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NoneMONTREAL — Mikhail Sergachev scored the overtime winner as the Utah Hockey Club beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 on Tuesday night. Sergachev tapped in a pass from Nick Schmaltz with 27 seconds left in the extra period to end the game. Jack McBain and Dylan Guenther also scored for Utah. Karel Vejmelka made 11 saves. Alex Newhook and Jayden Struble scored for Montreal, which lost its second in a row after a dismal 6-2 defeat to Vegas on Saturday. Sam Montembeault stopped 26 shots. Guenther fired a cross-ice pass from Clayton Keller into the top corner to open the scoring at 6:23 of the second period. His 10th of the season came just after Utah’s fourth power play of the night expired. Struble, who drew into the lineup late after Mike Matheson (lower-body injury) was scratched, answered at 8:05 to tie the game. Fans had enough time to yell “shoooot!” before the defenseman ripped a shot off the crossbar and in. Newhook pounced on a rebound for his fifth of the season, giving Montreal a 2-1 lead 46 seconds into the third. Utah Hockey Club's Mikhail Sergachev (98) reacts after scoring against the Montreal Canadiens during overtime in an NHL hockey game in Montreal, Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024. Credit: AP/Graham Hughes Utah equalized at 4:17 as McBain buried a pass from Logan Cooley for his eighth. Takeaways Canadiens: The Canadiens spent a lot of time down a man in the first 30 minutes, killing four penalties. Utah: Rookie Maveric Lamoureux played his 15th NHL game and his first in front of friends and family in Montreal. The 20-year-old from Quebec was swarmed by reporters after morning skate. Key moment McBain’s game-tying goal slowed Montreal’s momentum early in the third and forced overtime. It was his sixth in nine games. Utah Hockey Club's Mikhail Sergachev, right, celebrates with teammate Nick Schmaltz (8) after scoring against the Montreal Canadiens during overtime in an NHL hockey game in Montreal, Tuesday, Nov, 26, 2024. Credit: AP/Graham Hughes Key stat 30 — That’s how many shots the Canadiens have in their last two games. Utah outshot Montreal 14-5 in the first and 8-3 in the second. Up next Canadiens: Begin a three-game road trip against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday. Utah: Hosts the Edmonton Oilers on Friday.
When we talk about automated factories, you might imagine scenes with unmanned forklifts gliding smoothly through a stereoscopic warehouse, robotic arms swinging up and down along the production line, and humanoid robots performing various tasks autonomously without instructions. So, how far are we from realizing this vision? After researching hundreds of factories, Shao Tianlan, the founder of Mech-Mind Robotics Technologies Ltd., found that highly automated production is primarily realized in certain processes within a few industries, including automotive, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, and daily chemicals. However, the automation needs of other industries can hardly be satisfied by traditional robotic technology. Factories in these industries produce a wide variety of products and need to be able to switch production lines frequently. In addition, they operate in complex and dynamic environments, making traditional robot technology an imperfect solution. In the past, each product and every distinct manufacturing process required a customized system for automation. These systems involved complex design and debugging, which made them not only expensive but also unable to adapt to frequent changes. To address these issues, Mech-Mind Robotics, with the help of AI and 3D vision, equipped traditional robotic arms with an intelligent "brain" and "eyes." These enhancements enabled them to automatically handle large volumes of products, autonomously plan the sorting order and path, and change products at any time, greatly improving deployment efficiency. In recent years, AI plus 3D vision solutions have been extensively used in industries such as automotive, heavy industry, logistics, and food and beverage. General-purpose robots have also allowed supermarkets, express delivery, pharmacies to enjoy improved efficiency brought by a high degree of automation. In the future, based on the Mech-GPT generalized multimodal large model, even people with no technical foundation can command robots to complete actions through dialog. The robot will become an intelligent helper available to everyone, just like a smartphone.
