Editorial: For Joe Biden, Hunter and personal pique trumped the rule of lawNEW YORK (AP) — He's making threats, traveling abroad and negotiating with world leaders. Donald Trump has more than a month and a half to go before he's sworn in for a second term. But the Republican president-elect is already moving aggressively not just to fill his Cabinet and outline policy goals, but to achieve them. Trump has threatened to impose a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico, prompting emergency calls and a visit from Canada's prime minister that resulted in what Trump claimed were commitments from both U.S. allies on new border security measures. The incoming president has warned there will be “ALL HELL TO PAY" if Hamas does not release the hostages being held in Gaza before his inauguration on Jan. 20, 2025. And this weekend, Trump returned to the global stage, joining a host of other foreign leaders for the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral five years after it was ravaged by a fire. There, he was welcomed like a sitting dignitary , with a prime seat next to French President Emmanuel Macron . Absent in Paris: lame duck President Joe Biden, who has largely disappeared from headlines, except when he issued a pardon of his son , Hunter, who was facing sentencing for gun crimes and tax evasion. First lady Jill Biden attended in his place. “I think you have seen more happen in the last two weeks than you’ve seen in the last four years. And we’re not even there yet,” Trump said in an over-the-top boast at an awards ceremony Thursday night . For all of Trump's bold talk, though, it is unclear how many of his efforts will bear fruit. The pre-inauguration threats and deal-making are highly unusual, like so much of what Trump does, said Julian Zelizer, a political historian at Princeton University. “Transitions are always a little complicated in this way. Even though we talk about one president at a time," he said, “the reality is one president plus. And that plus can act assertively sometimes." Zelizer said that is particularly true of Trump, who was president previously and already has relationships with many foreign leaders such as Macron, who invited both Trump and Biden to Paris this weekend as part of the Notre Dame celebration. “Right now he’s sort of governing even though he’s not the president yet. He’s having these public meetings with foreign leaders, which aren't simply introductions. He's staking out policy and negotiating things from drug trafficking to tariffs," Zelizer said. Trump had already met with several foreign leaders before this weekend's trip. He hosted Argentinian President Javier Milei in Florida at his Mar-a-Lago club in November. After the tariff threat, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago for a three-hour dinner meeting. Canadian officials later said the country is ready to make new investments in border security, with plans for more helicopters, drones and law enforcement officers. Incoming Trump aides have also been meeting with their future foreign counterparts. On Wednesday, several members of Trump's team, including incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz, met with Andriy Yermak, a top aide to Zelenskyy, in Washington, as Ukraine tries to win support for its ongoing efforts to defend itself from Russian invasion, according to a person familiar with the meeting. Yermak also met with Trump officials in Florida, he wrote on X . That comes after Trump's incoming Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, traveled to Qatar and Israel for high-level talks about a cease-fire and hostage deal in Gaza, according to a U.S. official familiar with the efforts, meeting with the prime ministers of both countries. The official was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity. There is no prohibition on incoming officials or nominees meeting with foreign officials, and it is common and fine for them to do so — unless those meetings are designed to subvert or otherwise impact current U.S. policy. Trump aides were said to be especially cognizant of potential conflicts given their experience in 2016, when interactions between Trump allies and Russian officials came under scrutiny. That included a phone call in which Trump's incoming national security adviser, Michael Flynn, discussed new sanctions with Russia’s ambassador to the United States, suggesting things would improve after Trump became president. Flynn was later charged with lying to the FBI about the conversation. Trump’s incoming press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that “all transition officials have followed applicable laws in their interactions with foreign nationals.” She added: “World leaders recognize that President Trump is returning to power and will lead with strength to put the best interests of the United States of America first again. That is why many foreign leaders and officials have reached out to correspond with President Trump and his incoming team.” Such efforts can nonetheless cause complications. If, say, Biden is having productive conversations on a thorny foreign policy issue and Trump weighs in, that could make it harder for Biden “because people are hearing two different voices” that may be in conflict, Zelizer said. Leaders like Russia's Vladimir Putin and Netanyahu may also anticipate a more favorable incoming administration and wait Biden out, hoping for a better deal. Although there is no requirement that an incoming administration