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Former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Ayikoi Otoo, has expressed dissatisfaction with the legal strategy employed by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in a recent Supreme Court case. His remarks follow the court’s ruling on December 27, which invalidated the re-collation of votes in four crucial constituencies: Tema Central, Ablekuma North, Techiman South, and Okaikwei Central. Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile , Otoo criticized the NPP’s legal team for excluding parliamentary candidates from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) from their application for a mandamus order. The ruling in question dealt with the NPP’s request for the re-collation of votes, which the court ultimately rejected. Otoo questioned the logic behind the decision to not include NDC candidates as interested parties in the case. “I have a problem with the NPP lawyers who went to court because we all know there are interested parties in this matter,” Otoo said, his frustration evident. “Usually, when you have a case like this, you must include the interested parties. So, clearly, why do you leave them out?” His comments highlight a critical procedural oversight, as the inclusion of the NDC candidates, who stood to be directly affected by the case, might have strengthened the NPP’s position. Otoo’s concerns suggest that this omission could have been a significant factor in the court’s decision to reject the NPP’s request. In legal cases involving electoral disputes, it is customary to involve all parties who may be impacted by the court’s ruling. By not including the NDC candidates, the NPP’s legal team may have undermined their case by not fully addressing the broader political context. This oversight, according to Otoo, raises questions about the NPP’s legal strategy and its preparedness to engage with all stakeholders involved in the dispute. The Supreme Court’s decision, which effectively put an end to the re-collation of votes, has added a new layer of complexity to Ghana’s ongoing electoral challenges. While the NPP has expressed disappointment, the ruling serves as a reminder of the critical importance of due process and legal strategy in electoral matters.IT takes a village to raise a child. And the Philippine village — the myriad entities needed to feed, clothe, shelter, medicate, educate and morally form our children into self-reliant, responsible citizens — are weak or broken. Even as Filipino Catholics celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family on Dec. 29, the Sunday after Christmas, we cannot but lament the grave problems and failings in the protection, strengthening and development of the Filipino family. A third of Filipinos 5 years of age or younger are stunted in body and mind due to severe malnutrition in the first 1,000 days of life since conception — among the 10 highest stunting rates on the planet. Stunting cuts learning and earning potential for life. It is "the most bothersome" among challenges in child education, argues the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), a think tank of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). And despite worsening hunger — afflicting 25 million Filipinos, based on Social Weather Stations' June and September surveys — other matters distract national leaders, especially legislators who even slashed social services funding to boost expenditures in the 2025 budget seen as helping electioneering for the May polls (https://tinyurl.com/534ue5xh). Our housing shortage runs into several millions. Double that shelter-challenged number and that's how many Filipino children do not live in the security of their own homes, assuming there are only two children per household (the poor average more). Every year, hundreds of billions of pesos are spent on public health, not counting resources of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. collected from Filipinos but used by the government for non-health purposes. Yet our maternal mortality rate — the number of women who die while giving birth, a key measure of public health services — is estimated at 189.21 per 100,000 live births in 2021, based on Department of Health data. That's nearly triple the 2030 target of 70 set by the United Nations Strategic Development Goals. On education, there's the dismal performance of 15-year-old Filipino students in the 2022 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests, where they ranked third-worst in science and sixth-worst in reading and mathematics. PIDS blamed poor PISA scores on late start of formal schooling, low parental support and models of aspiration, inadequate school resources like learning materials and classrooms, no information and communications technology at home, and bullying and ill-discipline in school. Who's minding families? What about the family itself? Is it staying together amid livelihood, learning, health and other challenges? Well, marital separation rates have steadily risen over the decades, though no agency is mandated by Congress to watch over the family. This is despite Article XV in the Constitution, titled "The Family," recognizing the family as "the foundation of the nation" and mandating that "The State ... shall strengthen its solidarity and actively promote its total development." Plus: "Marriage, as an inviolable social institution, is the foundation of the family and shall be protected by the State." Article XV also mandates "the right of children to assistance, including proper care and nutrition, and special protection from all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation and other conditions prejudicial to their development." And "the right of the family to a family living wage and income ..." Given the undeniable challenges and failings doing no little harm to the Filipino family, with even Congress enacting measures like the anti-poor, pro-electioneering 2025 national budget, there is more than ample reason for an executive order creating a Presidential Commission on the Family (PCOF) to coordinate government and other social entities for whole-of-nation programs and undertakings to fulfill the constitutional mandate to strengthen family solidarity and actively promote its development? Congress may eventually create a national authority like NEDA focused on Article XV, but Filipino families should not have to wait. The then-president Gloria Arroyo created the Commission on Information and Communications Technology in 2004, a dozen years before its successor department was established by law. President Marcos can do Filipino families a similar service while waiting for Congress to pass a law effectively implementing "The Family" article in our Constitution. What would the PCOF head do? As a Cabinet member advancing the family, he or she would combine the coordination of departments, agencies and local governments, which NEDA does for economic and social development, and the interface with nongovernmental organizations and sectors coordinated by the National Anti-Poverty Commission. The Family Commissioner should also monitor and assess government actions and policies as well as actions by the business, education, health and other sectors regarding their impact on families, especially vulnerable segments like women, children, the elderly and the poor. In advancing family protection and development, the PCOF should make sure to give attention to values formation, not just material aspects of its mandate. Rich, educated, healthy children who have no respect and concern for elders, as Article XV mandates, require PCOF action just as those suffering malnutrition, disease and poverty do. The Feast of the Holy Innocents on Dec. 28, the day before the Holy Family celebration, commemorates the appalling Gospel story from St. Matthew (Mt 2:13-18) about the massacre of infant boys in and around Bethlehem ordered by King Herod to assassinate the Messiah prophesied to become Israel's monarch. Today, political leaders continue to put families in harm's way, whether in wars in Ukraine and Israel decimating defenseless civilians, or through state budgets that advance political agenda at the poor's expense. To protect Filipino families from pernicious policies and actuations, and advance their solidarity and development as mandated by our Constitution, we need a Presidential Commission on the Family, or a similar entity by another name. May our beloved Santo Niño inspire our leaders to make it happen. Amen.

