Emily Andre has shared a rare glimpse of the kids she shares with Peter Andre . The 35-year-old is mum to Amelia, who will turn 10 in January, eight-year-old Theo, and baby Arabella - known as 'Belle' - who was born in April this year. Though the NHS doctor is careful not to show their kids' faces on social media, she did upload a sweet clip of the children going wild when they spotted their famous dad on the TV. Taking to her Instagram stories, Emily posted the cute video. She is heard saying 'Who's that?' as the older kids shout 'Daddy!' and baby Belle is heard making noises suggesting she recognises it's dad Pete she can see on the screen. Emily captioned the post: "Daddy's biggest fans." Pete, 51, was appearing on ITV News to talk about headlining the New Year's Parade, which will go through the streets of central London on January 1, with the singer set to perform some of his biggest hits such as Mysterious Girl, Flava, Only You and I Feel You. But just hours before he is booked to play a New Year's Eve set in Dubai, so it will be a mad dash to get back to London in time for his New Year's Day gig. Despite his career spanning 30 years, Pete revealed the last few months had been the 'busiest of my life.' He told ITV News : "At 51, I thought it was going to really slow down now, but I'm very grateful. There's lots going on." Giving fans a preview of what's to come, he continued: "I'm filming a TV drama at the moment overseas, so I'm coming backwards and forwards. Then we've got the New Year's Day Parade and New Year's Eve in Dubai. It's crazy." One of the reasons Pete is so keen to sing in the show is so his own mum and dad, who can no longer travel for health reasons and older age, can watch from Australia . He said: "Not a lot of people know this, but it's actually televised around the world . This means my mother and father can watch from Australia, which for me is a huge thing because they'll be watching me live. That for me is a massive, massive plus so I'm very honoured to do it." Though Pete has found massive success as a music artist - with his 19-year-old son Junior, who he shares with ex-wife Katie Price following in his footsteps - he revealed his first love is acting. And he's actually starred in a feature film and has more plans to act in the future. He shared: "I'm doing film at the moment. I've actually just finished my first feature film, which isn't out until next year. And we're now doing this TV drama, so I'm now moving into that area. And getting to write songs for - I've written a song for the drama and for the film. For me, that's a way of kind of evolving a bit because I don't think anyone wants to see me standing there singing the same old songs from 30 years ago constantly." Pete added: "You've got to evolve in other ways. I do try, I'm very driven and now that I've got so many children I have to make sure that I keep working to provide." As well as his three children with wife Emily, Pete shares two older kids with ex-wife Katie. They are Junior, 19, and 17-year-old Princess. Do you have a story to share? Email me at katie.wilson01@reachplc.com Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads
WASHINGTON — Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Defense Department, said he had a “wonderful conversation” with Maine Sen. Susan Collins on Wednesday as he pushed to win enough votes for confirmation. He said he will not back down after allegations of excessive drinking and sexual misconduct. Collins said after the hourlong meeting that she questioned Hegseth about the allegations amid reports of drinking and the revelation that he made a settlement payment after being accused of a sexual assault that he denies. She said she had a “good, substantive” discussion with Hegseth and “covered a wide range of topics,” including sexual assault in the military, Ukraine and NATO. But she said she would wait until a hearing, and notably a background check, to make a decision. “I asked virtually every question under the sun,” Collins told reporters as she left her office after the meeting. "I pressed him both on his position on military issues as well as the allegations against him, so I don’t think there was anything that we did not cover.” The meeting with Collins was closely watched as she is seen as more likely than most of her Republican Senate colleagues to vote against some of Trump’s Cabinet picks. She and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a fellow moderate Republican, did not shy from opposing Trump in his first term when they wanted to do so and sometimes supported President Joe Biden’s nominees for the judicial and executive branches. And Hegseth, an infantry combat veteran and former “Fox & Friends” weekend host, is working to gain as many votes as he can as some senators have expressed concerns about his personal history and lack of management experience. “I’m certainly not going to assume anything about where the senator stands,” Hegseth said as he left Collins’ office. “This is a process that we respect and appreciate. And we hope, in time, overall, when we get through that committee and to the floor that we can earn her support.” Hegseth met with Murkowski on Tuesday. He has also been meeting repeatedly with Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, a military veteran who has said she is a survivor of sexual assault and has spent time in the Senate working on improving how attacks are reported and prosecuted within the ranks. On Monday, Ernst said after a meeting with him that he had committed to selecting a senior official to prioritize those goals. Republicans will have a 53-49 majority next year, meaning Trump cannot lose more than three votes on any of his nominees. It is so far unclear whether Hegseth will have enough support, but Trump has stepped up his pressure on senators in the last week. “Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!” Trump posted on his social media platform last week. On Thursday, Hegseth plans to meet with a Democrat — Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman. Fetterman confirmed the meeting to The Associated Press but did not say whether he was considering supporting Hegseth or what he planned to discuss.
