BEREA, Ohio (AP) — The Cleveland Browns have again restructured quarterback Deshaun Watson's massive contract to create salary-cap space and give them future flexibility, a person familiar with the move told The Associated Press on Friday. Watson has been limited to just 19 games in three seasons because of an NFL suspension and injuries with the Browns, who signed him to a five-year, $230 million fully guaranteed contract in 2022. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
If you want to grab your favorite holiday drink while doing some last-minute gift shopping, you might want to call ahead. Starbucks union is currently on a five-day strike, extending through Christmas Eve. The strike, started by Starbucks Workers United, began on Friday, with walkouts happening in Seattle, Chicago and Los Angeles. Since then, the strikes spread to nine states, with locations in Ohio, Missouri, New Jersey, Oregon, New York and Colorado also joining by shutting down stores. The union told CNN the strike could spread to hundreds of stores by Christmas Eve. What the union seeks The union went on strike after “Starbucks failed to bring a viable economic policy to the bargaining table or resolve hundreds of unfair labor charges" per the union. The union represents 525 stores and 10,000 employees nationwide. Subscribe to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Be a smarter, better informed investor. Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail. Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail. On X , the union stated, “Since February, Starbucks has repeatedly pledged publicly that they intended to reach contracts by the end of the year — but they’ve yet to present workers with a serious economic proposal.” The goal of the union is to continue these escalating strikes, resulting in more closed stores and lost revenue, at one of the busiest times of the year for Starbucks. The baseline, according to the union , is for baristas to earn $20 per hour, while shift supervisors make $25.40. On top of this, they want a 5% annual raise and cost of living adjustments. They also want all workers to be enrolled in the employer-sponsored 401(k) plan. Another issue addressed is consistent scheduling. The union said often baristas work inconsistent hours that might fluctuate week-to-week, making it difficult to budget monthly income. The union demands that Starbucks provide a fairer process for consistent scheduling. How Starbucks handles it Starbucks responded to the strikes, claiming that union delegates backed out of bargaining talks. A spokesman told NBC News , “Workers United proposals call for an immediate increase in the minimum wage of hourly partners by 64%, and by 77% over the life of a three-year contract, and that isn’t sustainable. Announcing its fourth-quarter results in October, Starbucks fell short of their revenue mark. The coffee giant reported net revenue fell by 3.1% to $9.1 billion , which was short of the $9.4 billion mark anticipated by CNBC. The two sides plan to meet for the final time on Christmas Eve. So far, over 50 stores have shut their doors during the strike, in busy locations like Boston, Brooklyn, Denver, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Columbus and Portland. Will the Starbucks strike impact you? Chances are, the impact on you is minimal at this time since Starbucks has tens of thousands of stores nationwide. Still, if you plan to grab a drink or any gifts, it might be wise to call ahead just in case your stores are one of the ones impacted. Currently, here are some cities with closures: Columbus Portland, Oregon Los Angeles Chicago Seattle Denver Pittsburgh Philadelphia St. Louis Dallas Long Island You can also use this map of store closures , courtesy of Newsweek. Related Content What's Behind Starbucks Stock's New Sell Rating? Ways to Save Money at Starbucks What Starbucks' Latest Dividend Hike Means for InvestorsThe move could usher in an end to a protracted political crisis in the European Union country following the annulment of a presidential election by a top court. Parliament approved the new administration in a 240-143 vote in Romania’s 466-seat legislature. The new coalition is made up of the leftist Social Democratic Party (PSD) the centre-right National Liberal Party (PNL), the small ethnic Hungarian UDMR party and national minorities. It caps a month-long period of turmoil in which far-right nationalists made significant gains in a parliamentary election on December 1 a week after a first-round presidential race saw the far-right outsider Calin Georgescu emerge as the front-runner. “It will not be an easy mandate for the future government,” Mr Ciolacu, whose PSD party topped the polls in the parliamentary election, said in a statement. “We are aware that we are in the midst of a deep political crisis,” he said. “It is also a crisis of trust, and this coalition aims to regain the trust of citizens, the trust of the people.” Romania’s 16 ministerial positions will be shared among the parties, which will hold a slim majority in the legislature. It is widely seen as a tactical partnership to shut out far-right