NFL on Netflix: Christmas Day games are a 1st for streaming giantIn the Netherlands, one of Europe’s largest meat producers, people are falling out of love with meat. One in five young people would like to give up meat, and half of Dutch people want to eat less. Meanwhile, two-thirds of people support a shift to more plant-based food system, according to a new survey . Read more: Why This Dutch Town Is Encouraging Residents To Eat Vegan Food The research, commissioned by ProVeg Netherlands, revealed support for a plant-based transition was found across age groups, rural and urban areas, and political viewpoints. It also uncovered not only a willingness to give up meat among the Dutch, but that a quarter of people hope that one day we will completely stop using animals for food. ProVeg calculated a 30 percent reduction in Dutch meat consumption if all those who said they wanted to eat less meat did so. This would go about a third of the way to meeting the government’s emissions target for animal farming, saving 1.6 megatons of CO2 per year. This would also save 116 million animal lives annually. Animal welfare a top consideration According to the survey the top reasons that people support a plant-based transition are: animal suffering, deforestation and biodiversity loss, and the preservation of marine life. Preventing food shortages, pandemics, and health problem came next, followed lastly by climate change and nitrogen pollution. The latter two issues are behind the Dutch government’s bid to bring down farmed animal numbers in the country. Read more: Dutch City Becomes First In The World To Ban Meat Adverts In Public Although 45 percent of people surveyed are already flexitarian, meat and dairy remain dominant in Dutch diets. Animal sources make up 58 percent of protein consumed , compared to 42 percent from plant sources. The main barrier to more people acting on their desire to eat less meat is taste and believing meat is necessary for health, according to the survey. But ProVeg notes that since the wish to eat less meat is already there, it would be possible to make the Netherlands more plant-based without having to convince people of the benefits first. Efforts to do this are already underway. The government has a target of making the protein ratio 50/50 from animals and plants by 2030. Meanwhile several Dutch supermarkets are trying to aid this transition by increasing the proportion of plant-based protein they sell. Read more: Farmed Animals Numbers Drop In Europe As Meat Production Falls

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield reverses decision to put a time limit on anesthesiaMaxeon Solar Technologies Announces Third Quarter 2024 Financial ResultsSubscribe to our newsletter Privacy Policy Success! Your account was created and you’re signed in. Please visit My Account to verify and manage your account. An account was already registered with this email. Please check your inbox for an authentication link. Support Independent Arts Journalism As an independent publication, we rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. If you value our coverage and want to support more of it, consider becoming a member today . Already a member? Sign in here. We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. If you value our coverage and want to support more of it, please join us as a member . Several California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) faculty and staff members hand-delivered a letter signed by 64 employees to the office of President Ravi Rajan on Tuesday, December 3, stating their intent to unionize with the backing of 75% of staff. Employees of the Santa Clarita private art school first publicly announced their plan to unionize under the name CalArts United-United Auto Workers (UAW) on Instagram on November 19. “Too many of us struggle with low pay, unstable benefits, and a lack of job security,” Rodrigo Arruda, an assistant director in admissions at CalArts, told Hyperallergic in a statement. “Our salaries are stagnant, our workloads are increasing, and we have no meaningful recourse in cases of harassment and discrimination.” Over 900 undergraduate students were enrolled in 2022 across the institution’s visual and performing arts bachelor of fine arts programs. CalArts also grants master of fine arts degrees in disciplines including art, graphic design, and film directing. More than 450 of the 602 full-time and part-time faculty and staff at the institute are in support of forming the union, according to Patrick Schmid, an assistant director of admissions at CalArts and alum. Schmid told Hyperallergic that since becoming an employee in 2019 he has observed “a significant decline in conditions for staff, faculty, and students.” Get the latest art news, reviews and opinions from Hyperallergic. Daily Weekly Opportunities Schmid added that staff have been taking on the jobs of employees who have been laid off during restructuring, meaning that “many of us now juggle two jobs or more with no relief.” “The workload continues to grow with no meaningful changes in sight,” Schmid said. “I’m deeply concerned about both my spouse and me as we face serious health and financial challenges, further complicated by stagnant pay and inaccessible health benefits.” Since CalArts United-UAW first announced their intent to unionize, the group has called upon employees across the institute’s art, dance, film theater, music, and critical studies schools to sign authorization cards, which signal their support for union representation. The group said they would hold off on filing for an election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) until a supermajority of staff were in support, which they have now secured. To hold an NLRB election and certify the union, CalArts United-UAW would only need 30% of workers to sign authorization cards, but the group is asking for the art school to voluntarily recognize the union instead, which could be a smoother process. If President Rajan does not respond by the end of the semester, workers said they are prepared to file with the NLRB. Members of the group are requesting a meeting with him before December 10. A spokesperson for CalArts told Hyperallergic that the institution “trusts that the best way to ensure a fair process in which each employee may freely express their choice is through a secret ballot election conducted by the NLRB.” The spokesperson said CalArts is committed to maintaining a “supportive, creative, and collaborative teaching and learning environment for our students and all members of our community.” “The Institute views representation by a union as a matter of employee choice, and supports its employees’ right to determine for themselves whether or not they think unionization would be beneficial,” the spokesperson said. Autumn Wyatt, an access services librarian at CalArts, told Hyperallergic that the new union is in line with other organizing efforts at private educational institutions like the University of Southern California (USC), New York Film Academy (NYFA), and Columbia University, whose unions have negotiated increases in salaries and wages. This summer, NYFA formed a union after 98% of faculty and staff signed on. Last fall, the Graduate Student Workers Organizing Committee-UAW at USC ratified its first contract that saw gains in stipends and new discrimination protections. Similarly, Columbia Graduate Workers-UAW improved wages and benefits after a 10-week strike that halted classes for several weeks in 2022. “It feels as though the administration is more focused on maintaining appearances rather than making tangible improvements that truly support the dignity of the community,” Schmid said. “As an alum, it’s heartbreaking to see that so many of us care more about CalArts than it seems to care about us.” We hope you enjoyed this article! Before you keep reading, please consider supporting Hyperallergic ’s journalism during a time when independent, critical reporting is increasingly scarce. Unlike many in the art world, we are not beholden to large corporations or billionaires. Our journalism is funded by readers like you , ensuring integrity and independence in our coverage. We strive to offer trustworthy perspectives on everything from art history to contemporary art. We spotlight artist-led social movements, uncover overlooked stories, and challenge established norms to make art more inclusive and accessible. With your support, we can continue to provide global coverage without the elitism often found in art journalism. If you can, please join us as a member today . Millions rely on Hyperallergic for free, reliable information. By becoming a member, you help keep our journalism free, independent, and accessible to all. Thank you for reading. Share Copied to clipboard Mail Bluesky Threads LinkedIn Facebook

Georgia quarterback Carson Beck on Saturday announced his plans to enter the NFL draft, five days after having season-ending elbow surgery . Beck, a fifth-year senior, made his NFL plans official on social media. He suffered a right elbow injury in the first half of the Bulldogs’ 22-19 overtime win over Texas in the Southeastern Conference championship game on Dec. 7 in Atlanta. Beck had surgery on Monday to repair his ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow. The procedure was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles. Beck is expected to begin throwing next spring. He could have returned for a sixth season but instead will enter the NFL draft. Beck posted on Instagram: “The past five years at the University of Georgia have been nothing short of a dream come true and I will forever cherish the memories that have been made.” Gunner Stockton, who took over for Beck in the second half against Texas, will make his first start for Georgia on Wednesday in the Sugar Bowl against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. Beck has started every game of the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He was 24-3 as a starter. Beck passed for 3,941 yards with 24 touchdowns and only six interceptions in 2023 but had more difficulties with turnovers this season as he passed for 28 touchdowns with 12 interceptions. He completed 7 of 13 passes for 56 yards before his injury in the SEC championship game. Georgia coach Kirby Smart stuck with Beck despite a midseason string of eight interceptions in three games. “Obviously, you look at the stats and they aren’t the same stats as the year before,” offensive coordinator Mike Bobo said Saturday when reflecting on Beck's career. “The goal in this league is to win the SEC championship. And he was the quarterback of that team that got us to that game and put us in that position.” Added offensive guard Tate Ratledge: “I think Carson should be remembered as a great player. He’s who got us to this point of the season.” Stockton, a sophomore, completed 12 of 16 passes for 71 yards with one interception against Texas. He signed with Georgia as a highly recruited in-state player from Rabun County High School, where he broke Trevor Lawrence's state high school record for most career touchdown passes and Deshaun Watson's state record for combined rushing and passing touchdowns in a career. “Obviously when he was in high school, he was one of the best to ever do it in Georgia,” Bulldogs linebacker