Virgo – (23rd August to 22nd September) Daily Horoscope Prediction says, you love risks The love relationship will be free from issues. Handle multiple opportunities at the office and deliver the best results. Prosperity exists & health is fine. Do not let emotions determine your love life and work. Ensure you maintain a good rapport with your coworkers. Go for smart money decisions today. You are good in health. Virgo Love Horoscope Today Be sensitive towards the emotions of the lover and ensure the love life is creative today. Do not let old issues come up, disturbing the pace of love. Your relationship will get the support of your parents. A vacation is a good way to celebrate love and you may make plans today. Spend more time together to share the emotions both good and bad. Those who meet up with an ex-flame will be happy but ensure it does not affect the present romantic relationship. Virgo Career Horoscope Today Be expressive at team meetings and also ensure there is clarity in your ideas. Keep your strategies ready for client meetings and ensure you accomplish all assigned tasks. Job seekers will get the right opportunities today. Some organizations would require you to work overtime and deliver the results. Travel is also on the cards, especially for the people working in the travel and tourism industry. Businessmen handling hospitality, construction, automobiles, and electronics will see good returns. Students will also clear competitive examinations. Virgo Money Horoscope Today No major issue will come up related to funds and Virgos will love buying luxury items and vehicles today. You may also renovate the house and even go ahead with investments in stock and trade. Some Virgos will take this time to settle the pending dues and also resolve a monetary issue involving a friend. You may also require spending for a celebration at home or office today. Seniors can divide the wealth among children. Virgo Health Horoscope Today Keep your health safe by following a balanced lifestyle. Avoid outside food as there are chances of digestion issues. You may also have oral health issues in the second art of the day. Take proper care of your diet and take plenty of water. Those who drive must be careful in the evening hours. Follow all traffic rules. Virgo Sign Attributes Strength: Kind, Elegant, Perfectionist, Modest, Strong-willed Weakness: Picky, Over-possessive Symbol: Virgin maiden Element: Earth Body Part: Intestine Sign Ruler : Mercury Lucky Day: Wednesday Lucky Color: Gray Lucky Number: 7 Lucky Stone : Sapphire Virgo Sign Compatibility Chart Natural affinity: Taurus, Cancer, Scorpio, Capricorn Good compatibility: Virgo, Pisces Fair compatibility: Aries, Leo, Libra, Aquarius Less compatibility: Gemini, Sagittarius By: Dr. J. N. Pandey Vedic Astrology & Vastu Expert Website: www.astrologerjnpandey.com E-mail: djnpandey@gmail.com Phone: 91-9811107060 (WhatsApp Only)

Not long after Donald J. Trump had secured a second go at being president, a group of dreamers set their sights on building a new world, far from this polluted planet and its troubles. This cohort was not destined for Mars, but to a space within themselves – a digital utopia just for the like-minded. Bluesky is a microblogging site for idealists, devoted to protecting them against the raging reality of divergent opinion in a democratic system. The pilgrims took with them their in-house journal, The Guardian , which left Elon Musk’s X with the flounce of a friendless man leaving a party to which he hadn’t been invited. Henceforth, the trust-funded worldwide webzine will dedicate itself to nurturing the delicate biosphere of an alternative reality. Defectors from Elon Musk’s X are taking up with Bluesky. Credit: NurPhoto via Getty Images Three million users have joined Bluesky over the past week, according to the platform, and they have been busy tending to their new world. In this environment, misinformation and disinformation are not alone the enemy; malinformation – information that does not accord with the idealists’ worldview – is the apple from the tree of knowledge, from which the Devil bid Eve to sup. Curious interlopers from the Other Place – the increasingly uncensored X – have experimented by pushing the boundaries of the sayable on Bluesky. To their delight , reasonably mainstream opinions attract the ire of the moderators, and are soft-censored as “intolerance”. Posts labelled thus are not visible in the app until a user clicks on “show”. This functionality is a clue to what the spotless mind can experience on Bluesky. Only the opposite of malinformation – “euinformation”, eu being the obverse prefix – is welcome here. Euinformation is well-meaning information; not really information so much as a curation of comforting progressive axioms. Meanwhile, in the real world, way over here in Australia, I’m never quite sure which way the discussion is going to go when someone raises the re-election of Donald Trump. Given space to speak, tradies volunteer that it’s not a surprise to them that Trump won. Hairdressers venture that it might be a good thing. Even in trendy urban enclaves, the anti-Trump clucking is not as secure as in 2016. The top three concerns in the US election were democracy (presumably whether it would be honoured), the economy and migration. But the cultural effect of focusing on those essentials is wide-reaching. On reflection, it seems everyone knew that they or other people privately had less and less patience with the vanity projects of the boardroom, while the economy constricted the lives of salary men and women. Acronyms have been crumbling. Many companies have slunk away from the ESG (environmental, social and governance) trend as it has emerged that many were just faking it. Australian companies have become more wary about the claims they make in this area after corporate watchdog ASIC announced it was cracking down on greenwashing – the “practice of misrepresenting the extent to which a financial product or investment strategy is environmentally friendly, sustainable or ethical”. In August this year, the world’s largest investment firm, BlackRock , which has $US10 trillion ($15.4 trillion) under management, reported that it had dramatically reduced its support for shareholder proposals addressing environmental and social issues. Another acronym, DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), is also under fire. Over 200 US colleges have backtracked on their DEI programs, as suggestions swirl that race-based admissions programs have disadvantaged some ethnic groups, including Asian Americans. The grandmama of corporate DEI, White Fragility author Robin DiAngelo, was accused of appropriating passages and ideas in her PhD dissertation from minority scholars without attribution. DiAngelo has become wealthy lecturing corporate teams around the Anglosphere on DEI, leaving them with a tangle of rules and terminology so confusing that their main use is to be weaponised in internal disputes. DEI scepticism and exhaustion have reached Australia too, with some consultants reporting that companies are scaling back, or at the very least rebranding, these departments. Australia, of course, also had the Voice referendum to remind us that permission for social change has to be sought once core concerns are covered. The arc of history does not bend inexorably towards the preoccupations of student newspaper alumni and their kin over at Human Resources. Conservatives used to insist that politics is downstream of culture; in fact, if Australia’s choice of Scott Morrison in 2019 didn’t get them over the line, America’s choice of Donald Trump this year should finally persuade them that this adage isn’t complete. Culture is downstream of economics. The party perceived to be capable of managing things so you can live a good life has first dibs on defining the mainstream culture. But you won’t hear that over at Bluesky, where the butterfly logo symbolises a new type of white flight from unpleasant ideas. As the progressive influx gains pace, the Bluesky Trust & Safety team received 42,000 reports of “harmful content” in a single day , compared with 360,000 for the whole of 2023. You can block your ears and block your enemies in a digital utopia, but Trump’s election has already changed the culture of the US, and Australia too. Parnell Palme McGuinness is managing director at campaigns firm Agenda C. She has done work for the Liberal Party and the German Greens. Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter .SEOUL, South Korea , Nov. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Hugel Inc., a leading global medical aesthetics company, said on Friday it will spur expansion in the botulinum toxin market of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) via a strategic partnership with Dubai -headquartered aesthetic and medical distribution partner Medica Group. The two companies have recently entered into an agreement to bolster the distribution of Hugel's toxin Botulax in the key markets of the region. Hugel, which exports its own toxin to 64 markets including the US, Europe and China , the world's three largest toxin buyers, obtained sales approval for Botulax in the Middle East last year. Medica Group is a leading player in the region and has strong distribution networks through its head office in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and branches in Saudi Arabia and Lebanon . The company distributes medical aesthetic products from about 30 global brands, proving their solid know-how in the field and strong execution capabilities in the MENA. The MENA is one of the fastest growing regions for medical aesthetics, driven by strong economic momentum, favorable demographic characteristics, increasing accessibility to social media as well as social and consumption transformation. Hugel's Executive Chairman, Suk Cha , commented on the partnership: "We are very pleased to enter into this strategic collaboration with Medica Group. The Middle East represents a key market for Hugel, with its rapidly growing demand for medical aesthetic treatments. We have chosen Medica Group as our distributor because they share our commitment to excellence and quality. Their proven expertise, extensive reach and deep understanding of the region make them the ideal partner to bring our Botulax product to this dynamic region. Botulax is recognized globally for its quality, and we are confident that, through this partnership, it will become a leading choice for medical professionals and patients in the Middle East and Africa ." Andre Daoud , CEO of Medica Group, highlighted the importance of this collaboration: "Our partnership with Hugel marks a key milestone for us as we continue to expand our portfolio and lead the aesthetics market with global solutions. The introduction of Botulax in the Middle East and Africa offers healthcare professionals access to a world-class botulinum toxin that is highly trusted for its quality, safety, and performance. This strategic partnership aligns with our mission to provide advanced, innovative products and services that meet the demands of the region's growing beauty and medical aesthetics market. Hugel's global expertise, combined with our deep local knowledge and network, will create tremendous value for our customers and their patients." About Hugel Established in 2001, Hugel is a leading global medical aesthetics company that manufactures injectables for skin rejuvenation such as botulinum toxin, hyaluronic acid fillers and skin boosters as well as absorbable sutures and cosmetics products. The company is the only South Korean supplier to the world's three largest botulinum toxin markets, the US, China and Europe . It exports medical aesthetic products and devices to around 70 countries and operates eight global subsidiaries in the US, Australia , Canada , Taiwan , China , Hong Kong and Singapore . About Medica Group A leading partner in the field of aesthetic medicine, Medica Group continues to push the boundaries of beauty and wellbeing in the region. Being at the forefront of the industry, the group is renowned for its innovative approach, state-of-the-art solutions with a solid commitment to delivering outstanding results and setting new standards in aesthetics. A trusted partner for international aesthetic brands, Medica showcases a commitment to excellence and quality through the technologies of its product and services, and the collaboration of the aesthetic medicine community. Contact: Jihyun Kim , Manager of the PR Team, Hugel jihyun.kim@hugel-inc.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hugel-and-medica-join-forces-to-boost-botulinum-toxin-sales-in-middle-east-north-africa-302313729.html SOURCE Hugel