By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -The United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly voted on Wednesday to demand an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the immediate release of all hostages. The ceasefire demand in the resolution - adopted with 158 votes in favor in the 193-member assembly - was expressed in more urgent language than one urging an immediate humanitarian truce in Gaza that the body "called for" in October 2023 then "demanded" in December 2023. General Assembly resolutions are not binding but carry political weight, reflecting a global view on the war. The United States, Israel and seven other countries voted against the ceasefire resolution, while 13 countries abstained. The world body also threw its support behind the U.N. Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, adopting a second resolution with 159 votes in favor to deplore a new Israeli law that will ban UNRWA's operations in Israel from late January. It demanded that Israel respect UNRWA's mandate and "enable its operations to proceed without impediment or restriction." The U.S., Israel and seven other countries voted no, while 11 countries abstained. "The messages we send to the world through these resolutions matter. And both of these resolutions have significant problems," Deputy U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Robert Wood told the assembly. "One rewards Hamas and downplays the need to release the hostages, and the other denigrates Israel without providing a path forward to increasing humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians," he said. Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon last week accused the U.N. of having "an obsession with vilifying Israel," while Palestinian U.N. envoy Riyad Mansour described Gaza as the "open, painful wound for the human family." 'HUNGER, DESPAIR, DEATH' Israel says UNRWA staff took part in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza. The U.N. has said nine UNRWA staff may have been involved and had been fired. A Hamas commander in Lebanon - killed by Israel - was also found to have had an UNRWA job. "By voting for these resolutions, you are not voting to protect humanitarian values, but to protect an organization that has become a haven for terror," Danon told the assembly on Wednesday before the vote. UNRWA was established by the General Assembly in 1949 following the war surrounding the founding of Israel. The U.N. has repeatedly said there is no alternative to UNRWA, which provides aid, health and education to millions of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. "Gaza doesn't exist anymore. It is destroyed. Palestinians are facing hunger, despair and death," Slovenia's U.N. Ambassador Samuel Zbogar told the assembly. "There is no reason for this war to continue. We need a ceasefire now. We need to bring hostages home now." The war in the Palestinian enclave began after Hamas gunmen on Oct. 7, 2023, stormed into Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages back to Hamas-run Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel's military has leveled swathes of Gaza, driving nearly all of its 2.3 million people from their homes, giving rise to deadly hunger and disease and killing more than 44,800 people, according to Palestinian health authorities, who do not distinguish between combatants and non-combatants. (Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Ismail Shakil, Franklin Paul and Cynthia Osterman)Luxembourg – 11 December 2024 - Subsea 7 S.A. (Oslo Børs: SUBC, ADR: SUBCY) today announced that Seaway7, part of the Subsea7 Group, has signed a vessel reservation agreement with Dogger Bank Offshore Wind Farm 1 for the transportation and installation of turbines for the Dogger Bank project, offshore the UK. Offshore works are expected to commence in 2026. This represents additional work for Seaway7 at this development, where it is currently installing monopile foundations and transition pieces. The value related to this substantial 2 agreement will be recognised in backlog in the fourth quarter. Dogger Bank Offshore Wwind Farm is a joint venture partnership between SSE Renewables (40%), Equinor (40%) and Vårgrønn (20%). Subsea7 defines a substantial contract as being between $150 million and $300 million ******************************************************************************* Subsea7 is a global leader in the delivery of offshore projects and services for the evolving energy industry, creating sustainable value by being the industry’s partner and employer of choice in delivering the efficient offshore solutions the world needs. Subsea7 is listed on the Oslo Børs (SUBC), ISIN LU0075646355, LEI 222100AIF0CBCY80AH62. ******************************************************************************* Contact for investment community enquiries: Katherine Tonks Investor Relations Director Tel +44 20 8210 5568 ir@subsea7.com Contact for media enquiries: Nikki Beales Communications Manager, Seaway7 Tel +44 (0)7843895292 nikki.beales@seaway7.com www.seaway7.com Forward-Looking Statements: This document may contain ‘forward-looking statements’ (within the meaning of the safe harbour provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995). These statements relate to our current expectations, beliefs, intentions, assumptions or strategies regarding the future and are subject to known and unknown risks that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these statements. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as ‘anticipate’, ‘believe’, ‘estimate’, ‘expect’, ‘future’, ‘goal’, ‘intend’, ‘likely’ ‘may’, ‘plan’, ‘project’, ‘seek’, ‘should’, ‘strategy’ ‘will’, and similar expressions. The principal risks which could affect future operations of the Group are described in the ‘Risk Management’ section of the Group’s Annual Report and Consolidated Financial Statements. Factors that may cause actual and future results and trends to differ materially from our forward-looking statements include (but are not limited to): (i) our ability to deliver fixed price projects in accordance with client expectations and within the parameters of our bids, and to avoid cost overruns; (ii) our ability to collect receivables, negotiate variation orders and collect the related revenue; (iii) our ability to recover costs on significant projects; (iv) capital expenditure by oil and gas companies, which is affected by fluctuations in the price of, and demand for, crude oil and natural gas; (v) unanticipated delays or cancellation of projects included in our backlog; (vi) competition and price fluctuations in the markets and businesses in which we operate; (vii) the loss of, or deterioration in our relationship with, any significant clients; (viii) the outcome of legal proceedings or governmental inquiries; (ix) uncertainties inherent in operating internationally, including economic, political and social instability, boycotts or embargoes, labour unrest, changes in foreign governmental regulations, corruption and currency fluctuations; (x) the effects of a pandemic or epidemic or a natural disaster; (xi) liability to third parties for the failure of our joint venture partners to fulfil their obligations; (xii) changes in, or our failure to comply with, applicable laws and regulations (including regulatory measures addressing climate change); (xiii) operating hazards, including spills, environmental damage, personal or property damage and business interruptions caused by adverse weather; (xiv) equipment or mechanical failures, which could increase costs, impair revenue and result in penalties for failure to meet project completion requirements; (xv) the timely delivery of vessels on order and the timely completion of ship conversion programmes; (xvi) our ability to keep pace with technological changes and the impact of potential information technology, cyber security or data security breaches; (xvii) global availability at scale and commercially viability of suitable alternative vessel fuels; and (xviii) the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting. Many of these factors are beyond our ability to control or predict. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this document. We undertake no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This information is considered to be inside information pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to Section 5-12 the Norwegian Securities Trading Act. This stock exchange release was published by Katherine Tonks, Investor Relations, Subsea7, on 12 December 2024 at 07:00 CET. Attachment SUBC Dogger Bank
'Tis the season once again. Many families will be bringing out their crèches to ponder over the little homeless family who found no room at the inn, but were left to give birth in a manger. It’s always a moving and inspiring image. These days, of course, that little family does not find even a manger. We leave our desperate and vulnerable neighbors to sleep outside. That is, of course, if we don’t find them and roust them to move along and stop disrupting our lives. We have dozens of empty buildings and yet can’t figure out where to care for these neighbors. There are loud voices who don’t want “them” in our town. Well, I don’t want homeless people here either, I want them in homes. Yes, it costs money. Does it cost as much as the extra policing required to keep them moving? Does it cost as much as the emergency medical care? Nope. We live in the richest nation the world has ever known. And we live in a well off, well educated community, and yet we still have the callous politics that shut off even a manger quality of housing. Happy Holidays. Shelley Ries Corvallis Get opinion pieces, letters and editorials sent directly to your inbox weekly!Thousands of mail-in ballots were not counted in Nevada in November. KUNR checked in with the Secretary of State to learn about why this happened. By the end of the 2024 general election, there were more than 32,000 ballots that needed a signature cure . This means a voter’s county election staff could not match the signature on their ballot with one they had on file. The counties and political parties scrambled to contact voters by mail, email, phone call, and text. Even with this outreach, only 72% of voters verified their identity by the deadline, which is 10 days after Election Day, but that left more than 9,000 ballots not counted. Some tight races have been called with fewer votes than that, including in 2022 when incumbent Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto beat Republican challenger Adam Laxalt by roughly 7,000 votes . Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar said the signature problem persists for a number of reasons. He said that Nevada’s counties need a uniform process for verifying signatures, and he pointed to the number of young people who voted, which was higher than the national average . “Most youth voters aren’t used to using a traditional signature, so when you’re asking to use pen to paper on a ballot, when all they’ve used is a digital system, it becomes a little more complicated,” Aguilar said. “Also, most youth voters are probably first-time voters, so there’s not a voter history of their signature.” Aguilar said it’s not his decision alone to propose changes and that there should be research into what other jurisdictions are doing to make sure elections remain safe and secure. KUNR’s coverage of Nevada State Government is made possible by a generous grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting that aims to boost awareness and engagement with coverage of Nevada State Government.Crude Oil rises on Wednesday, WTI taps $70 per barrel
