In a significant anti-narcotics operation, the Assam Police seized heroin worth over Rs 3.5 crore and arrested a suspect in Nagaon district. The operation, conducted following a specific tip-off, led to the interception of a vehicle and the discovery of 532.46 grams of heroin hidden in secret compartments on Friday night. Advertisement The arrest and seizure have drawn widespread attention as Assam intensifies its crackdown on drug trafficking under the leadership of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The Chief Minister lauded the police on social media, stating: “Based on input from an apprehended individual, @nagaonpolice intercepted a vehicle and recovered 532.46 grams of heroin after a thorough search. The seized drugs, worth ₹3.5 crore, were cleverly concealed in hidden chambers of the vehicle. Excellent work by @assampolice.” Advertisement Assam has been battling an upsurge in drug trafficking in recent years, with law enforcement agencies seizing large quantities of illicit substances in regular operations. The state, due to its proximity to the infamous “Golden Triangle”—a drug-producing region bordering Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand—has emerged as a transit hub for narcotics smuggling. Under the ongoing “War on Drugs” campaign initiated by the Sarma government, Assam Police has ramped up operations, employing technology and intelligence to dismantle trafficking networks. Advertisementonline games apps 。

OTTAWA - First Nations leaders in Manitoba are calling on the federal government to address a backlog in requests for Indigenous children to receive swift access to health care and other services. They say the delay in approval of requests under Jordan’s Principle has resulted in communities paying out of pocket for health, social or educational services that are supported under the principle, putting other important programming at risk. The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said the backlog has added financial strain to communities, forcing them to provide essential services with limited resources. “Many First Nations are trying to meet the needs of their families. They are not receiving funding to provide these services. They are currently running deficits,” acting Grand Chief Betsy Kennedy told reporters in Ottawa on Thursday during the Assembly of First Nations annual winter meeting. “First Nations need (Indigenous Services Canada) to fully resource and prioritize full and equitable funding and reimbursement for costs before year’s end.” Kennedy added First Nations often have to refer their members to other organizations that are also not getting fully funded to complete requests for assistance. The principle is named after Jordan River Anderson of Norway House Cree Nation in northern Manitoba. Born in 1999 with multiple disabilities, Anderson died at the age of five without ever leaving the hospital because federal and provincial governments couldn’t decide who should pay for his at-home care. The principle stipulates that when a First Nations child needs health, social or educational services, they are to receive them from the government first approached, with questions about final jurisdiction worked out afterward. Some projects in the 11 First Nations the Keewatin Tribal Council in northern Manitoba represents are at a standstill because money has had to be allocated to cover the costs of service requests, said Grand Chief Walter Wastesicoot. “There’s a deep, deep hole there right now,” he said. The Keewatin Tribal Council previously had to pay $7 million out of pocket for Jordan’s Principle requests before the federal government reimbursed them, said Wastesicoot. He said the Keewatin communities are currently owed millions, but could not provide an exact amount. Kennedy said a regional Indigenous Services Canada representative told the assembly that there may not be further funding for First Nations until the fiscal year ends. Indigenous Services Canada did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The department says on the government’s website that Ottawa has provided more than 8.2 million products, services and supports under the principle from 2016 to the end of October of this year. The office of Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu previously told The Canadian Press that the department remains focused on ensuring First Nations children can access the services they need, and that since 2016, the federal government has allocated nearly $8.1 billion to meet the needs of First Nations children. The Manitoba chiefs’ complaints come as the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal has ordered Canada to address a backlog of requests. The First Nations Child and Family Caring Society raised concerns earlier this year that Ottawa was taking too long to process requests for financing through Jordan’s Principle, leaving children without access to services. Cindy Blackstock, executive director of the Caring Society, said the ever-growing backlog is of Canada’s own making. “Canada chose to create these backlogs,” she said while supporting chiefs on Thursday. “They’re not saying they’re overwhelmed and backlogged with thousands of cases under a Canadian pension plan or under an unemployment insurance. The government does this stuff. It is choosing not to do it and it’s making excuses for itself.” Urgent Jordan’s Principle requests are supposed to be processed within 24 hours. But they are taking up to one month to be reviewed, says Independent First Nations, an advocacy body representing a dozen First Nations in Ontario and Quebec. Blackstock filed an affidavit earlier this year that said nearly half of requests made by individuals from those First Nations in 2023-24 are still in review, along with 10 per cent of the files submitted in 2022-23. The tribunal ordered Canada to return to it with a detailed plan, timelines and targets to address the backlog before Dec. 10. — By Brittany Hobson in Winnipeg. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2024.

