Imran Khan seeks timeframe from govt on PTI demands progressCarbon capture technology, like what is being developed at Squamish's , is critical in the fight against the forces of climate change, according to a Simon Fraser University professor. "It's essential because we are in such uncharted territory when it comes to climate change, with all of the effects that we're seeing with these severe weather events, it is incontrovertible that this is happening because of these high [carbon dioxide] levels in our atmosphere," said , who has toured his students around the Carbon Engineering (CE) Innovation Centre. (Squamish is the home of CE’s Direct Air Capture research and development and demonstration plant.) Khan teaches both undergraduate and graduate carbon capture engineering courses. While carbon capture has been around for a while—according to the , carbon dioxide capture technology has been used since the 1920s to separate marketable gases from the rest—why it is useful may still be unfamiliar to many. Khan asks his students to think about the processes at play when cooking at home. "Cooking indoors is the process that releases toxic gasses. So we have a kitchen vent that can safely capture all of it and reduce the amount of those toxic gasses in the household," he said, adding that while household plants also help clean the air, they aren't enough. "Let's say this vent stops working, ... then toxic smoke is going to build up in the household. The carbon monoxide alarm is going to start running. So then we have to open the doors and hope that all of this escapes out. So all of this is an analogy for carbon capture." Human behaviour has been contributing to significant emissions and carbon dioxide, which is toxic, clogging our "house" with toxins. "So now cleaning that up is an important technological challenge of our generation," he said. Carbon capture is one way to do that. "We also have to clean up where it is persisting, and that's where direct air capture comes so removing CO2 both from the atmosphere, but also directly from the sources where CO2 is being released, is a nutshell of carbon capture." Carbon Engineering spokesperson Cameron Lust notes that major scientific assessments—including those from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – conclude that billions of tonnes of carbon removal will be needed to limit warming and mitigate the impacts of climate change. “Direct Air Capture is a technology that captures carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas contributing to climate change, directly from the air. When paired with safe, secure storage (DAC+S), it enables a highly scalable, measurable, and verifiable form of carbon removal,” Lust said. [See how Direct Air Capture works in the video below.] “DAC is a different but complementary solution to point-source carbon capture that can help hard-to-abate industries—like aviation—address their residual emissions from any place by decoupling the point of capture from the source of emission. For industries like aviation, we believe DAC+S offers a practical and cost-effective solution today for organizations advancing decarbonization goals with measurable, verifiable solutions.” In other words, Direct Air Capture extracts CO2 from the atmosphere at any location, while carbon capture is generally done at the point where emissions are made, like at an industrial plant. “The CO2 can be permanently stored in deep geological formations or used for a variety of applications,” reads the on carbon capture technologies. With carbon capture associated with scrubbing carbon from the atmosphere created by power plants, natural gas processing facilities and other industrial processes, wouldn't it be better to just switch to cleaner processes? Khan says even that wouldn't be enough at this point. "If today, everything was running on clean energy, we still have the problem that the CO2 levels in the atmosphere are too high. There are pre-industrial emission levels, which are commonly said to have been 280 parts per million (ppm). Currently, we're way over that at [ ppm as of 2023], and we know that that's causing these effects of climate change. So that's CO2 that is now in the atmosphere. It has to be removed, and it has to go somewhere where it's all going to re-emerge and cause the same effects again. And that is why I say [carbon capture] is critical." The fact that big oil and gas companies are investing heavily in this technology doesn't mean that investment isn't useful, Khan suggests. "The interest from different groups, including oil and gas, the momentum that it's providing is essentially advancement of carbon capture, where it can become cost-effective, it can be safer, and then [we can] really target the big problem," he said. "What I tell students is all momentum, all awareness, all interest in carbon capture is good interest. It's taking it in the right direction," he said. And while some may argue investing in carbon capture is a way for Big Oil to continue to expand, Khan points to government policy as the solution to that concern. "This is where policy comes in, right? Good policy frameworks. You can control the development of new oil and gas while ensuring that carbon capture is really meeting the intended needs that it has set out to do." The cost of Direct Air Capture is still something that needs to be overcome. "It's a fair concern because there's energy that's needed to run at a space that's needed, but you know, engineers have come to the rescue many times for our generations. And this is also what we teach here at SFU Sustainable Energy Engineering," he said. "There is an optimization problem here, which can be solved in the next 10 years ... or even faster, where costs start to go down. These systems are powered by renewable energy systems. And by these systems, I mean carbon capture systems, so that sweet middle ground where it's operating without causing more environmental issues, while being effective in terms of costs—it's there on the horizon." Khan stresses that carbon capture technologies aren’t working in competition with other clean tech options. "It's complementary to clean energy systems but working in parallel. Khan said there is a misunderstanding about the storage of carbon dioxide in terms of the safety of pumping it to be stored underground. "There are studies that if the facilities are designed in areas where geological risks are considered and the safe, long-term storage possible," he said. Khan sees two areas of advancement that are next for carbon capture technology. The first area is research and development. There are new materials and ways to make the process faster and reduce the energy needed. Though already fairly evolved, another advancement he sees coming is in capturing the CO2 at the source. "There's room there for innovation [there]," he said, noting that recently, in his graduate carbon capture class, students looked at how they could capture CO2 from a bioenergy plant using some of the wood that was damaged by the wood beetle. "It's a great source of energy, but also, you don't want to put the CO2 in the atmosphere, so this is where you can deploy some of the existing technologies to make it more efficient." Asked what ideally he would like to see in 10 years, Khan said widespread use of carbon capture technology deployed at the sources—factories or plants— of products we currently don't have great replacements for. "The fossil fuel-driven energy systems to power these sectors," he explained. "Our society still needs steel. We need concrete. These basic needs are going to be necessary for decades ahead. So that's where targeted deployed