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Killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO spotlights complex challenge companies face in protecting top brassMarket Wrap: Nigerian stock market ends in green as five ‘top gainers’ surge over 10% at once, AUSTINLAZ leads decliners
COLLEGE BOWLRecently, Chris Brown hopped online to share a cryptic video of himself, which has since earned big reactions from fans. While the video itself is simple enough, his choice of song is what followers are focused on the most. He included Kendrick Lamar 's new GNX track "tv off" featuring Lefty Gunplay , which quickly became a fan favorite following the surprise release of the album last month. " Drake about to hit the unfollow button when he wakes up," one Instagram user writes in his comments section. "Plesseeeeeeeee a remix with you would EATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT," someone else says. This isn't the first time fans have seen Breezy show love to Kendrick, however. Back in June, he was spotted at the club dancing to his hit Drake track " Not Like Us. " He's had some issues with the Toronto rapper in the past, but it's also possible he's just a Kendrick fan. Read More: Chris Brown Reveals He’s In Relationships With Multiple Women He and Drake do have something in common, however, as they were both hit with a $5 million lawsuit in October. The lawsuit was filed by Tykeiya Dore, who alleges that the duo stole the structure and melody of her song "I Got It" for their 2019 hit, "No Guidance." According to her, Drake's frequent collaborator Vinylz keeps tabs on the YouTube channel of Benji Filmz. Benji Filmz directed Tykeiya's music video. "Defendant Anderson Hernandez, professionally known as Vinylz," the lawsuit alleges. "Discovered and obtained access to Tykeiya’s song 'I Got It' and Cardi B ’s songs on Benji Filmz YouTube channel." Allegedly, Tykeiya's uncle Jesse Spruils had also previously provided a copy of the song to Nija Charles, the co-writer of " No Guidance. " Eventually, Spruils confronted Charles about the situation on social media but was allegedly blocked. In addition to Drake and Chris Brown, Tykeiya is suing YouTube and Google for alleged defamation, common law fraud, emotional distress, and more. Read More: Chris Brown Dance Battles Kai Cenat During "Mafiathon 2" Twitch Event
A person’s face is covered by a Chinese flag fluttering in the wind in Beijing in an undated photograph.Photo: Bloomberg ‘UNITED FRONT’: Beijing provides Internet ‘influencers’ with templates and directions, such as criticizing Taiwanese politicians, the rapper said By Chung Li-hua and Esme Yeh / Staff reporter, with staff writer 請繼續往下閱讀... Taiwanese rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源) in a video showed how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) bribes Taiwanese online influencers in its “united front” efforts to shape Taiwanese opinions. The video was made by YouTuber “Pa Chiung (八炯)” and published online on Friday. Chen in the video said that China’s United Front Work Department provided him with several templates and materials — such as making news statements — with some mentioning Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) politician Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) and New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) and asking him to write a song criticizing the Democratic Progressive Party. 請繼續往下閱讀... He said he had produced content for China as requested, but did not receive the royalties as promised by a Beijing-based management company for his song Chinese Bosses (中國老總), which is sung in an exaggerated Taiwanese accent with lyrics implying a pleasant life for businesspeople in China. Chen said he also founded a company in China jointly with a business partner from the Jinjiang Taiwan Compatriots Friendship Association, who worked as his manager and later poached all his employees and capital invested in the company. He was labeled as a fraud and a “Taiwanese independence separatist,” and attacked by Chinese Internet trolls, after he released an online video condemning his former business partner for betraying him. “I finally realized the hard way that where I was staying [China] was not a place of democracy,” Chen said, adding that there is a huge difference between democratic Taiwan and autocratic China. The Mainland Affairs Council yesterday said it is in control of the situation where Taiwanese influencers allegedly vilify the government’s policies, lure Taiwanese to work in China or engage in “united front” campaigns requested by the Chinese government. The National Security Act (國家安全法) prohibits people from engaging, initiating, funding, hosting, manipulating, directing