Chaz Chambliss said of Stockton before adding that he “just has that fire in him.” Georgia was preparing to start Stockton before announcing Beck's season-ending injury. Stockton will attempt to join a short list of quarterbacks who have been promoted from backup jobs to win national championships. The list includes Georgia's Stetson Bennett, who began the 2021 season as the backup to JT Daniels before taking over the starting job in October. Lawrence took over for Kelly Bryant during Clemson's 2018 championship season. The best comparison to Stockton's challenge during the CFP era may be Cardale Jones on the 2014 Ohio State national championship team. Jones' first start was the Big Ten championship game following an injury to J.T. Barrett, who began the preseason as the expected backup before Braxton Miller's injury. Stockton led Georgia to a touchdown on his first drive against Texas and has had extra practice time during the Bulldogs' break after receiving a first-round bye in the playoff. “To see his growth since he’s been here, he’s been waiting patiently, he’s been sitting and putting his time in and he’s been working while he was waiting,” Georgia safety Malaki Starks said Friday. “And now he gets a chance to go out there and prove what he can do. And, you know, I believe in him 100%.” Starks, who is from Jefferson, Ga., often faced Stockton's Rabun County teams in high school. “He’s always been, you know, that guy, you know, since I’ve been growing up,” Starks said. “He’s an easy guy to follow. I mean, Gunner is a great guy, you know, very respectful, great parents. I mean, he’s the guy that you want to lead. And a lot of guys have confidence in him. And I think you saw it during games in the SEC (championship game), how much the guys believed in him.” Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballCaitlin Clark honored as AP Female Athlete of the Year following her impact on women's sports Caitlin Clark has been named the AP Female Athlete of the Year after raising the profile of women’s basketball to unprecedented levels in both college and the WNBA. She led Iowa to the national championship game, was the top pick in the WNBA draft and captured rookie of the year honors in the league. Fans packed sold-out arenas and millions of television viewers followed her journey on and off the court. Clark's exploits also put other women's sports leagues in the spotlight. A group of 74 sports journalists from AP and its members voted on the award. Other athletes who received votes included Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and boxer Imane Khelif. Clark’s only the fourth women’s basketball player to win the award since it was first given in 1931. Wemby at The Garden. LeBron vs. Steph. The NBA's Christmas Day lineup, as always, has star power LeBron James made his Christmas debut in 2003. Victor Wembanyama was born 10 days later. That’s right: James has been featured on the NBA’s big day for longer than Wembanyama has been alive. And on Wednesday the league’s oldest player and brightest young star will be big parts of the holiday showcase. It’s another Christmas quintupleheader, with Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs visiting the New York Knicks, Minnesota going to Dallas for a Western Conference finals rematch, Philadelphia heading to Boston to renew a storied rivalry, James and the Los Angeles Lakers taking on Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, and Denver playing at Phoenix. Pro Picks: Chiefs will beat the Steelers and Ravens will edge the Texans on Christmas Day Playoff berths, draft positioning and more are up for grabs in Week 17. There’s going to be plenty of football on television this holiday week with the NFL playing games on five out of six days, starting with a doubleheader on Christmas Day featuring four of the AFC’s top five teams. Patrick Mahomes and the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs visit Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday. Then, two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens take on C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans. The Bears host the Seahawks on Thursday night and there are three games on Saturday, making Sunday’s schedule light at nine games. Falcons drafting Penix no longer a head-scratcher with rookie QB shining in place of benched Cousins It was the most surprising first-round pick in a long time when the Atlanta Falcons chose Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall selection in the NFL draft last April. That came just six weeks after the Falcons had signed free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal with $100 million in guarantees. But that move is no longer a head-scratcher after Penix's solid starting debut in place of a benched and turnover-prone Cousins. Several teams have fared well with new quarterbacks this season including the Steelers, Broncos, Vikings and Commanders. Lindsey Vonn thinks her new titanium knee could start a trend in skiing. And pro sports in general ST. MORITZ, Switzerland (AP) — Lindsey Vonn thinks her new titanium knee could be the start of a trend in ski racing. The 40-year-old American standout had replacement surgery in April and returned to the World Cup circuit after nearly six years last weekend. She says her knee feels “amazing" and that "it’s something to seriously consider for athletes that have a lot of knee problems.” Her surgery was the first of its kind in World Cup skiing. Vonn had a robot-assisted surgery in April with part of the bone in her right knee cut off and replaced by two titanium pieces. She was planning her comeback a month later. Boise State's legacy includes winning coaches and championship moments No. 8 and third-seeded Boise State is preparing for its third trip to the Fiesta Bowl. This time it's in a playoff quarterfinal against No. 5 and sixth-seeded Penn State on New Year’s Eve. Boise State's first appearance on the national stage was in a memorable victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1, 2007. But former coach Chris Petersen said the victory in that bowl three years later over TCU was even more meaningful for the program. Players have mixed feelings about being on the road on Christmas as NFL adds more holiday games OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Games on Christmas aren’t new to the NFL. The Miami Dolphins famously beat the Kansas City Chiefs in a playoff game on Dec. 25, 1971 — a double-overtime classic that still holds the record for the NFL’s longest game. In 2020, New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara tied an NFL record with six touchdowns in a game when the Saints beat Minnesota on Christmas. Lately the league has been much more aggressive about scheduling games on Christmas. That's been met with mixed feelings among the players. Baltimore tackle Ronnie Stanley says there is an offensive line Christmas party planned for Friday at center Tyler Linderbaum’s house. Quarterback Lamar Jackson’s plan is to celebrate on Thursday. Embiid ejected after drawing 2 technicals in game against Wembanyama and Spurs PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid was ejected in the first half of Monday night’s game against San Antonio after drawing two technical fouls. Referee Jenna Schroeder ejected Embiid with 2 minutes, 59 seconds left in the second quarter. The seven-time All-Star received the first technical for arguing with Schroeder, and received another technical — and ejection — from Schroeder before any more game time elapsed. Embiid was close to Schroeder, but it wasn’t clear from replays whether he made contact with the official. An enraged Embiid charged toward the officials after the ejection and was restrained by teammate Kyle Lowry, head coach Nick Nurse and several assistants. Nikki Glaser uses Prime Video's NFL postgame show appearances to help prepare for Golden Globes INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Nikki Glaser has become a familiar face to football fans this season. Her breakthrough performance at the Tom Brady Roast on May 5 paved the way for five appearances on Amazon Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football” postgame show. Glaser said before last Thursday’s game between the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers that doing her “Late Hits” segment was a no-brainer following her success at the Brady roast. Leaving Thunder, Bucks off the NBA's Christmas game list has those teams feeling snubbed Oklahoma City leads the Western Conference and has a MVP candidate in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Milwaukee has the NBA’s leading scorer in Giannis Antetokounmpo. They were the teams that made their way to the NBA Cup final. By any measure, they’re both very good teams. And neither will play on Christmas Day this year. Bah, humbug. The NBA faces the same challenge every summer, figuring out which 10 teams will get the honor of playing on Christmas Day. But the Bucks and Thunder are right to feel snubbed.

Anyone who has shopped for groceries with a toddler knows to be on high alert for the impulse items the store has thoughtfully placed at a child’s eye height. And these days, grown-ups investing using web platforms or mobile investment apps must also be on high alert for carefully placed virtual nudges that might encourage impulsive trades . A growing body of research has found that many seemingly innocuous design decisions embedded in investment apps or websites — such as replacing checkboxes with swipes or highlighting lists of stocks that have had the biggest price moves — can encourage investors to trade more. That can generate profits for the brokerage, but research has long shown that it can also reduce investors’ long-term returns. Even in an era of zero trading commissions, brokers benefit from trading volume. They might receive a commission for directing your order to a particular market maker , for instance. Or they might simply want to keep you engaged so they can entice you into more-expensive or fee-generating products and services. Subscribe to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Be a smarter, better informed investor. Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail. Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail. Brokerages are in a bind: On the one hand, they want to make their sites as engaging, easy to use and profitable as possible. But they also need to retain their customers’ trust. And regulators are watching as investing moves increasingly online. “Securities regulators have been focused on digital engagement practices to ensure that these technological advances incorporate adequate investor protections,” says Amanda Senn , director of the Alabama Securities Commission. “They should not be allowed to encourage poor investment practices or incorporate manipulative tactics.” In January 2024, for example, Robinhood Markets settled charges by the Massachusetts Securities Division and agreed to eliminate from its app game-like features such as digital confetti that celebrated trades. Although Robinhood did not admit or deny any wrongdoing (and it had removed the confetti back in 2021), as part of the Massachusetts settlement, the firm also agreed to stop sending out emoji-laced e-mail messages about the day’s “top movers,” which the state agency argued prompted recipients to make impulsive trades. (Robinhood did not respond to requests for comment for this article.) Brokerages have tamped down on most of the game-like features, regulators say. Still, worrisome “dark patterns” — the term for design choices that users may not realize are steering them to take certain actions — remain. Dark patterns are typically made up of two kinds of design choices: “nudges,” which encourage users toward some action, and “sludge,” which makes it more difficult to take an action. Experts who’ve studied online investment platform designs recommend that investors watch for characteristics that might influence how they make investing decisions — especially those that might negatively affect their portfolio. Here are some of the things to look for: Does the platform create a sense of urgency? On many brokerage websites and apps, among the first things investors see are the one-day returns of their portfolios, news headlines or lists of “biggest movers” or “most traded” stocks. Brokerages say their research indicates that’s what clients want. “On any given day, who’s logging into the app? It’s active traders, who tend to want to know, ‘How am I doing today? What’s driving the performance of the market and my account?’” explains Jon Nelson , director of digital trading experience at Charles Schwab. He adds that the Schwab site also typically displays longer-term results next to one-day returns. But James Tierney , an assistant professor at Chicago Kent College of Law and former attorney for the SEC, says that by highlighting short-term news and returns, brokerages “are pushing the idea that there are short-term swings in prices that are potentially tradeable and profitable. This gives rise to the false belief that by trading you can capture those gains.... And there is a ton of academic research showing the more you trade, the worse you do.” Many online brokerages enable clients to personalize landing pages, so you can reduce the short-term distractions. But news headlines are everywhere. Benjamin Schiffrin , director of securities policy for Better Markets, a nonprofit focused on investor protection, suggests a self-imposed waiting period before making portfolio decisions based on headlines or short-term price swings. Does the platform make it too easy to trade? Of course, investors want their brokerage platforms to be easy to use. But investors should be wary if the website or app makes things too easy. Schiffrin, for example, is worried about platforms’ expansion of trading hours late into the night. That makes trading easier for those whose day jobs don’t allow for time on brokerage apps. But, he says, “people are more apt to act impulsively in the middle of the night.” And in a January 2024 report, the Ontario Securities Commission said it was concerned about U.S. and Canadian investing websites and apps that enabled “one-click trading,” rather than the more typical practice of requiring a second step to confirm orders. The commission said it was also monitoring apps and sites that made it easy for unsophisticated investors to start trading options. And it alerted investors to notice mobile apps that enable trade confirmations with a swipe. A recent experiment found that users made larger investments when they could execute trades using swipes instead of clicking on boxes. The commission said that investors are better served when platforms inject a little extra “friction into processes where it is known that users are making fast decisions — for example, placing a trade — to help prompt vigilance and thoughtfulness in decision-making.” Investors can think of such friction as “good sludge.” Interactive Brokers’ basic web trading platform is one of the services that enables one-click trading. And Interactive, like many other brokerages, also promotes after-hours trading. Steve Sanders , the company’s executive vice president of marketing and product development, notes that these options are permitted by law, and users like them. Interactive also uses good sludge to slow down certain trades. For example, it requires a confirmation screen for those placing market orders, which are orders to buy or sell a stock at the market price when the order is executed, no matter what that price is. Interactive uses the extra step to nudge customers to use a limit order, which specifies the most a buyer is willing to pay for the shares, or the least a seller is willing to accept, which prevents investors from being victimized by sudden price movements, Sanders says. Does the platform make trading too much fun? To keep customers engaged, investing platforms have experimented with design tweaks, including social media-like features such as emojis and indicators of popularity, or using vibrant colors — such as green, which traditionally denotes gains. “At best, these practices encourage motivation and engagement,” says Tierney, the former SEC lawyer. But there can be too much of a good thing. The more a brokerage app looks and feels like a gambling or gaming site, the warier investors should be, he says. Note: This item first appeared in Kiplinger Personal Finance Magazine, a monthly, trustworthy source of advice and guidance. Subscribe to help you make more money and keep more of the money you make here . Related content Investment Gamification: Not All Cons, Some Important Pros Best Online Brokers and Trading Platforms Who Are the Best Small Online Brokers?

Donald Trump’s views concerning the involvement of transgender athletes in organised sport – specifically, the participation by trans-male athletes in women’s sport – are nothing if not simplistic and clear. “Men” must be kept out of women’s sport. Full stop, new paragraph. According to the incoming US president, the “problem” of transgender athlete participation in women’s sport is easy to solve. The fundamental flaw in Trump’s invective is that policy born as a by-product of fear and loathing is invariably bad policy. Trump draws no distinction between transgender athletes competing in the Olympics and transgender athletes competing in a game of under-10s pee-wee football. However, the imperatives that are relevant to protecting the integrity of Olympic competition aren’t determining factors when it comes to participation sport. The rules governing transgender participation in Saturday morning sport have no correlation to how, for example, US Swimming should handle transgender women swimming against cisgender women in national championships. The next Olympic Games will be staged in Los Angeles in 2028 during the final year of Trump’s presidency. Just as America’s culture wars could implode a whole nation before the opening ceremony, the Olympic movement itself may be in for a reckoning before the end of the next Games cycle. Credit: Simon Letch Designing, implementing and enforcing transgender policy in sport at any level, from the grassroots to Olympic competition, isn’t about fear and isn’t about division for the sake of dividing. Instead, it’s the complicated process of balancing the interests of transgender athletes with all other competitors and the paramount importance of the core integrity of sport. This is all relevant not only because Trump will be back in the White House but also because by this time next year the International Olympic Committee will be under new leadership (an election for the IOC’s presidency will take place in less than four months’ time). Of the seven nominated candidates to replace the outgoing Thomas Bach, the candidate of greatest prominence, or at least the loudest public advocate for change within the Olympic Movement, is Sebastian Coe, twice an Olympic champion and current president of World Athletics. Loading As with Trump, Coe presents as an agent for change . He is opposed to transgender participation in Olympic competition on the grounds that if you don’t protect the female category of competition in Olympic-level sport, then female sport itself will be lost. When you think about it, that position is not remotely similar to Trump’s. Not at all. As Lord Coe correctly identifies, it’s a core failing of the IOC that it has not enacted any detailed or overarching guidance to world sport and the myriad international federations that sit within its structures as to how Olympic sports should set transgender policy. It is the IOC’s policy failures that permitted the boxing competition in Paris 2024 to become so mired in conjecture due to the participation of Algeria’s Imane Khelif, when the IOC (and not World Boxing) ran that competition. Likewise, the IOC’s transgender policy is weak. In late 2021, the IOC published its Framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variations. Unfortunately, however, that framework comprised six pages of high-level statements of principle without much in the way of adequate detail. International federations were left to set their own policies, as required. In one section of its framework, the IOC states its position that athletes should be allowed passage to compete in the available category that aligns with their self-determined gender identity. In the next section, the IOC forces responsibility onto the international federations to ensure no athletes are afforded disproportionate and unfair competitive advantages if permitted to compete in a gender category not aligned with their biological gender. Imane Khelif celebrates her gold medal with her team and fans in Paris. Credit: Eddie Jim All of which is as clear as mud. For political reasons or otherwise by reason of weakness, the IOC under its current leadership plainly doesn’t want the responsibility of setting transgender policy across all sports. Yet to pass that complex responsibility onto the international federations is inconsistent with the IOC’s functions. Lord Coe is irrefutably correct that in terms of Olympic competition and international-standard elite sport the sanctity of the integrity of sport itself must be protected and preserved, no matter the cost. Otherwise, elite sport may as well not exist in the first place. He’s also correct that the IOC must set clear and unequivocal policy to protect the integrity of female sport and female athletic competition. It is extremely difficult to design policy to integrate transgender athlete participation in elite sport, especially when the integrity of competition is already under constant attack. If gender is kaleidoscopic, sport is black and white. Besides horse racing, some forms of motorsport and mixed doubles tennis, men and women typically don’t compete against each other. If gender is kaleidoscopic, sport is black and white. It’s in Olympic and international-level athletic competition where records are set and legacies forged. The playing field must not only be balanced, it must be known to be balanced. Rules must demand that a competing transgender athlete derives no unfair and disproportionate competitive advantage by competing in their chosen gender, if that’s different to their biological gender. The IOC’s absolute imperative must be that transgender athletes be prohibited from competing in Olympic competition if to allow those athletes to compete would mean they enjoyed any material competitive advantage. Whatever leadership position the IOC must take to set such rules within that philosophy, it must do so. Some international federations have braved the frontier, given the IOC’s contrasting tepidness. World Aquatics was the first international federation to set policy to stipulate that a female transgender athlete is ineligible for international competitions in the female category, unless either they never experienced male puberty or where they had their male puberty pharmacologically surpassed before their 12th birthday and before any physical signs of male puberty were physically detectable. Loading Straightforward? Yes. Harsh? Yes. Necessary? Also yes. Those rules are simple, not open to interpretation or manipulation, and lacking subjectiveness. No element of the application of the rules requires measurement, or monitoring. In contrast, the IOC’s rules are all over the shop. Some researchers who know way more than me will tell you that the medical and scientific evidence isn’t absolute in demonstrating that transgender athletes – and male-to-female athletes in particular – benefit by everlasting physical and physiological advantages over their cisgender fellow competitors. Perhaps that’s the correct analysis that will prevail three decades on. But that alone can’t be a reason for the IOC and governing bodies to sit on their hands in the meantime. To do that would be to fail the current generation of Olympians, and the next. Sebastian Coe at least stands for something. Sports news, results and expert commentary. Sign up for our Sport newsletter . Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. License this article Women in sport Analysis Donald Trump Darren Kane is a sports columnist for The Sydney Morning Herald. Connect via Twitter or email . Most Viewed in Sport Loading

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Each holiday season, scammers hope to turn consumers’ Christmas shopping into gifts for themselves. People under the age of 70 fall for social media scams more often than any other type of scam, such as phone calls, texting and email, according to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) data . There are many types of social media scams and many different methods scammers use to trick victims. We VERIFIED six different ways scammers use social media to target victims and teach you how to avoid these scams. THE SOURCES Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation Terranova Security , a cybersecurity company Wells Fargo Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) , an Irish consumer protection agency Aura , a cybersecurity company Online shopping scams The most common social media scams are ads, particularly on Facebook and Instagram, that lead to fake online stores that never deliver items their victims have purchased, according to the FTC . A red flag that an online store’s website may be fraudulent is if it’s missing basic information, such as shipping times, costs, address and direct contact information, the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs says. If you’re unsure about an online store, you can check for consumer reviews or scam reports on the Better Business Bureau’s website. A store can fake the reviews on its own website, so it’s best to look at information posted on other sites. The FTC recommends simply searching for a store’s name and “scam” or “complaint” on Google before buying items. Using a credit card instead of a debit card for online purchases can also give you more protection against fake stores, the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs says. That’s because credit cards “offer better fraud protection and provide a safer way to dispute unauthorized charges if necessary.” Most people who use social media marketplaces, such as Facebook Marketplace, are genuine people selling legitimate items, but scammers may also pose as sellers or customers, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) says. The CCPC recommends that buyers not hand over any money unless they’re sure the item is legitimate. It advises sellers not to click any link a buyer sends them and to not send the buyer any details that might allow them to gain access to their bank account. Impersonators of family and friends This scam begins when the scammer either hacks a person’s profile or creates a brand new, fake profile meant to look like someone else’s. Then, the scammer will usually directly message family and friends of the person they’re impersonating, claim there’s an emergency and ask for money, says Terranova Security , a cybersecurity company. Alternatively, the scammer may send their victims links to malicious websites instead of asking for money, according to Wells Fargo . Whether it’s a request for money or an unexpected link, you should double-check the identity of the sender, say Terranova Security and Wells Fargo. Do that by contacting the person through other means, such as a call, text or email. Only take action after they’ve confirmed the message is really from them. You should generally be suspicious of profiles that are brand new or if you receive a friend request from a profile you thought you were already friends with, the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs says. Other fake lookalike accounts In some cases, scammers will create profiles impersonating a well-known company, a government agency or a popular celebrity by using their names, logos and photos. These types of imposter accounts may post malicious links disguised as fake giveaways, promote investment scams or request money through direct messages, according to Aura , a cybersecurity company. Fake giveaways are used to harvest user data, steal personal information or spread malware. Terranova says genuine giveaways won’t ask for sensitive information and will always be conducted through a company’s official channels. These imposter accounts are usually new profiles. Their posts, messages and account information will often have poor grammar and spelling, the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs says. These accounts will also lack the official verification given to companies on most social media websites. Aura notes that scammers may also pose as celebrities and directly contact people to ask for money or claim they’re raising money for charities. Neither Taylor Swift nor any other celebrity will ever directly message random fans to ask for money. Phony money-making opportunities For some schemes, scammers don’t need to impersonate someone you already know. They can lure in victims by posting publicly about fake investment or job opportunities. Victims reported losing more money to investment scams than any other kind of social media scam in the first half of 2023, according to the FTC. Social media investment scams, which are often based around cryptocurrency, often promote the scammer’s own supposed success to lure people to investment websites or apps that turn out to be phony and leave victims empty-handed after they invest, the FTC said. Job offer scammers will usually promise their victims a good job, sometimes in the form of attractive work-from-home opportunities, but then require some kind of fee to actually secure the phony position, Wells Fargo and Terranova say. Legitimate employers, both online and off, will never ask you for a payment as a condition for employment, Terranova Security says. And you should generally be suspicious of anyone on social media who is asking for money or offering you money, Wells Fargo says. Romance scams Romance scams often start with a seemingly innocent friend request from a stranger, quickly followed by love bombing and eventually requests for money, according to the FTC. These scams often start on Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat. These kinds of scammers tend to profess their “love” for you unusually quickly and may even offer to move closer to you, Wells Fargo says. Treat any quick profession of love from an online stranger as a red flag, Terranova says. Wells Fargo says other common signs of this scam include poor or vague communication, flowery language and a small number of pictures and posts on the stranger’s account. You should avoid sending money to anyone you have only met online, Wells Fargo says. Malicious surveys and quizzes Personality quizzes and surveys are popular on social media, and are thus popular among scammers, too. These malicious quizzes might ask for permissions that give them access to your account or ask for personal details that can be used to steal your identity or financial information. “When you encounter a quiz or social media test that asks for unnecessary personal details or permissions, do not proceed,” Terranova Security says. Keeping yourself from being scammed There is no 100% foolproof way to avoid being targeted by scammers on social media, but there are ways to reduce the likelihood. Wells Fargo recommends setting your profiles to be private, so only people you know can see your information and posts. You should also restrict your contacts to people you know personally. Don’t accept random friend requests from strangers. If you can turn off messages from strangers or filter them, it’s a good idea to do that, too. The Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs recommends that you regularly review your accounts’ privacy settings so you can ensure your information is only visible to people you know and trust. It also recommends regularly changing your password and using two-factor authentication for logins. Related Articles Watch out for these common holiday scams Facebook does not have a lottery promotion. This is a common scam. 5 tips to avoid online shopping scams: VERIFY Fact Sheet The VERIFY team works to separate fact from fiction so that you can understand what is true and false. Please consider subscribing to our daily newsletter , text alerts and our YouTube channel . You can also follow us on Snapchat , Instagram , Facebook and TikTok . Learn More » Follow Us YouTube Snapchat Instagram Facebook TikTok Want something VERIFIED? Text: 202-410-8808

