid vacations, taking time off work just because they wish to. If the employer has a paid sick leave policy, the employees will be paid for those days. Subject to certain statutory exceptions in some provinces, there is no inherent obligation for employers to pay for . Still, most medium and large employers will pay, at least for some number of days per year. Often other employees will know if a co-worker has a practice of falsely making such claims and will resent having to work when that employee does not. This affects morale as well as . What is the solution? In the provinces that permit employers to demand medical notes, require one so the employee cannot spend a day of leisure or at the cottage but instead must attend the doctor’s office. If you suspect that the employee is not genuinely ill, contact them to ask relevant business questions to ensure that they are engaged and prevent them from having a real holiday. Finally, if a particular employee has a pattern of suspicious absences, have their doctor list their limitations and functionalities and require them to work within that modified job description. At last resort, if you believe they are not disabled at all, have them attend an independent medical examination with a doctor you retain and then insist on compliance with that doctor’s recommendation. Of course, some employees can pretend to be working by simply staying near their phones but provide little value because, in the absence of supervision, they are not working at all. One solution is to install software that monitors their keyboards to ensure they are productive. Another is to order them back to work where they have to attend the office (and cannot take their dogs for a walk or watch that daytime soap). To answer the unspoken question: yes, you can order back to work those who are not effectively working from home — whether it be because they are simply not working or because they are ineffective in that modality — while allowing employees who are effectively working from home to continue doing so. And yes, that is , but it is legal discrimination. Some employees push their employers, including in the ways discussed above, hoping to be fired. They misbehave hoping their misconduct will be rewarded. What can employers do? Start documenting their activity and providing warnings. If the employee miscalculates, you might well develop a case for cause, or at least give the employee the perception that they could lose such a case, which will make them ultimately change their conduct, or take less if you terminate them. You can also assign them duties that minimize the ill effect of their conduct — duties that would not amount to a constructive dismissal. And you can warn them that continued misconduct will affect their . References can last for one’s entire career. Employees can make claims without any foundation, such as to human rights, occupational health and safety and/or to human rights. This is often done in the hope of provoking a firing. The problem is that retaliating by firing them is itself a violation of these statutes, so that is not a viable option. Another problem is that, even if the employer is successful, they cannot recover costs from the employee. Some of these statutes have provisions whereby the cases can be dismissed on an early basis if they are frivolous. Again, although this cannot be threatened, as nothing can, there is nothing wrong with telling future employers about the employee’s history. A disgruntled employee might disparage an employer on social media or just in conversation. It might even rise to the level of defamation, permitting a lawsuit or, depending on the context, be cause for dismissal without — sending a message to other malcontents.bet 357 。

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Married couples across the U.S. have had access to no-fault divorce for more than 50 years, an option many call crucial to supporting domestic abuse victims and key to preventing already crowded family courts from drowning in complicated divorce proceedings. But some advocates for women worried as old comments from now Vice President-elect JD Vance circulated during the presidential campaign opposing no-fault divorce . And after President-elect Donald Trump and Vance won the election, warnings began popping up on social media urging women who might be considering divorce to "pull the trigger" while they still could. Some attorneys posted saying they were seeing a spike in calls from women seeking divorce consultations. Trump — who is twice-divorced — hasn't championed overhauling the country's divorce laws, but in 2021 Vance lamented that divorce is too easily accessible, as have conservative podcasters and others. "We've run this experiment in real time and what we have is a lot of very, very real family dysfunction that's making our kids unhappy," Vance said during a speech at a Christian high school in California, where he criticized people being able to "shift spouses like they change their underwear." Despite concerns, even those who want to make divorces harder to get say they don't expect big, swift changes. There is not a national coordinated effort underway. And states determine their own divorce laws, so national leaders can't change policy. "Even in some of the so-called red states, it hasn't gotten anywhere," said Beverly Willett, co-chair of the Coalition for Divorce Reform, whose group has unsuccessfully attempted to convince states to repeal their no-fault divorce laws. Mark A. Smith, a political science professor at the University of Washington, said that while many Americans have become accustomed to no-fault divorce being an option, Vance's previous comments on making it more difficult to separate from a spouse could help jumpstart that effort. "Even though he's not directly proposing a