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Appalachian State hires South Carolina offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains as head coachBiden says he was ‘stupid’ not to put his name on pandemic relief checks like Trump didLAHORE - The grand unveiling ceremony of the Quaid-e-Azam Inter-Provincial Games trophy was held on Friday afternoon at the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) in Islamabad. The trophy was unveiled by Pakistan’s Olympic gold medalist, Arshad Nadeem, who expressed his enthusiasm and encouragement for the young athletes during the event. The ceremony was also attended by the Director General of Pakistan Sports Board, Yasir Pirzada. Addressing the audience, Arshad Nadeem highlighted the significance of the event. “This is a major step towards the promotion of sports in Pakistan. It will provide young athletes with an excellent opportunity to showcase their talents, and I am hopeful that this platform will produce international-level players for the country.” Yasir Pirzada emphasised the objectives of the Games. “The purpose of this event is to highlight the existing sports talent in the country and provide them with opportunities to grow. We are optimistic that these competitions will play a pivotal role in bringing new talent to the forefront.” The opening ceremony of the Quaid-e-Azam Inter-Provincial Games is scheduled to take place today (Saturday) at the PSB.Teams comprising male and female athletes from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Sindh, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Punjab and Islamabad will participate in the Games. The Games will feature competitions in 15 sports disciplines, including athletics, badminton, boxing, football, hockey, judo, kabaddi, karate, squash, swimming, taekwondo, table tennis, volleyball, weightlifting, and wrestling. At the conclusion of the event, trophies and prizes will be distributed among the winning athletes to recognise their hard work and outstanding performance.The Quaid-e-Azam Inter-Provincial Games aim to inspire a renewed passion for sports while serving as an exceptional platform for young athletes to demonstrate their skills on a global stage. Parents of missing US man found in Syria say they feared the worst Tags: arshad nadeem unveils quaid

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Opposition fighters are closing in on Syria’s capital in a that has taken much of the world by surprise. Syria’s army has abandoned key cities with little resistance. Nervous residents in Damascus describe security forces on the streets. The state news agency has been forced to deny rumors that President Bashar Assad has left the country. Who are these ? If they enter Damascus after taking some of , what then? Here’s a look at the stunning reversal of fortune for Assad and his government in just the past 10 days, and what might lie ahead as Syria’s 13-year . This is the first time that opposition forces have reached the outskirts of the Syrian capital since 2018, when the country’s troops recaptured the area following a yearslong siege. The approaching fighters are led by the most powerful insurgent group in Syria, , or HTS, along with an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called the Syrian National Army. Both have been entrenched in the northwest. They launched the shock offensive on Nov. 27 with gunmen capturing Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, and the central city of Hama, the fourth largest. The HTS has its origins in al-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the United Nations. But the group said in recent years it cut ties with al-Qaida, and HTS has sought to remake itself in recent years by focusing on promoting civilian government in their territory as well as military action. HTS leader Abu told CNN in an exclusive interview Thursday from Syria that the aim of the offensive is to overthrow Assad’s government. The HTS and Syrian National Army have been allies at times and rivals at times, and their aims might diverge. The Turkish-backed militias also have an interest in creating a buffer zone near the Turkish border to keep away Kurdish militants at odds with Ankara. has been a main backer of the fighters seeking to overthrow Assad but more recently has urged reconciliation, and Turkish officials have strongly rejected claims of any involvement in the current offensive. Whether the HTS and the Syrian National Army will work together if they succeed in overthrowing Assad or turn on each other again is a major question. While the flash offensive against Syria’s government began in the north, armed opposition groups have also mobilized elsewhere. The southern areas of Sweida and Daraa have both been taken locally. Sweida is the heartland of Syria’s Druze religious minority and had been the site of regular anti-government protests even after Assad seemingly consolidated his control over the area. Daraa is a Sunni Muslim area that was widely seen as the cradle of the uprising against Assad’s rule that erupted in 2011. Daraa was recaptured by Syrian government troops in 2018, but rebels remained in some areas. In recent years, Daraa was in a state of uneasy quiet under a Russian-mediated ceasefire deal. And much of Syria’s east is controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led group backed by the United States that in the past has clashed with most other armed groups in the country. Syria’s government now has control of only three of 14 provincial capitals: Damascus, Latakia and Tartus. Much depends on Assad’s next moves and his forces’ will to fight the rebels. A commander with