Why Miami’s Pop-Tarts Bowl appearance is important even after missing College Football PlayoffSouth Dakota State QB Mark Gronowski to enter portal, keep eye on draft
NoneRenerve joins ASX today
Is there already a College Football Playoff controversy? Potential bye wracking nerves with 2 weeks left — 'The data doesn’t lie'Dorocubicel by ExCellThera for Myelodysplastic Syndrome: Likelihood of ApprovalWhat the Penguins have done since Thanksgiving Eve has been admirable. When everyone thought they were circling the drain, they won nine of 13 entering the NHL's Christmas break, flirting with a possible playoff spot. Their power play, which last year was a significant drag, was clicking at 30.8% during that time, their penalty kill at 90.6%. Meanwhile, they had simplified their breakouts, played tighter in the neutral zone and displayed a willingness to dump and chase to create offense. Perhaps most important, they showed during various stretches an ability to sustain momentum. Crazy, I know. But what happened Saturday on Long Island during a 6-3 loss to the Islanders at UBS Arena felt a little like a splash of cold water to the face, a reminder that problems still exist and that this remains a fringe playoff team at best. It's an uncomfortable reality, sure. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang only have so many years left. There's an inherent sense of urgency there, a need for Penguins president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas to place at least some importance on the present and not turn 100% of his attention to the future. But the best thing for Dubas and Co. remains to take a sober look at the assets the Penguins have, where they stand in the Eastern Conference playoff race, and probably make a couple ruthless decisions in the months ahead. In other words, Dubas should not deviate from the plan or get lulled into some false sense of security provided by this team's pre-holiday run. If Rickard Rakell (17 goals) is playing well enough that the Penguins might be able to attach Ryan Graves' contract to a deal and get talent back, Dubas should accept short-term frustration for the long-term gain the vacated salary-cap space would provide. Provided Marcus Pettersson (lower-body injury) returns soon, he's also an enticing trade chip — and someone more natural to move considering he's playing on an expiring contract. Now, this doesn't mean the Penguins should exclusively target draft picks in return. They should want players who are either NHL-ready or darn close in exchange for Rakell, Pettersson and other movable pieces. The tradeoff, of course, is functioning with less this season to receive contributions from new guys as early as 2025-26, when Crosby, Malkin and Letang (plus Erik Karlsson if you want to include him with that group) are still around to enjoy it. As far as Karlsson, I'd absolutely listen to offers, though I'm not sure how they'd sound considering the combination of his age, salary and play this season. Fortunately for Dubas and the Penguins, no decisions need to be made now. What the Penguins lacked on Saturday could prove to be a one-game blip — and that would be great. Change everything if the Penguins can somehow show that their 9-3-1 run heading into the break was real. I just don't know how much it has raised the group's collective ceiling. Given the team's depth issues on defense, it's natural to worry about the Penguins' ability to prevent opposing teams from scoring; they're still permitting an NHL-worst 3.70 goals against per game. It's also tough to see how their 53 goals scored (tied for the NHL lead) between Nov. 27 and Saturday is sustainable considering they shot 15.3% during that time. Last season, for context, the Penguins shot just 9.4%. At some point, the offense will normalize, and the Penguins will have to reliably prevent other teams from scoring. I've yet to see enough from Tristan Jarry and the Penguins' team defense to believe that's going to happen. Jarry wasn't the primary problem against the Islanders, but he also didn't offer much in the way of a solution. Since returning to the NHL club on Nov. 15, and prior to Saturday, Jarry had produced a modest .894 save percentage. The intriguing part might be if an opposing team has seen enough to give Dubas something for Jarry — which would be another move the Penguins absolutely must consider. With Joel Blomqvist in the minors, the Penguins have natural back-fill at the position. The dream would be if Blomqvist was able to get meaningful experience and show he's capable of handling an NHL workload. It's also highly questionable whether an offer would ever arrive for Jarry, which is another discussion. Sure, the Penguins are 16-16-5, their 37 points one back of the Ottawa Senators when it comes to the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Erasing a two-year playoff drought would be nice, especially when you consider how poorly this season started. However, pretty much anyone who has watched the Penguins this season should see that considerable flaws still exist. They lack consistent scoring outside of the top line. Defending the net-front was a sizable issue against the Islanders and has been for too much of this season. Offensive depth and owning the battle areas are keys to any sort of playoff run. The same for what happens far too frequently when their defensemen pinch. The same as he said back in April, Dubas shouldn't get caught up in any one snapshot and instead evaluate the team based on its entire body of work ... while simultaneously building a younger, deeper roster that can legitimately compete for a longer stretch of time. ©2024 PG Publishing Co. Visit at post-gazette.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Partsol Secures Technology-Enabled Service Subscription with the US Army