carbon capture, right at these facilities, right at the point where the CO2 is being emitted, and capturing it and converting it or storing it is going to be very important, and it's already growing." He noted that the carbon dioxide that is captured in the process, doesn't have to go to waste. It can be used and converted into products that could be polymers or fuels, but that is not all. There are also carbon-neutral processes for its use. One of his students recently designed a way to convert captured CO2 into urea, a fertilizer that works well for corn, grasses, or soil that is deficient in nitrogen. Asked if technologies like carbon capture may be less focused on given the global swing toward more right-wing governments, who may not prioritize environmental protection, Khan said the science is clear to all. "Irrespective of the political spectrum and viewpoints, the science is clear. Climate change is being caused by greenhouse gasses, and reducing those levels is key to preserving a sustainable future." Khan's will be offered in the summer of 2025. Carbon Engineering, which currently employs 185 people, about 70% of whom live in Squamish, has purchased another local property in the Business Park. Lust said as soon as that deal was done, the company began progressing through the design work for the planned facility. “We continue to work closely with the District of Squamish on the project and will be able to share more information as we progress through engineering,’ he said. Meanwhile, in regards to the company’s planned direct air capture facility in the Permian Basin, in Texas, construction for that first facility to use the company’s technology—named STRATOS—is nearing completion, with commercial operations slated to begin in mid-2025, according to Lust.CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Bryce Thompson scored 17 points, Marchelus Avery had 15 points and eight rebounds, and Oklahoma State beat Miami 80-74 on Friday in the consolation bracket of the Charleston Classic. Oklahoma State (4-1) will play in the fifth-place game on Sunday, while Miami (3-2) will try to avoid going winless in the tournament. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.Novak Djokovic might just have produced tennis’s greatest curveball yet. Even by the standards of his Melbourne theatrics, encompassing 10 titles and one lurid deportation saga, the enlistment of Andy Murray as his coach is a bolt from a clear-blue sky. It counts as the ultimate late-career Hail Mary: will it be the dream move, or will it blow up in their faces? Either way, it promises addictive viewing. Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray were adversaries throughout their careers but did play as teammates at the Laver Cup in 2022. Credit: Getty Images for Laver Cup At first glance, the idea of Murray as Djokovic’s mentor seems a gimmick, the type of stunt that icons pull to amuse themselves in off-season exhibitions. Except this experiment is heavy with consequence, with Djokovic running out of chances at 37 to break a tie with Margaret Court and win a record 25th major title. His decision to tap into Murray’s wisdom in conquering that final frontier is no mere coincidence. Their paths through life are, as he sees it, intertwined. It is not so much the fact that they were born only seven days apart as the sense that each has helped define the other. Who was across the net when Murray won his first major and his first Wimbledon? Djokovic. And who was the opponent when Djokovic completed the career grand slam? Murray. They have a mutual telepathy when it comes to channelling volatile temperament into competitive defiance. Where better to test this shared understanding than Melbourne Park, the place where they contested four finals in five years? You can see why, on paper, the tie-up appeals to both men. Murray needs greater fulfilment than being a gentleman of leisure in the Surrey stockbroker belt, aimlessly hacking his way around Wentworth. Djokovic, on the other hand, requires fresh impetus ahead of potentially his final season, a kindling of the fire as he attempts to surmount the age gap to Jannik Sinner, 23, and Carlos Alcaraz, 21, the two fearless wunderkinds who have usurped him at the summit. The Serb was alarmingly flat in losing to Sinner in this year’s Australian Open semi-finals, as if stunned by the Italian’s power. It is difficult to envisage any such listlessness under Murray’s tutelage. On the contrary, the coach’s likely message is that if Djokovic can turn the tables on the next generation once – as against Alcaraz in the Olympic final – then he can do so again. The doubt is whether Murray can stay calm enough as a sounding board for Djokovic to deliver. His own coaching team required the patience of Job to deal with his mid-match outbursts, as he lacerated them for everything from poor shot selection to not applauding him loudly enough. Djokovic is no saint in this department either: just ask Goran Ivanisevic, whom he berated furiously in Melbourne in January for failing to look at him. Is Murray the type to sit in his box and accept similar treatment with good grace? Not unless he has undergone some Damascene conversion since retiring. Celebrity coaches are hardly novel in these settings. Murray savoured his finest results under Ivan Lendl, the inscrutable eight-time major champion who appeared, even amid the convulsions of the 2013 Wimbledon final, as if he would rather be playing golf back home in Florida. It was Lendl’s poker face that offset his pupil’s histrionics and made the relationship succeed. Murray is, to put it politely, more of an open book. Yes, his tireless encouragement made him a wonderful Davis Cup team-mate. But in the egocentric world of grand slam singles, raw emotion on the sidelines can be a hindrance. Murray needs to suppress his wilder instincts, to recognise that stoicism can be a virtue. Djokovic is paying Murray the most sincere compliment in calling for his counsel. He has little time to waste, and he has reached the stage where he feels his only option in preventing another Sinner-Alcaraz clean sweep at the majors is to lean on his former adversary. Unlike career coaches, Murray understands how to shape matches through sheer force of will. He showed it in Australia only last year, when he was yelping in agony at the back of the court. Making light of his metal hip to frustrate Thanasi Kokkinakis with a series of staggering retrievals, he flipped the match on its head and secured victory at a little past 4am in an almost empty arena. That unquenchable thirst is what he needs to revive in Djokovic. Ever since that Olympic gold in August, Djokovic has lacked his usual intensity, as if realising at some level that he has completed his sport. Loading Murray is the figure who can remind him that there is still more history to write, still more distance to put between him and everybody else. How poetic it would be if it all came together with a record-extending 11th Australian Open triumph. Murray has reason to believe he is cursed in Melbourne: no other player, male or female, has competed in five finals at the same major without winning. He, too, has an itch to scratch, and who better to do it with than his once-implacable rival? The Telegraph, London News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport are sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter . Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Novak Djokovic Opinion Australian Open Andy Murray Most Viewed in Sport Loading

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Could Artificial General Intelligence Make Government Corruption Obsolete?

