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Brendan Rodgers praises Celtic and Cameron Carter-Vickers’ mentality
, /PRNewswire/ -- , the industry leader in engagement technology for churches, announced today its acquisition of , the artificial intelligence company for pastors and churches. "At Subsplash, we're committed to supporting church communities by making it easier to share the truth of Jesus," said , CEO of Subsplash. "Pulpit AI allows us to provide hundreds of thousands of forward-looking church leaders with tools that multiply their content creation efforts—helping deepen discipleship within their communities!" This acquisition marks an exciting step forward in Subsplash's mission of equipping every church to engage more people through technology by transforming sermons into dynamic, discoverable content that reaches people every day of the week—anywhere, anytime. Pastors and church leaders can leverage the Subsplash Platform—mobile apps, online giving, live streaming, websites, media delivery, events management, communication tools, and more—now paired with the power of AI making it simple to upload sermons and automatically create a suite of content—from video clips for social media to study guides for small groups, sermon recaps, weekly newsletters, and more. "The Church should be at the forefront of innovation and creativity," said Turner. "We can't wait to see how this acquisition helps amplify the gospel message and, by the grace of Jesus, we'll never stop innovating for His Church." With Subsplash & Pulpit AI's advanced tools, pastors can save valuable time while broadening the reach and impact of their messages. By enabling church leaders to repurpose their sermons quickly and effectively, Subsplash aims to enhance engagement with each sermon created, connecting congregations with meaningful content throughout the week. Subsplash is the industry leader in Fintech and mobile SaaS with an award-winning digital engagement platform used by over 20,000 leading churches and ministries around the world. Subsplash is passionate about helping mission-minded organizations engage their audiences through centralized, easy-to-manage systems. As the creators of the Ultimate Engagement PlatformTM, they're dedicated to delivering delight to millions of people through custom mobile apps, websites, live streaming, media hosting delivery, online giving, events management, communication tools, and more. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Subsplash
The Big Central Conference released its All-Division football teams for the 2024 season. You can find the selections for the National Silver Division below. NOTE : The selections were made by coaches from the conference and not reporters from NJ.com . If an athlete’s name is misspelled, please let us know and we will make the correction.. FIRST TEAM Roman Blanks, St. Thomas Aquinas, QB, Sr. Josiah Zayas, St. Thomas Aquinas, WR/DB, Jr. Elijah Thomas, St. Thomas Aquinas, OL/DL, Sr. Caden Sternleib, St. Thomas Aquinas, OL/DL., Jr. Chase Young, St. Thomas Aquinas, RB/LB, Sr. Chukwuma Odoh, St. Thomas Aquinas, RB/LB, So. Anwar Witherspoon Jr., St. Thomas Aquinas, TE/LB, Jr. Channon Johnson, St. Thomas Aquinas, OL/DL, Jr. Shaun Jackson, Sayreville, RB/DB, Jr. Bryce Bouchard, Sayreville, OL/LB, Sr. Brian Zangrillo, Sayreville, OL/LB, Jr. Adrian Ciesla, Sayreville, OL/DL, Jr. Chase Barnes, Sayreville, LB, Jr. Dariel Jerez Abreu, Sayreville, RB/LB, Sr. Jahir Dawud, North Brunswick, RB/DB, Sr. Tommy Koroma, North Brunswick, QB/DB, Sr. Abdul Kargbo, North Brunswick, LB/RB, Sr. Nyeem Houston, North Brunswick, WR/DB, Sr. Shaun Garland, Edison, TE/DE, So. Justin Bolset, Edison, OL, Sr. Dedrick Harvey, Edison, WR/DB, Sr. Miles Muldrow, Franklin, OL/DE, Jr. Alhaji Kallon, Franklin, SS, Sr. SECOND TEAM Jose Tejeiro, St. Thomas Aquinas, TE/DE, Sr. Ca’Si Thomas, St. Thomas Aquinas, LB/RB, Fr. Anthony Perez Jr., St. Thomas Aquinas, DB/WR, Jr. Devyn McCall, Sayreville, RB, Sr. Kishore Sadowski, Sayreville, DB, Sr. Connor Mckevitt, Sayreville, OL, Jr. Ruhan Sriram, North Brunswick, OL/DL, Jr. Brian Gomez, North Brunswick, RB/LB, Jr. Zach Cipot, North Brunswick, LB/TE, Jr. Gavin Bailey, Edison, OL, Sr. Anthony Calantoni, Edison, QB, Sr. Michael Rogers Jr., Franklin, RB/LB, Fr. Mike Kinney can be reached at mkinney@njadvancemedia.com The N.J. High School Sports newsletter is now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now! Follow us on social: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter)