coordinate calls and meetings with foreign officials with the State Department or National Security Council, that has long been considered standard practice. That is, in part, because transition teams, particularly in their early days and weeks, do not always have the latest information about the state of relations with foreign nations and may not have the resources, including interpretation and logistical ability, to handle such meetings efficiently. It is unclear the level of State Department involvement, but the Biden and Trump teams say they have been talking, particularly on the Middle East, with the incoming and outgoing administrations having agreed to work together on efforts to free hostages who remain held in Gaza, according to a U.S. official, who was not authorized to comment publicly about the sensitive talks and spoke on condition of anonymity. That includes conversations between Witkoff and Biden’s foreign policy team as well as Waltz and Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan. Last month, Biden administration officials said they had kept Trump’s team closely apprised of efforts to broker a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah on the Israel-Lebanon border. “I just want to be clear to all of our adversaries, they can’t play the incoming Trump administration off of the Biden administration. I’m regularly talking to the Biden people. And so, this is not a moment of opportunity or wedges for them," Waltz said Friday in a Fox Business interview. Sullivan echoed those comments at the Ronald Reagan National Defense Forum Saturday. “It has been professional. It has been substantive. And frankly, it has been good," he said of their coordination on national security issues. “Obviously we don’t see eye to eye on every issue, and that’s no secret to anybody," he went on. But he said both teams believe “it is our job on behalf of the American people to make sure this is a smooth transition,” particularly given the seriousness of issues like the war in Ukraine, conflicts in the Middle East and threats from China. “The nature of the world we find ourselves in today only elevates our responsibility to be engaged, to talk regularly, to meet regularly, to be transparent, to share, and to make sure it’s an effective transition,” he said. Trump’s team, meanwhile, is already claiming credit for everything from gains in the stock and cryptocurrency markets to a decision by Walmart to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion policies Trump opposes. “Promises Kept — And President Trump Hasn’t Even Been Inaugurated Yet,” read one press release that claimed, in part, that both Canada and Mexico have already pledged "immediate action” to help “stem the flow of illegal immigration, human trafficking, and deadly drugs entering the United States." Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has stopped short of saying Trump mischaracterized their call in late November. But she said Friday that Trump “has his own way of communicating, like when we had the phone call and he wrote that we were going to close the border. That was never talked about in the phone call.” Earlier this week, Mexico carried out what it claimed was its largest seizure of fentanyl pills ever. Seizures over the summer had been as little as 50 grams per week, and after the Trump call, they seized more than a ton. Biden, too, tried to take credit for the seizure in a statement Friday night. ___ Associated Press writers Matthew Lee, Aamer Madhani, Colleen Long and Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington and Mark Stevenson in Mexico City contributed to this report.
Best Buy Posts Weak Earnings and Sales as Customers Wait for Deals
Patterson's 25 help Northwestern State defeat Houston Christian 64-57Previous 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. The Best Black Friday Deals in 2024 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 .
It was cofounder and venture capitalist Peter Thiel who first introduced his mentee, JD Vance, to President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in 2021. Three years later—with Trump and Vance just weeks from the White House—it’s Thiel who is sitting pretty as many people within his network head for official or advisory positions in the next administration. David Sacks—who worked with Thiel at PayPal and wrote for the , the student newspaper Thiel founded as an undergraduate at Stanford University in 1987—was as the White House’s incoming “AI and Crypto Czar” on Wednesday. Jim O’Neill, former CEO of Thiel’s personal foundation, has been picked as deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Elon Musk, whose financial and vocal support helped elect Trump, will be running the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or “DOGE.” Musk had worked closely with Thiel at PayPal; and Thiel’s venture fund, Founders Fund, was an early investor in several of Musk’s companies, including space cargo business , tunneling firm Boring Company, and brain chip startup Neuralink. Trae Stephens, a general partner at Founders Fund, is reportedly being considered for deputy secretary of defense, according to the . And Michael Kratsios, Thiel Capital’s former chief of staff and a director at Founders Fund-backed Scale AI, is handling tech policy during the Trump transition. Then, of course, there is Vance, who worked for Thiel at one of his funds, Mithril Capital, then launched a venture fund that Thiel backed. Founders Fund still lists Vance’s venture firm, Narya