Money can’t buy happiness or a presidential election. Democratic donors just learned that the hard way. After a candidate loses a high-profile, competitive race, the blame game begins. There are many places to point the finger when assessing Vice President Kamala Harris’ run. She entered the race late and only after President Joe Biden had a career-ending debate implosion. She didn’t run a primary gauntlet, which meant voters didn’t know her very well. Having to endure even a token primary may have helped her improve her interview skills. She struggled to separate herself from the failed policies of the Biden-Harris administration. She took a number of radical positions when running for president in 2019. The Trump campaign effectively used her own words to show voters that she was a radical leftist. But one common excuse for political failure, a lack of funding, doesn’t apply. Harris spent an astonishing $1.5 billion during her 15-week campaign. That works out to around $100 million a week. But even that understates her financial resources. When combined with Biden’s fundraising, the two Democratic campaigns had more than $2.1 billion, according to The New York Times. The Times reported the Trump campaign and Republican Party raised $1.2 billion. Money is certainly an important factor in political races. But the election results show its limits. “There is not a single expenditure in a different spot that would have changed the outcome of the race,” Bakari Sellers, a close ally of Harris, told the Times. Instead, “we had so much money it was hard to get it out the door.” Perhaps this explains why the Harris campaign spent millions on celebrity performances and social media influencers. It even paid $900,000 to advertise on the Las Vegas Sphere. All this is especially ironic given the progressive battle to limit free speech by restricting political expenditures. The far-left Brennan Center for Justice says it’s committed to a “long-term push to overturn Citizens United,” in which the Supreme Court affirmed that arbitrary limits on political spending ran afoul of the Bill of Rights. During oral arguments, the government admitted that the law in question would potentially allow federal regulators to ban books. Ouch. Despite the massive fundraising numbers, Axios reported recently that the Harris campaign is likely to conclude with “millions of dollars in debt.” There’s an old adage about politicians not being responsible with other people’s money. That’s certainly true when it comes to taxpayer dollars. In Harris’ case, it applied to her donors as well. They may have been costly, but the Harris campaign has provided the American public with valuable lessons.

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Western Michigan beats Eastern Michigan 26-18 to become bowl eligibleThe Senate is pushing toward a vote on legislation that would provide full Social Security benefits to millions of people, setting up potential passage in the final days of the lame-duck Congress . Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Thursday he would begin the process for a final vote on the bill, known as the Social Security Fairness Act, which would eliminate policies that currently limit Social Security payouts for roughly 2.8 million people. Schumer said the bill would “ensure Americans are not erroneously denied their well-earned Social Security benefits simply because they chose at some point to work in their careers in public service.” The legislation passed the House on a bipartisan vote, and a Senate version of the bill introduced last year gained 62 cosponsors. But the bill still needs support from at least 60 senators to pass Congress. It would then head to President Biden . At least one GOP senator who signed onto similar legislation last year, Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana, said he was still “weighing” whether to vote for the bill next week. “Nothing ever gets paid for, so if it's further indebtedness, I don't know,” he said. Decades in the making, the bill would repeal two federal policies — the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset — that broadly reduce payments to two groups of Social Security recipients: people who also receive a pension from a job that is not covered by Social Security and surviving spouses of Social Security recipients who receive a government pension of their own. The bill would add more strain on the Social Security Trust funds, which were already estimated to be unable to pay out full benefits beginning in 2035. It would add an estimated $195 billion to federal deficits over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget also estimates that if passed, the policy would hasten the Social Security program's insolvency date by about half a year as well as reduce lifetime Social Security benefits by an additional $25,000 for a typical dual-income couple retiring in 2033. Sen. John Thune, the no. 2 Republican in leadership, acknowledged that the policy has strong bipartisan support, but said some Republicans also want to see it “fixed in the context of a broader Social Security reform effort.” Conservatives have opposed the bill, decrying its cost. “Even for something that people consider to be a good cause, it shows a lack of concern for the future of the country, so I think it would be a big mistake,” said Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican from Kentucky. Still, other Republicans have pushed Schumer to bring it up for a vote. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said last month that the current federal limitations “penalize families across the country who worked a public service job for part of their career with a separate pension. We’re talking about police officers, firefighters, teachers, and other public employees who are punished for serving their communities.” He predicted the bill would pass.AMSTERDAM , Dec. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Reference is made to the press release communication dated 14 June 2024 regarding the sale by Ferrovial and certain other shareholders of FGP Topco Ltd (FGP Topco), parent company of Heathrow Airport Holdings Ltd. (the Tagging Shareholders) of 37.62% of the share capital of FGP Topco to Ardian and PIF. Following satisfaction of applicable regulatory conditions, Ferrovial and the Tagging Shareholders have completed the sale of 37.62% of the share capital of FGP Topco whereby Ferrovial has sold 19.75% and the Tagging Shareholders have sold jointly 17.87% of the share capital of FGP Topco for GBP 3,259 million (approximately 4,000 million euros ). As a result, Ferrovial now holds shares representing 5.25% and the Tagging Shareholders now jointly hold shares representing 4.75% of the share capital of FGP Topco. Ardian and PIF, through separate vehicles, hold shares representing c. 22.6% and c. 15.0% of the share capital of FGP Topco respectively. As a consequence of the transaction, Ferrovial will recognize at 2024 year-end an estimated profit of 2,500 million euros , of which 2,000 million euros will correspond to the shares sold and 500 million euros to the 5.25% stake retained, which from that moment will be registered as a financial investment valued at fair value with changes recognized through profit and loss. About Ferrovial Ferrovial is one of the world's leading infrastructure companies. The Company operates in more than 15 countries and has a workforce of over 24,000 worldwide. Ferrovial is triple listed on Euronext Amsterdam, the Spanish Stock Exchanges and Nasdaq and is a member of Spain's blue-chip IBEX 35 index. It is part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and FTSE4Good, and all its operations are conducted in compliance with the principles of the UN Global Compact, which the Company adopted in 2002. SOURCE Ferrovial

GREENWICH (EUA)--(BUSINESS WIRE)--dez 12, 2024-- A Interactive Brokers (Nasdaq: IBKR), uma corretora eletrônica mundial automatizada, anunciou a introdução de resumos de notícias gerados por IA em sua oferta de “News & Research”. Esse recurso avançado, disponível sem custo adicional, permite que os clientes acessem resumos concisos de artigos de notícias, otimizando as perspectivas dos principais fornecedores e facilitando que os investidores se mantenham informados. Este comunicado de imprensa inclui multimédia. Veja o comunicado completo aqui: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241211497736/pt/ AI-generated News Summaries in IBKR Desktop (Graphic: Business Wire) Aproveitando o poder da IA, essa ferramenta extrai informações pertinentes para o mercado, possibilitando que os clientes procurem rapidamente atualizações importantes e dando-lhes mais tempo para tomar decisões informadas e gerenciar seus portfólios. Isso, juntamente com a capacidade de filtrar notícias relacionadas a ações em portfólios e listas de observação, facilita aos usuários se manterem atualizados sobre a cobertura que afeta diretamente seus investimentos. “A inteligência artificial nos permite fornecer insights valiosos em segundos, ajudando nossos clientes a entenderem como as notícias de última hora podem afetar seus portfólios”, disse Steve Sanders, vice-presidente executivo de Marketing e Desenvolvimento de Produtos da Interactive Brokers. “Nosso recurso de resumos de notícias gerados por IA oferece aos investidores uma maneira poderosa de identificar as informações mais importantes, tornando a pesquisa rápida, acessível e impactante.” O recurso de resumos de notícias gerados por IA está disponível para clientes elegíveis das afiliadas da Interactive Brokers no Canadá, Reino Unido, Irlanda, Hong Kong, Singapura, Austrália e Japão. A Interactive Brokers está debatendo com seus reguladores uma possível expansão dos novos resumos gerados por IA para os clientes da IB LLC. Além dos resumos de notícias gerados por IA, a Interactive Brokers melhorou seu feed de “Hot News” para utilizar IA para marcar artigos como notáveis. Esse recurso está disponível para os clientes do mundo inteiro. Para mais informações sobre os resumos de notícias gerados por IA, acesse: Canadá: Resumos de notícias - Canadá Reino Unido: Resumos de notícias - Reino Unido Europa: Resumos de notícias - Europa Hong Kong: Resumos de notícias - Hong Kong Singapura: Resumos de notícias - Singapura Austrália: Resumos de notícias - Austrália Japão: Resumos de notícias - Japão O conteúdo de notícias da Interactive Brokers e os resumos de notícias gerados por IA são fornecidos por uma afiliada, a Global Financial Information Services. Os provedores estão sendo ativados gradualmente. Os investidores mais bem informados escolhem a Interactive Brokers Sobre a Interactive Brokers Group, Inc.: As afiliadas da Interactive Brokers Group oferecem execução automatizada de negociações e custódia de valores mobiliários, commodities e câmbio, 24 horas por dia, em mais de 150 mercados, em diversos países e moedas, a partir de uma única plataforma unificada, para clientes em todo o mundo. Atendemos investidores individuais, fundos de hedge, grupos de negociação proprietários, consultores financeiros e corretores de apresentação. Nossas quatro décadas de foco em tecnologia e automação nos permitiram fornecer aos nossos clientes uma plataforma sofisticada e exclusiva para gerenciar seus portfólios de investimento. Nós nos esforçamos para oferecer aos nossos clientes preços de execução e negociação vantajosos, ferramentas de gerenciamento de risco e portfólio, instalações de pesquisa e produtos de investimento, tudo a baixo ou nenhum custo, posicionando-os para obter retornos superiores sobre os investimentos. A Interactive Brokers tem sido constantemente reconhecida como uma corretora de primeira linha, recebendo vários prêmios e elogios de fontes respeitadas do setor, como Barron's, Investopedia, Stockbrokers.com e muitas outras. O texto no idioma original deste anúncio é a versão oficial autorizada. As traduções são fornecidas apenas como uma facilidade e devem se referir ao texto no idioma original, que é a única versão do texto que tem efeito legal. Ver a versão original em businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241211497736/pt/ Assessoria de Imprensa da Interactive Brokers Group, Inc.: Katherine Ewert,media@ibkr.com KEYWORD: CONNECTICUT UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: PERSONAL FINANCE TECHNOLOGY FINANCE FINTECH COMMUNICATIONS PROFESSIONAL SERVICES SOFTWARE MEDIA INTERNET ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SOURCE: Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/12/2024 02:41 PM/DISC: 12/12/2024 02:40 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241211497736/ptIn