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republicans made claims about illegal voting by noncitizens a centerpiece of their 2024 campaign messaging and plan to push legislation in the new Congress requiring voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship. Yet there's one place with a GOP supermajority where linking voting to citizenship appears to be a nonstarter: Kansas. That's because the state has been there, done that, and all but a few Republicans would prefer not to go there again. Kansas imposed a proof-of-citizenship requirement over a decade ago that grew into one of the biggest political fiascos in the state in recent memory. The law, passed by the state Legislature in 2011 and implemented two years later, ended up blocking the voter registrations of more than 31,000 U.S. citizens who were otherwise eligible to vote. That was 12% of everyone seeking to register in Kansas for the first time. Federal courts ultimately declared the law an unconstitutional burden on voting rights, and it hasn't been enforced since 2018. Kansas provides a cautionary tale about how pursuing an election concern that in fact is extremely rare risks disenfranchising a far greater number of people who are legally entitled to vote. The state’s top elections official, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, championed the idea as a legislator and now says states and the federal government shouldn't touch it. “Kansas did that 10 years ago,” said Schwab, a Republican. “It didn’t work out so well.” Steven Fish, a 45-year-old warehouse worker in eastern Kansas, said he understands the motivation behind the law. In his thinking, the state was like a store owner who fears getting robbed and installs locks. But in 2014, after the birth of his now 11-year-old son inspired him to be “a little more responsible” and follow politics, he didn’t have an acceptable copy of his birth certificate to get registered to vote in Kansas. “The locks didn’t work,” said Fish, one of nine Kansas residents who sued the state over the law. “You caught a bunch of people who didn’t do anything wrong.” Kansas' experience appeared to receive little if any attention outside the state as Republicans elsewhere pursued proof-of-citizenship requirements this year. Arizona enacted a requirement this year, applying it to voting for state and local elections but not for Congress or president. The Republican-led U.S. House passed a proof-of-citizenship requirement in the summer and plans to bring back similar legislation after the GOP won control of the Senate in November. In Ohio, the Republican secretary of state revised the form that poll workers use for voter eligibility challenges to require those not born in the U.S. to show naturalization papers to cast a regular ballot. A federal judge declined to block the practice days before the election. Also, sizable majorities of voters in Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina and the presidential swing states of North Carolina and Wisconsin were inspired to amend their state constitutions' provisions on voting even though the changes were only symbolic. Provisions that previously declared that all U.S. citizens could vote now say that only U.S. citizens can vote — a meaningless distinction with no practical effect on who is eligible. To be clear, voters already must attest to being U.S. citizens when they register to vote and noncitizens can face fines, prison and deportation if they lie and are caught. “There is nothing unconstitutional about ensuring that only American citizens can vote in American elections,” U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, of Texas, the leading sponsor of the congressional proposal, said in an email statement to The Associated Press. After Kansas residents challenged their state's law, both a federal judge and federal appeals court concluded that it violated a law limiting states to collecting only the minimum information needed to determine whether someone is eligible to vote. That's an issue Congress could resolve. The courts ruled that with “scant” evidence of an actual problem, Kansas couldn't justify a law that kept hundreds of eligible citizens from registering for every noncitizen who was improperly registered. A federal judge concluded that the state’s evidence showed that only 39 noncitizens had registered to vote from 1999 through 2012 — an average of just three a year. In 2013, then-Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a Republican who had built a national reputation advocating tough immigration laws, described the possibility of voting by immigrants living in the U.S. illegally as a serious threat. He was elected attorney general in 2022 and still strongly backs the idea, arguing that federal court rulings in the Kansas case “almost certainly got it wrong.” Kobach also said a key issue in the legal challenge — people being unable to fix problems with their registrations within a 90-day window — has probably been solved. “The technological challenge of how quickly can you verify someone’s citizenship is getting easier,” Kobach said. “As time goes on, it will get even easier.” The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the Kansas case in 2020. But in August, it split 5-4 in allowing Arizona to continue enforcing its law for voting in state and local elections while a legal challenge goes forward. Seeing the possibility of a different Supreme Court decision in the future, U.S. Rep.