or developing an organization for a foreign country, including China, Hong Kong and Macau, external hostile forces, or any type of organizations, institutions, or groups established or controlled by them, or a representative dispatched by such organizations, institutions or groups, the council said. The Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法) prohibits people from receiving instructions, being commissioned or funded by external hostile forces to engage in activities that disrupt social order, spread disinformation or interfere with elections, it said. Article 33-1 of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) prohibits individuals, juristic persons, organizations or other institutions from engaging in any form of cooperation with the Chinese military, political parties or any organization of a political nature, it added. 新聞來源: TAIPEI TIMES 不用抽 不用搶 現在用APP看新聞 保證天天中獎 點我下載APP 按我看活動辦法
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PM Modi condemns Germany market attack, advocates brotherhood at CBCI Christmas eventWASHINGTON (AP) — FBI Director Christopher Wray told bureau workers Wednesday that he plans to resign at the end of President Joe Biden's term in January, an announcement that came a week and a half after President-elect Donald Trump said he would nominate loyalist Kash Patel for the job. 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.(The Center Square) – Texas state Rep. Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, said on Friday he is dropping his bid to run for reelection as speaker of the House. “Out of deep respect for this institution and its members, and after careful consideration and private consultation with colleagues, I have made the difficult decision to withdraw from the race for Speaker of the Texas House," Phelan said in a statement. "By stepping aside, I believe we create the best opportunity for our members to rally around a new candidate who will uphold the principles that make our House one of the most exceptional, deliberative legislative bodies in the country – a place where honor, integrity, and the right of every member to vote their district takes utmost precedent." Phelan made the announcement after claiming last month he had enough votes to defeat one Republican and two Democratic challengers, The Center Square reported . There are 150 members of the Texas House. After slightly more new Republicans were elected in November, 88 Republicans and 62 Democrats will be sworn into office in January. Phelan’s announcement dropped one day before House Republicans are scheduled to vote Saturday to elect their next leader in a party caucus vote. Officially, the next speaker won’t be sworn in until January, but the Republican caucus will vote to choose their candidate on Saturday. According to House rules, 60% of votes in the caucus are needed to elect a speaker, or 53 votes. Regardless if the candidate receives 53 votes or not, 76 votes are needed on the floor in January to officially elect the speaker. A coalition of Republicans have expressed support for state Rep. David Cook, R-Mansfield, as the next speaker. He claims to have 49 Republicans supporting him. Sign up to get our free daily email of the biggest stories! However, state Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, a top ally of Phelan, reportedly filed paperwork to run for speaker, according to several news reports. Burrows would need roughly 40 votes from unpledged House Republicans and a majority of Democratic votes to be elected speaker. In his announcement, Phelan thanked “principled conservatives” who remained supportive of him, who showed “steadfast resolve and courage in the face of immense intimidation from outsiders wishing to influence our chamber and its processes. Though the battle for my speakership is over, the war for the integrity of this chamber wages on – and we will win.” Phelan served two terms as speaker, presiding over a number of conservative legislative priorities, including the passage of the Heartbeat Act, permitless carry of handguns, more than $11 billion for border security, property tax relief, banning gender mutilation surgery for minors, among other issues. In the last legislative session, he came under fire after he and 60 House Republicans voted to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton and was blamed for a school choice bill that failed in the House under his watch. Phelan was targeted in his primary but won his runoff election and was reelected in November. Two Democrats from Dallas, state Reps. Ana-Maria Ramos and John Bryant, previously announced their bid to lead the Republican-majority House. They did so after the chair of the Texas Democratic Party announced he was resigning, citing devastating Democratic losses on Nov. 5, The Center Square reported . Texas Democrats announced new leaders on Friday, including its new chair, Gene Wu of Houston. It also issued a statement in response to Phelan’s announcement, saying , “Nothing has changed for Texas House Democrats as we look towards January and the next legislative session. ... Only one caucus stands united and focused on the real problems affecting Texas: struggling public schools, unregulated price gouging after disasters, and the loss of bodily autonomy. “For any Speaker candidate interested in serving the House, the Democratic Caucus is available to listen, and hear their plans to finally give Texans a legislative session that puts people over politics."