the highly tumultuous closing days of Donald Trump ’s first term in office, BuzzFeed News received an angry letter from his outgoing administration. The subpoena, issued on December 1, 2020, was delivered as Trump was preoccupied with efforts to overturn the democratic order and nullify the results of the presidential election he had just lost to Joe Biden . As BuzzFeed reported at the time, “Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigators issued a subpoena this week demanding BuzzFeed News identify its sources — an extraordinary attempt by the government to interfere with a news outlet acting under the protections of the First Amendment, and a move that the agency’s former chief lambasted as ‘embarrassing.’” The aggressive letter from the Trump-era ICE read: “Failure to comply with this summons will render you liable to proceedings in a U.S. District Court to enforce compliance with this summons as well as other sanctions.” It added, “You are requested not to disclose the existence of this summons for an indefinite period of time. Any such disclosure will impede this investigation and thereby interfere with the enforcement of federal law.” To many media and political observers — including officials who served in the Trump administration who were aware of the document at the time — the subpoena wasn’t worth the price of the paper on which it was printed. It was a temper tantrum, not a real legal threat. For starters, Trump and his officials would be out of a job in less than two months. There wasn’t much will, much less the time, within the federal government to make good on this threat to an investigative reporter , his sources, and his publication. There wasn’t even a chilling effect, per se , because their guy had failed at winning reelection. That was then. Now, after vanquishing Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, Trump and his team have four more years to try to intimidate and target leakers, whistleblowers , and foes in the media — especially if situations involve what they claim is highly sensitive information or classified intel. They intend to use the opportunity. Editor’s picks The 100 Best TV Episodes of All Time The 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time In reporting this story, Rolling Stone spoke with attorneys close to the president-elect, incoming Trump administration officials, and other Republicans who’ve talked to Trump about staunching embarrassing press leaks during a second administration. Two of the sources with knowledge of the matter specifically cited the Dec. 1 subpoena as a model, and something that Trump allies and lieutenants are expecting to issue more of during the second term — this time, with the benefit of years, not days. It’s merely one facet of sprawling plans to clamp down on whistleblowers and bully Trump’s enemies in the press, after Trump’s inauguration once again in late January. Expect more communications seizures, more whistleblower prosecutions, and more personal lawsuits or legal threats from Trump against news outlets. “Oh, it’ll be brutal,” says one conservative lawyer who’s discussed certain plans and ideas with Trump and his inner circle. “Gloves off [because] we’ve learned our lessons from the first time and one lesson is you have got to be even more aggressive.” One reason much of the Trumpworld elite wants the gloves torn off is because they are, with good reason, expecting a torrent of leaks to the media after Trump’s inauguration in Washington, D.C., next month. With Trump’s intention to nominate several controversial or scandal-plagued figures to the most senior levels of American government — including Pete Hegseth to lead the Pentagon, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to helm the Department of Health and Human Services, Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence, and Kash Patel as FBI director — Trump and his inner sanctum are predicting officials in various departments and agencies will leak early and often, several of the sources say. Related Content Dem Senators Demand: No Anti-LGBTQ or Abortion Measures in Funding Bill Mark Zuckerberg Continues Sucking Up to Trump as Meta Gives $1 Mil. to Inaugural Fund Trump Is Starting to Walk Back His Vow to Bring Down Grocery Prices Pete Hegseth Is a Threat to Veterans’ Health Care and Benefits This is, of course, a matter that Trump cares about deeply. During his first term in the Oval Office, intra-office paranoia and frenzied leak hunts — both officially by federal investigators and informally by zealous Trump aides — were a hallmark of the administration. But Trumpland isn’t only worried about stamping out leaks, of classified information and other details, from members of what the president-elect and his cronies deride as the “Deep State.” Often, the backstabbing is coming from inside the house. According to two sources familiar with the matter, Trump has personally grown furious about some of the leaks that have occurred from the current presidential transition process, and has in some instances fumingly demanded to know who in his midst could have possibly whispered certain information to the press. When Trump steps back into office, a top priority will be undoing much of the Biden agenda — and that includes some of the administration’s efforts to limit the extent to which the government can terrorize whistleblowers and leakers. During Biden’s first year in office, his attorney general, Merrick Garland, announced that the Department of Justice would bar federal prosecutors — with some exceptions — from seizing journalists’ phone records and other private communications during the course of leak investigations. According to several of the knowledgeable sources, some of whom have discussed the topic with Trump in the past year, the president-elect and multiple attorneys in his orbit aim to promptly nix that Biden-era DOJ policy. In the words of one Trump adviser, it’s “going in the trash can,” with some Trump officials intent on tearing it up right near the start of Term 2. Among committed Trumpists close to the president-elect, there has also been discussion of potentially creating new offices in the FBI or DOJ to focus exclusively on hunting for leaks and plugging the deluge of media leaks. In the summer of 2017, Trumps’ first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, mentioned that the FBI had formed a new unit to deal with leaks, including of classified info. Sessions also announced that the Trump administration had tripled the number of criminal leak investigations in the time since President Barack Obama left office. “In cases where there have been leaks that are criminal in nature, U.S. law enforcement and the incoming attorney general should follow the evidence wherever it leads, regardless of what the prior administraiton’s attorney general thinks, or what the internal memorandum was,” says Steven Groves, who worked as a lawyer in Trump’s first White House. Both the Obama and Trump administration attracted significant uproar from press-freedom groups for their secret DOJ seizures of records from reporters and others . Whatever record Obama and his Justice Department set, Trump and his senior officials were determined to shatter it. Gurgling beneath the first Trump administration’s rhetorical and propaganda war on his nemeses in political media, there was a ton of real action. For instance, the first Trump administration referred a record number of leaks to the feds for criminal investigations. “Obama’s Justice Department indicted eight journalistic sources under the Espionage Act, more than all U.S. presidents before him combined,” The Intercept reported back in 2019 . “Donald Trump is now surpassing Obama’s eight-year record in just over two years in office.” That amped-up war on government whistleblowers was powered in part by the same Espionage Act under which Trump was criminally investigated and charged in Special Counsel Jack Smith ’s now-defunct case. The war is set to come roaring back and then some after Trump is sworn in. So far, the twice-impeached former (and future) president, who also became a convicted felon during his 2024 campaign, has named ultra-loyalist Pam Bondi as his choice to lead the Justice Department. Early this month, Trump announced that another hyper-MAGA-devotee, Kash Patel , was his new pick to serve as FBI director. Patel has made no secret of his desire to use the levers of federal power to pursue those he views as anti-Trump subversives in the press and government. A year ago, Trump’s choice to take over the FBI told fellow Trump ally Steve Bannon that if Trump won, they’d seriously “go out and find the conspirators — not just in government, but in the media,” repeating the anti-democratic lie about “people in the media who lied about American citizens, who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections.” Patel added : “We’re going to come after you. Whether it’s criminally or civilly, we’ll figure that out. But yeah, we’re putting you all on notice, and Steve, this is why they hate us. This is why we’re tyrannical. This is why we’re dictators.” Indeed . The sources close to Trump add that non-government actors will be integral to their plans for combatting who they deem overly meddlesome reporters. Multiple sources say that as sitting president, Trump still intends to have his small armada of personal lawyers who aren’t working in the administration handle his (often frivolous) lawsuits — or, more often than not, enraged legal threats that don’t result in suits — against media outlets that cross him during a new term. In the final days of the 2024 campaign, Trump sued CBS for the ludicrous amount of $10 billion — based on the even more ludicrous idea that the way 60 Minutes edited a Kamala Harris interview was somehow actionable. “The anticipated leaking is a matter of utmost investigative and litigation priority for [us],” says Mike Howell, a former Trump Homeland Security Department official who nowadays works as the executive director at the Heritage Foundation ’s Oversight Project. “We have several outstanding lawsuits about leaked information over the last several years that the Trump administration will inherit. A lot of these lawsuits have to do with the FBI, including things that were directly harmful to President Trump ... Therefore, on Day 1 of the second Trump administration, it’ll inherit a bunch of FOIA litigation it’ll have to answer for ... It will already have a duty to figure out how this information left the Biden administration, via leak.” Howell continues that during the second Trump presidency, “whenever we see a leak of particular interest out in the press, you can anticipate that we are going to deploy our investigative team and litigation team to figure out how that information left the government. We will use our vast source network and other tools at our disposal to try to identify the source of the leak, to supplement whatever investigation is ongoing.” In campaigning on a platform of retribution, bloodlust, and authoritarian impulse , Trump made no secret of his longstanding desire to punish his enemies in the media. In recent years, Trump has even made the idea of journalists getting raped in prison — and thus tortured into naming their confidential sources’ identities — into an audience-pleasing laugh line at some of his rallies. As he prepares to take office once again, the president-elect is not hiding his interest in going after journalists. Last month, the president-elect personally pressured Republican senators to sink the PRESS Act , bipartisan reporter-shield legislation. Trump posted to social media that conservatives “MUST KILL THIS BILL.” But it wasn’t just a social-media post. Trump was invested enough in this matter that he spoke privately and on the phone with certain GOP lawmakers about making sure President Biden never signs this bill, a source with knowledge of the situation and another person briefed on it tell Rolling Stone . This week, Senate Republicans dutifully blocked it. On Thursday, as he accepted Time magazine’s “Person of the Year” award, Trump said that “the media’s tamed down a little bit; they’re liking us much better now, I think,” adding, with a smile: “If they don’t, we’ll have to just take them on again and we don’t want to do that.”Covington’s office market rebounding as work-from-home mandates waneIn tonight's I'm A Celebrity, all the contestants came together in the main camp tonight as The Junkyard was dismantled, heralding another significant twist on the show. I'm A Celeb enthusiasts saw Love Island star Maura Higgins and the Reverend