jili 10
US stocks closed near session highs on Friday as investors surveyed President-elect Donald Trump's efforts to build his team and bitcoin's ( BTC-USD ) bid to reach a key milestone. The S&P 500 ( ^GSPC ) advanced 0.3%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average ( ^DJI ) gained over 400 points, or almost 1%, to close at a record. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite ( ^IXIC ) rose 0.2%. The major gauges closed out the week with wins of over 1%, despite getting off to a lackluster start as the post-election rally stalled. Markets regrouped after Nvidia's ( NVDA ) earnings fell short of definitively settling the question of whether AI would keep boosting stocks . Some of the "Magnificent Seven" tech megacap stocks closed lower on Friday, including Alphabet ( GOOG , GOOGL ), dogged by the potential forced sale of Google Chrome. Consumer Discretionary ( XLY ), Industrials ( XLI ), and Financials ( XLF ) led the sector gains this week, with XLF closing at an all-time high. Wall Street is still waiting to learn whom Trump will tap for his Treasury secretary — an announcement that could sway markets, given its importance to the economy. The president-elect tapped former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi to be the US attorney general after his prior pick, Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name from consideration on Thursday. Meanwhile, surging bitcoin continued to move near the landmark $100,000 level , buoyed by growing confidence that the Trump administration will support pro-crypto policies. The leading token broke above $99,500 early on Friday before retreating amid hopes for looser regulatory oversight after SEC Chair Gary Gensler said he will step down soon. Smaller cryptocurrencies also got a boost. By subscribing, you are agreeing to Yahoo's Terms and Privacy Policy Stocks rose on Friday with the Dow Jones Industrial Average ( ^DJI ) closing at a record high. The blue chip index added more than 400 points, or about 1% while the S&P 500 ( ^GSPC ) gained almost 0.4%. The Nasdaq Composite ( ^IXIC ) rose slightly. All three major averages rose more than 1% for the week. The 'Magnificent 7' stocks were mixed on Friday with Nvidia ( NVDA ) shares dipping more than 3% while Tesla ( TSLA ) shares popped almost 4% on Friday, helping lift the Consumer Discretionary ( XLY ) sector. Investors also gravitated towards Industrials ( XLI ), and Financials ( XLF ) which also led the weekly sector gains. Oil moved higher for the week as traders priced the threat of a supply disruption amid an escalating Russia-Ukraine war. Meanwhile Bitcoin ( BTC-USD ) hovered around $99,200 as of 4 p.m. ET as investors watched the cryptocurrency climb toward the $100,000 milestone. Next Thursday the stock market will be closed due to the Thanksgiving holiday. The biggest winning sectors this week were the ones leading Friday's gains — Consumer Discretionary ( XLY ), Industrials ( XLI ), and Financials ( XLF ). Here's a 5-day chart of the sector action. Consumer Discretionary includes EV giant ( TSLA ), which is up for the week. Investors have also been rotating into Industrial stocks and bank stocks since Donald Trump's presidencial win earlier this month. Oil moved up more than 1.5% on Friday as the Russia-Ukraine war escalated. West Texas Intermediate ( CL=F ) futures climbed to settle at $71.24 per barrel, while Brent ( BZ=F ), the international benchmark, rose above above $75. Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he will continue testing a new missile after a recent strike against Ukraine in response to Kyiv’s use of US and British made weaponry this week. Crude prices were on pace for a weekly gain amid concerns that an escalated war could lead to the interruption of Russian supply. Nvidia ( NVDA ) shares dipped more than 3% to hit session lows on Friday afternoon despite quarterly results earlier this week that beat analyst expectations. Enthusiasm over how much higher shares of the chip giant can run seems to have stalled as investors have rotated out of the AI darling and into Consumer Discretionary ( XLY ), Industrials ( XLI ), and Financials ( XLF ). Yahoo Finance's Dan Howley reports: Microsoft ( MSFT ) is preparing to roll out its long-delayed artificial intelligence-powered Recall feature for Windows 11 PCs to developers as part of its Windows Insider program. The company initially announced Recall back in May when it debuted its Copilot+ PCs , AI PCs that have a specific set of features for running native AI applications. Recall is designed to capture screenshots of the various tasks you perform while using your computer, whether that’s browsing the web or working on a document. Read more here. Bitcoin ( BTC-USD ) rose back above $99,000 as investors watched the cryptocurrency