As school districts struggle to control the spread of cyberbullying, sexual abuse images and online exploitation among their students, Texas lawmakers could consider banning social media from minors, among other sweeping measures, in the upcoming legislative session. Over the last decade, Texas lawmakers have attempted to slow the spread of social media’s harmful effects by criminalizing cyberbullying and preventing online platforms from collecting data on minors, the latter of which has faced court challenges by social media companies. While law enforcement and prosecutors have traditionally been responsible for cracking down on these online dangers, lack of resources in those agencies has meant enforcement has fallen onto educators, who already struggle to meet the demands of instruction, let alone stay knowledgeable on all the ways children use the internet. “Almost every kid comes to school these days, regardless of background, regardless of socioeconomic status, they have some type of smartphone device in their hand. So they will have access to unfettered content most of the time, no matter what we try to do,” said Zeph Capo, president of the Texas American Federation of Teachers. Lawmakers have suggested several initiatives next session to address the online dangers affecting Texas children, including a bill filed by Rep. Jared Patterson , R-Frisco, that would prohibit minors from creating accounts on social media sites and require age verification for new users. Other options include adding funds to internet crimes units in law enforcement agencies, banning the use of people’s likeness in artificially created sex abuse images, and making people aware of the dangers of the internet. “Social media is the most dangerous thing our kids have legal access to in Texas,” Patterson said in a news release . While they welcome any efforts to reduce harm to children, school officials and cybercrime investigators say more needs to be done to hold social media companies accountable for enforcement. “We need these businesses to be responsible business people and throttle some of this tremendously negative content, particularly when it comes to kids,” Capo said. “But, you know, they don’t want to do anything like that.” Schools are hunting grounds During a Senate Committee on State Affairs hearing in October, lawmakers listened to a litany of stories about how social media has affected young people in Texas: a middle school girl who developed an eating disorder after watching a TikTok video, a middle school boy addicted to cartoon pornography after his YouTube algorithm took him to a porn site, and a woman who testified to being groomed for sex work in high school as her images were posted on social media applications. Most of these incidents had a starting point at school where children have frequent access to technology and teachers and administrators are too busy to provide oversight. Add in the fact that they know ways to circumvent campus firewalls, students are being groomed via social media on school grounds, said Jacquelyn Alutto, president of Houston-based No Trafficking Zone, during the hearing. “Right now, schools are a hunting ground,” she said. The Texas Tribune requested interviews with several school districts about online dangers in schools, including the Austin, Round Rock, Katy and Eanes school districts, but they did not respond. The Plano school district declined to be interviewed. Last year, the American Federation of Teachers and the American Psychological Association, among other national organizations, called out social media platforms for undermining classroom learning, increasing costs for school systems, and being a “root cause” of the nationwide youth mental health crisis. The admonishment came after a report detailed how school districts across the country are experiencing significant burdens as they respond to tech’s predatory and prevalent influence in the classroom. The same year, in an attempt to hold social media companies more accountable, Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law House Bill 18 , known as the Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment Act. The SCOPE Act requires covered digital service providers to provide minors with certain data protections, prevent minors from accessing harmful content, and give parents tools to manage their child’s use of the service. It also required school districts to obtain parental consent for most software and social media applications used in the classroom and to look for alternatives to the internet for instruction. However, many of the family-friendly websites and games that children might use for entertainment are also rife with potential sexual predators who pretend to be children. “A little boy can be playing Robloxs in the cafeteria, and during that lunch break, a trafficker can target him, and he can be sexually groomed or exploited within a few weeks or months,” Alutto said. And even harder to control is when students share sexual images of themselves online, a reason why some child welfare groups want social media platforms restricted or outright banned for minors. “This has also helped human traffickers groom and recruit children,” Alutto said. Unknown damage Studies show 95% of youth ages 13 to 17 report using social media, with more than a third saying they use social media “almost constantly.” Nearly 40% of children ages 8 to 12 use social media, even though most platforms require a minimum age of 13 to sign up, according to a study by the U.S. Surgeon General. This has created a generation of chronically online children, and the medical community is still unsure of their longterm effects. Although the SCOPE Act was passed to restrict kids from seeing harmful online content and give parents more control over what their children do online, social media companies have watered it down. A federal district court judge earlier this year temporarily blocked part of the law that required them to filter out harmful content, saying it was unconstitutional under the First Amendment free speech right. