AI Boom Makes 139-Year-Old Cable Maker Japan’s Hottest StockBy Jade Macmillan for the ABC When Robert F Kennedy Jr was running as an independent candidate at this year's US election, he attracted a series of bizarre headlines. "RFK Jr says doctors found a dead worm in his brain," screamed The New York Times . "RFK Jr admits to dumping a dead bear in Central Park," said NPR . "Feds open probe into RFK Jr for allegedly decapitating a dead whale," reported Fox News . The 70-year-old had been seen as a potential spoiler in a rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. But by the time Kamala Harris replaced the president on the Democratic ticket, his campaign had faltered and was running out of money . Opinion polls suggested he could still draw votes away from Trump, however, in what was then expected to be a very close contest. And despite having previously described RFK Jr as the "most radical left candidate in the race", the now president-elect sought - and received - his endorsement. That support has now been rewarded with the promise of a major new job; Trump has nominated RFK Jr to be his secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). It is a sprawling federal agency tasked with overseeing everything from vaccines to Medicare to food safety. So what exactly does RFK Jr mean when he promises to "Make America Healthy Again"? And why are some public health experts so alarmed? A 'dangerous' record on vaccines RFK Jr is part of one of America's most famous political dynasties. He is named after his father, former US attorney-general Robert F Kennedy, and is the nephew of former president John F Kennedy. He made his own mark as an environmental lawyer, focusing on issues such as water pollution. But it is his vaccine activism that is generating the most attention now that he is in line for a role in Trump's second-term administration . RFK Jr has promoted disproven claims, including that childhood vaccines cause autism. He has also been accused of fuelling vaccine scepticism in Samoa ahead of a deadly measles outbreak that killed 83 people there in 2019. Vaccination rates had fallen after two babies died the previous year from incorrectly mixed and administered mumps, measles and rubella (MMR) shots. RFK Jr visited the Pacific nation several months before the outbreak, writing later that the trip was organised by a local vaccination critic. He has since denied bearing any responsibility for the measles outbreak in Samoa, telling a documentary that he "never told anybody not to vaccinate". "I didn't, you know, go there for any reason to do with that," he said. But Helen Petousis-Harris, a New Zealand-based vaccinologist who worked to try to rebuild confidence in Samoa's vaccination programme , said RFK Jr weakened an "already fragile trust". "A person who has the status of RFK Jr just I guess further amplifies what those local anti-vaccine advocates had been saying," she said. "And there's a big price to pay, isn't there? I mean, these were children's lives." RFK Jr has rejected the assertion that he is an "anti-vaxxer" and he insisted shortly after Trump's election victory that if vaccines were "working for somebody, I'm not going to take them away". "I'm going to make sure scientific safety studies and efficacy are out there, and people can make individual assessments about whether that product is going to be good for them," he told NBC News. Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University, points out control over vaccines in the US resides with the states, not the federal government. But he argues RFK Jr could try to change which vaccines can be accessed free of charge under health insurance. And he believes he will do "everything in his power to foment distrust in them". "I've never seen a darker day for public health than I have since the election," he said. "I just call this simply a poke in the eye of science." RFK Jr's position on vaccines is partly behind a split in his famous family. His cousin and outgoing US ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy recently described his views as "dangerous". "I grew up with him so I've known all this for a long time and others are just getting to know him," she told the National Press Club in Canberra. An overhaul of America's eating habits Along with what he says will be a crackdown on big pharma, RFK Jr is promising to overhaul America's food system. He has called for new limits on food additives and dyes, highlighting differences between the artificial colours used in American-made breakfast cereals and those used in the same products produced in Canada. "It's literally poisoning our kids," he told Fox News in September. He has also pledged to remove ultra-processed foods from school lunches as part of an effort to end what he describes as the "chronic disease epidemic". "President Trump has told me that he wants to see measurable, concrete results within two years in terms of a measurable diminishment in chronic disease among America's