5jili At least one Israeli airstrike shook the Lebanese capital of Beirut late Tuesday, moments after U.S. President Joe Biden said Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to ceasefire deal . At least 24 people have been killed in strikes across Lebanon, according to local authorities, as Israel signaled it aims to keep pummeling Hezbollah before the ceasefire is set to take hold at 4 a.m. local time on Wednesday. Hezbollah also fired rockets into Israel on Tuesday, triggering air raid sirens across the country’s north. An Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire would mark the first major step toward ending the regionwide unrest triggered by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. But it does not address the devastating war in Gaza. Hezbollah began attacking Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, a day after Hamas’ attack on southern Israel, in support of the Palestinian militant group. More than a year of fighting in Lebanon escalated into all-out war in September with massive Israeli airstrikes across the country and an Israeli ground invasion of the south. In Gaza, more than 44,000 people have been killed and more than 104,000 wounded in the nearly 14-month war between Israel and Hamas, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Here's the Latest: JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security Cabinet has approved a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah, clearing the way for the truce to take effect. Netanyahu’s office said the plan was approved by a 10-1 margin. The late-night vote came shortly before President Joe Biden was expected to announced details of the deal in Washington. Earlier, Netanyahu defended the ceasefire, saying Israel has inflicted heavy damage on Hezbollah and could now focus its efforts on Hamas militants in Gaza and his top security concern, Iran. Netanyahu vowed to strike Hezbollah hard if it violates the expected deal. WASHINGTON — Rep. Mike Waltz, President-elect Donald Trump’s designate to be national security adviser, credited Trump’s victory with helping bring the parties together toward a ceasefire in Lebanon. “Everyone is coming to the table because of President Trump,” he said in a post on X on Tuesday. “His resounding victory sent a clear message to the rest of the world that chaos won’t be tolerated. I’m glad to see concrete steps towards deescalation in the Middle East.” He added: “But let’s be clear: The Iran Regime is the root cause of the chaos & terror that has been unleashed across the region. We will not tolerate the status quo of their support for terrorism.” BEIRUT — Israeli jets targeted a building in a bustling commercial area of Beirut for the first time since the start of the 13-month war between Hezbollah and Israel. The strike on Hamra is around 400 meters (yards) from the country’s central bank. A separate strike hit the Mar Elias neighborhood in the country’s capital Tuesday. There was no immediate word on casualties from either strike, part of the biggest wave of attacks on the capital since the war started. Residents in central Beirut were seen fleeing after the Israeli army issued evacuation warnings for four targets in the city. Meanwhile, the Israeli army carried out airstrikes on at least 30 targets in Beirut’s southern suburbs Tuesday, including two strikes in the Jnah neighborhood near the Kuwaiti Embassy. Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported that 13 people were injured in the strikes on the southern suburbs. BEIRUT — Hezbollah has said it accepts the ceasefire proposal with Israel, but a senior official with the group said Tuesday that it had not seen the agreement in its final form. “After reviewing the agreement signed by the enemy government, we will see if there is a match between what we stated and what was agreed upon by the Lebanese officials,” Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of Hezbollah’s political council, told the Al Jazeera news network. “We want an end to the aggression, of course, but not at the expense of the sovereignty of the state.” of Lebanon, he said. “Any violation of sovereignty is refused.” Among the issues that may remain is an Israeli demand to reserve the right to act should Hezbollah violate its obligations under the emerging deal. The deal seeks to push Hezbollah and Israeli troops out of southern Lebanon. JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that he would recommend his Cabinet adopt a United States-brokered ceasefire agreement with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, as Israeli warplanes struck across Lebanon, killing at least 23 people. The Israeli military also issued a flurry of evacuation warnings — a sign it was aiming to inflict punishment on Hezbollah down to the final moments before any ceasefire takes hold. For the first time in the conflict, Israeli ground troops reached parts of Lebanon’s Litani River, a focal point of the emerging deal. In a televised statement, Netanyahu said he would present the ceasefire to Cabinet ministers later on Tuesday, setting the stage for an end to nearly 14 months of fighting. Netanyahu said the vote was expected later Tuesday. It was not immediately clear when the ceasefire would go into effect, and the exact terms of the deal were not released. The deal does not affect Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, which shows no signs of ending. BEIRUT — Lebanon’s state media said Israeli strikes on Tuesday killed at least 10 people in Baalbek province the country’s east. At least three people were killed in the southern city of Tyre when Israel bombed a Palestinian refugee camp, said Mohammed Bikai, a representative of the Fatah group in the area. He said several more people were missing and at least three children were among the wounded. He said the sites struck inside the camp were “completely civilian places” and included a kitchen that was being used to cook food for displaced people. JERUSALEM — Dozens of Israeli protesters took to a major highway in Tel Aviv on Tuesday evening to call for the return of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, as the country awaited news of a potential ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah. Protesters chanted “We are all hostages,” and “Deal now!” waving signs with faces of some of the roughly 100 hostages believed to be still held in Gaza, at least a third of whom are thought to be dead. Most of the other hostages Hamas captured in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack were released during a ceasefire last year. The prospect of a ceasefire deal in Lebanon has raised desperation among the relatives of captives still held in Gaza, who once hoped that the release of hostages from Gaza would be included. Instead of a comprehensive deal, the ceasefire on the table is instead narrowly confined to Lebanon. Dozens of Israelis were also demonstrating against the expected cease-fire, gathering outside Israel’s military headquarters in central Tel Aviv. One of the protesters, Yair Ansbacher, says the deal is merely a return to the failed 2006 U.N. resolution that was meant to uproot Hezbollah from the area. “Of course that didn’t happen,” he says. “This agreement is not worth the paper it is written on.” FIUGGI, Italy — Foreign ministers from the world’s industrialized countries said Tuesday they strongly supported an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah and insisted that Israel comply with international law in its ongoing military operations in the region. At the end of their two-day summit, the ministers didn’t refer directly to the International Criminal Court and its recent arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister over crimes against humanity . Italy had put the ICC warrants on the official meeting agenda, even though the G7 was split on the issue. The U.S., Israel’s closest ally, isn’t a signatory to the court and has called the warrants “outrageous.” However, the EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell said all the other G7 countries were signatories and therefore obliged to respect the warrants. In the end, the final statement adopted by the ministers said Israel, in exercising its right to defend itself, “must fully comply with its obligations under international law in all circumstances, including international humanitarian law.” And it said all G7 members — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States – “reiterate our commitment to international humanitarian law and will comply with our respective obligations.” It stressed that “there can be no equivalence between the terrorist group Hamas and the State of Israel.” The ICC warrants say there's reason to believe Netanyahu used “starvation as a method of warfare” by