Capital, as an “affiliate” on regulatory filings. All of these individuals, including the vice president-elect, sit within one of the powerful Silicon Valley networks that have one man in the middle: Thiel. There’s the PayPal Mafia, the group of early employees of the digital payments company that includes Thiel and Musk. There’s the conservative student paper, the . There’s Founders Fund, the $12 billion venture capital firm that has invested in the major startups working most closely with the U.S. Department of Defense—SpaceX, Palantir, and Anduril. And then there’s also Thiel’s personal endeavors, like his family office, foundation, or other funds. Trump pulled people from these same networks during his first presidency, when Thiel was the sole voice of Trump support in Silicon Valley—donating more than $1 million and speaking at the National Republican Convention in 2016. During that first administration, Trump selected Ken Howery, a and PayPal alum, as the U.S. ambassador to Sweden (Howery was also at Mar-a-Lago during the 2024 election night). Trump also appointed Kratsios, Thiel Capital’s former chief of staff, as the White House’s deputy chief technology officer. And Mark Woolway, who was an early employee at PayPal and now works at Sacks’ Craft Ventures, was on Trump’s transition team for the Treasury Department in 2016. While Thiel still describes himself as pro-Trump, he’s taken a step back compared to previous election cycles. By the time of the 2024 election, Thiel had made a not to donate to any campaign, which he told was because he was no longer convinced money mattered at the federal level and hadn't been persuaded that this election would focus on "ending our decades-long technological and economic stagnation." But While Thiel is no longer a financial supporter, his closeness to those who will soon wield power and influence, including the vice president, will carry—and his longtime investments in companies that work closely with the U.S. government are likely to benefit. Thiel's politics are complicated and have evolved—and it's difficult to place him in a particular bucket, though he's been described as a conservative libertarian, and is also known for having . He is a backer of crypto and crypto companies and has warned against government regulation, particularly in the field of AI. Thiel seems to already be thinking ahead. In an with founder Bari Weiss shortly after the election, Thiel gave advice about what Vice President-elect Vance could do to be elected president in 2028, after Trump's term ends. This story was originally featured on
Three American citizens imprisoned for years by China have been released, the White House has announced, in a rare diplomatic agreement with Beijing in the final months of the Biden administration. or signup to continue reading The three are Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung, all of whom had been designated by the US government as wrongfully detained by China. Swidan had been facing a death sentence on drug charges while Li and Leung were imprisoned on espionage charges. "Soon they will return and be reunited with their families for the first time in many years," the White House said in a statement. The release comes two months after China freed David Lin, a Christian pastor from California who had spent nearly 20 years behind bars after being convicted of contract fraud. US-China relations have been roiled for years over major disagreements on trade, human rights, the production of fentanyl precursors, security issues that include espionage and hacking, China's aggressiveness toward Taiwan and its smaller neighbours in the South China Sea, and Beijing's support for Russia's military-industrial sector. The release of Americans deemed wrongfully detained in China has been a top agenda item in each conversation between the US and China. The development suggests a willingness by Beijing to engage with the outgoing Democratic administration before Republican President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House in January. Trump took significant actions against China on trade and diplomacy during his first term. He has pledged to continue those policies in his second term, leading to unease among many who fear that an all-out trade war will greatly affect the international economy and could spur potential Chinese military action against Taiwan. The State Department on Wednesday lowered its travel warning to China to "level two," advising US citizens to "exercise increased caution" from the norm when travelling to the mainland. The alert had previously been at "level three," telling Americans they should "reconsider travel" to China in part because of the "risk of wrongful detention" of Americans. The new alert retains a warning that the Chinese government "arbitrarily enforces local laws, including exit bans on US citizens and citizens of other countries, without fair and transparent process under the law." The White House has not confirmed whether any Chinese citizens in American custody had been returned home in a prisoner swap. Senators from both political parties praised the move. Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, where Swidan's mother lives, said he was "overjoyed" and credited senior Biden administration officials for having "worked tirelessly to secure this achievement." Li, a Chinese immigrant who started an export business in the US and lived in New York, was detained in September 2016 after flying into Shanghai. He was placed under surveillance, interrogated without a lawyer and accused of providing state secrets to the FBI. A UN working group called his 10-year prison sentence arbitrary and his family has said the charges were politically motivated. Leung was sentenced last year to life in prison on spying charges. He was detained in 2021, by the local bureau of China's counterintelligence agency in the southeastern city of Suzhou after China had closed its borders and imposed tight domestic travel restrictions and social controls to fight the spread of COVID-19. Swidan had been jailed for the last 12 years on a drug charge and, along with Li and Leung, was considered by the State Department to be wrongfully detained. Advertisement Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date. We care about the protection of your data. Read our . Advertisement
LAS VEGAS — Formula 1 on Monday at last said it will expand its grid in 2026 to make room for an American team that is partnered with General Motors. "As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence. It's an honor for General Motors and Cadillac to join the world's premier racing series, and we're committed to competing with passion and integrity to elevate the sport for race fans around the world," GM President Mark Reuss said. "This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM's engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level." The approval ends years of wrangling that launched a U.S. Justice Department investigation into why Colorado-based Liberty Media, the commercial rights holder of F1, would not approve the team initially started by Michael Andretti. Andretti in September stepped aside from leading his namesake organization, so the 11th team will be called Cadillac F1 and be run by new Andretti Global majority owners Dan Towriss and Mark Walter. The team will use Ferrari engines its first two years until GM has a Cadillac engine built for competition in time for the 2028 season. People are also reading... Towriss is the the CEO and president of Group 1001 and entered motorsports via Andretti's IndyCar team when he signed on financial savings platform Gainbridge as a sponsor. Towriss is now a major part of the motorsports scene with ownership stakes in both Spire Motorsports' NASCAR team and Wayne Taylor Racing's sports car team. Walter is the chief executive of financial services firm Guggenheim Partners and the controlling owner of both the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and Premier League club Chelsea. "We're excited to partner with General Motors in bringing a dynamic presence to Formula 1," Towriss said. "Together, we're assembling a world-class team that will embody American innovation and deliver unforgettable moments to race fans around the world." Mario Andretti, the 1978 F1 world champion, will have an ambassador role with Cadillac F1. But his son, Michael, will have no official position with the organization now that he has scaled back his involvement with Andretti Global. "The Cadillac F1 Team is made up of a strong group of people that have worked tirelessly to build an American works team," Michael Andretti posted on social media. "I'm very proud of the hard work they have put in and congratulate all involved on this momentous next step. I will be cheering for you!" The approval has been in works for weeks but was held until after last weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix to not overshadow the showcase event of the Liberty Media portfolio. Max Verstappen won his fourth consecutive championship in Saturday night's race, the third and final stop in the United States for the top motorsports series in the world. Grid expansion in F1 is both infrequent and often unsuccessful. Four teams were granted entries in 2010 that should have pushed the grid to 13 teams and 26 cars for the first time since 1995. One team never made it to the grid and the other three had vanished by 2017. There is only one American team on the current F1 grid — owned by California businessman Gene Haas — but it is not particularly competitive and does not field American drivers. Andretti's dream was to field a truly American team with American drivers. The fight to add this team has been going on for three-plus years, and F1 initially denied the application despite approval from F1 sanctioning body FIA. The existing 10 teams, who have no voice in the matter, also largely opposed expansion because of the dilution in prize money and the billions of dollars they've already invested in the series. Andretti in 2020 tried and failed to buy the existing Sauber team. From there, he applied for grid expansion and partnered with GM, the top-selling manufacturer in the United States. The inclusion of GM was championed by the FIA and president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who said Michael Andretti's application was the only one of seven applicants to meet all required criteria to expand F1's current grid. "General Motors is a huge global brand and powerhouse in the OEM world and is working with impressive partners," Ben Sulayem said Monday. "I am fully supportive of the efforts made by the FIA, Formula 1, GM and the team to maintain dialogue and work towards this outcome of an agreement in principle to progress this application." Despite the FIA's acceptance of Andretti and General Motors from the start, F1 wasn't interested in Andretti — but did want GM. At one point, F1 asked GM to find another team to partner with besides Andretti. GM