-elect Derek Schmidt says states and Congress should pursue proof-of-citizenship requirements. Schmidt was the Kansas attorney general when his state's law was challenged. "If the same matter arose now and was litigated, the facts would be different," he said in an interview. But voting rights advocates dismiss the idea that a legal challenge would turn out differently. Mark Johnson, one of the attorneys who fought the Kansas law, said opponents now have a template for a successful court fight. “We know the people we can call," Johnson said. “We know that we’ve got the expert witnesses. We know how to try things like this.” He predicted "a flurry — a landslide — of litigation against this.” Initially, the Kansas requirement's impacts seemed to fall most heavily on politically unaffiliated and young voters. As of fall 2013, 57% of the voters blocked from registering were unaffiliated and 40% were under 30. But Fish was in his mid-30s, and six of the nine residents who sued over the Kansas law were 35 or older. Three even produced citizenship documents and still didn’t get registered, according to court documents. “There wasn’t a single one of us that was actually an illegal or had misinterpreted or misrepresented any information or had done anything wrong,” Fish said. He was supposed to produce his birth certificate when he sought to register in 2014 while renewing his Kansas driver's license at an office in a strip mall in Lawrence. A clerk wouldn't accept the copy Fish had of his birth certificate. He still doesn't know where to find the original, having been born on an Air Force base in Illinois that closed in the 1990s. Several of the people joining Fish in the lawsuit were veterans, all born in the U.S., and Fish said he was stunned that they could be prevented from registering. Liz Azore, a senior adviser to the nonpartisan Voting Rights Lab, said millions of Americans haven't traveled outside the U.S. and don't have passports that might act as proof of citizenship, or don't have ready access to their birth certificates. She and other voting rights advocates are skeptical that there are administrative fixes that will make a proof-of-citizenship law run more smoothly today than it did in Kansas a decade ago. “It’s going to cover a lot of people from all walks of life,” Avore said. “It’s going to be disenfranchising large swaths of the country.”MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, Nov. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bird Construction Inc. (TSX: BDT) is pleased to announce the appointment of Evelyn Angelle to its Board of Directors (the “Board”), effective immediately. Ms. Angelle will fill a vacancy on the Board, bringing the total number of directors to 10. Ms. Angelle, a private investor, philanthropist and director, joins the Board with a distinguished background in public company finance and public accounting, having held senior leadership positions at Halliburton Company after a 15-year career in the audit practice of Ernst & Young LLP. A certified public accountant in Texas and certified management accountant, Ms. Angelle’s expertise will be instrumental as Bird continues to pursue its strategic growth initiatives. "We are delighted to welcome Evelyn Angelle to our Board of Directors," said Paul Raboud, Chairman of Bird Construction Inc. "With her extensive experience in public accounting and senior financial roles as well as her knowledge of supply chain management and investor relations, we are confident that she will make significant contributions to our Board and its Committees as we continue to execute on our strategic priorities and drive value for our shareholders." Ms. Angelle will immediately join the Board’s Audit Committee and Health, Safety and Environment Committee. Mr. Richard Bird will continue to serve as Audit Committee Chair in an interim capacity. About Evelyn Angelle Ms. Angelle is an independent corporate director. She currently serves as a director of Forum Energy Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: FET), where she chairs the Audit Committee and is a member of the Nominating, Governance and Sustainability Committee. Ms. Angelle also serves as a member of the Board of Directors, and as a member of the Audit Committee, of STEP Energy Services, Ltd. (TSX: STEP), an oilfield services company. Ms. Angelle serves on the Board of Managers of Amp Americas II Holdings LLC, a privately held renewable natural gas company, where she chairs the Audit Committee. Through her career, Ms. Angelle served in numerous executive roles, including as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of BJ Services Company LLC, and Senior Vice President, Supply Chain, for Halliburton. Prior to that, she served as Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer, and Vice President of Investor Relations, both with Halliburton. Before joining Halliburton, Ms. Angelle worked for 15 years in the audit practice of Ernst & Young LLP, specializing in serving large, multinational public companies. She is a graduate of St. Mary’s College (Notre Dame), where she holds a degree in Accounting. Additionally, she holds a certificate in Cyber Security Oversight from Carnegie Mellon University. Beyond her corporate roles, Ms. Angelle is actively engaged in charitable organizations, serving on the Board of Directors and executive committees of Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas and Junior Achievement USA. Ms. Angelle is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), where she was awarded the distinguished Board Leadership Fellow designation. "I am honored to join the Board of Directors at Bird Construction Inc. and look forward to working with the Board and management team to support the company’s strategic vision," said Ms. Angelle. "I am excited to become part of Bird’s strong 100-year foundation and to build on its tradition of trust." The Toronto Stock Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. For further information contact: T.L. McKibbon, President & CEO or W.R. Gingrich, CFO Bird Construction Inc. 5700 Explorer Drive, Suite 400 Mississauga, ON L4W 0C6 Phone: (905) 602-4122 investor.relations@bird.ca About Bird Construction Bird (TSX: BDT) is a leading Canadian construction and maintenance company operating from coast-to-coast-to-coast. Servicing all of Canada's major markets through a collaborative, safety-first approach, Bird provides a comprehensive range of construction services, self-perform capabilities, and innovative solutions to the industrial, buildings, and infrastructure markets. For over 100 years, Bird has been a people-focused company with an unwavering commitment to safety and a high level of service that provides long-term value for all stakeholders. www.bird.caLuigi Mangione, a suspect in