policy, it's a topic that hasn't gotten a ton of discussion in the last 15 years," Smith said. "And so to have a national profile politician talk that way is noteworthy." Meanwhile, Republican Party platforms in Texas and Nebraska were amended in 2022 to call for the removal of no-fault divorce. Louisiana's Republican Party considered something similar earlier this year but ultimately declined to do so. A handful of proposals have been introduced in conservative-led statehouses over the years, but all immediately stalled after they were filed. In January, Oklahoma Republican Sen. Dusty Deevers introduced legislation that would have removed married couples from filing for divorce on the grounds of incompatibility. Deevers backed the bill after writing a piece declaring no-fault divorce was an "abolition of marital obligation." Similarly, in South Carolina, two Republican lawmakers in 2023 filed a bill that would have required both spouses to file for a no-fault divorce application rather than just one. And in South Dakota, a Republican lawmaker has attempted to remove irreconcilable difference as grounds for divorce since 2020. None of the sponsors of these bills responded to interview requests from The Associated Press. All are members of their state's conservative Freedom Caucus. Nevertheless, some Democratic lawmakers say they remain worried about the future of no-fault divorce. They point to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning the constitutional right to abortion in 2022 as an example of a long-accepted option that was revoked through a decades-long effort. "When you choose to be silent, you allow for this to creep in," said Democratic South Dakota Rep. Linda Duba. "These are the bills that gain a foothold because you choose to be silent." Before California became the first state to adopt a no-fault divorce option in 1969, married couples had to prove their spouse had violated one of the approved "faults" outlined in their state's divorce law or risk a judge denying their divorce, said Joanna Grossman, a law professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Qualified reasons varied from state to state, but largely included infidelity, incarceration or abandonment. The system was a particular burden on domestic violence victims, often times women, who could be stuck in dangerous marriages while they try to prove their partner's abuse in court through expensive and lengthy legal proceedings. "If there was any evidence that the couple both wanted to get divorced that was supposed to be denied because divorce was not something you got because you wanted it, it was something you got because you've been wronged in a way that the state thought was significant," Grossman said. To date, every state in the U.S. has adopted a no-fault divorce option. However, 33 states still have a list of approved "faults" to file as grounds for divorce — ranging from adultery to felony conviction. In 17 states, married people only have the option of choosing no-fault divorce to end their marriages. Calls to reform no-fault divorce have remained fairly silent until the late 1990s, when concern pushed by former President George Bush's administration over the country's divorce rate sparked a brief movement for states to adopt "covenant marriages." The option didn't replace a state's no-fault divorce law, but provided an option for couples that carried counseling requirements and strict exceptions for divorce. Louisiana was the first state to embrace covenant marriage options, but the effort largely stopped after Arizona and Arkansas followed suit. Christian F. Nunes, president of the National Organization for Women, said she is "extremely worried" about the possibility of no-fault divorce being removed with the incoming Trump administration, Republican-controlled Congress and wide range of conservative state leaders. "With so many states focusing on a misogynistic legislative agenda, this will turn back the clocks on women's rights even more," Nunes said in a statement. "This is why removing 'no fault' divorce is another way for the government to control women, their bodies, and their lives. Eliminating no-fault divorce is also a backdoor way of eliminating gay marriage, since this implies that a marriage is only between a man and a woman." With Trump's reelection, Willett, whose group opposes no-fault divorce, said she's cautiously optimistic that the political tide could change. "Was what he said an indication of things to come? I don't know," Willett said. "It's a good thing but it's certainly not anything that has been really discussed other than a few high profile conservatives who talk about it."The Duke of York has said he “ceased all contact” with the businessman accused of being a Chinese spy when concerns were first raised about him. Andrew met the individual through “official channels” with “nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed”, a statement from his office said. The businessman – known only as H6 – lost an appeal over a decision to bar him from entering the UK on national security grounds. He brought a case to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) after then-home secretary Suella Braverman said he should be excluded from the UK in March 2023. H6 was described as a “close confidante” of The Duke. Judges were told that in a briefing for the home secretary in July 2023, officials claimed H6 had been in a position to generate relationships between prominent UK figures and senior Chinese officials “that could be leveraged for political interference purposes”. They also said that H6 had downplayed his relationship with the Chinese state, which combined with his relationship with Andrew, 64, represented a threat to national security. A statement from Andrew’s office said: “The Duke of York followed advice from