Black Friday is on the horizon, followed by Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. As Tucsonans gear up for shopping, local nonprofits request that they consider adding children in need to their lists — or, alternatively, volunteering to brighten their holiday season. Aviva Children’s Services is seeking donations of time, talent, toys and treasure to provide holiday gifts for more than 2,000 children involved in the foster care system. Each child will receive two toys along with a handmade gift (quilt, blanket, pillow case, stuffed animal or pajamas); a stocking filled with stocking stuffers; a book or puzzle; and other items personalized to the child. “We really want to create normalcy for these kids. Even with all of the different types of holidays that people celebrate, there is lots of giving and receiving at this time of year. The kids may not be with their typical family unit, but we want to make it as normal as possible,” said Olivia Bruntmyer, engagement coordinator with Aviva Children’s Services. A subsidiary of the Easterseals Blake Foundation, Aviva serves children from newborn to age 18 who are in foster and kinship care through the Arizona Department of Child Safety (DCS). Foster care includes children in traditional and group homes, while kinship care is comprised of extended family members such as grandparents, aunts and uncles, or a family friend who has a relationship to the child. In 2023, about 58 percent of children in Arizona foster care utilized kinship placements, according to DCS. Kinship placements—many of which occur on short notice—generally receive half the monthly stipend ($300 per month) that licensed foster caregivers receive for a child, along with fewer resources. “Typically these extended family members may not have the monetary support that they need to provide toys and gifts for the kids during the holidays. We want to make sure they can give the children the holiday they deserve,” said Bruntmyer. Long-time volunteer Karen Coyne, 72, has been making holidays happen for foster children for eight years. Coyne is a member of Aviva Divas, an auxiliary organization that supports Aviva through sewing and quilting. The group makes blankets, quilts, stockings and other items for the children; they also sell handmade wares at an annual sale and through a small shop at Aviva to provide money to buy toys. Coyne and other volunteers also offer hands-on support at the annual Holiday Toy Distribution, which will take place Dec. 9 through 12 in the gymnasium at Christ Presbyterian Church, 6565 E Broadway. Coyne said the gym virtually transforms into a “Santa’s Workshop” so that DCS case workers and foster and kinship families can come pick up toys and gifts for the children. Bruntmyer encourages donors to deliver toys directly to the distribution when possible in order to see the scope of the event. “It is just an absolutely amazing sight: You have to see it to understand. You just can’t imagine. We set it all up on Monday and by Friday it is all gone. It is so heartwarming. We have such an ugly society right now with so much hate and you go in there and see all these people and organizations giving their time and energy because they know the kids are the future,” Coyne said. Supporters of the Christina-Taylor Green Memorial Toy Drive are also working to make the season merry for kids who are displaced during the holidays. For the 14th consecutive year, the drive will collect new, unwrapped toys, books and gift cards for children hospitalized at Banner-Diamond Children’s Medical Center and their families. Donations can be dropped at Northwest YMCA, 7770 N. Shannon Road by Dec. 14; they will also be accepted at Buckelew Farm Christmas Tree Lots citywide. Roxanna Green spearheads the drive each year in memory of her daughter. She and her husband, John, and their son, Dallas, hope to deliver $10,000 worth of toys to the hospital for distribution through the Child Life Center. “It really means a lot to so many children who have to spend the holidays in the hospital. Without the help of donations like this to the Child Life Center, many of these kids who are less fortunate wouldn’t have a nice Hanukkah or Christmas,” said Roxanna. Roxanna said that the toy drive has become a holiday tradition for her family and many in the community and every year she is amazed by the generosity of Tucsonans. “It keeps Christina’s giving spirit alive. She was always a giver and loved to give back. She always felt blessed to have a good life and wanted to do things for others who didn’t have as much as she had, which is pretty wise for a little kid,” said Roxanna. Contact freelance writer Loni Nannini at ninch2@comcast.net • Aviva Children’s Services Holiday Toy Drive for Children in Foster Care When: Through Wednesday, Dec. 11 Where: New, unwrapped toys and gifts can be dropped through Friday, Dec. 6 at Aviva Children’s Services, 153 S. Plumer Ave. Donations can also be dropped off between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Dec. 9, 10 and 11 at Christ Presbyterian Church, 6565 E. Broadway. Supporters of Aviva Children’s Services are seeking new toys and gifts for more than 2,000 children — from newborn through 18 years old — in foster and kinship care in Southern Arizona. Go to https://www.avivatucson.org/toy-drive for a wish list. If you prefer to shop from home, Aviva has wish lists through Amazon at https://a.co/diiJDhU ; Target https://www.target.com/gift-registry/gift/2023avivaholidaydrive ; and Walmart at Aviva Holiday Toy Drive Walmart.com . You can also make online cash donations or by calling 520-327-6779. More than 100 volunteers are needed to help with the distribution of toys between Dec. 9 and 12. Go to https://www.avivatucson.org/be-a-holiday-volunteer/ to sign up. • Annual Christina-Taylor Green Memorial Holiday Toy Drive When: Through Thursday, Dec. 14. Where: Northwest YMCA at 7770 N. Shannon Rd. and Buckelew Farm Christmas Tree Lots citywide (beginning on Friday, Nov. 24) Friends and family of Christina-Taylor Green are collecting new, unwrapped toys and books and Amazon or Target gift cards (which can be purchased online and emailed to roxgreen04@yahoo.com) for children receiving care and treatment at Banner-Diamond Children’s Medical Center. Toys and cash donations can be dropped at the Buckelew Farm Christmas Tree Lot at 2225 W. Ina Rd. across from the Foothills Mall and other Buckelew Farm lots citywide. Proceeds will be used to purchase toys for hospitalized children. The public is also invited to donate a toy or book and enjoy hot chocolate and photos with Santa from 3:30 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 6 at the Buckelew Farm Lot at 2225 W. Ina Rd. Respond: Write a letter to the editor | Write a guest opinion Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community. 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Novato to hire crisis team to complement police forceThousands of displaced people started returning to their homes in southern Lebanon on Wednesday in the first hours of a ceasefire between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group , defying a warning from the Israeli military to stay away from previously evacuated areas. The ceasefire brought relief across the Mediterranean nation after days of some of the most intense Israeli airstrikes and clashes during nearly 14 months of fighting. However, many wondered if the agreement would hold, and Israel has said it will attack if Hezbollah breaks the ceasefire. The truce marks the first major step toward ending the regionwide unrest triggered by Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, but it does not address the devastating war in Gaza. Israeli strikes overnight on two schools-turned-shelters in Gaza City killed 11 people, including four children, according to hospital officials. Israel said one of the strikes targeted a Hamas sniper and the other targeted militants hiding among civilians. In Gaza, more than 44,000 people have been killed and more than 104,000 wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Israel has destroyed large parts of Gaza and displaced nearly all of its 2.3 million people Here's the Latest: JERUSALEM — Israel's army and Hezbollah's militant leaders are both claiming success on the battlefield after the sides entered into a ceasefire Wednesday. Israel said it degraded Hezbollah's capabilities and decapitated its senior leadership , while the Lebanese militant group said it put up a stiff defense to Israel's ground invasion “in support of the steadfast Palestinian people.” Iran-backed Hezbollah claimed “victory” over Israeli forces and said its fighters were “fully prepared” to counter any future Israeli actions. "Their hands will remain on the trigger, in defense of Lebanon’s sovereignty,” the statement from Hezbollah's operations center said Wednesday, its first public comments since the ceasefire took effect. Israeli military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said the army had weakened Hezbollah's ability to launch rockets and drones into Israel, and targeted its ability to resupply and manufacture weapons. “We are also preparing for the possibility of returning to intense combat,” Hagari said in a video statement Wednesday. He said that throughout the nearly 14 months of fighting, Israel struck 12,500 targets across Lebanon, including around 360 targets in Beirut's southern suburb of Dahiyeh. It was not possible to independently confirm battlefield claims by either side. The ceasefire agreement gives Israel and Hezbollah militants 60 days to withdraw from areas of southern Lebanon near the border. JERUSALEM — The Israeli military says it shot down a drone that had crossed into Israel from Egypt. It says the drone brought down on Wednesday was carrying “four rifles, five cartridges and hundreds of bullets.” It did not provide further details, saying the weapons were being investigated. Israel has long accused Hamas of smuggling weapons into the Gaza Strip from Egypt through tunnels beneath the Gaza-Egypt border, which Israeli forces seized in May . Egypt says it destroyed the tunnels from its side years ago. Egypt was the first Arab country to make peace with Israel, and they have close security ties, but relations have been strained by the ongoing war in Gaza. DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Hundreds more Palestinians have fled from war-ravaged northern Gaza as Israel presses ahead with a weeks-old offensive against Hamas militants. The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group leaves the nearly 14-month war in Gaza unresolved . Hamas is still holding dozens of hostages and most of the Palestinian population has been displaced inside the besieged and heavily destroyed territory. Many of those fleeing Wednesday had crowded onto donkey carts with their belongings in their arms. Others walked on foot, some holding the hands of their small children. “We left, and here we are sitting, with no shelter or food, and we do not know where to go,” said Umm Saleh al-Adham, one of the women who fled the northern town of Beit Lahiya. She said Israeli troops separated the men from the women and allowed the latter to travel onward to Gaza City. “Here we are, sitting, waiting for God’s mercy,” she said. Israel launched a major offensive in northern Gaza on Oct. 6, saying Hamas had regrouped there. It has isolated Beit Lahiya, Beit Hanoun and the Jabaliya refugee camp, allowing almost no humanitarian aid to reach the area, which experts say might be experiencing famine . The Israeli military has called for a wholesale evacuation. The United Nations estimates that up to 131,000 people have fled the area, with up to 75,000 remaining. The Israeli military said Wednesday that its troops raided a school in northern Gaza overnight and battled Hamas militants there. It said it facilitated the evacuation of thousands of civilians while detaining dozens of suspected militants who were taken to Israel for questioning. Israel’s offensive has killed over 44,000 Palestinians in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to local health officials, who do not differentiate between fighters and civilians in their toll. The war began when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 hostage. THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Israel has filed an appeal with the International Criminal Court in a bid to halt its arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister over alleged crimes against humanity in