the murder of Brian Thompson , had previously shown an eerie interest in a quote on Goodreads before the crime occurred. After being arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, 286 miles from where the New York murder took place, authorities are delving into the 26-year-old's online activity. A keen reader, Mangione's GoodReads account reveals his engagement with controversial material, including quotes from Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber, critiquing the American healthcare system. He shared his thoughts on Kaczynski's 'Industrial Society and Its Future,' writing. "It's easy to quickly and thoughtless write this off as the manifesto of a lunatic, in order to avoid facing some of the uncomfortable problems it identifies," wrote Mangione. "But it's simply impossible to ignore how prescient many of his predictions about modern society turned out. He was a violent individual - rightfully imprisoned - who maimed innocent people. While these actions tend to be characterized as those of a crazy luddite, however, they are more accurately seen as those of an extreme political revolutionary." NYC Mayor Adams says man detained in Altoona is 'strong person of interest' in shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Luigi Mangione officially ID'd as man connected to Brian Thompson shooting after McDonald's arrest Mangione also reflected on an online interpretation of the book, adding: "When all other forms of communication fail, violence is necessary to survive. You may not like his methods, but to see things from his perspective, it's not terrorism, it's war and revolution." Among his interests, he liked a quote from Kurt Vonnegut's book "Slaughterhouse Five" that discusses America as "the wealthiest nation on Earth, but its people are mainly poor, and poor Americans are urged to hate themselves." Authorities discovered a ghost gun on him , similar to the one used in last week's shooting, along with a silencer, a counterfeit New Jersey driver's license, and a two-page manifesto criticizing healthcare companies. Mangione hails from Towson, Maryland, reports the Express US . In the manifesto, the man wrote that "It had to be done" as well as "These parasites had it coming." Elsewhere in the two-page document, Mangione states "I do apologize for any strife and trauma, but it had to be done." He attended Gilman School, an all-boys independent school in Baltimore Maryland offering classes from pre-K through high school, with high school tuition reaching up to $40,000. As class valedictorian, he graduated in 2016, speaking about how the "next hundred years of our future are going to be unlike anything humanity has ever seen before." Mangione pursued a Bachelor's and Master's in Engineering, Computer, and Information Science at the University of Pennsylvania. While still in high school, he volunteered for five months at an assisted living facility. He was employed as a Data Engineer at TrueCar, Inc. based in Santa Monica, California, and has also resided in Honolulu, Hawaii. Daily Express US has contacted TrueCar for a comment. Mangione is yet to face formal charges. He is currently detained in connection with the shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Thompson in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday. The manhunt lasted nearly six days before Mangione was located in Pennsylvania. DAILY NEWSLETTER: Sign up here to get the latest news and updates from the Mirror US straight to your inbox with our FREE newsletter.
Valparaiso hires longtime Marietta coach Andy Waddle to take over its football program
Quick Links Testing the US Navy's Super Hornets The Rhino's latest Block What are the new features? GE's engine enhancements Fear the Rhino's weaponry Block II vs Block III The future of the Boeing Super Hornets Boeing announced that the F/A-18 Super Hornet upgrades include a large area display and advanced Tactical Targeting Network Technology for more powerful computing, with a Distributed Targeting Processor-Networked DTP-N that reduces pilot workload by allowing evidence-based information on the new display. This open mission systems processor has the power to compute algorithms to manage any complex air combat. “These first deliveries of Block III SLM jets are a major milestone in our continued efforts to ensure capability, reliability, availability and maintainability of the Super Hornet aircraft,” said Capt. Michael Burks, program manager for the F/A-18 and EA-18G Program Office . The aerospace giant has received the F/A-18 Block II for Service Life Modernization SLM , which will be upgraded to the new Block III configuration, adding an extra 4,000 flight hours. Boeing successfully delivered the first two upgraded fighters from its two facilities in St. Louis and San Antonio to the US Navy on June 27, 2024. On March 2024, The US Navy awarded Boeing a $1.3 billion contract for 17 F/A-18 Super Hornets and a technical data package. The contract was awarded to help address the strike fighter shortfall, with final delivery expected in spring 2027. The Navy also plans to convert 550 other Super Hornets to the Block III standard. Boosting US air capabilities in the region. Testing the US Navy's Super Hornets Boeing delivered its first two Block III Super Hornets to the US Navy for flight testing in June 2020 . It marked a shift from purchasing new jets from Boeing to focusing on developing the fourth-generation fighter jet. The Block III model is more "networked and survivable" than the Block II design, with five major design features: An advanced cockpit system that combines original displays into a glass touchscreen. Conformal fuel tanks for fuel-carrying and tanking capacity. A prominent flight service life. Radar cross-section improvements. An advanced networking infrastructure to aid the pilot in decision-making. The Navy announced that the funds for a multiyear purchase of Super Hornets from 2022 will be redirected to developing Air Dominance and other aviation wholeness investments. The