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced in October that he was suing TikTok by allowing their algorithm to affect minors. TikTok denied the state’s allegations, pointing to online information about how parents in certain states, including Texas, can contact TikTok to request that their teen’s account be deleted. This lawsuit, like dozens of others across the country, is playing out in court, forcing Texas lawmakers to wait and see what more they can do in the upcoming session to hold social media companies accountable. Australia recently banned social media from children under the age of 16. “The state needs to ensure that if technology providers want to do business, they must protect our children, stop the flow of (child sexual abuse material and child sexual assault) and report it,” Brent Dupre, director of law enforcement at the Office of the Attorney General of Texas, told The Texas Tribune. Potential solutions? Dupre’s department is one of three Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces in the state, and his agency alone covers 134 counties. His office receives 2,500 cyber tips per month for investigation from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an overwhelming number of cases for an agency with only 11 officers. The problem is so persistent that Dupre said his office was conducting a live training session with law enforcement officers a few months ago on how to pose in chat rooms as a minor when the trainer noticed a real adult was already trying to solicit their fake minor for sex. “These proactive investigations aren’t done as frequently as we like because of the sheer caseload that we got,” Dupre said, noting how they work with other law enforcement agencies who are suffering with staff shortages. Christina Green, chief advancement and external relations officer for Children’s Advocacy Centers of Texas, said her agency serves more than 60,000 child victims yearly, with a majority of these connected to online incidents that happened in school while using social media applications. She said law enforcement agencies as well as hers need more resources to protect children. “This field is rapidly developing, and the tools needed to continue must also develop,” she said. Echoing school officials, Dupre said social media companies should enforce more restrictions on what minors can do on their platforms. He said companies should be required to track attempts to upload child sexual abuse material and other internet harm and be held accountable for allowing sexually explicit content to stay on their websites. Dupre suggested lawmakers require chat and social media companies use artificial intelligence to scan for child sex abuse images and child sexual assault material and block users from sending this kind of material on their platforms. “To me, children who try to upload self-produced material should automatically have their accounts disabled,” he said. “Many technology providers scan for these photos and videos, which are then quarantined and reported, but not all providers lockout or cancel that user end-to-end encryption.” However, the most essential place to stop cyberbullying, sexual exploitation and other internet-based crimes on minors is at home, Green said. She suggested teaching children in schools as early as the third grade about online risks and repeating training yearly. She also wants the same education extended to parents. “We have been talking to parents about when you drop your kid off at someone’s house, do you know if devices will be used there? It’s like asking if there is a pool in the backyard. These types of questions need to become commonplace,” Green said. This story was originally published by The Texas Tribune and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.milyon88 app download apk 。

North Carolina retaining its status as the nation's most prominent ticket-splitting state was the top political story for 2024 as determined by the Winston-Salem Journal. Voters supported putting Republican Donald Trump back in the White House, while delivering an overwhelming win for Democrat Attorney General Josh Stein over embattled Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson in the governor's race. North Carolinians also rejected Trump's MAGA acolytes for lieutenant governor, attorney general and state superintendent of Public Instruction. Speaking of Robinson, his GOP primary win over state Treasurer and Winston-Salem native Dale Folwell was the runner-up story. Third on the list was the national speculation that Gov. Roy Cooper could become Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate before removing his name from consideration. Fourth was the Republican supermajorities' successful override votes of 10 Cooper vetoes during the 2024 session, as well as the potential ending of the House supermajority in the 2025 session. Rounding out the top-five is the so-called "power grab" attempt by Republican legislative leaders of certain authorities of the Democratic-elect governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and state superintendent of Public Instructions. Both Trump and a Democratic governor candidate won North Carolina for the third consecutive general election. Trump carried North Carolina by a 50.95% to 47.56% margin over Harris. Trump received 2.87 million votes. Meanwhile, Stein defeated Robinson by 3.03 million to 2.22 million votes, or 54.8% to 40.1%. Stein not only was the largest vote-getter in the statewide races, but received 160,496 more votes than Trump. There were minimal, if any, Trump coattails for the other Republican MAGA acolytes running for lieutenant governor (Hal Weatherman), attorney general (U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop) and superintendent of Public Instruction (Michele Morrow). They were defeated by Lt. Gov.