Gaza. The court last week issued the arrest warrants, accusing Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant of war crimes for actions during Israel’s war in Gaza. Both men have condemned the decision and accused the court of anti-Israeli bias and undermining Israel’s right to self-defense. Netanyahu said Wednesday he discussed the matter with Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, who is seeking sanctions against the court and countries cooperating with it. Netanyahu's office said it also informed the ICC on Wednesday of “its intention to appeal to the court along with a demand to delay implementation of the arrest warrants.” Later, it filed appeals to two decisions granting the court jurisdiction over the case. Israel is not a member of the ICC and says the court has no jurisdiction. The actual warrants cannot be appealed or suspended, said Tom Dannenbaum, associate professor of international law at Tufts University. “None of this challenges the substance of the warrants at this point in the process,” said Dannenbaum. The court cannot make arrests on Israeli territory. But both men could be subject to arrest if they enter any of the court’s member states, which include allies like the U.K., France and Italy. The court said there was reasonable grounds to believe the two leaders bear responsibility for using “starvation as a method of warfare” by restricting humanitarian aid to Gaza and have intentionally targeted civilians. -- By Molly Quell in the Hague and Josef Federman in Jerusalem JERUSALEM — Israeli authorities say they seized a large cache of weapons originating in Iran and bound for Palestinian militants in the West Bank. A joint statement from the military and Israel’s Shin Bet internal security agency on Wednesday said the cache included rockets, explosives, mortar launchers, sniper rifles and other weapons. They released photos purporting to show the weapons. The statement did not say where the seizure took place, and the military did not respond to a request for comment. The statement identified two units of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, one purportedly based in Syria, that it said were responsible for the smuggling, and named their commanders. It did not provide further evidence of Iran’s involvement. Israel has carried out near-daily military raids in the occupied West Bank in recent years, targeting what it says are militants planning attacks. The violence spiked after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack ignited the war in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Health Ministry says nearly 800 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since then. There has also been a rise in Palestinian attacks on Israelis. Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war, territories the Palestinians want for a future state. JERUSALEM — Israel says its troops arrested four Hezbollah operatives, including a local commander, when they entered what it described as a restricted area in southern Lebanon. The two sides entered into a ceasefire early Wednesday that appears to be holding, but Israel has said it will strike the militant group in response to any violations. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced the arrests in a statement. There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah. The statement said Israeli troops have been ordered to prevent people from returning to villages near the border, where the forces are still deployed. The ceasefire agreement gives Israel and Hezbollah militants 60 days to withdraw from areas of southern Lebanon near the border. Thousands of Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers will patrol the area, and an international committee will monitor compliance. WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s national security adviser is pushing back on the incoming Donald Trump administration for taking credit for the Lebanon ceasefire coming together. “I would just point out that you know you’ve done a really good thing when other people take credit for it,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a CNN interview on Wednesday. The comments came after Trump’s pick to serve as his national security adviser, Rep. Mike Waltz, in a posting on X on Tuesday said his boss is the reason the two sides came reached the long-sought after agreement. “Everyone is coming to the table because of President Trump,” Waltz noted. Sullivan in the deal came together because Israel achieved its military objectives in Lebanon and the stakeholders in Lebanon didn’t want war anymore. He also credited the “relentless American diplomacy” of Biden and White House senior adviser Amos Hochstein. Sullivan also confirmed that he had briefed Waltz on the negotiations as they unfolded. AINATA, Lebanon — In the southern Lebanon border villages of Bint Jbeil and Ainata, where fierce fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants took place, rescuers used excavators to search for bodies under the rubble. A woman in Ainata wrapped in black cried as she held a portrait her grandson, a Hezbollah fighter, who was killed in the fighting, as she waits for rescuers to recover his body from a destroyed home. The smell of death filled the air and several dead bodies could be seen inside houses and between trees. In the town of Kfar Hammam, rescuers recovered four bodies, according to Lebanese state media. JERUSALEM — Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham says Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates should lead efforts to rebuild the war-ravaged Gaza Strip. Israel’s nearly 14-month offensive has devastated large parts of Gaza and displaced nearly all of its 2.3 million people. With the war still raging, Israel has not announced a clear postwar plan. But reconstruction is expected to take years and cost billions of dollars. Speaking in Jerusalem, Graham said Wednesday that eventually someone will have to rebuild Gaza and “create an entity in the Palestinian world that would live in peace with Israel.” “The only group that I think has a chance of doing that is the Arab world, led by the (Saudi) Crown Prince and the UAE,” he said. Israel and the UAE established ties in 2020, while Israel had been pursuing a normalization deal with Saudi Arabia before the war against Hamas erupted. Both Arab countries have linked any future reconstruction aid for Gaza to a settlement that includes a path to Palestinian independence. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his hard-line government opposes Palestinian statehood. Meanwhile, Graham said he would work with the incoming Trump administration to sanction “any country” that has targeted Israel in the International Criminal Court. The court last week issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity for actions in the Gaza war. “It’s one thing to sanction the court. We will do that,” he said. “But that’s not enough. If you want to stop the spread of this absurdity, you have to put the civilized world on notice that if you choose the rogue ICC, you do so at your own peril.” BEIRUT — The Lebanese army said it was moving additional troops into the country's south on Wednesday to extend state authority in coordination with the U.N. peacekeeping mission there. “The concerned military units are moving from several areas to the South Litani Sector, where they will be stationed in the locations designated for them,” the Lebanese military said in its first statement since the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire went into effect. Under the ceasefire deal, Israeli troops would pull out of Lebanon and Hezbollah is required to move its forces north of the Litani River, which in some places is about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the border. The ceasefire agreement gives Israel and Hezbollah militants 60 days to withdraw from areas of southern Lebanon near the border. Thousands of Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers will patrol the area, and an international committee will monitor compliance. The Lebanese army has largely stood on the sidelines during the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah, although dozens of its soldiers have been killed amid the fighting. BAALBEK, Lebanon — Beside the graves of Hezbollah fighters in eastern Lebanon's Baalbek region, families with tears in their eyes paid respects to the dead and celebratory gunshots could be heard in the background Wednesday, the first day of a ceasefire between the militant group and Israel. “The resistance (Hezbollah) will stay to defend Lebanon,” Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Mokdad told reporters while visiting the graves. “We tell the enemy that the martyrs thwarted their plans for the Middle East.” Several other Hezbollah members of parliament were present. In addition to being an armed group, Hezbollah is also a political party and provides extensive social services. DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes on two schools-turned-shelters in Gaza City killed 11 people, including four children, hospital officials said. One strike hit the Tabeen School, killing nine, and another targeted Al-Hureyah School, leaving two dead. Both were sheltering hundreds of displaced people. The Israeli military said it struck Mumin Al-Jabari, a senior fighter with Hamas’ sniper unit. It said he had operated in a room inside the Tabeen School, without providing evidence. The military had no immediate comment on claims that it struck the second school. The military said Al-Jabari carried out attacks against Israeli troops in Gaza and had stored weapons in the room he was operating from. At Al-Ahli Hospital, Saeed Abu Salah, who sought shelter in Tabeen School, said the airstrike killed his daughter and granddaughter. He had already lost four of his children since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023, including two whose bodies were still under rubble. “For the millionth time, the Israeli occupation commits crimes against innocent civilians,” he said. Abu Salah held his granddaughter wrapped in a white shroud, while a crying mother nearby held the body of her dead child in her arms. Associated Press footage on Wednesday showed the collapsed roof at the Tabeen School. Dozens gathered outside, some using equipment and bare hands to pull out bodies from under the rubble. One man carried a dead child covered in a blanket. The Israeli military said the strike on the Al-Hureyah School targeted Hamas militants hiding among civilians, without providing evidence. BEIRUT — International aid groups welcomed the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah and urge donors to provide funding to help rebuild parts of Lebanon and assist the displaced. The aid groups are concerned about the aftershocks of the war on Lebanon’s already struggling economy. With more than 1.2 million people displaced, they warned that the damage would leave many struggling and without homes. More than 100,000 homes have been either partially or fully destroyed across southern Lebanon, Bekaa and Beirut, the International Rescue Committee said. Mercy Corps said that half of Lebanon’s population now lives below the poverty line. It called on donors to fulfill pledges to support immediate humanitarian efforts and the long-term recovery. “There will undoubtedly be a great deal of grief and trauma. Many will have no homes to return to, no schools for their children, and livelihoods destroyed,” Norwegian Refugee Council Secretary-General Jan Egeland said. MASNAA BORDER CROSSING — Among the Lebanese hoping to return home following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah are thousands who had fled the war to Syria. Families with hastily packed belongings on Wednesday crossed under heavy rain from Syria into eastern Lebanon. The road, heavily damaged by Israeli airstrikes, is under repair. Mariam Mawla, from Bazouria in southern Lebanon, was thrilled to be returning home after two months in Syrian capital Damascus. As she waited in traffic at the crossing, she told The Associated Press that she hoped to find her house intact. “I heard that there might be some damage, but no matter what, we thank God that we are returning home,” Mawla said. PARIS — France says it “intends to continue to work in close collaboration” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu despite the arrest warrant issued for him by the world’s top war-crimes court. Since the International Criminal Court issued warrants last week, French officials have replied vaguely to questions about whether France would arrest