nationalists whose voices found fertile ground amid high living costs and a sluggish economy. Mr Ciolacu, who came third in the first-round presidential ballot despite polls indicating he would win the most votes, has served as prime minister since June 2023. After parliament’s approval, President Klaus Iohannis swore in the new government and warned the new Cabinet that it is entering a “difficult new period” in which “for many Romanians, there are major concerns”. Romania was plunged into turmoil after Mr Georgescu’s surprise success in the presidential race, after allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference emerged. Days before the December 8 run-off, the Constitutional Court made the unprecedented move to annul the presidential race. “We go through complicated times, but I think we all learned from mistakes of the past,” Mr Ciolacu said. “I hope that together with my colleagues in the coalition, we’ll find the best solutions to get past the challenges we have in front of us.” Mr Ciolacu said that the new government would aim to quickly organise the rerun of the presidential election in which the new coalition has agreed to put forward an agreed common pro-European candidate. Cristian Andrei, a political consultant based in Bucharest, said that the new government made up of the same political parties will likely embrace “soft populist” rhetoric such as economic patriotism, anti-austerity, and a peace solution in neighbouring Ukraine to counter the rise of far-right populism. “This will be a way to answer the concerns of many Romanians who voted for populists... but will not solve the fundamental problem of trust,” he said. “The only decisive factor now will be who and how convincing the pro-European candidates will be against this popular revolt.” George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, which came second in the parliamentary election, said that all politicians from his party on Monday would vote against the Ciolacu government. In 2021, the PSD and the PNL also formed an unlikely but increasingly strained coalition together with UDMR, which exited the Cabinet last year after a power-sharing dispute.
President-elect Donald Trump's repeated support for TikTok has sparked speculation about potential solutions to prevent the app's impending ban in the United States, though the path forward remains unclear. "We got to keep this sucker around for a little while," Trump told supporters on Sunday, just days after meeting with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew in Florida. Trump, who credits the wildly popular platform with delivering him a large young user base, opposes banning TikTok partly because he believes it would primarily benefit Meta, the Mark Zuckerberg-led company behind Instagram and Facebook. The situation is complex, according to University of Richmond School of Law professor Carl Tobias, given the various potential solutions and Trump's unpredictable nature. Congress overwhelmingly passed legislation, signed by President Joe Biden in April, that would block TikTok from US app stores and web hosting services unless Beijing-based ByteDance sells its stake by January 19. US officials and lawmakers grew wary of the potential for the Chinese government to influence ByteDance or access the data of TikTok's American users. Even with Trump's decisive election victory and incoming Republican-led Congress, acquiescing to the president-elect's desire and preventing the ban faces significant hurdles. The law enjoyed rare bipartisan support in a divided Washington, making its outright repeal through a vote in Congress politically unlikely even with Trump's influence over Republicans. The Supreme Court may offer the clearest path forward. TikTok has appealed to the nation's highest court, arguing the law violates First Amendment rights to free speech. The court, which is dominated by Trump-aligned conservatives, will hear the case on January 10, just nine days before the ban takes effect. This follows a lower appeals court's unanimous decision to uphold the law in December. Another possibility, according to Tobias, is that a Trump-led Department of Justice could determine ByteDance has addressed the law's national security concerns. However, such a move would likely be seen as caving to China by Congress and others. The final option is ByteDance selling to a non-Chinese buyer, though the company has consistently refused this possibility. With 170 million monthly active users, acquiring TikTok's US operations would require substantial resources. As president, Trump could extend the ban deadline by 90 days to facilitate a transaction. Few potential buyers have emerged, with major tech companies likely deterred by antitrust concerns. Former Trump Treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin, who runs a private equity fund backed by Japan's SoftBank Group and Abu Dhabi's Mubadala sovereign wealth fund, has expressed interest. During a recent event with Trump, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son pledged to invest $100 billion in the US economy, though specific investments weren't detailed. Other