the insurgents, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces have started carrying out the “final stage” of their offensive by encircling Damascus. And Syrian troops withdrew Saturday from much of the central city of Homs, Syria’s third largest, according to a pro-government outlet and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. If that city is captured, the link would be cut between Damascus, Assad’s seat of power, and the coastal region where he enjoys wide support. “Homs to the coastal cities will be a very huge red line politically and socially. Politically, if this line is crossed, then we are talking about the end of the entire Syria, the one that we knew in the past,” said a Damascus resident, Anas Joudeh. Assad appears to be as allies Russia and Iran are distracted by other conflicts and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah has been weakened by its war with Israel, now under a fragile ceasefire. Related Articles The U.N. special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, seeks urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition,” saying the situation is changing by the minute. He met with foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran on the sidelines of the Doha Summit. President-elect Donald Trump in his on the developments in Syria said the besieged Assad didn’t deserve U.S. support to stay in power. “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT,” Trump posted on social media. ___ Associated Press writer Abby Sewell in Beirut contributed.Revealed: The star tipped to take over Ray Hadley as 2GB 'scrambles to fill his morning slot'Mbappe, Vinicius and Bellingham on target as Real Madrid beats Atalanta 3-2. Liverpool wins againATLANTA (AP) — The judge overseeing the Georgia election interference case against Donald Trump and others on Friday rejected an attempt by former Trump campaign lawyer Kenneth Chesebro to invalidate his guilty plea . Chesebro, Trump and 17 others were charged in August 2023 in a sprawling indictment that accused them of participating in a sweeping scheme to try to illegally overturn Trump’s loss in the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. Chesebro pleaded guilty to a single conspiracy count a few months later after reaching a deal with prosecutors just before he was to go to trial. His lawyer t his month asked Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee to invalidate the plea after McAfee in September tossed out the charge to which he had pleaded guilty. Defense attorney Manny Arora wrote that a failure to invalidate the plea would violate Chesebro's constitutional right to due process. McAfee's order denying that request said the motion was procedurally defective "in more ways than one.” He ultimately said he lacks jurisdiction to grant the request and therefore dismissed it. He noted that while Chesebro's filing challenges the validity of the indictment, he “already submitted a plea in response to this indictment — one of guilt.” While Chesebro did raise a pretrial challenge prior to his plea, he did not make the argument that ultimately caused the judge to throw out that charge. Arora had also argued in his filing that his request could be considered a “motion in arrest of judgment." But McAfee said that, technically, no judgment has been rendered against Chesebro because he was sentenced under Georgia's First Offender Act, which “defers further proceedings while the charge remains pending for the duration of the sentence.” Under that law, if Chesebro completes his probation without violating the terms or committing another crime, his record will be wiped clean. The request is also too late, McAfee wrote, because a motion in arrest of judgment must be filed during the term when a judgment is entered. Arora said that he had addressed McAfee's concerns in his motion but that the judge still found that he could not grant the request. He said he will file a habeas corpus motion, a civil proceeding used to challenge a conviction, and expects to get Chesebro's plea invalidated that way. Prosecutors have said Chesebro was part of a plot to have a group of 16 Georgia Republicans sign a certificate falsely saying that Trump had won Georgia and declaring themselves the state’s “duly elected and qualified” electors. He pleaded guilty in October 2023 to one felony charge of conspiracy to commit filing false documents related to the the filing of that document with the federal court in Atlanta. Chesebro was one of four people to plead guilty in the case in the months following the indictment. The rest have pleaded not guilty. The case against Trump and the remaining defendants is mostly on hold pending a pretrial appeal of an order allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to remain on the case despite what defense attorneys say is a conflict of interest. Even if the appeals court rules in Willis’ favor, the fate of the case against Trump is unclear since he is set to be sworn in again as president next month. Kate Brumback, The Associated Press