Innoviti Grows Advisory Board with Appointment of Industry Stalwart Nish Kotecha 11-21-2024 10:25 PM CET | Business, Economy, Finances, Banking & Insurance Press release from: Innoviti Technologies Pvt Ltd Innoviti Grows Advisory Board with Appointment of Industry Stalwart Nish Kotecha Innoviti, India's largest payments-centric retail SaaS platform, today announced the appointment of tech and Board professional and Chairman of Finboot and Agam, NISH KOTECHA as a member of its Advisory Board. Nish will advise Innoviti on building and marketing new consumer payment experiences based on his vast international experience in the financial technology space. He will also guide Innoviti in its IPO planned in the next 12 months. Nish Kotecha, is an impact and technology entrepreneur, journalist and investment banking and Board professional. He is Chair and Cofounder of Finboot. Finboot's technology provides green supply chain management for the world's largest capital-intensive companies. He is also, Chair of AGAM which is an AI driven fintech platform enabling banks to transform banking for users (individuals and businesses) through Earned Wage Access and beyond. Previously, Nish held senior positions at Lehman Brothers, JP Morgan and BZW/Barclays. Nish has been a key player in supporting enterprise and entrepreneurship globally. He was a founder of TIE UK and formerly a TIE Global Trustee; Former Business Banking Resolution Service Co-Chair & SME Panel Member; Former Deputy Chair London of Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the Investment Committee & Industry & Chairman of London Chamber of Arbitration and Mediation, amongst others. Nish is a graduate of the London School of Economics. Rajeev Agrawal, Founder and CEO of Innoviti, said: "We are excited that Nish Kotecha is joining the Innoviti Advisory Board. Nish brings with him a unique combination of consumer insights and financial technologies that will help us further enhance our highly differentiated payments-centric retail SaaS toolset to create unique value-added solutions." Nish Kotecha, said: "I am excited to formally be part of the Innoviti team at this key stage their growth and look forward to not only guiding them on their product roadmap, but also their IPO plans." About Innoviti Technologies Pvt. Ltd. Innoviti provides payments-centric retail SaaS tools to enterprise brands and their channel partners, helping them grow faster and with lesser efforts, by unlocking competitive advantages left hidden away by traditional payment solutions. Innoviti's tools run across online and offline payment channels, processing over Rs. 84, 000 Cr. annually from across 2000 cities and over 20,000 merchants. The company processes more than 50% of all purchases happening in enterprise retailers in the food & grocery, lifestyle, and healthcare categories. Backed by marquee investors such as Bessemer Venture Partners, USA, FMO, Netherlands, Catamaran Ventures (Mr. Narayana Murthy's family office), India, and the Patni Family Office, India, Innoviti is the recipient of RBI's final authorization to operate as an online payment aggregator. The company has won the 50 fastest growing companies in Asia award from Deloitte four times, Reliance Innovation Award, and the Mastercard Innovation Award, and has 11 patents to its name, with 16 more in pipeline. For more information, please visit - www.innoviti.com About Finboot Finboot's technology provides green supply chain management for the world's largest capital-intensive companies. Our technology traces carbon emissions and minimises risk through immutable data. Finboot is backed by SABIC and Repsol. Finboot has created the first green supply chain management suite with features including integrated traceability, allowing you to track carbon emissions, automate digital product passports, create your sustainability credits and facilitate compliance. About AGAM AGAM is a pioneer in Earned Wage Access (EWA). AGAM's AI driven fintech platform enabling banks to transform banking for users (individuals and businesses). Bridging users with banks through it's mobile application and revolutionising experience for all to become financially included and beyond. Innoviti Technologies Pvt. Ltd Tower C, 2nd Floor, Diamond District, Old Airport Road, Kodihalli, Bengaluru - 560008, Karnataka, India Media Contact: Chinmaya Bhure chinmaya.bhure@innoviti.com About Innoviti Technologies Pvt. Ltd. Innoviti provides payments-centric retail SaaS tools to enterprise brands and their channel partners, helping them grow faster and with lesser efforts, by unlocking competitive advantages left hidden away by traditional payment solutions. Innoviti's tools run across online and offline payment channels, processing over Rs. 84, 000 Cr. annually from across 2000 cities and over 20,000 merchants. The company processes more than 50% of all purchases happening in enterprise retailers in the food & grocery, lifestyle, and healthcare categories. Backed by marquee investors such as Bessemer Venture Partners, USA, FMO, Netherlands, Catamaran