-elect Rachel Hunt, Attorney General-elect Jeff Jackson and superintendent-elect Maurice “Mo” Green, the former Guilford County Schools superintendent. Bishop and Morrow both drew about 180,000 fewer votes than Trump, while Weatherman was about 230,000 votes shy of Trump. What is different about the 2024 statewide races is that “voters generally cast party-line votes and aligned their Council of State votes with their presidential preference," said John Dinan, a Wake Forest University political science professor who is considered a national expert on state legislatures. “But in cases where one party’s candidate was able to portray the other party’s candidate as outside the mainstream, especially in open-seat races, this led some voters to engage in ticket-splitting." Folwell built his governor's campaign in March 2023 on the pillars of being the top statewide race vote-getter in 2016 and 2020, and that he offered stability, experience and maturity as “the best governor that money can’t buy.” Folwell did not hold back his questioning of Robinson’s qualifications to be governor given Robinson’s statements about racism, gender identity and women’s role in society. Yet, once Trump full-throatedly endorsed Robinson, calling him “Martin Luther King on steroids," that was enough to push Robinson to a decisive win over Folwell and Bill Graham. Among the criticisms of Folwell’s candidacy was that he was too prickly, too boring and didn’t display the same fiery campaign rhetoric as Robinson. Trump, however, chose to ostracize Robinson from his presidential campaign following the controversial Sept. 19 CNN report, as well as several Southeast Republican governors withdrawing their support. The CNN report included that Robinson wrote that he was a “Black Nazi” and that he not only supported a return of slavery but that he also wanted to own slaves. The story also said Robinson wrote that he liked to watch transgender porn. The comments were made on the porn website Nude Africa between 2008 and 2012. Robinson has denied making the comments and has filed a lawsuit against CNN. Folwell pulled no punches in the aftermath of the bombshell CNN report, calling Robinson a “counterfeit conservative” and “always playing the victim.” “In the end, North Carolina voters decided they wanted a government that would be more moderate because that is how North Carolinians see themselves," said Zagros Madjd-Sadjadi, an economics professor at Winston-Salem State University. Saying “It’s not the right time for North Carolina or for me to be on a national ticket,” Cooper pulled on July 30 his name from consideration as a vice presidential candidate for Harris . Being a popular two-term Democratic governor in a center-right Southern state was viewed by political analysts as a viable ticket-balancing option as Democrats attempting to shift N.C. back into the win column. CNN reported that Cooper, at 67, was the oldest potential vice president under consideration. “After all, only one person can be chosen for the vice president nominee, and there are at least a handful of strong candidates who come from swing states and who would provide some ideological balance to the ticket in the way that Cooper would have done," Dinan said. Another factor: Political analysts cited Robinson as being a potential deterrent for Cooper pursuing the vice president nominee. Robinson could potentially have issued executive orders as acting governor while Cooper was campaigning out of the state. As Cooper bowed out of VP consideration, speculation continued to swirl that Cooper is at the top of the list for Democratic challengers for two-term Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis in 2026. John Quinterno, principal with South by North Strategies Ltd. of Chapel Hill, said that given Cooper’s accomplishments as governor and his long career in public service, he “would be a strong candidate” to take on Tillis. Stein will enter office Jan. 1 with a viable, but razor-thin, veto power since House Democrats were successful in gaining a 49th seat, thus breaking the Republican super-majority after two years. A super-majority exists when Democrats or Republicans control two-thirds of a chamber's seats. Since Republican legislators regained supermajority status in April 2023 after Mecklenburg County Rep. Tricia Cotham switched from Democrat, they overrode 29 Cooper vetoes during the 2023 and 2024 sessions. Stein said that in the governor's race, North Carolinians "chose hope over hate, competence over chaos, decency over division.” Although Stein registered “a clear win,” John Locke Foundation senior political analyst Mitch Kokai cautioned that "he ought to be careful not to view that victory as an overwhelming mandate for his policy prescriptions." Meanwhile, Rep. Cecil Brockman, D-Guilford, continues to embrace his role as a potential supporter of certain GOP legislation, telling the News & Record that "you need me. I don't need you ." That's even though four other eastern N.C. House Democrats have been identified as potentially playing the same flipping role. The Republican-controlled legislature completed Dec. 11 the passing of controversial Senate Bill 382 that curtails or ends certain authorities of four Democratic Council of State seats, as well as making the State Highway Patrol commander post a non-elected Cabinet position appointed by the legislature. The N.C. House overrode Cooper’s veto by a 72-46 vote along party lines on Dec. 11. Cooper vetoed the bill Nov. 26, calling it “a sham” and a “cruel blow.” Cooper and Stein needed just a day to file on Dec. 12 a lawsuit in Wake County Superior Court challenging the constitutionality of SB382 with the foremost focus on the SHP commander legislation. SB382 also moves the State Board of Elections to the State Auditor’s Office, prevents the attorney general from undermining state law, and allows the state Treasurer to appoint a member to the Utilities Commission. SB382 appropriates an additional $227 million in Hurricane Helene disaster relief funding, but doesn’t immediately disperse it. "The people of western North Carolina are desperate for help from