decision to truncate the Super Hornet production line is about freeing up the Boeing production line and workforce to focus on the program, which would maintain the right balance of Super Hornets versus F-35 Fighters in the carrier air wing and deliver greater capability and service life on converted jets. “The Super Hornet remains a predominant aircraft in the carrier air wing and will continue to provide significant combat capability into the 2040s,” said Rear Adm. John Lemmon, Program Executive Officer for Tactical Aircraft Programs. The Rhino's latest Block The Super Hornet, available in two models - the single-seat E and two-seat F - performs various tactical missions, including air superiority, precision-guided strikes, fighter escort, close air support, suppression of enemy defenses, maritime strike, reconnaissance, forward air control, and tanker missions. Its new strengthened airframe will extend the service life to more than 10,000 flight hours. What are the new features? The advanced Rhino offers operational advantages against technologically advanced systems and adversaries. Its advanced processing, networking, survivability, and range/payload capabilities provide an operational advantage. The Block III aircraft features an improved cockpit with a 10 in × 19 in (25 cm × 48 cm) large touchscreen display, updated integration, and targeting networks. It provides pilots with extraordinary payload flexibility. Its advanced data link and threat detection enable better data processing and transmission, operating in lightning and thunderstorm weather and cold temperatures. It also features an advanced cockpit system and long-wave Infrared Search & Track for long-range threat detection. Over 800 Super Hornets produced with over 10 million flight hours, tested and proven for regular upgrades, offer low procurement and total life cycle costs of approximately $19K USD per flight hour. GE's engine enhancements The modern General Electric afterburning turbofan features an enhanced performance engine (EPE) that boosts the power output of the F414-GE-400 by 20%. The F414 Enhanced Engine offers enhanced performance, survivability, and payload for the twin-engined F-18 Block III. The F414 can be retrofitted for improved component capability and reduced ownership costs. The US Navy has relied on the F414 engine for over 30 years, providing over 5 million engine flight hours and unrestricted operability. The F414 is also a potential powerplant for emerging platforms like the Korean KF-X KAI KF-21 Boramae, Indian Medium Combat Aircraft HAL Tejas Mk2, and Swedish Saab JAS 39E/F Gripen. Fear the Rhino's weaponry The aircraft features a next-generation cockpit, an internal infrared search and track system, and conformal fuel tanks. It also has an enclosed weapons pod (EWP) and a new missile warning system. It offers a day/night strike with precision-guided weapons, featuring 11 hardpoints distributed at the wingtips, under the wing, and under the fuselage. The new weapons pod can carry missiles and bombs with reduced radar lock risks. It can use shorter-range Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, AMRAAM, Joint Standoff Weapon, Small Diameter Bomb, and Mk-84 general-purpose bombs. Like Block II, it has a 20mm M61 rotary cannon and can carry the AGM-65 Maverick missile, AGM-84 Harpoon ship-killing missile, and AGM-88 HARM anti-radar missile. Air-to-air missiles Air-to-surface missiles AIM-7 Sparrow AGM-158 JASSM AIM-9 Sidewinder AGM-158C LRASM AIM-120 AMRAAM AGM-84H/K SLAM-ER AIM-260 JATM AGM-154 JSOW AIM-174B AGM-88 HARM AGM-84 Harpoon AGM-65E/F Maverick The jet can also carry the ADM-141A/B TALD decoy missile and the Raytheon AN/ALE-50 towed decoy system, an electronic countermeasure tool designed to protect US military aircraft from radar-guided missiles to confuse and saturate enemy air defenses, allowing attacking aircraft and weapons a higher probability of penetrating the target. This heavy lifting, which exceeds 17,000 lb (7711 kg), is useful for fleet defense missions, early warning missions, electronic surveillance, and tankers. Block II vs Block III The fourth-generation fighter, a 20% larger and 7,000 lbs heavier aircraft than the prior Hornets, offers increased capability and functionality. Its additional hardpoints and powerful engines enable it to carry more ordnance and expand its range. With most internal improvements, one visible change is incorporating conformal fuel tanks, which attach directly to the fuselage, reducing drag. Another advantage of the Block IIIs is increased lifespan, improving flight time between training and deployments. Feature Block II Block III Data Link Multi-Functional Information Distribution System MIDS Tactical Targeting Network Technology TTNT Conformal Fuel Tanks N/A Available, increasing range Mission Computer Advanced Mission Computer AMC Distributed Targeting Processor-Networked DTP-N, 17 times more powerful Service Life 6,000 Flying hours 10,000 Flying hours The future of the Boeing Super Hornets Boeing and Northrop Grumman financed the Advanced Super Hornet program, which features a 50% reduction in frontal radar cross-section, conformal fuel tanks CFT, and an enclosed weapons pod. The new block could be integrated into the EA-18 Growler to reduce underwing space and lower drag margin for the Next Generation Jammer . The F/A-18E/F mission allows combatant commanders to conduct offensive and defensive air combat missions, attack ground targets using the US inventory of precision and non-precision weapon stores, provide in-flight refueling for other tactical aircraft, and offer organic tactical reconnaissance capabilities. Australia and Kuwait have acquired earlier Super Hornets, but Australia is transitioning to F-35A fighter jets, and Kuwait has ordered Eurofighter Typhoon jets. Canada has halted the Boeing F/A-18 Block III Super Hornet from its Future Fighter Capability Project FFCP competition. The decision was made after rigorous evaluations of proposals based on capability, cost, and economic benefits. The US Navy's Hornet has an exceptional legacy of performance that has made it the jet of choice for the flat-top fleet in the modern era.None