Ventures (Mr. Narayana Murthy's family office), India, and the Patni Family Office, India, Innoviti is the recipient of RBI's final authorization to operate as an online payment aggregator. The company has won the 50 fastest growing companies in Asia award from Deloitte four times, Reliance Innovation Award, and the Mastercard Innovation Award, and has 11 patents to its name, with 16 more in pipeline. For more information, please visit - www.innoviti.com This release was published on openPR.Kinziger's FTs lift Illinois State to consi win over UAB at Paradise JamSomeone thinks six prominent Kentucky Republicans could run for U.S. Senate soon. Various website domains “for senate” were recently created for congressmen Andy Barr, Brett Guthrie and James Comer, as well as former attorney general Daniel Cameron, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft and Lexington businessman Nate Morris. None of them have said they’ll seek the office, and none of them have said they’re involved in the creation of any of those websites. And there’s still not word on whether or not they could even be used in the near term. The longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history, Sen. Mitch McConnell, has yet to decide if he will run for his Senate seat again in 2026. The 82-year-old opted to step down from his leadership post earlier this year, clearing the way for Sen. John Thune, R-SD, to take over when Republicans take the majority next year. A McConnell spokesperson responded to a Herald-Leader inquiry by stating that the leader “hasn’t made an announcement about his 2026 plans.” The domain name reservations could be the work of a so-called “cybersquatter,” a term referencing someone who buys several political web domains in anticipation of a potential yet-unannounced campaign. This year, the self-described “GOAT” — greatest of all time — of cybersquatting , Jeremy Green Eche, sold the HarrisWalz.com domain to the Democratic presidential ticket for $15,000. In response to a Herald-Leader inquiry, Eche said that the Kentucky-related domains were not purchased by him. None of the sites are currently active. A spokesperson for Comer said that the congressman’s team, to his knowledge, had nothing to do with the creation of websites like “comerforussenate.com” and “comer4senate.com.” He also relayed that Comer has no interest in running for senate even if McConnell does not seek reelection. Cameron, meanwhile, left the door open. “Makenze and I are committed to serving Kentucky and we’re praying about what that looks like,” Cameron said, referring to his wife. “I remain open to any opportunity that could arise to make a difference, advance a conservative agenda, and help President Trump get our country back on track.” Cameron is now running the 1792 Exchange , a nonprofit organization dedicated to pushing back on allegedly “woke” capitalism and corporations. It’s particularly targeted at ESG — short for environmental, social and governance — which refers to the guidelines and policies used by some companies to guide or inform their investments. The group recently launched a “national” ad campaign touting its “workplace politics survey.” The former attorney general has also remained politically active in Kentucky, raising money and doling it out to state-level candidates through his All 120 PAC. In a recent email newsletter to supporters, Cameron emphasized how politically involved he’s been this year, including hitting the stump for Trump. “Even though my name wasn’t on the ballot, I hit the campaign trail hard because of the importance of this election. It was good to see old friends at Lincoln Dinners and GOP functions across the state. The greatest honor for me this election cycle was serving as a surrogate for President Trump. It gave me an opportunity to make the case for him on tv, in West Virginia, and in battleground state, Wisconsin,” Cameron wrote. Spokespeople for Barr, Guthrie and Craft, as well as a person familiar with Morris’ thinking, did not respond to a request for comment on the matter. Should the seat open up, President-elect Donald Trump could hold significant sway over who gets the GOP nomination. In the 2023 governor’s race, he endorsed Cameron early, before some others entered the race. Cameron has retained ties to Trump, speaking as his surrogate at Fancy Farm, the state’s premier political speaking event, this summer. Craft, who lost to Cameron in the 2023 GOP primary for governor, has been a mainstay fundraiser for Trump. In the lead-up to all three of the president-elect’s runs, Craft and her husband — billionaire coal magnate and philanthropist Joe Craft — have played key roles in donating their own funds as well as hosting fundraisers. Craft served as both ambassador to Canada and the United Nations