His Majesty’s Government and ceased all contact with the individual after concerns were raised. “The Duke met the individual through official channels with nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed. “He is unable to comment further on matters relating to national security.” At a hearing in July, the specialist tribunal heard that the businessman was told by an adviser to Andrew that he could act on the duke’s behalf when dealing with potential investors in China, and that H6 had been invited to Andrew’s birthday party in 2020. A letter referencing the birthday party from the adviser, Dominic Hampshire, was discovered on H6’s devices when he was stopped at a port in November 2021. In a ruling on Thursday, Mr Justice Bourne, Judge Stephen Smith and Sir Stewart Eldon, dismissed the challenge.Why You Should Consider Ultherapy and a Chemical Peel for Your SkinAs drink-spiking and date-rape drugs cases continue to stoke emotions, Victoria council is looking for answers The conversation re-entered the spotlight recently when the 2021 death of Victoria 18-year-old Samantha Sims-Somerville — who ingested a lethal dose of the well-known date-rape drug GHB — was re-classified a homicide by the Coroner's Service of B.C. Additionally, this month, a 16-year-old girl and her mom spoke with local media about her experience allegedly being drugged at a Vancouver Island party. Victoria police chief Del Manak spoke at council's Nov. 21 meeting about Somerville's death, which was initially ruled an accidental overdose. "This is an extremely tragic situation," he said. Manak explained that investigations like this can be tough, and some evidence, including second or third-hand evidence, can't always be admissible evidence to the court. He also mentioned that though the coroner's office deemed Somerville's death a homicide, there may not be enough evidence to prove anyone's culpability. "We aren't doubling down. This is an extremely serious case with just a horrific outcome and we're doing everything we can," Manak told the council. "I can't make up the evidence though, right? The evidence is the evidence and the courts will decide, not on a balance of probabilities, but on beyond a reasonable doubt if there's enough evidence that meets the charge-approval standard." Following the re-classification of Somerville's case, VicPD said it has since requested more information from the coroner about why. In the meantime, "out of an abundance of caution," it has forwarded the case to the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit, which looks after all suspicious deaths and homicide cases, for review. Council members put forward a motion to request an update from VicPD, the Greater Victoria School District, and the provincial government about any efforts being undertaken to raise awareness and prevent the use of date-rape drugs like GHB or Rohypnol. "What are we doing in Victoria about these crimes? What can city council do about these crimes? And likewise, what are high schools doing about these crimes? What are our not-for-profits, our social services agencies doing about these drugs? And what is VicPD doing?" asked councillor Matt Dell. Dell explained he recently talked to nightclub owners in the city, who said that they put up awareness posters, have safe drink spots where people can leave their drinks and offer free lids to cover the top of drinks, though other council members felt that it isn't enough. "I think we are doing our due diligence to let parents and victims know we're on their side and we want to do everything we can to educate the community and make sure that everything that could happen to prevent this is happening; that when there is a case, that charges are laid when they need to be laid that we're not just letting this slip through the system," Coun. Krista Loughton said. Stacey Forrester, a co-founder of Good Night Out, whose goal is to create safer spaces and prevent sexual violence in Vancouver and Victoria's nightlife, says suspected drink spiking is not a rare sight for their street-teams, which works in the cities' entertainment districts on Friday and Saturday nights. "A big part of our work is actually educating the public, not just on signs of drink spiking, but signs of predatory behaviour," Forrester explained in an interview in the summer. "We can only saturate women so much with 'cover your drink, don't leave it alone, don't [take] drinks from strangers.' Whereas, we need to educate bar staff and patrons, especially men, on signs that someone is being predatory." She explained red flags to watch for in bars and nightclubs include individuals targeting the most intoxicated person in the room, lingering around unattended drinks, buying drinks with a sense of entitlement or expectation, and trying to separate an intoxicated person from their friends. "Good Night Out has a three-hour training that includes all aspects of nightlife safety, including preventing drink spiking," Forrester said. "Talking about drink spiking is really important, but we also have to be aware that the most commonly used drug to render people incapacitated is alcohol. It just doesn't make the headlines." Coun. Stephen Hammond explained that he didn't support the motion because he felt it would be a waste of time for the province, the school district and VicPD to put a report together. He thought it would be better to encourage the parties to make sure people are being educated about the issue. "What I want is for the school district and for the police to be educating young men that they have no right over the bodies of young women, nor do they have the right to drug young women," Hammond said. "I would also prefer they spend the time educating young women about the harms, and that tragically, today, you can never leave a drink alone or out of your sight."

