ph646 jili
Sudan’s war is ‘deepening and widening’ a famine crisis
WASHINGTON , Dec. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- With a look back at 2024, NASA is celebrating its many innovative and inspiring accomplishments this year including for the first time, landing new science and technology on the Moon with an American company, pushing the boundaries of exploration by launching a new mission to study Jupiter's icy moon Europa; maintaining 24 years of continuous human exploration off the Earth aboard the International Space Station, and unveiling the first look at its supersonic quiet aircraft for the benefit of humanity. The agency also shared the wonder of a total eclipse with millions of Americans, conducted the final flight of its Ingenuity helicopter on the Red Planet, demonstrated the first laser communications capability in deep space, tested the next generation solar sail in space, made new scientific discoveries with its James Webb Space Telescope, completed a year-long Mars simulation on Earth with crew, announced the newest class of Artemis Generation astronauts, and much more. "In 2024, NASA made leap after giant leap to explore, discover, and inspire – all while bringing real, tangible, and substantial benefits to the American people and to all of humanity," said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson . "We deepened the commercial and international partnerships that will help NASA lead humanity back to the Moon and then to the red sands of Mars. We launched new missions to study our solar system and our universe in captivating new ways. We observed our changing Earth through our eyes in the sky – our ever-growing fleet of satellites and instruments – and shared that data with all of humanity. And we opened the doors to new possibilities in aviation, new breakthroughs on the International Space Station, and new wonders in space travel." Through its Moon to Mars exploration approach, the agency continued moving forward with its Artemis campaign, including progress toward its first mission around the Moon with crew in more than 50 years and advancing plans to explore more of the Moon than ever before. So far in 2024, 15 countries signed the Artemis Accords, committing to the safe, transparent, and responsible exploration of space with the United States . As part of efforts to monitor climate change, the agency launched multiple satellites to study our changing planet and opened its second Earth Information Center to provide data to a wider audience. With the release of its latest Economic Impact Report , NASA underscored the agency's $75.6 billion impact on the U.S. economy, value to society, and return on investment for taxpayers. "To invest in NASA is to invest in American workers, American innovation, the American economy, and American economic competitiveness. Through continued investments in our workforce and our infrastructure, NASA will continue to propel American leadership on Earth, in the skies, and in the stars," said Nelson. Key 2024 agency highlights across its mission areas include: Preparing for Moon, Mars This year, NASA made strides toward the Artemis Generation of scientific discovery at the Moon while validating operations and systems to prepare for human missions to Mars. The agency advanced toward Artemis II, the first crewed flight under Artemis: NASA announced results of its Orion heat shield investigation and updated its timelines for Artemis II and III. Teams delivered the core stage and launch vehicle stage adapter of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida and began stacking the rocket's booster segments. Engineers carried out a series of tests of the mobile launcher and systems at NASA Kennedy's Launch Pad 39B ahead of the test flight and added an emergency egress system to keep crew and other personnel at the launch pad safe in the case of an emergency. NASA performed key integrated testing of the Orion spacecraft that will send four astronauts around the Moon and bring them home, including testing inside an altitude chamber simulating the vacuum conditions of deep space. The crew and other teams performed key training activities to prepare for flight, including practicing recovery operations at sea , as well as launch countdown and mission simulations. In February, the first Moon landing through the agency's CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative brought NASA science to the lunar surface on Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lander successfully capturing data that will help us better understand the Moon's environment and improve landing precision and safety. In August, NASA announced that a new set of NASA science experiments and technology demonstrations will arrive at the lunar South Pole in 2027 following the agency's latest CLPS initiative delivery award. To return valuable samples from Mars to Earth, NASA sought innovative designs and announced a new strategy review team to assess various design studies to reduce cost, risk, and complexity. NASA's MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) spacecraft celebrated 10 years of exploration of the Red Planet's upper atmosphere. After three years, NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter ended its mission in January, with dozens more flights than planned. In September, the NASA Space Communications and Navigation team awarded a contract to Intuitive Machines to support the agency's lunar relay systems as part of the Near Space Network , operated by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland . NASA identified an updated set of nine potential landing regions near the lunar South Pole for its Artemis III mission. Capturing the current state of the Moon to Mars architecture, NASA released the second revision of its Architecture Definition Document . NASA formalized two international agreements for key Artemis elements, including with the United Arab Emirates for the Gateway airlock module , and with Japan to provide a pressurized rover for the lunar surface. Astronauts, scientists, and engineers took part in testing key technologies and evaluating hardware needed to work at the Moon, including simulating moonwalks in geologically Moon-like areas of Arizona , practiced integration between the crew and mission controllers, participated in human factors testing for Gateway, and evaluated the developmental hardware. NASA worked collaboratively with SpaceX and Blue Origin on their human lunar landers for Artemis missions, exercising an option under existing contracts to develop cargo variants of their human landers. In August, as part of its commitment to a robust, sustainable lunar exploration program for the benefit of all, NASA announced it issued a Request for Information to seek interest from American companies and institutions in conducting a mission using the agency's VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) Moon rover. The agency selected three companies to advance capabilities for a lunar terrain vehicle that Artemis astronauts will use to travel around the lunar surface. NASA completed a critical design review on the second mobile launcher , which will launch the more powerful Block 1B version of the SLS rocket. Engineers at NASA Kennedy continued outfitting the Artemis III and IV Orion crew modules and received the European-built Orion service module for Artemis III; they also received several sections of the Artemis III and IV SLS core stages, and upgraded High Bay 2 in the Vehicle Assembly Building. NASA completed its second RS-25 certification test series at NASA's Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi , setting the stage for production of new engines to help power future Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond. The CHAPEA (Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog) 1 crew completed a 378-day mission in a ground-based Mars habitat at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston . Observing, Learning About Earth NASA collects data about our home planet from space and on land, helping understand how our climate on Earth is changing. Some of the agency's key accomplishments in Earth science this year include: After launching into space in February, NASA's PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) satellite mission is successfully transmitting first-of-their-kind measurements of ocean health, air quality, and the effects of a changing climate. Using the agency's TEMPO (Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution) instrument, NASA made available new near-real time data providing air pollution observations at unprecedented resolutions – down to the scale of individual neighborhoods. Launched in May and June , NASA's PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-Infrared Experiment) CubeSats started collecting data on the amount of heat in the form of far-infrared radiation that the Arctic and Antarctic environments emit to space. NASA rolled out the Disaster Response Coordination System, a new resource that delivers up-to-date information on fires, earthquakes, landslides, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, and other extreme events to emergency managers. The agency partnered with the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History to open the Earth Information Center exhibit. Exploring Our Solar System, Universe NASA's Europa Clipper embarked Oct. 14 on its long voyage to Jupiter , where it will investigate Europa, a moon with an enormous subsurface