Cowpea seeds were picked over seeds of other plants to fly aboard the upcoming PSLV-C60/SpaDeX, POEM-4 Mission of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) after ground-based trials found them better-suited for a short-term plant growth experiment in orbit, scientists at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) said. The Compact Research Module for Orbital Plant Studies (CROPS), a payload developed by the VSSC — ISRO’s lead facility for launch vehicles here at Thumba — has eight cowpea seeds in a closed-box environment. Their growth in a microgravity environment will be studied over five to seven days. ISRO’s first The experiment, ISRO’s first in this area, is designed to demonstrate seed germination and plant sustenance up to the two-leaf stage, a senior VSSC official said. The ability to grow vegetables while in space is regarded as vital in the context of India’s plans for its own space station, the Bharatiya Anthariksh Station, and future deep space explorations. The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle-C60 (PSLV-C60) mission, carrying a pair of SpaDeX (short for Space Docking Experiment) satellites as main payloads, is scheduled to lift off from Sriharikota on Monday. CROPS is one of 24 smaller payloads arranged aboard the PS4-Orbital Experiment Module (POEM). The POEM platform is the spent fourth stage of the PSLV which will remain in orbit for several weeks after the main mission for microgravity experiments. Why cowpea VSSC’s Control Actuation Systems Group, responsible for CROPS, selected cowpea over other plants given its relatively fast growth rate and robust root and stem structure. “It can grow to a height of, say, 100 mm or more reaching the two-leaf stage in five to seven days. We carried out ground trials with different seeds before picking cowpea,” a VSSC official said. Planted inside a small, closed steel chamber, the eight seeds will have all the ingredients, including oxygen and carbon dioxide, for growth. The chamber also has LED lamps at the right wavelength for photosynthesis. ISRO describes CROPS as a ‘Multi-phase automated platform for acquiring the capability to achieve seed germination.’ “Passive measurements, including camera imaging, oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations, relative humidity, temperature, and soil moisture monitoring, are available (inside the chamber) for plant growth and monitoring,” according to the space agency. Future missions will see more advanced experiments in this area. The primary aim of the SpaDeX mission, meanwhile, is to develop and demonstrate the technology needed “for rendezvous, docking, and undocking of two small spacecraft” in a low-earth circular orbit. Published - December 28, 2024 09:36 pm IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp RedditMatchday 18 of Premier League saw VAR and refereeing decisions spark controversy, from Jhon Duran’s red card to Joao Pedro escaping punishment, leaving fans and pundits questioning consistency. New Delhi: Matchday 18 produced some top tier drama not just in terms of results, but also a few turn of events that made many people question the referees and VAR decisions. In the game against Aston Villa and Newcastle, the Villans went 1-0 down in just the second mintue of the game when Anthony Gordon scored a stunning goal for the home side. However, Unai Emery’s side suffered yet another blow in the 32nd minute of the game when they were down to 10 men after their young star Jhon Duran was given a controversial red card. The young forward saw red after VAR provided their conclusion after judging the tussle between Duran and Newcastle’s Fabian Schar. Anthony Taylor didn’t even take a look at the replay, he decided to issue a red card to Duran that only made matters worse for the Villans. However, the internet saw fans putting up their opinions that the forward didn’t deserve to be booked after he appeared to stamp on the defender during their tussle, which led to his dismissal. The pundits also claimed that due to the momentum in which he was running, there was n oway he could have stopped himself from not making the contact with the Swiss defender. Something bizzare happened in the Premier League meeting between Brighton and Brentford that saw the Seagulls’ striker Joao Pedro not being booked after a VAR check on his aggresive swing of elbow that just missed the Brentford player Yegor Yarmolyuk. Although it could have been a lot worse, Pedro certainly deserved atleast a yellow card for that aggressive behaviour according to some fans on social media. However, the striker survived it as no card was issued to him. What Premier League had to say and other’s thoughts on this Have the Premier League referees lost the credibility? Recently it has been confirmed that Aston Villa’s appeal for Jhon Duran’s red card was rejected by Football Association which has left the club in shock. Unai Emery blasted the referees for the call, claiming it ended the match as Newcastle easily defeated a 10-man opposition 3-0. The manager of Villa, who has previously supported the use of video assistance referee technology, was baffled that it did not step in at St. James’ Park. “The red card was clear for the referee straight away, he was the only person in the stadium who couldn’t take his time,” Emery claimed. “He has to be intelligent to take time and get the right decision. “In this case you have to use the VAR. He has to be smart, and calm. It has to be like that.” It was pretty clear that the VAR was very much needed in this situation that brewed up and Anthony Taylor decided to take the matters in his own hands and issuing a straight red that left the visitors frustrated. Unai Emery also claimed that this was the turning point in the game when their star forward was sent off which led to Newcastle scoring two more goals and ending the game 3-0 to their liking. Meanwhile, according to many it was a baffling decision by the VAR when they decided not to issue a card to Joao Pedro, who’s actions seemed like he deserved atleast a yellow card. This raises a big question that are the Premier League referees losing their credibility? Click for more latest Football news . Also get top headlines and latest news from India and around the world at News9. Upamanyu Sanyal has been a sports content writer for a while now. He is a sports enthusiast and a dedicated sports writer working under News9. He has been following football since 2009 and has written a numerous analytical as well as factual pieces on the beautiful game. He himself has played football at a very high level and he loves to write, report and debate about football stories.NEW YORK — Stocks fell broadly Friday as Wall Street closed out a holiday-shortened week on a down note. The losses were made worse by sharp declines for the Big Tech stocks known as the "Magnificent 7," which can heavily influence the market because of their large size. The S&P 500 fell 66.75 points, or 1.1%, to 5,970.84. Roughly 90% of stocks in the benchmark index lost ground, but it managed to hold on to a modest gain of 0.7% for the week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 333.59 points, or 0.8%, to 42,992.21. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite fell 298.33 points, or 1.5%, to 19,722.03. Semiconductor giant Nvidia slumped 2.1%. Microsoft declined 1.7%. Each has a market value above $3 trillion, giving the companies outsized sway on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq. People are also reading... A wide range of retailers also fell. Amazon fell 1.5% and Best Buy slipped 1.5%. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!

Ex-Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio delivers combative testimony in ex-cops defenseBy KENYA HUNTER, Associated Press ATLANTA (AP) — As she checked into a recent flight to Mexico for vacation, Teja Smith chuckled at the idea of joining another Women’s March on Washington . As a Black woman, she just couldn’t see herself helping to replicate the largest act of resistance against then-President Donald Trump’s first term in January 2017. Even in an election this year where Trump questioned his opponent’s race , held rallies featuring racist insults and falsely claimed Black migrants in Ohio were eating residents’ pets , he didn’t just win a second term. He became the first Republican in two decades to clinch the popular vote, although by a small margin. “It’s like the people have spoken and this is what America looks like,” said Smith, the Los Angeles-based founder of the advocacy social media agency, Get Social. “And there’s not too much more fighting that you’re going to be able to do without losing your own sanity.” After Trump was declared the winner over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris , many politically engaged Black women said they were so dismayed by the outcome that they were reassessing — but not completely abandoning — their enthusiasm for electoral politics and movement organizing. Black women often carry much of the work of getting out the vote in their communities. They had vigorously supported the historic candidacy of Harris, who would have been the first woman of Black and South Asian descent to win the presidency. Harris’ loss spurred a wave of Black women across social media resolving to prioritize themselves, before giving so much to a country that over and over has shown its indifference to their concerns. AP VoteCast , a survey of more than 120,000 voters, found that 6 in 10 Black women said the future of democracy in the United States was the single most important factor for their vote this year, a higher share than for other demographic groups. But now, with Trump set to return to office in two months, some Black women are renewing calls to emphasize rest, focus on mental health and become more selective about what fight they lend their organizing power to. “America is going to have to save herself,” said LaTosha Brown, the co-founder of the national voting rights group Black Voters Matter. She compared Black women’s presence in social justice movements as “core strategists and core organizers” to the North Star, known as the most consistent and dependable star in the galaxy because of its seemingly fixed position in the sky. People can rely on Black women to lead change, Brown said, but the next four years will look different. “That’s not a herculean task that’s for us. We don’t want that title. ... I have no goals to be a martyr for a nation that cares nothing about me,” she said. AP VoteCast paints a clear picture of Black women’s concerns. Black female voters were most likely to say that democracy was the single most important factor for their vote, compared to other motivators such as high prices or abortion. More than 7 in 10 Black female voters said they were “very concerned” that electing Trump would lead the nation toward authoritarianism, while only about 2 in 10 said this about Harris. About 9 in 10 Black female voters supported Harris in 2024, according to AP VoteCast, similar to the share that backed Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. Trump received support from more than half of white voters, who made up the vast majority of his coalition in both years. Like voters overall, Black women were most likely to say the economy and jobs were the most important issues facing the country, with about one-third saying that. But they were more likely than many other groups to say that abortion and racism were the top issues, and much less likely than other groups to say immigration was the top issue. Despite those concerns, which were well-voiced by Black women throughout the campaign, increased support from young men of color and white women helped expand Trump’s lead and secured his victory. Politically engaged Black women said they don’t plan to continue positioning themselves in the vertebrae of the “backbone” of America’s democracy. The growing movement prompting Black women to withdraw is a shift from history, where they are often present and at the forefront of political and social change. One of the earliest examples is the women’s suffrage movement that led to ratification in 1920 of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution , which gave women the right to vote. Black women, however, were prevented from voting for decades afterward because of Jim Crow-era literacy tests, poll taxes and laws that blocked the grandchildren of slaves from voting. Most Black women couldn’t vote until the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Black women were among the organizers and counted among