refused and F1 said it would revisit the Andretti application if and when Cadillac had an engine ready to compete. "Formula 1 has maintained a dialogue with General Motors, and its partners at TWG Global, regarding the viability of an entry following the commercial assessment and decision made by Formula 1 in January 2024," F1 said in a statement. "Over the course of this year, they have achieved operational milestones and made clear their commitment to brand the 11th team GM/Cadillac, and that GM will enter as an engine supplier at a later time. Formula 1 is therefore pleased to move forward with this application process." Yet another major shift in the debate over grid expansion occurred earlier this month with the announced resignation of Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei, who was largely believed to be one of the biggest opponents of the Andretti entry. "With Formula 1's continued growth plans in the US, we have always believed that welcoming an impressive US brand like GM/Cadillac to the grid and GM as a future power unit supplier could bring additional value and interest to the sport," Maffei said. "We credit the leadership of General Motors and their partners with significant progress in their readiness to enter Formula 1." Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!RNC rails against California's late mail-in ballot counting amid national litigation: 'It is absurd'Political commentator Ezra Levant says he intends to sue the Toronto police service for arresting him as he was filming an anti-Israel protest in Toronto on Sunday. Levant wasn’t charged but he is accusing the police of breaching his Charter rights and refusing to protect him. Levant is widely known as a political activist, commentator and the CEO and founder of Rebel News. On the media outlet’s website, Levant, who is Jewish, wrote about the experience, saying he “was trying to report on a pro-Hamas terrorist rally.” The Rebel News site says he was arrested while standing on the sidewalk, holding a camera, and speaking with a police officer. It further states that Toronto lawyer Leora Shemesh was hired shortly thereafter. “I wasn’t causing a disturbance — I was standing by myself on a public sidewalk, silently filming a grotesque pro-Hamas mannequin in a Jewish neighbourhood — a reenactment of Hamas leader Yayha Sinwar,” Levant said in a Nov. 24 post on X . “It would be like someone reenacting Hitler — and police were stopping me from filming it.” In a video of his interaction with the police, posted on X by Rebel News , they can be heard urging him to move away from the protest in the largely Jewish neighbourhood at Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue in Toronto. “You’re violating my Charter rights,” he tells a police officer. Then the officer can be heard accusing him of “inciting” the crowd of anti-Israel protesters. “I haven’t incited anything,” Levant responds. Then another officer who appears to be in charge tells Levant to go to the other side of the street where Israel supporters can be seen. After refusing to leave that officer arrests Levant and says he is “breaching the peace.” BREAKING VIDEO: While reporting on the ongoing pro-terrorist demonstrations in the predominantly Jewish neighborhood of Toronto, @EzraLevant was arrested. If you want to contribute to help us pay for Ezra’s legal defence and assurance, please donate here.... pic.twitter.com/W9Nh2XXcrG A cheer rose in response from the protesters, who carried Palestinian flags and posters with anti-Israel slogans. Prior to his arrest, one of the protesters can be heard in the video of the interaction, shouting: “Stop terrorizing a peaceful protest.” Another shouts: “Get him out.” “What was so appalling was that the police explicitly said that my mere presence on the sidewalk was intolerable to the Hamas thugs, so they would arrest me for it,” Levant said in a Nov. 25 email to the National Post. “They’re acting like concierges to terrorists now.” Part of the protest involved someone pretending to be slain Hamas terrorist leader, Yahya Sinwar, sitting in a chair that matches the chair he was sitting in during his final moments. The Sinwar stunt was captured in a video Levant reposted on X. This is in Toronto, in the heart of the Jewish community. Hamas supporters recreate the death of their leader, Yahya Sinwar. It's the equivalent of wearing a KKK hood and burning a cross on the lawn of a Black church. Police are there, protecting the Hamas supporters. https://t.co/nw6oQ9XQGR The scene recreates a scene filmed by an IDF drone of a man, later determined to be Sinwar , sitting in a chair in a ruined building just before tank fire ended his life. Upon his release, Levant said he had been arrested for causing a disturbance. On the Rebel News site, Levant wrote: “One cop kept pushing me away, which I told him was inappropriate and illegal. But then the boss of the whole police operation — named Officer Macduff — told me that my mere presence there was a ‘disturbance’, because the Hamas people didn’t like me.” The officer “was giving them a veto over my Charter rights,” Levant alleged. “In my earlier analogy, it would be like police telling the folks inside the Black church not to antagonize the KKK outside, because they could get violent.” As a result of his arrest and brief stint in a jail cell, Levant says he has decided to sue Toronto police for violating his Charter rights and being “errand-boys of the Hamas thugs, and for not enforcing the actual laws to protect Canadian citizens.” A statement of claim hasn’t been drafted yet, Levant told the National Post in his email, but his lawyer is considering the argument put forward in a case “where the court unanimously rejected the power (of) police to arrest someone acting lawfully in order to prevent apprehended breach of peace by others.” His aim for the lawsuit is to have “a judge correct...police abuses.” News of Levant’s struggle with the police has become international headlines and TV . The National Post has reached out to the Toronto Police Service and is awaiting comment. This story will be updated when it is received. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Trump says US should stay out of fighting in Syria as opposition forces gain ground