Netanyahu should he visit the country. Prime Minister Michel Barnier told parliament this week that France would “rigorously” respect its obligations according to international law. The position was echoed by France’s foreign minister in a broadcast interview Wednesday morning. But in a subsequent statement, the French Foreign Ministry argued that Netanyahu and others affected by the court warrants benefit from immunity because Israel is not a member of the court. It said this would be “taken into consideration if the ICC was to ask us for their arrest and handing over.” The statement cited “the historic friendship that links France and Israel” and described them as “two democracies committed to the rule of law and respect for professional and independent justice.” TEL AVIV, Israel — As a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah appears to hold in Lebanon, fighting raged on in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. The Gaza Health Ministry said 33 bodies had been brought to hospitals over the past 24 hours, raising the death toll in the nearly 14-month-long war to 44,282. The Health Ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count but says more than half of the dead are women and children. The Israeli military said it struck dozens of Hamas sites in hard-hit northern Gaza, including weapons storage facilities and military structures. It said it warned civilians to evacuate the area beforehand. The military has battled for weeks a resurgence of Hamas in the area, which was an early target of Israel’s offensive. The Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire has no direct bearing on the conflict in Gaza, where international mediators have struggled to secure a truce. JERUSALEM — An Israeli security official says Israeli forces remain in their positions hours after a ceasefire took place and will only gradually withdraw from southern Lebanon. The official, speaking Wednesday on condition of anonymity under military briefing rules, would not say when troops would begin the withdrawal but said it would be completed during the 60-day period laid out in the ceasefire agreement. He said the pace of the withdrawal and the scheduled return of Lebanese civilians to their homes would depend on whether the deal is implemented and enforced by all sides. Story continues below video “We need to see the mechanism is working,” he said. “It’s a gradual agreement. It’s a gradual withdrawal.” The official said Israeli soldiers were responding to an immediate threat when they opened fire earlier Wednesday at several vehicles approaching a restricted area in Lebanon. There were no reports on casualties. The official said that Israel was prepared to do so again if troops were at risk. “We will fire when our forces are threatened,” he said. He said non-immediate threats would be reported to the international monitoring committee, but that if no action is taken, “we will enforce it.” — By Josef Federman CAIRO — Hamas says it’s ready to cooperate with any effort to bring about a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, after Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah reached a truce to end months of fighting. The deal does not address the war in Gaza. International mediators have repeatedly failed to bring Israel and Hamas to a deal that would end the brutal, 13-month-long war. In a statement, Hamas repeated it would seek the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the return of displaced Palestinians and a “real and complete prisoner exchange deal.” Israel has refused to commit to ending the war under any ceasefire deal and some members of the Israeli government have balked over freeing large number of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the roughly 100 hostages still held by militants in Gaza. President Joe Biden said Tuesday he hoped for a renewed international push for negotiations in coming days. BEIRUT — Lebanon’s caretaker government on Wednesday approved a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between the militant Hezbollah group and Israel. The move was largely a formality but also signaled the government’s commitment to its part in the deal, including deploying Lebanese soldiers along the border with Israel and cooperating with United Nations peacekeepers. “Today is a new day, where we hope it carries with it peace and stability,” caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said in a statement following the morning meeting. The agreement is an implementation plan for U.N. Security Council resolution 1701, which was passed in 2006 to end the last Israel-Hezbollah war but never was fully carried out. Its goal was for the Lebanese military to be the exclusive armed presence in southern Lebanon alongside U.N. peacekeepers, and for Hezbollah and Israeli forces to withdraw from the area. According to a copy of the ceasefire agreement provided by the Lebanese government, the Lebanese military would gradually deploy in the south and dismantle unauthorized military infrastructure and weapons production facilities. The United States and France, in addition to UNIFIL peacekeepers, will monitor violations and support the process. BERLIN — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has expressed relief over the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire and called on both sides to stick to the agreement. “Finally, Hezbollah and Israel have agreed on a ceasefire in Lebanon, brokered by our partners USA and France,” Scholz wrote Wednesday on X. “It is important that everyone sticks to what has been agreed, so that people on both sides of the border can live in safety again.” Germany is a staunch ally of Israel, but at the same time home to a Lebanese immigrant community of more than 100,000. BEIRUT — The speaker of Lebanon’s parliament called for another effort to fill the country’s long-vacant presidency just hours after a ceasefire to halt hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel went into effect. Lebanon has been without a president since October 2022, as its deeply divided parliament has been unable to elect a new head of state. The last effort to elect a president was more than a year ago. Speaker Nabih Berri called for political parties to come together to elect a president “who unites rather than divides.” “I call upon you because a moment of truth in which we must unite for the sake of Lebanon has arrived,” Berri said in a televised address. “This is a test for how we can save Lebanon. How we can build it and how we can bring back life for its constitutional institutions.” The war compounded Lebanon’s economic troubles and worsened tensions between political groups allied and opposed to Hezbollah. Berri spearheaded Lebanon’s negotiation efforts for a U.S.-brokered ceasefire to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah. He’s a top Shiite politician and a key ally of Hezbollah. BAGHDAD — One of the most powerful Iran-backed factions in Iraq said it would continue its operations in support of Gaza despite the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire. Iraqi militias have repeatedly launched attacks on Israel from Iraq in the nearly 14 months since the Israel-Hamas war broke out. In a statement, the Kataib Hezbollah group said that the ceasefire would not have been possible without the “resilience of Hezbollah fighters and the failure of the Zionists to achieve their objectives, making the decision solely Lebanese.” The group said that a pause by one member of the so-called Axis of Resistance, which includes Iran-backed groups from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, would not undermine the broader “unity of fronts” strategy. The militia also said the U.S. had been Israel’s partner “in all acts of betrayal, killing, destruction and displacement,” and said it “will eventually have to pay for its actions.” TYRE, Lebanon — Mohammed Kaafarani has lived through multiple conflicts with Israel. But he says the past two months were the worst of them all. “They were a nasty and ugly 60 days,” said Kaafarani, 59, who was displaced from the Lebanese village of Bidias, near the southern port city of Tyre. Thousands of displaced people poured into the city Wednesday after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect. Kaafarani said the latest war was the most difficult because the bombardment was so intense. “We reached a point where there was no place to hide. Even buildings were destroyed.” He said Tyre was left almost empty as most of its residents fled. Kaafarani said he hopes his children and grandchildren will have a better future without wars because “our generation suffered and is still suffering.” “The last two months were way too long,” said Kaafarani, whose home was badly damaged in the fighting. He vowed to fix it and continue on with life. HAIFA, Israel — Some people in Israel who have been displaced by fighting with the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah say the ceasefire deal doesn’t make them feel secure enough to go home. Some 50,000 people have been displaced from a string of cities, towns and villages along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon. Those communities have been pummeled by Hezbollah rocket and drone fire for 13 months, with dozens of houses damaged and in need of rebuilding or rehabilitation. Noy Friedman, who was displaced from the town of Shlomi to the city of Haifa, said she wouldn’t feel safe in her hometown. “I am also not ready for my family to return to Shlomi,” said Friedman. Many displaced Israelis have been living in hotels since the fighting began in Oct. 2023 or have tried to reestablish their lives in new areas far from the fighting. Returning could take months because of the damage caused to the communities, but also because of the fears many of the displaced still feel. On a cold, rainy Wednesday morning, the hard-hit Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona was quiet. A handful of people milled about, inspecting damage from rocket attacks, including to the roof of a bus. The town’s shopping mall, which had been hit before, appeared to have new damage. A rocket was seen stuck in the ground next to an apartment building. “I am against the ceasefire,” said Eliyahu Maman, a Kiryat Shmona resident displaced to Haifa who feared Hezbollah could still attack from southern Lebanon. “I am not ready to return to Kiryat Shmona.” AMMAN, Jordan — Jordan on Wednesday welcomed the ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, saying it should be followed by an international effort to wind down the war in Gaza. In a statement, Jordan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the ceasefire “an important step.” But it said “Israeli aggression on Gaza” must be stopped. Jordan expressed support for Lebanon and stressed the importance of fully implementing the ceasefire. Jordan is a close Western ally that made peace with Israel in 1994. But Israel’s devastating offensive in the Gaza Strip, launched after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack, has strained relations. The country has a large Palestinian population which has demonstrated regularly against the war in Gaza. KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Palestinians said Wednesday they hoped there would be a ceasefire in Gaza now that Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah agreed to a truce. But some feared that Israel would be more heavy handed with Gaza now that its forces were freed up from the fighting against Hezbollah. “The situation will be worse, because the pressure will be more on Gaza,” said Mamdouh Yonis, a man currently living in Khan Younis after being displaced from the southern city of Rafah, told The Associated Press. Palestinians in Gaza are desperately waiting for a ceasefire agreement that would end the war between Hamas and Israel. It’s already killed over 44,000 people according to local authorities, who don’t distinguish between combatants and civilians in their count. The war was sparked when Hamas raided southern Israel in Oct. 2023, killing 1,200 and kidnapping 250, about 100 of whom remain in Gaza. International mediation efforts meant to clinch a deal have faltered repeatedly, and the war is now in its 14th month with no end in sight. “They agree to a ceasefire in one place and not in the other? Have mercy on the children, the elderly and the women. We are sitting in tents and now it is winter,” said Ahlam Abu Shalabi, a woman displaced from Gaza City. ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey welcomed the ceasefire reached between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, expressing hope that it would lead to a lasting truce. In a statement issued Wednesday, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry also called on the international community to exert pressure on Israel to force it to “strictly comply with the ceasefire and compensate for the damage it has caused in Lebanon.” The ministry also urged the establishment of “permanent and comprehensive” ceasefire in Gaza, calling on Israel to “end its aggressive policies.” TEL AVIV, Israel — The Israeli military said Wednesday that its forces opened fire in Lebanon on a number of cars that approached an area it said was restricted, as a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah appeared to take hold. The military said the vehicles drove away. It was not immediately clear if there were any injuries as a result. The Israeli military has warned residents of previously evacuated areas of Lebanon that had been evacuated, but displaced people have been streaming south to their homes. The military said soldiers remained in position in southern Lebanon and that the air force was ready to act if needed. It said Israel’s aerial defense array was also at the ready for any ceasefire violations. PARIS — France’s foreign minister underlined his country’s role in brokering an agreement that ended fighting between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group alongside the U.S., saying the deal wouldn’t have been possible without France’s special relationship with its former protectorate. “It’s a success for French diplomacy and we can be proud,” said the minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, speaking hours after the ceasefire went into effect Wednesday. “It is true that the United States have a privileged relationship with Israel. But with Lebanon, it’s France that has very old ties, very close ties,” the minister added. “It would not have been possible to envisage a ceasefire in Lebanon without France being involved on the front line.” France will be involved in monitoring the ceasefire, Barrot noted, with 700 French soldiers deployed as part of the 10,000-strong United Nations peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL, that has been patrolling the border area between Lebanon and Israel for nearly 50 years. The minister said France will also work to strengthen Lebanese troops that will deploy in the south of the country as part of the ceasefire, although he didn’t specify what that might include. BEIRUT — The Lebanese military asked displaced people returning to southern Lebanon to avoid frontline villages and towns near the border where the Israeli military is still present until the troops withdraw. Thousands of people have been returning to other previously evacuated areas in south Lebanon in defiance of an Israeli warning to avoid all previously evacuated areas. Many of those areas were hit by strikes just hours before the ceasefire took effect. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran welcomed the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Tehran's main militant partner in the Mideast. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei praised the ceasefire in a statement Wednesday morning. Baghaei said that Iran still sought a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. But like Hezbollah, it's dropped the demand that a ceasefire also take place at the same time in the Gaza Strip. He also called for the International Criminal Court to try the “criminals of the occupying regime,” referring to Israel. The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s former defense minister. TYRE, Lebanon — Displaced people started returning to the coastal city of Tyre on motorcycles and in cars early Wednesday, defying an Israeli military warning to stay away from previously evacuated areas. Ahmad Husseini said returning to southern Lebanon was an “indescribable feeling” and praised Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, who led Lebanon’s negotiations with Washington. “He made us and everyone proud.” Husseini, who earlier fled a town near the coastal city, spoke to The Associated Press while in his car with family members. Meanwhile, sporadic celebratory gunfire could be heard at a main roundabout in the city, as people returning honked the horns of cars — some piled with mattresses — and residents cheered. A couple of men shouted slogans praising slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in September. Hussein Sweidan said he sees the ceasefire as a victory for Hezbollah. “This is a moment of victory, pride and honor for us, the Shia sect, and for all of Lebanon,” he said. BEIRUT — As dawn broke in Beirut, plumes of smoke were visible rising from places hit by Israeli strikes before the ceasefire took effect at 4 a.m. Residents of Lebanon’s capital and its southern suburbs endured the most intense day of strikes since the war began on Tuesday. BEIRUT — As the ceasefire went into effect early Wednesday, much of Lebanon was quiet for the first time since late September, following weeks of intense overnight strikes in southern and eastern Lebanon. Some celebratory gunshots could be heard in parts of Beirut’s southern suburbs, battered over the past two months. Israel’s Arabic military spokesperson Avichay Adraee has warned displaced Lebanese not to return to their villages in southern Lebanon, but some videos circulating on social media show displaced Lebanese defying these calls and returning to villages in the south near the coastal city of Tyre. Israeli troops are still present in parts of southern Lebanon after Israel launched a ground invasion in October. Lebanese have also been displaced from other parts of the country, notably the southern Beirut suburbs and the eastern Bekaa province. It’s unclear how long it will take cash-strapped Lebanon to rebuild these bombarded neighborhoods. The war has displaced some 1.2 million people, according to the Lebanese government. JERUSALEM — As the ceasefire took effect early Wednesday, Israel’s military warned people with homes in areas of south Lebanon that it ordered evacuated to stay away for now. Israeli military spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee issued the warning on the social platform X. “You are prohibited from heading towards the villages that the IDF has ordered to be evacuated or towards IDF forces in the area,” Adraee wrote, using an acronym for the Israeli military. “For your safety and the safety of your family members, refrain from moving to the area.” There were no immediate signs of renewed fighting as the ceasefire took hold early Wednesday morning. The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants has begun as a region on edge wonders whether it will hold. The ceasefire announced Tuesday is a major step toward ending nearly 14 months of fighting sparked by the ongoing war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. Israel has said it will attack if Hezbollah breaks the ceasefire agreement. The ceasefire calls for an initial two-month halt to fighting and requires Hezbollah to end its armed presence in southern Lebanon, while Israeli troops are to return to their side of the border. An international panel led by the United States will monitor compliance. The ceasefire began at 4 a.m. Wednesday, a day after Israel carried out its most intense wave of airstrikes in Beirut since the start of the conflict that in recent weeks turned into all-out war. Read more here.

Giuliani Rants About Trump-Appointed Judge, Calls Him 'Activist Democrat'NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks rose to records Tuesday after Donald Trump’s latest talk about tariffs created only some ripples on Wall Street, even if they could roil the global economy were they to take effect. The S&P 500 climbed 0.6% to top the all-time high it set a couple weeks ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 123 points, or 0.3%, to its own record set the day before, while the Nasdaq composite gained 0.6% as Microsoft and Big Tech led the way. Stock markets abroad mostly fell after President-elect Trump said he plans to impose sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China once he takes office. But the movements were mostly modest. Stock indexes were down 0.1% in Shanghai and nearly flat in Hong Kong, while Canada’s main index edged down by less than 0.1%. Trump has often praised the use of tariffs , but investors are weighing whether his latest threat will actually become policy or is just an opening point for negotiations. For now, the market seems to be taking it more as the latter. The consequences otherwise for markets and the global economy could be painful. Unless the United States can prepare alternatives for the autos, energy products and other goods that come from Mexico, Canada and China, such tariffs would raise the price of imported items all at once and make households poorer, according to Carl Weinberg and Rubeela Farooqi, economists at High Frequency Economics. They would also hurt profit margins for U.S. companies, while raising the threat of retaliatory tariffs by other countries. And unlike tariffs in Trump’s first term, his latest proposal would affect products across the board. General Motors sank 9%, and Ford Motor fell 2.6% because both import automobiles from Mexico. Constellation Brands, which sells Modelo and other Mexican beer brands in the United States, dropped 3.3%. The value of the Mexican peso fell 1.8% against the U.S. dollar. Beyond the pain such tariffs would cause U.S. households and businesses, they could also push the Federal Reserve to slow or even halt its cuts to interest rates. The Fed had just begun easing its main interest rate from a two-decade high a couple months ago to offer support for the job market . While lower interest rates can boost the economy, they can also offer more fuel for inflation. “Many” officials at the Fed’s last meeting earlier this month said they should lower rates gradually, according to minutes of the meeting released Tuesday afternoon. The talk about tariffs overshadowed another mixed set of profit reports from U.S. retailers that answered few questions about how much more shoppers can keep spending. They’ll need to stay resilient after helping the economy avoid a recession, despite the high interest rates imposed by the Fed to get inflation under control. A report on Tuesday from the Conference Board said confidence among U.S. consumers improved in November, but not by as much as economists expected. Kohl’s tumbled 17% after its results for the latest quarter fell short of analysts’ expectations. CEO Tom Kingsbury said sales remain soft for apparel and footwear. A day earlier, Kingsbury said he plans to step down as CEO in January. Ashley Buchanan, CEO of Michaels and a retail veteran, will replace him. Best Buy fell 4.9% after likewise falling short of analysts’ expectations. Dick’s Sporting Goods topped forecasts for the latest quarter thanks to a strong back-to-school season, but its stock lost an early gain to fall 1.4%. Still, more stocks rose in the S&P 500 than fell. J.M. Smucker had one of the biggest gains and climbed 5.7% after topping analysts’ expectations for the latest quarter. CEO Mark Smucker credited strength for its Uncrustables, Meow Mix, Café Bustelo and Jif brands. Big Tech stocks also helped prop up U.S. indexes. Gains of 3.2% for Amazon and 2.2% for Microsoft were the two strongest forces lifting the S&P 500. All told, the S&P 500 rose 34.26 points to 6,021.63. The Dow gained 123.74 to 44,860.31, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 119.46 to 19,174.30. In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady following their big drop from a day before driven by relief following Trump’s pick for Treasury secretary. The yield on the 10-year Treasury inched up to 4.29% from 4.28% late Monday, but it’s still well below the 4.41% level where it ended last week. In the crypto market, bitcoin continued to pull back after topping $99,000 for the first time late last week. It’s since dipped back toward $91,000, according to CoinDesk. It’s a sharp turnaround from the bonanza that initially took over the crypto market following Trump’s election. That boom had also appeared to have spilled into some corners of the stock market. Strategists at Barclays Capital pointed to stocks of unprofitable companies, along with other areas that can be caught up in bursts of optimism by smaller-pocketed “retail” investors. AP Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach contributed. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.