Trump nominates Charles Kushner, who he pardoned in 2020, as US Ambassador to FranceChildren’s Minister Roderic O’Gorman said the party could not buck the trend in Ireland of junior coalition partners in Fine Gael and Fianna Fail governments losing support in subsequent elections. He said they expected to retain two to three seats out of the 12 they had won in the 2020 election on the back of a worldwide “Green wave”. “Undoubtedly it’s a disappointing result for our party today,” Mr O’Gorman told reporters in Ongar, Dublin. “It’s hard for a smaller party in government, that’s long been the tradition, the history in Ireland. We hoped going into the election to buck that but we haven’t been able to buck that today.” Mr O’Gorman, a candidate in Dublin West, is among the outgoing Green Party TDs in a battle to retain their seats. Culture Minister Catherine Martin, who is fighting to remain a Green Party TD for Dublin Rathdown, said it was a “very tight” race in her four-seat constituency. “We go in (to government) not afraid of that because the issue of the climate and biodiversity crisis is (greater) than our survival,” she said on RTE Radio. “I stand over and am proud of our track record of delivery.” Green candidate in Waterford Marc O Cathasaigh said he would not be “in the shake-up” to retain his seat in that constituency, while junior minister Ossian Smyth looks at risk of losing his seat in Dun Laoghaire. Junior minister Joe O’Brien is expected to lose his seat in Dublin Fingal, Neasa Hourigan is at risk in Dublin Central, while Wicklow’s Steven Matthews garnered just 4% of first preferences. Former Green Party leader Eamon Ryan, who announced his retirement from frontline politics in June, said his party had not had a good day. Arriving at the count centre at the RDS in Dublin, the outgoing environment minister told reporters: “If you don’t get elected you accept that, but you come back stronger and you learn lessons, and we’ve done that in the past and we will do that again.” He added: “No matter what the results today there will be a strong Green Party in Ireland, we have deep roots in the community and it’s a very distinct political philosophy and I think there is still space for that in Irish politics, for sure.” Mr Ryan said he did not believe his decision to retire, and the timing of his announcement, had affected the party’s showing. “Unfortunately – and this is just one of those days – we didn’t get the number of votes,” he said. He added: “We’ll look back and see what are the lessons, and what can we learn and what can we do differently. “It’s just one of those days when we didn’t have a good day.French President Emmanuel Macron has named centrist leader Francois Bayrou as his new Prime Minister after the previous government was deposed last week. Bayrou’s appointment, confirmed by the Elysee presidential palace on Friday, came after former Prime Minister Michel Barnier was forced by far-right and left-wing lawmakers to step down after just three months in office in a historic no-confidence vote last week. Bayrou is a well-known figure in French politics whose political experience is seen as key in efforts to restore stability to the country. The 73-year-old leader of the Democratic Movement (Mouvement Democrate, or MoDem) group has been allied to the President’s centrist Renaissance party since he swept to power in 2017. The country was plunged into a political crisis when Macron called snap elections earlier this year after his party polled badly in European elections, with Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) party emerging as the clear victor. But his bid to buttress his minority government, which had struggled to pass legislation, backfired spectacularly when the poll delivered an inconclusive result, leaving parliament divided among three warring blocs with no absolute majority. AljazeeraAlkami Technology's chief strategy officer sells $2.63 million in stock

Indiana should be able to breathe easy this week. It has very little chance of making it into the Big Ten championship game. On the other hand, Georgia's spot in the Southeastern Conference title game is so risky that if the Bulldogs lose they might have been better off sitting it out. Over the next two weeks, the warm familiarity of conference championship games, which began in 1992 thanks to the SEC, could run into the cold reality that comes with the first 12-team College Football Playoff. League title games give the nation's top contenders a chance to hang a banner and impress the CFP committee, but more than ever, the bragging rights come with the risk of a season-wrecking loss — even with an expanded field. “I just don’t think it’s a quality conversation,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said last week, sticking with the time-honored cliche of looking no further than the next weekend's opponent. Those who want to have that talk, though, already know where Georgia stands. The Bulldogs (9-2) are ranked sixth in this week's AP Top 25 and projected somewhere near that in the next set of CFP rankings that come out Tuesday. They already have two losses and will have to beat No. 3 Texas or No. 20 Texas A & M in the SEC title game on Dec. 7 to avoid a third. How bad would a third loss hurt? The chairman of the selection committee insists that a team making a conference title game shouldn't count against it. What that really means won't be known until the games are played and the pairings come out on Dec. 8. "We're going to let the season play out," Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said. “But I think teams who make that championship game, the committee looks at them and puts them in high esteem." All of which could be good news for Indiana in the unlikely event the Hoosiers find themselves playing for the Big Ten title. IU is coming off a flop in its first major test of the season, a 38-15 loss to Ohio State last weekend. After his team's first loss of the season, coach Curt Cignetti took offense to being asked whether the Hoosiers were still a playoff-caliber team. “Is that a serious question?” he asked. “I’m not even gonna answer that. The answer is so obvious.” What might hurt Indiana, which dropped five spots to No. 10 in the AP poll, would be another drubbing. The Hoosiers would be at least a two-touchdown underdog in a title-game matchup against top-ranked Oregon. The odds of that happening, however, are slim. It would take a Michigan upset over No. 2 Ohio State on Saturday, combined with a Maryland upset over No. 4 Penn State and, of