kids," he told NBC earlier this month. Some of RFK Jr's stances on nutrition have found support across a broad political spectrum in the US. Author Michael Pollan, who has spent decades advocating for healthier eating, told Politico he agreed with many of RFK Jr's criticisms of the US food system . "The way we're eating is the biggest threat to public health," he said. But he added that he did not support RFK Jr's nomination. "I think he's completely unfit and that's because of his stance on vaccines," he said. Richard Besser, a former acting director of the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) under Barack Obama, believes there is merit in some of the goals RFK Jr is pursuing. But he also does not support his appointment as DHHS secretary. "One of the challenges very frequently with people who are big spreaders of misinformation is that some of what they spread is good," Dr Besser said. "If we had a secretary who said, 'Let's take on childhood nutrition,' that's great. "But you want to make sure that they're coming in and saying, 'Let's bring in the best and the brightest around this topic,' ... not pulling in ideas that may not be based on science, may be based on fear or misleading information." The 'MAHA' movement RFK Jr has called for fluoride to be removed from public drinking water, warned against seed oils, and criticised what he has called the "aggressive suppression" by federal regulators of unpasteurised milk and psychedelics. He has attracted a social media following under the hashtag "Make America Healthy Again", or "MAHA", a spin on Trump's famous slogan. "How it feels knowing RFK Jr is about to go head to head with the food and pharmacy industries," one TikTok user posted alongside the #crunchymom hashtag. RFK Jr has also recently been linked to controversial Australian personality Pete Evans. An advocacy group founded by RFK Jr is publishing a children's cookbook with the former celebrity chef who has previously been accused of spreading medical misinformation. Professor Gostin said there had long been some level of scepticism towards American public health institutions, but that distrust increased dramatically during the Covid-19 pandemic. "I think perhaps science and public health lacked the necessary humility during the pandemic, and that's part of the problem," he said. "But the solution isn't to tear down science and evidence, because we have no alternative." 'Pretty wild ideas' RFK Jr's appointment will need to be confirmed by the Senate, and while Republicans are set to take control of the chamber, that does not guarantee approval. Trump's pick for attorney-general, Matt Gaetz, recently withdrew his name from consideration after senators demanded to see the detail of sexual misconduct allegations against him. "The end of the Matt Gaetz nomination could play out in the form of the Senate willing now to confirm whoever is put in front of them," said Sara Rosenbaum, professor emirata at George Washington University's Milken Institute School of Public Health. "Although, interestingly, the Senate was sort of able to ward [Gaetz's appointment] off before it came to an actual 'no'. "So whether this, in fact, means that they are still rigourous and moving through the candidates in a meaningful way, considering the candidates in a meaningful way, remains to be seen." If he is confirmed, the president-elect has joked he will let RFK Jr "go wild for a little while". "Then I'm going to have to maybe rein him back," Trump said in the lead-up to the election. "Because he's got some pretty wild ideas but most of them are really good, I think." - ABCCalifornia Gov. Newsom's team considering ways to help illegal immigrants ahead of second Trump admin: reporthttps m slotvip ph 。

Fast bowler Lahiru Kumara unleashed a spellbinding display of raw pace and hostility, delivering unplayable thunderbolts as Sri Lanka tightened their grip on the first Test against South Africa in Durban yesterday. Fast bowling coach Darshana Gamage, brimming with optimism, declared that the best of Kumara is yet to come—a tantalizing promise for Sri Lanka’s cricketing future. Kumara’s performance brought echoes of his heroics at The Oval in September, where he played a pivotal role in Sri Lanka’s landmark Test victory against England. In Durban, the 27-year-old once again proved why he’s considered a gem in Sri Lanka’s pace-bowling crown. “Pace is Lahiru’s strength,” Gamage remarked. “Our focus has been on refining his control, and there’s no doubt he has the potential to deliver even greater things as he matures. Consistently hitting speeds of 145 kmph is a huge feather in his cap, and it’s a weapon we value immensely.” Kumara, however, has been a bit of a double-edged sword—brilliant when fit, but often hindered by recurring hamstring issues. Recognizing the need for careful management, Sri Lanka have chosen to preserve him primarily for Test cricket, a strategy that now appears to be reaping dividends. “We’re using him sparingly