ocean that may have conditions to support life. NASA collaborated with multiple partners on content and social media related to the launch, including engagements with the National Hockey League, U.S. Figure Skating, 7-Eleven, e.l.f., Girl Scouts, Crayola, Library of Congress, and others. NASA's 2024 space exploration milestones also include: NASA's groundbreaking James Webb Space Telescope marked more than two years in space, transforming our view of the universe as designed, by studying the most distant galaxies ever observed, while raising exciting new questions about the atmospheres of planets outside our solar system . As part of an asteroid sample exchange , NASA officially transferred to JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) a portion of the asteroid Bennu sample collected by the agency's OSIRIS-Rex (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer) mission in a ceremony on Aug. 22 . After surviving multiple challenges this year, NASA's Voyager mission continues to collect data on the furthest reaches of our Sun's influences. NASA selected a new space telescope for development that will survey ultraviolet light across the entire sky, called UVEX (UltraViolet Explorer) . This year, all remaining major components were delivered to NASA Goddard to begin the integration phase for the agency's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. NASA developed, tested, and launched the patch kit that astronauts will use to repair the agency's NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer) telescope on the International Space Station. The agency continued preparing the SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer) mission to launch by April 2025 . To manage the maturation of technologies necessary to develop the Habitable Worlds Observatory telescope, NASA established a project office at NASA Goddard . NASA and partners declared that the Sun reached solar maximum in 2024, a period of heightened solar activity when space weather becomes more frequent. The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, a joint mission between ESA (European Space Agency) and NASA, discovered its 5,000th comet in March. NASA's Sounding Rocket Program provided low-cost access to space for scientific research, technology development, and educational missions. NASA launched 14 sounding rocket missions in 2024. Scientists announced findings from a sounding rocket launched in 2022 that confirmed the existence of a long-sought global electric field at Earth. The agency established a new class of astrophysics missions, called Astrophysics Probe Explorers , designed to fill a gap between NASA's flagship and smaller-scale missions. Living, Conducting Research in Space In 2024, a total of 25 people lived and worked aboard the International Space Station, helping to complete science for the benefit of humanity, open access to space to more people, and support exploration to the Moon in preparation for Mars. A total of 14 spacecraft visited the microgravity laboratory in 2024, including eight commercial resupply missions from Northrop Grumman and SpaceX, as well as international partner missions, delivering more than 40,000 pounds of science investigations, tools, and critical supplies to the space station. NASA also helped safely return the uncrewed Boeing Starliner spacecraft to Earth, concluding a three-month flight test to the International Space Station. In addition: In March, NASA welcomed its newest class of Artemis Generation astronauts in a graduation ceremony. The agency also sought new astronaut candidates, and more 8,000 people applied. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli , ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen , and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa returned to Earth at the conclusion of NASA's SpaceX Crew-7 mission aboard the International Space Station. The three crew members, along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov , splashed down in March off the coast of Pensacola, Florida , completing a six-and-a-half-month mission contributing to hundreds of experiments and technology demonstrations. In June, NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams safely arrived at the space station aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft following launch of their flight test. With Starliner's arrival, it was the first time in station history three different spacecraft that carried crew to station were docked at the same time. Starliner returned uncrewed in September following a decision by NASA . Wilmore and Williams, now serving as part of the agency's Crew-9 mission, will return to Earth in February 2025 . NASA astronaut Don Pettit , accompanied by Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner , arrived at the orbital laboratory in September to begin a six-month mission. Completing a six-month research mission in September, NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson returned to Earth with Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub aboard the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft. NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov launched on the agency's SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the space station. Concluding a nearly eight-month science mission, NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 mission safely returned to Earth, splashing down on Oct. 25 , off the coast of Pensacola, Florida . NASA and Axiom Space successfully completed the third private astronaut mission to the space station in February, following an 18-day mission, where the crew conducted 30 experiments, public outreach, and commercial activities in microgravity. The agency announced SpaceX was selected to develop and deliver the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle, which will safely move the space station out of orbit and into a remote area of an ocean at the end of its operations. NASA and SpaceX monitored operations as the company's Dragon spacecraft performed its first demonstration of reboost capabilities for the space station. NASA concluded the final mission of its Spacecraft Fire Safety Experiment, or Saffire , putting a blazing end to an eight-year series of investigations looking at fire's behavior in space. A robotic surgical tool aboard space station was successfully controlled remotely by surgeons on Earth. The Robotic Surgery Tech Demo tested the performance of a small robot to evaluate the effects of microgravity and time delays between space and ground. The first successful metal 3D print was conducted aboard the space station, depositing a small s-curve in liquified stainless steel for the Metal 3D Printer investigation to test additive manufacturing of small metal parts in microgravity for equipment maintenance on future long-duration missions. In 2024, 17 NASA Biological and Physical Science research payloads were delivered to the orbital laboratory, spanning quantum, plant biology, and physical sciences investigations. More than 825,000 photos of Earth were taken from the space station in 2024 so far, contributing to research tracking how our planet's landscapes are changing over time. Expedition 71 produced more than 630,000 images, the most taken during a single mission . In total, more than 5.3 million photos have been taken from the space station, providing imagery for urban light studies, studies of lightning flashes, and 14 natural disaster events in 2024 alone. Imagining Future Flight NASA researchers worked to advance innovations that will transform U.S. aviation, furthering the Sustainable Flight National Partnership and other efforts to help the country reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. NASA also unveiled its X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft, the centerpiece of its Quesst mission to make quiet overland supersonic flight a reality. NASA aeronautics initiatives also worked to bring air taxis, delivery drones, and other revolutionary technology closer to deployment to benefit the U.S. public and industry. Over the past year, the agency: Began testing the quiet supersonic X-59's engine ahead of its first flight. Made further progress in research areas of Quesst mission, including ground recording station testing and advancement and structural tests on the aircraft. Publicly unveiled the X-59 in January , providing the first look at this unique aircraft. Tested a wind-tunnel model of the X-66 , an experimental aircraft designed to reduce the carbon footprint. Began building the X-66 simulator that will allow pilots and engineers to run real-life scenarios in a safe environment. Funded new studies looking at the future of sustainable aircraft for the 2050 timeframe and beyond. Built a new simulator to study how passengers may experience air taxi rides. The results will help designers create new aircraft types with passenger comfort in mind. Developed a computer software tool called OVERFLOW to predict aircraft noise and aerodynamic performance. This tool is now being used by several air taxi manufacturers to test how propellers or wings perform. In collaboration with Sikorsky and DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), flew two helicopters autonomously using NASA-designed collision avoidance software. Designed and flew a camera pod with sensors to help advance computer vision for autonomous aviation. Launched a new science, technology, engineering, and mathematics kit focused on Advanced Air Mobility so students