Orla Mining may be new to the mining scene in Ontario, but the Musselwhite gold mine is not new to them. The Vancouver company’s pending acquisition of the remote northwestern Ontario underground mine from Newmont probably sent more than a few people scurrying to Google last month to dig into the details of the expanding seven-year-old outfit. Unlike other mining newcomers to the region, Orla isn’t buying a broken operation that was mismanaged and in dire need of cash-infused resurrection. Musselwhite is one that, by all accounts, is well-run operation that no longer fit into Newmont’s ambitions to invest in so-called Tier 1 assets. Newmont placed Musselwhite and its Porcupine mines in Timmins up for sale last February . Orla, of which Newmont is a major shareholder, stepped up to secure an $850-million deal in November for the 27-year-old underground mine, 500 kilometres north of Thunder Bay. The deal closes in early 2025. Orla believes Musselwhite has a lot more gold to give and, with a few operational tweaks here and there, new ownership believes it can become a low cost and bigger producer. “We look to make great strides on the cost side in 2025 when we take over the asset,” said Orla president-CEO Jason Simpson to Northern Ontario Business . Simpson said Orla is stocked with industry veterans at the board and management level who know their way around Northern Ontario. Musselwhite is familiar turf for Orla chair Chuck Jeannes, who presided over the mine as Goldcorp CEO between 2006 and 2008. COO Andrew Cormier was project manager at AuRico Gold when the Young-Davidson mine at Matachewan was being built. Simpson spent 15 years of his formative years in the industry working underground in Sudbury for Inco and then Vale before venturing out to manager its Labrador base metal operations in Voisey’s Bay. The transaction catapults Orla from a company with a single mine in Mexico into mid-tier status. With another gold project under development in Nevada, Orla projects it can grow the entire company into a 500,000-ounce-a-year producer with Musselwhite now in the mix. In a slide deck presentation posted last month , Orla is looking to lengthen Musselwhite’s mine life beyond seven years through more exploration, boost gold production from 200,000 ounces a year to 300,000 ounces, and generate more cash flow, while lowering the cost to produce an ounce of gold. Orla projects it will lower Musselwhite’s all-in-sustaining costs (AISC) from $1,557 an ounce this year to $1,292 in 2025, then drop it further to $1,023 in 2028. The company said it will shave a few hundred dollars off the AISC by growing gold production while simultaneously reducing costs. The all-in sustaining cost per ounce is a vital metric used by the industry to calculate the ‘all-in’ cost of a gold mining operation. “I believe we can bring down those costs,” said Simpson. Their forecast prompted a few industry watchers to question how Orla can pull off what a global player like Newmont couldn’t. One online mining analyst labelled Orla’s AISC projections as unrealistic and “absurd,” considering Newmont’s lowest AISC over the last two years was $1,397 an ounce. That’s fair comment, said Simpson, but he responds that small companies have certain advantages in being able to do things to shave costs. “One of the benefits to being a smaller company is there’s less overhead. We will be able to, as a small company, run things differently.” Simpson references their Camino Rojo open-pit mine in Mexico, once shelved by Goldcorp due to construction costs that escalated to more than US$700 million. “We built it for $134 million.” He reminds all that Newmont had its share of challenges at Musselwhite with a 2019 conveyor fire and other issues with the pandemic, which impacted the AISC. Straight away, Simpson said Orla will see benefits from infrastructure investments made by Newmont to upgrade Musselwhite’s ventilation system and an improved cemented rock fill system, which should help lower the costs. They’re also inheriting a profitable mine led by a good team that Orla wants to keep in place. More than 1,000 employees and contractors work at Musselwhite. Close to 30 per cent of the workforce is Indigenous. When Orla introduced itself last month, the company wanted to alleviate any uneasiness among its workforce by announcing that there would be no job losses and the current operations team would remain in place. Simpson said they’ll need all of them — and possibly more workers — for their future plans ahead. Orla wants to fill its processing mill to full capacity, which is only operating at two-thirds at 200,000 ounces produced a year, and boost it that to 300,000 ounces. “Geology will determine whether that’s possible or not,” Simpson said. During months of due diligence by their geologists and engineers, some favourable geology strongly suggests Musselwhite has the legs to last. They’re confident they can replace mining depletion while adding more resources to extend mine life beyond seven years. Musselwhite has 1.5 million ounces in reserve with 1.8 million ounces of resources in the measured and indicated category at an average grade of 6.23 grams per tonne. Mussewhite sits in the midst of a banded iron formation where mining has continued along the same plunge for 28 years. Drilling evidence indicates more gold mineralization extends out two to three kilometres from the last known resources. Next year’s approach will be to drill in and around the deposit while stepping out over a greater distance on the 65,000-hectare property to get a better handle on the geological structure. Orla’s 2024 exploration budget for Nevada and Mexico amounted to $35 million. Simpson said that’ll stay much the same for 2025 with $10 million to $20 million tacked on for exploration in Ontario, though they have yet to define a budget for Musselwhite. Four drill rigs are currently at the site. Simpson said they may add one or two more. The company also made it clear last month that it intends to honour and abide by the Musselwhite Agreement, a landmark impact benefit document signed in 1996 with area First Nations. It become an industry standard. Simpson is quite aware of it since the Voisey’s Bay agreement was based on it. Simpson said he’s already met with