Parnassus Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Broadcom Inc. ( NASDAQ:AVGO – Free Report ) by 936.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,643,269 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,098,999 shares during the period. Broadcom makes up about 2.1% of Parnassus Investments LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Parnassus Investments LLC’s holdings in Broadcom were worth $973,464,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AVGO. Lion Street Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Broadcom by 1.9% in the second quarter. Lion Street Advisors LLC now owns 324 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer’s stock valued at $520,000 after acquiring an additional 6 shares in the last quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors raised its holdings in shares of Broadcom by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 1,409 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer’s stock valued at $2,262,000 after purchasing an additional 8 shares in the last quarter. Anderson Hoagland & Co. lifted its position in shares of Broadcom by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Anderson Hoagland & Co. now owns 2,667 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer’s stock worth $4,623,000 after purchasing an additional 9 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Group Ltd grew its stake in shares of Broadcom by 6.0% during the second quarter. Wealth Group Ltd now owns 176 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer’s stock worth $283,000 after purchasing an additional 10 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. increased its holdings in Broadcom by 1.4% in the second quarter. Canandaigua National Bank & Trust Co. now owns 723 shares of the semiconductor manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,161,000 after buying an additional 10 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.43% of the company’s stock. Broadcom Trading Up 0.2 % NASDAQ AVGO opened at $164.23 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $767.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 142.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.17. Broadcom Inc. has a 52-week low of $90.31 and a 52-week high of $186.42. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $173.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $160.62. Broadcom Increases Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 19th were issued a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.29%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 19th. This is an increase from Broadcom’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. Broadcom’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 184.19%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In A number of analysts have issued reports on AVGO shares. TD Cowen raised Broadcom to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Broadcom from $176.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 6th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $210.00 price target on shares of Broadcom in a research note on Friday, September 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Broadcom from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 6th. Finally, Cantor Fitzgerald increased their target price on shares of Broadcom from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Broadcom has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $192.79. Get Our Latest Analysis on Broadcom Insider Activity at Broadcom In related news, Director Gayla J. Delly sold 750 shares of Broadcom stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.53, for a total transaction of $130,897.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 34,750 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,064,917.50. The trade was a 2.11 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link . Also, CEO Hock E. Tan sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.37, for a total value of $8,168,500.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,331,910 shares in the company, valued at approximately $217,594,136.70. The trade was a 3.62 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders sold 311,080 shares of company stock worth $53,540,590 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 2.00% of the company’s stock. Broadcom Company Profile ( Free Report ) Broadcom Inc designs, develops, and supplies various semiconductor devices with a focus on complex digital and mixed signal complementary metal oxide semiconductor based devices and analog III-V based products worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Semiconductor Solutions and Infrastructure Software. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding AVGO? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Broadcom Inc. ( NASDAQ:AVGO – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for Broadcom Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Broadcom and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

Trump turns to outsider to shake up Navy, but his lack of military experience raises concernsIt didn't take Syracuse first-year coach Fran Brown long to figure out the key matchup for Saturday afternoon's Atlantic Coast Conference game visiting Miami. "Syracuse has a really good quarterback," Brown said of Kyle McCord, "and Miami has a really good quarterback (Cam Ward)." With a win on Saturday, the No. 6 Hurricanes (10-1, 6-1 ACC) can clinch a berth in the league championship game against SMU. Miami is a 10 1/2-point favorite for Saturday's game. Syracuse (8-3, 4-3) has reached eight wins for just the fourth time since 2002, going 8-5 in 2010 and 2012 and 10-3 in 2018. However, the Orange haven't defeated a Top-10 team since knocking off Clemson in 2017. Miami leads the nation in scoring (44.7), and the Hurricanes will count on perfect passing conditions in Syracuse's dome. That could be huge for Ward, who leads the nation with 34 touchdown passes, ranking second in passing yards (3,774) and fourth in passing efficiency. Ward's top target is wide receiver Xavier Restrepo, who needs just 21 yards to reach 1,000 for the second straight season. Restrepo also ranks tied for seventh in the nation with 10 TD receptions. Ward has some other top targets, including 6-foot-4, 245-pound tight end Elijah Arroyo, who is a walking mismatch because of his size and speed. He leads Miami with 18.5 yards per reception. Hurricanes wide receivers Isaiah Horton and Jacolby George have combined for 12 TD passes, and Sam Brown has added two more. Each of them has more than 500 receiving yards this season. Miami's running game features battering ram Damien Martinez (739 yards, 5.5 average, eight TDs); versatile Mark Fletcher Jr. (499 yards, 5.7 average, six TDs); and game-breaking freshman Jordan Lyle (361 yards, 8.6 average, four TDs). Defensively, Miami's big-play man is safety Mishael Powell, who ranks second in the ACC with five interceptions. "He's all about winning," Miami coach Mario Cristobal said of Powell. "He's a smart, self-starting team player." On special teams, Miami kicker Andres Borregales ranks second in the ACC with 97 points. He is 52-for-52 on extra points and 15-for-16 on field goals. Meanwhile, McCord ranks No. 1 in the nation in passing yards (3,946) and tied for seventh in TD passes (26). McCord, a transfer from Ohio State, has also set Syracuse's single-season record for passing yards. In last week's 31-24 win over Connecticut, McCord passed for a career-high 470 yards. However, McCord is just 46th in the nation in passing efficiency, due in part to his high total of interceptions (12). Syracuse also has three of the top six pass-catchers in the ACC in terms of yards: tight end Oronde Gadsden II (810) and wide receivers Jackson Meeks (801) and Trebor Pena (743). Gadsden, who is from the greater Miami area, has had three straight 100-yard games. He is the son of former Miami Dolphins wide receiver Oronde Gadsden. Syracuse's run game is led by LeQuint Allen, who has rushed for 819 yards, a 4.3 average and 12 TDs. The issue for Syracuse could be its defense, which ranks 13th in the ACC in points allowed (27.8). Miami's defense is fourth (22.3). Even so, Syracuse coach Brown said he's excited about this matchup. "I heard Miami is going to come deep," Brown said of Miami fans. "It's going to be intense in the stands. It's going to be intense on the field. I think this is a game everyone wants to see." --Field Level MediaQuarterbacks in spotlight when No. 6 Miami visits SyracuseShaken Pep Guardiola admits title race could be over NEXT WEEK as ‘fragile’ Man City suffer fifth defeat in a row

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER WASHINGTON (AP) — One year after the Jan. 6, 2021 , U.S. Capitol attack, Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department was committed to holding accountable all perpetrators “at any level” for “the assault on our democracy.” That bold declaration won’t apply to at least one person: Donald Trump. Special counsel Jack Smith’s move on Monday to abandon the federal election interference case against Trump means jurors will likely never decide whether the president-elect is criminally responsible for his attempts to cling to power after losing the 2020 campaign. The decision to walk away from the election charges and the separate classified documents case against Trump marks an abrupt end of the Justice Department’s unprecedented legal effort that once threatened his liberty but appears only to have galvanized his supporters. The abandonment of the cases accusing Trump of endangering American democracy and national security does away with the most serious legal threats he was facing as he returns to the White House. It was the culmination of a monthslong defense effort to delay the proceedings at every step and use the criminal allegations to Trump’s political advantage, putting the final word in the hands of voters instead of jurors. “We always knew that the rich and powerful had an advantage, but I don’t think we would have ever believed that somebody could walk away from everything,” said Stephen Saltzburg, a George Washington University law professor and former Justice Department official. “If there ever was a Teflon defendant, that’s Donald Trump.” While prosecutors left the door open to the possibility that federal charges could be re-filed against Trump after he leaves office, that seems unlikely. Meanwhile, Trump’s presidential victory has thrown into question the future of the two state criminal cases against him in New York and Georgia. Trump was supposed to be sentenced on Tuesday after his conviction on 34 felony counts in his New York hush money case , but it’s possible the sentencing could be delayed until after Trump leaves office, and the defense is pushing to dismiss the case altogether. Smith’s team stressed that their decision to abandon the federal cases was not a reflection of the merit of the charges, but an acknowledgement that they could not move forward under longstanding Justice Department policy that says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution. Trump’s presidential victory set “at odds two fundamental and compelling national interests: On the one hand, the Constitution’s requirement that the President must not be unduly encumbered in fulfilling his weighty responsibilities . . . and on the other hand, the Nation’s commitment to the rule of law,” prosecutors wrote in court papers. The move just weeks after Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris underscores the immense personal stake Trump had in the campaign in which he turned his legal woes into a political rallying cry. Trump accused prosecutors of bringing the charges in a bid to keep him out of the White House, and he promised revenge on his perceived enemies if he won a second term. “If Donald J. Trump had lost an election, he may very well have spent the rest of his life in prison,” Vice President-elect JD Vance, wrote in a social media post on Monday. “These prosecutions were always political. Now it’s time to ensure what happened to President Trump never happens in this country again.” After the Jan. 6 attack by Trump supporters that left more than 100 police officers injured, Republican leader Mitch McConnell and several other Republicans who voted to acquit Trump during his Senate impeachment trial said it was up to the justice system to hold Trump accountable. The Jan. 6 case brought last year in Washington alleged an increasingly desperate criminal conspiracy to subvert the will of voters after Trump’s 2020 loss, accusing Trump of using the angry mob of supporters that attacked the Capitol as “a tool” in his campaign to pressure then-Vice President Mike Pence and obstruct the certification of Democrat Joe Biden’s victory. Hundreds of Jan. 6 rioters — many of whom have said they felt called to Washington by Trump — have pleaded guilty or been convicted by juries of federal charges at the same courthouse where Trump was supposed to stand trial last year. As the trial date neared, officials at the courthouse that sits within view of the Capitol were busy making plans for the crush of reporters expected to cover the historic case. But Trump’s argument that he enjoyed absolute immunity from prosecution quickly tied up the case in appeals all the way up to the Supreme Court. The high court ruled in July that former presidents have broad immunity from prosecution , and sent the case back to the trial court to decide which allegations could move forward. But the case was dismissed before the trial court could get a chance to do so. Related Articles National Politics | After delay, Trump signs agreement with Biden White House to begin formal transition handoff National Politics | Rudy Giuliani in a courtroom outburst accuses judge in assets case of being unfair, drawing a rebuke National Politics | Surveillance tech advances by Biden could aid in Trump’s promised crackdown on immigration National Politics | Expecting challenges, blue states vow to create ‘firewall’ of abortion protections National Politics | Washington power has shifted. Here’s how the ACA may shift, too The other indictment brought in Florida accused Trump of improperly storing at his Mar-a-Lago estate sensitive documents on nuclear capabilities, enlisting aides and lawyers to help him hide records demanded by investigators and cavalierly showing off a Pentagon “plan of attack” and classified map. But U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the case in July on grounds that Smith was illegally appointed . Smith appealed to the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, but abandoned that appeal on Monday. Smith’s team said it would continue its fight in the appeals court to revive charges against Trump’s two co-defendants because “no principle of temporary immunity applies to them.” In New York, jurors spent weeks last spring hearing evidence in a state case alleging a Trump scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex. New York prosecutors recently expressed openness to delaying sentencing until after Trump’s second term, while Trump’s lawyers are fighting to have the conviction dismissed altogether. In Georgia, a trial while Trump is in office seems unlikely in a state case charging him and more than a dozen others with conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. The case has been on hold since an appeals court agreed to review whether to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over her romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she had hired to lead the case. Associated Press reporter Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed.None

Liverpool more 'up for it' than beaten Madrid, concedes BellinghamOregon State on the verge of bowling, best win of the season? 8 takeaways from the Beavers win over Washington StateAuthored by Brandon Smith via Alt-Market.us, It’s been a wild ride. After years of near total leftist control of every significant social and governmental institution in the US and abroad the American people have said enough is enough. The progressives have once again been slapped with the ultimate lesson of our era – Get Woke, Go Broke. This time they’re not just broke; they’re broken. I don’t think I’ve seen such an electoral bloodbath in my lifetime (maybe the Reagan landslide in 1984, but I was only a child). The conservatives control the Oval Office, the Senate, the House and the Supreme Court. Regardless of what you might think of Trump, what’s important is that he ran his campaign on anti-woke and anti-globalism and the US population voted for that agenda en masse. The American people want an end to the madness of the leftist/globalist regime. They want an end to establishment corruption. They want an end to US involvement in foreign conflicts. They want the woke indoctrination of their children to stop. They want an end to open borders. They want an end to perpetual debt spending and inflation. And, they want reassurance that events like the attempted covid coup against our constitutional liberties will never happen again. Over the past several months I have been predicting a Trump election win based on the clear sociopolitical shift in popular sentiment. However, my concern has always been that Trump will not make good on his campaign promises, either because he is being thwarted by Neo-Cons within his own team or because he did not intend to follow through in the first place. We all saw what happened after 2016 – The status quo was mostly maintained. To be fair, in 2016 Trump’s team was mostly chosen for him and that team was comprised of many snakes in the grass. This time around I have a bit more optimism. Trump’s coalition is significantly better than his first term and many of the people involved seem to be dedicated to their particular cause. If this is the case and Trump really means to change things for the better, I have a few ideas on how he can ensure that America never again deviates into the path of globalism. Some of these actions have already been promoted by the Trump Administration in recent days, some of them have not. Obviously none of these changes are easy but they can be done with the proper enthusiasm and pressure from the American people applied to their representatives in the Senate and Congress. Here’s what we can do as a country to keep our society free and prosperous well into the future. The first time Trump tried to appoint his cabinet the amount of Senate interference that took place caused delays of almost 4 months, and that was with appointees that represented no threat to the status quo. This time around it is clear that Neo-Cons within the Senate will work with Democrats to outright reject choices like RFK Jr and Matt Gaetz. They WILL try to sabotage any nominee that presents a legitimate threat to the establishment order. With this is mind, and per the Constitution, Trump has the option to call a recess of the Senate and make his appointments while they are away and without their approval. There is also a little known rule that allows him to force Congress to adjourn. Candidates for the Senate majority leader position all agreed to support recess appointments before they were voted on, which means there should not be any interference to a call of recess from Trump. Multiple presidents have used this emergency option to fill their cabinets. It’s seems like a no-brainer. Every state (except one) that the Democrats won in the 2024 election was a state with no voter ID laws. That’s not a coincidence. Correlation is not always causation, but it’s highly suspicious none-the-less. Many developed nations around the world have strict ID laws when it comes to elections. Why do we not have them in the US? With the advent of electronic ballots and large scale mail in ballots, a voter ID requirement is more important than ever to prevent election fraud. One of Trump’s top concerns after entering office in 2025 is to pass a federal voter ID requirement for all future elections. This cannot be left to flounder for years, it must be done by 2026. One of the key agendas of globalism is the forced establishment of open borders in the western world, along with mass migrations of third-world aliens cor cultural saturation and replacement. The goal is to destroy the west from within and then replace it with am economically Marxist and morally ambiguous civilization. Stopping this scheme will require aggressively enforced border laws and deportation laws. This requires multiple steps... Immediately Establish Texas-Style Border Controls Despite constant interference from the Biden Administration, the state of Texas and governor Greg Abbott have been incredibly effective in stopping illegal border crossings using expanded patrols and razor wire barriers. Encounters with illegals on the Texas border have dropped by 86% through Operation Lone Star in the span of a year. That’s impressive. Texas methods should be used across the entire border. Increased Fines Against Companies Hiring Illegal Immigrants This is a strategy being used by some European nations and it makes sense; a lot of illegals jump the border because they know there’s under the table jobs waiting for them. Trump must make it financially untenable for companies to hire migrants without proper work visas, and greatly increasing fines is the best way to do this. 100% Tariffs On Mexico Until They Secure Their Own Borders The Mexican government is absolutely corrupt and often uses the US border as a pressure valve to get rid of their poor and their criminals. Instead of fixing the problems within their own country they export those problems to America. This needs to stop. End All Asylum Requests From Third World Countries Until the immigration problem is solved the asylum loophole needs to be closed. Save for a few citizens from countries where very real asylum protections are needed (like oppressed dissidents from China or North Korea), there’s no need to take in most of these people and their asylum claims are fraudulent. Increase Efficiency Of Immigrant Worker Visa Program Democrats often argue that America cannot survive without migrant workers. I say this is a lie designed to prevent legitimate immigration reform, but if there really is work that needs to be done in our country and migrants are somehow the only people that can do it, then we can have both. If Trump streamlines the work visa program to speed up the process while vetting applicants, then we can have controlled borders AND migrant workers. To pay for increased efficiency of the program, double the application fee and reduce their legal work period in the US to 1 year or less. Mass Deportations Of Illegals This was a key plank of the Trump campaign and it looks like he plans to make it happen. Starting with ALL the migrants that entered the US illegally in the past four years and all those relocated through Biden’s shady visa program. This can be achieved by cutting off existing subsidies to migrants, fines for companies that hire