restricting humanitarian aid and intentionally targeted civilians in Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza — charges Israeli officials deny. BEIRUT — An Israeli strike on Tuesday levelled a residential building in the central Beirut district of Basta — the second time in recent days warplanes have hit the crowded area near the city’s downtown. At least seven people were killed and 37 wounded in Beirut, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. It was not immediately clear if anyone in particular was targeted, though Israel says its airstrikes target Hezbollah officials and assets. The Israeli military spokesman issued a flurry of evacuation warnings for many areas, including areas in Beirut that have not been targeted throughout the war, like the capital’s commercial Hamra district, where many people displaced by the war have been staying. The warnings, coupled with fear that Israel was ratcheting up attacks in Lebanon during the final hours before a ceasefire is reached, sparked panic and sent residents fleeing in their cars to safer areas. In areas close to Hamra, families including women and children were seen running away toward the Mediterranean Sea’s beaches carrying their belongings. Traffic was completely gridlocked as people tried to get away, honking their car horns as Israeli drones buzzed loudly overhead. The Israeli military also issued warnings for 20 more buildings in Beirut’s suburbs to evacuate before they too were struck — a sign it was aiming to inflict punishment on Hezbollah in the final moments before any ceasefire takes hold. TEL AVIV, Israel — The independent civilian commission of inquiry into the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel has found Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly responsible for the failures leading up to the attack, alongside former defense ministers, the army chief and the heads of the security services. The civil commission presented its findings today after a four-month probe in which it heard some 120 witnesses. It was set up by relatives of victims of the Hamas attack, in response to the absence of any state probe. The commission determined that the Israeli government, its army and security services “failed in their primary mission of protecting the citizens of Israel.” It said Netanyahu was responsible for ignoring “repeated warnings” ahead of Oct. 7, 2023 for what it described as his appeasing approach over the years toward Hamas, and for “undermining all decision-making centers, including the cabinet and the National Security Council, in a way that prevented any serious discussion” on security issues. The commission further determined that the military and defense leaders bear blame for ignoring warnings from within the army, and for reducing the army’s presence along the Gaza border while relying excessively on technological means. On the day of the Hamas attack, the report says, the army’s response was both slow and lacking. The civil commission called for the immediate establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the Oct. 7 attack. Netanyahu has opposed launching a state commission of inquiry, arguing that such an investigation should begin only once the war is over. JERUSALEM -- The Israeli military says its ground troops have reached parts of Lebanon’s Litani River — a focal point of the emerging ceasefire. In a statement Tuesday, the army said it had reached the Wadi Slouqi area in southern Lebanon and clashed with Hezbollah forces. Under a proposed ceasefire, Hezbollah would be required to move its forces north of the Litani, which in some places is some 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the Israeli border. The military says the clashes with Hezbollah took place on the eastern end of the Litani, just a few kilometers (miles) from the border. It is one of the deepest places Israeli forces have reached in a nearly two-month ground operation. The military says soldiers destroyed rocket launchers and missiles and engaged in “close-quarters combat” with Hezbollah forces. The announcement came hours before Israel’s security Cabinet is expected to approve a ceasefire that would end nearly 14 months of fighting. BEIRUT — Israeli jets Tuesday struck at least six buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs Tuesday, including one that slammed near the country’s only airport. Large plumes of smoke could be seen around the airport near the Mediterranean coast, which has continued to function despite its location beside the densely populated suburbs where many of Hezbollah’s operations are based. The strikes come hours before Israel’s cabinet was scheduled to meet to discuss a proposal to end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. The proposal calls for an initial two-month ceasefire during which Israeli forces would withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the southern border south of the Litani River. There were no immediate reports of casualties from Tuesday’s airstrikes. FIUGGI, Italy — EU top diplomat Josep Borrell, whose term ends Dec. 1, said he proposed to the G7 and Arab ministers who joined in talks on Monday that the U.N. Security Council take up a resolution specifically demanding humanitarian assistance reach Palestinians in Gaza, saying deliveries have been completely impeded. “The two-state solution will come later. Everything will come later. But we are talking about weeks or days,” for desperate Palestinians, he said. “Hunger has been used as an arm against people who are completely abandoned.” It was a reference to the main accusation levelled by the International Criminal Court in its arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister. Borrell said the signatories to the court, including six of the seven G7 members, are obliged under international law to respect and implement the court’s decisions. Host Italy put the ICC warrants on the G7 agenda at the last minute, but there was no consensus on the wording of how the G7 would respond given the U.S., Israel’s closest ally, has called the warrants “outrageous.” Italy, too, has said it respects the court but expressed concern that the warrants were politically motivated and ill-advised given Netanyahu is necessary for any deal to end the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. “Like it or not, the International Criminal Court is a court as powerful as any national court,” Borrell said. “And if the Europeans don’t support International Criminal Court then there would not be any hope for justice,” he said. Borrell, whose term ends Dec. 1, said he proposed to the G7 and Arab ministers who joined in talks on Monday that the U.N. Security Council take up a resolution specifically demanding humanitarian assistance reach Palestinians in Gaza, saying deliveries have been completely impeded. “The two-state solution will come later. Everything will come later. But we are talking about weeks or days,” for desperate Palestinians, he said. “Hunger has been used as an arm against people who are completely abandoned.” It was a reference to the main accusation levelled by the International Criminal Court in its arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister. Borrell said the signatories to the court, including six of the seven G7 members, are obliged under international law to respect and implement the court’s decisions. Host Italy put the ICC warrants on the G7 agenda at the last minute, but there was no consensus on the wording of how the G7 would respond given the U.S., Israel’s closest ally, has called the warrants “outrageous.” Italy, too, has said it respects the court but expressed concern that the warrants were politically motivated and ill-advised given Netanyahu is necessary for any deal to end the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. “Like it or not, the International Criminal Court is a court as powerful as any national court,” Borrell said. “And if the Europeans don’t support International Criminal Court then there would not be any hope for justice,” he said. (edited)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/NFL