Dow ends at fresh record as oil prices pull back on ceasefire hopesCHECK OUT: Learn at Your Own Pace! Our Flexible Online Course allows you to fit copywriting skills development around your busy schedule. Enroll Now! Legit.ng journalist Victor Enengedi has over a decade's experience covering Energy, MSMEs, Technology and the Stock Market. The Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has ramped up efforts to promote local rice production and eliminate the annual $480 million expenditure on importing approximately three million tonnes of rice. This was revealed by the NEPC Chief Executive Officer, Mrs. Nonye Ayeni, during a one-day technical support workshop for rice farmers and processors held in Lokoja. FG empowers farmers to curb imports Over the past months, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on selected food prices have consistently shown a steady increase in the prices of both locally produced and imported rice across the country. PAY ATTENTION: Follow us on Instagram - get the most important news directly in your favourite app! Represented by Mr. Aliu Sadiq, Deputy Director of Policy and Strategy at NEPC Abuja , Ayeni highlighted that the council has begun implementing strategies to reduce Nigeria's reliance on imported rice by enhancing local production. Read also Customs alerts Nigerians of plan to auction abandoned vehicles, containers at ports She emphasized that the focus on rice production is well-founded, given that rice is a staple food widely consumed across all six geopolitical zones and socio-economic classes in Nigeria. According to The Nation, Ayeni urged participants to adopt the new skills and best practices shared during the workshop to improve their farming activities. Ayeni explained that the workshop, along with other initiatives introduced by the NEPC and collaborating agencies, was a direct response to the World Bank's recent concerns about food insecurity affecting Sub-Saharan African nations, including Nigeria. She said: “The Federal Government of Nigeria under the renewed hope agenda has demonstrated its commitment towards achieving food sufficiency in Nigeria by addressing critical challenges facing farmers such as security, infrastructure, forex and inputs for increased production.” She reaffirmed the NEPC's commitment to providing essential support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the council's main beneficiaries. Read also FG launches N20bn loan scheme for Nigerians to acquire Innoson, other locally-assembled vehicles She encouraged participants to leverage the workshop as an opportunity to enhance their knowledge and improve their skills in rice production and processing. FG announces subsidized rice Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that the federal government announced the required documents to access subsidized 50kg bags of rice for N40,000. This initiative aims to alleviate the food crisis and ensure that essential staples are available to those in need. Citizens must present their National Identification Number (NIN), an ID card, and an ATM card for registration and payment, followed by a verification process. PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find the “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy! Source: Legit.ng
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India’s defence sector is undergoing a pivotal transformation with the Ministry of Defence launching a detailed review of triservice procurement priorities. This initiative, driven by an urgent need to address capability gaps across the Army, Navy, and Air Force, reflects a strategic shift from piecemeal solutions to a more holistic, problem-solving approach. The Indian Air Force, operating with just 31 squadrons against a sanctioned strength of 42, epitomises the urgency. Its fighter fleet faces acute shortages, exacerbated by delays in delivering indigenous platforms like the Te jas MK1A and the stalled Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) programme. These delays hinder operational readiness and compromise India’s ability to counter emerging threats. Similarly, the Navy’s critical needs ~ submarines, helicopters, and an additional aircraft carrier ~ remain unmet, while the Army grapples with the need to modernise tanks, drones, and munitions. Despite the presence of established mechanisms like the Defence Acquisition Council and Defence Acquisition Procedure, procurement processes often stall due to procedural complexities and lack of alignment among stakeholders. Recognising this, the Ministry has initiated a consultative exercise involving service chiefs, the Defence Research and Development Organisation, and other key officials. This step underscores the need for a solutions-driven mind-set that prioritises outcomes over bureaucracy. Advertisement The dual challenge of addressing immediate operational requirements while promoting indigenous manufacturing adds another layer of complexity. The push for self reliance under initiatives like “Make in India” is laudable, yet delays in delivery timelines and quality control remain persistent challenges. A balanced approach ~ leveraging global partnerships for critical capabilities