course, an Indiana win over Purdue (1-10). Because this is the first year of the 12-team playoff, there's no perfect comparison to make. For instance, this is the first time Power Four conference champions are guaranteed a spot in the playoff. But 2017 provides a textbook example of how a team losing its conference title game suffered. That year, Alabama had one loss (to Auburn) and didn't play in the SEC title game, but made the four-team field ahead of Wisconsin, which was 12-1 after a loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game. Ohio State didn't make it either — two losses didn't get teams into a four-team field. Neither did undefeated UCF. Saturday's results made things a little more clear for the rest of the conferences: — In the Big 12, winning the title game will probably be the only way for Arizona State (9-2), BYU (9-2), Iowa State (9-2), Colorado (8-3) or anyone else to earn a spot in the 12-team playoff. None are ranked higher than 14th in the AP poll. — The Atlantic Coast Conference could get multiple bids. Miami (10-1), SMU (10-1) and Clemson (9-2) all finished in the top 12 of this week's AP poll. They were cheering the loudest when both Alabama and Ole Miss suffered their third losses of the season. — The Mountain West would be a one-bid conference, but that's only a sure thing if Boise State wins. A loss by the Broncos could open the CFP for Tulane or Army of the American Athletic. Both the MWC and AAC title games take place at 8 p.m. on Dec. 6. — Where the committee places Alabama and Ole Miss on Tuesday will be an indicator of what it thinks of teams with three losses that played very strong schedules. — It could also set the stakes for Georgia, which faces the prospect of loss No. 3 in the Dec. 7 title game, assuming the Bulldogs beat rival Georgia Tech this week. — Clemson has been steadily climbing. Its 34-3 loss to Georgia came on Aug. 31. Is it ancient history to the committee, though? — Indiana's status as a playoff team — in, out, nervous? — will become apparent. The Ohio State game was Indiana's first against a top-flight opponent. Then again, it is the Hoosiers' only loss and their weak Big Ten schedule is not their fault. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football85% candidates in Maha fray lose security deposit, Cong leads MVA chart with 9, none from BJP

Building a can be daunting (and expensive) if you don’t know where to start. The good news is that many of the best smart home accessories are on sale during . Whether you want to dip your toe into the world of smart light bulbs, or want to assemble a smart home security system, we’ve rounded up the best deals and broken them down by category for your convenience. , $79.99 (Was $149.99) You can control smart-home accessories using an app on your smartphone, but a smart speaker with the screen is an even easier way to go. The Echo Show 8 works with Alexa, Amazon’s smart home assistant, which allows you to operate it using your voice. Alexa can answer questions, set timers, play music, play games, and control smart home accessories. We like the Echo Show 8 because it displays information on its touch screen in addition to voice commands. Additionally, you can view a video live feed from compatible and on the display. The Echo Show 8 is the best Black Friday smart home deal we could find, and it’ll quickly become the hub that controls several gadgets in your house.

Five-star center Chris Cenac Jr. commits to HoustonHead coach Vanni Sartini paid the price Monday for the Vancouver Whitecaps’ mediocre results this past season and subsequent first-round playoff exit. His firing came about two weeks after the Major League Soccer team won a play-in game before falling to top-seeded Los Angeles FC in a three-game series that went the distance. “The desperation on my side is absolutely there,” said Axel Schuster, the Whitecaps’ sporting director and chief executive officer. One of the reasons for the change, he said, is everyone in the organization, including himself, needs a reminder that playoff success next year is imperative. “We cannot not get there.” The Whitecaps haven’t reached the conference semifinals since 2017. In a one-hour availability with reporters, Schuster noted the team had the second-worst home record in the Western Conference this year and recorded just two points over its last seven regular-season games. He referenced the need for fresh energy from a new coach and added there was no firm timeline in place for a replacement to be named. “I had to make a professional decision (for) how we can get the biggest impact to make this step forward and to get to a progression,” he said. The Whitecaps’ late-season slump dropped them to eighth place in the West with a record of 13-13-8. Vancouver won a play-in game at Portland before dropping a 1-0 decision at LAFC in the deciding game of the series. Vancouver also won its third-straight Canadian championship this season, beating Toronto FC 4-2 on penalties after the final ended in a 0-0 tie. “I took my time with this decision, and it was not taken lightly,” Schuster said. Sartini, a 47-year-old from Florence, Italy, took over coaching duties on an interim basis in August 2021 after the Whitecaps dismissed Marc Dos Santos. He was officially named head coach that November. “For the last three years and three months, it has been an absolute honour to be the head coach of Vancouver Whitecaps FC,” Sartini said in a release. “I will always be grateful to Axel Schuster and ownership for entrusting me to be the technical lead of this club in such an important time. “Vancouver will always have a special place in my heart and my wife’s heart,” he added. He posted a record of 57-51-39 across all competitions. The exuberant Italian made headlines in November 2023 when he publicly criticized a referee following a playoff game and made a joke about being a suspect if the official were to be found dead. He was suspended for the first six games of the 2024 MLS campaign, fined US$20,000 and ordered to complete a league-approved behavioural assessment. The coach later apologized for the comments and his suspension was cut to four games. Sartini came to Vancouver in 2019 as Dos Santos’ assistant coach and spent two seasons with the first team before being named the club’s “director of methodology” and taking over coaching the U-23 team in 2020. Before joining the Whitecaps, he worked as a coach educator for the Italian Football Federation and the U.S. Soccer Federation, and coached several different clubs in Italy.