can learn more about air taxis and drones. Continued to reduce traffic and save fuel at major U.S. airports as part of NASA's to work to improve air travel and make it more sustainable. Worked with partners to demonstrate a first-of-its-kind air traffic management concept for aircraft to safely operate at higher altitudes. Advanced Hybrid-Electric technologies with GE Aerospace under the Hybrid Thermally Efficient Core project. Conducted new ground and flight tests for the Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration project, which works to create hybrid electric powertrains for regional and single-aisle aircraft, alongside GE Aerospace and magniX. Collaborated with the Federal Aviation Administration and police and fire departments to strategize on integrating public safety drones into the national airspace. Launched a new science, technology, engineering, and mathematics kit focused on Advanced Air Mobility so students can learn more about air taxis and drones. Improving Life on Earth, in Space with Technology NASA develops essential technologies to drive exploration and the space economy. In 2024, NASA leveraged partnerships to advance technologies and test new capabilities to help the agency develop a sustainable presence on the lunar surface and beyond, while benefiting life on our home planet and in low Earth orbit. The following are 2024 space technology advancements: Deployed NASA's Advanced Composite Solar Sail System in space, marking a successful test of its composite boom technology. Performed record-breaking laser communications with NASA's Deep Space Optical Communications technology demonstration by sending a laser signal from Earth to NASA's Psyche spacecraft about 290 million miles away. NASA's Advanced Composite Solar Sail System and Deep Space Optical Communications were named among TIME's Inventions of 2024 , along with the agency's Europa Clipper spacecraft. Supported 84 tests of technology payloads via 38 flights with six U.S. commercial flight providers through NASA's Flight Opportunities Program . Enabled the first NASA-supported researcher to fly with their payload aboard a commercial suborbital rocket. Advanced critical capabilities for autonomous networks of small spacecraft with NASA's Starling demonstration, the first satellite swarm to autonomously distribute information and operations data between spacecraft. Demonstrated space-age fuel gauge technology , known as a Radio Frequency Mass Gauge, on Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lunar lander, to develop technology to accurately measure spacecraft fuel levels. Performed an in-space tank to tank transfer of cryogenic propellent (liquid oxygen) on the third flight test of SpaceX's Starship. Licensed a new 3-D printed superalloy , dubbed GRX-810, to four American companies to make stronger, more durable airplane and spacecraft parts. Manufactured 3D-printed, liquid oxygen/hydrogen thrust chamber hardware as part of NASA's Rapid Analysis and Manufacturing Propulsion Technology project, which earned the agency's 2024 "Invention of The Year" award for its contributions to NASA and commercial industry's deep space exploration goals. Pioneered quantum discovery using the Cold Atom Lab , including producing the first dual-species Bose-Einstein Condensates in space, the first dual-species atom interferometers in space, and demonstrating the first ultra-cool quantum sensor for the first time in space. Announced two new consortia to carry out ground-based research investigations and conduct activities for NASA's Biological and Physical Sciences Space Biology Program , totaling $5 million . Awarded $4.25 million across the finales of three major NASA Centennial Challenges, including Break the Ice , Watts on the Moon , and Deep Space Food to support NASA's Artemis missions and future journeys into deep space. Launched a collaborative process to capture the aerospace community's most pervasive technical challenges, resulting in a ranked list of 187 civil space shortfalls to help guide future technology development projects, investments, and technology roadmaps. Growing Global Partnerships Through the Artemis Accords , almost 50 nations have joined the United States , led by NASA with the U.S. State Department, in a voluntary commitment to engage in the safe, transparent, and responsible exploration of the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The Artemis Accords represent a robust and diverse group of nation states, representing all regions of the world, working together for the safe, transparent, and responsible exploration of the Moon, Mars and beyond with NASA. More countries are expected to sign the Artemis Accords in the weeks and months ahead. During a May workshop with Artemis Accords signatories in Montreal, Canada , NASA led a tabletop exercise for 24 countries centered on further defining and implementing key tenets, including considering views on non-interference, interoperability, and scientific data sharing among nations. A NASA delegation participated in the 75th International Astronautical Congress in Milan . During the congress, NASA co-chaired the Artemis Accords Principals' Meeting , which brought together 42 nations furthering discussions on the safe and responsible use of space for the benefit of all. Celebrating Total Solar Eclipse During the total solar eclipse on April 8 , NASA helped the nation enjoy the event safely and engaged millions of people with in-person events, live online coverage, and citizen science opportunities. NASA also funded scientists around North America to take advantage of this unique position of the Sun, Moon, and Earth to learn more about the Sun and its connection to our home planet. Highlights of the solar celebration include: The space station crew were among the millions viewing the solar eclipse . NASA collaborated with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Google, NCAA Women's Final Four, Peanuts Worldwide, Microsoft, Sésamo, LEGO, Barbie, Major League Baseball, Third Rock Radio, Discovery Education, and others on eclipse-inspired products and social posts to support awareness of the eclipse and the importance of safe viewing. More than 50 student teams participated in NASA's Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project, with some becoming the first to measure atmospheric gravity waves caused by eclipses. Building Low Earth Orbit Economy In August, NASA announced the development of its low Earth orbit microgravity strategy by releasing 42 objectives for stakeholder feedback. The strategy helps to guide the next generation of human presence in low Earth orbit and advance microgravity science, technology, and exploration. NASA is refining the objectives with collected input and will finalize the strategy before the end of the year. Additional advancements include: NASA modified agreements for two funded commercial space station partners that are on track to develop low Earth orbit destinations for the agency and other customers. A NASA-funded commercial space station, Blue Origin's Orbital Reef, completed multiple testing milestones for its critical life support system as part of the agency's efforts for new destinations in low Earth orbit. A full-scale ultimate burst pressure test on Sierra Space's LIFE (Large Integrated Flexible Environment) habitat structure was conducted, an element of a NASA-funded commercial space station. The agency's industry partners , through the second Collaborations for Commercial Space Capabilities initiative and Small Business Innovation Research Ignite initiative, completed safety milestones, successful flight tests, and major technological advancements. As NASA opens access to space by working with private industry, the agency shared its medical expertise, human system integration knowledge , utilization requirements , and commercial space food insight to aid in developing safe, reliable, innovative, and cost-effective space stations. To address a rapidly changing space operating environment and ensure its preservation for generations to come, NASA released its integrated Space Sustainability Strategy in April. The agency tested the Sierra Space Dream Chaser spaceplane for the extreme environments of space at NASA's Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio . NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland streamed 4K video footage from an aircraft to the space station and back for the first time using optical, or laser, communications. Inspiring Artemis Generation of STEM Students NASA continues to offer a wide range of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) initiatives and activities, reaching and engaging the next generation of scientists, engineers, and explorers. The agency's STEM engagements are enhanced through collaborations with partner organizations, the distribution of various grants, and additional strategic activities. Key 2024 STEM highlights include: Awarded nearly $45 million to 21 higher-education institutions to help build capacity for research, and announced the recipients of grants that will support scientific and technical research projects for more than 20 universities and organizations across the United States . Planted a " Moon Tree ," a seedling that traveled around the Moon and back aboard the agency's Artemis I mission in 2022, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington . The event highlighted aRevmatics.ai: What It Is, Who's Involved and Why It's A Game-Changing AI Operation