Published 23:26 IST, December 28th 2024 Kriti Sanon Attends Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s Performance In Dubai With Kabir Bahia, Varun Sharma, Nupur Sanon. Pictures are now going viral on social media. Kriti Sanon has been rumoured to be dating businessman Kabir Bahia and often the two are snapped enjoying dinner and celebrating festivals together. Kriti’s sister Nupur Sanon has shared pictures and videos which show Kriti Sanon and her enjoying Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s performance at an event in Dubai. Viral pics of Kriti Sanon having fun with her rumoured boyfriend Kabir Bahia Kriti Sanon ’s sister Nupur Sanon took to her Instagram stories to share a series of pictures. In the pictures, Kriti Sanon, Varun Sharma and Nupur can be seen having a gala time at the show. Along with sharing pictures, she wrote, “With my main 3 handsome men!" Another picture that has surfaced on Instagram shows Kriti Sanon, Kabir Bahia, Nupur, cricketer MS Dhoni, and others together on the stage, enjoying Stebin’s performance. Kriti Sanon-Kabir Bahia’s Christmas celebrations Kriti Sanon recently celebrated Christmas with Kabir, his family and MS Dhoni. Sharing the photos, she simply dropped Christmas tree, Santa Claus and heart emoticons. Kabir also shared a photo on his Instagram Stories that shows him, along with Kriti, MS Dhoni, his wife Sakshi Dhoni and their daughter Ziva, happily posing for the camera. It all started when rumours of Kriti Sanon dating Karan Bahia surfaced when a fan in Greece photographed them at an open-air restaurant. The rumoured couple had celebrated Diwali together with family. Kriti Sanon's rumoured boyfriend maintains a strong connection with Indian cricketers as well, including the legendary captain MS Dhoni and his wife Sakshi Dhoni, as well as Hardik Pandya . Get Current Updates on India News , Entertainment News along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world. Updated 23:26 IST, December 28th 2024GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Ryan Forrest's 30 points led N.C. A&T over North Carolina Central 85-72 on Saturday. Forrest shot 12 of 18 from the field, including 2 for 4 from 3-point range, and went 4 for 7 from the line for the Aggies (4-10). Landon Glasper scored 25 points while going 7 of 17 from the floor, including 5 for 12 from 3-point range, and 6 for 6 from the line. Jahnathan Lamothe went 3 of 7 from the field (1 for 4 from 3-point range) to finish with nine points, while adding eight rebounds. The Aggies stopped an eight-game skid with the win. Po'Boigh King finished with 21 points for the Eagles (6-10). Keishon Porter added 11 points and seven rebounds for North Carolina Central. Dionte Johnson also recorded 11 points. N.C. A&T took the lead with 1:28 remaining in the first half and never looked back. The score was 46-39 at halftime, with Glasper racking up 18 points. Forrest scored 18 points in the second half to help lead the way as N.C. A&T went on to secure a victory, outscoring North Carolina Central by six points in the second half. NEXT UP Up next for N.C. A&T is a matchup Thursday with Elon at home. North Carolina Central hosts Saint Andrews (NC) on Tuesday. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .

Huge tail-dancing beasts baffle American scientists and shock residents: 'They're like dinosaurs'

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina legislative Republicans moved closer Monday to enacting a measure that would erode the powers of the incoming governor and other Democratic officials, and also placing on the ballot constitutional amendments that could buttress GOP voting and tax policies. Along party lines, the GOP-dominated state Senate voted successfully to override Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's veto of a bill that in part would weaken Gov.-elect Josh Stein, the next attorney general in Jeff Jackson and other Democrats also elected in November as lieutenant governor and schools superintendent. Those changes are within a 131-page measure initially approved two weeks ago during a lame-duck session of the General Assembly. Republicans advanced the measure as their current veto-proof majority over Cooper likely will end after this month as Democrats won additional House seats. That will give Stein, who takes office in January, a better chance to use his veto stamp to block successfully bills he opposes. Cooper vetoed the measure last week , calling the bill a “sham” that does very little financially to help with Hurricane Helene recovery, even as “disaster relief” was included in the bill's title. He also said provisions altering executive branch powers were unconstitutional. One provision starting in the spring would end the governor's authority to appoint the State Board of Elections and transfer it to the state auditor, who will now be Republican Dave Boliek. The bill now returns to the House, where last month three Republicans voted against the measure. Such a margin, if left intact, could scuttle the attempted override expected next week. Senate leader Phil Berger said after Monday’s vote he was confident that House Republicans would have the votes to complete the override. Even then, litigation is possible. The GOP-controlled legislature has tried to change the election board’s makeup for several years by passing laws that have been blocked by courts, including one last year that would move board appointment authority from the governor to the General Assembly. As with the Senate's initial debate on the bill two weeks ago, the chamber gallery was full of bill opponents who call it a Republican power grab after the electorate chose Democrats to top positions in the Nov. 5 elections. Republicans are “not listening to the voters in North Carolina,” said demonstrator Della Hann, 64, of Southport. “There are checks and balances in government and they need to be respected.” But Berger said in a news release that the provisions "actually balance our three branches of state government so that North Carolina remains on a positive trajectory, free from Democratic party and liberal activist obstruction.” Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the Senate's presiding officer, ordered the Senate gallery cleared last month when visitors clapped once too often during a debate on the measure. On Monday, Robinson cleared the gallery again following disruptions after Cooper's veto message was read and right before the vote. “Everybody's got to go,” Robinson said before calling for a 10-minute recess. To avoid potential arrest, protesters left the Legislative Building or quieted down outside the gallery. Senate Republicans proceeded later to approve in separate bills proposed amendments to the North Carolina Constitution related to photo voter identification and a cap on income taxes. Each received 30 votes — exactly the number needed for a constitutional referendum. To be placed on ballots statewide in November 2026, these measures still would have to be voted on by the House by the end of the year and receive 72 votes. Constitutional amendments aren't subject to vetoes. One proposed referendum would, if approved by a majority of voters, amend the constitution to say all North Carolina voters must show photo identification before voting. The constitution currently only specifies that it's required for in-person voting. ID exceptions are allowed now and would remain with the amendment. The other referendum would set a rate cap on income taxes at 5%, down from the current 7%. Individual and corporate income tax rates are currently both below 5% in the state, and state laws separate from the constitution already direct that people voting by mail provide a photocopy of a qualifying identification. Senate Republicans backing the ID question said it's important to ensure that all forms of voting will be treated equally going forward as it relates to photo ID, which the GOP successfully got approved in 2018 but didn't take effect until last year. And with Republicans approving multiple income tax reductions over the years that have boosted the state economy, Cabarrus County Republican Sen . Paul Newton said, it's time again to let voters decide whether they should remain permanently lower. Democrats opposed to a lower tax cap say the state is already facing revenue challenges in light of lower tax rates that will make it harder to address major spending needs. Gary D. Robertson, The Associated Press

Wingstop Announces Additional $500 Million Share Repurchase Authorization