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Chilean President Gabriel Boric is under investigation for sexual harassment, authorities confirmed Tuesday after his personal lawyer sought to portray the head of state as a victim of online stalking. The country’s attorney general, Cristián Crisosto, in a statement said prosecutors have opened “a criminal case related to" allegations filed by an unidentified woman in September. The complaint alleges sexual harassment as well as the leaking of private images. Crisosto did not provide details of the alleged events, or say when or where they took place. Boric, 38, has denied the accusations through his attorney, Jonatan Valenzuela, who in a statement described the president as “the victim of systematic harassment via email.” The alleged harassment occurred between July 2013 and July 2014, when Boric was an intern in the southern Chilean city of Punta Arenas, near the Patagonia, and was already a well-known figure in national politics thanks to his role in student-led protests a couple of years earlier. Valenzuela said Boric “never had an emotional or friendly relationship” with the woman and both have not been in communication since July 2014 when she is alleged to have sent the last of dozens of emails, some with explicit images, to the now president. Valenzuela said his team handed authorities all communications between Boric and the woman after learning of her complaint, to “clarify the status of the president as a victim.”By JILL COLVIN NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump wants to turn the lights out on daylight saving time. In a post on his social media site Friday, Trump said his party would try to end the practice when he returns to office. “The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t! Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation,” he wrote. Setting clocks forward one hour in the spring and back an hour in the fall is intended to maximize daylight during summer months, but has long been subject to scrutiny. Daylight saving time was first adopted as a wartime measure in 1942. Lawmakers have occasionally proposed getting rid of the time change altogether. The most prominent recent attempt, a now-stalled bipartisan bill named the Sunshine Protection Act , had proposed making daylight saving time permanent. The measure was sponsored by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio , whom Trump has tapped to helm the State Department. Related Articles National Politics | Ruling by a conservative Supreme Court could help blue states resist Trump policies National Politics | A nonprofit leader, a social worker: Here are the stories of the people on Biden’s clemency list National Politics | Nancy Pelosi hospitalized after she ‘sustained an injury’ on official trip to Luxembourg National Politics | Veteran Daniel Penny, acquitted in NYC subway chokehold, will join Trump’s suite at football game National Politics | About 3 in 10 are highly confident in Trump on Cabinet, spending or military oversight: AP-NORC poll “Changing the clock twice a year is outdated and unnecessary,” Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said as the Senate voted in favor of the measure. Health experts have said that lawmakers have it backward and that standard time should be made permanent. Some health groups , including the American Medical Association and American Academy of Sleep Medicine, have said that it’s time to do away with time switches and that sticking with standard time aligns better with the sun — and human biology. Most countries do not observe daylight saving time. For those that do, the date that clocks are changed varies, creating a complicated tapestry of changing time differences. Arizona and Hawaii don’t change their clocks at all.