the marchers brutalized on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Alabama, during the historic march in 1965 from Selma to Montgomery that preceded federal legislation. Decades later, Black women were prominent organizers of the Black Lives Matter movement in response to the deaths of Black Americans at the hands of police and vigilantes. In his 2024 campaign, Trump called for leveraging federal money to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs in government programs and discussions of race, gender or sexual orientation in schools. His rhetoric on immigration, including false claims that Black Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating cats and dogs, drove support for his plan to deport millions of people . Related Articles Tenita Taylor, a Black resident of Atlanta who supported Trump this year, said she was initially excited about Harris’ candidacy. But after thinking about how high her grocery bills have been, she feels that voting for Trump in hopes of finally getting lower prices was a form of self-prioritization. “People say, ‘Well, that’s selfish, it was gonna be better for the greater good,”’ she said. “I’m a mother of five kids. ... The things that (Democrats) do either affect the rich or the poor.” Some of Trump’s plans affect people in Olivia Gordon’s immediate community, which is why she struggled to get behind the “Black women rest” wave. Gordon, a New York-based lawyer who supported the Party for Socialism and Liberation’s presidential nominee, Claudia de la Cruz, worries about who may be left behind if the 92% of Black women voters who backed Harris simply stopped advocating. “We’re talking millions of Black women here. If millions of Black women take a step back, it absolutely leaves holes, but for other Black women,” she said. “I think we sometimes are in the bubble of if it’s not in your immediate circle, maybe it doesn’t apply to you. And I truly implore people to understand that it does.” Nicole Lewis, an Alabama-based therapist who specializes in treating Black women’s stress, said she’s aware that Black women withdrawing from social impact movements could have a fallout. But she also hopes that it forces a reckoning for the nation to understand the consequences of not standing in solidarity with Black women. “It could impact things negatively because there isn’t that voice from the most empathetic group,” she said. “I also think it’s going to give other groups an opportunity to step up. ... My hope is that they do show up for themselves and everyone else.” Brown said a reckoning might be exactly what the country needs, but it’s a reckoning for everyone else. Black women, she said, did their job when they supported Harris in droves in hopes they could thwart the massive changes expected under Trump. “This ain’t our reckoning,” she said. “I don’t feel no guilt.” AP polling editor Amelia Thomson DeVeaux and Associated Press writer Linley Sanders in Washington contributed to this report. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Microsoft Corp. stock underperforms Monday when compared to competitors despite daily gainsSINGAPORE , Dec. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Maxeon Solar Technologies, Ltd. (NASDAQ: MAXN ) ("Maxeon" or "the Company"), a global leader in solar innovation and channels, today announced its financial results for the third quarter ended September 29, 2024 . Maxeon's Chief Executive Officer George Guo stated, "Third quarter results were distorted due to deliveries detained by the United States Customs and Border Protection ("CBP"), fixed costs associated with factory shutdowns and low production levels, and costs and write-offs from our ongoing restructuring. On top of this, we continue to observe depressed prices as a result of the global oversupply and intense competition. The average market price for high efficiency and mainstream crystalline modules like our IBC products and Performance line products has dropped by approximately 43.5% and 28.6%, respectively, since January 2024 . We recently announced some of the key strategic initiatives undertaken to optimize Maxeon's business portfolio and geographic market focus. Moving forward, we intend to re-create Maxeon as a world leader in solar, focused exclusively in the United States where we believe our market presence and planned local manufacturing create a strong platform to drive growth and profitability in the future. We appreciate the support and patience of our investors as we translate our strategic thinking into concrete actions." Maxeon's Chief Financial Officer Dmitri Hu added, "As we establish our new strategy to transform Maxeon, we are highly focused on our financial position. We intend to reserve sufficient liquidity for daily operations, while we recapitalize the company to fund our restructuring and growth. However, considering the continued uncertainties around CBP detentions, we are unable to provide financial guidance for fourth quarter of 2024. We will defer holding a conference call to discuss quarterly financial results, until the ongoing restructuring is complete and we can provide a more comprehensive view of our go-forward strategy." For more information Maxeon's third quarter 2024 financial results and management commentary can be found on Form 6-K by accessing the Financials & Filings page of the Investor Relations section of Maxeon's website at: https://corp.maxeon.com/investor-relations . The Form 6-K and Company's other filings are also available online from the Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov . About Maxeon Solar Technologies Maxeon Solar Technologies (NASDAQ: MAXN ) is Powering Positive ChangeTM. Headquartered in Singapore, Maxeon leverages nearly 40 years of solar energy leadership and over 2,000 granted patents to design innovative and sustainably made solar panels and energy solutions for residential, commercial, and power plant customers. For more information about how Maxeon is Powering Positive ChangeTM visit us at www.maxeon.com , and on LinkedIn. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including, but not limited to, statements regarding: (a) our ability to (i) meet short-term and long-term material cash requirements, (ii) service our outstanding debts and make payments as they come due and (iii) continue as a going concern; (b) the success of our ongoing restructuring initiatives and our ability to execute on our plans and strategy; (c) our expectations regarding product pricing trends, demand and growth projections, including our efforts to enforce our intellectual property rights against our competitors; (d) disruptions to our operations and supply chain resulting from, among other things, government regulatory or enforcement actions, such as the detentions of our products by the U.S. Customs Border and Protection (CBP) for an unforeseeable amount of time, epidemics, natural disasters or military conflicts, including the duration, scope and impact on the demand for our products, market disruptions from the war in Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas-Iran conflict; (e) anticipated product launch timing and our expectations regarding ramp, customer acceptance and demand, upsell and expansion opportunities; (f) our expectations and plans for short- and long-term strategy, including our anticipated areas of focus and investment, market expansion, product and technology focus, implementation of restructuring plans and projected growth and profitability; (g) our technology outlook, including anticipated fab capacity expansion and utilization and expected ramp and production timelines for the Company's next-generation Maxeon 7 and Performance line solar panels, expected cost reductions, and future performance; (h) our strategic goals and plans, including statements regarding restructuring of our business portfolio, the Company's anticipated manufacturing facility in the U.S., our transformation initiatives and plans regarding supply chain adaptation, improved costs and efficiencies, capacity expansion, partnership discussions with respect to the Company's next-generation technology, and our relationship with our existing customers, suppliers and partners, and our ability to achieve and maintain them; (i) our expectations regarding our future performance and revenues resulting from contracted orders, bookings, backlog, and pipelines in our sales channels and feedback from our partners; and (j) our projected effective tax rate and changes to the valuation allowance related to our deferred tax assets. The forward-looking statements can be also identified by terminology such as "may," "might," "could," "will," "aims," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Among other things, the quotations from management in this press release and Maxeon's operations and business outlook contain forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on our current assumptions, expectations and beliefs and involve substantial risks and uncertainties that may cause results, performance or achievement to materially differ from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to a number of risks. The reader should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurances that the plans, initiatives or expectations upon which they are based will occur. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: (1) challenges in executing transactions key to our strategic plans, and other restructuring plans, as well as challenges in addressing regulatory and other obstacles that may arise; (2) our liquidity, substantial indebtedness, terms and conditions upon which our indebtedness is incurred, and ability to obtain additional financing for our projects, customers and operations; (3) an adverse final determination of the CBP investigation related to CBP's examination of Maxeon's compliance with the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act; (4) our ability to manage supply chain shortages and/or excess inventory and cost increases and operating expenses; (5) potential disruptions to our operations and supply chain that may result from damage or destruction of facilities operated by our suppliers, difficulties in hiring or retaining key personnel, epidemics, natural disasters, including impacts of the war in Ukraine ; (6) our ability to manage our key customers and suppliers; (7) the success of our ongoing research and development efforts and our ability to commercialize new products and services, including products and services developed through strategic partnerships; (8) competition in the solar and general energy industry and downward pressure on selling prices and wholesale energy pricing, including impacts of inflation, economic recession and foreign exchange rates upon customer demand; (9) changes in regulation and public policy, including the imposition and applicability of tariffs; (10) our ability to comply with various tax holiday requirements as well as regulatory changes or findings affecting the availability of economic incentives promoting use of solar energy and availability of tax incentives or imposition of tax duties; (11) fluctuations in our operating results and in the foreign currencies in which we operate; (12) appropriate sizing, or delays in expanding our manufacturing capacity and containing manufacturing