39,052 Shares in Kodiak Gas Services, Inc. (NYSE:KGS) Acquired by Franklin Resources Inc.President-elect Donald Trump has promised to bring down prices on groceries, rent and other basic necessities of life. U.S. presidents don’t typically have direct control over how much any of those things cost, but their policies can have an effect. In Trump’s case, the proposals that economists think could have significant influence are tariffs, or taxes on imports. On Monday, Trump threatened to impose new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China — the United States’ three biggest trading partners — as soon as he takes office, on Jan. 20. The Republican said the new rate for goods from Canada and Mexico would be 25% as a pressure campaign to curb the illegal drug trade and immigration. Trump proposed an additional 10% on China after previously pledging a 60% tariff on products from there. He has also proposed anywhere from 10 to 20% tariffs on other imports. Trump says his plans would bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. But economic experts say Trump’s proposals will hurt American families’ wallets with more expensive cars, appliances and technology. Wayne Winegarden, senior fellow in economics at the right-leaning Pacific Research Institute, said additional tariffs will raise the price of not only foreign goods, but those produced domestically as well. “We import steel that goes into production of cars, so cars will be more expensive,” Winegarden said. “You may see prices going up.” Winegarden said he sees the tariffs as a broad-based consumption tax that will be bad for the economy. “How bad just depends on how high the rates are and there will be secondary effects in terms of how other countries respond as well,” he said. “Even if they don’t respond — I think that’s important for people to know, even if nobody raises their tariff in response to us — we’re still making U.S. families worse off.” Under a scenario with a broad 10% tariff and a 60% China tariff, the effect on households, even if there is no tariff retaliation, would be an additional $2,421 per household in 2023 dollars according to the Budget Lab at Yale University, a nonpartisan research center. The economy was a major concern for many voters in the presidential election, although inflation has generally slowed from a peak of 9.1% in June 2022. In October, 62% of registered voters said the economy is in poor condition. Economists say, though, it’s unlikely that prices will broadly come down to where they were during Trump’s first term. If prices came down that much, it would likely be the result of a weak economy. Lauren Saidel-Baker, an economist at ITR economics, a nonpartisan economic research and consulting firm based in New Hampshire, said her forecast is that inflation will continue to slow through the end of the year and will pick back up early next year. Saidel-Baker said she had this expectation before considering Trump policies because the money supply is increasing, leading to a faster pace of transactions. But tariffs are one of her main concerns about how Trump’s policies will affect inflation next year. She said goods inflation is under control at the moment while the services sector is harder hit by inflation as the result of a tighter labor market. Under the Trump administration, goods inflation could start picking up again. “Tariffs could cause goods to catch back up. But we have long-term demographic problems that are going to keep the labor market tight. I don’t see service inflation getting materially better, especially if we do things like these mass deportations that’s going to cut from the working-age population,” Saidel-Baker said. During his first term, Trump imposed tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum, solar panels and washing machines, to name a few. Several countries responded with retaliatory tariffs, including China. Although Trump’s tariffs boosted jobs in the steel and washing machine industries, the effect was a fall in the long run GDP by 0.2% and a loss in employment of 142,000 full-time jobs, the Tax Foundation, a tax policy think tank, estimated . “We already have evidence of what his tariffs are going to do from his first term. And those aren’t positive. It did not achieve what he says they’re going to achieve,” Winegarden said. Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at the NPD Group, a market research company, said a lot of companies have already moved their production away from China as a result of Trump’s first term tariffs. Steve Madden CEO Edward Rosenfeld explained in an earnings call that the company is implementing a plan to reduce its reliance on China, where more than 70% of its imports are from. Cohen said that despite this shift, certain goods could be more affected by tariffs, such as technology, cars, appliances, and the toy business that are based in or have many ties to China. Companies such as Columbia Sportswear, AutoZone, Stanley Black & Decker have said that they will raise prices in anticipation of tariffs. “If we get tariffs, we will pass those tariff costs back to the consumer,” Philip Daniele, CEO of AutoZone, said in an earnings call. Isabella Weber, associate professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, who recently co-authored a paper on companies’ pricing strategies, said how much companies are comfortable raising prices depends on how much sales fall. “We have seen that companies were willing to increase prices even when it came at reductions in the volume sold. So, demand falling is not necessarily a reason for companies to not raise prices,” she said. “However, there comes a point of course at which further price increases no longer improve the bottom line if sales fall too much. In some segments, especially the ones where low-income households are important buyers like for example fast food, that point could have been reached.”Donald Trump has unveiled William Joseph McGinley as the first official hire for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) , an advisory body designed to overhaul federal spending and regulations. McGinley will serve as counsel for the initiative, which is being spearheaded by high-profile figures including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Although the name suggests otherwise, DOGE is not an official government department. Instead, it functions as a presidential advisory body tasked with recommending significant cuts to government spending and bureaucracy. Trump's latest move signals his administration's intent to streamline federal operations as a key agenda point for his presidency. Announcing McGinley's appointment on Truth Social, Trump described him as pivotal to the programme's mission. "Bill will play a crucial role in liberating our economy from burdensome regulations, excess spending, and government waste," Trump stated. McGinley, a seasoned political lawyer, previously served as counsel for the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee. He was also considered for the role of White House counsel under Trump, a position that ultimately went to David Warrington. As DOGE's counsel, McGinley will advise the Office of Management and Budget on streamlining federal bureaucracy. The brainchild of Musk and Ramaswamy, DOGE aims not only to slash spending but also to restore what they describe as "democratic control" over the United States government. Writing in a recent opinion piece for The Wall Street Journal , the duo argued that unelected civil servants within government agencies wield disproportionate power, creating an "existential threat" to democratic governance. Musk and Ramaswamy estimate DOGE could identify up to $2 trillion (£1.6 trillion) in savings, equivalent to roughly one-third of annual federal spending. Their vision includes presenting lists of regulatory changes directly to Trump, enabling him to pause enforcement through executive action and begin the process of rescission. "This is not merely about saving money; it's about dismantling the entrenched bureaucracy that undermines the republic," they wrote. Elon Musk, known for his ambitious ventures, has taken to X (formerly Twitter) to recruit volunteers for DOGE. Warning that the work will be "tedious" and without financial compensation, Musk has described the initiative as a labour of love for "small-government crusaders." Musk himself has pledged to forgo any salary for his involvement in DOGE. The advisory body is designed to be temporary, with a planned expiration date of 4 July 2026, coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. While DOGE has garnered strong backing from small-government Republicans, it has also received tentative support from the populist left, particularly for its potential to address excessive defence spending. According to reports , Bernie Sanders praised Musk's scrutiny of Pentagon expenditures, highlighting the Department of Defence's failure to pass seven consecutive audits and its inability to account for billions in spending. Similarly, progressive commentator Cenk Uygur voiced his approval in an interview, stating, "If Elon and Trump manage to cut the Pentagon's budget or address conflicts of interest among military generals, it would be a victory for reforms the left has sought for decades." Despite its lofty goals, DOGE faces significant hurdles. Critics argue that dismantling entrenched bureaucratic structures is easier said than done, while opponents from the political left and right remain sceptical of the programme's viability and intent. Additionally, Musk's insistence on volunteer labour has raised questions about whether DOGE can attract enough qualified personnel to achieve its ambitious goals.