By JILL COLVIN NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump wants to turn the lights out on daylight saving time. In a post on his social media site Friday, Trump said his party would try to end the practice when he returns to office. “The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t! Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation,” he wrote. Setting clocks forward one hour in the spring and back an hour in the fall is intended to maximize daylight during summer months, but has long been subject to scrutiny. Daylight saving time was first adopted as a wartime measure in 1942. Lawmakers have occasionally proposed getting rid of the time change altogether. The most prominent recent attempt, a now-stalled bipartisan bill named the Sunshine Protection Act , had proposed making daylight saving time permanent. The measure was sponsored by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio , whom Trump has tapped to helm the State Department. Related Articles National Politics | Ruling by a conservative Supreme Court could help blue states resist Trump policies National Politics | A nonprofit leader, a social worker: Here are the stories of the people on Biden’s clemency list National Politics | Nancy Pelosi hospitalized after she ‘sustained an injury’ on official trip to Luxembourg National Politics | Veteran Daniel Penny, acquitted in NYC subway chokehold, will join Trump’s suite at football game National Politics | About 3 in 10 are highly confident in Trump on Cabinet, spending or military oversight: AP-NORC poll “Changing the clock twice a year is outdated and unnecessary,” Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said as the Senate voted in favor of the measure. Health experts have said that lawmakers have it backward and that standard time should be made permanent. Some health groups , including the American Medical Association and American Academy of Sleep Medicine, have said that it’s time to do away with time switches and that sticking with standard time aligns better with the sun — and human biology. Most countries do not observe daylight saving time. For those that do, the date that clocks are changed varies, creating a complicated tapestry of changing time differences. Arizona and Hawaii don’t change their clocks at all.According to Colorado Parks and Wildlife, the five remaining members of the Copper Creek wolf pack, a female and four pups, will be released into one of the three counties targeted for wolf reintroduction in 2025. Travis Duncan, a CPW spokesman, told Colorado Politics Friday that the agency plans to release the four pups and the breeding female in the upcoming January 2025 releases in Garfield, Eagle, and/or Pitkin counties. The agency plans to introduce up to 15 wolves from British Columbia in the same counties. The state wolf management plan states, "The translocation of depredating wolves to a different part of the state will not be considered, as this is viewed as translocating the problem along with the wolves." However, Duncan said Friday that the wolf management plan "is not regulatory and calls for flexibility and may not at times account for every unique situation the agency encounters." He said the Copper Creek pack situation was "very unique. The male adult wolf was involved in multiple depredations. Removing the male at that time, while he was the sole source of food and the female was denning, would likely have been fatal to the pups and counter to the restoration mandate." The Copper Creek pack, including the male, was captured in September after multiple allegations that the male, and even the female of the breeding pair, killed up to a dozen livestock in Grand County. The male was in poor health and died several days after the capture. Last month, CPW released a statement saying they are "committed to engaging further with county officials, local producers, and other stakeholders in areas where wolves currently reside and in locations where wolves may be released in the future." Colorado Politics contacted county commissioners in the three counties but has not responded. Pitkin County, the only one of the three where voters approved the wolf reintroduction, has no state lands, so a private landowner must agree to allow the wolves on their property. According to a discussion on communications with CPW last month, Garfield County Commissioner Tom Jankovsky said Eagle County has more state lands than Garfield. The most significant state lands in Garfield County are just north of New Castle and near Rifle. The first batch of Oregon wolves was released a year ago in Grand and Summit counties. According to Oregon records, several came from packs with a history of livestock depredation, despite the Colorado wolf plan stating that wolves with that kind of history would not be brought to Colorado. CPW failed to notify local ranchers and elected officials of the release, leading to a breakdown in communications and in the relationships between CPW and private landowners, including ranchers who have allowed the agency access to their lands for wildlife conservation and hunting. The agency announced Monday, a year after the first release, that it had developed a conflict minimization program for ranchers. The program will include site assessments and range riders and will be implemented in the coming weeks. A petition to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission to put a hold on more wolves is unlikely to be considered by the commission before the next batch of wolves is released. The petition came from a coalition of 26 livestock organizations, with backing from Colorado Counties, Inc., which represents 63 out of 64 counties in Colorado. Colorado voters, primarily on the eastern side of the Continental Divide, narrowly approved a ballot measure in 2020 to put wolves into Western Slope counties, primarily in counties where voters had rejected the ballot measure.Special counsel moves to dismiss Donald Trump election interference case

Duke of York ‘ceased all contact’ with spy-accused man after concerns raised