their state government. Yet, this bill is a power grab, not hurricane relief,” Stein said in a statement. Rep. Destin Hall, R-Caldwell, and House speaker for the 2025-26 sessions, said the disaster relief funding in SB382 “has been framed incorrectly" and “this body is entirely committed to helping folks in this state with storm relief." The Republican supermajorities overrode a Cooper veto to make school vouchers to private and religious schools available to all parents no matter their household income , as well as enforcing that urban Democratic sheriffs cooperate with federal ICE agents. About $460 million is now available for the state’s Opportunity Scholarship program for the 2024-25 school year. Funding for the waitlist is retroactive, with eligible families qualifying for a tuition reimbursement from their schools. There are more than 72,000 voucher applications for this school year, but only about 16,000 students were approved before the money ran out. Sen. Michael Lee, R-New Hanover, said there have been 27,256 applicants in Tier 1, which includes the lowest-income household, as well as 13,060 in Tier 2, 25,750 in Tier 3 and 12,228 in Tier 4, which Lee said half of which come from Mecklenburg and Wake counties. All North Carolina sheriffs began Dec. 1 being required to cooperate with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers for offenses committed on or after that date. Several metro sheriffs — including Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough of Forsyth County and Sheriff Danny Rogers of Guilford County — have limited their cooperation. “No longer will sheriffs in our most populated counties get away with ignoring federal immigration detainers issued by ICE," according to a joint statement from Republican Senate Judiciary Committee chairmen Danny Britt Jr. of Robeson County, Warren Daniel of Burke County and Buck Newton of Wilson County. "With House Bill 10 finally becoming law, and the Trump administration taking over in Washington, we’re on the path toward a stronger border and safer United States.” Another potential casualty within SB382 is the loss of the Forsyth County Superior Court 31-D seat , held by Democrat Todd Burke. The seat would be eliminated in 2029, along with a seat in Wake County also held by a Democrat. In their place, the legislature would create two Superior Court seats, one appointed by the Senate leader and the other by the House speaker. Both judges would serve an eight-year term. Their districts would be identified when the nominees are submitted for appointment. Rep. Robert Reives, D-Chatham, and House minority leader, said Burke’s seat is being eliminated because he took legal stances opposed by Republican legislative leadership and not because of the quality of his overall work or the lack of need for the seat. A primary example came in 2017 when Burke was part of a three-judge panel that ruled it was unconstitutional for the Republican supermajority at that time to revamp the state elections board and ethics commission weeks before Cooper was sworn in to his first term as governor. Sen. Dan Blue, D-Wake, and Senate minority leader, called part of the intent of SB328 to allow Republican legislative leaders to be able to turn to favorable Superior Court judges that they appoint, rather than go before judges that may hold them accountable to the constitutionality of their actions. Yet another successful GOP veto override in House Bill 237 loosened campaign-financing laws and significantly restricted public mask wearing for health and safety reasons. The insertion of state campaign finance law changes into HB237 has been pitched as either leveling the playing field on corporate and union donations, or opening another floodgate for out-of-state dark money into high-profile 2024 election races. HB237 became law amid predictions that the Stein-Robinson governor's race would be among the costliest in the country. “This legislation creates a gaping loophole for secret, unlimited campaign money in the middle of an election year,” Cooper said in a statement. “The legislation also removes protections and threatens criminal charges for people who want to protect their health by wearing a mask." Rep. Sarah Crawford, D-Wake, said the number of North Carolinians affected by the masking part of HB237 could reach 2 million when counting immunocompromised individuals, those that assist them, and workers who require masking to perform their jobs outdoors. A compromise reached between House and Senate Republican leadership narrowly defined exemptions as allowing individuals ages 16 and older to wear a medical or surgical grade mask for the purpose of preventing the spread of contagious disease — with the condition of removing it upon request by law enforcement. “Bad actors have been using masks to conceal their identity when they commit crimes and intimidate the innocent,” said Sen. Danny Britt, R-Scotland, and Senate sponsor of HB237. “Instead of helping put an end to this threatening behavior, the governor wants to continue encouraging these thugs by giving them more time to hide from the consequences of their actions." The Triad will be represented by two new-blood Republican U.S. House candidates in newcomers Pat Harrigan and Addison McDowell . Both cruised to comfortable victories in their respective 10th and 6th district races considering they were all but ordained once they won their primaries in March given their districts were gerrymandered into safe Republican seats during the 2023 redrawing of the state’s congressional map. The redrawn map produced what political analysts had projected: a shift from North Carolina’s 14 congressional seats being split at 7-7 to a 10-4 Republican majority. Their victories were pivotal to U.S. House Republicans holding on to bare majority of seats for the 2025-26 sessions. Democratic-leaning Winston-Salem is in the new 10th, along with Republican-leaning western Forsyth County suburbs and solidly conservative counties Catawba, Iredell, Lincoln and