contenders include US real estate billionaire Frank McCourt, who aims to make social media safer through his Project Liberty organization. Elon Musk, given his proximity to Trump and ownership of X, could also have a role to play, as he has expressed plans to transform the text-focused platform into something more like TikTok. A senior Republican lawmaker recently suggested Trump might orchestrate a "deal of the century" satisfying both US concerns and ByteDance's interests. The chairman of the US House committee on China, John Moolenaar, told Fox News Digital that once ByteDance accepts it must comply with US law, the situation could progress rapidly. Any agreement would need Beijing's approval, with US-China relations expected to remain tense during Trump's upcoming term. This isn't the first attempt to resolve TikTok's US status. In 2020, Trump also threatened a ban unless ByteDance sold its US operations. While Oracle and Walmart reached a preliminary agreement with ByteDance for ownership stakes, legal challenges and the transition to the Biden administration prevented the deal's completion. arp/mlm
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Two weeks after she beat a transgender candidate to return to the Utah Legislature, the Republican state lawmaker behind the majority of the state’s anti-transgender laws is advocating for policies that strip additional rights from trans people. Rep. Kera Birkeland, of Morgan, posted to X on Thursday that transgender women, specifically, should not be able to amend their birth certificates or IDs to reflect their gender. “Men should not be allowed in women’s bathrooms,” Birkeland wrote. “However, achieving this goal requires more than just signing or passing a bill that articulates this stance. We need to address the underlying issue of allowing men to change their birth certificates and driver’s licenses to reflect a female identity.” Birkeland continued, “Until we achieve that, our primary action is to run message bills, that are almost unenforceable. If a man can obtain a driver’s license identifying him as a woman, secure a birth certificate identifying him as a woman, and undergo surgical procedures to alter his appearance to look similar to women, it becomes nearly impossible for the government to distinguish between him and Representative Mace. That presents a significant challenge in enforcement.” Birkeland’s post was written in support of U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-North Carolina, who responded to the first transgender woman being elected to Congress by pushing for her and other transgender women not to be allowed in women’s restrooms at the U.S. Capitol. I completely agree with @RepNancyMace that men should not be allowed in women’s bathrooms. However, achieving this goal requires more than just signing or passing a bill that articulates this stance. We need to address the underlying issue of allowing men to change their birth... The post comes one day after Transgender Day of Remembrance — an annual occasion memorializing transgender people lost to violence or suicide due to attacks on their identity. The Utah Supreme Court ruled in 2021 that transgender Utahns have “a common-law right to change facets of their personal legal status, including their sex designation.” “My life was going forward day by day sometimes is not easy,” said Angie Rice, a transgender woman and one of the plaintiffs in the case, at the time. “But (this decision)... gives young people and everybody who has been suffering in silence, or victimized, it gives them a chance to believe in hope and have the courage to now live their truth.” Since she was first appointed to the House in 2020, Birkeland has led a push to bar transgender girls from high school sports. Since the Legislature passed a law she sponsored to do so in 2022, and overrode the governor’s veto , the ban has been partially blocked by a lawsuit. Meanwhile, a commission weighs the cases of young transgender athletes who want to participate in sports. This year, Birkeland successfully proposed a bill that creates legal definitions “female” and “male” to categorize Utahns by the reproductive organs of their birth, and prohibits transgender Utahns from using locker rooms or bathrooms that align with their gender in government-owned buildings. Republican lawmakers repeatedly employed misinformation about transgender Utahns while working to rally support for the bill, an investigation by The Salt Lake Tribune found . Utah, which has passed restrictions on transgender people for three consecutive years, also prohibits transgender minors from accessing gender-affirming health care . Birkeland did not respond to questions about whether she would introduce bills to enact such policy shifts in the 2025 legislative session, but told KUER earlier this month that she isn’t planning on proposing legislation impacting the transgender community. A spokesperson for the Utah House of Representatives did not respond to questions as to GOP leadership’s feelings on such policies, or whether other members of their caucus would draft bills including them. On Monday, legislative