NoneLOS ANGELES — Teoscar Hernández wanted to stay with the Dodgers. The Dodgers wanted to keep Teoscar Hernández. As the sides grinded through a weeks-long negotiation for the free-agent outfielder this offseason, those truths never wavered. And on Friday, those desires finally came to fruition, with Hernández agreeing to re-sign with the Dodgers on a three-year, $66 million deal, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly, that will bring back one of the most popular, productive and important players from last season’s World Series team. The deal, which also includes a $15 million option for a fourth season, serves as the latest move in the Dodgers’ offseason, as they try to defend their championship in 2025. Retaining Hernández was one of the biggest tasks the Dodgers faced this offseason. The 32-year-old slugger batted .272 last season with 33 home runs and 99 RBIs, earning his second All-Star selection after signing a one-year, $23.5 million deal the previous offseason. He delivered some of the most important hits of the Dodgers’ triumphant trek through the postseason, including a key home run in Game 5 of the National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres and the score-tying double in the Dodgers’ comeback win over the New York Yankees in Game 5 of the World Series. Although the Dodgers never engaged Hernández’s camp in contract talks during the season, the Dominican star repeatedly voiced his desire to stay in Los Angeles after the season. During the Dodgers’ championship rally, he got choked up with emotion while addressing the crowd. The question was whether Hernández and the Dodgers could come together on a more lucrative, long-term deal — the kind that failed to materialize for Hernández last winter, prompting him to sign his one-year deal with the Dodgers last year and rebuild his stock with a resurgent 2024. “The Dodgers are the priority obviously,” Hernández said after the championship parade last month. “I’m going to do everything in my power to come back.” Conversations between the Dodgers and Hernández’s camp began early in the offseason, but talks didn’t intensify until the days leading up to the winter meetings, according to people with knowledge of the situation but not authorized to speak publicly. More wrenches were thrown into the process when Juan Soto’s record signing with the New York Mets created new potential suitors in Hernández’s free agency, as the next-best free-agent outfielder on the open market. The Dodgers also signed an outfielder of their own, replenishing their thin depth at the position with a one-year, $17 million contract for veteran Michael Conforto. That led to something of a waiting game at the winter meetings. The sides were relatively close, people with knowledge of the situation said. But talks did encounter some sticking points — among them the inclusion of deferral money, with Hernández reportedly agreeing to defer $23 million while also receiving a $23 million signing bonus. “I know that he has talked about wanting to [stay in Los Angeles], I know that we have talked about wanting him to, so again, that’s helpful — but it’s not everything,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said during winter meetings, in rather foreboding remarks that hinted at strains in the process. “He and his family get to go through the interest and figure out what makes the most sense for them,” Friedman added. “So, while we’re hopeful, at the same time, if he ends up signing somewhere else, we have no choice but to wish him well.” Instead, in the end, the two camps found a way to hammer out a happy reunion. Now, Hernández’s time in Los Angeles will last more than one triumphant year. And as the Dodgers map out a route to repeat as champions in 2025, the three-time Silver Slugger figures prominently in their plans. With Mookie Betts expected to return to shortstop next season, Hernández appears to be a candidate to be the everyday right fielder — his strongest defensive position after splitting time in the opposite corner of the outfield last season. Hernández likely will reprise his role as a run-producer behind the star trio of Shohei Ohtani, Betts and Freddie Freeman as well. Last year, Hernández’s .943 on-base-plus-slugging percentage with runners in scoring position ranked second on the team, while his 99 RBIs were seventh-most in the NL. Hernández also became an integral part of a clubhouse culture the Dodgers repeatedly cited as a factor for their success in October.

An online debate over foreign workers in tech shows tensions in Trump’s political coalition

WASHINGTON — The House shut down Democrats' efforts Thursday to release the long-awaited ethics report into former Rep. Matt Gaetz, pushing the fate of any resolution to the yearslong investigation of sexual misconduct allegations into further uncertainty. The nearly party-line votes came after Democrats had been pressing for the findings to be published even though the Florida Republican left Congress and withdrew as President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general. Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., was the sole Republican to support the effort. Most Republicans have argued that any congressional probe into Gaetz ended when he resigned from the House. Speaker Mike Johnson also requested that the committee not publish its report, saying it would be a terrible precedent to set. While ethics reports have previously been released after a member’s resignation, it is extremely rare. Shortly before the votes took place, Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., who introduced one of the bills to force the release, said that if Republicans reject the release, they will have “succeeded in sweeping credible allegations of sexual misconduct under the rug.” Gaetz has repeatedly denied the claims. Earlier Thursday, the Ethics panel met to discuss the Gaetz report but made no decision, saying in a short statement that the matter is still being discussed. It's unclear now whether the document will ever see the light of day as lawmakers have only a few weeks left before a new session of Congress begins. It's the culmination of weeks of pressure on the Ethics committee's five Republicans and five Democrats who mostly work in secret as they investigate allegations of misconduct against lawmakers. The status of the Gaetz investigation became an open question last month when he abruptly resigned from Congress after Trump's announcement that he wanted his ally in the Cabinet. It is standard practice for the committee to end investigations when members of Congress depart, but the circumstances surrounding Gaetz were unusual, given his potential role in the new administration. Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., the committee chairman, said Wednesday that there is no longer the same urgency to release the report given that Gaetz has left Congress and stepped aside as Trump's choice to head the Justice Department. “I’ve been steadfast about that. He’s no longer a member. He is no longer going to be confirmed by the Senate because he withdrew his nomination to be the attorney general,” Guest said. The Gaetz report has also caused tensions between lawmakers on the bipartisan committee. Pennsylvania Rep. Susan Wild, the top Democrat on the panel, publicly admonished Guest last month for mischaracterizing a previous meeting to the press. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing and said last year that the Justice Department’s separate investigation against him into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls ended without federal charges. His onetime political ally Joel Greenberg, a fellow Republican who served as the tax collector in Florida’s Seminole County, admitted as part of a plea deal with prosecutors in 2021 that he paid women and an underage girl to have sex with him and other men. The men were not identified in court documents when he pleaded guilty. Greenberg was sentenced in late 2022 to 11 years in prison. Among President-elect Donald Trump's picks are Susie Wiles for chief of staff, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, former Democratic House member Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general. Susie Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Trump named Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state, making a former sharp critic his choice to be the new administration's top diplomat. Rubio, 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket last summer. Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” Trump said of Rubio in a statement. The announcement punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom the senator called a “con man" during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. And as Trump campaigned for the presidency a third time, Rubio cheered his proposals. For instance, Rubio, who more than a decade ago helped craft immigration legislation that included a path to citizenship for people in the U.S. illegally, now supports Trump's plan to use the U.S. military for mass deportations. Pete Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend” and has been a contributor with the network since 2014, where he developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. Hegseth lacks senior military or national security experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises — ranging from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea. Hegseth is also the author of “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” published earlier this year. Trump tapped Pam Bondi, 59, to be attorney general after U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration. She was Florida's first female attorney general, serving between 2011 and 2019. She also was on Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020. Considered a loyalist, she served as part of a Trump-allied outside group that helped lay the groundwork for his future administration called the America First Policy Institute. Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. A fierce defender of Trump, she also frequently appears on Fox News and has been a critic of the criminal cases against him. Trump picked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a well-known conservative who faced sharp criticism for telling a story in her memoir about shooting a rambunctious dog, to lead an agency crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda. Noem used her two terms leading a tiny state to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics. South Dakota is usually a political afterthought. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions that other states had issued and instead declared her state “open for business.” Trump held a fireworks rally at Mount Rushmore in July 2020 in one of the first large gatherings of the pandemic. She takes over a department with a sprawling mission. In addition to key immigration agencies, the Department of Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service, and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports. The governor of North Dakota, who was once little-known outside his state, Burgum is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump, and spent months traveling to drum up support for him, after dropping out of the race. Burgum was a serious contender to be Trump’s vice presidential choice this summer. The two-term governor was seen as a possible pick because of his executive experience and business savvy. Burgum also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs. Trump made the announcement about Burgum joining his incoming administration while addressing a gala at his Mar-a-Lago club, and said a formal statement would be coming the following day. In comments to reporters before Trump took the stage, Burgum said that, in recent years, the power grid is deteriorating in many parts of the country, which he said could raise national security concerns but also drive up prices enough to increase inflation. “There's just a sense of urgency, and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration,” Burgum said. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president as a Democrat, than as an independent, and then endorsed Trump . He's the son of Democratic icon Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated during his own presidential campaign. The nomination of Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services alarmed people who are concerned about his record of spreading unfounded fears about vaccines . For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Scott Bessent, 62, is a former George Soros money manager and an advocate for deficit reduction. He's the founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management, after having worked on-and-off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary. He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trump’s campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending. “This election cycle is the last chance for the U.S. to grow our way out of this mountain of debt without becoming a sort of European-style socialist democracy,” he said then. Oregon Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her reelection bid this month, but received strong backing from union members in her district. As a potential labor secretary, she would oversee the Labor Department’s workforce, its budget and put forth priorities that impact workers’ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employer’s rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities. Chavez-DeRemer is one of few House Republicans to endorse the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and would add penalties for companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws that allow employees in more than half the states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their places of employment. Scott Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he’s yet selected for his administration, with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” Sean Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, “Fox and Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children. A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Write is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking — a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. Wright also has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.” The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States. Wright also won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump’s first term. President-elect Donald Trump tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump promised to dismantle. McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s initial term from 2017 to 2019 and twice ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut. She’s seen as a relative unknown in education circles, though she expressed support for charter schools and school choice. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. Brooke Rollins, who graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural development, is a longtime Trump associate who served as White House domestic policy chief during his first presidency. The 52-year-old is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration. She previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Trump chose Howard Lutnick, head of brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and a cryptocurrency enthusiast, as his nominee for commerce secretary, a position in which he'd have a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs. Trump made the announcement Tuesday on his social media platform, Truth Social. Lutnick is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team, along with Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration. Both are tasked with putting forward candidates for key roles in the next administration. The nomination would put Lutnick in charge of a sprawling Cabinet agency that is involved in funding new computer chip factories, imposing trade restrictions, releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. It is also a position in which connections to CEOs and the wider business community are crucial. Doug Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial, which centered on U.S. assistance for Ukraine. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential nomination, but he was acquitted by the Senate. Collins has also served in the armed forces himself and is currently a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command. "We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need," Trump said in a statement about nominating Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Karoline Leavitt, 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. The White House press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps. Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, was a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term before she became communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump's choice for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has been tapped by Trump to be director of national intelligence, keeping with the trend to stock his Cabinet with loyal personalities rather than veteran professionals in their requisite fields. Gabbard, 43, was a Democratic House member who unsuccessfully sought the party's 2020 presidential nomination before leaving the party in 2022. She endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him this fall. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community,” Trump said in a statement. Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions. Trump has picked John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who served as director of national intelligence during his first administration, to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his next. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump's first term, leading the U.S. government's spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. “I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation's highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement, calling him a “fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans” who would ensure “the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.” Kash Patel spent several years as a Justice Department prosecutor before catching the Trump administration’s attention as a staffer on Capitol Hill who helped investigate the Russia probe. Patel called for dramatically reducing the agency’s footprint, a perspective that sets him apart from earlier directors who sought additional resources for the bureau. Though the Justice Department in 2021 halted the practice of secretly seizing reporters’ phone records during leak investigations, Patel said he intends to aggressively hunt down government officials who leak information to reporters. Trump has chosen former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to serve as his pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency . Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on X , “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.” “We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,” he added. During his campaign, Trump often attacked the Biden administration's promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referring to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often told his audiences during the campaign his administration would “Drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration. In a statement, Trump said Zeldin “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.” Trump has named Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, as the new chairman of the agency tasked with regulating broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband. Carr is a longtime member of the commission and served previously as the FCC’s general counsel. He has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate three times and was nominated by both Trump and President Joe Biden to the commission. Carr made past appearances on “Fox News Channel," including when he decried Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' pre-Election Day appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” He wrote an op-ed last month defending a satellite company owned by Trump supporter Elon Musk. Trump said Atkins, the CEO of Patomak Partners and a former SEC commissioner, was a “proven leader for common sense regulations.” In the years since leaving the SEC, Atkins has made the case against too much market regulation. “He believes in the promise of robust, innovative capital markets that are responsive to the needs of Investors, & that provide capital to make our Economy the best in the World. He also recognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The commission oversees U.S. securities markets and investments and is currently led by Gary Gensler, who has been leading the U.S. government’s crackdown on the crypto industry. Gensler, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, announced last month that he would be stepping down from his post on the day that Trump is inaugurated — Jan. 20, 2025. Atkins began his career as a lawyer and has a long history working in the financial markets sector, both in government and private practice. In the 1990s, he worked on the staffs of two former SEC chairmen, Richard C. Breeden and Arthur Levitt. Jared Isaacman, 41, is a tech billionaire who bought a series of spaceflights from Elon Musk’s SpaceX and conducted the first private spacewalk . He is the founder and CEO of a card-processing company and has collaborated closely with Musk ever since buying his first chartered SpaceX flight. He took contest winners on that 2021 trip and followed it in September with a mission where he briefly popped out the hatch to test SpaceX’s new spacewalking suits. Rep. Elise Stefanik is a representative from New York and one of Trump's staunchest defenders going back to his first impeachment. Elected to the House in 2014, Stefanik was selected by her GOP House colleagues as House Republican Conference chair in 2021, when former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after publicly criticizing Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election. Stefanik, 40, has served in that role ever since as the third-ranking member of House leadership. Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile. If confirmed, she would represent American interests at the U.N. as Trump vows to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine begun in 2022. He has also called for peace as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon to target Hezbollah. President-elect Donald Trump says he's chosen former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO. Trump has expressed skepticism about the Western military alliance for years. Trump said in a statement Wednesday that Whitaker is “a strong warrior and loyal Patriot” who “will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended” and “strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability.” The choice of Whitaker as the nation’s representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an unusual one, given his background is as a lawyer and not in foreign policy. A Republican congressman from Michigan who served from 1993 to 2011, Hoekstra was ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump's first term. “In my Second Term, Pete will help me once again put AMERICA FIRST,” Trump said in a statement announcing his choice. “He did an outstanding job as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands during our first four years, and I am confident that he will continue to represent our Country well in this new role.” Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah. “He loves Israel, and likewise the people of Israel love him,” Trump said in a statement. “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East.” Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland. Trump has been praised by some in this important Republican voting bloc for moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Trump on Tuesday named real estate investor Steven Witkoff to be special envoy to the Middle East. The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect's golf partner and was golfing with him at Trump's club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination. Witkoff “is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy,” Trump said of Witkoff in a statement. “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud." Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee. Trump said Wednesday that he will nominate Gen. Keith Kellogg to serve as assistant to the president and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as National Security Advisor to Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence. For the America First Policy Institute, one of several groups formed after Trump left office to help lay the groundwork for the next Republican administration, Kellogg in April wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.” (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) Trump asked Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, Trump announced in a statement Tuesday. The move puts Waltz in the middle of national security crises, ranging from efforts to provide weapons to Ukraine and worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah. “Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda,” Trump's statement said, "and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!” Waltz is a three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs. He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population. Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner , was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump's priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump's first administration. Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump's policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families. Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation's economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people who are in the United States illegally. Since Trump left office in 2021, Miller has served as the president of America First Legal, an organization made up of former Trump advisers aimed at challenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others over issues such as free speech and national security. Thomas Homan, 62, has been tasked with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history. Homan, who served under Trump in his first administration leading U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was widely expected to be offered a position related to the border, an issue Trump made central to his campaign. Though Homan has insisted such a massive undertaking would be humane, he has long been a loyal supporter of Trump's policy proposals, suggesting at a July conference in Washington that he would be willing to "run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.” Democrats have criticized Homan for his defending Trump's “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border. Former Rep. Billy Long represented Missouri in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2023. Since leaving Congress, Trump said, Long “has worked as a Business and Tax advisor, helping Small Businesses navigate the complexities of complying with the IRS Rules and Regulations.” Former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler was appointed in January 2020 by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and then lost a runoff election a year later. She started a conservative voter registration organization and dived into GOP fundraising, becoming one of the top individual donors and bundlers to Trump’s 2024 comeback campaign. Even before nominating her for agriculture secretary, the president-elect already had tapped Loeffler as co-chair of his inaugural committee. Dr. Mehmet Oz, 64, is a former heart surgeon who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show,” a long-running daytime television talk show. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of Trump, who endorsed Oz's bid for elected office. Elon Musk, left, and Vivek Ramaswamy speak before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at an Oct. 27 campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York. Trump on Tuesday said Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency" — which is not, despite the name, a government agency. The acronym “DOGE” is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said Musk and Ramaswamy will work from outside the government to offer the White House “advice and guidance” and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.” He added the move would shock government systems. It's not clear how the organization will operate. Musk, owner of X and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been a constant presence at Mar-a-Lago since Trump won the presidential election. Ramaswamy suspended his campaign in January and threw his support behind Trump. Trump said the two will “pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” Russell Vought held the position during Trump’s first presidency. After Trump’s initial term ended, Vought founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as “renew a consensus of America as a nation under God.” Vought was closely involved with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that he tried to distance himself from during the campaign. Vought has also previously worked as the executive and budget director for the Republican Study Committee, a caucus for conservative House Republicans. He also worked at Heritage Action, the political group tied to The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Dan Scavino, deputy chief of staff Scavino, whom Trump's transition referred to in a statement as one of “Trump's longest serving and most trusted aides,” was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign, as well as his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president. Scavino had run Trump's social media profile in the White House during his first administration. He was also held in contempt of Congress in 2022 after a month-long refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. James Blair, deputy chief of staff Blair was political director for Trump's 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee. He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and assistant to the president. Blair was key to Trump's economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign this year, a driving force behind the candidate's “Trump can fix it” slogan and his query to audiences this fall if they were better off than four years ago. Taylor Budowich, deputy chief of staff Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again, Inc., a super PAC that supported Trump's 2024 campaign. He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president. Budowich also had served as a spokesman for Trump after his presidency. Jay Bhattacharya, National Institutes of Health Trump has chosen Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health. Bhattacharya is a physician and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, and is a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates. He promoted the idea of herd immunity during the pandemic, arguing that people at low risk should live normally while building up immunity to COVID-19 through infection. The National Institutes of Health funds medical research through competitive grants to researchers at institutions throughout the nation. NIH also conducts its own research with thousands of scientists working at its labs in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Marty Makary, Food and Drug Administration Makary is a Johns Hopkins surgeon and author who argued against pandemic lockdowns. He routinely appeared on Fox News during the COVID-19 pandemic and wrote opinion articles questioning masks for children. He cast doubt on vaccine mandates but supported vaccines generally. Makary also cast doubt on whether booster shots worked, which was against federal recommendations on the vaccine. Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Surgeon General Nesheiwat is a general practitioner who serves as medical director for CityMD, a network of urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey. She has been a contributor to Fox News. Dr. Dave Weldon, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Weldon is a former Florida congressman who recently ran for a Florida state legislative seat and lost; Trump backed Weldon’s opponent. In Congress, Weldon weighed in on one of the nation’s most heated debates of the 1990s over quality of life and a right-to-die and whether Terri Schiavo, who was in a persistent vegetative state after cardiac arrest, should have been allowed to have her feeding tube removed. He sided with the parents who did not want it removed. Jamieson Greer, U.S. trade representative Kevin Hassett, Director of the White House National Economic Council Trump is turning to two officials with experience navigating not only Washington but the key issues of income taxes and tariffs as he fills out his economic team. He announced he has chosen international trade attorney Jamieson Greer to be his U.S. trade representative and Kevin Hassett as director of the White House National Economic Council. While Trump has in several cases nominated outsiders to key posts, these picks reflect a recognition that his reputation will likely hinge on restoring the public’s confidence in the economy. Trump said in a statement that Greer was instrumental in his first term in imposing tariffs on China and others and replacing the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, “therefore making it much better for American Workers.” Hassett, 62, served in the first Trump term as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. He has a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and worked at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute before joining the Trump White House in 2017. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.By MICHELLE L. PRICE WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — An online spat between factions of Donald Trump’s supporters over immigration and the tech industry has thrown internal divisions in his political movement into public display, previewing the fissures and contradictory views his coalition could bring to the White House. The rift laid bare the tensions between the newest flank of Trump’s movement — wealthy members of the tech world including billionaire Elon Musk and fellow entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and their call for more highly skilled workers in their industry — and people in Trump’s Make America Great Again base who championed his hardline immigration policies. The debate touched off this week when Laura Loomer , a right-wing provocateur with a history of racist and conspiratorial comments, criticized Trump’s selection of Sriram Krishnan as an adviser on artificial intelligence policy in his coming administration. Krishnan favors the ability to bring more skilled immigrants into the U.S. Loomer declared the stance to be “not America First policy” and said the tech executives who have aligned themselves with Trump were doing so to enrich themselves. Much of the debate played out on the social media network X, which Musk owns. Loomer’s comments sparked a back-and-forth with venture capitalist and former PayPal executive David Sacks , whom Trump has tapped to be the “White House A.I. & Crypto Czar.” Musk and Ramaswamy, whom Trump has tasked with finding ways to cut the federal government , weighed in, defending the tech industry’s need to bring in foreign workers. It bloomed into a larger debate with more figures from the hard-right weighing in about the need to hire U.S. workers, whether values in American culture can produce the best engineers, free speech on the internet, the newfound influence tech figures have in Trump’s world and what his political movement stands for. Trump has not yet weighed in on the rift. His presidential transition team did not respond to questions about positions on visas for highly skilled workers or the debate between his supporters online. Instead, his team instead sent a link to a post on X by longtime adviser and immigration hard-liner Stephen Miller that was a transcript of a speech Trump gave in 2020 at Mount Rushmore in which he praised figures and moments from American history. Musk, the world’s richest man who has grown remarkably close to the president-elect , was a central figure in the debate, not only for his stature in Trump’s movement but his stance on the tech industry’s hiring of foreign workers. Technology companies say H-1B visas for skilled workers, used by software engineers and others in the tech industry, are critical for hard-to-fill positions. But critics have said they undercut U.S. citizens who could take those jobs. Some on the right have called for the program to be eliminated, not expanded. Born in South Africa, Musk was once on an a H-1B visa himself and defended the industry’s need to bring in foreign workers. “There is a permanent shortage of excellent engineering talent,” he said in a post. “It is the fundamental limiting factor in Silicon Valley.” Trump’s own positions over the years have reflected the divide in his movement. Related Articles National Politics | Trump asks Supreme Court to delay TikTok ban so he can weigh in after he takes office National Politics | Should the U.S. increase immigration levels for highly skilled workers? National Politics | Trump threat to immigrant health care tempered by economic hopes National Politics | In states that ban abortion, social safety net programs often fail families National Politics | Trump vows to pursue executions after Biden commutes most of federal death row His tough immigration policies, including his pledge for a mass deportation, were central to his winning presidential campaign. He has focused on immigrants who come into the U.S. illegally but he has also sought curbs on legal immigration , including family-based visas. As a presidential candidate in 2016, Trump called the H-1B visa program “very bad” and “unfair” for U.S. workers. After he became president, Trump in 2017 issued a “Buy American and Hire American” executive order , which directed Cabinet members to suggest changes to ensure H-1B visas were awarded to the highest-paid or most-skilled applicants to protect American workers. Trump’s businesses, however, have hired foreign workers, including waiters and cooks at his Mar-a-Lago club , and his social media company behind his Truth Social app has used the the H-1B program for highly skilled workers. During his 2024 campaign for president, as he made immigration his signature issue, Trump said immigrants in the country illegally are “poisoning the blood of our country” and promised to carry out the largest deportation operation in U.S. history. But in a sharp departure from his usual alarmist message around immigration generally, Trump told a podcast this year that he wants to give automatic green cards to foreign students who graduate from U.S. colleges. “I think you should get automatically, as part of your diploma, a green card to be able to stay in this country,” he told the “All-In” podcast with people from the venture capital and technology world. Those comments came on the cusp of Trump’s budding alliance with tech industry figures, but he did not make the idea a regular part of his campaign message or detail any plans to pursue such changes.Gyre Therapeutics (NASDAQ:GYRE) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – Should You Buy?