How Trump's bet on voters electing him managed to silence some of his legal woesLAS VEGAS — At the largest annual gathering of the basin’s water managers on Thursday, speakers invoked “Dr. Strangelove,” “The Hunger Games” and “Alice in Wonderland” to convey the dire, darkly dystopian and illusory state of the negotiations for how the Colorado River will be shared in the future. The seven representatives from the Upper Basin states (Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming) and the Lower Basin states (California, Arizona and Nevada) are deadlocked in disagreement and for the first time in recent years did not appear on stage together at the Colorado River Water Users Association Conference at the Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. This year, representatives from the two basins had separate panels, underscoring their failure thus far to reach a consensus on how to share shortages and operate the nation’s two largest reservoirs, Lake Powell and Lake Mead, after 2026. Each took the opportunity to double down and reiterate their differing positions in competing proposals submitted to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in March. Lower Basin water managers say all seven states that use the Colorado River must share cuts under the driest conditions, while Upper Basin officials maintain they already take cuts in dry years because they are squeezed by climate change and shouldn’t have to share additional cuts because their states have never used the entire 7.5-million-acre-foot apportionment given to them by the Colorado River Compact. “In the Upper Basin, it’s the Hunger Games,” said Colorado’s top negotiator Becky Mitchell. “We are hungry all the time. There is never enough.” During their nine-month-long standoff, the two basins have not moved any closer to a consensus. Mitchell said she had expected the seven state representatives to have their customary meeting before the conference started. “I’ve been here since Monday thinking that we would be meeting all day Tuesday and that did not occur,” Mitchell told the Colorado delegation at a breakfast Thursday morning. “I am hopeful that we can still come together again to talk and work towards a mutually agreeable solution.” The current river management guidelines were developed in response to drought conditions in the first years of the 20th century and set shortage tiers based on reservoir levels that spell out which states in the Lower Basin will take cuts as levels fall. But these guidelines did not go far enough to protect reservoir levels from drought and climate change, and in 2022 Lake Powell flirted with falling below a critical elevation to make hydropower. Perhaps to spur the basin states toward a solution, in November, Reclamation released an outline of five potential paths forward, including a “No Action” alternative, which is unlikely to be chosen. None of the management options adopted either the Upper or Lower basin proposals, but instead include a “basin hybrid” that is a mash-up of elements from both. Carly Jerla, a senior program manager with Reclamation, gave an overview of each of the options Thursday and said the agency intends to publish a report with more detail on the alternatives by the end of the year. Maximum cuts could range from 2.1 million acre-feet to 4 million acre-feet and could be shared based strictly on the priority of who has the oldest rights or distributed proportionally across all seven states. Upper Basin officials said in a prepared statement that they cannot speak directly to Reclamation’s potential alternatives and need more information before they can analyze them. “The Upper Division States continue to stand firmly behind the concepts embodied in the Upper Division States’ Alternative, which performs best according to Reclamation’s own modeling and directly meets the purpose and need of the federal action,” the statement reads. Reclamation officially kicked off the post-2026 guidelines development process in June 2023 with a Notice of Intent. The current guidelines expire at the end of 2026 and new ones must be in place by August of that year, meaning water managers have just over a year and a half to complete the National Environmental Review Act process for implementing new management rules. “We have a year and a half left to identify a preferred alternative, put out a draft EIS, put out a final EIS, develop the implementation and adopt a record of decision,” Jerla said. “So we need to be moving as a basin a lot faster in the second half than we did in our first half.” On their panel, Lower Basin representatives gave an overview of their proposed alternative, plus their water conservation tallies over the past two decades, some of which were forced by the shortage agreements under the current guidelines. “We’re asking the Upper Basin to come with us to help further protect the river, but only in those really hot, dry (years),” said Tom Buschatzke, Arizona’s top negotiator. At this year’s conference, there was talk about the longtime elephant in the room, something Colorado River water managers have previously said they want to avoid at all costs: litigation over the Colorado River Compact. Upper Basin water managers believe that as long as they don’t use more than the 7.5 million acre-feet allocated to them, they will not violate the compact. But Lower Basin officials believe that regardless of the Upper Basin’s use, the upstream states could be subject to a compact call if they don’t deliver 7.5 million acre-feet a year. As river flows continue to decline due to climate change, the basin states could be inching closer to a compact call, which could force cuts on the Upper Basin. Buschatzke addressed his September request of Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs to set aside $1 million for litigation in case of a compact call. “Compact compliance is out there, it is a potential issue,” Buschatzke said. “I have to do my due diligence for all potential outcomes.” But the principals remained committed to finding agreement among the seven states. Top Nevada negotiator John Entsminger said he wants the Upper Basin states to know he’s not looking for a fight. “I want everybody from the Upper Basin to hear from Nevada: We believe compromise is possible,” he said. “We think it’s the first, second and third best option. But we need a dance partner. So let’s get back to the table and make this happen.”
Global stocks mostly higher in thin pre-Christmas tradeTaylor Swift has landed in Vancouver and everyone is feeling the impact, even the Vancouver Canucks. The pop megastar has three concerts coming up and two of them happen to land on the same day as Canucks games. While some of the , like Nils Höglander, are surely disappointed they’ll miss the show, it’s had an interesting impact that some Canucks fans will be happy to hear about. Ticket prices for the game tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets and on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Lighting have dropped. While the Blue Jackets aren’t the most exciting opponent, the fact it’s a Friday night usually means prices don’t come down too far. This game was in the “Regular+” tier in Canucks season ticket packages, the second lowest offered. However, with Swift in town, prices for tonight’s game have fallen quite a bit. If you’re looking for a pair of seats, on the resale market after taxes and fees. Standard tickets to the game are still available for $94 each. The next Friday night game is on January 3 when the Nashville Predators visit and the cheapest seat for that one is currently $142, although it is a much more exciting opponent. There is another game in the same tier on a Friday night in March against the Minnesota Wild and the cheapest ticket is $102.50 right now. The Canucks game on Sunday isn’t immune to the impact of Swift’s concert either. Despite being against the Tampa Bay Lightning, a relatively exciting opponent with one of the world’s best players in Nikita Kucherov, and being on a weekend, tickets are still far below expected. This was considered a “Premium” game by the Canucks. The cheapest pair of seats right now will cost you $79.95 each after fees and taxes. That will get you into the upper bowl in the corner where the Canucks defend twice. There are a ton of tickets available to the game for under $90. The next time the Canucks host an early game on a Sunday is when they host the Detroit Red Wings on February 2. That is also a “Premium” game and the cheapest ticket is currently $131. Of course, these prices are all drastically lower than Swift’s concert which .