Yadkin. The 6th District is the most Triad-centric of the four U.S. House districts in the region. The new map includes Kernersville, Walkertown and the southern Forsyth border — all Republican strongholds. In Guilford County, the 6th District portion forms a loop shaped like a backward C around the county’s suburban communities and High Point. Also included are all of Davidson, Davie and Rowan counties, and about 20% of Cabarrus County. A bipartisan and controversial N.C. Senate medical marijuana bill cleared the chamber in June for the second time during the 2023-24 sessions. However, Republican House leadership quickly shelved the revamped House Bill 563 without receiving a committee hearing. Outgoing House speaker Tim Moore, R-Cleveland, told legislative media outlets that for a medical marijuana bill to clear the House, there would need to be “reasonable controls,” and a balance to have enough distributors to prescribe and avoid a monopoly. Still, a block of House Republicans has opposed any medical marijuana language out of concern that it could serve as a gateway to legalized recreational marijuana use. They also claim that medical research isn’t definitive that it benefits users. The bill also contains language that would: place Tianeptine, Xylazine and Kratom on the state’s controlled substance schedules; create criminal penalties for criminal possession and unlawful sale of embalming fluid; and create penalties for exposing a minor to a controlled substance. HB563 would permit the use of medical marijuana — prescribed only by licensed physician — for individuals with ALS, cancer, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder and other ailments, but not for those experiencing chronic pain. Importantly, the bill does not allow recreational marijuana usage or the marketing of medical marijuana to anyone under age 21. rcraver@wsjournal.com 336-727-7376 @rcraverWSJ Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.Which country is the most sustainable? To answer this question requires an identification of suitable measures and an accurate pool of data. A new review indicates that Sweden tops the list of nations. The data comes from the firm Arka , who ranked the top ten countries where more companies are focused on sustainability. Key indicators such as environment-related technology patents, crunchbase sustainable companies, and GDP per capita were gathered to reflect sustainability activities and economic capacity. In the end, a composite index of 100 was calculated for each country, reflecting its sustainability efforts relative to its economic capacity. Overall, the Scandinavian countries, specifically Denmark, Sweden, and Finland, achieve some of the highest scores on the sustainable development index, with all scoring above 85. Another notable case is Switzerland, which ranks highly in a new global study on sustainability, excelling in green business density with 6.5 sustainable companies per billion GDP and a Sustainable Development Index score of 79.3. The UK features prominently, with one of the highest densities of sustainable companies (7.5 per billion GDP) and a strong Sustainable Development Index score of 82.16. The Sustainability Engagement Index was developed to evaluate countries’ commitment to sustainability relative to their economic scale. This index highlights both innovation and sustainable business density, offering a fair comparison across economies. The top ten ‘most sustainable’ nations were found to be: ( This is a filtered, scaled, and normalized index ). As mentioned above, Sweden leads with a composite score of 65.9. It stands out for its exceptional density of sustainable companies, with 7.6 sustainable companies per billion GDP, the highest among all ranked countries. Sweden also has a high score on the sustainable development index, at 85.7, which proves the country’s commitment to sustainability across both public and private sectors. Close behind is Denmark, scoring 63.34 and ranking second. Denmark ranks high in both patents per billion GDP (2.4) and sustainable companies per billion GDP (5.18). The country also ranks high in patents and sustainable businesses per GDP, and its sustainable development score of 85 shows they’re committed to green growth. Finland is the third Scandinavian country with a composite score of 62.48. Finland is among the top performers, with 6.83 sustainable companies per billion GDP. It also leads the sustainable development index with an impressive 86.35, showing the country’s all-in commitment to ecological and social sustainability. South Korea, despite its current political turmoil, ranks fourth with a composite score of 58.52 and is leading in environment-related patents, holding 6,600—by far the most on the list. Although it ranks lower in sustainable companies per billion GDP (0.9), Korea’s focus on tech-driven sustainability initiatives is clear. Belgium, with a composite score of 57.24, ranks fifth. Its sustainable development index score is 80.04, which suggests a well-rounded approach to sustainability and a strive towards a more eco-conscious future. Switzerland holds a score of 56.94, placing it sixth. The country shows a strong score for sustainable companies per billion GDP of 6.5. The UK ranks seventh with a score of 55.58. In eighth comes Canada, with a score of 53.56. Its sustainable development index is 78.8, which shows a commitment to hitting environmental and social goals. With strong numbers in patents and sustainable companies, Canada is making progress toward a greener future. Australia ranks ninth with a composite score of 50.13 and Austria rounds out the list with a composite score of 49.2. Its sustainable development index score of 82.55. Dr. Tim Sandle is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for science news.Tim specializes in science, technology, environmental, business, and health journalism. He is additionally a practising microbiologist; and an author. He is also interested in history, politics and current affairs.