Syrian rebels advance on DamascusLabour plans to make spiking a specific offence and has laid out plans for venue staff to be trained in relation to spiking, with a pilot to begin within weeks before a wider rollout next year. Ms Davies-Jones, asked about why it was worthwhile to make spiking a new offence when it is already illegal, said: “Spiking is a crime already. “A lot of people don’t realise that it is a crime already, which is part of the problem.” She said there were around 6,000 reports of spiking last year but that because it is an underreported crime, it is not clear how big of a problem it is. “Part of the problem we’ve got is around the data collection, so you don’t know if you’ve been spiked with a drink, a needle, a vape, for example,” she told Politics Hub on Sky News. Modernising the offence and giving police the tools to get accurate data allows a clearer picture of where, how and how often spiking is happening, she said. It is about “clarifying it, modernising it, making sure that people know exactly what this is...the law isn’t quite, it isn’t up to date. “It isn’t modern enough.” Sir Keir Starmer earlier said he hopes the change will give people “the confidence to come forward”, in a meeting of police bosses, transport figures and hospitality executives in Downing Street. Ms Davies-Jones and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper were among the attendees at the round-table discussion on Monday morning. Labour pledged in its manifesto to introduce a new offence for spiking, but there was no detail in the King’s Speech this year about a specific crime, though it promised to ensure an improved police response to cases. According to information published by the Metropolitan Police, spiking offences are currently covered by more than one law, but most come under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861. Sir Keir told the meeting: “There are a number of measures that we are setting out this morning – we want to talk it through with you. “The first is to make spiking a specific offence so that it counts, it’s reported.” He said that such a measure would mean that it “enables everybody to have the confidence to come forward” and also “it allows perpetrators to know that it’s a specific offence”. Detailing the training scheme, he went on: “We’re beginning the piloting of training for staff in venues.” He said the scheme would be “partly to spot what’s happening, but also to know what to do in the event that there is an incident in a venue”. “That will start in December with a pilot then it will be rolled out from March of next year,” Sir Keir added. He also said that the “final” point of discussion for the morning was “police indexing – (the) way that we count it across different police forces”. Sir Keir added: “At the moment it’s quite hard to get your arms around the pure numbers.” Plain clothes officers are being deployed in areas around bars and clubs to spot predatory behaviour. The text-to-report number, 61016, that allows women to contact British Transport Police to report harassment on the train, is due to be relaunched. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “Spiking is a disturbing and serious crime which can have a damaging and long-lasting impact on victims. “That’s why today we are taking decisive action to prevent this devastating crime and to crack down on perpetrators, by introducing a new criminal offence for spiking and launching specialist training for thousands of bar staff nationwide. “People shouldn’t have to worry about the safety of their drinks on a night out. “These changes are about giving victims greater confidence to come forward, and ensuring that there is a robust response from the police whenever these appalling crimes take place.”
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Attorneys for Fox Corp. asked a Delaware judge Friday to dismiss a shareholder lawsuit seeking to hold current and former company officials personally liable for the financial fallout stemming from Fox News reports regarding alleged vote rigging in the 2020 election. Five New York City public employee pension funds, along with Oregon’s public employee retirement fund, allege that former chairman Rupert Murdoch and other Fox Corp. leaders deliberately turned a blind eye to liability risks posed by reporting false claims of vote rigging by election technology companies Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic USA. Smartmatic is suing Fox News for defamation in New York, alleging damages of $2.7 billion. It recently settled a lawsuit in the District of Columbia against One America News Network, another conservative outlet, over reports of vote fraud. Dominion also filed several defamation lawsuits against those