Calls have been made for more affordable housing in a Northumberland seaside village after plans for four expensive new homes were approved. The houses will be built in Newton-by-the-Sea despite claims from residents there is "no market" for the properties and concerns they will become second homes or holiday lets. At Thursday's meeting of the North Northumberland Local Area Planning Committee, council officers insisted that a legal agreement was in place that would ensure the homes could only be sold as primary residences. The applicant has previously described the plans as a "£4 million development". Local ward councillor Wendy Pattison spoke to object to the plans. She said: "These four properties are in the wrong location and are the wrong type of housing for what is quintessentially a beautiful coastal village. They will attract expensive buyers and young families, which Newton needs badly, will not be able to afford these properties. "I understand the applicant has offered to make these primary residences, but I am concerned about enforcement - because they will be sold on, and sold on again, and enforcement becomes difficult." Newton-by-the-Sea Parish Council also objected to the proposals. In a statement, they wrote: "The need for affordable homes is well-known. There is a shortage of affordable homes to buy or rent. "This housing is clearly executive and is not affordable or accessible for first-time buyers. The parish council considers claims of freeing up existing housing stock as being unfounded. "These homes will be well out of the price range of the vast majority of local people. Our experience of expensive housing locally is that it is bought by people moving from outside the area, often wishing to retire." The application was submitted by FORM Properties with support by Hedley Planning. It was also designed by award-winning Hexham-based architects Elliot Architects. Applicant Michael Foster-Smith said: "I was born and raised in the village - my family lived there for over forty years. I appreciate the setting demands a design of real quality. "I have seen first-hand the impact of the housing stock being sold has had on the community. They are not high density, low cost but it offers high-quality houses capable of being long-term family homes." Coun Trevor Thorne proposed approval of the plans. He said: "I don't think it is over-development. Newton has not seen a lot of development over the years. "I do think this is a high-quality development. Looking at the plans, they seem to be very attractive houses, they look as though they will have character. I can't see any planning reasons why we could refuse the application." Other members were less convinced, but also struggled to find a legitimate reason to refuse the plans. Coun Isabel Hunter said: "This is a very difficult one. I can understand the objectors and the local members, but it is finding a valid reason to stand up at an appeal." Coun Georgina Hill added: "I would predict that they don't sell and the applicant comes back cap in hand saying 'we could do holiday lets'. "We need to be as tight as anything. If they can't sell them, it is not our problem. We need housing, but I would love to see applications that are affordable for local people." Despite the concerns, the plans were unanimously approved by the committee. Join our Northumberland WhatsApp community for all the latest news Northumberland news direct to your phone. To join you need to have WhatsApp on your device. All you need to do is choose which community you want to join, click on the link and press 'join community'. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the ChronicleLive team. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice . CLICK HERE TO JOINAP Sports SummaryBrief at 4:50 p.m. EST
JacobH Welcome to the December 2024 edition of the “junior” lithium miner news. We have categorized those lithium miners that are not in commercial production as the juniors. Note: Investors are reminded that many of the lithium juniors will most Trend Investing - Full Tier subscribers benefit from early access to articles and exclusive articles on investing ideas and the latest trends (especially in the EV and EV metals sector). Plus CEO interviews, chat room access with other professional investors. Read " The Trend Investing Difference ", or sign up here . Or join Trend Investing - Basic tier for a cheaper slimmed down service here . Trend Investing articles An Update On Atlas Lithium: A Potential 2025 Producer Lithium Ionic Corp. Is Another Well Valued Brazil Lithium Play With Near Term Production Potential The Trend Investing group includes qualified financial personnel with a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment and well over 20 years of professional experience in financial markets. They search the globe for great investments with a focus on trending and emerging themes. The current focus is on electric vehicles, the EV metals supply chain, stationary energy storage and AI. They lead the investing group of the same brand name, Trend Investing . Features of the service include: Access to the Trend Investing portfolio, 7 monthly news updates, a monthly macro trends update, stock watchlist, CEO interviews, and direct access to the community and group leaders in chat. Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of GLOBAL X LITHIUM ETF (LIT), AMPLIFY LITHIUM & BATTERY TECHNOLOGY ETF (BATT), ALB, GANFENG LITHIUM GROUP [SHE:002460], ASX:PLS, AMG CRITICAL MATERIALS N.V. [AMS:AMG], ZIJIN MINING GROUP [SHA:601899], TSX:LAC, TSX:LAAC, ASX:LLL, ASX:CXO, ASX:SYA, ASX:PLL, ASX:NMT, GALAN LITHIUM [ASX:GLN], LITHIUM SOUTH DEVELOPMENT CORP. [TSXV:LIS], CRITICAL ELEMENTS LITHIUM [TSXV:CRE], WINSOME RESOURCES [ASX:WR1], GLOBAL LITHIUM RESOURCES [ASX:GL1], EUROPEAN METAL HOLDINGS [ASX:EMH], FRONTIER LITHIUM [TSXV:FL], SNOW LAKE LITHIUM (LITM), PATRIOT BATTERY METALS [TSX:PMET] AND [ASX:PMT], OCEANA LITHIUM [ASX:OCN], LOYAL LITHIUM [ASX:LLI], PATRIOT LITHIUM [ASX:PAT], ARGENTINA LITHIUM & ENERGY [TSXV:LIT], LITHIUM IONIC CORP. [TSXV:LTH], ATLAS LITHIUM (ATLX), MIDLAND EXPLORATION [TSXV:MD], BRUNSWICK EXPLORATION [TSXV:BRW], AZIMUT EXPLORATION [TSXV:AZM], COSMOS EXPLORATION [ASX:C1X], MEGADO MINERALS [ASX:MEG], OMNIA METALS GROUP [ASX:OM1], DIXIE GOLD [TSXV:DG], FREY either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. This article is for ‘information purposes only’ and should not be considered as any type of advice or recommendation. Readers should "Do Your Own Research" ("DYOR") and all decisions are your own. See also Seeking Alpha Terms of Use of which all site users have agreed to follow. https://about.seekingalpha.com/terms Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.
PCC welcomes UK Government’s plans to increase neighbourhood policingLeo – (23rd July to 22nd August) Daily Horoscope Prediction says, your power to transform lives is unmatchable Expect surprises in the love life. Minor issues may exist at the office but settle them amiably. Avoid major financial decisions as normal life will be disturbed. Avoid fights in the love life today and take the steps to resolve the existing ones. Challenges at the office will make you stronger. Be careful about your health. Ensure you handle wealth diligently and avoid major monetary decisions. Leo Love Horoscope Today Despite minor friction, your relationship will be good throughout the day. Ensure you keep the lover in a good mood and appreciate in both personal and professional endeavors. Do not invade the personal space of the lover. Your commitment will be valued by the lover and some females will also get the support of parents today which is a sign to move ahead with the marriage plan. Single Leos will meet someone special. Propose today as the response will be positive. Leo Career Horoscope Today Despite minor issues associated with office politics, you will succeed in handling the challenges. Team leaders and managers need to be cautious to not miss the deadline. Stay away from office politics and pay more attention to details that can help you deliver non-compromised results. Handle the work pressure and ensure you complete every task with responsibility. Some Leos will travel today for job reasons while managers and supervisors may even spend additional hours at the workstation. Leo Money Horoscope Today There can be issues related to payments. Traders may have trouble in receiving the pending dues while those who handle foreign currency transactions will need to be careful about tax-related issues. Avoid monetary discussions with siblings. Those who are keen to invest in the stock market or take part in an online lottery should take the guidance of an expert to ensure success. Leo Health Horoscope Today Start the day with exercise and ensure you have a good lifestyle. Avoid food items rich in fat and sugar. Instead, have more veggies and fruits. Be careful to not mix both office and personal life as this will hurt your mental health. Some females may develop menstrual complaints and pregnant ladies must avoid riding a two-wheeler in the second half of the day. Leo Sign Attributes Strength: Generous, Loyal, Energetic, Enthusiastic Weakness: Arrogant, Luxury seeker, Careless, and Self-complacent Symbol: Lion Element: Fire Body Part : Heart & Spine Sign Ruler : Sun Lucky Day : Sunday Lucky Color: Golden Lucky Number : 19 Lucky Stone : Ruby Leo Sign Compatibility Chart Natural affinity: Aries, Gemini, Libra, Sagittarius Good compatibility: Leo, Aquarius Fair compatibility: Cancer, Virgo, Capricorn, Pisces Less compatibility: Taurus, Scorpio By: Dr. J. N. Pandey Vedic Astrology & Vastu Expert Website: www.astrologerjnpandey.com E-mail: djnpandey@gmail.com Phone: 91-9811107060 (WhatsApp Only)