climb toward the $100,000 milestone. The token has been at the center of the Trump trade over optimism that the incoming administration will implement pro-crypto policies. Year to date, bitcoin is up more than 120%. Tesla ( TSLA ) shares popped 4% on Friday, helping lift the Consumer Discretionary ( XLY ) sector. Shares of the EV giant are on track for a weekly win. The stock is up roughly 40% since the presidential elections earlier this month over optimism that CEO Elon Musk's support for President-elect Donald Trump will result in looser regulations around autonomous driving. Satellite TV provider DirecTV ( T , TPG ) will no longer merge with rival Dish Network ( SATS ) after bondholders rejected the offer. The deal, which was contingent on a key debt exchange, would have created one of the nation's largest pay-TV providers . Both companies had discussed a possible combination more than two decades ago. “While we believed a combination of DirecTV and Dish would have benefited all stakeholders, we have terminated the transaction because the proposed exchange terms were necessary to protect DirecTV’s balance sheet and our operational flexibility,” DirecTV CEO Bill Morrow said in a statement. Shares in EchoStar, which owns Dish Network, fell by more than 4% on Friday following the news. The deal would have helped aid EchoStar's heavy debt load while also helping cut costs for the owners of DirecTV. AT&T spun off DirecTV in 2021, moving it into a joint venture with private equity investor TPG. At the time, it was valued at about $16 billion with the telecom giant taking a $15.5 billion impairment charge in 2020 to account for subscriber losses. DirecTV was dealt yet another blow after it lost its coveted Sunday Ticket package to Alphabet's YouTube TV ( GOOGL , GOOG ) in late 2022. Amid those struggles, AT&T recently revealed it would sell its entire 70% stake to TPG for $7.6 billion in a move that allows the telecom operator to fully exit the TV business. That deal is still on. AT&T previously had agreed to hold on to its stake in DirecTV for a three-year period, which expired on July 31. Nvidia ( NVDA ) shares dropped more than 2% on Friday, dragging on the Nasdaq Composite ( ^IXIC ). Shares of the AI chip heavyweight opened in the red after wavering between positive and negative territory on Thursday in reaction to the company's latest quarterly results. Other 'Magnificent Seven' stocks were also under pressure, with Alphabet ( GOOGL , GOOG ) down more than 1% after losing more than 4% in the prior session. E-commerce giant ( AMZN ) was also down less than 1%. Meanwhile, Tesla ( TSLA ) stock rose more than 1%. The Nasdaq was struggling to stay in green territory, down roughly 0.3% by 10:30 a.m. ET. US economic output is roaring as businesses prepare for lower interest rates and a new administration in Washington. S&P Global's flash US composite PMI , which captures activity in both the services and manufacturing sectors, came in at 55.3 in November, up from 54.1 in October. Economists had expected the index to tick up to 54.1. The composite PMI reading for November also signaled the fastest expansion of business activity since April 2022. Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said the data shows business ramping up activity amid a changing operating environment, headed into 2025. “The business mood has brightened in November, with confidence about the year ahead hitting a two-and-a-half year high," Williamson said. "The prospect of lower interest rates and a more pro-business approach from the incoming administration has fueled greater optimism, in turn helping drive output and order book inflows higher in November." Super Micro Computer ( SMCI ) — an AI server maker that uses Nvidia's chips and has a major deal with Elon Musk's xAI — continued a sharp ascent Friday. Shares rose over 9% in early trading, putting the stock on track to record a weekly gain of over 65%. The stock's rally this week has been driven by the company's announcement that it's hired a new auditor and submitted a compliance plan to avoid delisting by the Nasdaq. Super Micro's prior accountant, Ernst & Young, resigned in late October, saying it was "unwilling to be associated with the financial statements prepared by management," and the server maker has been at risk of delisting. Super Micro is reportedly being investigated by the Department of Justice over allegations of accounting violations and other questionable business dealings outlined in a scathing report by short seller firm Hindenburg Research in late August. Reddit ( RDDT ) stock fell over 8% in early trading on Friday as investors reacted to a Bloomberg report that a company shareholder — Conde Nast parent Advance Magazine Publishers Inc. — is looking to establish a credit facility using its stake in the social media platform. Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg reported that Advance Magazine Publishers Inc. is offering 7.8 million shares for $145.38 to $148.54 each, which would be valued at as much as $1.2 billion. That price range represented as much as an 8% discount on Reddit's closing price Thursday of $158. Reddit stock has been on a massive rally over the past month, surging more than 90% since its earnings beat in late October. The social media company went public in March in one of 2024's few hot IPOs, surging nearly 50% after its debut. Shares rose 16% on Thursday alone. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ( ^DJI ) added 250 points, or 0.6%, shortly after the market open as shares of Home Depot ( HD ), Honeywell ( HON ), and Nike ( NKE ) rose. The S&P 500 ( ^GSPC ) gained 0.4%, while the Nasdaq Composite ( ^IXIC ) stepped above the flat line. Stocks wavered at the open on Friday, but the major averages were still on track to end the week with wins. Meanwhile, investors watched the price of bitcoin ( BTC-USD ), with the leading token trading a stone's throw away from $100,000. The S&P 500 ( ^GSPC ) rose slightly, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average ( ^DJI ) was little changed. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite ( ^IXIC ) fell slightly. Alphabet ( GOOGL , GOOG ) shares extended losses after dropping more than 4% on Thursday amid the threat of a forced sale of Google's Chrome browser. Bitcoin climbed above $99,400 early on Friday before retreating. The cryptocurrency has been on fire since Donald Trump's presidential victory earlier this month, amid optimism that his incoming administration will implement crypto-friendly policies. By 9:30 a.m. ET, bitcoin was trading at just under $98,000. Bitcoin ( BTC-USD ) neared the $100,000 level Friday in its latest flirtation with the milestone. Yahoo Finance's Julie Hyman reports on bitcoin's recent surge, up nearly 50% in the past month: The most-held cryptocurrency has been surging since the US presidential election as the crypto community expects a more friendly regulatory regime with President-elect Trump as "HODLer-in-chief." That added to an already torrid rally this year, prompted by the introduction of spot bitcoin ETFs. On the policy front, encouraging signs have been mounting: Coinbase ( COIN ) CEO Brian Armstrong reportedly met with Trump to discuss his picks for the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission. And SEC boss Gary Gensler and FDIC Chair Martin Gruenberg, seen as crypto foes by the industry, are stepping down around Inauguration Day. Read the full story here. Economic data: S&P Global US manufacturing & services PMI (November preliminary); University of Michigan consumer sentiment (November final) Earnings: No notable earnings releases. Here are some of the biggest stories you may have missed overnight and early this morning: YF columnist Rick Newman: Musk's DOGE is already overreaching 2025 Medicare premiums will eat into Social Security checks Bitcoin's surging to $100K — and that's what it needs to do Boeing CEO tells staff to focus on competition, not complaining Gold gains, set for biggest weekly jump in 13 months Honeywell to sell PPE business for $1.33B Cryptos targeted by SEC rise after Gensler steps away
Stephanie Armour, Julie Rovner | (TNS) KFF Health News Many of President-elect Donald Trump’s candidates for federal health agencies have promoted policies and goals that put them at odds with one another or with Trump’s choice to run the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., setting the stage for internal friction over public health initiatives. Related Articles National Politics | Elon Musk’s preschool is the next step in his anti-woke education dreams National Politics | Biden will decide on US Steel acquisition after influential panel fails to reach consensus National Politics | Biden vetoes once-bipartisan effort to add 66 federal judgeships, citing ‘hurried’ House action National Politics | A history of the Panama Canal — and why Trump can’t take it back on his own National Politics | President-elect Trump wants to again rename North America’s tallest peak The picks hold different views on matters such as limits on abortion, the safety of childhood vaccines, the COVID-19 response, and the use of weight-loss medications. The divide pits Trump picks who adhere to more traditional and orthodox science, such as the long-held, scientifically supported findings that vaccines are safe, against often unsubstantiated views advanced by Kennedy and other selections who have claimed vaccines are linked with autism. The Trump transition team and the designated nominees mentioned in this article did not respond to requests for comment. It’s a