illegals, citizenship verification for home buying or home rentals, ending federal subsidies to Democrat sanctuary cities, etc. Ultimately, most illegals will leave the country on their own. Globalist NGOs are the primary source of corruption within the US government and our society at large. NGO’s have all the rights of individual citizens with none of the limitations. They can generate billions of dollars for influence campaigns. They can lobby politicians (bribe them) to get legislation put in place. They can use their incredible financial resources to fund activist movements and create civil unrest from thin air. And, they can even fund programs to control education and encourage mass illegal immigration. NGOs should be banned from lobbying. And, any NGO’s caught engaging in the funding of woke propaganda in schools, violent activist groups or illegal immigration efforts should be immediately shut down. Some NGOs feed on government funding (like George Soros’ Open Society Foundation) while others are privately funded (like the Ford Foundation). If they are receiving subsidies, that money should be cut off. Stopping the operations of globalist NGOs is imperative to saving western civilization. Here’s the bottom line – Ukraine is losing the war against Russia. Their eastern front is collapsing due to attrition and in another year or less Russia WILL take the entire country. The war is also being managed by proxy by NATO. We are swiftly plunging into open conflict between the east and the west. This must stop. Even if the situation doesn’t go nuclear, a world war at this time would cause a catastrophic economic collapse, for the US, for Europe and most of the East. Only the globalists want this to happen. Ukraine is an irrelevant territory not worth fighting over. Americans don’t want to fight over it. Europeans don’t want to fight over it and I doubt the average Russian wants to fight over it. Vladimir Zelensky must be forced to accept the loss of the Donbas to Russia. A DMZ must be established and the fighting must end for the sake of the world. There should be an in-depth investigation into the Biden Administration’s handling of the Covid mandates, including the attempted censorship of information contrary to the government narrative. There should be a real investigation into the viral laboratories in Wuhan, China and Anthony Fauci’s involvement with those labs to develop coronaviruses using gain of function research. Americans want answers. In tandem with open borders, globalists at the IMF and BIS have been quietly building a massive global central bank digital currency framework (CBDCs). The erasure of nationally controlled economies and currencies would be required in order to create a globally centralized economy with a single world currency. And, in order to force populations to accept such a system, the globalists need CBDCs. With a cashless economy in place, elites within governments and central banks would have ultimate power to socially engineer public behavior. If they can take away your money any time they please, it’s much harder to rebel against them. If they can program caveats into CBDCs to prevent spending on certain goods (like meat or gas, for example) then they can pressure the populace into accepting carbon controls and other draconian measures. CBDCs are the end of freedom as we know it. I have outlined options for preventing a total economic collapse in previous articles , so I won’t go in-depth here. I will quickly list some of the most important measures that could be taken to revitalize the struggling system. Many of them are designed to bypass the Federal Reserve. End The Income Tax For 99% Of The Population – Tax The 1% End Property Taxes On Single Family Homes – Only Tax Owners With Multiple Properties Remove All Illegal Immigrants From The US – This Will Trigger A Drop In Property Prices And Rent Create Subsidy Incentives For Married Couples With Children – Home Loans, Education Bring Back Technical Apprenticeship Programs – Increase Technical Workers Without College Use Tariffs, But Also Backstop Tariffs With Domestic Production – Focus On High Quality Goods Domestically Manufacture High Quality Goods With Long Life To Help Fight Inflation Issue A Gold/Silver Backed Treasury Bond – Offer Metals Backed Savings Accounts Institute A Moratorium On Debt Ceiling Increases Until Government Deficit Spending And Debt Are Under Control There’s a lot of work that needs to be done to save the economy in the long run but the options above could help to boost the American worker and consumer and stall a breakdown. Currently, the US faces the highest national debt, the highest interest payments and the highest consumer debt in the nation’s history. We are also still in the middle of a stagflationary crisis. Something dramatic must be done soon, before it’s too late. It’s hard to test a person for moral compass but you can at least test intelligence. A candidate should not be prevented from running for office because of low IQ, but I believe the public has a right to know who they’re voting for. If they decide they don’t want a low IQ leader, then that should be up to them. By extension, independent mental acuity testing should be a regular occurrence. As we saw with Joe Biden, the establishment will happily hide the mental decline of a politician if it serves their interests. The people have a right to know. No doubt hundreds of other policy ideas could be added to the list above, but these actions are a solid start. If Trump instituted even half of these solutions the US could be saved from perhaps the worst existential crisis in the nation’s history and globalism would be on the ropes. * * * If you would like to support the work that Alt-Market does while also receiving content on advanced tactics for defeating the globalist agenda, subscribe to our exclusive newsletter The Wild Bunch Dispatch. Learn more about it HERE .

Liberal candidate in B.C. byelection seeks Métis membership after identity questioned The Liberal candidate in a federal byelection in British Columbia says she is applying for Métis membership after a local group questioned her claims of Indigenous identity. Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press Nov 27, 2024 2:19 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message A Liberal Party of Canada logo is shown on a giant screen as a technician looks on during day one of the party's biennial convention in Montreal on Feb. 20, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes The Liberal candidate in a federal byelection in British Columbia says she is applying for Métis membership after a local group questioned her claims of Indigenous identity. Madison Fleischer says in a written statement that she self-identifies as Métis based on what she knows about her great-grandmother's heritage and is "collecting the necessary documentation to go through the application process" for citizenship with B.C.'s Métis Nation. In the meantime, Fleischer, who is the candidate in the Dec. 16 byelection in Cloverdale-Langley City, says she has removed "Métis" from her social media profile descriptions to ensure there is "no confusion" about her Indigenous status. Her response comes after the Waceya Métis Society — which describes itself as a chartered community representing Métis people in the Langley and White Rock regions of B.C.'s Lower Mainland — said in a release that it "wishes to distance itself from Madison’s claims of Métis identity." The society says it met with Fleischer over the weekend to discuss her claims of Métis identity but was "disappointed that she could not provide any evidence to support her Métis heritage." The attention on Fleischer comes after Edmonton Centre Liberal MP Randy Boissonnault left cabinet last week amid questions about his shifting claims of Indigenous heritage and his business dealings. In her statement, Fleischer says she has "always been vocal about not yet holding Métis Nation British Columbia citizenship." The Waceya Métis Society says it has asked Fleischer to "properly research and verify her Indigenous heritage before making any further public assertions." "In this meeting, Madison was unable to substantiate her claims with any documentation or historical connections to Métis communities," the society says about their Nov. 23 meeting with Fleischer. "The integrity of Métis identity is not to be taken lightly, especially in public office, where the representation of our community must be accurate, respectful, and legitimate." Cloverdale-Langley City was previously held by Liberal John Aldag, who resigned to run for MLA with the B.C. New Democrats. Aldag was defeated by B.C. Conservative candidate Harman Bhangu in the Langley-Abbotsford seat in the Oct. 19 provincial election. Fleischer, whose Liberal party biography calls her a small-business owner who operates a public relations firm in Langley, is going up against candidates including federal Conservative Tamara Jansen, who held the seat from 2019 to 2021 before losing a close race to Aldag. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 27, 2024. Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Get your daily Victoria news briefing Email Sign Up More Indigenous News Supreme Court of Canada sides with First Nation in police funding dispute Nov 27, 2024 2:15 PM Inuit Nunangat University closer to realization with $50M from Mastercard Foundation Nov 27, 2024 1:47 PM Closing First Nations infrastructure gap could generate $635B: report Nov 26, 2024 2:06 PM

UCF will attempt to shake off a dreadful offensive performance when it collides with LSU on Sunday afternoon in the third-place game of the Greenbrier Tip-Off in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. The Knights (4-1) couldn't get anything going against No. 19 Wisconsin on Friday, going 21-for-62 from the field (33.9 percent) and just 2-for-17 from 3-point range (11.8 percent) en route to an 86-70 loss. Jordan Ivy-Curry finished with 13 points while Keyshawn Hall and Dior Johnson added 11 apiece for UCF, which never led and fell behind by as many as 23. Knights coach Johnny Dawkins is hoping that his team's struggles don't carry over into the meeting with the Tigers (4-1). "We have to do better offensively," Dawkins said. "We have to space the floor better. We have to balance our offense between our perimeter and our bigs. Those are things that we didn't do consistently (on Friday)." LSU also needs to clean things up after committing 15 turnovers in a 74-63 setback against Pitt on Friday. Tigers forward Jalen Reed doesn't believe giving the ball away will be a lingering issue. "I feel like a lot of our turnovers were more on us than them," Reed said. "I feel like a lot of the turnovers were careless, but we're a better team than that and I feel like we'll take care of the ball better moving forward." Reed and Vyctorius Miller each posted 14 points in the loss to the Panthers, with Reed also hauling in seven rebounds. Cam Carter chipped in 11 points. Carter is putting up a team-leading 16.4 points per game. Jordan Sears (12.0 points per game), Reed (11.0) and Miller (10.2) also have scoring averages in double figures. Ivy-Curry (16.8 points per game), Hall (16.2) and Darius Johnson (13.0) have been leading the way for UCF. Sunday marks the first-ever meeting between the Knights and Tigers. --Field Level Media

Stock market today: Wall Street hits records despite tariff talk‘You’re a joke’: Ontario councillor tossed from meeting after insult-laced tiradeStock market today: Wall Street hits records despite tariff talk