local Indigenous leadership and was planning to fly up to the region again this week to meet again for a planned celebration, “I look forward to spending the day with them.” He said they plan on having an open conversation with the communities in the years to come on to how all the parties can derive mutual benefits through employment and business opportunities across the region. Simpson said they see advantages to source services and supplies from local businesses, similar to what they’ve done in Mexico and Nevada. With three properties in the fold, Simpson said they don’t abide by the philosophy that they need to acquire more assets to get bigger and avoid being taken over by a larger mining player. They’re all about finding, building and operating more mines, responsibly, he said. “We don’t run the business trying to protect our jobs; we run the business trying to create value for shareholders. If there’s a proposal that creates value for all of our stakeholders, then it’s our responsibly to consider it.” The next immediate steps are to integrate Musselwhite into the company, he said, and focus on making sure 2025 is a successful first year under the Orla flag.Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., delivers remarks on day four of the 2024 Democratic National Convention. FIRST ON FOX: A controversial judicial advocacy organization funded by left-wing nonprofits continues to work with judges and experts involved in climate change litigation despite publicly downplaying the extent of those connections. "CJP doesn’t participate in litigation, support or coordinate with any parties in litigation, or advise judges on how they should rule in any case," the Environmental Law Institute Climate Judiciary Project President Jordan Diamond wrote in a recent letter to The Wall Street Journal in response to criticism of the project. The Washington, D.C.-based Environmental Law Institute (ELI) created the Climate Judiciary Project (CJP) in 2018, establishing a first-of-its-kind resource to provide "reliable, up-to-date information" about climate change litigation, according to the group. The project's reach has extended to various state and federal courts, including powerful appellate courts, and comes as various cities and states pursue high-profile litigation against the oil industry. A Fox News Digital review shows that several CJP expert lawyers and judges have close ties to the curriculum and are deeply involved in climate litigation. DARK MONEY FUND POURED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS INTO ECO ACTIVIST GROUPS BLOCKING HIGHWAYS, DESTROYING FAMOUS ART According to NPR, people worried about climate change are turning to "eco-chaplains" to deal with their anxiety. (Barbara Alper/Getty Images) Princeton University professor Michael Oppenheimer contributed to the CJP curriculum and presented "Evidence of Change: Judging Climate Litigation" with CJP’s Sandra Nichols Thiam at the 2022 Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference July 20, 2022. Oppenheimer has a long history of filing climate-related amicus briefs from 2019-2022 in litigation across several states. Robin Kundis Craig, a professor at the University of Utah's Law School, wrote a module for CJP in 2022 and has also filed several amicus briefs showing she is active in court cases. One example occurred in 2023, when Craig is listed on an order granting legal scholars' request to file amicus, which was signed by Justice Mark Recktenwald, who, Fox News Digital previously reported , quietly disclosed last year that he presented for an April course in collaboration with the Environmental Law Institute Climate Judiciary Project. Recktenwald co-presented at a December 2022 National Judicial College webinar sponsored by CJP, "Hurricanes in a Changing Climate and Related Litigation." In 2023, he co-presented with Professor Robert DeConto at a National Judicial College seminar, "Rising Seas and Litigation: What Judges Need to Know about Warming-Driven Sea-Level Rise." RADICAL CLIMATE ACTIVIST ENDORSES BLOWING UP PIPELINES IN STARTLING INTERVIEW, ADMITS PEOPLE COULD BE KILLED President Ali pushed back on suggestions his country was harming the environment by claiming Guyana has the lowest deforestation rate in the world. (Adobe Stock) In October 2023, Recktenwald’s Hawaii Supreme Court denied an appeal from oil companies to toss a Honolulu climate misinformation suit. Craig also filed an amicus in Hawaii state court in July 2022, where an order was signed by Judge Jeffrey Crabtree allowing the brief to be filed. Crabtree is a member of the National Judicial College Curriculum Development Committee, which creates curricula for " Environmental Law Essential for the Judiciary." "Don’t underestimate the importance of the role of state court judges in environmental law," the curriculum's website states. Ann Carlson, who joined the Biden administration in 2021 , served on ELI's board of directors for years while also "providing pro bono consulting" for Sher Edling, an eco law firm representing a number of jurisdictions, on litigation against oil companies, financial disclosures showed. Sher Edling counsel Michael Burger has also participated in multiple ELI events, and former Sher Edling lawyer Meredith Wilensky was previously an ELI Public Interest Law Fellow. BIDEN ADMIN REPORT COULD SLOW TRUMP'S EFFORTS TO UNLEASH DOMESTIC NATURAL GAS, EXPERTS SAY Burger is the executive director of the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law and an ELI presenter who has filed amicus briefs in support of plaintiffs in climate cases across the United States. UCLA’s Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment hosted a talk in October 2017 with Sher Edling’s Vic Sher, " Suing Over Climate Change Damages: The First Wave of Climate Lawsuits ." Ann Carlson was the moderator for that discussion. John Dernbach, listed as an expert on CJP’s website, filed an amicus brief in 2019 as part of a brief of legal scholars in support of plaintiffs in City of Oakland v BP. In this June 1, 2017, file photo, protesters gather outside the White House in Washington to protest President Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate change accord. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) "Judges attending Climate Judiciary Project events are advised that they are walking into a left-wing lobbying shop," American Energy Institute President Jason Isaac told Fox News Digital. "Under the guise of ‘judicial education,’ CJP uses activist academics to give a pro-plaintiff sneak peek at climate change lawsuits. This kind of politicking underlines that the climate change lawsuits themselves are a left-wing attack on our quality of life. "The Supreme Court will have an opportunity early next year to hear a case asking whether blue states and far-left mayors like Brandon Johnson can sue energy providers for climate change. Let us hope the court takes the case and ends Green New Deal lawfare." Fox News Digital previously reported that since it was founded more than five years ago, the project has crafted 13 curriculum modules and hosted 42 events, and more than 1,700 judges have participated in its activities. And multiple judges serve as advisers at CJP, potentially having an impact on its curriculum and modules. "So-called ‘climate change lawsuits,' lawsuits claiming that private companies should be monetarily liable for damage to public infrastructure allegedly caused by climate change, have exploded in the past five years," GOP Sen. Ted Cruz wrote in a letter to Environmental Law Institute earlier this year. "In tandem with this unprecedented litigation, the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) launched a ‘first-of-its-kind effort’ to provide judges with ‘education on climate science, the impacts of climate change, and the ways climate science is arising in the law.’ It appears that ELI’s goal in providing this ‘education,’ however, may be to influence judges to side with plaintiffs in climate change cases." The letter went on to label Carlson as "one of the program’s architects" and requested "information to allow the Committee to evaluate the efforts of both Ms. Carlson and ELI to influence the federal judiciary in its adjudication of climate litigation." Cruz alleged that "ELI intends to accomplish via the courts what it cannot get enacted into law: a radical environmental agenda." "To help judges reach those ‘appropriate’ decisions, the Project developed the ‘Climate Science and Law for Judges Curriculum’ (the Curriculum). While ELI claims the Project is ‘neutral' and ‘objective,’ the Curriculum reads like a playbook for judges to find in favor of plaintiffs in artificial climate change cases against traditional energy companies: it includes courses that ‘show how climate science is built on long-established scientific disciplines' and 'explore the human-caused component of [global] warming,’ such as the ‘causal connections between emissions’ and ‘changes in the climate.’" Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, talks with reporters after Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., attended the Republican Senate luncheon in the U.S. Capitol Nov. 1, 2023 (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) An American Energy Institute report earlier this year alleges CJP "hides its partnership with the plaintiffs because they know these ties create judicial ethics problems." AEI says Sandra Nichols Thiam, an ELI vice president and director of judicial education, acknowledged as much in a 2023 press statement, saying, "If we even appeared biased or if there was a whiff of bias, we wouldn’t be able to do what we’re doing." "Taken together, it appears CJP made the thinnest possible disclosures to create the appearance of rectitude," AEI states. "But their admissions confirm that CJP exists to facilitate informal, ex parte contacts between judges and climate activists under the guise of judicial education. And secrecy remains essential to their operation, whose goal, as Thiam has said, is to develop ‘a body of law that supports climate action.'" AEI, a group self-described as "dedicated to promoting policies that ensure America’s energy security and economic prosperity," says CJP’s work is "an attack on the rule of law." Climate activists protest in Washington, D.C. (Fox News Digital) CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP "In America, the powerful aren’t allowed to coax and manipulate judges before their cases are heard," the report states. In a statement to Fox News Digital, an ELI spokesperson said, "CJP doesn’t participate in litigation, support or coordinate with any parties in litigation, or advise judges on how they should rule in any case. Our courses provide judges with access to evidence-based information about climate science and trends in the law. "Of course, experts in the field are welcome to provide their expertise to CJP programs while separately and independently providing that same expertise in another setting that is unrelated to the CJP program. It is routine and encouraged for judges to participate in continuing education that exposes them to expertise in a wide variety of disciplines." Fox News Digital’s Thomas Catenacci contributed to this report Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.