The leader of Sinn Fein has expressed determination to form a government of the left in Ireland as she insisted her party’s performance in the General Election had broken the state’s political mould. Despite Mary Lou McDonald’s confidence around shaping a coalition without Fine Gael and Fianna Fail – the two parties that have dominated the landscape of Irish politics for a century – the pathway to government for Sinn Fein still appears challenging. With counting following Friday’s election still in the relatively early stages – after an exit poll that showed the main three parties effectively neck-and-neck – there is some way to go before the final picture emerges and the options for government formation crystalise. Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader, Simon Harris, has dismissed talk of a Sinn Fein surge and said he was “cautiously optimistic” about where his party will stand after all the votes are counted. Meanwhile, Ireland’s deputy premier and Fianna Fail leader, Micheal Martin, insisted his party has a “very clear route back to government” as he predicted seat gains. The counting process could last days because of Ireland’s complex system of proportional representation with a single transferable vote (PR-STV), where candidates are ranked by preference. The early indications have turned the focus to the tricky arithmetic of government formation, as the country’s several smaller parties and many independents potentially jockey for a place in government. Ms McDonald told reporters at the RDS count centre in Dublin that she would be “very, very actively pursuing” the potential to form a government with other parties on the left of the political spectrum. The smaller, left-leaning parties in Ireland include the Social Democrats, the Irish Labour Party, the Green Party and People Before Profit-Solidarity. Ms McDonald said her party had delivered an “incredible performance” in the election. “I think it’s fair to say that we have now confirmed that we have broken the political mould here in this state,” she said. “Two party politics is now gone. It’s consigned to the dustbin of history and that, in itself, is very significant.” She added: “I am looking to bring about a government of change, and I’m going to go and look at all formulations. “If you want my bottom line, the idea of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael for another five years, in our strong opinion, is not a good outcome for Irish society. “Obviously, I want to talk to other parties of the left and those that we share very significant policy objectives with. So I’m going to do that first and just hear their mind, hear their thinking. But be very clear, we will be very, very actively pursuing entrance into government.” In Friday night’s exit poll, Sinn Fein was predicted to take 21.1% of first-preference votes, narrowly ahead of outgoing coalition partners Fine Gael and Fianna Fail at 21% and 19.5% respectively. Prior to the election, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael both ruled out entering government with Sinn Fein. Fine Gael leader Mr Harris rejected suggestions Sinn Fein had broken new ground. He told reporters in his count centre in Greystones, Co Wicklow: “Certainly we haven’t seen a Sinn Fein surge or anything like it. “I mean, it looks likely, on the figures that we’ve seen now, fewer people, many fewer people would have voted Sinn Fein in this election than the last one. “In fact, I think they’re down by around 5% and actually the parties, particularly the two parties, the two larger parties in government, are likely to receive significant support from the electorate. So definitely, politics in Ireland has gotten much more fragmented.” He said it was too early to tell what the next government would look like. “I think anybody who makes any suggestion about who is going to be the largest party or the construct of the next government, they’re a braver person than I am,” he said. “Our electoral system dictates that there’ll be many, many transfers that will go on for hours, if not days, before we know the final computations at all. “But what I am very confident about is that my party will have a very significant role to play in the years ahead, and I’m cautiously optimistic and excited.” Fianna Fail’s Mr Martin told reporters at a count centre in Cork he was confident that the numbers exist to form a government with parties that shared his political viewpoint. Mr Martin said it “remains to be seen” whether he would return to the role of Taoiseach – a position he held between 2020 and 2022 – but he expressed confidence his party would outperform the exit poll prediction. “It’s a bit too early yet to call the exact type of government that will be formed or the composition of the next government,” he said. “But I think there are, there will be a sufficiency of seats, it seems to me, that aligns with the core principles that I articulated at the outset of this campaign and throughout the campaign, around the pro-enterprise economy, around a positively pro-European position, a government that will strongly push for home ownership and around parties that are transparently democratic in how they conduct their affairs.” Asked if it would be in a coalition with Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Social Democrats, he said that would be “racing a bit too far ahead”. The final result may dictate that if Fianna Fail and Fine Gael are to return to government, they may need more than one junior partner, or potentially the buy-in of several independent TDs. Mr Martin said it was unclear how quickly a government can be formed, as he predicted his party would gain new seats. “It will be challenging. This is not easy,” he added. The junior partner in the outgoing government – the Green Party – looks set for a bruising set of results. Green leader Roderic O’Gorman is in a fight to hold onto his seat, as are a number of party colleagues, including Media Minister Catherine Martin. “It’s clear the Green Party has not had a good day,” he said. The early counting also suggested potential trouble for Fianna Fail in Wicklow, where the party’s only candidate in the constituency, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, is considered to have a battle ahead, with the risk of losing his seat. Meanwhile, there is significant focus on independent candidate Gerard Hutch who, on Saturday evening, was sitting in fourth place in the four-seat constituency of Dublin Central. Last spring, Mr Hutch was found not guilty by the non-jury Special Criminal Court of the murder of David Byrne, in one of the first deadly attacks of the Hutch-Kinahan gangland feud. Mr Byrne, 33, died after being shot six times at a crowded boxing weigh-in event at the Regency Hotel in February 2016. A Special Criminal Court judge described Mr Hutch, 61, as the patriarchal figurehead of the Hutch criminal organisation and said he had engaged in “serious criminal conduct”. The constituency will be closely watched as other hopefuls wait to see if transfers from eliminated candidates may eventually rule him out of contention. In the constituency of Louth, the much-criticised selection of John McGahon appeared not to have paid off for Fine Gael. The party’s campaign was beset by questioning over footage entering the public domain of the candidate engaged in a fight outside a pub in 2018. The Social Democrats have a strong chance of emerging as the largest of the smaller parties. The party’s leader, Holly Cairns, was already celebrating before a single vote was counted however, having announced the birth of her baby girl on polling day.How to live stream Vancouver Canucks at Boston Bruins: time, channels

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