Inuwa Yahaya Wins ‘Security Role Model Gov Of Year’ AwardWASHINGTON — With some of President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet and other presumptive nominees facing an uncertain path to confirmation, some Republicans have considered embracing recess appointments to allow Trump to temporarily fill vacancies without Senate approval. But that approach might come with its own complications. Many GOP senators have hesitated to cede authority over confirmations. With 53 Republican seats, nominees that can’t get majority support shouldn’t proceed, they argue. Former Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz’s withdrawal as Trump’s selection for attorney general, then, would be an example of how the system should work. Other senators have said that if the Democratic minority next year uses delay tactics — of the sort Republicans themselves employed regarding President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees before the Thanksgiving break, for example — Republicans will be more willing to allow recess appointments. “If we in the Senate do our job correctly, we won’t need to worry about a recess appointment,” Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said. “Now, if my Democratic colleagues don’t cooperate, then the issue of a recess appointment may be pertinent.” One less-likely scenario is that Trump proceeds with recess appointments by using an extraordinary and never-before-used constitutional power to force a Senate recess. Nonetheless, any actions taken by those recess appointees could be challenged in court and potentially brought to a stop. There are signs that even the conservative-dominated Supreme Court, with three Trump appointees, would find those moves to be unconstitutional. How recess appointments work The Constitution permits the president to circumvent the confirmation process for vacancies that “happen” during “the Recess of the Senate.” If appointed during a recess, officials could potentially serve until the end of the next session, or in this case, through the end of the 119th Congress. The Congressional Research Service has identified 139 recess appointments made by President Bill Clinton, 171 made by President George W. Bush and 32 made by President Barack Obama. Neither Trump in his first term nor President Joe Biden made any recess appointments. Although not unanimous, there is some sympathy for the recess appointment argument among Senate Republicans. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., offered qualified support, arguing that there’s plenty of recent precedent. “I hope President Trump does at least 33 recess appointments. ... Because Obama did 32. So if anybody thinks that recess appointments are something new and different, you need to kind of study just a couple of administrations back,” Tillis told reporters. But he said recess appointments should be off-limits for Cabinet-level positions. “That should be absolutely off the table,” Tillis said. “These positions are too important and carry too much weight internationally to take a shortcut.” Supreme Court ruling Recess appointments declined under Obama because the Senate began staying in session year-round by convening in brief “pro forma” sessions every three days during break periods, such as the chamber’s summer recess. In 2014, the Supreme Court ruled in National Labor Relations Board v. Noel Canning that the Constitution allows the president to fill any existing vacancy, but only if the Senate has been in recess for at least 10 days. Under the 2014 ruling, the Senate can choose to allow the president to make recess appointments by agreeing with the House to adjourn for at least 10 days. The court’s decision also left open the possibility for the president to make appointments by forcing a Senate recess. That plan, in theory, would exploit Article 2, Section 3, of the Constitution that allows the president to adjourn Congress “to such Time as he shall think proper” when the two chambers are unable to agree on a time for adjournment. Ed Whelan, an attorney and senior fellow for the Ethics and Public Policy Center, recently explained in National Review how such a scenario could play out. First, the House can adopt a concurrent resolution providing for adjournment of both the House and the Senate for at least 10 days, Whelan wrote. The resolution would not be debatable in the Senate and could be adopted by a majority vote, though opposing senators could attempt to filibuster with amendments and procedural motions. Then, the Senate could choose to adopt the resolution, which would allow time for Trump to make appointments. Or it could reject the resolution, which could allow Trump to assert his constitutional power to adjourn Congress when a “disagreement” exists with respect to the time of adjournment. With the Senate gone for at least 10 days, the president could then begin filling vacancies. Nuclear option Of course, it’s no sure thing the House would even act to adopt a recess resolution. In comments to reporters before Thanksgiving, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., appeared to defer to Senate prerogatives when it comes to presidential nominees, pointing out that “the Senate has advice and consent responsibility under the Constitution. They have to vet candidates, of course, and they will.”’ And with House Republicans expected to hold a razor-thin majority, it’s unclear whether such a resolution could receive enough votes for adoption, even if supported by GOP leadership. Additionally, if the Senate simply rejects or declines to act on a House-originated adjournment resolution, that might not constitute a “disagreement” that Trump could exploit, according to Whelan and other experts. Andy Craig, an adjunct scholar at the libertarian-leaning Cato Institute, wrote that the House and Senate would have to adopt conflicting adjournment resolutions that specify different dates before the president can step in to adjourn them. Simply rejecting the resolution, or refusing to consider it, wouldn’t be enough to trigger the president’s adjournment power, he wrote. James Wallner of the center-right R Street Institute expressed a similar sentiment in a recent social media post, arguing the Senate “can’t have an opinion until it takes action to have one — to disagree.” But with Trump and his own attorneys constantly looking for novel interpretations of executive authority, it’s possible they take the position that a disagreement has occurred anyway. The effectiveness of any recess appointees would almost immediately be cast into doubt, however, as the move could trigger a slew of litigation against agencies led by recess-appointed officials. It could take some time to work its way through the courts, according to Stanford law professor Anne Joseph O’Connell, who said each recess appointee would need to be challenged by a separate plaintiff with standing. “The Supreme Court could then consolidate cases or accept one case and hold the others to be remanded to consider the decision in the case they hear,” she said. Conservative pushback Litigation regarding any potential Trump recess appointees could set the stage for the Supreme Court to invalidate them by taking a more restrictive stance than it did in its 2014 ruling. That case involved an instance of presidential overreach, the court found, when Obama made three recess appointments to the NLRB after concluding that the Senate was unavailable to consider nominations, even though it had convened periodically for pro forma sessions. The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the appointments were invalid, and a majority, which included the liberal justices and swing-justice Anthony Kennedy, held that the Senate must be in recess for at least 10 days before the president can make a recess appointment. But the conservative justices strongly disagreed with the majority’s understanding of the Recess Appointments Clause and took a position that Senate Republicans had urged them to adopt. In an amicus brief, the entire Senate Republican Conference during the 113th Congress urged the court to severely curtail the recess appointment power. Among those who signed the brief, 21 are still currently serving in the Senate. Republicans called on the court to hold that the “recess” defined in the Constitution means only the recess that occurs after the Senate ends its regular annual session, and excludes an “intra-session” adjournment, which occurs when the Senate temporarily takes a break during its annual session for various reasons, like a holiday or district work period. They also urged the justices to rule that the president may only fill positions that become vacant during that narrowly defined recess. Obama’s recess appointments, the senators wrote, “cannot be justified by the Recess Appointments Clause without distorting that provision’s text and purpose beyond recognition: The appointments were made neither during ‘the Recess of the Senate,’ but instead in an intrasession adjournment, nor to fill ‘vacancies that ... happen[ed] during the Recess,’ but to preexisting openings.” Additionally, the senators suggested that the Supreme Court should conclude “that the President cannot unilaterally declare the Senate in ‘Recess’ against its will,” as Obama did by refusing to recognize its pro forma sessions. Aligning with Senate Republicans, Justice Antonin Scalia wrote a concurring opinion arguing recess appointment power should allow only appointments during the break between the Senate’s formal annual sessions, and only for vacancies that came into existence during that intermission. Three conservatives currently on the court, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel A. Alito Jr., joined the late justice’s opinion. Because an attempt by Trump to fill positions with recess appointments would likely occur during the Senate’s regular session and would involve positions that did not become vacant during the recess between annual sessions, the Supreme Court’s current conservative majority might rule that such appointments are unconstitutional. Whelan predicts that the three conservative justices appointed by Trump during his first term — Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett — would also be skeptical of a broad recess appointment power that allows intrasession appointments and appointments to preexisting vacancies. “It’s a very safe bet that Justice Gorsuch, Justice Kavanaugh, and Justice Barrett would agree with Scalia if they were looking at the issues afresh. So that would make a six-justice majority among the current members of the Court,” Whelan wrote.free 100 casino slot 。