during Trump’s first term. Both of those slots, as well as other major foreign affairs roles like Secretary of State, NATO ambassador and ambassador to France have already been filled. However, several other high-profile ambassadorships like England, Russia, China and others remain open. Morris is a politico-turned-entrepreneur who founded the Lexington-based waste technology company Rubicon. Morris has been active in attending political functions in recent years, has a book on the way and money to spend. In 2022 alone, he made $41 million according to outlet Waste Dive. Also in 2022, the company went public on the New York Stock Exchange in a $1.7 billion deal. Morris also has some ties to Vice President-elect JD Vance, whose story as a political outsider with deep pockets from a heartland state mirrors Morris’. Barr has also hewed closely to Trump. He served as the campaign chair this year for the state of Kentucky and says he wants to bridge the gap between “America First” Trump-style populism and free market capitalism. But he currently has his sights set on a Washington role in his own chamber. A recent report from Axios, corroborated by other Washington outlets, dubs Barr the favorite to chair the House Financial Services Committee. He’s running against fellow committee member French Hill, R-AR, and others. Barr previously rebuffed rumors he’d abandon his bid for the chairmanship if McConnell were to step down. “If my colleagues in the House want me to lead the Financial Services Committee, that’s my priority,” he said in a February interview with POLITICO. According to Republican House Conference rules , a committee chair must vacate his or her role if they decide to run for another elected office. Guthrie is also in a race for a chairmanship, in his case for the Energy and Commerce Committee. The Bowling Green Republican is outpacing his competition, Rep. Bob Latta, R-KY, in the fundraising race according to Punchbowl News. The outlet reported that House GOP leadership “tends to view Guthrie as having the inside track.” ©2024 Lexington Herald-Leader. Visit kentucky.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
India News | Voters Reject Turncoats in Western MaharashtraAffiliate Disclosure If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Read our ethics policy . US Appeals Court upholds law requiring TikTok sale Charles Martin | Dec 07, 2024 TikTok's issues with the US government and courts continue. 0 Facebook x.com Reddit In its decision, the US Court of Appeals noted that the law requiring the sale of TikTok was a bipartisan effort in order to counter "a well-substantiated national security threat posed by the PRC (People's Republic of China)." The US government believes that Bytedance's ownership of TikTok gives them — and thus the Chinese government — access to a vast trove of personal data collected from users. TikTok will likely appeal to the Supreme Court, which could result in an extra 90-day stay on enforcement of the law if the court agrees to hear the case and President Biden approves the stay. If it refuses the appeal, TikTok could be facing a ban or forced sale in the US in early January, despite the 170 million Americans using the social media service. A reflection of current political tensions TikTok is considered one of the leading sources of misinformation and disinformation, alongside other social media networks like Meta's Facebook and X.com, formerly Twitter, now owned by Elon Musk. Officials in China have called the law "a blatant act of commercial robbery." Tensions between China and the US have grown steadily because of new restrictions on China's chip industry by the Biden administration. China has responded by banning exports of certain rare earth elements to the US. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew has found allies in the American Civil Liberties Union, which said in a statement that banning TikTok "blatantly violates the First Amendment rights of millions of Americans who use this app to express themselves and communicate with people around the world." Chew vowed that TikTok "will continue the fight to protect free speech on our platform." However, the appeals court found that China's influence over ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, raised the possibility of China manipulating public discourse. If the Supreme Court refuses to hear the case, ByteDance must sell the service by January 19 — one day before President-elect Trump is sworn into office for his second term. During his previous term as President, Trump was in favor of forcing ByteDance to sell TikTok, but he has recently said he is now opposed to the deal. Trump also tried to ban Tencent-owned WeChat in 2020, but legal efforts blocked his administration from enforcing the order.