Mettler-Toledo International Inc. stock underperforms Thursday when compared to competitorsWASHINGTON — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide Tuesday due to a technical issue just as the Christmas travel season kicks into overdrive and winter weather is threatening more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. American flights were cleared to fly by federal regulators about one hour after a national ground stop order was issued by the Federal Aviation Administration. There were 1,447 delays for flights entering or leaving the U.S. early in the day, with 28 cancellations. Snow was falling early in New York and Dallas-Fort Worth International, which is American Airlines' main hub, was getting hit with rain. Dallas-Fort Worth had the most delays, followed by Charlotte, North Carolina, Washington, New York, Chicago and Miami Because the holiday travel period lasts weeks, airports and airlines typically have smaller peak days than they do during the rush around Thanksgiving, but the grind of one hectic day followed by another takes a toll on flight crews. And any hiccups — a winter storm or a computer outage — can snowball into massive disruptions. That is how Southwest Airlines stranded 2 million travelers in December 2022, and Delta Air Lines suffered a smaller but significant meltdown after a worldwide technology outage in July caused by a faulty software update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. Many flights during the holidays are sold out, which makes cancellations even more disruptive than during slower periods. That is especially true for smaller budget airlines that have fewer flights and fewer options for rebooking passengers. Only the largest airlines, including American, Delta and United, have “interline agreements” that let them put stranded customers on another carrier’s flights. This will be the first holiday season since a Transportation Department rule took effect that requires airlines to give customers an automatic cash refund for a canceled or significantly delayed flight. Most air travelers were already eligible for refunds, but they often had to request them. Passengers still can ask to get rebooked, which is often a better option than a refund during peak travel periods. That’s because finding a last-minute flight on another airline yourself tends to be very expensive. Just before 7 a.m. Eastern time, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered all American Airlines flights grounded in the U.S. at the airline’s request. American had reported a technical issue affecting its entire system with millions traveling for the holiday. American said in an email that the problem Tuesday morning was caused by a vendor technology issue that “impacted systems needed to release flights.” The groundings couldn’t come at a worse time for the millions of travelers expected to fly over the next 10 days. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 40 million passengers over the holidays and through January 2. Airlines expect to have their busiest days on Friday and Sunday, and on Dec. 26, Dec. 27 and Dec. 29. Many flights during the holidays are sold out, which makes cancellations more disruptive than during slower periods. Even with just a brief outage, the cancellations have a cascading effect that can take days to clear up. About 90% of Americans traveling far from home over the holidays will be in cars, according to AAA. “Airline travel is just really high right now, but most people do drive to their destinations, and that is true for every holiday,” AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz said. Gasoline prices are similar to last year. The nationwide average Thursday was $3.04 a gallon, down from $3.13 a year ago, according to AAA. Charging an electric vehicle averages just under 35 cents per per kilowatt hour, but varies by state. Transportation-data firm INRIX says travel times on the nation’s highways could be up to 30% longer than normal over the holidays, with Sunday expected to see the heaviest traffic. Boston, New York City, Seattle and Washington, D.C., are the metropolitan areas primed for the greatest delays, according to the company. Get local news delivered to your inbox!

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Nelly Korda got right back on track in Round 2 of the CME Group Tour Championship, posting a 6-under 66 -- largely fueled by her first six holes. Golf Central analyzes what went right in her bounceback day. The Golf Central crew looks at how the players on the bubble performed during the second round of The RSM Classic. The Golf Central team breaks down Lydia Ko's first round at the CME Group Tour Championship and how it compared to her previous success in the event. Golf Central analyzes what makes Nelly Korda's golf swing so "poetic" before looking back on her even-par CME Group Tour Championship Round 1, which saw her struggle on the greens. Watch highlights from first-round action of the 2024 BMW Australian PGA Championship, part of the DP World Tour. Rex Hoggard reports on Caitlin Clark's appearance at the RSM Classic pro-am, explaining what the star power of the WNBA phenom means for the event and golf as whole. Jeeno Thitikul sits down with Golf Central to discuss her Aon Risk Reward Challenge win, identifying the strongest part of her game and why she strives to inspire more Thai golfers to compete overseas. The Golf Central crew breaks down the 'evolution' of women's sports, particularly through the LPGA and how the CME Group Tour Championship is pushing women's golf to a new level. Amy Rogers reports on the anticipation leading up to the LPGA CME Group Tour Championship and the record $4M paid to the winner, as well as player reactions to the 2025 schedule. Wesley Bryan reflects on his play over the last few months, where he's recorded four top-25 finishes in five starts, before sharing why he's at ease no matter what happens at the RSM Classic. Trevor Immelman joins Golf Central to talk about playing at the PNC Championship with his son Jacob, Scottie Scheffler's year, the new PGA Tour rule proposals and whether Rory McIlroy will complete his career grand slam.