for Tests, and that decision has paid off,” Gamage explained. “Right now, he’s in a fantastic rhythm. The Durban wicket offered plenty of assistance, and he capitalized brilliantly. In this World Test Championship cycle, our priority has been to keep all our fast bowlers fresh and firing on all cylinders.” Sri Lanka’s fast-bowling cupboard, once bare, now brims with promise. With Kumara leading the charge, the team seems well-poised to finally conquer the long-elusive goal of consistent overseas victories. “We’ve long yearned for wins on foreign soil, and the key to achieving that lies with our quicks,” Gamage emphasized. “I’m confident we’ve found the nucleus of a formidable pace attack, one capable of delivering the goods away from home.” Kumara, for his part, bagged two vital wickets to break the South African middle order, while fellow seamers Asitha Fernando and Vishwa Fernando combined to remove the openers.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden's administration is urging Ukraine to quickly increase the size of its military by drafting more troops and revamping its mobilization laws to allow for the conscription of those as young as 18. A senior Biden administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private consultations, said Wednesday that the outgoing Democratic administration wants Ukraine to lower the mobilization age to 18 from the current age of 25 to expand the pool of fighting-age men available to help a badly outnumbered Ukraine in its nearly three-year-old war with Russia. The official said “the pure math” of Ukraine's situation now is that it needs more troops in the fight. Currently Ukraine is not mobilizing or training enough soldiers to replace its battlefield losses while keeping pace with Russia's growing military, the official added. The White House has pushed more than $56 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of Russia's February 2022 invasion and expects to send billions more to Kyiv before Biden leaves office in less than months. But with time running out, the Biden White House is also sharpening its viewpoint that Ukraine has the weaponry it needs and now must dramatically increase its troop levels if it's going to stay in the fight with Russia. White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett in a statement said the administration will continue sending Ukraine weaponry but believes “manpower is the most vital need" Ukraine has at the moment. “So, we’re also ready to ramp up our training capacity if they take appropriate steps to fill out their ranks,” Savett said. The Ukrainians have said they need about 160,000 additional troops to keep up with its battlefield needs, but the U.S. administration believes they probably will need more than that. More than 1 million Ukrainians are now in uniform, including the National Guard and other units. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been hearing concerns from allies in other Western capitals as well that Ukraine has a troop level problem and not an arms problem, according to European officials who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive diplomatic conversations. The European allies have stressed that the lack of depth means that it may soon become untenable for Ukraine to continue to operate in Russia’s Kursk border region . The situation in Kursk has become further complicated by the arrival of thousands of North Korean troops , who have come to help Moscow try to claw back the land seized in a Ukrainian incursion this year. The stepped-up push on Ukraine to strengthen its fighting ranks comes as Ukraine braces for President-elect Donald Trump to take office on Jan. 20. The Republican said he would bring about a swift end to the war and has raised uncertainty about whether his administration would continue the vital U.S. military support for Ukraine. “There are no easy answers to Ukraine’s serious manpower shortage, but lowering the draft age would help,” said Bradley Bowman, senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "These are obviously difficult decisions for a government and society that has already endured so much due to Russia’s invasion.” Ukraine has taken steps to broaden the pool of draft-eligible men, but the efforts have only scratched the surface against a much larger Russian military. In April, Ukraine’s parliament passed a series of laws, including one lowering its draft-eligible age for men from 27 to 25, aimed at broadening the universe of men who could be called on to join the grinding war. Those laws also did away with some draft exemptions and created an online registry for recruits. They were expected to add about 50,000 troops, far short of what Zelenskyy said at the time was needed. Zelenskyy has consistently stated that he has no plans to lower the mobilization age. A senior Ukrainian official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Ukraine does not have enough equipment to match the scale of its ongoing mobilization