while strengthening domestic defence production ~ is essential. In dia’s defence modernisation also suffers from the shadow of past controversies. Political disputes over procurement decisions have deterred officials from taking bold steps, often leading to indecision. Breaking this cycle requires insulating procurement processes from political interference and fostering a culture of accountability. Advertisement Looking forward, a few key steps can ensure the success of this initiative. First, prioritisation must be clear and aligned with strategic goals, focusing on critical capabilities like fighter jets, submarines, and drones. Secondly, enforcing accountability through technology-driven tracking systems can reduce delays. Thirdly, enhancing transparency in decision-making, while protecting sensitive details, can re-build trust in the procurement process. India’s security environment demands a military that is agile, well-equipped, and future-ready. The current review process is an opportunity to address systemic inefficiencies and set a road map for sustainable modernisation. With focused leadership and collaborative efforts, this exercise could redefine India’s defence procurement strategy, ensuring that the armed forces are not only prepared for present challenges but also for the evolving threats of the future. The time to act decisively is now. By addressing capability gaps, expediting procurement, and fostering self-reliance, India can build a robust ecosystem that safeguards its sovereignty and advances its strategic aspirations. In an increasingly hostile neighbourhood, this is an imperative. AdvertisementBengaluru: One97 Communications (OCL), which runs digital payment platform Paytm , has announced that it is selling its 5.4% shareholding in Japanese payment company PayPay for ₹2,364 crore, or nearly $280 million, to SoftBank. In a stock exchange filing on Saturday, the Noida-based fintech said the shares will be transferred to SoftBank Vision Fund 2. Through the deal, PayPay will be valued at ₹1.06 trillion ($7 billion approximately). On Friday, Paytm in another stock exchange filing had said One97 Communications Singapore, the subsidiary entity through which the shares of PayPay were held, had passed a board resolution to undertake this sale. This comes after Paytm divested its entertainment and ticketing business Paytm Insider to Zomato for ₹2,048 crore. The PayPay stake sale will add to Paytm's cash pile. In the September quarterly results, the company had announced that it has a cash reserve of around ₹10,000 crore. Paytm CFO Madhur Deora had then said once the core business becomes cash positive, the board of directors will take a call on what to do with their reserves. In a statement to the press on Saturday, Paytm said the board of Paytm Singapore approved the sale process as its shares have created significant value for the company. 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NEW YORK (AP) — Dylan Raiola passed for 228 yards and a touchdown as Nebraska built an 18-point lead through three quarters and hung on to beat Boston College 20-15 Saturday for its first bowl victory since 2015. After Nebraska built a 13-2 lead in the first half on scoring runs by Rahmir Johnson and Kwinten Ives, Raiola hit Emmett Johnson with a 13-yard TD pass on fourth down with 3:02 remaining in the third quarter for a 20-2 edge and the Cornhuskers (7-6) held on for the win. Raiola completed 23 of 31 passes in front of a sizable Nebraska crowd that celebrated the team’s first bowl win since topping UCLA in the 2015 Foster Farms Bowl and first winning season since 2016. “The biggest thing is that finally they can walk off the field and say ’Hey we got it done,'” Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said. “We’ll have a lot of momentum heading into the offseason.” Raiola completed passes to 10 receivers, including Jahmal Banks, who finished with four receptions for 79 yards. “He’s gotten so much better as the year’s gone on in terms of the speed, movement and those things,” Rhule said of Raiola. Rahmir Johnson and Ives scored on short TD runs in the second period, and Nebraska’s defense set up the critical score in the third. Emmett Johnson scored on fourth-and-3 play for a 20-2 lead. That score came after John Bullock sacked Boston College quarterback Grayson James, forcing a fumble that was recovered by Elijah Jeudy at midfield. James finished 25 of 40 for 296 yards as Boston College (7-6) fell to 0-3 in Pinstripe Bowl games. The Eagles got past midfield on five of their first seven drives, but committed two turnovers and failed to convert four fourth downs, including two inside the 10-yard line. Boston College finally cashed with 6:11 left in the fourth when Turbo Richard scored on a 1-yard run, but the two-point conversion failed. BC made it a one-score game on Jordan McDonald’s 2-yard run, a play after getting possession on a blocked punt. "I thought we were productive, but we couldn’t score,” Boston College coach Bill O’Brien said. “So that’s a problem because you have to score to win.” After a scoreless opening quarter, Rahmir Johnson easily scored on a 4-yard run on the first play of the second period. After BC