As Bashar Al-Assad fled to Moscow, the looters started raiding the presidential palace and people took to the streets of Damascus to celebrate his demise. The Syrian president had tried to hang on until the bitter end, still desperately sending an SOS to anyone who would listen, including Donald Trump. The despot had run out of road. The world is still grasping the speed of events in recent days, and the collapse of a ruling dynasty that laid waste to the country during a catastrophic civil war. But the implications are also quickly sinking in — and not least the prospect of more upheaval and violence as groups tussle for control. Assad had managed to endure the popular uprising against him for more than 13 years. But the message from his one-time allies and foes was clear: You’re on your own. Russia, which had saved his skin back in 2015, only offered him sanctuary this time. Iran turned its back on him by saying in not so many words that he had brought it all on himself. Multiple Arab and U.S. officials told Bloomberg that a power vacuum could now be dangerous. Memories of Muammar Qaddafi’s Libya and Saddam Hussein in Iraq loom large in the region: In both countries, those entrenched rulers were swept aside in brief moments of euphoria, only for the countries to descend into deeper turmoil. “Chaos is expected in transitions and so is factional — even bloody — competition,” said Bader Al-Saif, an assistant professor at Kuwait University and an associate fellow at Chatham House. “Syria has not been its normal self for over a decade now, divided into enclaves and spheres of influence on top of socioeconomic and political decay.” The onset of Syria’s conflict in 2011 displaced millions of people, sparking a migrant crisis that still reverberates in European politics today. Its Middle East neighbors, meanwhile, are already grappling with the fallout from Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza and fighting with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Russia has military bases in Syria and will seek to protect its interests. But the Kremlin is occupied by its war in Ukraine. Iran, which has traded direct attacks with Israel in recent months, is also weakened. Arab officials, though, don’t expect the Islamic Republic to give up its influence in Syria without a fight. The pace of the events that unseated Assad after more than 50 years of his family in power was stunning. A little over a week ago, his survival seemed almost a foregone conclusion. Then insurgents led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham captured the crucial cities of Aleppo and Hama, before closing in on Homs and Damascus, the capital. On Sunday morning, rebels seized control of the television station and hailed the “fall of the criminal Assad regime.” Assad decided to step down and left the country, Russia’s foreign ministry later said. The rebel advance unwound a stalemate in Syria, which had seen Assad’s forces backed by Moscow and Tehran claw back control of most of the country, with the exception of a rebel stronghold in the northwest and a Kurdish stronghold in the northeast. It unleashed a political situation in which much remains uncertain – not least the nature of the new government forming in Damascus. It’s also unclear whether that leadership will be able to govern the war-torn country at all. The mood reflected those concerns on Sunday night as a curfew was imposed and several buildings housing security agencies and the passport and immigration authority were consumed by flames, with locals speculating about Israeli strikes. “The fear today is that all the factions are united against one enemy but they will eventually be consumed by infighting,” said Bahjat Hajjar, co-founder of an NGO called Madaniya who fled Damascus shortly after 2011 due to his opposition to the Assads. Speaking at a conference in Bahrain on Sunday Anwar Gargash, adviser to United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed, warned of threats to Syria’s territorial integrity, an ongoing “spiral of chaos and violence” in the Arab world, and the prospect of “extremism and terrorism.” Saudi Arabia, which is involved in efforts to shape the transition period in Syria, issued a statement on Sunday warning against “chaos and division.” U.S. President-elect Trump, meanwhile, made one thing clear: America won’t intervene to stop that from happening. In a post on social media platform X on Saturday, Trump wrote, “Syria is a mess, but is not our friend.” The U.S. designates the rebel group HTS, which formed an alliance with al-Qaeda more than a decade ago, a terrorist organization. HTS has since sought to project itself as a force for unity, but many U.S. and Middle Eastern officials are doubtful. “The guys who are taking over are terrorists, but they’re sending some interesting messaging,” said Jason Greenblatt, a former Middle East envoy in Trump’s first administration. “If they realize Trump means business and is not going to tolerate that and is hopefully going to galvanize the region to fight against terrorism, they ought to figure out a way to comply.” Still, the risks and opportunities presented by an unstable Syria have drawn in myriad foreign powers since 2011 and look likely to continue to do so. More than a decade of conflict has left between 300,000 to 500,000 people dead, decimated cities and pushed much of its population into poverty. The World Bank has estimated that Syria’s economy shrank by more than a half by 2020 from its prewar level of around $60 billion. Syria’s human development index rolled back 35 years because of faltering education and health services. The economy tanked. There were reports of looting following the declaration that Assad’s government had fallen. Turkey is likely to seek to capitalize on opportunities created by Assad’s fall after 24 years to repatriate the millions of Syrian refugees living in Turkey. To that end, Ankara has urged a peaceful transition of power. “We’ve been working for the stability of Syria for a long time — we are familiar with the actors,” Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan told media at a forum in Doha on Sunday. “We have to work together with Syrian people, not only Turkey but also regional actors, the international actors, to make sure that there is a good and smooth transition period.” In another development, Israel said its ground forces crossed slightly into Syrian territory. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that was a necessary, temporary move after Syrian troops abandoned positions on their side of a buffer zone between the two countries. An Israeli minister said the aim is to make sure there are no strategic weapons in the area that can be used against Israel, which also said it had struck chemical weapons and missile storage sites in Syria. That’s as Iran finds itself on the defensive. The same goes for Russia, which is now needed to preserve some stability without Assad, according to Elena Suponina, a Moscow-based Middle East expert. “Syrian euphoria could help engender the kind of unity we need to see,” said Charles Lister, senior fellow and director of the Syria Program at the Middle East Institute. “But after 14 years of ferocious conflict and division, the hill ahead is steep.” ------- With assistance from Onur Ant.Christian vote, especially Catholics, critical to Trump's historic winTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republicans made claims about illegal voting by noncitizens a centerpiece of their 2024 campaign messaging and plan to push legislation in the new Congress requiring voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship. Yet there's one place with a GOP supermajority where linking voting to citizenship appears to be a nonstarter: Kansas. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republicans made claims about illegal voting by noncitizens a centerpiece of their 2024 campaign messaging and plan to push legislation in the new Congress requiring voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship. Yet there's one place with a GOP supermajority where linking voting to citizenship appears to be a nonstarter: Kansas. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republicans made claims about illegal voting by noncitizens a centerpiece of their 2024 campaign messaging and plan to push legislation in the new Congress requiring voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship. Yet there’s one place with a GOP supermajority where linking voting to citizenship appears to be a nonstarter: Kansas. That’s because the state has been there, done that, and all but a few Republicans would prefer not to go there again. Kansas imposed a proof-of-citizenship requirement over a decade ago that grew into one of the biggest political fiascos in the state in recent memory. The law, passed by the state Legislature in 2011 and implemented two years later, ended up blocking the voter registrations of more than 31,000 U.S. citizens who were otherwise eligible to vote. That was 12% of everyone seeking to register in Kansas for the first time. Federal courts ultimately declared the law an unconstitutional burden on voting rights, and it hasn’t been enforced since 2018. Kansas provides a cautionary tale about how pursuing an election concern that in fact is extremely rare risks disenfranchising a far greater number of people who are legally entitled to vote. The state’s top elections official, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, championed the idea as a legislator and now says states and the federal government shouldn’t touch it. “Kansas did that 10 years ago,” said Schwab, a Republican. “It didn’t work out so well.” Steven Fish, a 45-year-old warehouse worker in eastern Kansas, said he understands the motivation behind the law. In his thinking, the state was like a store owner who fears getting robbed and installs locks. But in 2014, after the birth of his now 11-year-old son inspired him to be “a little more responsible” and follow politics, he didn’t have an acceptable copy of his birth certificate to get registered to vote in Kansas. “The locks didn’t work,” said Fish, one of nine Kansas residents who sued the state over the law. “You caught a bunch of people who didn’t do anything wrong.” A small problem, but wide support for a fix Kansas’ experience appeared to receive little if any attention outside the state as Republicans elsewhere pursued proof-of-citizenship requirements this year. Arizona enacted a requirement this year, applying it to voting for state and local elections but not for Congress or president. The Republican-led U.S. House passed a proof-of-citizenship requirement in the summer and plans to bring back similar legislation after the GOP won control of the Senate in November. In Ohio, the Republican secretary of state revised the form that poll workers use for voter eligibility challenges to require those not born in the U.S. to show naturalization papers to cast a regular ballot. A federal judge declined to block the practice days before the election. Also, sizable majorities of voters in Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina and the presidential swing states of North Carolina and Wisconsin were inspired to amend their state constitutions’ provisions on voting even though the changes were only symbolic. Provisions that previously declared that all U.S. citizens could vote now say that only U.S. citizens can vote — a meaningless distinction with no practical effect on who is eligible. To be clear, voters already must attest to being U.S. citizens when they register to vote and noncitizens can face fines, prison and deportation if they lie and are caught. “There is nothing unconstitutional about ensuring that only American citizens can vote in American elections,” U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, of Texas, the leading sponsor