efforts. The official said Ukrainian officials see the push to the lower the draft age as part of an effort by some Western partners to deflect attention from their own delays in providing equipment or belated decisions. The official cited as an example the delay in giving Ukraine permission to use longer-range weapons to strike deeper into Russian territory. The Ukrainians do not see lowering the draft age to recruit more soldiers as a substitute for countering Russia’s advantage in equipment and weaponry, the official said. Conscription has been a sensitive matter in Ukraine throughout the war. Russia’s own problems with adequate troop levels and planning early in the war prevented Moscow from taking full advantage of its edge. But the tide has shifted and the U.S. says the Ukrainian shortage can no longer be overlooked. Some Ukrainians have expressed worry that further lowering the minimum conscription age and taking more young adults out of the workforce could backfire by further harming the war-ravaged economy. The senior Biden administration official added that the administration believes that Ukraine can also optimize its current force by more aggressively dealing with soldiers who desert or go absent without leave. AP White House correspondent Zeke Miller and AP writer Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv contributed to this report.President-elect Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he will appoint Kari Lake, an election denier and purveyor of conspiracy theories who is deeply loyal to Trump, as director of Voice of America (VOA), a U.S.-funded news service for international audiences. Lake lost both a gubernatorial race and a Senate election in Arizona within the span of the past two years. She claimed in both contests, without any evidence whatsoever, that her losses were due to election fraud — echoing Trump’s false claims of election fraud after he lost the 2020 presidential election to President Joe Biden. In his post on Truth Social , Trump insisted that Lake would “ensure that the American values of Freedom and Liberty are broadcast around the World FAIRLY and ACCURATELY,” deriding other news media as being “fake news” — a complaint he frequently lobbies against the press after journalists publish reports on his corruption and wrongdoings. Trump’s post suggests that he will attempt to use the VOA to promote propaganda on his behalf. Importantly, the position of VOA director is not appointed by the president — instead, a seven-person panel called the International Broadcasting Advisory Board (IBAB) picks the person who heads the news agency. Six members of IBAB are selected by presidents to four-year terms, with the seventh member being the Secretary of State in an ex officio role. All seven members require Senate confirmation, though in the Secretary of State’s case, their approval is usually focused on other functions of their office, rather than the management of media produced by the U.S. government. Furthermore, the six members who are not the Secretary of State must be politically divided evenly — no more than three of the six can belong to the same political party, per the law that established IBAB . All of these conditions mean that, while Republicans will technically comprise a majority of the board once Trump’s Secretary of State choice is sworn in, it will still be very difficult for Lake to become head of the VOA. However, there is another workaround Trump can take: passing a new law that gives himself greater powers to interfere with VOA’s work and independence, including by giving the president the ability to directly appoint the agency’s director. Indeed, current law regulating the VOA and IBAB came about due to allegations of abuse during the first Trump administration . With Republican majorities in both houses of Congress, that law can be repealed and replaced with one that gives Trump the authority to appoint whomever he wants. Trump’s post didn’t allude to that action being considered, but the news of Lake as his choice to lead VOA has worried some employees of the agency nonetheless. “We’re hoping that the guardrails will hold,” a VOA employee told CNN . Journalists were quick to criticize Trump’s Truth Social post, noting that Lake would use VOA to promote far right propaganda and conspiracy theories. Lake is “an unhinged conspiracy theorist who lashes out at the press, hobnobs with far-right and antisemitic extremist outlets,” Media Matters for America senior fellow Matthew Gertz wrote on the social media site X. If Trump is successful at getting Lake appointed, it will “drive out the responsible journalists who work there and destroy the mission of VOA,” Tom Nichols of The Atlantic wrote in a Bluesky post . “Putting Kari Lake at the head of Voice of America is not only an attack on journalism and the duty to tell the truth, it’s an assault and an insult to every person around the world who turns to VoA to look up to America,” journalist Steven Beschloss said .

