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nawigacja smart sg777 eu opinie Reiterates Commitment to Investing in America to Lower Grocery Prices, Raise Associate Wages, and Support Local Communities Highlights Resilience of Value Creation Model and Strong Momentum to Drive Long-term, Sustainable Growth Board of Directors Authorizes $7.5B Share Repurchase Program including $5B Accelerated Share Repurchase CINCINNATI , Dec. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR ) today terminated its merger agreement with Albertsons after the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon granted the Federal Trade Commission's request for a preliminary injunction to block the proposed merger. After reviewing options, the company determined it is no longer in its best interests to pursue the merger. "Kroger is moving forward from a position of strength. Our go-to-market strategy provides exceptional value and unique omnichannel experiences to our customers which powers our value creation model. We look forward to accelerating our flywheel to grow our alternative profit businesses and generate increased cash flows. The strength of our balance sheet and sustainability of our model allows us to pursue a variety of growth opportunities, including further investment in our store network through new stores and remodels, which will be an important part of our 8 – 11% TSR model over time," said Rodney McMullen , Kroger's Chairman and CEO. America's Grocer is Committed to Lowering Grocery Prices & Investing in Associates "Kroger has an extraordinary track record of investing in America," said McMullen. "We are at our best when we serve others – our customers, associates, and communities – and we take seriously our responsibility to provide great value by consistently lowering prices and offering more choices. When we do this, more customers shop with us and buy more groceries, which allows us to reinvest in even lower prices, a better shopping experience and higher wages. We know this model works because we've been doing it successfully for many years, and this is exactly what we will continue to do." Kroger's ongoing investments in America include: $5 billion in lower prices since 2003 $2.4 billion in incremental wage increases on top of industry-leading benefits since 2018, a 38% increase in average hourly rate, while growing opportunities for a largely unionized grocery workforce $3.6 - $3.8 billion in annual capital investments to build new and remodel stores, food processing and other facilities, improve the customer experience and create additional job opportunities $2.3 billion to support local communities through charitable giving since 2017, including $1.5 billion to feed hungry families "I appreciate our associates who remained focused on taking care of our customers, communities and each other throughout the merger process," added McMullen. Share Repurchase Program Including Accelerated Share Repurchases Now that Kroger has terminated the merger agreement, the company is ready to deploy its capacity. With its strengthened balance sheet, Kroger will resume share repurchases after a more than two-year pause. Since announcing the merger, Kroger used its strong free cash flow and debt financing to build meaningful balance sheet capacity while maintaining its investment-grade rating. Kroger's Board of Directors approved a new share repurchase program authorizing the repurchase of up to $7.5 billion of common stock. The new repurchase authorization replaces Kroger's existing $1 billion authorization which was approved in September 2022 . Kroger intends to enter an accelerated share repurchase ("ASR") agreement for the repurchase of approximately $5 billion of common stock. "Our strong balance sheet and free cash flows position us to deliver on our commitment to grow the business and return capital to shareholders, maintaining capacity to invest in lower prices and higher associate wages," McMullen said. Kroger expects to continue to generate strong free cash flow and remains committed to its capital allocation priorities including maintaining its current investment grade debt rating, investing in the business to drive long-term sustainable net earnings growth, and returning excess free cash flow to shareholders via share repurchases and a growing dividend over time, subject to board approval. Looking forward, Kroger plans to host an Investor Day event in late spring of 2025 to share an update on its strategic priorities, future growth prospects and long-term financial outlook. Merger Debt Redemption In connection with the termination of the merger agreement, Kroger will begin the process of redeeming the $4.7 billion of its senior notes issued on August 27, 2024 , that include a special mandatory redemption provision in accordance with their terms. The notes will be redeemed at a redemption price equal to 101% of their principal amount, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the special mandatory redemption date. Termination of Exchange Offers In connection with the termination of the merger agreement, Kroger has also elected to terminate its previously announced offers to exchange (collectively, the "Exchange Offers") any and all outstanding notes (the "ACI Notes") issued by Albertsons Companies, Inc., New Albertsons, L.P., Safeway Inc., Albertson's LLC, Albertsons Safeway LLC and American Stores Company, LLC (collectively, the "ACI Issuing Entities"), for up to $7,441,608,000 aggregate principal amount of new notes to be issued by Kroger and cash. Kroger has also elected to terminate the related solicitation of consents (the "Consent Solicitation" and, together with the Exchange Offer, the "Exchange Offer and Consent Solicitation") on behalf of the ACI Issuing Entities to adopt certain proposed amendments to the indentures governing the ACI Notes (the "ACI Indentures"). As a result of the Exchange Offer being terminated, the total consideration, including any consent fee, will not be paid or become payable to holders of the ACI Notes who have validly tendered and not validly withdrawn their ACI Notes for exchange in the Exchange Offer, and the ACI Notes validly tendered and not validly withdrawn for exchange pursuant to the Exchange Offer will be promptly returned to the tendering holders. As a result of the Consent Solicitation being terminated, the proposed amendments to the ACI Indentures and the supplemental indentures previously entered into reflecting such proposed amendments will not become operative. About the Exchange Offers Global Bondholder Services Corporation served as exchange agent and information agent for the now terminated Exchange Offer and Consent Solicitation. You should direct questions and requests for assistance to Global Bondholder Services Corporation at (855) 654-2015 (toll-free) or (212) 430-3774 (banks and brokers), or by email at [email protected] . About Kroger At The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR ), we are dedicated to our Purpose: to Feed the Human SpiritTM. We are, across our family of companies nearly 414,000 associates who serve over eleven million customers daily through a seamless digital shopping experience and retail food stores under a variety of banner names , serving America through food inspiration and uplift, and creating #ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities. To learn more about us, visit our newsroom and investor relations site. Forward Looking Statements This press release contains certain statements that constitute "forward-looking statements" about Kroger's financial position and the future performance of the company. These statements are based on management's assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it. Such statements are indicated by words or phrases such as "achieve," "committed," "confidence," "continue," "deliver," "expect," "future," "guidance," "model," "outlook," "strategy," "target," "trends," "well-positioned," and variations of such words and similar phrases. Various uncertainties and other factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. These include the specific risk factors identified in "Risk Factors" in our annual report on Form 10-K for our last fiscal year and any subsequent filings, as well as the following: Kroger's ability to achieve sales, earnings, incremental FIFO operating profit, and adjusted free cash flow goals may be affected by: the termination of the merger agreement and our proposed transaction with Albertsons and related divestiture plan; labor negotiations; potential work stoppages; changes in the unemployment rate; pressures in the labor market; changes in government-funded benefit programs; changes in the types and numbers of businesses that compete with Kroger; pricing and promotional activities of existing and new competitors, and the aggressiveness of that competition; Kroger's response to these actions; the state of the economy, including interest rates, the inflationary, disinflationary and/or deflationary trends and such trends in certain commodities, products and/or operating costs; the geopolitical environment including wars and conflicts; unstable political situations and social unrest; changes in tariffs; the effect that fuel costs have on consumer spending; volatility of fuel margins; manufacturing commodity costs; supply constraints; diesel fuel costs related to Kroger's logistics operations; trends in consumer spending; the extent to which Kroger's customers exercise caution in their purchasing in response to economic conditions; the uncertainty of economic growth or recession; stock repurchases; changes in the regulatory environment in which Kroger operates, along with changes in federal policy and at regulatory agencies; Kroger's ability to retain pharmacy sales from third party payors; consolidation in the healthcare industry, including pharmacy benefit managers; Kroger's ability to negotiate modifications to multi-employer pension plans; natural disasters or adverse weather conditions; the effect of public health crises or other significant catastrophic events; the potential costs and risks associated with potential cyber-attacks or data security breaches; the success of Kroger's future growth plans; the ability to execute our growth strategy and value creation model, including continued cost savings, growth of our alternative profit businesses, and our ability to better serve our customers and to generate customer loyalty and sustainable growth through our strategic pillars of fresh, our brands, personalization, and seamless; the successful integration of merged companies and new strategic collaborations; and the risks relating to or arising from our proposed nationwide opioid litigation settlement, including our ability to finalize and effectuate the settlement, the scope and coverage of the ultimate settlement and the expected financial or other impacts that could result from the settlement. Our ability to achieve these goals may also be affected by our ability to manage the factors identified above. Our ability to execute our financial strategy may be affected by our ability to generate cash flow. Kroger assumes no obligation to update the information contained herein unless required by applicable law. Please refer to Kroger's reports and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a further discussion of these risks and uncertainties. SOURCE The Kroger Co.Christmas greetings from Olivia Bailey, the MP for Reading West and Mid Berkshire

Kroger Reiterates Its Commitment to Lower Prices and Initiates New $7.5B Share Buyback ProgramPhotograph: Gregory Costanzo NEW YORK, Nov. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Board of Trustees of Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation today announced that Alicia Graf Mack, widely celebrated for her dance artistry during her years with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and for her leadership as the Dean and Director of the Dance Division of The Juilliard School, has been appointed Artistic Director of AILEY. She becomes the fourth Artistic Director in AILEY’s 66-year history, following Alvin Ailey, Judith Jamison (herself a renowned star of the Company), and Robert Battle. Ms. Graf Mack will assume her role with AILEY as of July 1, 2025. News of Ms. Graf Mack’s appointment follows shortly after the death at age 81 of Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison, who brought Alicia Graf Mack into Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and championed her work. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s 2024-25 season, which begins on December 4, celebrates the life and legacy of Ms. Jamison. Daria L. Wallach, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, said, “Living heritage is central to the artistic achievement of Alvin Ailey, and it is just as integral to AILEY as an organization. As we pass the artistic leadership of AILEY to Alicia Graf Mack, who was introduced to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater under Judith Jamison’s direction, performed under the leadership of Robert Battle, and electrified the Company’s audiences around the nation and the world, we honor and celebrate the legacy that goes back to Mr. Ailey himself. We know that this powerful continuity across the generations, combined with Ms. Graf Mack’s outstanding talents as a dance artist, educator, administrator, and communicator, will ensure that both the traditions and the innovation of AILEY remain strong for years to come.” Anthony A. Lewis, Board member and head of the selection committee, said, “Out of the many gifted and highly qualified candidates we reviewed as part of an extensive search process, Alicia Graf Mack rose to become our clear-cut choice. Her record of success at The Juilliard School, her profound connection with AILEY, and the intangible personal and professional qualities she possesses make her an exceptional leader. We are convinced that she is the Artistic Director for AILEY’s future.” Alicia Graf Mack said, “It’s the honor of a lifetime to step into this role and continue the legacy of Alvin Ailey—a legacy rooted in celebrating the beauty and resilience of the human spirit. I am committed to preserving the company’s rich heritage while boldly exploring new voices and perspectives that push the boundaries of dance and reflect the world we live in today, and the world we hope to see. I am deeply grateful to AILEY’s Board for placing its trust in me, and am particularly mindful at this moment of the abiding influence of Judith Jamison, who brought me into this extraordinary organization and will forever be an inspiration to me and present in all of us. To all the dancers who have embodied Mr. Ailey’s vision, to Robert Battle, and to the artistic team including the wonderful Matthew Rushing, who have carried AILEY into the present as such a vibrant and indispensable artistic force, I offer my profound thanks. I will give my all to live up to this great responsibility, in service to the Company, our many supporters, our beloved audiences, and the entire AILEY community everywhere.” has been prepared by Interim Artistic Director Matthew Rushing. This year’s , honoring legendary dance educator Jody Gottfried Arnhold, will feature the return of Ronald K. Brown’s on its 25 anniversary, with live music by Tony and GRAMMY Award-winning artist Leslie Odom, Jr. with composer, visual artist, and GRAMMY Award-winning vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant. The finale of Mr. Ailey’s will also be performed, to pay tribute to Judith Jamison, who originated the role and ignited the ballet with her unparalleled grace and power. Celebrating the life and legacy of Artistic Director Emerita Judith Jamison, the season will showcase the world premieres of by Matthew Rushing, by Hope Boykin, by Lar Lubovitch (his first world premiere for the Company), and by Jamar Roberts, as well as a new production of Elisa Monte’s and a generous selection of classic repertoire by Alvin Ailey and live music performances. Bennett Rink, Executive Director of AILEY, said, “Carrying forward into a new generation the bold vision of our founder, Alvin Ailey, and building upon the major achievements of Judith Jamison and Robert Battle in developing our organization, Alicia Graf Mack will place the unique stamp of her own leadership on AILEY while remaining true to our heritage. Knowing the great respect she has for Mr. Ailey’s legacy and her comprehensive understanding of the multiple artistic, educational, and social roles that the AILEY organization plays in the world, I look forward with the greatest enthusiasm to working with her as AILEY takes its next steps into an exciting future.” As Artistic Director, Alicia Graf Mack will oversee the artistic program of the entire AILEY organization, which includes Ailey II, The Ailey School, Ailey Arts In Education & Community Programs, and Ailey Extension. Alvin Ailey said, “Dance is for everybody. I believe that dance came from the people and that it should always be delivered back to the people.” Today, AILEY is one of the world’s leading modern dance companies and a global ambassador of American culture, deftly weaving performance, education, and community programming together to celebrate the human spirit and inspire, enlighten, and unite people of all backgrounds. AILEY is currently partnering with the Whitney Museum of American Art to present (through February 9, 2025), the first large-scale exhibition to celebrate the life, creativity, influence, and enduring legacy of Alvin Ailey. For more info, visit . Alicia Graf Mack starred as a principal dancer with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater from 2005 to 2008 and again from 2011 to 2014 and now returns to serve as AILEY’s fourth Artistic Director. She comes to AILEY from The Juilliard School, where she has been the Dean and Director of the Dance Division since 2018. Born in San Jose, California, Alicia Graf Mack grew up in Columbia, Maryland, was offered an apprenticeship at Dance Theatre of Harlem by Arthur Mitchell while in high school, and relocated to New York City at age 17 to join the company. During a hiatus from Dance Theatre of Harlem, she earned a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in history from Columbia University School of General Studies, then rejoined DTH until the company was temporarily disbanded in 2004. She also holds an MA in nonprofit management from Washington University in St. Louis. In addition to dancing with DTH and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, she has been a principal dancer with Complexions Contemporary Ballet and has danced as a guest performer with Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet, Beyoncé, John Legend, Andre 3000, and Alicia Keys. She performed in honor of Carmen de Lavallade at the Kennedy Center Honors 2018 and was also invited to perform in the memorial services of Arthur Mitchell at Riverside Church in New York City and Jessye Norman at the Metropolitan Opera. In 2007, magazine named her an American Innovator of the Arts and Sciences. She is a recipient of the Columbia University Medal of Excellence, an award given each year to an alumnus who has demonstrated excellence in their field of work, and in 2008 delivered the keynote address to the graduates of Columbia University’s School of General Studies. She is the recipient of the 2023 Magazine Award. Before assuming leadership of the Dance Division of Juilliard, she co-founded D(n)A Arts Collective, an initiative created with her sister to enrich the lives of young dancers through master classes and intensives, taught as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Houston, and served as a visiting assistant professor at Webster University. Ms. Graf Mack serves on the Boards of Columbia University School of General Studies and Camille A. Brown and Dancers. In addition, she volunteers her time and talent to the summer intensive of the Art Saves Lives Foundation in St. Maarten. She is the co-producer and host of the podcast , featuring conversations with some of the most celebrated and ground-breaking artists in the field of dance. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, recognized by US Congressional resolution as a “vital American Cultural Ambassador to the World,” grew from a now-fabled March 1958 performance in New York that changed forever the perception of American dance. Forged during a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement, the Company was established to uplift the African American experience while transcending boundaries of race, faith, and nationality with its universal humanity. Before his untimely death in 1989, Mr. Ailey named Judith Jamison as his successor, and for 21 years she brought the Company to unprecedented success. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has performed for an estimated 25 million people in 71 countries on six continents, promoting the uniqueness of the African American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance tradition. In addition to being the principal dance company of New York City Center, where its performances have become a year-end tradition, the Company performs annually at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC; the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago; The Fox Theatre in Atlanta; Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, CA; and at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark (where it is the Principal Resident Affiliate), and appears frequently in other major theaters throughout the world during extensive tours. AILEY also includes Ailey II, a second performing company of emerging young dancers and innovative choreographers; The Ailey School, one of the most extensive dance training programs in the world; Ailey Arts In Education & Community Programs, which brings dance into the classrooms, communities, and lives of people of all ages; and Ailey Extension, a program offering dance and fitness classes to the general public, which began with the opening of AILEY’s permanent home, The Joan Weill Center for Dance—the largest building dedicated to dance in New York City—at 55th Street at 9th Avenue in New York City. For more information, visit www.ailey.org. Press Contact: Christopher Zunner 212-405-9028 A photo accompanying this announcement is available at

Thanks to a $13.4 million purchase, residents can expect a 300-acre park to roll out in north Fort Worth. During their Dec. 10 meeting, City Council members approved the purchase of 298.189 acres of land to become Tinsley Ranch Park. The park will be located at 3150 and 3450 Tinsley Lane, adjacent to Eagle Mountain Park and Eagle Mountain Lake. Funding for the parkland comes from loan repayments from park planning districts and the parks and recreation department budget. The eventual park is crucial to north Fort Worth as the growing city looks to balance conservation efforts with development, particularly in neglected regions of the city, said parks and recreation department spokesperson Karen Stuhmer in a statement. “This acquisition provides land for the development of future recreational opportunities and green space in an area identified as underserved in community parkland,” said Stuhmer. Get essential daily news for the Fort Worth area. Sign up for insightful, in-depth stories — completely free. The nearly 300 acres of land goes toward the city’s Open Space Conservation Program and aligns with Mayor Mattie Parker’s green space initiative , Good Natured, which aims to preserve 10,000 acres of open space by 2028. Established in 2019, the open space program is designed to conserve Fort Worth’s natural areas to foster environmental benefits and recreational opportunities as development expands in the city. “(The green space) initiative reflects the city’s commitment to sustainable growth and enhancing the overall park system as Fort Worth expands,” said Stuhmer. Since voters approved $15 million in the 2022 bond election to fund the Open Space Conservation Program, the city has acquired just over 600 acres in open space as of November, according to the city’s new green space champion, Allison Docker . Large acquisitions such as Tinsley Ranch Park help to maintain residents’ quality of life by offering a space for outdoor activities, connecting with nature and fostering community, said Stuhmer. “By acquiring this land now, we are securing a significant recreational and environmental resource for current and future generations of Fort Worth residents,” said Stuhmer. The purchase comes after City Council members also approved an expense of $3.9 million in a Nov. 19 meeting for more than 150 acres in west Fort Worth . That land is home to a cross timber forest and riparian and prairie ecosystems. Other large properties recently acquired through the open space program include land near the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge, Lake Arlington, Tandy Hills Natural Area, and Rock Creek Ranch Park , which recently received an additional 58 acres. Nicole Lopez is the environmental reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at nicole.lopez@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here . Related Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative for adhering to standards for ethical journalism . Republish This Story Republishing is free for noncommercial entities. Commercial entities are prohibited without a licensing agreement. Contact us for details. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License . Look for the "Republish This Story" button underneath each story. To republish online, simply click the button, copy the html code and paste into your Content Management System (CMS). Do not copy stories straight from the front-end of our web-site. You are required to follow the guidelines and use the republication tool when you share our content. The republication tool generates the appropriate html code. You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. You can’t sell or syndicate our stories. Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. If you use our stories in any other medium — for example, newsletters or other email campaigns — you must make it clear that the stories are from the Fort Worth Report. In all emails, link directly to the story at fortworthreport.org and not to your website. If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @FortWorthReport on Facebook and @FortWorthReport on Twitter. You have to credit Fort Worth Report. Please use “Author Name, Fort Worth Report” in the byline. If you’re not able to add the byline, please include a line at the top of the story that reads: “This story was originally published by Fort Worth Report” and include our website, fortworthreport.org . You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. Our stories may appear on pages with ads, but not ads specifically sold against our stories. You can’t sell or syndicate our stories. You can only publish select stories individually — not as a collection. Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @FortWorthReport on Facebook and @FortWorthReport on Twitter. by Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Report December 11, 2024Barkley is chasing NFL single-season rushing recordThere’s no real way to sugarcoat it, folks. The world is a bit of a mess right now. Global chaos has intensified recently – and I’m not just talking about the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East or between Russia and Ukraine. Over the weekend, rebel forces captured major cities in Syria, including Aleppo, Hama, Homs and Damascus. Rebel leader Hassan Abdul-Ghani is now in charge after launching a surprise, 11-day offensive and storming the Presidential Palace. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his family were forced to flee the country, and they have reportedly been given asylum in Russia. Iran and Russia protected Assad for decades, but both countries have withdrawn their protection – and that opened the door for the fall of Assad after 50 years of rule. Clearly, there is a leadership vacuum in the Middle East, and it will be interesting to see which countries establish diplomatic relations with Syria’s new leader. Further east of Syria, South Korea is facing its own leadership challenges. In a nationally televised address last week, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stated that he imposed Martial Law to protect the country from “anti-state forces” and North Korean sympathizers. Six hours later, though, President Yoon accepted Parliament’s vote and lifted Martial Law. President Yoon narrowly escaped impeachment after this incident because impeachment requires a two-thirds vote from Parliament. Yoon’s People Power Party has slightly over one-third of the votes in Parliament, but much of his party has deserted him. The chaos in South Korea hasn’t spread to other Asian nations yet, but other countries are adding to the current chaotic environment around the world. Take Europe, for example... Last week, the French government collapsed over a budget battle. Marine Le Pen’s National Party pushed a no-confidence vote that passed by 331 votes (288 required), which could force a new election in 60 days. The fact is President Macron’s party holds a minority in Parliament, while the National Rally Party holds the most seats. As a result, it continues to undermine Macron’s authority. So far, President Macron hasn’t declared a new election. He even stated in a nationwide address last week that he does not intend to leave and will strive to assemble a new administration that will appease Marine Le Pen. In my opinion, that’s an impossible task, and France will remain rudderless in the near term. Adding to Europe’s leadership crisis is Germany’s upcoming election. The country is expected to form a new government after the February election. The reality is that Germany has fallen into a recession, and it is worsening. In fact, union workers at nine Volkswagen AG ( VWAGY ) plants commenced two-hour strikes last week due to fears of impending layoffs and plant closures. These strikes are anticipated to expand to four hours at select plants this week. Virtually the entire automotive sector in Germany is suffering from a big drop in global demand. The reality is the Eurozone is “headless” right now. Between France’s budget woes and Germany’s upcoming election, as well as the fact that two of Europe’s largest economies are now in a recession, it’s clear that the Eurozone as a whole is now at risk of falling into a recession. If the Eurozone chaos persists, do not be surprised if the euro “breaks the buck” against the U.S. dollar. In other words, dollar-euro parity may be forthcoming. Overall, amidst all the chaos in the world, the U.S. remains an oasis. The fact of the matter is that the U.S. has a big economic advantage compared to other nations. The U.S. economy grew at a 2.8% annual pace in the third quarter, and the Atlanta Fed currently estimates 3.3% annual GDP growth in the fourth quarter. And with the presidential election complete (and uncontested), the U.S. isn’t dealing with political chaos, either. So, I anticipate a flight to quality and a strong U.S. dollar will continue to drive more and more investors back to the U.S. This Week’s Ratings Changes Here in the U.S., markets began the first week of December on the right foot. Both the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ had their third straight positive week. And, after climbing 1% and 3.3%, respectively, last week, both indexes closed at record highs on Friday. This strength was, in part, thanks to the November jobs report. Last Friday, the Labor Department announced that 227,000 payroll jobs were created in November. That was slightly higher than the consensus expectation of an increase of 220,000. Most importantly, the unemployment rate rose to 4.2% in November, up from 4.1% in October due to a declining worker participation rate. Since the Fed has been more worried about unemployment than inflation lately, I expect the Federal Reserve will cut key interest rates by 0.25% at its Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting on December 18. However, we will still want to watch for two key inflation measures later this week: the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on Wednesday and the Producer Price Index (PPI) on Thursday (look for a Market 360 later this week covering both of these reports.) In the meantime, I want you to feel confident that your portfolio is set to grow as we finish the year. So, I looked at the latest institutional buying pressure and each company’s financial health. I decided to revise my Stock Grader (subscription required) recommendations for 102 big blue chips (subscription required.) Of these 102 stocks... I’ve listed the first 10 stocks rated as Buys below , but you can find a more comprehensive list – including all 102 stocks’ Fundamental and Quantitative Grades – here . Chances are that you have at least one of these stocks in your portfolio, so you may want to give this list a skim and adjust accordingly. Put a Powerful Quant System at Your Fingertips As I mentioned in last Thursday’s Market 360 , Stock Grader is the “secret sauce” behind some of the big wins of my career. It helps me identify “what’s working” in the market at any given time. It’s how I made over 700% on an online discount retailer in China called Vipshop Holdings Ltd. ( VIPS ) a few years ago. It’s also led me to current winners in my Growth Investor service, like NVIDIA Corporation ( NVDA ) – where we’re sitting on a gain of 3,100%! The point is getting into the right stocks at the right time is extremely difficult for most investors. But not for those who set aside their human biases and follow a proven quantitative system. That’s why Stock Grader has been so powerful in helping me find long-term winners. And it’s why I’ve also been telling readers about my friend and InvestorPlace colleague Luke Lango’s all-new Auspex system. His powerful quant system blends different fundamental, sentiment and technical factors to find stocks that can hand you long-term gains in short-term holding periods . To see how it’s done, click here to save your spot at Luke’s Auspex Anomaly webinar . It all happens tomorrow, Dec. 11, at 1 p.m. Eastern. Sincerely, Louis Navellier Editor, Market 360 The Editor hereby discloses that as of the date of this email, the Editor, directly or indirectly, owns the following securities that are the subject of the commentary, analysis, opinions, advice, or recommendations in, or which are otherwise mentioned in, the essay set forth below: Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc. ( DKS ) and NVIDIA Corporation ( NVDA )Removing Deck Moss and Restoring Deck Beauty With Paradise Pros Pressure Washing

Passing the big buck, it runs in the familyThe top 5 Top Coach columns from 2024

BAKU, Ázerbájdžán--(BUSINESS WIRE)--XII 10, 2024-- Xsolla, globální společnost zabývající se obchodováním s videohrami, oznámila strategické partnerství se společností StarNest a ázerbájdžánskou Agenturou pro inovace a digitální rozvoj (IDDA) s cílem založit program „Xsolla StarNest Academy and Incubator Program“. Tato transformační spolupráce byla představena na největším herním festivalu v regionu Gamesummit Winter Edition 2024 v ázerbájdžánském Baku. Tato tisková zpráva obsahuje multimediální prvky. Celou zprávu najdete zde: (Graphic: Xsolla) Festival Gamesummit Winter Edition 2024 upozornil na růst herního průmyslu v Ázerbájdžánu a zahrnoval diskuse o trendech, osvědčených světových postupech a prezentace lokálně vyvinutých her. Na festivalu společnosti IDDA a Xsolla odhalily plány na posílení postavení místních vývojářů, herních designérů a studií pomocí špičkových školení, inkubačních a akceleračních programů a přístupu k finančním a technologickým zdrojům. Toto partnerství nově vymezí roli Ázerbájdžánu v globálním herním průmyslu a zároveň podpoří místní talenty a inovace. „Tato spolupráce otevírá rozsáhlé možnosti pro realizaci společných projektů, které budou hnací silou rozvoje ázerbájdžánského herního sektoru,“ uvedla Yevgenija Bikmurzina, vedoucí oddělení inovačního ekosystému IDDA. „Ázerbájdžánská herní studia získají přístup k nástrojům a zdrojům potřebným k tomu, aby se prosadila na globálním trhu.“ „Toto partnerství představuje pro společnost Xsolla významný milník, protože spolupracujeme s ázerbájdžánskými lídry na uvolnění potenciálu regionu,“ řekl Rytis Joseph Jan, SVP globálních strategických partnerství ve společnosti Xsolla. „Spojením našich globálních odborných znalostí s vizionářským vedením našich partnerů chceme v Ázerbájdžánu posílit novou generaci talentů a podpořit smysluplné inovace s globálním dopadem.“ Inkubátor a akcelerátor Xsolla podpoří ázerbájdžánskou komunitu herních vývojářů tím, že jim poskytne nástroje, mentoring a zdroje, které jim umožní proměnit nápady v úspěšné projekty. Inkubátor pomůže vývojářům v rané fázi vývoje zdokonalit koncepty, získat technické znalosti a spolupracovat s mezinárodními odborníky. Akcelerátor bude pomáhat zavedeným studiím při rozšiřování jejich projektů a nabídne přístup k financování, mentorství a kontaktům v globálním průmyslu. Cílem těchto programů je získat pro Ázerbájdžán pozici klíčového hráče v herním průmyslu a vytvořit místním talentům příležitosti k úspěchu na globální úrovni. Akademie Xsolla StarNest poskytne 90 mladým lidem specializované školení v oblasti vývoje her. Kromě toho bude v roce 2025 spuštěn inkubační program na podporu místních herních studií, který nabídne mentoring od mezinárodních odborníků, přístup k finančním zdrojům a možnosti prezentovat hry na globální úrovni. Ázerbájdžánská telekomunikační společnost StarNest povede úsilí o zajištění speciálního zařízení pro akademii, které zajistí prostředí příznivé pro růst a učení. IDDA nabídne strategický dohled s cílem sladit iniciativu s národními cíli Ázerbájdžánu v oblasti digitální transformace. Společnost Xsolla rovněž zkoumá možnosti zřízení svého regionálního ústředí pro střední Asii v Baku, aby dále podpořila svůj závazek vůči komunitě a herním vývojářům v regionu. Bude sloužit nejen jako regionální centrum, ale také jako technologické centrum pro špičkový vývoj a podporu svých špičkových řešení v oboru. Díky partnerství se společností Xsolla StarNest to znamená novou kapitolu pro ázerbájdžánský herní sektor, která odráží společnou vizi, jak zemi postavit do pozice regionálního lídra v oblasti vývoje her a digitálních inovací. Tato průlomová spolupráce vytváří předpoklady pro to, aby se Ázerbájdžán stal centrem herních inovací a rozvoje talentů. Další informace jsou k dispozici na adrese: Xsolla je globální společnost zabývající se obchodováním s videohrami, která nabízí robustní a výkonnou sadu nástrojů a služeb určených speciálně pro toto odvětví. Od svého založení v roce 2005 pomohla společnost Xsolla tisícům herních vývojářů a vydavatelů všech velikostí financovat, prodávat, uvádět na trh a zpeněžovat jejich hry po celém světě a na různých platformách. Posláním společnosti Xsolla jako inovativního lídra v oblasti obchodování s hrami je řešit neodmyslitelné složitosti globální distribuce, marketingu a monetizace a pomáhat tak našim partnerům oslovit více zeměpisných oblastí, generovat větší příjmy a vytvářet vztahy s hráči po celém světě. Společnost sídlí a je registrována v Los Angeles v Kalifornii a má kanceláře v Londýně, Berlíně, Soulu, Pekingu, Kuala Lumpuru, Raleighu, Tokiu, Montrealu a ve městech po celém světě. Další informace jsou k dispozici na adrese IDDA je ázerbájdžánská vládní agentura, která se specializuje na digitální diplomacii a analytiku a nabízí výzkum, školení a poradenství pro posílení digitální přítomnosti institucí. Hraje klíčovou roli při utváření moderních diplomatických strategií prostřednictvím digitálních nástrojů a analýzy dat. Další informace jsou k dispozici na adrese StarNest je přední ázerbájdžánská telekomunikační společnost poskytující internetová a síťová řešení, včetně širokopásmových služeb, firemního připojení a podpory IT infrastruktury. Společnost StarNest se věnuje umožnění technologického růstu a digitální transformace v celém Ázerbájdžánu. Další informace jsou k dispozici na adrese GameSummit je významná ázerbájdžánská organizace zaměřená na rozvoj herního průmyslu. Prostřednictvím akcí, jako jsou Gamesummit Winter a Summer Editions, vytváří příležitosti pro místní herní studia, podporuje inovace a zvyšuje povědomí o kariérních vyhlídkách v oblasti her a elektronického sportu. Další informace jsou k dispozici na adrese Text této zprávy v původním, zdrojovém jazyce je oficiální verzí. Překlad této zprávy do jiných jazyků poskytujeme pouze jako doplňkovou službu. Text zprávy v původním, zdrojovém jazyce je jedinou právně závaznou verzí této tiskové zprávy. Zdrojovou verzi najdete na : CONTACT: Kontakt pro média Derrick Stembridge Globální ředitel pro vztahy s veřejností, Xsolla KEYWORD: AZERBAIJAN ASIA PACIFIC INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TECHNOLOGY ELECTRONIC GAMES PAYMENTS FINANCE ENTERTAINMENT FINTECH PROFESSIONAL SERVICES SOFTWARE TRAINING EDUCATION SOURCE: Xsolla Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/10/2024 04:19 PM/DISC: 12/10/2024 04:20 PMTelangana SSC exams clash with Ramzan, students raise concerns

Speaker seeks edu dept report on ‘Mahan Kosh’

CM Omar Abdullah conducts surprise checks at Kashmir’s premier Medical Institutions Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today conducted surprise inspections of premier Health Institutions in Srinagar to gain firsthand knowledge of the facilities and services being provided to patients and their attendants. Chief Minister visited the Bone & Joint Hospital, Barzulla, one of the region’s top Orthopaedic healthcare facilities. During his inspection, he toured various sections and wards, interacting with patients and attendants to understand their concerns. Accompanied by Minister of Health, Sakeena Itoo, Senior Faculty Members and Doctors, the Chief Minister engaged with hospital staff to assess the winter arrangements, treatment facilities and the availability of medical professionals and paramedics. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also inspected the state-of-the-art additional block of the hospital, constructed under the Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project (JTFRP) with funding from the World Bank. Designed with earthquake-resilient technology, the block will add 160 beds, increasing the hospital’s total capacity from 150 to 310 beds. During his visit, the Chief Minister emphasized the need to expedite the completion of the new block, which is critical for addressing the space crunch caused by a fire incident in 2022 that reduced the hospital’s original capacity of 200 beds. He directed the executing agencies to ensure its swift operationalization by January 2025 to enhance patient care and to dedicate the facility to public service. Chief Minister also inspected the 500-bedded Children’s Hospital in Bemina, where he interacted with patients, attendants, and hospital staff. During his visit, attendants from far-flung areas raised concerns about the lack of a Sarai (inn) for their stay. The Chief Minister immediately directed the concerned authorities to construct a Sarai to accommodate attendants and alleviate their difficulties. The hospital staff highlighted the challenges of expanding super-specialty facilities due to express space constraints. The Chief Minister assured them that the issue would be addressed on priority. He also promised to resolve the shortage of medical staff, including doctors and paramedics, not only at this hospital but across healthcare facilities in Jammu and Kashmir. Furthermore, the Chief Minister instructed hospital authorities to ensure the timely availability of medicines and other essential facilities for patients. During the inspections, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah reiterated his government’s commitment to improving healthcare infrastructure ensuring better facilities for the public and addressing manpower shortages in health institutions across Jammu and Kashmir. The Chief Minister was accompanied during his visits by Minister of Health Sakeena Itoo, Medical Superintendent of the Children’s Hospital, senior faculty members and other concerned officials.arely a day passes without colleges scolded in the headlines over or and or and . Schools have become scapegoats for both good and bad reasons. Prominent commentators and populist political leaders from both the far left and far right now target higher education as a common enemy. In fact the current fight over the vs charges of elitism which would not characterize other fields such as sports or entertainment have torn open a seam on the right between Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk in favor of selectivity and merit on one side and Laura Loomer and Matt Goetz on the other. Ramaswamy declared that American culture has “venerated mediocrity over excellence" launching what is termed a within the MAGA movement. Both extremes have arrived on shared areas of concern that include admissions criteria; tolerance of thought on campus; institutional voice; faculty bias in research and education; personal safety; academic integrity; donor influence; curriculum focus; government funding; financial viability, and administrative efficiency. Increasingly, universities, especially selective universities, have been labelled as elitist, self-interested, out-of-touch with societal needs, and lacking accountability. What is new is the convergence of a of elements of the MAGA movement on the right and todays’ self-styled progressives on the left. Together, they find common cause in the skepticism of societal pillars from Wall Street financiers to college educators and politicians. These critiques have corroded public opinion on the value of U.S. higher education, just as the rest of the world treasures the real contributions to the economy, quality of life, scientific knowledge, and cultural enrichment provided by American colleges. The shows a steady decline of confidence in all pillars of society from public officials and the media to clergy and colleges. At the , fully 97% of the college presidents expressed concern over the loss to public confidence in higher education. This summer, the Pew Foundation researchers found roughly half the American public surveyed believe it’s to have a four-year college degree today to obtain a well-paying job than it was 20 years ago even as facts show the opposite is true: a significant wage gap still favors those with . Similarly, a Gallup survey this summer showed a large drop in overall US confidence in higher education from almost 60% in 2015 to almost half that. Now Americans are roughly among those who have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence (36%), some confidence (32%), or little or no confidence (32%) in higher education. In taking a closer look at the Gallup survey, three issues have risen to the top in the public mind: the political climate on our campuses, questions about whether a traditional liberal arts education best prepares our graduates for success in this tech-fueled world and the cost of higher education as represented by a sticker price that is rapidly approaching $100K per year. Increasingly, people across the political spectrum question whether a traditional liberal arts education, as delivered to most undergraduates by the Ivy and other leading institutions, is the best training for leadership in today’s workplace. Indeed, the elite schools do not have a stranglehold on certain sectors. In a study of 628 U.S.-born tech founders from 287 different universities, did not come from Ivy-plus schools. What mattered most in explaining the success of founders was that they graduated from a college. The success of dropouts like Microsoft’s Bill Gates, Apple’s Steve Jobs, and Facebook/Alphabet’s Marc Zuckerberg were exceptions to such findings. Paradoxically, the drop in American public confidence in the liberal arts comes just as the prestige of US universities around the world is at an all-time high and the number of international students studying in the US has climbed to a a year. And innovation for the public good is alive and well at America’s at the leading institutions. Over a third of US research universities have spinning out anywhere from 30 to 80 new business a year employing millions of US workers and serving as a source of economic development to communities around the nation. Higher education is the most globally competitive of all US sectors. The US is home to the by far (36). Research by the National Bureau of Economic Research has shown from Ivy League schools in particular. While less than half of one percent of Americans attend the eight Ivy League colleges, Chicago, Duke, MIT, and Stanford (known as Ivy Plus schools), these universities contributed more than 10% of Fortune 500 CEOs, a quarter of U.S. Senators, half of all Rhodes scholars, and three-fourths of Supreme Court justices appointed in the last half century. Roughly 22% of all , selected by judges from around the world, were affiliated with Ivy Leagues schools. This scholarship has contributed mightily to the advance of science and industry. The renowned corporate research labs of General Electric (Menlo Park), AT&T (Bell Labs), Xerox (Palo Alto Research Center) have largely disappeared with diminished research even at major chemical and pharmaceutical companies. Most of the great advances in material sciences, agricultural science, drug development, public health, environmental safety, and computer science and the internet originate in the university world. It must be noted, however, that the value of higher education should be appreciated for more than winning awards and creating wealth but also for quality of life. A decade ago, former Duke President Richard Brodhead co-chaired the Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences for the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. In summarizing their findings, stated, that value of higher education is not to be measured merely by income earned by colleges graduates. “Its value is that it supplies enrichment to personal lives, equips students to be thoughtful and constructive social contributors, and prepares them to participate fully and creatively in the dynamic, ever-changing world that awaits them after college. It's easy to see why people might get anxious about something so difficult to calculate, and might want a straighter line to the payoff. But the fruits of such education can only be reckoned over long time-horizons, as they enable people to rise to challenges and seize opportunities they could not foresee at first. The lives of successful people almost never involve continuing to do what they prepared for. As their lives unfold, they find that by drawing on their preparation in unexpected ways, they're able to do things they hadn't intended or imagined.” Probably no issue about American higher education has received as much attention over a sustained period of time than its cost. And while some of the increase in the sticker price of leading universities can be explained by investments in need-based financial aid even the costs net of financial aid have risen between 1 and 2 percent above any reasonable measure of inflation for decades. Studies show levels of student debt rising at alarming rates. And while much of the focus has been on undergraduates, levels of student loan debt among those receiving master’s degrees is a more severe issue. Concerns about student loan debt are exacerbated by the fact that six-year graduation rates for undergraduates across all of higher education are less than 60%. So, too many students find themselves in the worst possible situation – a boatload of debt and no degree to show for it. In speaking about cost, the political right characterizes elite higher ed institutions as inefficient organizations choking on administrative bloat. The political left laments their high cost saying that the sticker price alone turns off prospective students from low socio-economic backgrounds. Both sides note the explosive growth in endowment values and want endowments to be tapped to reduce costs. The Ivy Plus institutions counter by noting their impressive investments in financial aid, the fact that they have six-year graduation rates in excess of 95% and the inherently high cost of the bundle of educational experiences that today’s students and their families expect. At these schools with strong endowments, roughly has their tuition bill covered by financial aid. Indeed, the more selective schools not only offer a challenging curriculum delivered through small classes with abundant academic support, but also house and feed students, offer them primary health care, undergraduate research and entrepreneurial activities, intramural and varsity athletics, artistic and performance opportunities, study abroad and much more. The cost of delivering all this is in excess of $100K per student per year at many institutions. These expenditures not only enrich the student experience but also enhance their local economies. American universities employ over adding $ annually to the GDP and their technology transfers have contributed over to the nation’s GOP in the last twenty years. Still, criticisms of the cost of American higher education have merit. Indeed, too many institutions have lost sight of the fact that their core missions are teaching, learning and discovery and those elements of their core mission should be prioritized in their budget decisions. have been shown to have soared disproportionately, in fact geometrically, compared to faculty staffing costs which only increased arithmetically, alongside only modest student enrollment increases. Academic leaders must also demand that administrative and support functions operate as efficiently as possible with new programs funded through internal reallocation. Many of these critiques are based in legitimate concerns and point to areas where the leading institutions of higher education can do better. However, they often overstate their case and present outlier examples. For example, published a countering the suggestion that liberal bias plays a meaningful role in tenure decisions. Indeed, their study concluded that professors were more likely to be dismissed for liberal thought. And it is incorrect to still label higher education a self-perpetuating caste system. Looking at roughly a century of data, as an example of elite universities, its student profile has shifted from 100% males to roughly 50/50; 27% of Mayflower/Social Register “Colonial” lineage to less than 6%; less than 2% underrepresented minorities to over 10% ; 0.4% Asian to 19%; 24% from elite prep schools to 4%. Plus, the report card on the impact of upward wealth mobility of these prestigious schools is much more encouraging that the critics from the left and the right acknowledge. Researchers from the National Bureau of Economic Research studied at each college in the United States using data for over 30 million college students from 1999-2013 and found the students from low-income families and high-income families, had comparable incomes, when matched by the school they attended. Thus, the school had an uplifting impact on the wealth of low-income students. Furthermore, this research found, “The colleges that channel the most children from low- or middle-income families to the top 1% are almost exclusively highly selective institutions, such as UC–Berkeley and the Ivy Plus colleges. No college offers an upper-tail (top 1%) success rate comparable to elite private universities – at which 13% of students from the bottom quintile reach the top 1% – while also offering high levels of access to low-income students.” Interestingly, the critics of elite schools, indirectly but selectively cite from this research cherry picking around the upward mobility case for elite educational institutions. Similarly looking at Yale’s current first year class, benefit from some form of financial aid, thanks to the healthy endowments, 88% with zero debt and the who do have debt, owe less than $15,000, hardly a crushing burden. Thanks to a half billion dollars raised from alumni during their recent capital campaign, leaders were able to declare that "The Class of 2028 is the most socioeconomically diverse class in Dartmouth's history," with roughly 20% students from low income families receiving Pell Grants, over half of the class receiving financial aid, and no parental financial contributions for families earning less than $125,000 a year roughly 22% of the class. Despite such facts, Columnist David Brooks wrote in The Atlantic a piece entitled “How The Ivy League Broke America” where he echoes himself in a series of similar pieces he wrote in the New York Times such as one titled and , both which said elites were leaving others behind. His newest piece in this month’s concluded