On December 27, 2024, XTI Aerospace, Inc. held its annual meeting of stockholders to vote on several proposals, as disclosed in a recent SEC filing. The company revealed that each proposal presented received significant attention and participation from shareholders. In the meeting, the stockholders were presented with six proposals for consideration and voting. The first proposal, which involved the Election of Directors, resulted in Soumya Das and Scott Pomeroy being elected to serve as Class I directors until the 2027 annual meeting of stockholders or until their successors are elected and qualified. However, the third proposal, which sought Approval of an amendment to the Company’s Restated Articles of Incorporation to increase the number of authorized shares of Common Stock, was not approved based on the estimated preliminary vote. The fourth proposal, which involved Approval of an amendment to the Articles of Incorporation to effect a reverse stock split of the Company’s outstanding Common Stock, was approved based on the estimated preliminary vote. Proposal five, seeking Approval of potential issuances of shares of Common Stock pursuant to non-public transactions, received approval based on the estimated preliminary vote. Lastly, the sixth proposal, Authorization to adjourn the Annual Meeting, was approved based on the estimated preliminary vote. While these results are preliminary and subject to change, the company intends to file an amendment to the Current Report on Form 8-K to disclose the final voting results after receiving the Inspector of Election’s final certified report. For further details on the voting percentages and specifics, investors are encouraged to refer to the company’s definitive proxy statement for the Annual Meeting. This article was generated by an automated content engine and was reviewed by a human editor prior to publication. For additional information, read XTI Aerospace’s 8K filing here . XTI Aerospace Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) XTI Aircraft Company manufactures vertical takeoff airplanes. The company provides TriFan 600, which lifts off vertically. XTI Aircraft Company was formerly known as AVX Aircraft Technologies, Inc and changed its name to XTI Aircraft Company in March 2015. The company was incorporated in 2009 and is based in Englewood, Colorado. See Also

Intel now has two CEOs: Will it soon be two companies?

WASHINGTON — The House shut down Democrats' efforts Thursday to release the long-awaited ethics report into former Rep. Matt Gaetz, pushing the fate of any resolution to the yearslong investigation of sexual misconduct allegations into further uncertainty. Matt Gaetz talks before President-elect Donald Trump speaks during an America First Policy Institute gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate Nov. 14 in Palm Beach, Fla. The nearly party-line votes came after Democrats had been pressing for the findings to be published even though the Florida Republican left Congress and withdrew as President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general. Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., was the sole Republican to support the effort. Most Republicans have argued that any congressional probe into Gaetz ended when he resigned from the House. Speaker Mike Johnson also requested that the committee not publish its report, saying it would be a terrible precedent to set. While ethics reports have previously been released after a member’s resignation, it is extremely rare. Shortly before the votes took place, Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., who introduced one of the bills to force the release, said that if Republicans reject the release, they will have “succeeded in sweeping credible allegations of sexual misconduct under the rug.” Gaetz has repeatedly denied the claims. Earlier Thursday, the Ethics panel met to discuss the Gaetz report but made no decision, saying in a short statement that the matter is still being discussed. It's unclear now whether the document will ever see the light of day as lawmakers have only a few weeks left before a new session of Congress begins. It's the culmination of weeks of pressure on the Ethics committee's five Republicans and five Democrats who mostly work in secret as they investigate allegations of misconduct against lawmakers. The status of the Gaetz investigation became an open question last month when he abruptly resigned from Congress after Trump's announcement that he wanted his ally in the Cabinet. It is standard practice for the committee to end investigations when members of Congress depart, but the circumstances surrounding Gaetz were unusual, given his potential role in the new administration. Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., the committee chairman, said Wednesday that there is no longer the same urgency to release the report given that Gaetz has left Congress and stepped aside as Trump's choice to head the Justice Department. “I’ve been steadfast about that. He’s no longer a member. He is no longer going to be confirmed by the Senate because he withdrew his nomination to be the attorney general,” Guest said. The Gaetz report has also caused tensions between lawmakers on the bipartisan committee. Pennsylvania Rep. Susan Wild, the top Democrat on the panel, publicly admonished Guest last month for mischaracterizing a previous meeting to the press. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing and said last year that the Justice Department’s separate investigation against him into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls ended without federal charges. His onetime political ally Joel Greenberg, a fellow Republican who served as the tax collector in Florida’s Seminole County, admitted as part of a plea deal with prosecutors in 2021 that he paid women and an underage girl to have sex with him and other men. The men were not identified in court documents when he pleaded guilty. Greenberg was sentenced in late 2022 to 11 years in prison. Among President-elect Donald Trump's picks are Susie Wiles for chief of staff, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, former Democratic House member Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general. Susie Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Trump named Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state, making a former sharp critic his choice to be the new administration's top diplomat. Rubio, 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket last summer. Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” Trump said of Rubio in a statement. The announcement punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom the senator called a “con man" during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. And as Trump campaigned for the presidency a third time, Rubio cheered his proposals. For instance, Rubio, who more than a decade ago helped craft immigration legislation that included a path to citizenship for people in the U.S. illegally, now supports Trump's plan to use the U.S. military for mass deportations. Pete Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend” and has been a contributor with the network since 2014, where he developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. Hegseth lacks senior military or national security experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises — ranging from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea. Hegseth is also the author of “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” published earlier this year. Trump tapped Pam Bondi, 59, to be attorney general after U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration. She was Florida's first female attorney general, serving between 2011 and 2019. She also was on Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020. Considered a loyalist, she served as part of a Trump-allied outside group that helped lay the groundwork for his future administration called the America First Policy Institute. Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. A fierce defender of Trump, she also frequently appears on Fox News and has been a critic of the criminal cases against him. Trump picked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a well-known conservative who faced sharp criticism for telling a story in her memoir about shooting a rambunctious dog, to lead an agency crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda. Noem used her two terms leading a tiny state to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics. South Dakota is usually a political afterthought. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions that other states had issued and instead declared her state “open for business.” Trump held a fireworks rally at Mount Rushmore in July 2020 in one of the first large gatherings of the pandemic. She takes over a department with a sprawling mission. In addition to key immigration agencies, the Department of Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service, and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports. The governor of North Dakota, who was once little-known outside his state, Burgum is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump, and spent months traveling to drum up support for him, after dropping out of the race. Burgum was a serious contender to be Trump’s vice presidential choice this summer. The two-term governor was seen as a possible pick because of his executive experience and business savvy. Burgum also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs. Trump made the announcement about Burgum joining his incoming administration while addressing a gala at his Mar-a-Lago club, and said a formal statement would be coming the following day. In comments to reporters before Trump took the stage, Burgum said that, in recent years, the power grid is deteriorating in many parts of the country, which he said could raise national security concerns but also drive up prices enough to increase inflation. “There's just a sense of urgency, and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration,” Burgum said. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president as a Democrat, than as an independent, and then endorsed Trump . He's the son of Democratic icon Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated during his own presidential campaign. The nomination of Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services alarmed people who are concerned about his record of spreading unfounded fears about vaccines . For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Scott Bessent, 62, is a former George Soros money manager and an advocate for deficit reduction. He's the founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management, after having worked on-and-off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary. He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trump’s campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending. “This election cycle is the last chance for the U.S. to grow our way out of this mountain of debt without becoming a sort of European-style socialist democracy,” he said then. Oregon Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her reelection bid this month, but received strong backing from union members in her district. As a potential labor secretary, she would oversee the Labor Department’s workforce, its budget and put forth priorities that impact workers’ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employer’s rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities. Chavez-DeRemer is one of few House Republicans to endorse the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and would add penalties for companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws that allow employees in more than half the states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their places of employment. Scott Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he’s yet selected for his administration, with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” Sean Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, “Fox and Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children. A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Write is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking — a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. Wright also has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.” The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States. Wright also won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump’s first term. President-elect Donald Trump tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump promised to dismantle. McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s initial term from 2017 to 2019 and twice ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut. She’s seen as a relative unknown in education circles, though she expressed support for charter schools and school choice. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. Brooke Rollins, who graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural development, is a longtime Trump associate who served as White House domestic policy chief during his first presidency. The 52-year-old is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration. She previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Trump chose Howard Lutnick, head of brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and a cryptocurrency enthusiast, as his nominee for commerce secretary, a position in which he'd have a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs. Trump made the announcement Tuesday on his social media platform, Truth Social. Lutnick is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team, along with Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration. Both are tasked with putting forward candidates for key roles in the next administration. The nomination would put Lutnick in charge of a sprawling Cabinet agency that is involved in funding new computer chip factories, imposing trade restrictions, releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. It is also a position in which connections to CEOs and the wider business community are crucial. Doug Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial, which centered on U.S. assistance for Ukraine. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential nomination, but he was acquitted by the Senate. Collins has also served in the armed forces himself and is currently a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command. "We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need," Trump said in a statement about nominating Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Karoline Leavitt, 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. The White House press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps. Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, was a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term before she became communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump's choice for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has been tapped by Trump to be director of national intelligence, keeping with the trend to stock his Cabinet with loyal personalities rather than veteran professionals in their requisite fields. Gabbard, 43, was a Democratic House member who unsuccessfully sought the party's 2020 presidential nomination before leaving the party in 2022. She endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him this fall. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community,” Trump said in a statement. Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions. Trump has picked John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who served as director of national intelligence during his first administration, to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his next. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump's first term, leading the U.S. government's spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. “I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation's highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement, calling him a “fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans” who would ensure “the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.” Kash Patel spent several years as a Justice Department prosecutor before catching the Trump administration’s attention as a staffer on Capitol Hill who helped investigate the Russia probe. Patel called for dramatically reducing the agency’s footprint, a perspective that sets him apart from earlier directors who sought additional resources for the bureau. Though the Justice Department in 2021 halted the practice of secretly seizing reporters’ phone records during leak investigations, Patel said he intends to aggressively hunt down government officials who leak information to reporters. Trump has chosen former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to serve as his pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency . Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on X , “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.” “We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,” he added. During his campaign, Trump often attacked the Biden administration's promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referring to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often told his audiences during the campaign his administration would “Drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration. In a statement, Trump said Zeldin “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.” Trump has named Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, as the new chairman of the agency tasked with regulating broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband. Carr is a longtime member of the commission and served previously as the FCC’s general counsel. He has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate three times and was nominated by both Trump and President Joe Biden to the commission. Carr made past appearances on “Fox News Channel," including when he decried Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' pre-Election Day appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” He wrote an op-ed last month defending a satellite company owned by Trump supporter Elon Musk. Trump said Atkins, the CEO of Patomak Partners and a former SEC commissioner, was a “proven leader for common sense regulations.” In the years since leaving the SEC, Atkins has made the case against too much market regulation. “He believes in the promise of robust, innovative capital markets that are responsive to the needs of Investors, & that provide capital to make our Economy the best in the World. He also recognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The commission oversees U.S. securities markets and investments and is currently led by Gary Gensler, who has been leading the U.S. government’s crackdown on the crypto industry. Gensler, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, announced last month that he would be stepping down from his post on the day that Trump is inaugurated — Jan. 20, 2025. Atkins began his career as a lawyer and has a long history working in the financial markets sector, both in government and private practice. In the 1990s, he worked on the staffs of two former SEC chairmen, Richard C. Breeden and Arthur Levitt. Jared Isaacman, 41, is a tech billionaire who bought a series of spaceflights from Elon Musk’s SpaceX and conducted the first private spacewalk . He is the founder and CEO of a card-processing company and has collaborated closely with Musk ever since buying his first chartered SpaceX flight. He took contest winners on that 2021 trip and followed it in September with a mission where he briefly popped out the hatch to test SpaceX’s new spacewalking suits. Rep. Elise Stefanik is a representative from New York and one of Trump's staunchest defenders going back to his first impeachment. Elected to the House in 2014, Stefanik was selected by her GOP House colleagues as House Republican Conference chair in 2021, when former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after publicly criticizing Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election. Stefanik, 40, has served in that role ever since as the third-ranking member of House leadership. Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile. If confirmed, she would represent American interests at the U.N. as Trump vows to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine begun in 2022. He has also called for peace as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon to target Hezbollah. President-elect Donald Trump says he's chosen former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO. Trump has expressed skepticism about the Western military alliance for years. Trump said in a statement Wednesday that Whitaker is “a strong warrior and loyal Patriot” who “will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended” and “strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability.” The choice of Whitaker as the nation’s representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an unusual one, given his background is as a lawyer and not in foreign policy. A Republican congressman from Michigan who served from 1993 to 2011, Hoekstra was ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump's first term. “In my Second Term, Pete will help me once again put AMERICA FIRST,” Trump said in a statement announcing his choice. “He did an outstanding job as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands during our first four years, and I am confident that he will continue to represent our Country well in this new role.” Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah. “He loves Israel, and likewise the people of Israel love him,” Trump said in a statement. “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East.” Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland. Trump has been praised by some in this important Republican voting bloc for moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Trump on Tuesday named real estate investor Steven Witkoff to be special envoy to the Middle East. The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect's golf partner and was golfing with him at Trump's club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination. Witkoff “is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy,” Trump said of Witkoff in a statement. “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud." Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee. Trump said Wednesday that he will nominate Gen. Keith Kellogg to serve as assistant to the president and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as National Security Advisor to Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence. For the America First Policy Institute, one of several groups formed after Trump left office to help lay the groundwork for the next Republican administration, Kellogg in April wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.” (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) Trump asked Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, Trump announced in a statement Tuesday. The move puts Waltz in the middle of national security crises, ranging from efforts to provide weapons to Ukraine and worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah. “Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda,” Trump's statement said, "and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!” Waltz is a three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs. He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population. Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner , was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump's priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump's first administration. Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump's policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families. Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation's economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people who are in the United States illegally. Since Trump left office in 2021, Miller has served as the president of America First Legal, an organization made up of former Trump advisers aimed at challenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others over issues such as free speech and national security. Thomas Homan, 62, has been tasked with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history. Homan, who served under Trump in his first administration leading U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was widely expected to be offered a position related to the border, an issue Trump made central to his campaign. Though Homan has insisted such a massive undertaking would be humane, he has long been a loyal supporter of Trump's policy proposals, suggesting at a July conference in Washington that he would be willing to "run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.” Democrats have criticized Homan for his defending Trump's “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border. Former Rep. Billy Long represented Missouri in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2023. Since leaving Congress, Trump said, Long “has worked as a Business and Tax advisor, helping Small Businesses navigate the complexities of complying with the IRS Rules and Regulations.” Former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler was appointed in January 2020 by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and then lost a runoff election a year later. She started a conservative voter registration organization and dived into GOP fundraising, becoming one of the top individual donors and bundlers to Trump’s 2024 comeback campaign. Even before nominating her for agriculture secretary, the president-elect already had tapped Loeffler as co-chair of his inaugural committee. Dr. Mehmet Oz, 64, is a former heart surgeon who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show,” a long-running daytime television talk show. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of Trump, who endorsed Oz's bid for elected office. Elon Musk, left, and Vivek Ramaswamy speak before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at an Oct. 27 campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York. Trump on Tuesday said Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency" — which is not, despite the name, a government agency. The acronym “DOGE” is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said Musk and Ramaswamy will work from outside the government to offer the White House “advice and guidance” and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.” He added the move would shock government systems. It's not clear how the organization will operate. Musk, owner of X and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been a constant presence at Mar-a-Lago since Trump won the presidential election. Ramaswamy suspended his campaign in January and threw his support behind Trump. Trump said the two will “pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” Russell Vought held the position during Trump’s first presidency. After Trump’s initial term ended, Vought founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as “renew a consensus of America as a nation under God.” Vought was closely involved with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that he tried to distance himself from during the campaign. Vought has also previously worked as the executive and budget director for the Republican Study Committee, a caucus for conservative House Republicans. He also worked at Heritage Action, the political group tied to The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Dan Scavino, deputy chief of staff Scavino, whom Trump's transition referred to in a statement as one of “Trump's longest serving and most trusted aides,” was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign, as well as his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president. Scavino had run Trump's social media profile in the White House during his first administration. He was also held in contempt of Congress in 2022 after a month-long refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. James Blair, deputy chief of staff Blair was political director for Trump's 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee. He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and assistant to the president. Blair was key to Trump's economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign this year, a driving force behind the candidate's “Trump can fix it” slogan and his query to audiences this fall if they were better off than four years ago. Taylor Budowich, deputy chief of staff Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again, Inc., a super PAC that supported Trump's 2024 campaign. He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president. Budowich also had served as a spokesman for Trump after his presidency. Jay Bhattacharya, National Institutes of Health Trump has chosen Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health. Bhattacharya is a physician and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, and is a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates. He promoted the idea of herd immunity during the pandemic, arguing that people at low risk should live normally while building up immunity to COVID-19 through infection. The National Institutes of Health funds medical research through competitive grants to researchers at institutions throughout the nation. NIH also conducts its own research with thousands of scientists working at its labs in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Marty Makary, Food and Drug Administration Makary is a Johns Hopkins surgeon and author who argued against pandemic lockdowns. He routinely appeared on Fox News during the COVID-19 pandemic and wrote opinion articles questioning masks for children. He cast doubt on vaccine mandates but supported vaccines generally. Makary also cast doubt on whether booster shots worked, which was against federal recommendations on the vaccine. Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Surgeon General Nesheiwat is a general practitioner who serves as medical director for CityMD, a network of urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey. She has been a contributor to Fox News. Dr. Dave Weldon, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Weldon is a former Florida congressman who recently ran for a Florida state legislative seat and lost; Trump backed Weldon’s opponent. In Congress, Weldon weighed in on one of the nation’s most heated debates of the 1990s over quality of life and a right-to-die and whether Terri Schiavo, who was in a persistent vegetative state after cardiac arrest, should have been allowed to have her feeding tube removed. He sided with the parents who did not want it removed. Jamieson Greer, U.S. trade representative Kevin Hassett, Director of the White House National Economic Council Trump is turning to two officials with experience navigating not only Washington but the key issues of income taxes and tariffs as he fills out his economic team. He announced he has chosen international trade attorney Jamieson Greer to be his U.S. trade representative and Kevin Hassett as director of the White House National Economic Council. While Trump has in several cases nominated outsiders to key posts, these picks reflect a recognition that his reputation will likely hinge on restoring the public’s confidence in the economy. Trump said in a statement that Greer was instrumental in his first term in imposing tariffs on China and others and replacing the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, “therefore making it much better for American Workers.” Hassett, 62, served in the first Trump term as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. He has a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and worked at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute before joining the Trump White House in 2017. Get Government & Politics updates in your inbox! Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.