Maryland is suing the company that produces the waterproof material Gore-Tex often used for raincoats and other outdoor gear, alleging its leaders kept using “forever chemicals” long after learning about serious health risks associated with them. The complaint, which was filed last week in federal court, focuses on a cluster of 13 facilities in northeastern Maryland operated by Delaware-based W.L. Gore & Associates. It alleges the company polluted the air and water around its facilities with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances , jeopardizing the health of surrounding communities while raking in profits. The lawsuit adds to other claims filed in recent years, including a class action on behalf of Cecil County residents in 2023 demanding Gore foot the bill for water filtration systems, medical bills and other damages associated with decades of harmful pollution in the largely rural community. “PFAS are linked to cancer, weakened immune systems, and can even harm the ability to bear children,” Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said in a statement. “It is unacceptable for any company to knowingly contaminate our drinking water with these toxins, putting Marylanders at risk of severe health conditions.” Gore spokesperson Donna Leinwand Leger said the company is “surprised by the Maryland Attorney General’s decision to initiate legal action, particularly in light of our proactive and intensive engagement with state regulators over the past two years.” “We have been working with Maryland, employing the most current, reliable science and technology to assess the potential impact of our operations and guide our ongoing, collaborative efforts to protect the environment,” the company said in a statement, noting a Dec. 18 report that contains nearly two years of groundwater testing results. But attorney Philip Federico, who represents plaintiffs in the class action and other lawsuits against Gore, called the company’s efforts “too little, much too late.” In the meantime, he said, residents are continuing to suffer — one of his clients was recently diagnosed with kidney cancer. “It’s typical corporate environmental contamination,” he said. “They’re in no hurry to fix the problem.” The synthetic chemicals are especially harmful because they’re nearly indestructible and can build up in various environments, including the human body. In addition to cancers and immune system problems, exposure to certain levels of PFAS has been linked to increased cholesterol levels, reproductive health issues and developmental delays in children, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Gore leaders failed to warn people living near its Maryland facilities about the potential impacts, hoping to protect their corporate image and avoid liability, according to the state’s lawsuit. The result has been “a toxic legacy for generations to come,” the lawsuit alleges. Since the chemicals are already in the local environment, protecting residents now often means installing complex and expensive water filtration systems. People with private wells have found highly elevated levels of dangerous chemicals in their water, according to the class action lawsuit. The Maryland facilities are located in a rural area just across the border from Delaware, where Gore has become a longtime fixture in the community. The company, which today employs more than 13,000 people, was founded in 1958 after Wilbert Gore left the chemical giant DuPont to start his own business. Its profile rose with the development of Gore-Tex , a lightweight waterproof material created by stretching polytetrafluoroethylene, which is better known by the brand name Teflon that’s used to coat nonstick pans. The membrane within Gore-Tex fabric has billions of pores that are smaller than water droplets, making it especially effective for outdoor gear. The state’s complaint traces Gore’s longstanding relationship with DuPont , arguing that information about the chemicals' dangers was long known within both companies as they sought to keep things quiet and boost profits. It alleges that as early as 1961, DuPont scientists knew the chemical caused adverse liver reactions in rats and dogs. DuPont has faced widespread litigation in recent years. Along with two spinoff companies, it announced a $1.18 billion deal last year to resolve complaints of polluting many U.S. drinking water systems with forever chemicals. The Maryland lawsuit seeks to hold Gore responsible for costs associated with the state’s ongoing investigations and cleanup efforts, among other damages. State oversight has ramped up following litigation from residents alleging their drinking water was contaminated. Until then, the company operated in Cecil County with little scrutiny. Gore announced in 2014 that it had eliminated perfluorooctanoic acid from the raw materials used to create Gore-Tex. But it’s still causing long-term impacts because it persists for so long in the environment, attorneys say. Over the past two years, Gore has hired an environmental consulting firm to conduct testing in the area and provided bottled water and water filtration systems to residents near certain Maryland facilities, according to a webpage describing its efforts. Recent testing of drinking water at residences near certain Gore sites revealed perfluorooctanoic acid levels well above what the EPA considers safe, according to state officials. Attorneys for the state acknowledged Gore’s ongoing efforts to investigate and address the problem but said the company needs to step up and be a better neighbor. “While we appreciate Gore’s limited investigation to ascertain the extent of PFAS contamination around its facilities, much more needs to be done to protect the community and the health of residents,” Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain said in a statement. “We must remove these forever chemicals from our natural resources urgently, and we expect responsible parties to pay for this remediation.”Republican members of the Senate Select Committee on Judicial Oversight and Reform discuss a proposal during the committee's final meeting on Dec. 4, 2024. (Photo by Blair Miller, Daily Montanan) Republicans on the Senate Select Committee on Judicial Oversight and Reform will have 27 bills ready for introduction in the 2025 legislative session that starts in January, several of which seek to move some power away from the judicial branch or make judicial elections partisan. The committee wrapped up what is likely to be its final meeting Dec. 4 just hours after Democrats held a news conference alongside former Republican Gov. Marc Racicot in which they pledged to fight against the bills coming out of the committee, calling them political attacks on the judiciary. Democrats are in the minority in both chambers and chose not to participate in the committee because they did not want to legitimize its efforts, they said. The committee’s members, however, praised their work and that of their staff after seven months of meetings and bill drafting. “It was a big lift. Got a lot of work accomplished in a short amount of time. I’m anxious for the bills coming out of here. We have some good legislation,” Senate President and Committee Chair Jason Ellsworth, R-Hamilton, told the oversight committee to finish its 12th meeting since April. The committee’s final act – barring signing off on a report summarizing the committee’s work – was to approve for drafting three more bills on top of the 24 already ready to go or which are in process. One attempts to outline in statute what the Montana Constitution says about the separation of powers among the three branches of government. The other two seek to make changes to judicial recusal and to limit the effect of an injunction only to the parties involved in the case. While most of the committee’s meetings have been day-long or two-day affairs full of presentations on parts of the judicial branch and discussion over lawmakers’ many proposed bills , Wednesday’s meeting was much shorter, and most of the discussion surrounded the bill on the separation of powers, which will be carried by Sen. Daniel Emrich, R-Great Falls. Emrich said the bill is “one of the most important bills you may see this session.” Deputy Director of Legal Services Jaret Coles told the committee the version they were looking at was his seventh draft of the measure, which over 12 pages creates several new sections of law that describes the baselines of each branch’s powers according to the Constitution, he said. “I think that the most important part about this entire bill is that it creates boundaries and fences that every branch can see,” Emrich said. “And so, there’s a lot of question on where those boundaries are between the branches of government, and I think this puts some pretty good definition on it.” Sen. Tom McGillvray, R-Billings, who will be Senate majority leader come January, asked Coles if putting some of the language that involves legislative rules into statute could create legal issues for the legislature because the proposed bill directly outlines its duties. Coles said that whether rules, which are the sole responsibility of the