Trending News Today Live Updates: In today's fast-paced world, staying informed about the latest developments is more important than ever. Trending News Today brings you the most current and impactful stories from across the globe, covering a wide range of topics including politics, technology, entertainment, sports, and social issues. Whether it's a significant political event, a groundbreaking technological innovation, or the latest in pop culture, we provide you with up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis. Our goal is to ensure that you're always in the loop, aware of the trends that are shaping the world around us. Stay tuned for the latest news that matters. Trends News Today Live: You won’t believe who made a surprise appearance at Kate Middleton’s Christmas Carol ServiceIt's 2019 and bottlenose dolphin #1022, born in Scottish waters in 2007, is suddenly spotted completely alone, hundreds of miles from his home before ending up in Denmark, some 500 miles (800 km) away across the North Sea. Meet "Delle," as he was named by the Danish locals. A solitary bottlenose dolphin whose name from years ago by Scottish researchers is , identified by his unique dorsal fin markings. He was part of the "Moray Firth" pod of Star Wars-named dolphins that included his mother, Chewbacca, and his siblings Skywalker and Kenobi. We'll call him by his new name though, Delle. Delle has given us a rare glimpse into the mysteries of dolphin communication. Delle set up home base in Svendborgsund – a busy waterway outside Funen Island, Denmark – far, far from any usual bottlenose dolphin hangouts. Over three years, he's become somewhat of a local celebrity, delighting onlookers with his aerial antics and confusing scientists with his vocalizations. Researchers lowered a microphone into the water from December 2022 through February of 2023 and recorded a total of 10,833 sounds from Delle. They had initially expected Delle would keep his chatter to a minimum – only echolocating for food and the like. Instead of silence, Delle was a one-dolphin band, producing a wide range of sounds. And it wasn't just feeding or navigating. He was " " to anything that would listen, even if it was just to himself. Dolphins are incredibly smart and social mammals that typically live in a pod. Dolphin communication systems are regarded as being very complex and even share parallels with how humans communicate. "Signature whistles" are unique to each dolphin in a way that names are unique to a person (I wonder how many dolphins share the name "James?"). Dolphins will identify themselves with a signature whistle and even mimic another dolphin's signature whistle to interact with a specific member of the pod. "Hey James, it's James! Wanna party? I got some sardines!" For starters, Delle has been vocalizing three unique signature whistles, which is weird. Researchers think that because Delle has been isolated without social interaction for so long, it's affecting his . He might be doing it to amuse himself or calling out the "names" of dolphins he once used to hang out with. It could just be a coping mechanism to get him through the day. The reasons are all speculative as this type of solo-act-dolphin phenomenon isn't commonly observed. Maybe he has split personality disorder? Traditionally, dolphins are believed to have a one-whistle-per-dolphin system, but Delle threw that theory out the window with his triple-whistle repertoire. Delle doesn't stop at just whistles. He throws in something called biphonic sounds – that's when you make two noises simultaneously. We're not sure why dolphins do this, but it might be to add more layers of complexity in their communication to one another. Some people can do it. We call it overtone or throat singing. It's rare for dolphins to do, but it has been observed before so it's not entirely unique. Delle, on the other hand, is full of biphonic sounds, including combinations of whistles, low-frequency tonal calls, and burst-pulse sounds ... due to the lack of conspecifics anywhere nearby, Delle might just be stretching out his two sets of phonic lips (the dolphin version of vocal cords) and just experimenting his vocal range. Granted, bottlenose dolphins have been known to often communicate with others several miles away. Among his most commonly made sounds were rhythmic low-frequency noises known as "gulps." Researchers have linked gulps to everything from feeding (no pun intended) to social excitability. Delle has been doing it for seemingly no other reason than to hear himself, very much like when you, Dear Reader, sing in the shower when no one is home. Delle might just be sad and lonely and the sounds could be expressions of emotion either intentionally or unintentionally. Most animals vocalize basic emotions. For example, when your pet pooch cries in happiness when you get home or sadness when you leave. Or Delle might be "singing the song of his people" in hopes the find his