potential “team of opponents” at the government’s health agencies, said Michael Cannon, director of health policy studies at the Cato Institute, a libertarian policy organization. Kennedy, he said, is known for rejecting opposing views when confronted with science. “The heads of the FDA and NIH will be spending all their time explaining to their boss what a confidence interval is,” Cannon said, referring to a statistical term used in medical studies. Those whose views prevail will have significant power in shaping policy, from who is appointed to sit on federal vaccine advisory committees to federal authorization for COVID vaccines to restrictions on abortion medications. If confirmed as HHS secretary, Kennedy is expected to set much of the agenda. “If President Trump’s nomination of RFK Jr. to be secretary is confirmed, if you don’t subscribe to his views, it will be very hard to rise in that department,” said Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “They will need to suppress their views to fit with RFK Jr’s. In this administration, and any administration, independent public disagreement isn’t welcome.” Kennedy is chair of Children’s Health Defense , an anti-vaccine nonprofit. He has vowed to curb the country’s appetite for ultra-processed food and its incidence of chronic disease. He helped select Trump’s choices to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institutes of Health. If confirmed, he would lead them from the helm of HHS, with its more than $1.7 trillion budget. Clashes are likely. Kennedy has supported access to abortion until a fetus is viable. That puts him at odds with Dave Weldon, the former Florida congressman whom Trump has chosen to run the CDC. Weldon, a physician, is an abortion opponent who wrote one of the major laws allowing health professionals to opt out of participating in the procedure. Weldon would head an agency that’s been in the crosshairs of conservatives since the COVID pandemic began. He has touted his “100% pro-life voting record” on his campaign website. (He unsuccessfully ran earlier this year for a seat in Florida’s House of Representatives.) Trump has said he would leave decisions about abortion to the states, but the CDC under Weldon could, for example, fund studies on abortion risks. The agency could require states to provide information about abortions performed within their borders to the federal government or risk the loss of federal funds. Weldon, like Kennedy, has questioned the safety of vaccines and has said he believes they can cause autism. That’s at odds with the views of Marty Makary, a Johns Hopkins surgeon whom Trump plans to nominate for FDA commissioner. The British American said on the “Brian Kilmeade Show” on Fox News Radio that vaccines “save lives,” although he added that it’s good to question the U.S. vaccine schedule for children. The American Academy of Pediatricians encourages parents and their children’s doctors to stick to the recommended schedule of childhood vaccines. “Nonstandard schedules that spread out vaccines or start when a child is older put entire communities at risk of serious illnesses, including infants and young children,” the group says in guidance for its members. Jay Bhattacharya, a doctor and economist who is Trump’s selection to lead NIH, has also supported vaccines. Kennedy has said on NPR that federal authorities under his leadership wouldn’t “take vaccines away from anybody.” But the FDA oversees approval of vaccines, and, under his leadership, the agency could put vaccine skeptics on advisory panels or could make changes to a program that largely protects vaccine makers from consumer injury lawsuits. “I do believe that autism does come from vaccines,” Kennedy said in 2023 on Fox News . Many scientific studies have discredited the claim that vaccines cause autism. Ashish Jha, a doctor who served as the White House COVID response coordinator from 2022 to 2023, noted that Bhattacharya and Makary have had long and distinguished careers in medicine and research and would bring decades of experience to these top jobs. But, he said, it “is going to be a lot more difficult than they think” to stand up for their views in the new administration. It’s hard “to do things that displease your boss, and if [Kennedy] gets confirmed, he will be their boss,” Jha said. “They have their work cut out for them if they’re going to stand up for their opinions on science. If they don’t, it will just demoralize the staff.” Most of Trump’s picks share the view that federal health agencies bungled the pandemic response, a stance that resonated with many of the president-elect’s voters and supporters — even though Trump led that response until Joe Biden took office in 2021. Kennedy said in a 2021 Louisiana House oversight meeting that the COVID vaccine was the “deadliest” ever made. He has cited no evidence to back the claim. Federal health officials say the vaccines have saved millions of lives around the globe and offer important protection against COVID. Protection lasts even though their effectiveness wanes over time. The vaccines’ effectiveness against infection stood at 52% after four weeks, according to a May study in The New England Journal of Medicine, and their effectiveness against hospitalization was about 67% after four weeks. The vaccines were produced through Operation Warp Speed, a public-private partnership Trump launched in his first term to fast-track the shots as well as other treatments. Makary criticized COVID vaccine guidance that called for giving young children the shots. He argued that, for many people, natural immunity from infections could substitute for the vaccine. Bhattacharya opposed measures used to curb the spread of COVID in 2020 and advised that everyone except the most vulnerable go about their lives as usual. The World Health Organization warned that such an approach would overwhelm hospitals. Mehmet Oz, Trump’s choice to head the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, an agency within HHS, has said the vaccines were oversold. He promoted the use of the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a treatment. The FDA in 2020 revoked emergency authorization of hydroxychloroquine for COVID, saying that it was unlikely to be effective against the virus and that the risk of dangerous side effects was too high. Janette Nesheiwat, meanwhile, a former Fox News contributor and Trump’s pick for surgeon general, has taken a different stance. The doctor described COVID vaccines as a gift from God in a Fox News opinion piece . Kennedy’s qualms about vaccines are likely to be a central issue early in the administration. He has said he wants federal health agencies to shift their focus from preparing for and combating infectious disease to addressing chronic disease. The shifting focus and questioning of vaccines concern some public health leaders amid the spread of the H5N1 bird flu virus among dairy cattle. There have been 60 human infections reported in the U.S. this year, all but two of them linked to exposure to cattle or poultry. “Early on, they’re going to have to have a discussion about vaccinating people and animals” against bird flu, said Georges C. Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. “We all bring opinions to the table. A department’s cohesive policy is driven by the secretary.” ©2024 KFF Health News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Problem house at centre of drug dealing and crime is shut down
NORAD’s Santa tracker was a Cold War morale boost. Now it attracts millions of kidsEAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Justin Jefferson might be weary of all the safeties shadowing his every route, determined not to let the Minnesota Vikings go deep, but he’s hardly angry. The double and triple coverage he continually faces, after all, is a sign of immense respect for his game-breaking ability. The strategy also simply makes sense. “I would do the same,” Jefferson said. “It’s either let everybody else go off or let Justin go off. I’m going to let everybody else go off. That would be my game plan.” When the Vikings visit Chicago on Sunday, they’re expecting the usual heavy dose of split-safety coverage designed to put a lid on the passing attack and force them to operate primarily underneath. “We see that every week: Teams just have different tendencies on film, and then when we go out on the field they play us totally different,” Jefferson said, later adding: “I don’t really feel like anyone else is getting played how I’m getting played.” Jefferson nonetheless is second in the in receiving yards (912) behind Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase, his former college teammate at LSU. Last week, Jefferson set yet another all-time record by passing Torry Holt for the most receiving yards over the first five seasons of a career. Holt logged 80 regular-season games and accumulated 6,784 yards for St. Louis. Jefferson has 6,811 yards — in just 70 games. “I want to go up against those single coverages. I want to go have my opportunities to catch a deep pass downfield, just one-on-one coverage, like a lot of these other receivers get,” Jefferson said. “It’s definitely difficult going up against an extra person or an extra two people, but it is what it is and the concepts that we’re drawing up and the ways that we’re trying to get me open, it definitely helps.” With fellow tight end Josh Oliver ruled out of the game on Sunday because of a sprained ankle, T.J. Hockenson is certain to have his heaviest workload since returning from knee surgery four weeks ago. He’s also certain that Jefferson will continue to see persistent double-teams. “It puts it on us to make some plays and do some things to get them out of that,” Hockenson said. Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell has been forced to dig deeper into the vault of play designs and game plans to help keep quarterback Sam Darnold and the offense on track. O’Connell said after Minnesota’s 12-7 win at Jacksonville, when Darnold threw three interceptions to precipitate a safer strategy down the stretch, that he superseded his play-calling role with the wisdom of a head coach to help win that game. “Not just the egomaniac of wanting to score points and constantly show everybody how smart we are. There was a mode that I think you have to go into sometimes to ensure a victory,” O’Connell said on his weekly show on KFAN radio. Taking what the defense gives is usually the shrewdest strategy. “You’ve got to really implement some new things and some things that maybe you didn’t come across during your early coaching years whether as a coordinator or position coach or even when you’re responsible for a small area of the game plan as a younger coach,” O’Connell said. “You really have to kind of look outside the lens of always what you see on tape.” ___ AP NFL:
NYT ‘Connections’ Hints And Answers For Monday, December 9 (#547)U.S. president-elect Donald Trump and those in his corner continue to muse about annexing Canada, though Canadian officials have largely sidestepped those comments. In a post on the social media platform X, Eric Trump shared a doctored photo of his father purchasing Canada, Greenland and the Panama Canal on Amazon, with the phrase “We are so back!!!” Since winning the presidential election in November, Trump has repeatedly referred to Canada as the “51st state.” On Trump’s Truth Social platform, he’s also repeatedly referred to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as the “governor” of Canada. Trump has also threatened 25 per cent tariffs against Canada, which has prompted discussions at both the federal and provincial levels on the best way to deal with the incoming Trump government. Carleton University professor Aaron Ettinger said federal officials have rightly been dismissing the social-media posts and maintained a “focus like a laser beam” on the real and “existential threat” of tariffs. “This strikes me as being profoundly unserious,” said Ettinger, who has studied Canada-U.S. relations during the first Trump presidency. “These are taunts; these are churlish provocations that are not mature, and do not reflect just how serious the coming trade war is,” he said. Ettinger said Trump is likely continually posting about Canada because it plays well to his supporters, without being seen as a real threat of annexation. “We know his moves. He makes fun of, he belittles, he mocks, because he can,” he said. But he said that a vacuum of leadership in Ottawa from embattled Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is spurring “the freelancing of some of the provincial leaders” in response to Trump’s comments. For example, Ontario Premier Doug Ford weighed in on Trump’s postings on Dec. 18, telling media that “we’ll never be the 51st state. We’re Canada; we’re proud to be Canadians. We’ll always fight for that.” Ettinger said civil society is similarly better to focus on convincing Americans to not impose damaging tariffs on Canada, instead of amping up anti-Trump rhetoric. “Canadians should worry first about what Canada’s actual national interests are,” he said. “We’re not going to out-trash talk Donald Trump, so don’t even bother trying and focus instead on the core stuff that really matters.” In response to Trump’s threats, the Trudeau Liberal government has unveiled a $1.3 billion spending package over six years to address Trump’s threats, which concern border security and the flow of illegal drugs into the United States. Canada’s ambassador to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman has repeatedly characterized Trump’s comments as gentle ribbing between two close countries. Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said on Dec. 13 that she has quipped to Republican senators that they could join Canada as the eleventh province. Greenland’s head of government, Múte Bourup Egede, suggested that Trump’s latest calls to purchase the territory from Denmark would be as meaningless as those made in his first term. “Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale,” he said in a statement. “We must not lose our years-long fight for freedom.” Panama President José Raúl Mulino has also rebuffed Trump’s musing about taking over the Panama Canal. “Every square metre of the canal belongs to Panama and will continue to,” he said in a video, to which Trump fired back on his social media site, “We’ll see about that!”