and logistical difficulties that could arise; (13) unanticipated impact to customer demand and sales schedules due, among other factors, to the war in Ukraine , economic recession and environmental disasters; (14) reaction by securities or industry analysts to our annual and/or quarterly guidance, in combination with our results of operations or other factors, and/ or third party reports or publications, whether accurate or not, which may cause such securities or industry analysts to cease publishing research or reports about us, or adversely change their recommendations regarding our ordinary shares, which may negatively impact the market price of our ordinary shares and volume of our stock trading; and (15) unpredictable outcomes resulting from our litigation activities and other disputes. Forward-looking and other statements in this report may also address our corporate sustainability or responsibility progress, plans, and goals (including environmental matters), and the inclusion of such statements is not an indication that these contents are necessarily material to investors or required to be disclosed in the Company's filings with the SEC. In addition, historical, current, and forward-looking sustainability-related statements may be based on standards for measuring progress that are still developing, internal controls and processes that continue to evolve, and assumptions that are subject to change in the future. A detailed discussion of these factors and other risks that affect our business is included in filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") from time to time, including our most recent report on Form 20-F, particularly under the heading "Risk Factors" and Form 6-K filings discussing our quarterly earnings results. Copies of these filings are available online from the SEC at www.sec.gov , or on the SEC Filings section of our Investor Relations website at https://corp.maxeon.com/investor-relations . All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information currently available to us, and we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in light of new information or future events. Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures We present certain non-GAAP measures such as non-GAAP gross (loss) profit, non-GAAP operating expenses and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA") adjusted for stock-based compensation, provision for expected credit losses, restructuring charges and fees, remeasurement loss on prepaid forward, physical delivery forward and warrants, gain on extinguishment of debt and equity in income of unconsolidated investees and associated gains ("Adjusted EBITDA") to supplement our consolidated financial results presented in accordance with GAAP. Non-GAAP gross (loss) profit is defined as gross (loss) profit excluding stock-based compensation and restructuring charges and fees. Non-GAAP operating expenses is defined as operating expenses excluding stock-based compensation, provision for expected credit losses and restructuring charges and fees. We believe that non-GAAP gross (loss) profit, non-GAAP operating expenses and Adjusted EBITDA provide greater transparency into management's view and assessment of the Company's ongoing operating performance by removing items management believes are not representative of our continuing operations and may distort our longer-term operating trends. We believe these measures are useful to help enhance the comparability of our results of operations across different reporting periods on a consistent basis and with our competitors, distinct from items that are infrequent or not associated with the Company's core operations as presented above. We also use these non-GAAP measures internally to assess our business, financial performance and current and historical results, as well as for strategic decision-making and forecasting future results. Given our use of non-GAAP measures, we believe that these measures may be important to investors in understanding our operating results as seen through the eyes of management. These non-GAAP measures are neither prepared in accordance with GAAP nor are they intended to be a replacement for GAAP financial data, should be reviewed together with GAAP measures and may be different from non-GAAP measures used by other companies. As presented in the "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" section, each of the non-GAAP financial measures excludes one or more of the following items in arriving to the non-GAAP measures: Stock-based compensation expense . Stock-based compensation relates primarily to equity incentive awards. Stock-based compensation is a non-cash expense that is dependent on market forces that are difficult to predict and is excluded from non-GAAP gross (loss) profit, non-GAAP operating expense and Adjusted EBITDA. Management believes that this adjustment for stock-based compensation expense provides investors with a basis to measure our core performance, including the ability to compare our performance with the performance of other companies, without the period-to-period variability created by stock-based compensation Provision for expected credit losses . This relates to the expected credit loss in relation to the financial assets under the Separation and Distribution Agreement dated November 8, 2019 (the "SDA") entered into with SunPower Corporation ("SunPower") in connection with the Company's spin-off from SunPower. Such loss is excluded from non-GAAP operating expense and Adjusted EBITDA as this relates to SunPower's business which Maxeon did not and will not have economic benefits to, as the Company's involvement is solely through SunPower's indemnification obligations set forth in the SDA. As such, management believes that this is not part of core operating activity and it is appropriate to exclude the provision for expected credit losses from our non-GAAP financial measures as it is not reflective of ongoing operating results nor do these charges contribute to a meaningful evaluation of our past operating performance. Restructuring charges and fees . We incur restructuring charges, inventory impairment and other inventory related costs associated with the re-engineering of our IBC capacity, and fees related to reorganization plans aimed towards realigning resources consistent with our global strategy and improving its overall operating efficiency and cost structure. Restructuring charges and fees are excluded from non-GAAP operating expenses and Adjusted EBITDA because they are not considered core operating activities. Although we have engaged in restructuring activities and initiatives, past activities have been discrete events based on unique sets of business objectives. As such, management believes that it is appropriate to exclude restructuring charges and fees from our non-GAAP financial measures as they are not reflective of ongoing operating results nor do these charges contribute to a meaningful evaluation of our past operating performance. Gain on extinguishment of debt . This relates to the gain that arose from the substantial modification in June 2024 of our Green Convertible Senior Notes due 2025 (the "2025 Notes") and First Lien Senior Secured Convertible Notes due 2027. Gain on debt extinguishment is excluded from Adjusted EBITDA because it is not considered part of core operating activities. Such activities are discrete events based on unique sets of business objectives. As such, management believes that it is appropriate to exclude the gain on extinguishment of debt from our non-GAAP financial measures as it is not reflective of ongoing operating results nor do these charges contribute to a meaningful evaluation of our past operating performance. Remeasurement loss (gain) on prepaid forward and physical delivery forward . This relates to the mark-to-market fair value remeasurement of privately negotiated prepaid forward and physical delivery transactions. The transactions were entered into in connection with the issuance on July 17, 2020 of the 2025 Notes for an aggregate principal amount of $200 million . The prepaid forward is remeasured to fair value at the end of each reporting period, with changes in fair value booked in earnings. The fair value of the prepaid forward is primarily affected by the Company's share price. The physical delivery forward was remeasured to fair value at the end of the note valuation period on September 29, 2020 , and was reclassified to equity after remeasurement, and will not be subsequently remeasured. The fair value of the physical delivery forward was primarily affected by the Company's share price. The remeasurement loss (gain) on prepaid forward and physical delivery forward is excluded from Adjusted EBITDA because it is not considered core operating activities. As such, management believes that it is appropriate to exclude the mark-to-market adjustments from our Adjusted EBITDA as it is not reflective of ongoing operating results nor do the loss contribute to a meaningful evaluation of our past operating performance. Remeasurement loss (gain) on warrants . This relates to the mark-to-market fair value remeasurement of the exchange warrants and investor warrants. The transactions were entered into in connection with the exchange of 99.25% of the 2025 Notes with aggregate notional amount of $200 million and the 9.00% Convertible First Lien Senior Secured Notes due 2029 of $97.5 million , both entered on June 20, 2024 . The investor warrants were remeasured to fair value prior to them being exercised and were reclassified to equity, and will not be subsequently remeasured. The exchange warrants were remeasured to fair value on September 12, 2024 , and were reclassified to equity after on such date, and will not be subsequently remeasured. The fair value of the warrants was primarily affected by the Company's share price. The remeasurement loss on warrants is excluded from Adjusted EBITDA because it is not considered a core operating activity. As such, management believes that it is appropriate to exclude the mark-to-market adjustments from our Adjusted EBITDA as it is not reflective of ongoing operating results nor do the loss contribute to a meaningful evaluation of our past operating performance. Equity in (income) losses of unconsolidated investees and related gains . This relates to the loss on our former unconsolidated equity investment Huansheng JV and gains on such investment on divestment. This is excluded from our Adjusted EBITDA financial measure as it is non-cash in nature and not reflective of our core operational performance. As such, management believes that it is appropriate to exclude such charges as they do not contribute to a meaningful evaluation of our performance. ©2024 Maxeon Solar Technologies, Ltd. All rights reserved. MAXEON is a registered trademark of Maxeon Solar Technologies, Ltd. Visit https://corp.maxeon.com/trademarks for more information. The following table reconciles our cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash reported on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets and the cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash reported on our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows as of September 29, 2024 and October 1, 2023 : SOURCE Maxeon Solar Technologies, Ltd.