turned it over on downs twice in Nebraska territory, the Cornhusker’s took a 13-0 lead on Ives’ 2-yard run that was set up by Rahmir Johnson’s 22-yard run. The Eagles picked up their only points of the first half when Ashton McShane blocked John Hohl’s extra point and returned it for two points. Nebraska: Rahmir Johnson was named MVP in his final game at Nebraska to cap an emotional season in which he lost his mother in November. Johnson finished with 10 carries for 60 yards and the Cornhuskers totaled 127 yards on the ground and 363 yards overall. “Even with news like that, I still want to play for these guys," Johnson said. “And that's just the type of person I am.” Boston College: Without ACC sacks leader DE Donovan Ezeiruaku, the Eagles could not get Nebraska and had to burn their final two timeouts after getting within 20-15. Nebraska opens its 2025 season against Cincinnati on Aug. 30. Boston College takes on Fordham on Aug. 30 to open its season and will welcome Alabama transfer Dylan Longeran into its quarterback mix. 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-football 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-football
Naidu directs officials to construct Deep Technology building in AmaravatiYat Tung Lam Sells 100,000 Shares of Credo Technology Group Holding Ltd (NASDAQ:CRDO) Stock
... Market Cap Rises To N61.944trn As Nigeria moves towards having a $1 trillion economy by 2030, the combination of new listings, bank recapitalisation and improved participation of domestic investors boosted the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) to N61.944 trillion in 2024. When it comes to Africa’s integrated market infrastructure, the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX Group Plc) is a forerunner. As they seek to make Africa’s largest economy more competitive on the global stage, they serve the interests of the whole continent. With just two trading days left for the year to end, trading on the floor of the Nigeria Exchange Limited (NGX) went down by 0.05 percent on Friday, December 27, 2024, due to profit taking by investors. Nevertheless, the year 2024 has been a good one for the market as the All Share Index closed trading at 102,186.03 points. From January to December 2024, the Nigerian equities market showed resilience in the face of economic headwinds with the new listing of a whopping N8.1 trillion worth of shares. In all, the overall market capitalisation that opened on January 2, 2024 at N40.918 trillion, gained N18.2 trillion or 44.5 percent to close December 27, 2024 at N59.107trillion, making it one of the top four best-performing exchanges in Africa. Also, the All-Share Index closed December 27, 2024, at 102,133.30 basis points, about 27,359.53 basis points or 36.58 percent from 74,773.77 basis points the stock market opened for trading this year. Twenty companies responsible for the N8.1 trillion comprise 10 financial institutions and two brewery manufacturing companies, which were driven by the need to expand business and meet the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) minimum capital requirement. While most of the banks already listed on the local bourse embarked on public offers and rights issues, others came by way of private placement and ‘listing by introduction.’ Among major ‘listings by introduction’ in 2024 was Aradel Holdings Plc, which listed N3.05 trillion, followed by Transcorp Power Plc, which listed by introduction N1.8 trillion worth of shares. Also, Haldane McCall Plc recently listed by introduction of 3.12 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each at N3.84 per share with a market capitalisation of over N11.99 billion. In terms of raising fresh capital, Nigerian Breweries Plc and International Breweries Plc are the only two breweries manufacturing companies that raised the highest amount, followed by Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO). Nigerian Breweries was in the market to raise N599.1 billion; International Breweries raised N588.28 billion in fresh capital from the investing public. Nigerian Breweries, in August 2024, got approval for a rights issue of 22,607,491,232 ordinary shares of 50 kobo each at N26.50 per share based on 11 new ordinary shares for every existing 5 ordinary shares held as at the close of business on Friday, July 12, 2024. International Breweries’ N588 billion rights issue programme was 87.75 percent oversubscribed, with 141.43 billion shares taken up by the company’s shareholders. It amounted to a capital raise of N516.2 billion for the company, which was used to offset the company’s current liabilities. Daily Independent learnt that out of the N8.12 trillion capital in the period under review, GTCO, Zenith Bank Plc, Access Holdings Plc, FCMB Group Plc, Fidelity Bank Plc, United Bank for Africa Plc, FBN Holdings Plc, Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc, and Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc contributed about 23.4 percent or N1.92 trillion amid CBN’s latest policy in the banking sector. Jaiz Bank Plc, in February 2024 got approval from the Exchange to raise N10.05 billion through private placement. The non-interest financial institution listed a