leadership and Gov. Spencer Cox urged Utah State University to join a lawsuit against the Mountain West Conference over its transgender participation policy — weeks after players on the school’s volleyball team opted to forfeit a game against another team that allegedly includes a transgender athlete. The school filed a motion to join soon after. “Female athletes deserve the right to a safe playing field, fair competition and equal opportunities,” the officials said in a statement. “By intervening, Utah will send a clear message that these rights are non-negotiable.” Utah House Democrats responded with a statement of their own, writing, “Transgender athletes have participated in sports for years without facing the intense scrutiny they endure today. Targeting them harms their mental health, further isolates an already vulnerable population, and goes against the inclusive values we should all uphold. This is not the Utah way.” Birkeland’s post also follows an anti-transgender political action committee that appears to be violating campaign finance laws and aimed to influence the outcome of a state legislative race in a district bordering hers. Despite establishing a website, deploying mailers and sending texts attacking Democrats throughout the state for opposing restrictions on transgender Utahns, including the only Democrat outside of Salt Lake County , the out-of-state Preserving Utah Values PAC reports that it has raised and spent $0 during the 2024 election cycle. The United Nations recognizes transgender people’s ability to change official documents, including birth certificates, as a human right. “Failing to provide access to legal gender recognition hinders access to rights and services (e.g. education, employment, bathrooms) and puts trans people at risk of violence (e.g. when presenting documents that don’t match their appearance),” reads the website for the supranational organization’s high commissioner for human rights. “Trans people are at particular risk of violence in detention settings when their gender identity is not respected.” According to the Utah Bureau of Criminal Identification , hate crimes against LGBTQ+ Utahns more than doubled from 2022 to 2023. This year, law enforcement agencies have reported 15 incidents.
While Roki Sasaki has reportedly met with five Major League Baseball teams already, others are waiting to schedule a meeting with the talented free agent pitcher — including one American League playoff team. Detroit Tigers general manager Scott Harris told reporters Friday his team has submitted a pitch to Sasaki's agent, and are now waiting to hear back about whether they will be able to meet with the pitcher in person. Scott Harris said the Tigers submitted all their materials and presentation to Joel Wolfe, the agent for top Japanese pitcher Rōki Sasaki, and are now waiting to hear back if they'll be one of the teams to get a post-holiday meeting to make their pitch. "We submitted all of our materials and our presentation," Harris said, via Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press . "We understand that we are supposed to hear back after the holidays." Sasaki will not finalize his contract before Jan. 15, when the 2025 international amateur signing period begins. He's currently in the middle of a 45-day negotiating window with major league teams. Because Sasaki is 23 years old and lacks the requisite experience pitching at the highest level in Japan, he is limited to a signing bonus within a team's international amateur spending pool limits. That means he can make no more than an approximate $7.5 million bonus, on top of the major league minimum salary, in 2025. Between his affordable salary and tremendous talent, Sasaki is the most coveted free agent available this offseason. More news: Fourth Reported MLB Team to Meet With Roki Sasaki is a Huge Underdog When he was 20, Sasaki threw a 19-strikeout perfect game for the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2022. In his next start, he threw eight more perfect innings in a row. In the 2023 World Baseball Classic, his fastball sat at 100 mph. Last season, Sasaki went 10-5 with a 2.35 ERA in 18 starts for Chiba Lotte, with 129 strikeouts in 111 innings. The Marines formally posted him during the Winter Meetings. More news: One NL Contender Appears Out of Roki Sasaki Sweepstakes The Texas Rangers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox and Chicago Cubs a re all reported to have met with Sasaki and his representatives earlier this month in Southern California. The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres have long been viewed as the favorites to sign Sasaki. A team based in the Midwest without a long history of signing Japanese-born players, such as the Tigers, would be considered an underdog. More news: Yankees, Dodgers, Mets Begin Pursuit of Roki Sasaki The Tigers currently employ Japanese-born pitcher Kenta Maeda, 36, who has played in MLB since 2016. He's only the third Japanese-born player to pitch in Detroit, following Masao Kida and Hideo Nomo, both of whom debuted before Sasaki was born. For more MLB news, visit Newsweek Sports .