fellow dolphins. Though, having spent the last three years in the same spot with no other in sight, you'd think he'd have realized he simply wasn't invited to the party. Another assumption – as many of his sounds came in rhythmic bouts and often during his signature aerial flips – perhaps he was just in the mood for some wicked beats to get his dance on. Delle's chatter raises as many questions as it answers. Is it a sign of emotional complexity? Is he practicing his sounds like a dolphin musician? Or is it simply a reflection of his natural urge for social interaction? In the end, maybe Delle (or bottlenose dolphins in general) isn't so different from us. We all have the desire to be heard, even if no one is listening. At least Delle hasn't taken up wearing tuna fish hats like some we know. Source:MILWAUKEE — President Jimmy Carter died Sunday at 100 years old. Lighthouse Reporter Ryan Jenkins sat down one-on-one with Brian Sonderman, the CEO of Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity for an in-depth look back at the legacy Carter had on Milwaukee neighborhoods. In June of 1989, then President Carter and his wife, First Lady Rosalynn Carter, teamed up with Milwaukee's Habitat for Humanity with the ambitious goal of building five homes in just six days. They would also rehab 8 other homes. They did this with the help of roughly 1,000 volunteers in the city's Walnut Hill neighborhood. TMJ4's Ryan Jenkins: "First and foremost, thinking about those six days in 1989, let's begin with what you believe is most notable about Carter's work in Milwaukee. What stands out to you about The Carter Work Project?" Brian Sonderman: "A lot. First of all, Milwaukee Habitat had never built a new construction home before that week so that was a big undertaking. When President and Mrs. Carter came to Milwaukee it was the fifth Carter work project. They would go on for 30-plus years to do that work, not only in the United States but around the world. So, we were one of the first cities that they came to." Sonderman also spoke to the work ethic of the former President. Brian Sonderman: "We got to the end of the week or middle of the week, and it was rainy and bad weather, and President Carter, who got into his 90s and was still volunteering, if you came and worked on a work project with President Carter you had to bring your A-Game. He demanded hard work and so there was no time off. So, when we got to a stage in the week when he thought those homes weren't going to be done — he was angry. He wanted to figure out a way to get those homes done." TMJ4's Ryan Jenkins: "He worked into his 90's as you just mentioned. Do you think the work that was done here back in 1989 is a legacy still felt today? Brian Sonderman: "That was really the point in time in which Milwaukee habitat took off. It was almost essentially an all-volunteer organization and from that point forward there was tremendous growth in the organization because it drew some much attention to the work we do at Habitat. He did that not only in Milwaukee but throughout the country. Through his work and his service, his legacy, we've been able to serve over 1,500 families in the 40-year history of Habitat. That wouldn't have happened without President and First Lady Carter's involvement." TMJ4's Ryan Jenkins: What lesson do you think we can all take away from the work that Carter did right here in Milwaukee? Brian Sonderman: " Well, I think politicians are always obsessed with their legacy. They're always thinking about 'what are historians going to say about my presidency,' and I'm sure President Carter thought about that. But, I think when people think about him, they'll think about President Carter in the White House and they'll think about him on the build site. His legacy is 'love your neighbor as yourself,' his legacy will always be to serve your neighbor and make the world a better place." A legacy felt in Milwaukee, Wisconsin as the world remembers the life of President Jimmy Carter. It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device. Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more. Report a typo or error

Irish Government doubted UK campaign to ‘save David’ TrimbleThe New Orleans Pelicans (5-27) are 6.5-point underdogs as they look to break a nine-game losing streak when they host the Los Angeles Clippers (18-13) on Monday, December 30, 2024 at Smoothie King Center. The game airs at 8:00 PM ET on Gulf Coast Sports and FDSSC. Place your bets on any NBA matchup at BetMGM. Sign up today using our link. Catch NBA action all season long on Fubo. Sign up for NBA League Pass to get access to games, live and on-demand, and more for the entire season and offseason. Put your picks to the test and bet on the Clippers with BetMGM Sportsbook. Looking for officially licensed NBA gear? Fanatics has jerseys, hats, apparel, memorabilia, trading cards, collectibles and more. Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER .