High-profile political donor and Climate 200 convenor Simon Holmes a Court has hurled lofty allegations at the major parties in response to attempts to crack down on excessive political donations. Labor’s Special Minister of State Don Farrell has introduced electoral reform legislation to “cap campaign spending, limit the disproportionate influence of big donors, and stop the arms race of donation drives and endless fundraising”. The attempt to “protect and strengthen our democracy” has attracted scorn from Mr Holmes a Court, one of Australia’s most covertly powerful people , who has accused Labor and the Coalition of attempting to “rig” the electoral system. The legislation currently before parliament could jeopardise his ability to provide enormous financial backing to independent Teal candidates after Climate 200 bankrolled more than 20 candidates in the 2022 federal election. Climate 200, convened by Mr Holmes a Court, plunged almost $13 million into backing “community independents” which resulted in the election of seven new and four existing Teal MPs and Senators. In response to Labor’s electoral reform bill, Mr Holmes a Court has accused Labor and the Coalition of working together to “rig” the electoral system in a post shared to his 120,000 followers on social media. Mr Holmes a Court has also shared posts which label the reforms as “bad for democracy” and which said they would “entrench (Labor and the Coalition’s) duopoly, give themselves buckets of public money and screw everyone else”. His statements have drawn criticism for potentially inciting distrust in Australia's democratic processes, especially after US President-elect Donald Trump made similar “rigging” claims following the 2020 US election. Special Minister of State Don Farrell, who has spearheaded the reform effort, has defended the changes as necessary to ensure fairness in elections and reduce the outsized influence of large donors. Mr Farrell told SkyNews.com.au he “completely rejected” any suggestion the reform was part of a “stitch-up between the major parties”. “This is all about ensuring that ordinary Australians can participate in the electoral process and that you don't have to be a mate of a billionaire to participate in that electoral process," Mr Farrell said. In response to Teal MPs who have claimed the bill was being rushed through parliament, Mr Farrell explained the legislation had been discussed for “more than two and a half years”. “We've got a proposal, we've circulated it to all of the political parties, we've offered meetings about it. I'm hopeful that the rest of the Parliament will see the merit in taking big money out of the Australian electoral system,” he said. “We don't want an American-style electoral system. We want to protect and promote the Australian electoral system. This is all about transparency, it's all about accountability, and it's all about fairness.” Deputy Chair of Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters and Liberal Senator James McGrath has also voiced concerns about the rhetoric used by Mr Holmes a Court and its potential impact on democratic trust. “It think any language that undermines our electoral system and the good people that work night and day to make it as safe and secure as possible is dangerous and disrespectful,” he told SkyNews.com.au. “It seems the Teals and their donors are more worried about keeping their jobs than actually focussing on the issues affecting Australians. “Anyone in the political sphere has a responsibility to uphold and respect the terms of our democratic system. Anyone who undermines our system in any way for the sake of political gain has no place in politics.” While the Coalition has not publicly supported the bill, Mr McGrath said, “The Coalition will always look seriously at proposals to improve our democracy. We would encourage rich donors who back the Teals to do the same." Australia’s political landscape has seen a surge in the influence of donor-funded independent campaigns, with Climate 200 supporting 23 candidates at the last federal election, 11 of whom were elected. Mr Holmes a Court’s Climate 200 initiative has faced scrutiny for its significant financial contributions to independent candidates. At the last election, Climate 200 provided $740,000 to Teal MP Allegra Spender’s campaign, accounting for more than 40 per cent of her total donations. Ms Spender, the Member for Wentworth, recently faced criticism for her attempted lobbying to have Mr Holmes a Court name removed from a covert “power list” of influential Australians. The Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Reform) Bill 2024 has proposed reducing the political donation disclosure threshold from $16,900 to $1,000, requiring cumulative reporting of donations above this amount. It has also proposed caps on individual political donations at $20,000 annually to a single recipient, with further restrictions on total contributions across multiple campaigns or entities. Ms Spender has received 23 donations above $20,000 since 2021, including eight from Climate 200 – amounting to $770,773. The bill also introduces caps on campaign expenditure, with federal campaigns for political parties limited to $90 million, individual House of Representatives candidates to $800,000, and third-party campaigners to $11.25 million annually. Exemptions have included costs for translation services, campaign offices and remote area travel.

Dragons’ Den star planning $70B Alberta investmentBy CHRISTINE FERNANDO CHICAGO (AP) — As Donald Trump’s Cabinet begins to take shape, those on both sides of the abortion debate are watching closely for clues about how his picks might affect reproductive rights policy in the president-elect’s second term . Trump’s cabinet picks offer a preview of how his administration could handle abortion after he repeatedly flip-flopped on the issue on the campaign trail. He attempted to distance himself from anti-abortion allies by deferring to states on abortion policy, even while boasting about nominating three Supreme Court justices who helped strike down the constitutional protections for abortion that had stood for half a century. In an NBC News interview that aired Sunday, Trump said he doesn’t plan to restrict medication abortion but also seemed to leave the door open, saying “things change.” “Things do change, but I don’t think it’s going to change at all,” he said. The early lineup of his new administration , including nominations to lead health agencies, the Justice Department and event the Department of Veterans Affairs, has garnered mixed — but generally positive — reactions from anti-abortion groups. Abortion law experts said Trump’s decision to include fewer candidates with deep ties to the anti-abortion movement could indicate that abortion will not be a priority for Trump’s administration. “It almost seems to suggest that President Trump might be focusing his administration in other directions,” said Greer Donley, an associate law professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Karen Stone, vice president of public policy at Planned Parenthood Action Fund , said while many of the nominees have “extensive records against reproductive health care,” some do not. She cautioned against making assumptions based on Trump’s initial cabinet selections. Still, many abortion rights groups are wary, in part because many of the nominees hold strong anti-abortion views even if they do not have direct ties to anti-abortion activists. They’re concerned that an administration filled with top-level officials who are personally opposed to abortion could take steps to restrict access to the procedure and funding. After Trump’s ambiguity about abortion during his campaign, “there’s still a lot we don’t know about what policy is going to look like,” said Mary Ruth Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California, Davis School of Law. That approach may be revealed as the staffs within key departments are announced. Trump announced he would nominate anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Health and Human Services Department, which anti-abortion forces have long targeted as central to curtailing abortion rights nationwide. Yet Kennedy shifted on the issue during his own presidential campaign. In campaign videos, Kennedy said he supports abortion access until viability , which doctors say is sometime after 21 weeks, although there is no defined timeframe. But he also said “every abortion is a tragedy” and argued for a national ban after 15 weeks of pregnancy, a stance he quickly walked back. The head of Health and Human Services oversees Title X funding for a host of family planning services and has sweeping authority over agencies that directly affect abortion access, including the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The role is especially vital amid legal battles over a federal law known as EMTALA, which President Joe Biden’s administration has argued requires emergency abortion access nationwide, and FDA approval of the abortion pill mifepristone. Mini Timmaraju, president of the national abortion rights organization Reproductive Freedom for All, called Kennedy an “unfit, unqualified extremist who cannot be trusted to protect the health, safety and reproductive freedom of American families.” His potential nomination also has caused waves in the anti-abortion movement. Former Vice President Mike Pence , a staunch abortion opponent, urged the Senate to reject Kennedy’s nomination. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the national anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said the group had its own concerns about Kennedy. “There’s no question that we need a pro-life HHS secretary,” she said. Fox News correspondent Marty Makary is Trump’s pick to lead the FDA, which plays a critical role in access to medication abortion and contraception. Abortion rights groups have accused him of sharing misinformation about abortion on air. Russell Vought , a staunch anti-abortion conservative, has been nominated for director of the Office of Management and Budget. Vought was a key architect of Project 2025 , a right-wing blueprint for running the federal government. Among other actions to limit reproductive rights, it calls for eliminating access to medication abortion nationwide, cutting Medicaid funding for abortion and restricting access to contraceptive care, especially long-acting reversible contraceptives such as IUD’s. Despite distancing himself from the conservative manifesto on the campaign trail, Trump is stocking his administration with people who played central roles in developing Project 2025. Trump acknowledged that drafters of the report would be part of his incoming administration during the Sunday interview with NBC News, saying “Many of those things I happen to agree with.” “These cabinet appointments all confirm that Project 2025 was in fact the blueprint all along, and the alarm we saw about it was warranted,” said Amy Williams Navarro, director of government relations for Reproductive Freedom for All. Dr. Mehmet Oz , Trump’s choice to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is a former television talk show host who has been accused of hawking dubious medical treatments and products. He voiced contradictory abortion views during his failed Senate run in 2022. Oz has described himself as “strongly pro-life, praised the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade , claimed “life starts at conception” and referred to abortion as “murder.” But he also has echoed Trump’s states-rights approach, arguing the federal government should not be involved in abortion decisions. “I want women, doctors, local political leaders, letting the democracy that’s always allowed our nation to thrive to put the best ideas forward so states can decide for themselves,” he said during a Senate debate two years ago. An array of reproductive rights groups opposed his Senate run. As CMS administrator, Oz would be in a key position to determine Medicaid coverage for family planning services and investigate potential EMTALA violations. Related Articles National Politics | Trump promises to end birthright citizenship: What is it and could he do it? National Politics | In promising to shake up Washington, Trump is in a class of his own National Politics | Election Day has long passed. In some states, legislatures are working to undermine the results National Politics | Trump taps his attorney Alina Habba to serve as counselor to the president National Politics | With Trump on the way, advocates look to states to pick up medical debt fight As Florida’s attorney general, Pam Bondi defended abortion restrictions, including a 24-hour waiting period. Now she’s Trump’s choice for attorney general . Her nomination is being celebrated by abortion opponents but denounced by abortion rights groups concerned she may revive the Comstock Act , an anti-vice law passed by Congress in 1873 that, among other things, bans mailing of medication or instruments used in abortion. An anti-abortion and anti-vaccine former Florida congressman, David Weldon, has been chosen to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which collects and monitors abortion data across the country. Former Republican congressman Doug Collins is Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs amid a political battle over abortion access and funding for troops and veterans. Collins voted consistently to restrict funding and access to abortion and celebrated the overturning of Roe v. Wade. “This is a team that the pro-life movement can work with,” said Kristin Hawkins, president of the national anti-abortion organization Students for Life.The third day of OpenAI 's 12 Days of OpenAI went way bigger than the OpenAI o1 model of day one or the enterprise-focused day two . The AI company announced the general release of the long-awaited Sora AI video generator. First teased nearly a year ago, there's a lot to unpack from the news, so here are five of the most important bits about Sora you need to know. How to make videos with Sora Sora is now accessible via its website to ChatGPT Plus and Pro subscribers in the U.S. and many other countries. The AI video maker employs an upgraded version of the model showcased in February called Sora Turbo – this new model produces better videos more quickly than the earlier iteration. Beyond basic text-to-video capabilities, Sora Turbo adds some creative flexibility. You can submit a text prompt to make a video from scratch, as well as animate a still image, or remix an existing video based on a new text prompt. Don't expect to make full-length feature films right away, though. Sora runs on a credit system similar to ChatGPT and DALL-E. ChatGPT Plus subscribers get 1,000 monthly credits, which equals 50 videos at 720p resolution of five seconds each that will be prioritized for creation. If you're willing to pay $200 a month for the new ChatGPT Pro plan, you can get longer, higher quality videos of up to 20 seconds at 1080p and ten times as many priority videos as with Plus. You can also have up to five videos processing simultaneously. If you use up all 500 priority slots, you'll still get unlimited video generations below the priority level, but none of the videos will have the OpenAI watermark. That's not the case on the Plus plan, though. Even if you're not making a video, you can check out the Sora Explore page and see what others are making. Once you're logged into Sora, you can follow the steps below to make a video in Sora, and check out our hands-on with making a video here . Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Visit Sora.com and log in with your ChatGPT Plus or Pro account credentials. Once logged in, locate and click on the "Create" or "New Video" button to open the video generation interface. In the text box, type a prompt for the video you wish to create. You can set a style pre-set and, depending on your subscription tier, you can set your resolution and duration as well. Click the "Generate" button and Sora will create your video. Once the video is ready, you can preview it and redo it or remix it with a new prompt. Sorry UK and Europe There's bad news for those in the UK and Europe eager to use Sora. The AI video maker is not available there yet, and the delay has no ending in sight. It's a familiar scenario for OpenAI products facing the region's stringent regulatory landscape. This cautious rollout echoes the restrictions faced by ChataGPT, including an outright ban by Italy. DALL-E's image maker was also slow to launch in the region as OpenAI navigated the complexities of European AI governance. Storyboarding One standout element of the new Sora platform is the Storyboards feature. Basically, you can set up multiple prompts in a row to design a narrative that the AI will turn into a sequence of multiple videos that can be merged into one cohesive story. So, say you might want to make a video explaining the water cycle. With Storyboards, you could generate a sequence showing water evaporating from a lake, condensing into clouds, and eventually falling back to earth as rain – all animated and guided by simple text prompts. You could tell all kinds of fun stories and link them together in a cohesive style rather than hoping the AI will maintain that preferred look with multiple independent prompts. You can see an example of a Storyboard below. Blending Another major feature of Sora is Blending. Like the Storyboard feature, Blending is about combining videos. However, while Storyboard is about linking videos across time, Blending merges two scenes through a transition that works organically with both. Sora can easily meld disparate lighting, perspective, motion, and other elements and meld them into a harmonious whole. Say you have an AI-generated clip of a serene forest and another clip showing a busy city of the future. Blending would let you show the forest transform into the city skyline. The smooth transition could be very evocative if you're telling a story of urbanization or perhaps of someone moving from the countryside to the big city. Even the ocean and outer space could link together, with bubbles morphing into swirling suns of a distant galaxy as you open your sci-fi movie, perhaps. Safety and competition Of course, the usual quality and content safety issues arise with Sora, as with any other AI video generator. That's why videos generated with Sora will have visible watermarks unless you pay to remove them. All of them will include metadata that can track their origin, though, so even without a watermark, a video made with Sora will be identifiable. The idea is to address growing concerns about misinformation, deepfakes, and AI manipulation. And you won't be allowed to upload images or videos to Sora without agreeing to guidelines forbidding content involving minors, violence, explicit material, or anything copyrighted. You'll get suspended or banned if caught. Those restrictions aren't unique to Sora, but they put it in the same arena as other AI video makers. There's been an enormous burst of interest in the technology, with commensurate releases of alternatives like Runway , Stability AI , Pika , and Luma Labs' Dream Machine , among others. OpenAI’s Sora and other AI video makers look amazing in their demos – why won’t they let us try them? OpenAI’s Sora video generator (briefly) leaked in protest by early users Coca-Cola’s iconic 'Holidays Are Coming' ad is now a soulless and creepy dystopian nightmare made by AI

Former Saints CB Marshon Lattimore doesn't pull punches in comment about return to New Orleans

Published 19:48 IST, December 28th 2024 The experts feel that Quantum teleportation, has the potential to bring a revolution in the world, which can completely change the way we communicate. In an era of classy mobile phones, laptops and tablets, fast internet access, WiFi, and mobile data, which are used as mediums to send messages, imagine being able to send information from one place to another instantly, without needing any physical medium or future technology. This may sound like science fiction, but researchers have made a groundbreaking achievement in Quantum teleportation, which has generated a ray of hope into the unthinkable. According to the reports, the research team led by Prem Kumar from Northwestern University in the Illinois city of the United States has successfully demonstrated quantum teleportation over standard fibre optic cable, carrying everyday internet traffic. The experts feel that the latest innovation, Quantum teleportation, has the potential to bring a revolution in the world, which can completely change the way we communicate. They believe that once it becomes reality, communication will become faster and more secure. Quantum Teleportation Is Made Possible By ‘Quantum Entanglement’ It is being said that Quantum teleportation is not about physically moving objects from one place to another, but rather about transferring information from one particle to another, regardless of the distance between them. This innovation has reportedly been made possible by "quantum entanglement," where two particles are connected in such a way that what happens to one instantly affects the other. Experts explained saying, think of entanglement like an invisible twin connection where two particles, even if miles apart, are linked in a way that what happens to one instantly affects the other. Unlike sending a physical object, you are sending the state or condition of a particle. Prem Kumar said, "This is incredibly exciting because nobody thought it was possible. Our work shows a path towards next-generation quantum and classical networks sharing a unified fibre optic infrastructure. Basically, it opens the door to pushing quantum communications to the next level." Scientists Used Specific Wavelength For Quantum Signal The study involved careful management of light scattering to ensure that delicate quantum information, carried by photons, could survive amidst the swarm of internet data. To achieve this, the scientists used a specific wavelength for the quantum signal and implemented filters to minimise interference from other data streams. "We carefully studied how light is scattered and placed our photons at a judicial point where that scattering mechanism is minimised," said Prem Kumar. The result was a successful teleportation of a quantum state of light, representing a significant leap towards integrating quantum communication with existing internet infrastructure. Notably, this was not just a simulation; it was done in real-world conditions, showcasing the practical viability of quantum communication alongside traditional data transmission. Quantum Teleportation Can Be As Fast As Light Speed One of the biggest appeals of quantum teleportation is that it can occur almost as fast as light travels. This development is a big step towards a quantum internet that could revolutionize traditional computing. From secure encryption methods to enhanced sensing capabilities, the potential for this technology remains immense. It could even potentially connect quantum computers on a global scale without needing specialized infrastructure. The implications of this breakthrough are vast, and researchers are excited about the possibilities. As Prem Kumar noted, "This is incredibly exciting because nobody thought it was possible. Our work shows a path towards next-generation quantum and classical networks sharing a unified fibre optic infrastructure." With this achievement, we are one step closer to a future where quantum communication and traditional internet coexist, paving the way for a new era in secure and fast communication. Updated 19:48 IST, December 28th 2024

Unwrap the latest AI features with Amazon Fire TabletsFox News Flash top sports headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com. Chad "Ochocino" Johnson missed just 10 games in his illustrious 11-year career, and now he's spilling his secrets. The six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver revealed on the "7PM in Brooklyn" podcast an odd way of keeping his ankles healthy. Johnson would soak his ankles in his teammates' warm urine. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM Wide receiver Chad Johnson of the Cincinnati Bengals celebrates during a game against the Houston Texans at Paul Brown Stadium Nov. 9, 2003, in Cincinnati. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images) The podcast brought up a video of Johnson discussing the remedy from a podcast in 2016. "You know what I did for ankle sprains?" the former wide receiver said at the time. "I would collect warm urine from my teammates, heat it up and put my ankle in it for 30 minutes." "Yeah, that worked," he nonchalantly recalled to the podcast this week. Johnson would soak his ankles for 30 minutes. "There's a reason I never been injured — home remedies," he said, admitting there was no "science" behind it. I'm sitting here living proof." Chad Ochocinco of the Cincinnati Bengals hauls in a one-handed catch for a first quarter touchdown against the Cleveland Browns during a game at Cleveland Browns Stadium Oct. 4, 2009, in Cleveland. (Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) Johnson said his grandmother told him about the secret sauce, and, apparently, it was pretty easy to convince his teammates to help. "It's a good thing. This is how I was able to collect it all at one time, right? You got team meetings in the morning, right? Everybody. 'Hey y'all, boy, do me a favor, boy. My ankle kind of f---ed up, I need you to all y'all to drink water at one time. So, when we break meeting, if y'all pee it's a bucket in the bathroom.' Boom. Y'all all peeing that bucket for me." Chad Ochocinco of the Cincinnati Bengals during a game against the New York Jets at Metlife Stadium Nov. 25, 2010, in East Rutherford, N.J. (Benjamin Solomon/Getty Images) CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "Ochocinco" was a six-time Pro Bowler and had seven 1,000-yard seasons. He retired with 766 catches (41st all-time), 11,059 yards (38th) and 67 touchdowns (T-56th). The 46-year-old has been eligible for Canton since 2017 but has yet to receive the call. Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X , and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter .

By JILL COLVIN NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump wants to turn the lights out on daylight saving time. In a post on his social media site Friday, Trump said his party would try to end the practice when he returns to office. “The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t! Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation,” he wrote. Setting clocks forward one hour in the spring and back an hour in the fall is intended to maximize daylight during summer months, but has long been subject to scrutiny. Daylight saving time was first adopted as a wartime measure in 1942. Lawmakers have occasionally proposed getting rid of the time change altogether. The most prominent recent attempt, a now-stalled bipartisan bill named the Sunshine Protection Act , had proposed making daylight saving time permanent. The measure was sponsored by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio , whom Trump has tapped to helm the State Department. Related Articles National Politics | Ruling by a conservative Supreme Court could help blue states resist Trump policies National Politics | A nonprofit leader, a social worker: Here are the stories of the people on Biden’s clemency list National Politics | Nancy Pelosi hospitalized after she ‘sustained an injury’ on official trip to Luxembourg National Politics | Veteran Daniel Penny, acquitted in NYC subway chokehold, will join Trump’s suite at football game National Politics | About 3 in 10 are highly confident in Trump on Cabinet, spending or military oversight: AP-NORC poll “Changing the clock twice a year is outdated and unnecessary,” Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said as the Senate voted in favor of the measure. Health experts have said that lawmakers have it backward and that standard time should be made permanent. Some health groups , including the American Medical Association and American Academy of Sleep Medicine, have said that it’s time to do away with time switches and that sticking with standard time aligns better with the sun — and human biology. Most countries do not observe daylight saving time. For those that do, the date that clocks are changed varies, creating a complicated tapestry of changing time differences. Arizona and Hawaii don’t change their clocks at all.