Richard Coles impress their campmates during today's ordeal, 'The Terrifying Teddy Bears' Picnic', which included gnawing on pig eyes, choking down vomit fruit, and nibbling goat's genitals. The unlikely pair triumphed over the revolting challenge ensuring a hearty "junk banquet" awaited all campers that night. However, before the episode wrapped up, hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly had a key update for those at home on ITV . Dec hinted at more action: "We're not quite done yet, we've got one more job for you to do." The beloved Geordie presenters quickly checked-in with their companion programme 'I'm A Celebrity: Unpacked' before revealing what lies ahead. Ant announced: "We need your votes one more time because you need to choose your new camp leaders." Expanding on the details, Dec clarified: "As current camp leaders, Alan and Tulisa are exempt from the vote. "You can vote via the app, the vote closes in about 25 minutes time during the ITV2 show, so you've not got long." Following this news, fans flocked to X, the new iteration of Twitter , to cast their opinions on who ought to take the reins of leadership next. Amid the social media buzz, a user penned: "I am loving Coleen Rooney on #imaceleb she literally works everything out wee #WagathaChristie so funny I want her to be camp leader." A handful of supporters are rallying behind the McFly celebrity, with one user succinctly posting: "Vote Danny for camp leader." In another corner, a fan expressed their sympathy, stating: "Not forgetting how heartbroken #barrymcguigan is and casting all my votes for him to be camp leader and letting him have a little bit of luxury during his time in the jungle." Concurrently, there's a strong wave of support for Maura. One individual recommended voting for her "if you want entertainment," while someone else showed their preference for ex-Strictly star Oti Mabuse, commenting, "Oti camp leader, she's the most level-headed queen." I'm A Celebrity is available to watch on ITV and ITVX.

Biden will decide on US Steel acquisition after influential panel fails to reach consensus WASHINGTON (AP) — A powerful government panel has failed to reach consensus on the possible national security risks of a nearly $15 billion proposed deal for Nippon Steel of Japan to purchase U.S. Steel. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States on Monday sent its long-awaited report to President Joe Biden, a longtime opponent of the deal. Some federal agencies represented on the panel were skeptical that allowing a Japanese company to buy an American-owned steelmaker would create national security risks. That's according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter. Both Biden and President-elect Donald Trump opposed the merger and vowed to block it. Nippon Steel says it is confident the deal will go ahead. Nissan and Honda to attempt a merger that would create the world's No. 3 automaker TOKYO (AP) — Japanese automakers Nissan and Honda have announced plans to work toward a merger that would catapult them to a top position in an industry in the midst of tectonic shifts as it transitions away from its reliance on fossil fuels. The two companies said they signed an agreement on integrating their businesses on Monday. Smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors agreed to join the talks. News of a possible merger surfaced earlier this month. Japanese automakers face a strong challenge from their Chinese rivals and Tesla as they make inroads into markets at home and abroad. What a merger between Nissan and Honda means for the automakers and the industry BANGKOK (AP) — Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan will attempt to merge and create the world’s third-largest automaker by sales as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels. The two companies said they had signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday and that smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors also had agreed to join the talks on integrating their businesses. Honda will initially lead the new management, retaining the principles and brands of each company. Following is a quick look at what a combined Honda and Nissan would mean for the companies, and for the auto industry. Survey: Small businesses are feeling more optimistic about the economy after the election A survey shows small business owners are feeling more optimistic about the economy following the election. The National Federation of Independent Businesses’ Small Business Optimism Index rose by eight points in November to 101.7, its highest reading since June 2021. The Uncertainty Index declined 12 points in November to 98, following October’s pre-election record high of 110. NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg said small business owners became more certain about future business conditions following the presidential election, breaking a nearly three-year streak of record high uncertainty. The survey also showed that more owners are also hoping 2025 will be a good time to grow. Heavy travel day off to a rough start after American Airlines briefly grounds all flights WASHINGTON (AP) — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical issue just as the Christmas travel season kicks into overdrive and winter weather is threatening more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. American flights were cleared to fly by federal regulators about one hour after a national ground stop order was issued by federal regulators Tuesday. The American groundings couldn’t come at a worse time for the millions of travelers expected to fly over the next 10 days. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 40 million passengers over the holidays and through January 2. Nordstrom to be acquired by Nordstrom family and a Mexican retail group in $6.25 billion deal Century-old department store Nordstrom has agreed to be acquired and taken private by Nordstrom family members and a Mexican retail group in a $6.25 billion deal. Nordstrom shareholders will receive $24.25 in cash for each share of Nordstrom common stock, representing a 42% premium on the company’s stock as of March 18. Nordstrom’s board of directors unanimously approved the the proposed transaction, while Erik and Pete Nordstrom — part of the Nordstrom family taking over the company — recused themselves from voting. Following the close of the transaction, the Nordstrom Family will have a majority ownership stake in the company. Stock market today: Wall Street rallies ahead of Christmas Stocks are broadly higher in trading on Wall Street, led by gains in Big Tech stocks. The S&P 500 was up 0.7% Tuesday. Chip company Broadcom was again helping to pull the index higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.4%, and the Nasdaq composite was up 1%. American Airlines fell 0.4% after the airline briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical issue. Treasury yields rose. U.S. markets will close at 1 p.m. Eastern and stay closed Wednesday for Christmas. An analyst looks ahead to how the US economy might fare under Trump WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump won a return to the White House in part by promising big changes in economic policy — more tax cuts, huge tariffs on imports, mass deportations of immigrants working in the United States illegally. In some ways, his victory marked a repudiation of President Joe Biden’s economic stewardship and a protest against inflation. It came despite low unemployment and steady growth under the Biden administration. What lies ahead for the economy under Trump? Paul Ashworth of Capital Economics spoke recently to The Associated Press. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. American consumers feeling less confident in December, Conference Board says American consumers are feeling less confident in December, a business research group says. The Conference Board said Monday that its consumer confidence index fell back in December to 104.7 from 112.8 in November. Consumers had been feeling increasingly confident in recent months. The consumer confidence index measures both Americans’ assessment of current economic conditions and their outlook for the next six months. The measure of Americans’ short-term expectations for income, business and the job market tumbled more than a dozen points to 81.1. The Conference Board says a reading under 80 can signal a potential recession in the near future. Stock market today: Wall Street rises at the start of a holiday-shortened week Stocks closed higher on Wall Street at the start of a holiday-shortened week. The S&P 500 rose 0.7% Monday. Several big technology companies helped support the gains, including chip companies Nvidia and Broadcom. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 1%. Honda's U.S.-listed shares rose sharply after the company said it was in talks about a combination with Nissan in a deal that could also include Mitsubishi Motors. Eli Lilly rose after announcing that regulators approved Zepbound as the first prescription medicine for adults with sleep apnea. Treasury yields rose in the bond market.Aqua Illinois customers to see bill increase in the new yearBlake's career receiving day helps Charlotte beat FAU 39-27WASHINGTON — Congress returned Monday with a full plate for December’s legislative session, as well as plenty of announced nominees to begin vetting for the incoming Trump administration. Leading the list from President-elect Donald Trump’s Thanksgiving week announcements was the choice of Kash Patel for FBI director, once there’s a vacancy. Patel would replace the Trump-nominated and Senate-confirmed Christopher Wray, whose term does not end until 2027 and who would need to resign or be fired for a vacancy to exist. Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, whom Trump has picked to be the nation’s attorney general, is scheduled to be on Capitol Hill this week to meet with senators. Other Trump nominees-in-waiting, including former Fox News anchor Pete Hegseth, the Defense secretary designee; and Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Trump’s pick for ambassador to the United Nations, have already started making the rounds. One of the more interesting debates to watch may be over the the case of Charles Kushner, the father of Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner. Trump pardoned the elder Kushner in his first term and announced him last week as his choice for ambassador to France. In addition to tax evasion-related crimes, Charles Kushner pleaded guilty to a charge of witness tampering in 2005. While the pardon may have ended the legal consequences, reviewing that record could be on the agenda of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. House members and senators will also be taking interest in Sunday’s announcement that President Joe Biden was granting a full pardon to his son Hunter Biden. Sign up to get our free daily email of the biggest stories! The younger Biden was convicted on federal gun charges and pleaded guilty on federal tax evasion charges. The president had stated in June that he would not pardon his son, but in a reversal Sunday evening, said he had determined that Republican lawmakers had helped conjure up unfair charges. More immediately, lawmakers have three weeks to fund the government and to try to keep the streak alive of clearing the annual defense authorization bill. Given Trump’s influence within the House Republican Conference, much will depend on how much he decides he wants to start with a clean slate in 2025. Senate Democrats are continuing to use their remaining time in the majority to confirm nominees whose terms in office will extend beyond Biden’s administration, both for federal judgeships and key administrative boards and commissions. “Confirming the [National Labor Relations Board] nominees is one of our highest priorities, and we’re going to do everything we can do to get it done by the end of the year,” Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., said on social media before Thanksgiving. In a late-night deal before the Thanksgiving recess, Democrats and Republicans agreed on the process to confirm Biden’s district court nominees, while setting aside four circuit court nominees whom a Schumer spokesperson said lacked the requisite 50 votes needed for confirmation anyway. That sets the stage for at least seven confirmation votes on judicial nominees as early as this week, with an additional six in the queue that were reported out of the Judiciary Committee just before the break.

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