strangely that “a large mass of voters has shoved a big middle finger in the elites’ faces by voting for Donald Trump.” Of course, Brooks misses the irony that if this anti-Ivy League resentment drove voters, then is drove them to vote for the GOP ticket of two Ivy Leaguer grads, Donald Trump from Penn and J.D. Vance from Yale, and not the Democratic ticket of state school grads. Brooks joins a chorus of others who say that the meritocracy overrated. He cites Yale Law professor Daniel Markovits, the author of charging that applicants whose families come from the top 1 percent of wage earners were 77 times more likely to attend an Ivy League-level school than students from families making below $30,000 a year. Brooks adds that elite schools generally admit more students from the top 1 percent than the bottom 60. Then he joins Markovits in pronouncing the academic gap between the rich and the poor larger than the academic gap between white and Black students in the final days of Jim Crow. Brooks’s remedies include circumvention of new court barriers to affirmative action diversity goals, reducing the reliance upon standardized testing, emphasizing more humanistic qualities, substituting AI for analytic rigor, improving the colleges’ marketing of their own value, and that “we should aim to shrink the cultural significance of school in American society.” Missing from this list is any concern for the spreading caution of overexercising voice under the cloak of “institutional neutrality.” These practices the actual selective practices of the University of Chicago and similar schools which purported to limit presidents from showing the same periodic moral responsibility, patriotic duties, and institutional voice of other pillars of American society. Should Ivy Plus leaders even care about public support? After all, they are highly successful, highly selective institutions that are the envy of the world. Our answer is that these leaders should care about the erosion of public trust – a lot. To ignore this growing public distrust is to not only invite more public shaming by government officials as we saw in the House hearings this past year but potentially court more governmental actions such as endowment taxes, bans on DEI programs at public universities and similar interventions. Although the Ivy Plus institutions seem secure at the moment, one already sees the impacts of the loss of public trust across much of American higher education, significant reductions over the last 25 years in per-capita, inflation-adjusted state appropriations, the expansion of students wanting three-year, no-frills, degrees, employers seeking micro-credentialling rather than a bachelor’s degree, on-line course sharing among institutions to lower costs and ultimately lower enrollments. Certainly, higher education must address the ideological orthodoxy of political correctness which has diverted tolerance for original thought. Towards that end, we see newly emerging efforts to promote dialogue around difficult societal issues on a number of campuses. Similarly, universities do not do a great job with administrative efficiency with mushrooming overhead along with programs and departments that live on in perpetuity. Higher education has long been the target of satire from the Marx Brothers to Rodney Dangerfield’s “Back to School.” All institutions need constructive feedback to respond to changing societal needs, but the ideologically driven attacks on schools have lost their grounding, not to mention their humor, and risk promoting an age of ignorance. at .

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Rep. said Friday that he will not be returning to Congress after withdrawing his name from consideration to be attorney general under President-elect Donald Trump amid growing allegations of sexual misconduct. “I’m still going to be in the fight, but it’s going to be from a new perch. I do not intend to join the 119th Congress,” Gaetz told conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, adding that he has “some other goals in life that I’m eager to pursue with my wife and my family.” The announcement comes a day after Gaetz, a Florida Republican, stepped aside from the Cabinet nomination process amid growing fallout from that cast doubt on his ability to be confirmed as the nation’s chief federal law enforcement officer. The 42-year-old has vehemently denied the allegations against him. Gaetz's nomination as attorney general had inside the Justice Department, but reflected Trump's desire to place a loyalist in a department following the criminal cases against him. Hours after Gaetz withdrew, Trump nominated Pam Bondi, the former Florida attorney general, who would come to the job with years of legal work under her belt and that other trait Trump prizes above all: loyalty. It's unclear what's next for Gaetz, who is no longer a member of the House. He surprised colleagues by resigning from Congress the same day that Trump nominated him for attorney general. Some speculated he could still be sworn into office for another two-year term on Jan. 3, given that he had just won reelection earlier this month. But Gaetz, who has been in state and national politics for 14 years, said he's done with Congress. “I think that eight years is probably enough time in the United States Congress," he said.

The recent arrest of the man accused in the Dec. 4 death of United Healthcare’s CEO has resurfaced the writings of Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, who was apprehended by authorities in 1996 at his Montana cabin near Lincoln after nearly 17 years of mailing bombs that killed three and injured nearly two dozen others. Luigi Nicholas Mangione, Ted Kaczynski In social media posts, Luigi Mangione called Kaczynski a “political revolutionary,” according to a police bulletin obtained by the Associated Press. Several news agencies are reporting that Mangione wrote about “The Unabomber Manifesto” by Kaczynski, also known as the “Industrial Society and Its Future,” in January on the book review site Goodreads. "It's easy to quickly and thoughtless write this off as the manifesto of a lunatic, in order to avoid facing some of the uncomfortable problems it identifies. But it's simply impossible to ignore how prescient many of his predictions about modern society turned out," the reviewer wrote. “He was a violent individual − rightfully imprisoned − who maimed innocent people. While these actions tend to be characterized as those of a crazy luddite, however, they are more accurately seen as those of an extreme political revolutionary,” they wrote. Suspect Luigi Mangione is taken into the Blair County Courthouse on Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, in Hollidaysburg, Pa. Mangione, 26, an Ivy League graduate from a prominent Maryland real estate family, reportedly gave the manifesto a 4-star rating, or “liked it.” Ratings range from 1 star – “Didn’t like it” – to 5 stars: “It was amazing.” New York police officials have said Mangione was carrying a gun like the one used in the Manhattan killing of Brian Thompson, who led United Healthcare, the United States’ largest medical insurance company. Thompson, 50, was killed Dec. 4 as he walked alone to a Manhattan hotel for an investor conference. Theodore “Ted” Kaczynski, the Harvard-educated mathematician who retreated to a dingy shack in the Montana wilderness and ran a 17-year bombing campaign that killed three people and injured 23 others, died June 10, 2023. He was 81. Branded the “Unabomber” by the FBI, Kaczynski died by suicide at the federal prison medical center in Butner, North Carolina. Kaczynski’s manifesto, a 35,000-word anti-technology tirade, was printed in 1995 in The New York Times and The Washington Post and eventually led to his arrest. His capture thrust Lincoln into the international spotlight as FBI agents, other law enforcement and hordes of media converged on a tiny mountain town, where he had lived as something of recluse. This April 6, 1996, file photo shows Ted Kaczynski's cabin in the woods outside Lincoln. Kaczynski, a Harvard-educated mathematician, died by suicide while in federal custody in 2023. He was 81. He had been transferred to a federal prison medical facility in North Carolina in late 2021 after spending the past two decades in a federal Supermax prison in Colorado. His brother, David Kaczynski, told several news agencies that his brother should not be someone to aspire to. "His actions are like a virus," David Kaczynski said, according to Yahoo News. "They could be like a virus unless they understand he was a very angry and disturbed man. It doesn't mean his ideas are ideas of a lunatic, but his behavior, I believe, is the behavior of a lunatic." "To the extent that he may have attributed at all to sort of normalizing or recasting the violent acts as beneficial to humanity is a terrible mistake," David Kaczynski added. Mangione is fighting attempts to extradite him to New York so that he can face a murder charge, the Associated Press reported. At the time of his arrest after being spotted Monday at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Mangione was carrying a handwritten document expressing anger with what he called “parasitic” health insurance companies and a disdain for corporate greed and power, the Associated Press reported. Assistant editor Phil Drake can be reached at 406-231-9021. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Assistant editor/reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.