School property tax debates past, present and yet to come will once again haunt the state’s elected officials in the new 109th Legislature. One of western Nebraska’s five state senators will push for millions of dollars in extra tax relief after the Unicameral’s summer special session “frontloaded” a 30% K-12 school income tax credit onto December’s 2024-25 property tax bills. Sen. Brian Hardin of Gering cites a State Capitol argument whether doing so deprived property owners of their 2023-24 income tax credit. Gov. Jim Pillen, who failed to win enough support for sweeping tax changes in the extra session, meanwhile renewed his efforts with a “2024 School Property Tax Report” released Nov. 8. It included data on 2024-25 K-12 districts’ aid and property tax requests. Lowering the former typically boosts the latter, it said. Senators need to seek “predictability of aid given to school districts,” it added, to “allow Nebraska to have sustained property tax reductions for the first time in its history.” Telegraph analyses found mixed pictures on both questions for western Nebraska property owners, at least regarding the 2024-25 tax bills they’ll get in the mail next month. A formula provided by state budget officials shows the K-12 income tax credits — which thousands of Nebraskans never claimed — will refund 30% of all property owners’ eligible 2023-24 school taxes as a second direct discount on 2024-25 property tax bills. But it won’t equal a 30% break on their latest school taxes for the three Lincoln County agricultural operations and two of the three North Platte homes the paper tracks each “budget season.” Why? It’s mostly because LB 34’s K-12 school tax credit will continue to run one year behind, as the income tax credit did from its debut in 2020. The bill also excludes the schools’ portion of their older but smaller 2023-24 Property Tax Credit Fund break — also taken off December tax bills — and the homestead exemptions some homeowners receive, said Lee Will, director of the state Department of Administrative Services. Those factors yield effective 2024-25 school tax discounts from 26.5% to 27.3% for a ranch northwest of Sutherland and farms with mixed soil types southeast of Maxwell and north and west of Wallace. They’ll be worth 28.3% for The Telegraph’s Home 1, located north of North Platte’s Union Pacific tracks, and Home 3 in southwest North Platte. The picture is more complicated for Home 2, north and east of Home 3 near Westfield Shopping Center, which has received a full homestead exemption since 2021. The Nebraska Taxes Online website won’t report parcels’ 2024 homestead exemption status until final tax bills are sent out. If Home 2’s full exemption was renewed for 2024, that most likely will again cancel out the home’s tax bill. But if not, it won’t get the new K-12 tax credit this year — because its owners didn’t have to pay taxes in 2023. A trio of term-limited lawmakers, including Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard, contend that property owners are being shortchanged by the school income tax credit’s transition to a direct discount. LB 34 dealt them a “missing year” of tax relief, the lawmakers argued, if they paid their 2023 school taxes during 2024. Hardin said he’ll introduce a bill to make up the perceived shortfall. “We took the 2023 monies and flipped them end for end and said we’ll get them in 2024,” he said. But LB 34 didn’t deprive any property owner of a 2023 school tax break, countered North Platte Sen. Mike Jacobson. Instead of claiming it when they do 2024 income taxes after New Year’s, he said, they’ll get it before Christmas off the top of their 2024 property taxes. In fact, Jacobson added, Nebraskans who paid their 2023 property taxes last December can get both the 2023 K-12 income tax credit — if they claim it — and the direct 2023 discount next month. “We told people it’s not that anybody lost out,” said Jacobson, who hopes to join the Revenue Committee in 2025. “It’s that some people double-dipped.” Even if there were a “missing year,” he said, it’s highly unlikely the Legislature can find $560.7 million — the amount allocated for K-12 income tax credits for 2023 — on top of the $750 million for the new direct discount. The Legislature’s Tax Rate Review Committee told senators Wednesday that the state’s budget balance by 2026-27 could be more than $432 million below its legal minimum reserve if lawmakers make no changes. “If anybody thinks a bill’s going to pass the Legislature that will cost $500 million to ‘make people whole,’ that’s not going to happen,” Jacobson said. The same cloud hangs over Pillen’s renewed call for even higher property tax relief, acknowledged as Nebraska’s largest single budget item in the governor’s Nov. 8 report. It lauded the 244 school districts for holding statewide growth in their 2024-25 property tax requests to 2.8% — the slowest pace this century. Senators slapped a basic 3% lid last year on how much K-12 districts can charge. But four fast-growing metro-area districts — Lincoln, Millard, Papillion-La Vista and Gretna — accounted for 82% of the $76.1 million in school property tax growth over 2023-24, the report said. Those four also lost a combined $56.3 million in state aid. The aid formula founded in 1990 “has become a large reason as to why some local school districts continue to need to increase local taxes,” the report said. The correlation between school-aid cuts and higher tax requests didn’t hold up universally, according to the Telegraph’s analysis of Pillen’s report. Eleven of west central Nebraska’s 40 districts, including Hershey, Cozad and Gothenburg, both absorbed state-aid cuts and raised their tax requests by more than the 2.8% statewide average. But 13 others, including North Platte, Sutherland and Wallace, held their tax-request growth below the average despite losing ground in state aid. North Platte’s aid fell by 4.4% over 2023-24, but its tax request rose just 1.1%. Pillen’s report acknowledged that state-aid levels don’t explain all K-12 tax increases. They “could be due to a loss in state aid ... increasing needs in the community or simply from overspending,” it said. Stuart Simpson, who will retire in June as North Platte’s executive director of finance, said the aid formula is meant to adjust for each district’s unique circumstances. It steers “equalization aid” to districts with educational “needs” that cost more than their “resources,” mainly property taxes. But Simpson said it’s how the school-aid formula measures “needs” — largely student populations, family incomes and families for whom English isn’t their first language — that so often frustrates taxpayers and lawmakers. “You can’t compare North Platte to Scottsbluff or Lexington or Alliance or McCook,” he said. The formula “is trying to address the needs of school districts compared with the economic development in the community.” If the Legislature “pushes down the property taxes” with more dollars, “they’ll push more into equalization aid to support a school district,” said Simpson, who became Alliance’s school finance director the year the current aid formula was founded. “But how can you do it when you have a shortfall?” A summer 2024 Unicameral special session changed a potential 30% income tax break on Nebraska property owners' 2023 school taxes into a direct discount on December's 2024 property tax bills. Schools' share of other 2023 property tax credits, including homestead exemptions, are excluded from the new direct credit. Here's the estimated 2024 school tax breaks from "frontloading" the former income tax credit for The Telegraph's sample North Platte homes and Lincoln County agricultural properties: *Received a full homestead exemption in 2023, canceling out potential school property tax credit. Home 2 likely will pay zero in 2024 property taxes if its full homestead exemption is renewed. Sources: State of Nebraska, Lincoln County; Telegraph analysis Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter. Special projects reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.

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