Tweet Facebook Mail The world is at the brink of a third nuclear age, the head of the UK's armed forces warned. "The world has changed," Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said in a lecture on Wednesday (Thursday AEST) at the UK's Royal United Services Institute. "Global power is shifting, and a third nuclear age is upon us." This age, he warned, was "altogether more complex" than those that came before it. The first of these ages was the Cold War , Radakin said, while the second was defined by disarmament efforts. READ MORE: Tsunami warning cancelled after magnitude 7.0 earthquake strikes off California The world is at the dawn of a third nuclear age, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin has warned. (CNN) This third nuclear age, which, according to Radakin, the world was "at the dawn of," was "defined by multiple and concurrent dilemmas, proliferating nuclear and disruptive technologies, and the almost total absence of the security architectures that went before". Russia's war in Ukraine and multiple conflicts in the Middle East have upended global stability, he suggested. The deployment of North Korean troops on Russia's border with Ukraine was the year's "most extraordinary development," he said, as well as Moscow's use of Iranian-supplied drones and its threats to arm Yemen's Houthi rebels in retaliation to the West's support of Ukraine. READ MORE: Man accused of Gold Coast robbery, arson attack Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with servicemen wounded in Russia's special military operation in Ukraine. (AP) In November, Russia updated its nuclear doctrine, two days after US President Joe Biden granted Ukraine permission to strike targets deep inside Russia with American-made weapons. Despite this, Radakin said there was only a "remote chance" Russia would attack or invade NATO, as it knew that the "response would be overwhelming, whether conventional or nuclear." "The strategy of deterrence by NATO works and is working," the armed forces chief said. "But it has to be kept strong and strengthened against a more dangerous Russia." READ MORE: Five Eyes security agencies take unprecedented step to fight youth terrorism threat  A Russian "grad" missile fired towards Ukraine. (AP) Global unease was dividing the world into three groups, Radakin said. In one group was authoritarian states "seeking to challenge the global rules," including Russia, China, North Korea and Iran. In the second were "responsible nations," mostly including democracies, but also Gulf monarchies and others who were "committed to partnership and to the maintenance of stability and security in the world," he continued. The third group was made up of countries "hedging and ducking between the two for maximum advantage," Radakin said. NATO countries must maintain an advantage over their adversaries in order to defeat them, he added. In October, an Israeli strike on Iran destroyed Tehran's ability to produce ballistic missiles for a year, and "took down nearly the entirety of Iran's air defense system," he said. "In this sense, Russia is showing us how not to fight. And Israel, in its response to Iran, has shown us the disproportionate advantage of modern ways of fighting," Radakin said.

Concerns have also been raised about the “renormalisation” of smoking. Dr Rachel O’Donnell, senior research fellow at the University of Stirling’s Institute for Social Marketing and Health, said restrictions on smoking in outdoor places can “reinforce” a message that smoking “isn’t a socially acceptable thing to do” and could also help smokers to kick the habit. In November, it emerged that the UK Government is to scrap plans to ban smoking in the gardens of pubs and restaurants in England. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the hospitality industry has “taken a real battering in recent years” and it is not “the right time” to ban smoking outside pubs. But smoking and vaping could be banned in other public places in England – such as in playgrounds or outside of schools – under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. According to the World Health Organisation, there is no safe level of second-hand smoke exposure. In a briefing for journalists, Dr O’Donnell said decision-making “should be on the basis of all the evidence that’s available”. She added: “Any debate about legislation on smoking in outdoor settings shouldn’t only focus on air quality and second-hand smoke exposure levels, because the impacts of restrictions in outdoor settings are also evident on our social norms.” Smoke-free outdoor environments “reinforce smoke-free as the acceptable norm”, she said. “This, I think, is a critically important point at a time where in the media, over the last year, we’ve seen various reports and questions as to whether we might be on the cusp of renormalisation of smoking for various reasons, and so smoke-free public environments still have a critically important role to play. “If you reduce opportunities to smoke, it can also help individuals who smoke themselves to reduce the amount they smoke or to make a quit attempt.” Dr O’Donnell said visibility of tobacco products and smoking is a “form of marketing for tobacco companies” as she pointed to studies highlighting the increasing number of tobacco depictions on screen. She went on: “The more often young adults observe smoking around them, the more likely they are to believe that smoking is socially acceptable, which feeds back into this idea of renormalisation of smoking. “So, restrictions on smoking in outdoor public places have other positive knock-on effects, potentially for young people as well, just sending out that clear message that this isn’t a socially acceptable thing to do and see, and this could help to discourage smoking initiation among young people at quite a critical time.” On being exposed to second-hand smoke at work, she added: “I think sometimes when we think about exposure to second-hand smoke in outdoor settings, in pubs, in restaurants, we think about that sort of occasional customer exposure, the nuisance element of it when people are out enjoying a meal with friends, but we also need to be reminded that this is a repeated occupational exposure for those who are working in hospitality and serving drinks and food. “Now, as we’ve already seen, concentrations of second-hand smoke in these settings are generally low, and