House approves $895B defense bill with military pay raise, ban on transgender care for minorsA potential expansion of the state’s bottle deposit law is being debated in the Michigan Legislature that could add additional items such as single-use water bottles. Photo by Jon King. Last week, members of the Michigan Senate Energy and Environment Committee voted to move a potential expansion of the state’s bottle deposit law back to the Senate floor following testimony from retailers, wholesalers, representatives of the beverage industry and environmental advocates. The proposal, introduced by state Sen. Sean McCann (D-Kalamazoo), would place the issue of expanding the bottle bill on the 2026 ballot, with voters ultimately deciding whether to approve provisions like universal redemption — allowing containers to be returned to any dealer who sells containers subject to the 10-cent deposit — as well as expanding the bill to cover all beverages containers one gallon or less. “It’s important to stress to you that nothing whatsoever would happen to the current bottle law unless voters approve the proposal in 2026,” McCann noted while testifying on the bills. The proposal is the latest of many efforts aiming to expand the bottle bill to cover more containers, with McCann reintroducing a previous proposal in 2023 alongside Rep. Christine Morse (D-Texas Twp.). In crafting the latest proposal, McCann likened the effort of finding general agreement among stakeholders to “the games of Whack a Mole combined with Jenga.” “Depending on how you move the pieces around and which pieces are included or not in the money puzzle will absolutely affect which stakeholders tell you they are supportive and which are not. I’ve worked at this for many months, seeking the best arrangement, and what is before you today is my current best effort. It’s draft eight, [substitute] two, but even today, I am still absolutely willing to consider adjusting it further if it can be made better for all,” McCann noted. He also warned against letting the perfect be the enemy of good, noting some stakeholders remained opposed to the concept of a bottle bill in general. “The current bottle law is not on trial today, and sometimes the greater interests of the people of Michigan must override more narrow interests. This is how the original bottle law came to be,” McCann said, referencing the original law, which was initiated by voters in 1976. The Michigan Retailers Association was the first to speak in opposition to the proposal, with Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Amy Drumm noting the group is strongly opposed to any effort to expand the current “costly, failing and inefficient deposit system.” “Retailers only exist if they have customers, and any negative impact to the customer experience is extremely concerning to the industry,” Drumm said. Shane Smith, the vice president of operations at Ric’s Food Center — which has locations in Mount Pleasant, Ithaca and Rockford — described the grocery industry as reluctant partners when the bottle bill was first instituted in 1976. “Perhaps the law made sense in 1976 when words like recycling were not in our vocabulary. Things have changed in the last 50 years, recycling centers are in every county with collection bins in neighborhoods and in people’s front yards. The thought of expanding this outdated law is absurd when many other options are currently in place,” Smith said. Additionally, Smith said one of the largest challenges grocery stores face is maintaining a clean, sanitary environment, arguing that a new variety of incoming returns would burden their facilities. “I’m not sure how we will handle the variety of incoming returns, but it’s safe to say that we will have to add on to our facility where possible, or perhaps remove part of our sales area for storage, creating a negative impact on our sales,” Smith said. Labor is another concern, Smith said, noting that Ric’s Food Center currently spends 200 hours a week processing empties across its location, warning that an expansion of the law would double or triple that time, potentially negatively impacting prices as they work to recover the costs from those additional labor hours. Also in opposition was the Michigan Environmental Council, who argued against a proposal which puts money from unclaimed deposits toward reimbursing industry stakeholders, with the first $1 million in unclaimed deposits currently funding enforcement of the bottle bill alongside with 75% of the following collections going toward environmental cleanups and pollution prevention efforts. Under the newest version, 40% of those unredeemed deposits would be put toward environmental cleanup and redevelopment, while 5% would go to manufacturers, 20% to distributors and 25% to dealers and redemption centers and 10% would go to a new fund supporting affordability and access to water. “We are not opposed to dealers and distributors receiving reimbursement. However, providing these reimbursements through unclaimed deposits creates a perverse incentive for the program to work less effectively, meaning the more unreturned cans there are leads to more unclaimed deposit money that these stakeholders get to pocket without guarantees that this money would be used to improve the bottle bill system,” said Trent Wolf, the council’s the strategic campaigns manager. While the council is supportive of an expanded bottle bill, Wolf said work grouping with all of the bill’s stakeholders is necessary to get the proposal right. The committee also heard opposing testimony from the Michigan Beverage Association, with President and CEO Derek Bajema arguing the ballot initiative would raise costs on groceries and recycling. Additionally, Michigan producers and distributors of soft drinks lose more than $10 million a year due to full pallets of beverages imported from non-deposit states, Bajema said. “This isn’t the Seinfeld cute thing of the empties coming in, this is pallets of full beverages. They don’t pay the deposits in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, they drive the truckloads back to Michigan and charge 10 cents on each container...but it’s pure profit because a deposit was never initiated,” Bajema said. “This legislation would vastly improve the opportunities for deposit fraud by making it even more profitable for racketeers already making $2.40 on each case of pop that they bring in from Toledo and resell in Michigan to now be able to purchase a 40 pack of water for $4 in Ohio, and bring it in to Michigan and sell it for $3 dollars, charge the consumer a fake $4 deposit on those 40 water bottles, so that when the Michigan Teamster employee shows up with a 40 pack that now costs $8 with a deposit, there’s no sale to be made,” Bajema said. However, the bills did receive support from the Michigan Beer and Wine Wholesalers Association, with President Spencer Nevins noting the association’s long history of supporting the bottle bill. “The state has abandoned its responsibility under the bottle bill. They haven’t funded infrastructure and we have long said that we support the bottle bill and we will support expansion as long as infrastructure is addressed. And these bills do that,” Nevins said. Nevins noted that consumer engagement with the bottle bill has dropped off significantly, with the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy showing refund rates dropped from 94.7% in 2012 to 75.6% in 2022. Nevins attributed this drop off to disregarding the return infrastructure and failing to ensure compliance with the law. However, you can’t build this infrastructure without providing money to the industry, Nevins said. While the bill does not cover the cost of everything, the association supports the policy because it would mark the first proposal concerned with the infrastructure and the benefit of all stakeholders, Nevins said. The bills were reported back to the Senate floor on a party line vote of 9 to 5. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOXPatriots' corner Christian Gonzalez added to injury report, listed as questionable vs. Dolphins

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