Biden did the second-guessing as he delivered a speech at the Brookings Institution defending his economic record and challenging Trump to preserve Democratic policy ideas when he returns to the White House next month.It was December 2, 1805. The fields of Austerlitz were cloaked in fog. Napoleon Bonaparte outnumbered and ostensibly retreating, faced the combined might of the Austrian and Russian imperial armies. The Allies believed they had him cornered. They saw the French emperor’s lines thinning and his forces retreating from a key high ground, the Pratzen Heights. Sensing an opportunity, they charged forward, confident that victory was within their grasp. Yet, what unfolded next would shatter their hopes. As the Allies surged, Napoleon unleashed a meticulously planned counteroffensive, splitting their forces and driving thousands of soldiers onto a frozen lake. When French artillery rained cannonballs onto the fragile ice, it gave way, and entire regiments plunged into the freezing waters below. Austerlitz, later immortalized as the “Battle of the Three Emperors,” was not just a triumph of force but of strategy, deception, and preparation. Fast forward to the 21st century, and the fog of war has moved from battlefields to boardrooms and global markets. The U.S.-China trade war is a modern-day Austerlitz, where tariffs and currency maneuvers have replaced cannonballs and cavalry charges. In 2018, when Donald Trump levied tariffs on Chinese goods, it was an ambush reminiscent of the Allied assault on Napoleon’s ostensibly weakened forces. Trump saw an opening to weaken China’s economic dominance. He expected the tariffs to leave China vulnerable. Initially, the move appeared to succeed. China’s exports faltered, its stock markets stumbled, and Beijing scrambled to contain the damage. But, like Napoleon retreating to draw his enemies into a trap, China was not as vulnerable as it seemed. Over the years, China has hardened its economic defenses, just as Napoleon meticulously prepared his army before Austerlitz. President Xi Jinping’s government has shifted its trade strategies to flood emerging markets with exports, ensuring a broader base of demand. By devaluing the yuan, Beijing made Chinese goods cheaper abroad, effectively neutralizing the tariffs’ impact. This currency manipulation acted like Napoleon’s cannon fire on the ice, destabilizing U.S. manufacturers and forcing global competitors to operate on China’s terms. The infamous “China price” has become a weapon as potent as any artillery barrage, undercutting rivals and consolidating Beijing’s control over key industries. Much like Napoleon’s use of terrain, China has exploited the dynamics of the global economy to its advantage. Trump, for all his strengths and his admirable vision back toward a more just, sustainable U.S. economy, finds himself in a position not unlike the Allies at Austerlitz – overextended and overly confident in its initial moves. The belief that tariffs alone could cripple China underestimated Beijing’s resilience and capacity for adaptation. Chinese leaders, like Napoleon, understand the importance of timing and preparation. They have avoided direct confrontation, opting instead for a strategy of attrition, flooding global markets with inexpensive goods and undercutting U.S. industries. Meanwhile, the devaluation of the yuan functions as a defensive maneuver, absorbing economic shocks and allowing Chinese exporters to remain competitive despite the tariffs. But the parallels between Austerlitz and the trade war extend beyond strategy. They also give us critical lessons about the risks of hubris and the power of long-term planning. Napoleon’s genius lay not only in his military tactics but in his ability to see several moves ahead, anticipating and exploiting the overconfidence of his enemies. Similarly, China’s strategy demonstrates a long view of economic warfare, one that prioritizes resilience and adaptability over immediate victories. By diversifying its trade partners and pouring national resources into its manufacturing base, Beijing has created a buffer against the economic pressures imposed by Washington. The United States, on the other hand, risks repeating the Allies’ mistakes. Overreliance on the dollar’s dominance, combined with political and economic fragmentation at home, has left Trump vulnerable to counterattacks. Just as the Allies underestimated Napoleon’s ability to strike decisively, Trump has underestimated China’s capacity to absorb blows and retaliate in ways that reshape the global economic landscape. The fog of economic war cloaks the real strengths and weaknesses of each side, making it all the more crucial to understand the dynamics at play. At Austerlitz, Napoleon turned the tide of battle with a single decisive move – the destruction of the ice-bound lake that swallowed thousands of Allied soldiers. This dramatic moment was memorably recreated in Ridley Scott’s 2023 film Napoleon. Scott showed the unpredictable, surprising nature of warfare. Similarly, in the trade war, a single misstep – whether a poorly calibrated tariff, an underappreciation of China’s control over supply chains, or a financial crisis – could shatter the fragile balance of power. Both sides are vying for dominance in a global economy that increasingly resembles the thin ice of that fateful battlefield. What if Napoleon could give strategic advice to Trump? Let’s imagine. First, he would likely stress the importance of understanding the opponent’s true strengths and weaknesses. Just as Napoleon studied the terrain and movements of his enemies, Trump must conduct a comprehensive assessment of China’s economic vulnerabilities and strengths rather than relying on outdated assumptions. Second, Napoleon would advise against overextension. He understood that no force, no matter how powerful, can win if it spreads itself too thin. For Trump, this means focusing on shoring up his own economic foundations – investing in domestic manufacturing, securing critical supply chains, and strengthening alliances with other nations to counterbalance China’s global influence. Trump also risks spreading himself too thin if he spends his time and attention encouraging financial market bubbles that risk misallocating scarce capital. Finally, Napoleon would emphasize the importance of timing and decisive strikes. Just as he waited for the perfect moment to counterattack at Austerlitz, Trump must be patient and deliberate in his strategy. Will tariffs with thousands of Commerce Department exemptions be a decisive strike? Or will China view them as bluffs, based on the 2018 experience, as it sets up shell companies in Vietnam and Mexico? It’s hard for me to imagine tariffs being successful in achieving Trump’s goals without at least temporary pain and restructuring in the way many global companies do business. Finally, Napoleon might remind Trump, “Never invade Russia, or shoot missiles at it, in the winter... or in the spring, for that matter.” Although Trump, unlike Joe Biden, long ago realized that extending the Russia-Ukraine conflict, rather than urging peace talks, is one of the most tragic, wasteful, and stupid decisions in history. Editor’s note: Members of Jim Rickards’ Strategic Intelligence Pro can read the rest of Dan’s research, along with the accompanying stock pick, here.