legislature, trump statute or vice versa has been interpreted differently by different courts and states, and that he included “limited language” in the bill to try and avoid legal issues. “They’re the legislature’s rules. They’re not supposed to be interpreted by any other branch,” Coles said. “So, I think you’d have to get to your questions, look and see, is there any of these areas that seem like they would restrict the legislature’s powers? I don’t believe so, but you raise a good question. That’s always going to be, you know, a struggle.” Emrich’s other bill , which aims to make injunctions apply only to the parties in a suit and not to the entire state or court system, would “prevent the court from offering a blanket injunction that affects the entire state of Montana,” he said. Emrich told the committee that he believed the bill would allow the legislature to weigh in when it believes the court is “misinterpreting” the state Constitution and ensure any relief granted from a bill being declared unconstitutional would be narrowly tailored. He claimed that a court enjoining a portion of a bill violates the separation of powers because a court is altering a statute. “This gives the legislature the ability to say, ‘OK, if there is an issue with the statute, we can go back and fix it,’” Emrich said. “And if there’s not, or if we need to restate it in a different way, it gives us the ability to do that. So, it really gives the legislature a seat at the table when it comes to constitutional review.” Ellsworth pointed out that many bills already have severability clauses built in that say that the rest of a bill can stand even if one portion of them is found unconstitutional, and wondered if the “knife would cut both ways” because the legislature might have to defend a bill in every district court in Montana. Moreover, he added, a district court decision still may be appealed to the Supreme Court, whose ruling would bind district courts across the state. Emrich responded by saying he believes courts, through judicial review established by Marbury v. Madison in 1803, are abusing their authority. “I think it opens up new territory, but it’s also opening up old territory where the courts really never had any authority to do this for quite a long time,” he said. “I believe us as a nation survived just fine for quite a long time, and the state survived just fine without the courts stepping into this arena.” Earlier Wednesday, a panel of two legislative Democrats, Racicot and former First Judicial District Court Judge Jim Reynolds, who all have experience as Montana attorneys, said the committee was knowingly pushing out more unconstitutional bills as it responds to courts finding prior bills passed by the Republican-led legislature unconstitutional. “Our constituents have a right to ensure that their taxpayer money is being used with integrity, and now what we have is a small group of individuals pointing their fingers at the court for doing its job, upholding your individual rights under the Constitution,” said Sen.-elect Laura Smith, D-Helena. Smith said she expected lawmakers regardless of party to vote against bills during the session that “clearly violate” Montanans’ constitutional rights, lest those bills also end up back in court being defended by the state. Racicot, rebuked by the Montana GOP last year and who spoke up against what he said were attacks on Montana’s Constitution during the 2023 session, said a “faction” of legislators was trying to exercise complete control over the judicial branch and “threatening the demise of democracy and ultimately our way of life.” “These proposals that have been discussed ... are simply extremist measures offered for the convenience and for the ultimate satisfaction of individual groups within the legislature,” he said of the oversight committee’s efforts. Rep.-elect James Reavis, D-Billings, a public defender in Montana for a decade, talked mostly about the committee’s bills seeking – as some bills that failed did last session – to make judicial candidates declare a party. He said having nonpartisan and impartial courts is key to the principle of justice, as someone facing a judge of an opposing political party, for instance, might not feel they were afforded due process based on their politics. “That’s not a future for Montanans that I want and I don’t think it’s a future Montanans want,” he said. While nearly every bill from last session that the group on Wednesday said attacked the judiciary failed, they said that some efforts to pick away at the Constitution take time. Smith said nonpartisan people and groups have been taking notice of the wave of bills out of the oversight committee and plan to fight them during the upcoming session, and that she believes her colleagues will take notice. “Our colleagues in the House and Senate are thoughtful people who will have conversations with us about the impact of what these laws will actually do, and so I am hopeful in that regard,” she said. “But at the same time, the sheer volume and content of these bills is extremely concerning.”

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Daily Post Nigeria Naira appreciates against dollar after Christmas holidays Home News Politics Metro Entertainment Sport Business Naira appreciates against dollar after Christmas holidays Published on December 27, 2024 By Ogaga Ariemu The naira appreciated against the dollar at the foreign exchange market upon resumption of work after the Christmas holidays. FMDQ data showed that the naira strengthened to N1,534 per dollar on Friday from N1,540.45 exchanged on Tuesday, gaining N6.45. This comes as the naira closed at the black market on Friday at N1,650 per dollar compared to between N1,638 and N1,650 exchanged on Tuesday. The development indicates that Africa’s most populous nation’s currency has continued to fluctuate in the FX market in the past few days. DAILY POST reports that FX turnover increased to N23.95 trillion at the end of November 2024, according to FMDQ data. Related Topics: Christmas holidays dollar naira Don't Miss China, Nigeria renew currency swap agreement You may like Christmas: Naira strengthens against dollar on black market Naira appreciates massively against dollar ahead Christmas holidays Naira weakens against dollar Naira strengthens against dollar Naira further appreciates against dollar on black market Naira extends gains against dollar Advertise About Us Contact Us Privacy-Policy Terms Copyright © Daily Post Media LtdInventus Mining Corp. ( CVE:IVS – Get Free Report ) shares fell 21.1% during mid-day trading on Saturday . The company traded as low as C$0.08 and last traded at C$0.08. 118,000 shares were traded during trading, an increase of 26% from the average session volume of 93,681 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.10. Inventus Mining Stock Down 21.1 % The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 41.50. The company has a market capitalization of C$12.60 million, a PE ratio of -7.00 and a beta of 0.83. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is C$0.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is C$0.05. Insider Activity In other news, Director Glen Alexander Milne bought 577,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of C$0.06 per share, with a total value of C$31,735.00. Insiders bought a total of 1,952,000 shares of company stock valued at $99,235 in the last three months. 31.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders. Inventus Mining Company Profile Inventus Mining Corp. engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties in Canada. The company explores for gold and base metals. It holds 100% interests in the Pardo Paleoplacer gold project covering an area of 3.8 square kilometers block of mineral leases and 180 square kilometers of mineral claims; and Sudbury 2.0 project totaling an area of 240 square kilometers of mineral claims located in Sudbury Mining Division, Ontario. Featured Stories Receive News & Ratings for Inventus Mining Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Inventus Mining and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .

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