NoneLosses for big technology stocks pulled major indexes lower on Wall Street. The S&P 500 fell 0.4% Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.3% from its record high a day earlier, and the Nasdaq composite lost 0.6%. Losses for Nvidia, Microsoft and Broadcom were the biggest weights on the market. Dell sank 12.2% after reporting revenue that fell shy of forecasts, and HP dropped 11.4% after giving a weaker-than-expected outlook. Treasury yields fell in the bond market. U.S. financial markets will be closed Thursday for Thanksgiving, and will reopen for a half day on Friday. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. Stocks wavered in afternoon trading on Wednesday, as losses for several Big Tech companies offset gains elsewhere in the market. The S&P 500 fell 0.4% in afternoon trading, even though more stocks were rising than falling in the index. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 135 points, or 0.3%, as of 3:05 p.m. Eastern time. Both indexes set records on Tuesday. The Nasdaq composite fell 0.5%. Losses for tech heavyweights helped pull the broader market lower. Semiconductor giant Nvidia slipped 1.6%. Its huge value gives it outsized influence on market indexes. Microsoft fell 0.9% Several personal computer makers added to Big Tech's heavy weight on the market following their latest earnings reports. HP sank 11.8% after giving investors a weaker-than-expected earnings forecast for its current quarter. Dell slumped 11.9% after its latest quarterly revenue fell short of Wall Street forecasts. Gains for financial and health care companies helped counter Big Tech's downward pull. Visa rose 0.9% and Thermo Fisher Scientific added 2.3%. The U.S. economy expanded at a healthy 2.8% annual pace from July through September, according to the Commerce Department, leaving its original estimate of third-quarter growth unchanged. The growth was driven by strong consumer spending and a surge in exports. The update follows a report on Tuesday from the Conference Board that said confidence among U.S. consumers improved in November, but not by as much as economists expected. Consumers have been driving economic growth, but the latest round of earnings reports from retailers shows a mixed and more cautious picture. Department store operator Nordstrom fell 8.5% after warning investors about a trend toward weakening sales that started in late October. Clothing retailer Urban Outfitters jumped 19.1% after beating analysts’ third-quarter financial forecasts. Weeks earlier, retail giant Target gave investors a discouraging forecast for the holiday season, while Walmart provided a more encouraging forecast. Consumers, though resilient, are still facing pressure from inflation. The latest update from the U.S. government shows that inflation accelerated last month. The personal consumption expenditures index, or PCE, rose to 2.3% in October from 2.1% in September. Overall, the rate of inflation has been falling broadly since it peaked more than two years ago. The PCE, which is the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation, was just below 7.3% in June of 2022. Another measure of inflation, the consumer price index, peaked at 9.1% at the same time. The latest inflation data, though, is a sign that the rate of inflation seems to be stalling as it falls to within range of the Fed's target of 2%. The central bank started raising its benchmark interest rate from near-zero in early 2022 to a two-decade high by the middle of 2023 and held it there in order to tame inflation. The Fed started cutting its benchmark interest rate in September, followed by a second cut in November. Wall Street expects a similar quarter-point cut at the central bank's upcoming meeting in December. “Today’s data shouldn’t change views of the likely path for disinflation, however bumpy," said David Alcaly, lead macroeconomic strategist at Lazard Asset Management. "But a lot of observers, probably including some at the Fed, are looking for reasons to get more hawkish on the outlook given the potential for inflationary policy change like new tariffs.” President-elect Donald Trump has said he plans to impose sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China when he takes office in January. That could shock the economy by raising prices on a wide range of goods and accelerating the rate of inflation. Such a shift could prompt the Fed to rethink future cuts to interest rates. Treasury yields slipped in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.25% from 4.30% late Tuesday. The yield on the two-year Treasury, which more closely follows expected actions by the Fed, fell to 4.22% from 4.25% late Tuesday. U.S. markets will be closed Thursday for Thanksgiving, and will reopen for a