private placement of 10,048,237,995 ordinary shares of N0.50 each at N1.00 per share. Jaiz Bank’s Chairman, Mohammed Bintube, had hinted that the proceeds of the capital raising exercise would be deployed to improve service delivery on its various platforms to enable the bank to achieve its five-year strategic objectives. He further said, “The bank chose this route to sustain its growth trajectory and also to ensure it remains well capitalised in line with its capital management strategy.” On March 28, 2024, the CBN revised the minimum capital requirements for banks. In the new dispensation, commercial banks are facing minimum capital thresholds of N500 billion for international authorisation and N200 billion for national authorisation. In contrast, those with regional authorisation are expected to achieve a N50 billion capital floor. Similarly, non-interest banks with national and regional authorisations will need to increase their capital to N20 billion and N10 billion, respectively. The directive, which was contained in a CBN circular, emphasised that all banks were required to meet the minimum capital requirement within 24 months commencing from April 1, 2024, terminating on March 31, 2026. To enable the banks to meet the minimum capital requirements, the CBN urged banks to consider injecting fresh equity capital through private placements, rights issues, and/or offers for subscription; mergers and acquisitions (M&As); and/ or upgrades or downgrade of licence authorisation. Nigerian banks have accessed the capital market to raise fresh capital via public offers and rights issues. However, the outcome of these capital raising exercises is creating mixed reactions among capital market stakeholders. In the period under review, GTCO raised N400.5 billion as it got approval and listed its offer for subscription of 9,000,000,000 ordinary shares of 50 kobo each at N44.50 per share. Similarly, the NGX approved Access Holdings N351.01 billion fresh capital, with rights issue of 17,772,612,811 ordinary shares of 50 kobo each at N19.75 per share based on one new ordinary share for every existing two ordinary shares held as at the close of business on Friday, June 07, 2024. Notable banks that have completed fresh capital injections in the banking sector include: Zenith Bank’s N289.38 billion public offer and rights issue; Fidelity Bank’s N127.10 billion public offer and rights issue; FCMB Group’s N110.94 billion and Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc’s N130.79 billion private placements and rights issues. Others that approached the NGX for capital raising are UBA, Stanbic IBTC Holdings, and FBN Holdings N239.4 billion, N148.71 billion and N149.56 billion, respectively. Chairman NGX Group Plc, Mr. Umaru Kwairanga, in a chat with Daily Independent stated that the banking sector recapitalisation has long been recognised as a cornerstone for building resilient financial institutions and a thriving economy. He said, “It is essential not just for regulatory compliance but for driving innovation, fostering economic stability, and equipping banks to fulfil their critical role in resource allocation and development. At the Nigerian Exchange Group, we remain unwavering in our commitment to creating a capital market ecosystem that supports these objectives. “The capital market serves as a critical enabler in this process, acting as a bridge between issuers seeking to raise capital and investors looking for opportunities to create value. At NGX Group, our mission is to ensure that this bridge is efficient, accessible, and transparent. It is against this backdrop that we introduced NGX Invest, a digital platform transforming the way public offerings and rights issues are distributed in Nigeria. “Since its inception, NGX Invest has facilitated over N1.26 trillion in capital-raising efforts by banks, including notable players such as FBN Holdings, Zenith Bank, GTCO, FCMB Group and Access Bank, among others. These achievements underscore the potential of the capital market to support various sectors’ growth while fostering investor confidence through transparency and efficiency.” One noticeable development in the year was that the Exchange recorded N3.968 trillion in equities trading, driven by strong domestic investor participation. Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) has recorded a remarkable increase in the value of equities traded, reaching a record high of N3.968 trillion in the nine months leading up to September 30, 2024. This figure represented a significant rise from the N2.712 trillion worth of stocks traded during the same period in 2023. Foreign investors contributed N696.88 billion, accounting for 17.56 percent of the total value of stocks traded, while domestic investors dominated the market with N3.271 trillion, or 82.44 percent of the total trading volume. According to the latest report on Domestic and Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) released by NGX, foreign inflows during this review period amounted to N310.99 billion, whereas foreign outflows reached N385.89 billion.PTM held at 1,500 Delhi govt schools
AP 12:47 JST, December 30, 2024 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.”