NoneWhen people open their banking app or log into their account to pay a bill, most will complete their task quickly so they can move on to something else. But if a customer is being talked into transferring their cash to a scammer, there are subtle shifts in behaviour that leave a digital trail of clues. In these cases, banks say, the customer might spend longer than usual logged in, or they could move their mouse in a less purposeful way – such as by drawing circles on the screen – as they listen to the scammer’s instructions over the phone. Banks can detect suspicious transactions from information such as how frequently a user is touching their screen. Credit: iStock If the unsuspecting victim has allowed a scammer to take control of their computer, there can be other clues. The customer may not touch their phone’s screen as frequently as they usually do, or the criminal who has taken over might type faster than the customer usually does. Banks can now see all these clues, and use that information to spot suspicious transactions. “When I log in, and I know why I’m logging in, I behave with purpose,” says Tim Dalgleish, one of the architects of BioCatch Trust, a system that looks for data such as this to detect scams and fraud. “In one of these scam scenarios, you’re basically being coached, coerced, tricked or bullied to do something different.” Late this year, major banks signed up to the BioCatch system as part of the banking industry’s effort to stem a $2.7 billion wave of scams. While it’s early days, it’s hoped these sorts of digital clues – alongside lots of other information – can be used to stop more scams in the milliseconds before a customer sends their cash, after which it can be much harder to retrieve the money. The banking industry’s war on scams is a long-running fight in which businesses face fierce pressure to do more to prevent customer losses, but there are tentative signs of progress. It’s a battle in which speed is everything, and co-operation between banks, telcos, tech giants and authorities is vital. ‘Speed is everything’ Time is of the essence when fighting scammers. The rise of near-instant money transfers between bank accounts, which launched in Australia in 2018, means once someone is tricked into clicking “send” on a payment, there is very little time to put a halt on the transaction. It is up to banks to sift through millions of transactions, detect the suspicious ones and raise a red flag, in near-real time. But how do you detect a payment to a scammer in mere milliseconds? This is an area where banks have invested millions in systems that crunch reams of data and raise alerts or block payments from going through. National Australia Bank’s executive for group investigations, Chris Sheehan, has high hopes that over time, the BioCatch system will make it very difficult for scammers to operate in Australia. National Australia Bank’s executive for group investigations, Chris Sheehan. More broadly, he says it is an example of collaboration that wouldn’t be possible in markets overseas – one due to Australian banks’ history of data-sharing to fight scams, as well as the fact our banking market is relatively small and concentrated. “This type of industry-wide collaboration – it is a global first,” says Sheehan, a former Australian Federal Police senior officer. “And frankly, I don’t think anywhere else in the world can do it the way we’ve done it here.” While banks’ anti-scam systems have historically focused on detecting and responding to scams, he says that won’t cut it any more. The BioCatch move is an example of where banks need to focus – on stoping scams before the money’s been transferred. “We need to be stopping the scam, stopping the crime, before it occurs,” he says. More broadly, it’s also an example of the co-operation between banks that goes back to 2016, when the industry launched the Australian Financial Crimes Exchange (AFCX), a bank-backed group of which Sheehan is a director. The exchange allows member banks to quickly report fraud as well as share intelligence on scams with other businesses such as telcos or technology firms. Sheehan says that when this intelligence loop is “fully mature”, it will allow a bank to pass on a scam URL or dodgy phone number to, say, Telstra or Google, and have the number or website taken down immediately. Commonwealth Bank’s head of group fraud, James Roberts, says this scheme – known as “the loop” is another example of Australia leading the charge globally through fast sharing of information between telcos, banks, social media companies and regulators. “Speed is everything. The faster we can take down a link or a dodgy advertisement ... the less people will get scammed by it, so you’re reducing the blast radius,” says Roberts, who is also a director of the AFCX. There will be extra refinements in the new year as banks face continuing pressure to curb scam losses. Australian Payments Plus (AP+), a payments organisation, will in 2025 launch an industry-wide name-checking system , which checks the name of accounts to which cash is being transferred. Some banks already offer this service. “The solution has been built. It’s in testing at the moment and will be going live across the banks throughout 2025,” says AP+ chief executive Lynn Kraus. Losses still way too high Of course, banks have been touting anti-scam technology for years, and it hasn’t stopped a wave of losses that hit $2.7 billion in 2023 – a 13 per cent fall on 2022 levels but a figure that is still far too high. Will these new anti-scam measures make a more meaningful difference? Even banks don’t claim anti-scam technology can solve the problem on its own. Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones unveiled the government’s anti-scam laws in October. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer There is widespread agreement on the need for closer work between banks and social media companies, and new laws unveiled by Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones in October will require these businesses to report scams as soon as they are detected, with the threat of $50 million fines. “Our scams crackdown will cut off the avenues scammers use to target Australians by setting a high bar for what businesses must do to prevent them,” Jones said. Consumer advocates maintain there should also be more emphasis on requiring banks to compensate scam victims, an approach that has been adopted in the UK but resisted by the federal government. Yet despite all the work still to be done, there are tentative signs of progress. CBA’s Roberts notes the banking giant reported a 50 per cent reduction in customer scam losses last financial year. Other banks have also reported declines. NAB’s full-year results showed a 20 per cent fall in customer losses from scams, Westpac said scam losses were down 29 per cent, and ANZ reported a 46 per cent drop in customer scam losses. Roberts says the reduction in scam losses seen in Australia is better than the situation in some peer countries, though he adds the problem remains significant. “It does not mean the problem is solved – and it has tragic consequences for consumers, but at least there’s a trend directionally,” he says. NAB’s Chris Sheehan also says the $2.7 billion in industry-wide scam losses in 2023 was “way too high”, and he stresses the battle against scanners must continue. But he, too, says there are some encouraging signs. Ultimately, he says, there is no silver bullet in the fight against scams and the bank expects to be constantly changing its defences as the scammers also evolve. Scam-fighting is also a part of finance where banks put aside their commercial rivalry and frequently work together to share information against a common enemy. Indeed, last year the competition watchdog gave the Australian Bankers’ Association and its members permission to talk together to develop industry standards for anti-scam measures. Not only does information-sharing help to spot the scammers, there’s also no public benefit in a situation in which some banks have far better anti-scam systems than others, because you can be sure that the criminals will cotton on to any vulnerabilities. “When it comes to fighting crime and preventing the impact of crime on our customers, we don’t compete on that,” Sheehan says. “We realise that we have to work together because otherwise we’ll just get picked off individually.” The Market Recap newsletter is a wrap of the day’s trading. Get it each we e kday afternoon .
Hyderabad: Govt officials attacked for removing encroachements from lake buffer zoneWhen Horace Roberts Jr. was freed after 20 years in prison following his conviction for the murder of a Jurupa Valley woman he did not commit, he emerged into a changed world. Among the innovations occurring while Roberts was behind bars from 1998 to 2018 was the improvement of DNA technology that allows investigators to identify criminal suspects more precisely and from smaller sample sizes. That technology sprung Roberts from his “lion’s den” and pointed authorities to three men who were convicted of killing Terry Cheek, Roberts’ former mistress, and who are scheduled to be imprisoned in January. Roberts testified against the men who not only let Roberts take the fall for the crime but also framed him. “I was relieved,” Roberts, 66, said in a recent interview about his post-prison life from his home in South Carolina. “I was just glad that they were found guilty of what they did.” While Roberts now says “I feel good about where I am” and an $11 million payout in 2021 from Riverside County to settle his wrongful-incarceration lawsuit has eased the transition, the return to a society that had moved on without him was initially difficult. Roberts would wake up at night and wonder whether he was still sleeping in a cell. “When I was in prison you had to think one way, and that was always survival. I had to put on this brave face and just stand my ground. When I got out, it’s different. It’s kind of hard to let my guard down and show that fear,” he said. “Getting around by myself, I was scared,” Roberts said. “Scared to move around; I didn’t know how to react to that. I had not been just locked up but locked in. I had to learn how to go