half day on Friday. Damian J. Troise And Alex Veiga, The Associated PressIn this article ETH.CM= BTC.CM= Follow your favorite stocks CREATE FREE ACCOUNT Ozan Kose | Afp | Getty Images Bitcoin on Wednesday climbed back above $96,000, recovering slightly from a pullback this week that knocked it from record levels. The price of the flagship cryptocurrency was last higher by 5% at $95,886.00, according to Coin Metrics, while ether jumped more than 8% to $3,591.33. The broader crypto market, as measured by the CoinDesk 20 index, gained 5%. Although bitcoin is widely viewed as a store of value and a digital alternative to gold, the cryptocurrency often trades in tandem with the stock market. On Wednesday, however, it decoupled with the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite, which was lower by 1%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 dropped as well. Coinbase was up more than 5% as bitcoin lifted it along with other crypto stocks. Robinhood , which offers crypto trading and is viewed as a beneficiary of a more crypto-friendly environment in the incoming Trump administration, gained 4%. MicroStrategy , which trades as a proxy for bitcoin, advanced 10%. Bitcoin has been regularly hitting records since the Nov. 5 presidential election, up about 38% in that time. On Friday, it rose as high as $99,849.99 before testing the $90,000 support level this week. "The bitcoin bull market has legs," Alex Thorn, head of firmwide research at Galaxy Digital, said in a report Wednesday. "There will be corrections and hiccups, which is normal. There could even some twilight regulatory or law enforcement actions from the outgoing Biden administration that jitter markets. But a combination of increasing institutional, corporate, and potentially nation-state adoption, a new U.S. administration that is shaping up to be extremely pro-bitcoin, and solid positioning and network data all point to higher over the near and medium term." Fairlead Strategies' Katie Stockton told CNBC's " Squawk Box " on Monday that, at current levels, bitcoin investors are in "unchartered territory in terms of where there's resistance — which, of course, there is none." Meanwhile, support is around $74,000. Bitcoin reached $92,000 for the first time ever just two weeks ago, on Nov. 13. "Bitcoin does tend to stair step both to the downside and to the upside, meaning that it sees these very sharp runups and then consolidates," she said. "People should ... be willing to give bitcoin, and the cryptocurrencies in general, more room because of the volatility there and also because of the long-term potential." Bitcoin is up 124% for the year and is still widely expected to reach the $100,000 milestone before the year is over. Ether, the outperformer since the election, is trailing bitcoin on a year-to-date basis with a 55% gain. Don't miss these cryptocurrency insights from CNBC PRO: As bitcoin wraps up a big week, the case is made for $200,000 Memecoin gains will fade as crypto rally presses on. Look to these instead, says Bank of America These stocks have the highest positive correlation with bitcoin, including some lesser-known names Wall Street sees a buying opportunity in these crypto mining stocks as bitcoin marches to new records

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Israel launches new strikes on Lebanon as leaders draw closer to ceasefire with HezbollahSaudi Arabia will host the 2034 World Cup. But when exactly?Advertisement The Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest released its finalists for its People's Choice Award. The winner of the contest, hosted by London's Natural History Museum, will be announced in February. The finalists include photos of wolves, polar bears, langurs, and other animals in the wild. The Natural History Museum in London hosts an annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest, inviting wildlife and nature photographers from around the world to participate. The competition celebrates the natural world's beauty while highlighting the challenges facing animals in the wild today. Advertisement Every year, a jury selects winners across multiple categories, including Animal Portraits, Under Water, and Urban Wildlife, while members of the public get to vote for a People's Choice Award winner. This year, a panel of judges shortlisted 25 images from 59,228 entries for its People's Choice Award. Now, people worldwide can view these images and vote online for their favorite pictures until 29 January 2025. "The People's Choice Award allows members of the public from across the globe to join the jury and vote for their winning image, inspiring everyone to connect with the natural world," Douglas Gurr, the director of the Natural History Museum , said in a statement. Advertisement The winning image and the four runners-up will be announced in February 2025 and displayed online on the website. The top five People's Choice Award images will also be displayed on voting screens at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition in South Kensington until 29 June 2025. Here are the shortlisted images from this year's contest.