Syracuse Orange guard Kyle Cuffe Jr. (0) with a three pointer. The Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team takes on the Albany Great Danes Dec. 10, 2024 at the JMA Wireless Dome.Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.cum dennis nett | dnett@syracuse.com Dhani Joseph | dhjoseph@syr.edu Syracuse, N.Y. — The Syracuse basketball team takes on the Albany Great Danes at 7 p.m., Tuesday in the JMA Wireless Dome. The game will air on ESPN2 . See in-game team and individual stats here . Note: Refresh this page throughout Syracuse’s game vs. Albany to see the latest updates Sign up for more Orange basketball analysis from Donna Ditota in our ‘Posting Up’ newsletter. Try the newsletter for free >> Subscriber perk: Sign up for our exclusive Syracuse Sports newsletter from Brent Axe. Not a subscriber? Try the newsletter for free Fans can stream the full 2024-25 Syracuse Orange season on fuboTV . Fans can get cheap tickets to see the Orange from SeatGeek . Fanatics has a full collection of Syracuse Orange gear to shop online. Second half Halftime: Syracuse 47, Albany 34 A major boost off the bench for Syracuse has helped them capture a double digit lead against the University of Albany. The Orange have 22 bench points at the break. The majority of the scoring has come from guard Kyle Cuffe who has 10 points and is perfect from the field. Donnie Freeman, who came off the bench in this one, has six points. Freeman did not start the game as a result of a personal issue. Coach Adrian Autry also elected to start freshman Elijah Moore for the first time this season. The game had been close for the first ten or so minutes of action. But it was Syracuse who managed to continually get high percentage shots at the rim. They shot nearly 60 percent from the field in the first half, and a lot of that was due to SU’s shot selection. 34 points for the home team came in the paint. If Albany has any chance of getting the win, they will have to find a way to slow down Syracuse’s offense. The Orange has 12 assists right now as a team. They average around 14 per game, so they are certainly operating at a high level right now on that side of the ball. Albany guards Amar’e Marshall and Kheni Briggs each have seven to lead the Great Danes. First half Lampkin finds Freeman cutting down low for a dunk. The center is up to three assists so far. Moore turns down the jumper and scores the reverse layup. Lampkin tip-toes the baseline to finish from underneath the basket. The big then finds a cutting Bell for the and-one finish. 3:49 remaining: Syracuse 38, Albany 28 Cuffe knocks down a pair at the line. Eddie Lampkin throws a touch pass to Davis for the dunk. Cuffe finishes with the contact in transition, up to ten points in the contest off the bench. 6:28 remaining: Syracuse 32, Albany 24 Carlos finds Freeman cutting for a two-handed slam dunk out of the time out. The guard then gets to the rim himself and scores the layup. Moore fakes out the defender with the shot fake before going up-an-under with the reverse layup. Kyle Cuffe Jr. knocks down the triple in some rare early minutes. Majstorovic deflects the pass, tracks it down the length of the floor before Freeman gets the ball and dunks it. Cuffe knocks down his second triple of the game. Big boost off the bench for SU so far. 11:40 remaining: Syracuse 14, Albany 14 Freeman checks into the game with 14:38 remaining in the first half. Davis bullies his way inside to finish off the drop-step move. Six early points for him. Elijah Moore follows up his own missed shot, grabbed the rebound, and then went up for another jumper that he knocked down. He struggled last game after back-to-back games dropping career-highs. Bell scores inside for his second basket. Petar Majstorovic scores the short jumper from about 10 feet out. Officials review an earlier 3 and change it to a 2-point basket. 15:54 remaining: Albany 9, Syracuse 7 Jyare Davis scores his first basket with a finish inside. Three Syracuse turnovers in the first two and a half minutes against an Albany team that isn’t particularly stalwarts on the defensive end. Jaquan Carlos finds Davis cutting baseline for the alley-oop slam over the defender. Chris Bell knocks down his first 3 of the night. The Orange as a whole didn’t make a single triple in its last time out against Notre Dame. Pregame Update: 6:45 p.m.: Adrian Autry has shuffled his starting lineup, inserting Elijah Moore for Lucas Taylor and Jyare Davis for Donnie Freeman. Freeman is not in the starting lineup as a result of a personal issue. Syracuse (4-4) returns home to the Dome to face the University at Albany (6-4). Despite the two programs being just two hours away, the last time they met was during the 2011-12 