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The 39-year-old takes charge for the first time in Sunday’s Premier League trip to promoted Ipswich having been confirmed as Erik ten Hag’s successor at the beginning of November. Amorim has made a positive impression since starting work at the United in an international fortnight that ended with an impressive first appearance in front of the media. 🆚 Ipswich Town.🏟️ Portman Road.⏰ 16:30 GMT. 🫡 We will be there. #MUFC pic.twitter.com/0eHCSDYmhE — Manchester United (@ManUtd) November 21, 2024 The Portuguese was gregarious, engaging and smiley throughout Friday’s press conference but that warmth comes with a ruthlessness edge if players do not adhere to his approach. “You can be the same person,” head coach Amorim said. “Be a positive person that can understand this is one place to be, then there is the dressing room, there are some places to have fun, there are some places to work hard. “So, I can be ruthless when I have to be. If you think as a team, I will be the nicest guy you have ever seen. If there is someone just thinking about himself, I will be a different person. “I’m not that type of guy that wants to show that he is the boss. “They will feel it in the small details, that I can be the smiling one but then when we have a job to do I will be a different person, and they understand that.” ‘The Smiling One’ follows ‘the Special One’ as United’s second Portuguese manager, with Jose Mourinho one of five managers to try and fail to reach the heights scaled by Sir Alex Ferguson. The Scot retired as a Premier League champion in 2013 and the Red Devils have failed to launch a sustained title bid since adding that 20th top-flight crown. Asked about whether he will lean on Ferguson to understand the history of United and whether he has met him, Amorim said: “No, not yet. I didn’t have that opportunity. “It’s hard to copy someone, so I have to be me. Of course I’m not the best person in here to show the history of Manchester United. “It should be the club first and also me because I’m always paying attention on those details and try to focus our players in the history of the club, not the recent history. “You have to be very demanding. This is a club that needs to win, has to win, so we have to show that to our players but it’s a different time. “I cannot be the same guy that Sir Alex Ferguson was. It’s a different time. “I have to have a different approach, but I can also be demanding with a different approach, so that is my focus.” Like Ferguson in 1986, Amorim starts life at United in the November of a season that started with a paltry points tally. The 39-year-old acknowledges the timing makes “it’s so much harder” for him to imprint his style at a club whose youth foundations look in safe hands. “It’s the project of Manchester United,” Amorim said. “Nowadays, you need young guys, guys from the academy for everything. “To bring that history of the club because they feel the club in a different way. “And also because you have all these rules with financial fair play, when a player from our academy is so much different to the players that we bought and then we sell. “So, everything is connected. I will try to help all the players, especially the young ones.” Amorim’s first match will be a fascinating watch for onlookers, who have kept a particularly close eye on his work during his farewell to Sporting Lisbon. The Portuguese managed three final matches after being confirmed as United head coach, including a 4-1 Champions League win against Manchester City. Pep Guardiola’s side have dominated English football in recent years and the City boss this week signed a new deal until 2027. “I think it’s a problem for everybody here, but we have so much to do, we cannot focus on anyone,” Amorim said. “We just have to focus on our club, improve our club and not focus on the other clubs, so let’s focus on Manchester United. “It’s amazing (the test) – if you can beat that team it’s a good sign but, like I said, we are focused on Manchester United.”