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Previous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parades have been much colder than tomorrow’s event is shaping up to be, but watching all the city-goers with their winter coats and hats on might still send a sympathetic chill down your spine — or, at the very least, make you add some hand warmers to your shopping list STAT. Fortunately, Amazon has a major 50% off deal on orastone portable hand warmers that’s sure to come in handy as the temperatures continue to drop. For a limited time, you can shop five different colors of the diamond-shaped heating dongle, starting from $15 and up to $18 for the more “premium” Knit and Watercolor options. If you’re a Prime member, you may even be eligible for free same-day shipping — which can’t be beaten, especially if you’ll be heading to a Turkey Trot fun run early in the morning or starting to put your holiday decorations up outside and haven’t broken out your winter wardrobe yet. These sleek and compact double-sided rechargeable hand warmers heat up to 108 degrees Fahrenheit — a toasty temperature that’s neither too hot nor too cold — in under two minutes, and feature comfortable rubber coatings that the company and customers say makes them easy to hold and carry. Plus, with built-in LED torches, you don’t have to go rooting around in your bag to find things (poopy bags, for instance, if you’re out walking your dog or keys if you’re hurrying to your car in a parking garage or parking lot). You can even use the light for reading at night. Grab some for holiday gifts, stocking stuffers or “just in case” provisions for outdoor adventures — starting from $15 at Amazon . Keep these other fall and winter warmup deals in mind while they’re hot, too. Crock-Pot Electric Lunch Box for $30, instead of $45 Headlightz by Roq Innovation Light-Up Beanie for $30, instead of $38 Bedsure Heated Blanket Electric Throw for $30, instead of $37 Dreo Space Heater for $34, instead of $40 Ember Temperature Control Smart Mug 2 for $110, instead of $150 The Best Black Friday Deals in 2024 Walmart and Target have all the Xbox Black Friday deals up to $100 — but they won’t last long Amazon has the BLACK+DECKER bev cocktail maker on sale for its lowest price of the year Black Friday 2024 mall hours: What N.J. malls are open and closed on Friday? HOKA’s Black Friday sale has Bondi 8, Clifton 9 sneaker deals and more top styles for up to $72 off — but they’re selling fast Walmart has the Bose SoundLink Micro Bluetooth speaker on sale for $50 off — and it’s cheaper than Amazon’s Black Friday price Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com . Danielle Halibey can be reached at dhalibey@njadvancemedia.com . Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips .

Global Liveness Detection Software Market Size, Share and Forecast By Key Players-TECH5,Amazon(AWS),BioID Web,FaceTec,IDEMIAThe fall of President Bashar Assad will not only affect the 24 million Syrians who lived – and – under his brutal rule. Over the border in Lebanon, the impact will be felt, too. The collapse of Assad’s government provides another blow to its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah, which was already an Israel conflict that weakened its capabilities and decimated its leadership. But many others in Lebanon , not least the 1.5 million to escape Assad and a 13-year civil war. As an , I believe the ripple effects from Syria are to be expected. The two countries’ modern histories are intertwined, and throughout its 54-year rule, the Assad family has intervened in Lebanon many times – mostly to the detriment of its people, its economy and its stability. Hezbollah and Assad: A reciprocal relationship Since its formation in the early 1980s, Hezbollah has benefited from strong support from the Syrian regime. There between the two, for sure – notably in the midst of the Lebanese civil war. But overall, Hezbollah has been able to rely on Syria , training and easy land . And this arrangement was reciprocal. When Assad’s rule was challenged in 2011 and the country descended into civil war, Hezbollah fighters to bolster government troops. But having grown to become the most powerful paramilitary entity in Lebanon, Hezbollah has seen its fortunes suffer of late. The recent war with Israel severely weakened the group and forced it into that includes a pathway toward disarmament. Furthermore, Lebanese support for Hezbollah has shifted dramatically, with open calls for the group to cease its paramilitary activities. The group’s war with Israel cost the lives of about , and about – about one-fifth of the population – were internally displaced from their homes. Meanwhile, for Lebanon is estimated in the billions of dollars. The Iran, Assad and Hezbollah triangle It is no coincidence that the recent rebel advance that led to Assad’s ouster began . Hezbollah forces were depleted, and many of their fighters were pulled out of Syria to . Syrian rebels chose this moment to strike, knowing that Iran was also stretched too thin with the Israel-Hezbollah war to come to Assad’s aid. The domino effect has resulted in the unraveling of Iran’s “ .” Certainly, Tehran has lost its firm grip over Syria and Lebanon. The fact that the fall of Assad coincides with the potential end of both Syria’s civil war and the Iran-Syria-Hezbollah alliance is fitting; it was the start of the civil war that helped anchor that three-way relationship in the first place. In 2011, the – a series of pro-democracy and human rights protests that started in Tunisia – reached Syria. Anti-Assad