season. That matchup saw the Orange handily defeat the Great Danes, 98-74, and historically the series has followed that same trend. SU has won all eight prior matchups in a series that goes all the way back to 1918. The Orange, however, haven’t been as successful in recent outings overall. They recently lost 69-64 against Notre Dame. The game was the second in a row without the services of guard J.J. Starling. Both Donnie Freeman and Jyare Davis scored 20 points a piece in the loss. For UAlbany, they are coming off an 80-74 overtime loss to Boston University over the weekend. Offensively, this team can attack from a bunch of different angles. Four players average 10 or more points for the Great Danes, headlined by Byron Joshua who averages 13.6 points per game. One Thing To Keep An Eye On: Can SU Stay Undefeated At Home? Syracuse has played its best basketball on the Dome floor. All four of its wins this season have been at home. Although the injury to Starling will definitely be apparent at times offensively, the Orange will rely on its fans to give it the extra boost it needs to stay unbeaten at home. More Orange Basketball What time, TV channel is Syracuse basketball-UAlbany on today? Free live stream Will Syracuse need to make 3s vs. Albany? Plus, 4 more keys against Great Danes Newest AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll is out: One conference is dominating Latest perks of being a Syracuse Sports Insider: Transfer tracker, bowl news and your take on SU basketball ACC basketball power rankings: How low is Syracuse after 4-4 start to season?Prince Andrew says he 'ceased all contact' with alleged Chinese spyA House Task Force investigating the assassination attempts against Donald Trump earlier this year has called on the Secret Service to reduce the number of people it protects and "review" its investigative role after "failures" almost led to tragedy. The report identified a "litany" of failures before and during the 13 July shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, and a separate 15 September attempt in West Palm Beach, Florida. One person was killed and two were seriously injured during the Butler shooting. Trump was shot in the ear. A separate Senate report released in September found that security failures and poor communication "directly contributed" to the assassination attempt. In the new 180-page report, the House Task Force said that "various failures in planning, execution and leadership" contributed to the July shooting, which it described as "preventable". The primary failure, the report said, was a failure to secure a nearby rooftop from which the gunman, 20-year-old Matthew Crooks, opened fire before being shot and killed by a sniper. The report also identified several technology and communication breakdowns, as well as issues in leadership and training. Some Secret Service personnel were given "significant responsibility" for the high-risk outdoor event despite having "little to no experience in advance planning roles". The Secret Service came under intense criticism following the attempt. Its then director, Kim Cheatle, resigned just weeks after the shooting amid growing anger from both Democrats and Republicans. As part of its recommendations, the task force suggested that the service reduce the number of protects, which has greatly expanded in recent years. The pool of people it protects includes foreign dignitaries, a number that swells during events such as the UN General Assembly. The report added that the service - along with Congress and the Department of Homeland Security - should consider whether these additional protective duties "can be transferred or abrogated" in order to prioritise protecting the president and other "critical" US leaders. Additionally, the report suggested that Congress and the Secretary of Homeland Security should review the service's investigative role, which focuses on fraud, financial crimes and cybercrime. "The Secret Service's protective mission is at the core of the agency's purpose," the report says. "Anything that distracts or diverts resources from the agency's zero-fail mission must be reconsidered." Last week, a shouting match erupted at a task force hearing after Republican representative Pat Fallon accused acting director Ronald Rowe of "playing politics" by attending a 9/11 memorial service, but not in a protective capacity. Fallon said he endangered President Joe Biden's life as he stood nearby, rather than a protective detail, along with Trump and Vice-President Kamala Harris. Mr Rowe, who replaced Cheatle after she resigned, told Fallon the president's detail also was close by and that he was "out of line" for the remark.

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