they’re likely to present a low risk to health for most healthy people. “But ... there’s no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke, and so any individual with pre-existing heart, lung or respiratory conditions may be particularly vulnerable even to low levels of exposure. “We know that second-hand smoke is its known carcinogen, and on that basis those exposed in the hospitality sector have a right to be protected. “On that basis, there’s a need to protect them, as there is anybody in any workplace setting from second-hand smoke exposure in all areas of workplaces and spaces.” Sean Semple, professor of exposure science at the University of Stirling’s Institute for Social Marketing and Health, said: “I think that if I were a policy-maker, which I am not, then I would be looking at those occupational exposures as well. “I have asthma, if I was being occupationally exposed to SHS (second-hand smoke), and knowing that I was one of a very small number of workers now being legally exposed to SHS in the workplace, then I might not be very happy about that.” A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “As part of our 10 Year Health Plan we are shifting focus from sickness to prevention, including tackling the harms of smoking and passive smoking. “The landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill is the biggest public health intervention in a generation and will put us on track towards a smoke-free UK.”SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Once-promising seasons hit new lows for the Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers last week. Another late-game meltdown sent the Bears to their sixth straight loss and led to the firing of coach Matt Eberflus. The 49ers suffered their second straight blowout loss and more crushing injuries to go from Super Bowl contenders to outside the playoff picture in a matter of weeks. The two reeling teams will try to get back on track on Sunday when the Bears (4-8) visit the 49ers (5-7) in Chicago's first game under interim coach Thomas Brown . “I told them a minute ago after practice there is no confidence loss at all as far as what I think about them,” Brown said Wednesday. “I don’t care what anybody else thinks about them. I think we have a very talented football team. It’s about just putting the work in every single day to give us an opportunity to win.” The Bears are hoping to get an emotional boost from the first in-season firing of a head coach in franchise history. Over the last 10 seasons, teams with interim coaches are 13-11 in their first game with the new coach. Those teams had a .284 winning percentage at the time they fired their coaches. “I wouldn’t say a new voice was needed. I would say there was change that was needed," rookie quarterback Caleb Williams said, pointing to a need for more accountability and better communication. The Niners came into the season as the favorites to get back to the Super Bowl from the NFC after losing the title game to Kansas City last season. But a series of key injuries, bad losses and spotty play have left them in last place in the NFC West with only slim hopes of even reaching the postseason. San Francisco lost 38-10 to Green Bay and 35-10 to Buffalo in back-to-back weeks and lost star running back Christian McCaffrey to a knee injury last week that will sideline him for at least the rest of the regular season. The Niners already lost key players Brandon Aiyuk and Javon Hargrave to season-ending injuries and are preparing to be without stars Nick Bosa and Trent Williams for a third straight week. “It’s just been a rocky mountain for real with the injuries and other stuff we’ve had to go through this season,” receiver Deebo Samuel said. “Our record don’t show how really good we are as a team. We're still believing in this locker room.” Williams described Eberflus’ firing as “interesting” and “tough” and vowed to “roll with the punches” while insisting the chaos and turnover of the past few weeks could help him handle similar situations in the future. Just 12 games into his NFL career, the prized quarterback is on his second head coach and third offensive coordinator, though Brown will continue to call plays. How does he keep the faith that his career is in good hands with this organization? “The first part is understanding I can’t control,” Williams said. “Even if I understand or don’t understand, that doesn’t matter. I have to roll with the punches like I said before. I don’t control everything.” With McCaffrey and Jordan Mason injured, the Niners running game will turn to rookie Isaac Guerendo . The fourth-round pick has 42 carries for 246 yards and two TDs this season and will be making his second start in either college or the pros. Coach Kyle Shanahan said the progress Guerendo has made since training camp makes him ready for his new role as he sees him running with more “urgency.” “I think it takes guys some time,” Shanahan said. “You start to get a feel for it the more, if you’ve got the right stuff, the more you get reps, the more you can adjust to it. How hard you’ve got to hit stuff, how quick those holes close, how when there is a hole how you have to hit it full-speed and can’t hesitate at all or it closes like that. We’ve seen that stuff get better in practice and we’ve seen it carry over into games.” San Francisco's usually stout run defense has been anything but that this season. The Niners have struggled to slow down the opposition on the ground all year with the problem getting worse recently. The 49ers allowed 389 yards rushing the past two weeks. “It’s been so frustrating because I know what is supposed to look like,” linebacker Fred Warner said. “That’s not it.” Stopping the run also continues to be a sore spot for Chicago. The Bears rank 25th overall against the run and 29th in yards allowed per rush after another difficult outing last week. They gave up 194 yards, including 144 in the first half as the Lions grabbed a 16-0 lead. Losing veteran defensive tackle Andrew Billings to a torn pectoral muscle last month did not help. He was injured in a Week 9 loss at Arizona and is expected to miss the remainder of the season after having surgery. AP Sports Writer Andrew Seligman contributed to this report. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFLCall for urgent reforms to combat human trafficking

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