protests broke out in Daraa and soon spread to major cities such as Homs, Hama and the capital, Damascus. The Syrian government , ordering soldiers to fire at the protesters, while detaining and torturing thousands of men and boys. International . But the Syrian government remained in power with the support of Iran and Hezbollah. In fact, in addition to Hezbollah’s fighters, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps was also advising Assad and fighting alongside his military against the Syrian people. For Tehran and its proxy Hezbollah, this helped further the “Iranization” of the region – that is, the spread of the ideology of the Iranian revolution and the into Shia states. Syria is predominantly Sunni Muslim. Under the Assad family, it was ruled by an – a group that practices a branch of Shia Islam. Hezbollah, as a Shia terrorist group, swore allegiance to Iran’s supreme leader in its . The Palestinian cause was another unifying factor between the three. The post-1979 revolutionary Iran credo of “death to Israel” is a sentiment shared by the Assad regime and Hezbollah fighters. However, Assad may have been less vocal about it – especially as he attempted to negotiate with Israel over the . Assad’s Syria, Iran and Hezbollah were not just unified by radicalism and their desire to govern the region. They also shared economic interests and have benefited from trafficking illegal drugs, , an amphetamine-type stimulant that is mass-produced in Syria under the patronage of Assad and Iran. The drug provided an alternative and substantial source of revenue at a time when international sanctions were biting. With the help of Hezbollah and its control of Lebanon’s airport and seaports, the drug has become widely available in the Gulf states. Its highly addictive nature posed a real threat in the Arab world, and Assad used it to pressure Saudi Arabia into advocating for in 2023. In return, the Syrian regime agreed to redirect its drug trafficking elsewhere. Assad’s legacy With Hezbollah’s defeat in Lebanon and the fall of the Syrian regime, the “Iranization” of the region is, at the very least, stalled. Nevertheless, 54 years of Assad family rule in Syria has left a long trail of destruction in neighboring Lebanon. In over the border to put an end to the Lebanese civil war. Its presence was supposed to be temporary, but it was extended for over four decades. By the time the Lebanese civil war ended in 1991, Syria was exercising total control over Lebanon’s . Serious human rights violations were reported, including disappearances, illegal detentions, torture and the . In February 2005, Lebanese – who publicly opposed the Syrian hegemony in Lebanon – was assassinated in an attack in which have been heavily implicated. The killing sparked the , when hundreds of thousands of Lebanese citizens took to the streets demanding the immediate departure of the Syrian forces. Although Syrian forces left Lebanon, the Syrian regime continued to interfere in the country’s politics through Hezbollah, which evolved into a political-military organization and entered the government in 2008. From that point onward, Hezbollah would block any decision that did not serve Syria’s and Iran’s interests. For instance, Hezbollah and its allies vetoed any presidential candidate who was not supportive of the Syrian regime – a policy that plunged Lebanon into a prolonged . An uncertain future While Hezbollah may continue to operate within Lebanon and under Iran’s umbrella, Assad’s fall means it is deprived of its supply route. Without Syria, Hezbollah has no quick access to Iran’s fighters and weapons – and the newly signed ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel reaffirms Lebanon’s commitment to a calling for Hezbollah’s disarmament. And while it is unclear what the new Syria will look like, for this moment at least, Lebanon’s and Syria’s populations – both of whom have suffered under decades of brutal rule and Hezbollah’s abuse – are able to rejoice at the departure of the man responsible for inflicting so much of the pain. To remove this article -

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BEIRUT — Israel's military launched airstrikes across Lebanon on Monday, unleashing explosions throughout the country and killing at least 31 while Israeli leaders appeared to be closing in on a negotiated ceasefire with the Hezbollah militant group. Israeli strikes hit commercial and residential buildings in Beirut as well as in the port city of Tyre. Military officials said they targeted areas known as Hezbollah strongholds. They issued evacuation orders for Beirut's southern suburbs, and strikes landed across the city, including meters from a Lebanese police base and the city's largest public park. The barrage came as officials indicated they were nearing agreement on a ceasefire, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's Security Cabinet prepared to discuss an offer on the table. Bulldozers remove the rubble of a destroyed building Monday that was hit in an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon. Foreign ministers from the world’s leading industrialized nations also expressed cautious optimism Monday about possible progress on a ceasefire. “Knock on wood,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said as he opened the Group of Seven meeting outside Rome. “We are perhaps close to a ceasefire in Lebanon," he said. "Let's hope it's true and that there's no backing down at the last-minute.” A ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon was foremost on the agenda of the G7 meeting in