who spread conspiracy theories blaming its election equipment for Donald Trump’s loss in 2020. Last year, Fox News settled a defamation lawsuit filed by Dominion in Delaware for $787 million. The shareholder plaintiffs also allege that Fox corporate leaders ignored “red flags” about liability arising from a 2017 report suggesting that Seth Rich, a Democratic National Committee staffer, may have been killed because he had leaked Democratic party emails to Wikileaks during the 2016 presidential campaign. Rich, 27, was shot in 2016 in Washington, D.C., in what authorities have said was an attempted robbery. Fox News retracted the Seth Rich story a week after its initial broadcast, but Rich’s parents sued the network for falsely portraying their son as a criminal and traitor. Fox News settled the lawsuit in 2020 for “millions of dollars,” shortly before program hosts Lou Dobbs and Sean Hannity were to be deposed, according to the shareholder lawsuit. Joel Friedlander, an attorney for the institutional shareholders, argued that Fox officials waited until the company’s reporting about Rich became a national scandal before addressing the issue. Similarly, according to the shareholders, corporate officials, including Rupert Murdoch and his son, CEO Lachlan Murdoch, allowed Fox News to continue broadcasting false narratives about the 2020 election, despite internal communications suggesting that they knew there was no evidence to support the conspiracy theories. “The Murdochs could have minimized future monetary exposure, but they chose not to,” Friedlander said. Instead, he argued, they engaged in “bad-faith decision making” with other defendants in a profit-driven effort to retain viewers and remain in Trump’s good graces. “Decisions were made at the highest level to promote pro-Trump conspiracy theories without editorial control,” Friedlander said. Defense attorneys argue that the case should be dismissed because the plaintiffs filed their lawsuit without first demanding that the Fox Corp. board take action, as required under Delaware law. They say the plaintiffs also failed to demonstrate that a pre-suit demand on the Fox board would have been futile because at least half of the directors face a substantial likelihood of liability or are not independent of someone who does. Beyond the “demand futility” issue, defense attorneys also argue that allegations that Fox officials breached their fiduciary duties fail to meet the pleading standards under Delaware and therefore should be dismissed. Defense attorney William Savitt argued, for example, that neither the Rich settlement, which he described as “immaterial,” nor the allegedly defamatory statements about Dominion and Smartmatic constitute red flags putting directors on notice about the risk of defamation liability. Nor do they demonstrate that directors acted in bad faith or that Fox “utterly failed” to implement and monitor a system to report and mitigate legal risks, including defamation liability risk, according to the defendants. Savitt noted that the Rich article was promptly retracted, and that the settlement included no admission of liability. The Dominion and Smartmatic statements, meanwhile, gave rise themselves to the currently liability issues and therefore can not serve as red flags about future liability risks, according to the defendants. “A ‘red flag’ must be what the term commonly implies — warning of a risk of a liability-causing event that allows the directors to take action to avert the event, not notice that a liability-causing event has already occurred,” defense attorneys wrote in their motion to dismiss. Defense attorneys also say there are no factual allegations to support claims that Fox officials condoned illegal conduct in pursuit of corporate profits, or that they deliberately ignored their oversight responsibilities. They note that a “bad outcome” is not sufficient to demonstrate “bad faith.” Vice Chancellor J. Travis Laster is expected to rule within 90 days.ARLINGTON, Texas — Cam Skattebo posted on the stage, arms out, head down, WWE championship belt around his waist, confetti of all colors piling up on his shoulders. He closed his eyes, took it all in. He held the look of a pro wrestler or boxer after a big fight, short, stocky and ferocious at 5 feet 11 and 215 pounds. Still not completely known to much of the sports world entering Saturday, he might’ve been confused for a prizefighter. But given a spotlight, Arizona State ’s running back left no doubt, leading the Sun Devils to a 45-19 win over Iowa State to capture the Big 12 championship and punch a ticket to the College Football Playoff. Advertisement The former Sacramento State back who had one Division I offer out of high school pounded his way to 170 rushing yards, 38 receiving yards, three total touchdowns and one really smart throwaway pass that left his coach with mouth agape, both in frustration and amazement. The team picked 16th out of 16 in the Big 12’s preseason poll, coming off consecutive 3-9 seasons, is now headed to the biggest stage in the sport in the first year of the 12-team Playoff with an 11-2 record and a seed and round yet to be determined. GO DEEPER Unthinkable? A storybook season keeps getting better for surprise Big 12 champ Arizona State “If you look at our resume with Sam Leavitt as our starting quarterback, you can look deep and hard to see where we stand with champions,” head coach Kenny Dillingham said. The Sun Devils are red hot. Do you want to play them? The team we saw Saturday looked like one nobody should look past. A team willing to throw deep on fourth-and-1 inside its own territory. At the trophy presentation. Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said the Sun Devils should head to Tempe, referencing the Fiesta Bowl and a first-round bye, rather than their trip home. This is what Playoff expansion was all about. To give teams like Arizona State something even bigger to play for. To get a player like Skattebo in front of the larger sports world. Texts and tweets from people around the country rang out asking who exactly this bulldozer running back was. Everyone who watched Saturday’s game knows now, and they’ll know more if he ends up in New York City at the Heisman Trophy ceremony. At the very least, he earned himself a lot of third-place votes as the first player with 1,500 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards since Christian McCaffrey in 2015. “I’ve always been the underdog, and nobody respects that I’m the best running back in the country, and I’m going to stand on that,” Skattebo said after the game when asked about his Heisman pose after a touchdown. “If people disrespect that, I’m going to keep proving people wrong.” Advertisement (That quote came just a few minutes after Skattebo gave all credit to his offensive line. You can keep him polished up and on-message for only so long.) The four-team CFP left almost no room for error, especially if you weren’t a big-brand program ranked in the top 10 in the preseason. In years past, the winner of this game Saturday would’ve gone to a New Year’s Six bowl and hoped not too many players opted out. The Sun Devils were picked last in the Big 12 and won the conference, and a loss at Cincinnati without Leavitt, their talented starting quarterback, didn’t end their Playoff hopes. This trip to Arlington was essentially a Playoff game — win and advance or lose and miss the CFP. This was the program’s first outright conference championship since 1996, and it all started with that running back. Skattebo’s first carry went for 28 yards. In the second quarter, he broke off a 47-yard run in which he broke six tackles. It’s what he’s always done. As his play Saturday started to spread on social media, so did his legendary highlights. Like a 66-yard touchdown run in the California high school state championship game where he broke tackles of pretty much the entire opposing team. For those watching Cameron Skattebo for the first time, here is the best run I’ve seen from a high school football player. This was in the California state title game in 2018. pic.twitter.com/dxqC98DGCu — Cameron Salerno (@cameronsalerno1) December 7, 2024 “It’s not very fun to see him in practice,” ASU safety Xavion Alford said. Skattebo’s always been hard to tackle. But he slimmed down this year and increased his speed. And he’s always been trusted to make the right play, even when he wasn’t supposed to. He’ll run, throw, catch, kick and do everything. On ASU’s second drive, he took a wildcat snap, ran into trouble, ran backward and threw the ball away, safely incomplete, avoiding an intentional grounding penalty. It saved valuable yards for a drive that finished in the end zone. Advertisement “(My thoughts were) don’t do it,” Dillingham said of his viral reaction to the play. “But that’s what makes Skat Skat. He does incredible things. To his credit, they pan out. I don’t know how. ... He finds ways to be successful.” He entered the stadium wearing a Boredom Kills-branded leather jacket, a fitting descriptor of his style of play. When the game ended, as teammates grabbed shirts, hats and signs, Skattebo grabbed his phone and started talking and mean-mugging the video screen off to the side, the wild side of him on display. On stage, after receiving his game MVP belt from WWE star Jey Uso, Skattebo grabbed a sharpie pen, walked back over to his teammates and started having them sign the belt. “I don’t know how many yards I have this season but they’re the reason for it,” he said. Then the pictures, so many pictures. Teammates, coaches, donors, fans, everyone wanted a photo with the star. He cut wrestling-style promos into phones for Big 12 and ESPN officials. He eventually told his teammates he needed to stop because he just wanted to find his dad, who was trying to get down from the stand and into the suite. “C’mon guys, we’ll have all night,” Skattebo joked to teammates. Eventually, Cam made his way over to Leo Skattebo in the sideline suite and the two embraced in a deep hug. Son gave the belt to the father to look over. Leo has a big Arizona State pitchfork logo and Sacramento State logo tattooed on his right forearm, an imposing character in his own right. Maybe an NFL team logo is the next one. But the ride’s not over here. The Sun Devils are 11-1 when Leavitt plays, and they’ll head into whatever Playoff matchup with as much confidence as anyone else. The expansion of the College Football Playoff has thus far accomplished everything it was designed to do. There can be debates over the last team in the field or the various seeds, but a team like Arizona State would’ve been left out of the limited field in the past. In a season where seemingly nothing on the field has gone according to expectation, here come the streaking Sun Devils. Behind a do-everything truck of a running back. Best of luck to whoever has to slow him down. (Photo: Jerome Miron / Imagn Images)Archer Aviation Stock: Buy, Sell, or Hold?
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