about and do things, shop, and not only that but interact with people on the outside.” Michael Semanchik, who as an attorney for the California Innocence Project took up Roberts’ case and who now leads The Innocence Center, has seen others struggle to adapt after long prison stays. “It’s pretty common when people come home that they don’t like to be in big crowds, they keep their backs to the walls,” Semanchik said. “It’s an ingrained prison mentality that takes years to get past. Choices are so severely limited in prison. Horace could go to the commissary but there are like two types of toothpaste, and clients go into CVS and see 50 types of toothpaste, and that is overwhelming.” But Roberts was quickly able to surround himself with family members who he said “100%” believed he was innocent. Because his wife, Debra, moved east across the country with the 7-year-old twins and a 17-year-old stepdaughter to be closer to family, Roberts never saw his children during his incarceration in several California prisons. So it was an emotional moment when Roberts reunited with his children — now all grown up — at an airport. And yes, Debra waited for him. “It was pure joy. Tears of joy,” Roberts said. “It was like we had never left each other because we were able to communicate with them. I just wanted to be able to see them. I wouldn’t have traded that moment for the world.” Roberts acknowledged that he had some catching up to do in other areas. There was the creation in 2007 of a device that flummoxed Roberts, a computer that fits in your pocket with all sorts of gizmos embedded in it that can even make and receive phone calls. The iWhat? “A lot about these cell phones have changed,” Roberts said. I don’t know how to do anything other than (call and) answer, and I do a little texting. That technology, I’m 20 years behind it.” History also changed as Roberts watched from his cell block. Barack Obama, the first Black president, served two terms. “It was a proud moment for me, but also the Black race,” Roberts said. “Who would have thought we would have lived to see a Black president?” Donald Trump, who starred in the reality show “The Apprentice” while Roberts was imprisoned, had a new job — president of the United States — at the time Roberts was freed. Roberts lamented that he returned to a less-respectful and more angry society. Twice when he worked as a garbageman following his release, Roberts said, teens pulled guns on him over minor disputes. “Old fool, get out of the way,” one said, according to Roberts. “Things are too fast out there for these young people,” Roberts said. “They are too quick to react and not think. ... I never knew teenagers were like they are now. They would rather pick up a gun than put up two fists. It’s hard for me to relate to that.” As for that new DNA technology, Roberts is grateful that his attorney seized upon it to help him win his freedom. “Without Mike Semanchik and his (California) Innocence Project, I’d probably most likely still be in jail,” Roberts said. How he was convicted In April 1998, Cheek, 32, vanished on what was supposed to be a drive from her home in what is now Jurupa Valley to Roberts’ Temecula apartment to pick him up and drive to Quest Diagnostics in San Juan Capistrano, where Roberts supervised her on the night shift. That day, Cheek, according to testimony, was driving Roberts’ pickup, which she sometimes borrowed. But she never arrived at Roberts’ apartment. The pickup was found abandoned on the shoulder of the 15 Freeway about two miles from Lee Lake near Corona, where Cheek’s body was discovered on rocks several days later. Investigators zeroed in on Roberts, even though court records showed Cheek was going through a messy divorce with Googie Rene Harris Sr. Roberts didn’t help himself, trying to cover up his affair with Cheek when questioned by investigators and lying about his whereabouts the night she disappeared. Relatives of Cheek claimed to have found a distinctive black purse belonging to Cheek in Roberts’ apartment when they gathered her belongings. And Roberts mistakenly claimed ownership of a watch found near Cheek’s body. Roberts was convicted after a third trial and sentenced to life in prison. Harris Sr. testified in at least two of the trials and again at Roberts’ parole hearings. In 2013, Semanchik submitted DNA evidence that revealed a match with Googie Rene Harris Jr., who was Cheek’s stepson. DNA found under Cheek’s fingernails belonged to Joaquin Latee Leal III — Harris Sr.’s nephew — according to testimony. Prosecutors said Harris Sr. and Leal strangled Cheek in her garage as she left for work because Harris Sr. was concerned that his wife would take the home from him in the divorce. They loaded the body into the pickup and Harris Jr. and Leal took Cheek to the lake. The Harrises and Leal were charged with murder — and Harris Sr. with a sentencing enhancement of murder for financial gain — and Roberts was declared factually innocent . Harris Sr. and Leal were convicted of murder in August; a jury recommended that Harris Sr. — who still maintains his innocence — receive the death penalty and Leal be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. A judge is scheduled to rule on their sentences on Jan. 10. Harris Jr., who testified against Leal and his father, pleaded guilty to accessory to a felony and is scheduled to report to jail in January to serve a one-year sentence. First taste of freedom Roberts stayed the night in a cottage in San Diego the day he was freed. “The first thing that following day, I got up, walked outside and I looked up and I was so thankful and grateful for that moment, just to be able to get out and do what I wanted to do and not have someone directing me on what they want me to do. It was so peaceful, and I enjoyed that peace,” Roberts said. Roberts said he likes keeping things simple these days. He lives in Ladson, about 20 miles from Charleston, with Debra and their grandchildren, ages 3, 4 and 9. Roberts used the lawsuit settlement from Riverside County to purchase a home and a couple of cars. He said he has no interest in traveling the world, even though he can afford it. One of his big goals was to learn taekwondo; He said he will receive a black belt in the martial art in March. “It was easy to come home and it seemed like I fit right in,” Roberts said. “Home is where my heart is, anyway. Being home keeps me rooted and grounded. I don’t have to go outside of that and do too much or want anything. It’s all right here. “I am in the right place, I believe,” Roberts said. Related Articles Crime and Public Safety | LA County judge weighing shutdown of Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall Crime and Public Safety | Bitter divorce, threats of violence between slain Woodland Hills doctor, ex-wife, court records show Crime and Public Safety | Before doctor was killed, Texas man lay in wait for him at Woodland Hills clinic, prosecutors say Crime and Public Safety | A nonprofit leader, a social worker: Here are the stories of the people on Biden’s clemency list Crime and Public Safety | 3 men to face murder trial for killing tourist at Fashion Island, judge rules
The Texas Supreme Court on Friday overturned a lower court ruling that state Attorney General Ken Paxton testify in a whistleblower lawsuit at the heart of impeachment charges brought against him in 2023. The court on Friday said Paxton’s office any issue in the lawsuit by four former Paxton employees and agreed to any judgment in the case. “In a major win for the State of Texas, the state Supreme Court has sided with Attorney General Paxton against former OAG employees whose effort to prolong costly, politically-motivated litigation against the agency has wasted public resources for years," a statement from Paxton's office said. An attorney for one of the plaintiffs declined immediate comment, and a second attorney did not immediately return a phone call for comment. The they were improperly fired or forced out for bringing to the FBI allegations that Paxton was misusing his office to protect a friend and campaign donor, who in turn, they said, was helping the attorney general to conceal an extramarital affair. The Supreme Court ruling noted that the Texas governor and Legislature have expressed a desire to hear testimony from the witnesses prior to agreeing to appropriate funds to settle the lawsuit. The court said forcing Paxton, First Assistant Attorney General Brent Webster, Chief of Staff Lesley French Henneke and senior advisor Michelle Smith to testify earlier could improperly be used for legislative purposes in deciding any appropriation. Under the , Paxton agreed to apologize to the former employees for calling them “rogue” employees, settle the case for $3.3 million and ask the state to pay for it, prompting the state House to reject the request and begin its own investigation, leading to the vote to impeach him. Paxton was after a Senate trial. The Supreme Court termed its ruling conditional upon the lower trial court complying with the decision, while saying it is “confident the trial court will comply” with the order. Ken Miller, The Associated Press