Fiuggi, outside Rome, that gathered ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, in the last G7 encounter of the Biden administration. For the first time, the G7 ministers were joined by their counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, as well as the Secretary General of the Arab League. Thick smoke, flames and debris erupt Monday from an Israeli airstrike that targeted a building in Tayouneh, Beirut, Lebanon. Meanwhile, massive explosions lit up Lebanon's skies with flashes of orange, sending towering plumes of smoke into the air as Israeli airstrikes pounded Beirut's southern suburbs Monday. The blasts damaged buildings and left shattered glass and debris scattered across nearby streets. Some of the strikes landed close to central Beirut and near Christian neighborhoods and other targets where Israel issued evacuation warnings, including in Tyre and Nabatiyeh province. Israeli airstrikes also hit the northeast Baalbek-Hermel region without warning. Lebanon's Health Ministry said Monday that 26 people were killed in southern Lebanon, four in the eastern Baalbek-Hermel province and one in Choueifat, a neighborhood in Beirut's southern suburbs that was not subjected to evacuation warnings on Monday. The deaths brought the total toll to 3,768 killed in Lebanon throughout 13 months of war between Israel and Hezbollah and nearly two months since Israel launched its ground invasion. Many of those killed since the start of the war between Israel and Hezbollah have been civilians, and health officials said some of the recovered bodies were so severely damaged that DNA testing would be required to confirm their identities. Israel claims to have killed more than 2,000 Hezbollah members. Lebanon's Health Ministry says the war has displaced 1.2 million people. Destroyed buildings stand Monday in the area of a village in southern Lebanon as seen from northern Israel. Israeli ground forces invaded southern Lebanon in early October, meeting heavy resistance in a narrow strip of land along the border. The military previously exchanged attacks across the border with Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group that began firing rockets into Israel the day after the war in Gaza began last year. Lebanese politicians have decried the ongoing airstrikes and said they are impeding ceasefire negotiations. The country's deputy parliament speaker accused Israel of ramping up its bombardment to pressure Lebanon to make concessions in indirect ceasefire negotiations with Hezbollah. Elias Bousaab, an ally of the militant group, said Monday that the pressure has increased because "we are close to the hour that is decisive regarding reaching a ceasefire." Israeli officials voiced similar optimism Monday about prospects for a ceasefire. Mike Herzog, the country's ambassador to Washington, earlier in the day told Israeli Army Radio that several points had yet to be finalized. Though any deal would require agreement from the government, Herzog said Israel and Hezbollah were "close to a deal." "It can happen within days," he said. Israeli officials have said the sides are close to an agreement that would include withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and a pullback of Hezbollah fighters from the Israeli border. But several sticking points remain. A member of the Israeli security forces inspects an impact site Sunday after a rocket fired from Lebanon hit an area in Rinatya, outskirts of Tel Aviv, Israel. After previous hopes for a ceasefire were dashed, U.S. officials cautioned that negotiations were not yet complete and noted that there could be last-minute hitches that either delay or destroy an agreement. "Nothing is done until everything is done," White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Monday. The proposal under discussion to end the fighting calls for an initial two-month ceasefire during which Israeli forces would withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the southern border south of the Litani River. The withdrawals would be accompanied by an influx of thousands more Lebanese army troops, who have been largely sidelined in the war, to patrol the border area along with an existing U.N. peacekeeping force. Western diplomats and Israeli officials said Israel demands the right to strike in Lebanon if it believes Hezbollah is violating the terms. The Lebanese government says such an arrangement would authorize violations of the country's sovereignty. On paper, being more sustainable and eco-friendly while shopping sounds great—so why don't more people do it? There is growing consumer consciousness about the environmental impact of where people choose to shop and the sustainability of the products they buy. According to McKinsey, over 60% of individuals surveyed in 2020 said they would be willing to pay more for a product that is packaged in an eco-friendly way. Since 2019, products marketed as being environmentally sustainable have seen a 28% growth in revenue compared to 20% for products with no such marketing, a 2023 McKinsey and NielsenIQ report found. Much of this is thanks to the preferences and attitudes of Gen Z, who, on average, care more than their older counterparts about being informed shoppers. The younger generation also has more social justice and environmental awareness altogether. Shoppers are willing to spend around 9.7% more on a product they know is sourced or manufactured sustainably, with 46% saying they would do so explicitly because they want to reduce their environmental footprint, according to a 2024 PwC report. Sustainable practices consumers