DA suggests unusual idea for halting Trump's hush money case while upholding conviction
(The Center Square) – At a state budget hearing last month, the director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations, David Rausch, reported to Gov. Bill Lee that a violent Venezuelan prison gang, Tren de Aragua (TdA), is operating “in all of our major cities. They are running human trafficking operations, that’s where they start. We are now talking with our peers throughout the country that they have a pathway to more violence.” In response, Gov. Bill Lee, an ardent supporter of border security efforts, issued a statement on X saying, “The border crisis is exactly why Americans voted for change. It’s not political – it’s about safety & security. TN will support @realdonaldtrump as he secures our border while delivering key resources for @TBInvestigation to stop illegal criminals from operating in our state.” Tennessee has long partnered with Texas’ border security mission Operation Lone Star. Earlier this year, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared TdA a foreign terrorist organization and Texas Department of Public Safety began creating a database to identify TdA members, characterizations, and arrests. No such database currently exists at the local, state or federal level. TdA members are known for violence, and have been accused of murder, kidnapping, extortion, bribery and human and drug trafficking, and linked to more than 100 law enforcement investigations nationwide, The Center Square has reported. In Texas, they’ve been connected to ATM and bank thefts, car jackings, execution style murders and assault of women and children, The Center Square has reported. Texas law enforcement officers have arrested more than 3,000 Venezuelan illegal border crossers; more than 200 are wanted, Abbott said. Multiple agency arrests are occurring in major Texas cities involving kidnapping, murder, drug and human trafficking. TdA crime has escalated nationwide after more than one million Venezuelans were reported illegally entering the country under the Biden administration, The Center Square exclusively reported. Rausch has been sounding the alarm after TBI has been involved in operations involving TdA arrests over the past year. Ahead of Thanksgiving, he announced a joint investigation involving the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, the Chattanooga Police Department, the state’s Human Trafficking Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations that resulted in the arrest of four men, including a TdA member. They were allegedly involved in a sex trafficking ring using a local hotel. The confirmed TdA member is also suspected of committing violent crimes in Chicago and New York City, TBI said. When announcing the arrest, Chattanooga Police Chief John Chambers said, “I want to make sure it’s crystal clear that CPD does not have issues with our Latino community members in Chattanooga, CPD and its officers are focused on criminal activity not ethnicity.” What makes TdA “different is they do move about,” Rausch said. “They remain transient until they get comfortable. If they get into an area where they feel like they are able to operate without impunity, then they will start to dig their heels in, as we have seen in some of the other communities. What we’re trying to do – and my purpose was, in introducing this information – was to ensure that all of policing in Tennessee understands we’re not going to let them get their foothold in Tennessee.” In March, TBI announced that an investigation into a multinational criminal organization linked to human trafficking in Middle Tennessee led to the arrest of a second alleged trafficker in Murfreesboro. TBI worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Metro Nashville Police Department, and the United States Marshals Service to make the second arrest. The investigation began last fall after TBI Human Trafficking Unit special agents uncovered a trafficking operation that allegedly lured women from Central and South America to the U.S. and forced them into commercial sex acts to pay off their debt to get to the U.S. One of the alleged traffickers was arrested last year. Rausch’s warning prompted several local jurisdictions to release statements. The Metro Nashville Police Department said, “This police department is well aware of Tren de Aragua and the criminal activity associated with its members. We have a heightened awareness for any such activity seen here.” The Knoxville Police Department and Knox County Sheriff’s Office said they hadn’t identified TdA members but were closely monitoring their jurisdictions. Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said there was no indication that TdA members were operating in the county. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER The Memphis Police Department confirmed TdA activity. It said, “There have been two incidents in Memphis regarding Venezuelan gang activities. In 2023, officers located graffiti in the Appling Farms Station area. Additionally, on November 19th, 2024, ICE ERO arrested Luis Alejandro RUIZ-GODOY, who had outstanding warrants through INTERPOL. He was transported to Louisiana for deportation. Investigators with the Memphis Police Department have been and will remain in contact with our local, state, and federal partners concerning any new developments with Venezuelan gangs.” Chattanooga Police Department said “there was no evidence to indicate that the gang is actively operating in our city.” Two weeks later, TBI and CPD announced the multi-operation arresting sex traffickers, including a TdA member.Global Latex Wedge Pillow Market Set For 3.5% Growth, Reaching $385.33 Billion By 2028
It’s difficult to imagine how many adjustments Social Security makes each year. Just looking at their press releases will give you an idea of some of them. However, understanding each one will take some time due to the depth of their processes. Time is something that hardly anyone has, and we will save you time by presenting the four most significant updates that will affect you regardless of the program you are enrolled in or whether you want to participate in any of the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) programs. What will Social Security change about your benefit’s size? This is one of the most anticipated developments; you’ve probably heard about it at least once in the last six months. Every year, the Social Security Administration prepares to adjust the amount of Social Security benefits provided to its more than 70 million recipients each month. An adjustment process is carried out in October of each year using an index known as COLA. The COLA adjustment is calculated each year using this method. First, the CPI-W (Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers) values for July, August, and September are picked. This is significant because the CPI-W reflects the consumer preferences of households whose primary earner works a wage-paying or clerical job. These three figures are averaged and compared to the prior year’s average computation to determine the increase between the two years. This is what makes up the COLA index, which was defined at 2.5% and will impact all SSA beneficiaries . Here is an average calculation done by the SSA about how much benefits will increase next year: How restrictive will Social Security be about your earnings as a retiree? If you can earn additional money after retirement by pursuing side jobs, you should take advantage of it. However, as part of the Retirement Wages Test (RET) , the Social Security Administration will deduct some of your wages; in other words, if you make more money, your benefits will be reduced. This is not permanent; it will be reversed when you reach 70 years old. The good news is that the annual threshold for not having your Social Security benefits affected will rise from $22,320 to $23,400. Will those who are contributing to Social Security pay more in taxes? If you are in active labor, whether as an employee or an independent contractor, you should pay a portion of your earnings to the SSA each month through Social Security taxes . There is an income ceiling that prevents you from paying taxes indefinitely, and it will be raised for the coming year from $168,600 to $176,100. This means that a more considerable amount of your income will be taxed. How easy will it be to get Social Security in the next year? This is a tricky issue. First, we are considering the many reforms that the next government may offer next year to keep the Social Security System fiscally viable despite projections that funding may run out in 2035. Some of the available possibilities include raising the Full Retirement Age (FRA) , increasing the percentage contributed to Social Security taxes, reducing benefit amounts, or raising eligibility requirements for some programs. For now, it is accurate that the amount of money representing a Social Security Credit will grow from $1,730 to $1,810. As a result, you will require more income over the year to receive the maximum four Social Security credits allowed. This is important because you will need at least 40 of them to be considered insured and, hence, eligible for retirement benefits when you reach the age of 62.