of the congressional proposal, said in an email statement to The Associated Press. Why the courts rejected the Kansas citizenship rule After Kansas residents challenged their state’s law, both a federal judge and federal appeals court concluded that it violated a law limiting states to collecting only the minimum information needed to determine whether someone is eligible to vote. That’s an issue Congress could resolve. The courts ruled that with “scant” evidence of an actual problem, Kansas couldn’t justify a law that kept hundreds of eligible citizens from registering for every noncitizen who was improperly registered. A federal judge concluded that the state’s evidence showed that only 39 noncitizens had registered to vote from 1999 through 2012 — an average of just three a year. In 2013, then-Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a Republican who had built a national reputation advocating tough immigration laws, described the possibility of voting by immigrants living in the U.S. illegally as a serious threat. He was elected attorney general in 2022 and still strongly backs the idea, arguing that federal court rulings in the Kansas case “almost certainly got it wrong.” Kobach also said a key issue in the legal challenge — people being unable to fix problems with their registrations within a 90-day window — has probably been solved. “The technological challenge of how quickly can you verify someone’s citizenship is getting easier,” Kobach said. “As time goes on, it will get even easier.” Would the Kansas law stand today? The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the Kansas case in 2020. But in August, it split 5-4 in allowing Arizona to continue enforcing its law for voting in state and local elections while a legal challenge goes forward. Seeing the possibility of a different Supreme Court decision in the future, U.S. Rep.-elect Derek Schmidt says states and Congress should pursue proof-of-citizenship requirements. Schmidt was the Kansas attorney general when his state’s law was challenged. “If the same matter arose now and was litigated, the facts would be different,” he said in an interview. But voting rights advocates dismiss the idea that a legal challenge would turn out differently. Mark Johnson, one of the attorneys who fought the Kansas law, said opponents now have a template for a successful court fight. “We know the people we can call,” Johnson said. “We know that we’ve got the expert witnesses. We know how to try things like this.” He predicted “a flurry — a landslide — of litigation against this.” Born in Illinois but unable to register in Kansas Initially, the Kansas requirement’s impacts seemed to fall most heavily on politically unaffiliated and young voters. As of fall 2013, 57% of the voters blocked from registering were unaffiliated and 40% were under 30. But Fish was in his mid-30s, and six of the nine residents who sued over the Kansas law were 35 or older. Three even produced citizenship documents and still didn’t get registered, according to court documents. “There wasn’t a single one of us that was actually an illegal or had misinterpreted or misrepresented any information or had done anything wrong,” Fish said. He was supposed to produce his birth certificate when he sought to register in 2014 while renewing his Kansas driver’s license at an office in a strip mall in Lawrence. A clerk wouldn’t accept the copy Fish had of his birth certificate. He still doesn’t know where to find the original, having been born on an Air Force base in Illinois that closed in the 1990s. Several of the people joining Fish in the lawsuit were veterans, all born in the U.S., and Fish said he was stunned that they could be prevented from registering. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Liz Azore, a senior adviser to the nonpartisan Voting Rights Lab, said millions of Americans haven’t traveled outside the U.S. and don’t have passports that might act as proof of citizenship, or don’t have ready access to their birth certificates. She and other voting rights advocates are skeptical that there are administrative fixes that will make a proof-of-citizenship law run more smoothly today than it did in Kansas a decade ago. “It’s going to cover a lot of people from all walks of life,” Avore said. “It’s going to be disenfranchising large swaths of the country.” ___ Associated Press writer Julie Carr Smyth in Columbus, Ohio, contributed to this report. Advertisement AdvertisementShoppers despair as Easter eggs found on supermarket shelves in December
TAPACHULA, Mexico (AP) — Eleven clandestine graves with the bodies of 15 men were located in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, where a dispute between the Sinaloa and Jalisco Nueva Generación drug cartels is taking place, local authorities said Sunday. Chiapas Gov. Eduardo Ramírez Aguilar said on his social media channels that the findings came as the result of a raid in the city of La Concordia, near Mexico ‘s border with Guatemala . He said four people connected to the case had been arrested with weapons and drugs. The state prosecutor’s office said in a statement that the raid took place in two different properties. The first site had three bodies in three graves and in the second, eight graves with 12 bodies. “It is worth mentioning that for these operations technological tools such as drones and geo-radars were used, in addition to aerial overflight, ground search, field forensics, back-excavation and drills,” it said. Chiapas Prosecutor General Jorge Luis Llaven Abarca said last week that another clandestine grave with charred bodies was found in Emiliano Zapata, neighboring La Concordia, but did not give more details because of the poor state of the bodies for identification. The dispute over drug routes, migrant trafficking and weapons has left more than 10,000 people displaced in recent years, including Mexicans fleeing to Guatemala, according to reports from humanitarian organizations.
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