look for from companies include production methods, packaging, and water conservation. But despite the growing consciousness around being more environmentally responsible, consumer actions don't always align with their values. In psychology, this is defined as the "say-do gap": the phenomenon wherein people openly express concern and intention around an issue, but fail to take tangible action to make a change. According to the Harvard Business Review in 2019, most consumers (65%) say they want to buy from brands that promote sustainability, but only 1 in 4 follow through. So why don't people actually shop sustainably, despite how much they express a preference for eco-friendly products—and how can we close the gap? The RealReal examined reports from the Harvard Business Review and other sources to explore why some shoppers want to buy sustainably but struggle to follow through. This lack of action isn't due to a lack of caring—in many cases, it's hard to know how to be a sustainable consumer and other factors are often outside of shoppers' control. But the more people shop sustainably, the easier and more accessible that market will be for everyone—making it much easier for folks to buy aligned with their values. There are many obstacles preventing shoppers from upholding eco-friendly habits as much as they may want to—but not all of these barriers are necessarily real, or accurately understood. Shopping sustainably simply isn't convenient or accessible for many. Those who live in apartment buildings are 50% less likely to recycle , according to Ipsos. Reasons for this can vary from lack of space to buildings being excluded altogether because of recycling contamination issues. Many believe that sustainable products are too expensive or of a lower quality. The former is often true, which does create a hurdle for many: The manufacturing processes and materials for sustainable products are pricey. For instance, organic cotton requires an intensive production process free of certain chemicals or pesticides; by definition, true eco-friendly products can't be mass-produced, further upping their price tag. Using recycled materials for packaging, or obtaining an eco certification, can also be expensive. However, although the narrative of eco-friendly products being more expensive is true, there is often more of an effort to use better quality materials that last longer than their noneco-friendly counterparts. This could end up saving consumers money in the long run: By paying more upfront, they can get more wear out of sustainable fashion, for instance. There is also undeniable political rhetoric surrounding eco-friendly products—however, despite many Conservative politicians decrying sustainable products, members of all generations are increasingly choosing to prioritize shopping sustainably regardless of their political affiliation, according to research from NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business . This finding shows a trend toward seeing sustainability as a nonpartisan subject everyone can benefit from, no matter where they lie on the political spectrum. Some might think eco-friendly clothing, in particular, is not fashion-forward; after all, many of the top clothing retailers in the world partake in fast fashion. However, brands are increasingly being recognized as 'cool' and 'trendy' for supporting environmentally ethical practices, particularly as younger generations prioritize sustainability, as noted before. Many increasingly popular online stores are taking advantage of this paradigm shift by offering secondhand shopping options that are not only fashionable, but also more affordable, like ThredUp or Poshmark. Additionally, many legacy large-name brands are hopping on the sustainability movement and are gaining appreciation from loyal customers. Amazon's Climate Pledge Friendly program partners with third-party certification bodies to make it easier for shoppers to identify eco-friendly products as they browse the website. H&M's newly launched H&M Rewear program debuts a resale platform that allows the resale of all clothing brands—not just their own. Similarly, Patagonia's Worn Wear program allows shoppers to trade in and buy used gear and clothing. The federal government is also working to close this gap. The Environmental Protection Agency's Safer Choice program is attempting to make sustainable shopping easier for consumers and companies alike. It includes a directory of certified products, a list of safer chemicals to look out for on labels, a "Safer Choice" label that products can earn to denote they are eco-friendly, and resources for manufacturers looking to adopt more sustainable practices. Most of all, though, the biggest way shoppers can shift toward sustainable shopping is through their behaviors and attitudes amongst their peers and communities. Studies show that humans largely care what others think of their actions; the more shoppers make environmentally conscious shopping the norm, the more others will follow suit. From an economic perspective, the more consumers shop eco-friendly, the more affordable and accessible these products will become, too: Sustainable products are currently more expensive because they are not in high demand. Once demand rises, production rates and prices can lower, making these products more accessible for all. Story editing by Carren Jao. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Kristen Wegrzyn. This story originally appeared on The RealReal and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. Get local news delivered to your inbox!