Banks are tracking your every click. It could save you thousandsWith Thanksgiving looming, it’s time to count football blessings By The NumbersUS stocks rallied in the final, shortened trading session before the Christmas holiday. The benchmark S&P 500 ( ^GSPC ) finished the session up over 1.1%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite ( ^IXIC ) rose roughly 1.4%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ( ^DJI ) climbed around 0.9%. Wall Street successfully entered its Christmas break rejuvenated, after tech stocks including AI chip giant Nvidia ( NVDA ) led the march higher . Markets closed at 1 p.m. ET and are off tomorrow for Christmas Day. Sizable gains in the past three trading sessions have put the indexes back on the path toward their record highs, from which they took a Fed-fueled nosedive last week. Wall Street is reassessing the path of interest rates next year as it grapples with the reality that the Fed mostly pulled off a so-called soft landing — but couldn't fully shake the US economy's inflation problem. According to the CME FedWatch tool, most bets are on two coming holds at the Fed's January and March meetings, followed by a toss-up in May. Meanwhile, many eyes continue to be trained on Nvidia, which ticked up again Tuesday after a 3.5% gain on Monday. As Yahoo Finance's Dan Howley writes , 2024 was Nvidia's year, with the stock up some 180%. But 2025 could contain plenty of challenges. US stocks leaned into the start of the "Santa Claus" rally in the final, shortened trading session before the Christmas holiday. The benchmark S&P 500 ( ^GSPC ) finished the session up 1.1%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite ( ^IXIC ) rose roughly 1.4%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ( ^DJI ) climbed around 0.9%. Inflation has been one of the top concerns for the US economy in 2024. And it looks like fears over sticky prices will continue in 2025. "We expect a gradual deceleration from where we are, but to levels that are still uncomfortably high for the Fed," Deutsche Bank chief economist Matthew Luzzetti told Yahoo Finance in an interview. So far this year, inflation has moderated but remains stubbornly above the Federal Reserve's 2% target on an annual basis, pressured by hotter-than-expected readings on monthly "core" price increases, which strip out volatile food and energy costs. In November, the core Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) index and the core Consumer Price Index (CPI), both closely tracked by the central bank, rose 2.8% and 3.3%, respectively, over the prior year period. "Inflation is primarily going to be driven by the services side of the economy," Luzzetti said, calling out core services like health care, insurance, and even airfares. "Shelter inflation is also still high and although it'll come down over the next year, it's likely that it could remain somewhat elevated." According to updated economic forecasts from the Fed's Summary of Economic Projections (SEP), the central bank sees core inflation hitting 2.5% next year, higher than its previous projection of 2.2%, before cooling to 2.2% in 2026 and 2.0% in 2027. This largely aligns with Wall Street's current projections. Out of the 58 economists surveyed by Bloomberg, the majority see core PCE moderating to 2.5% in 2025. Still, they do expect less of a deceleration in 2026, with the bulk of economists anticipating a higher 2.4% reading compared to the Fed. "The risks are certainly tilted in the direction of higher inflation," Nancy Vanden Houten, lead US economist at Oxford Economics, told Yahoo Finance. "A lot of the risk comes from the possibility of certain policies being implemented under the Trump administration on tariffs and on immigration." President-elect Donald Trump's proposed policies, such as high tariffs on imported goods, tax cuts for corporations, and curbs on immigration, are considered potentially inflationary by economists. Those policies could further complicate the Federal Reserve's path forward for interest rates, with the central bank now seeing just two rate cuts next year. At the end of 2022, Spotify ( SPOT ) stock was trading below $80 a share after a disastrous year for investors that erased over $35 billion from the company's market cap. Today, shares are trading at just under $500. The audio giant is on track to hit full-year profitability for the first time ever. And its market cap? About $100 billion, up from just $15 billion two years ago. The company's colossal run-up in stock price follows an intense business overhaul that's included everything from mass layoffs and C-suite shakeups to a major strategic shift away from podcasts, an area it had aggressively pursued. At the company's 2022 Investor Day, Spotify set seemingly lofty objectives that included long-term gross margin targets between 30% and 35%. At the time, the company had been struggling to turn a profit, with its gross margin stuck at around 25%. In the most recent quarter, Spotify said its gross margin increased to 31.1% from the prior year's 26.4%. "We've never been in a stronger position, thanks to what's really been an outstanding execution by the Spotify team," CEO Daniel Ek said during the company's fiscal third quarter earnings call in November. He added, "We are where we set out to be, if not a little bit further, and on a steady path toward achieving our long-term goals." Read more here about how the audio giant climbed back from its lows and where it could be headed next. President Biden is set to decide the fate of Japanese-owned Nippon Steel's ( NISTF , 5401.T ) $15 billion bid for US Steel ( X ). The Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS) referred the deal to Biden on Monday after failing to reach a consensus. The president has 15 days to review the deal, which he has long opposed. Despite the deal's uncertainty, shares of US Steel Corporation edged higher on Tuesday, rising just under 1%. Bitcoin ( BTC-USD ), one of the biggest beneficiaries of the post-election rally, rose over 5% to trade above $98,000 a coin. Although the cryptocurrency lost some momentum after hitting above $100,000 earlier this month, investors and analysts remain mostly bullish heading into 2025. Trump's win in November pushed bitcoin prices to all-time highs in the immediate aftermath of the election, with the administration viewed as generally more friendly to the alternative asset class. In July, Trump attended a bitcoin conference in Nashville and has since pledged to usher in more supportive regulation . His promises also included appointing a crypto Presidential Advisory Council and firing current SEC Chair Gary Gensler, who announced he would step down on Jan. 20. Other cryptocurrencies and crypto-adjacent names echoed bitcoin's moves to the upside. Ethereum ( ETH-USD ) rose about 7% to trade around $3,500 a coin. Meanwhile, shares of MicroStrategy ( MSTR ), which owns nearly 280,000 bitcoins, rose around 6%. The company recently announced the purchase of an additional 51,780 bitcoins for $4.6 billion. MicroStrategy now holds $16.5 billion worth of bitcoin. Coinbase ( COIN ), which allows crypto trading on its platform, saw shares rise nearly 3%. It's the start of the so-called Santa Claus rally. Historically, the stock market has seen gains from the last five trading sessions of December through the first two trading days of January. So far, markets are embracing the Christmas spirit, with all three major indexes trading firmly in the green. The tech-heavy Nasdaq led the way higher in late morning trade, up about 1%. Tesla ( TSLA ), Arm Holdings ( ARM ), and Broadcom ( AVGO ) saw the largest gains within the index, rising 5%, 4%, and 3%, respectively. Most sectors also traded in the green, with Consumer Discretionary ( XLY ), Energy ( XLE ), and Tech ( XLK ) the three biggest gainers of the morning session. Health care ( XLV ) was the biggest laggard, dragged down by drug manufacturer Viatris ( VTRS ) and insurance company Cigna ( CI ). American Airlines ( AAL ) briefly grounded all flights nationwide due to a technical issue earlier this morning. The FAA lifted the ground stop at around 8 a.m. ET. American Airlines said in a statement that "a vendor technology issue briefly affected flights this morning. That issue has been resolved, and flights have resumed." The ground stop lasted for about an hour. Shares initially fell over 5% in premarket trading on the news. They've since recovered most of those losses, but are still down a little over 1% shortly after the opening bell. The development comes during a busy holiday travel day with the TSA expecting to screen nearly 30 million people from Dec. 19 through Jan. 2. In the final sprint to the Christmas holiday, markets added to gains. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite ( ^IXIC ) led the way higher, rising roughly 0.3%. The benchmark S&P 500 ( ^GSPC ) edged up about 0.2%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average ( ^DJI ) hugged the flatline. Markets close at 1 p.m. ET today and are off tomorrow for Christmas Day. Christmas Eve — Markets close at 1 p.m. ET Economic data : Building permits (November); Durable Goods Orders (November); New homes sales (November); New home sales (November) Earnings : No notable earnings Here are some of the biggest stories you may have missed overnight and early this morning: Nvidia dominated 2024 big-time. Next year? Plenty of challenges. American Airlines grounds US flights amid technical glitch The Fed avoided a recession in 2024 but failed to shake inflation Biden to decide on US Steel takeover after panel deadlocks MicroStrategy mania exposes rare faultline in ETF industry Elon Musk's xAI lands $6B in new cash to fuel AI ambitions Starbucks strike to hit over 300 US stores on Christmas Eve
China ‘spy’ linked to Prince Andrew rubbed shoulders with former PMs David Cameron and Theresa May