In fact, he argued, it could have been a culinary conspiracy concocted by criminals, whose actions led to the cooking wine used to prepare the noodles being laced with a banned heart drug that found its way into an athlete's system. This theory was spelled out to international anti-doping officials during a meeting and, after weeks of wrangling, finally made it into the thousands of pages of data handed over to the lawyer who investigated the case involving 23 Chinese swimmers who had tested positive for that same drug. The attorney, appointed by the World Anti-Doping Agency, refused to consider that scenario as he sifted through the evidence. In spelling out his reasoning, lawyer Eric Cottier paid heed to the half-baked nature of the theory. “The Investigator considers this scenario, which he has described in the conditional tense, to be possible, no less, no more,” Cottier wrote. Even without the contaminated-noodles theory, Cottier found problems with the way WADA and the Chinese handled the case but ultimately determined WADA had acted reasonably in not appealing China's conclusion that its athletes had been inadvertently contaminated. Critics of the way the China case was handled can't help but wonder if a wider exploration of the noodle theory, details of which were discovered by The Associated Press via notes and emails from after the meeting where it was delivered, might have lent a different flavor to Cottier's conclusions. “There are more story twists to the ways the Chinese explain the TMZ case than a James Bond movie,” said Rob Koehler, the director general of the advocacy group Global Athlete. "And all of it is complete fiction.” In April, reporting from the New York Times and the German broadcaster ARD revealed that the 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for the banned heart medication trimetazidine, also known as TMZ. China's anti-doping agency determined the athletes had been contaminated, and so, did not sanction them. WADA accepted that explanation , did not press the case further, and China was never made to deliver a public notice about the “no-fault findings,” as is often seen in similar cases. The stock explanation for the contamination was that traces of TMZ were found in the kitchen of a hotel where the swimmers were staying. In his 58-page report , Cottier relayed some suspicions about the feasibility of that chain of events — noting that WADA's chief scientist “saw no other solution than to accept it, even if he continued to have doubts about the reality of contamination as described by the Chinese authorities.” But without evidence to support pursuing the case, and with the chance of winning an appeal at almost nil, Cottier determined WADA's “decision not to appeal appears indisputably reasonable.” A mystery remained: How did those traces of TMZ get into the kitchen? Shortly after the doping positives were revealed, the Institute of National Anti-Doping Organizations held a meeting on April 30 where it heard from the leader of China's agency, Li Zhiquan. Li's presentation was mostly filled with the same talking points that have been delivered throughout the saga — that the positive tests resulted from contamination from the kitchen. But he expanded on one way the kitchen might have become contaminated, harkening to another case in China involving a low-level TMZ positive. A pharmaceutical factory, he explained, had used industrial alcohol in the distillation process for producing TMZ. The industrial alcohol laced with the drug “then entered the market through illegal channels,” he said. The alcohol "was re-used by the perpetrators to process and produce cooking wine, which is an important seasoning used locally to make beef noodles,” Li said. “The contaminated beef noodles were consumed by that athlete, resulting in an extremely low concentration of TMZ in the positive sample. "The wrongdoers involved have been brought to justice.” This new information raised eyebrows among the anti-doping leaders listening to Li's report. So much so that over the next month, several emails ensued to make sure the details about the noodles and wine made their way to WADA lawyers, who could then pass it onto Cottier. Eventually, Li did pass on the information to WADA general counsel Ross Wenzel and, just to be sure, one of the anti-doping leaders forwarded it, as well, according to the emails seen by the AP. All this came with Li's request that the noodles story be kept confidential. Turns out, it made it into Cottier's report, though he took the information with a grain of salt. “Indeed, giving it more attention would have required it to be documented, then scientifically verified and validated,” he wrote. Neither Wenzel nor officials at the Chinese anti-doping agency returned messages from AP asking about the noodles conspiracy and the other athlete who Li suggested had been contaminated by them. Meanwhile, 11 of the swimmers who originally tested positive competed at the Paris Games earlier this year in a meet held under the cloud of the Chinese doping case. Though WADA considers the case closed, Koehler and others point to situations like this as one of many reasons that an investigation by someone other than Cottier, who was hired by WADA, is still needed. “It gives the appearance that people are just making things up as they go along on this, and hoping the story just goes away," Koehler said. “Which clearly it has not.” AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games