The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . MACON, Ga. (AP) — Myles Redding returned an interception 25 yards for a first-quarter touchdown and Whitt Newbauer threw a four-yard touchdown pass to start the fourth quarter as No. 7-seeded Mercer beat No. 10 Rhode Island 17—10 on Saturday. Mercer advances to the FCS semifinals for the first time and will face No. 2 North Dakota State, which beat No. 15 Abilene Christian 51-31. Redding swooped in front of Hunter Helms’ intended receiver for his seventh interception of the season with 3:33 left in the first quarter, tying him with teammate TJ Moore for the most in the nation. Rhode Island got a 17-yard field goal from Ty Groff as time expired in the first half and took the lead late in the third quarter when Helms connected with Marquis Buchanan on a 56-yard touchdown for a 10-7 lead. Senior Dwayne McGee set up two fourth-quarter scores for the Bears, slashing through the right side for a 33-yard gain to give Mercer a first-and-goal at the Rhode Island 10. On third-and-goal from the 4, Newbauer found Adjatay Dabbs for the go-ahead touchdown. After the Bears twice forced the Rams to punt in their own half of the field, McGee ran 40 yards on first down to give Mercer a first down at the Rhode Island 25, setting up a 24-yard Reice Griffith field goal for the game’s final score. McGee finished with 114 yards on 21 carries and CJ Miller added 81 yards on 10 carries for Mercer (11-2), which remained unbeaten in seven home games. RELATED COVERAGE No. 16 Iowa State falls short in Big 12 title game again, this time with CFP at stake Arizona State makes College Football Playoff with 45-19 win over Iowa State in Big 12 title game Ashton Jeanty lets his play do the talking for CFP-bound Boise State Helms finished 22 of 33 passing for 266 yards and Buchanan caught 11 passes for 119 yards to lead Rhode Island (11-3), but the Rams managed just 46 yards on 26 carries on the ground. — Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballA teen riding an e-bike has been hit by a ute after swerving into traffic on the Central Coast, prompting a police appeal for information. Login or signup to continue reading Police were called to Minnesota Road, Hamlyn Terrace about 8.15pm December 12 after reports a cyclist was hit by a car. Police were told a 14-year-old boy was riding an e-bike in a southerly direction in a bike lane, when it veered into traffic and was struck by a white utility. The white utility failed to stop and left before police arrived. The boy was treated by paramedics and taken to John Hunter Hospital for treatment. He remains there in a stable condition. A crime scene was established and police started investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash. As inquiries continue, investigators have released an image of a vehicle seen in the area at the time of the incident. Police wish to speak with the driver of the vehicle, who may be able to assist with inquiries. Anyone with information, CCTV footage and or dashcam vision in relation to the crash is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000. Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020. Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. Also includes evening update. WEEKDAYS Grab a quick bite of today's latest news from around the region and the nation. WEEKLY The latest news, results & expert analysis. WEEKDAYS Catch up on the news of the day and unwind with great reading for your evening. WEEKLY Get the editor's insights: what's happening & why it matters. WEEKLY Love footy? We've got all the action covered. WEEKLY Every Saturday and Tuesday, explore destinations deals, tips & travel writing to transport you around the globe. WEEKLY Get the latest property and development news here. WEEKLY Going out or staying in? Find out what's on. WEEKDAYS Sharp. Close to the ground. Digging deep. Your weekday morning newsletter on national affairs, politics and more. WEEKLY Follow the Newcastle Knights in the NRL? Don't miss your weekly Knights update. 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Insurance agents don Santa suits for holiday fundraiserWho are the Border Patrol chaplains? And why does the agency need more of them now?Next year, people riding the MuscaBus will have some designer artwork to examine as they are waiting for their ride to arrive, after the city begins a project to decorate the bus shelters with local art. During Thursday’s Muscatine City Council meeting, the council gave its approval for Muscatine Public Works to begin adding art in the form of vinyl panels to the shelters, but kept the right to have the final say in what goes on the shelters. Council member John Jindrich and council member Nadine Brockert had some concerns. Brockert said that she didn’t want to see the art devoted to one specific person. She was also concerned about vandalism. Jindrich said he was worried there may be political undertones of someone specifically chosen to be on a shelter. “We don’t want our bus shelters to cause a controversy,” he said. “I think it’s kind of a touchy situation for me as to how you are going to choose the people to be on the shelters.” He said that he likes plain shelters but commented that it may be a good idea to rotate the themes. Public works director Brian Stineman said it is only the concept that is being proposed at this point. Council member Angie Lewis said she believes the plan is a good one but commented that the council would have to answer for whatever went on the shelters and so should have the final say. The tentative decoration of the first shelter — located in front of city hall — is based on a book recently published by the Stanley Center for Peace and Security chronicling the life of Susan Clark. Muscatine transit supervisor Amy Fortenbacher, whose idea was to begin decorating the shelters, said that she had collaborated with Muscatine Art Center director Melanie Alexander and the Muscatine Public Art Advisory Commission. Alexander said this is a good opportunity for several art committees to be showcased. The art will be brought back to the city council during a future meeting for approval. Fortenbacher said, the department would start looking for other people or organizations to partner with to share the cost of decorating the other 11 shelters. She hopes to sponsor one or two a year. The vinyl panels are expected to last about four to seven years and not fade with age. Stineman said that the concepts for art on the shelters would be vetted by the art council before being brought to council. Council member Peggy Gordon called it a “great project.” Council member Don Lampe had said he had hoped for an overall plan. He said that the art can be used to help educate the public about what the city has to offer. “There are 12 of them” he said. “This is a huge opportunity.” Stineman called the ideas for each shelter “limitless.” Duct-taped banana sells for $6.2 million at art auction A piece of conceptual art consisting of a banana duct-taped to a wall sold for $6.2 million at an auction in New York on Wednesday. AI art is facing a copyright problem. Here's what it means for creators. Verbit examined news articles and legal research to see what the rise of artificial intelligence means for creators. (c)2024 Muscatine Journal, Iowa Visit Muscatine Journal, Iowa at www.muscatinejournal.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.SEATTLE — Oliver Bjorkstrand scored twice and Philipp Grubauer made 33 saves as the Seattle Kraken beat the Boston Bruins 5-1 on Thursday night. Jaden Schwartz and Vince Dunn also scored for the Kraken. Jared McCann had an empty-net goal and an assist, and Shane Wright added two assists. Brad Marchand scored on a penalty shot for Boston in the second period. Seattle jumped to a 2-0 lead early in the first. Bjorkstrand scored on a power play 24 seconds into the game, just eight seconds after David Pastrnak took a double minor for high-sticking. Schwartz backhanded the puck over goalie Joonas Korpisalo about five minutes later. Dunn batted the puck into Boston’s net early in the third period and the goal stood after a replay review. Seattle made it 4-1 when Wright set up Bjorkstrand for his 11th goal at 9:16. Zegras has knee surgery: Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras will be out for six weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. Five Star General, the winner of the last two Longacres Miles at Emerald Downs, has been retired from racing and will not attempt to become the first three-time winner of the most prestigious horse race in the Northwest. Five Star General owner Ken Alhadeff, whose grandfather created the Longacres Mile in 1935, has sold half-interest in the horse to Covilar, a racing and breeding operation in Virginia. The horse will begin a career as a stallion next year at Covilar’s Owl Hollow Farm near Floyd, Va. Five Star General became the fifth horse to win the Longacres Mile twice and finished in the top three the past five years. No other horse has finished in the top three of the race more than three times, and he tied the record for oldest winner last year when he won at 8. BOULDER, Colo. — Travis Hunter is the The Associated Press college football player of the year, receiving 26 of 43 votes Thursday from a panel of AP Top 25 voters. Boise State tailback Ashton Jeanty finished second with 16 votes and Arizona State running back Cameron Skattebo received one vote. Hunter kept piling up the hardware later Thursday night. He won the Walter Camp Award as player of the year along with the Chuck Bednarik Award as the top defensive player and the Biletnikoff Award for the best wide receiver. The Jim Thorpe Award as the best defensive back went to Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron, who led the SEC with five interceptions. Jeanty won the Maxwell Award as college football’s top player and the Doak Walker Award for the nation’s top running back after leading the nation with 2,497 yards and 29 touchdowns. Miami’s Cam Ward was the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback of the Year award winner with a nation-best 36 passing touchdowns along with 4,123 passing yards. The coach of the year was Indiana’s Curt Cignetti, who led his team to the playoffs after being picked to finish 17th of 18 Big Ten teams. South Carolina defensive end Kyle Kennard captured the Bronco Nagurski Trophy as the top defensive player. Georgia’s Jalon Walker won the Butkus Award as the nation’s best linebacker. Ohio State center Seth McLaughlin won the Rimington Trophy. Texas left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. was the Outland Trophy winner as the top interior lineman. The top punter was USC’s Eddie Czaplicki, who captured the Ray Guy Award. Louisiana’s Kenneth Almendares was picked as the top placekicker, winning the Lou Groza Award. Rodriguez returning to West Virginia: Rich Rodriguez is returning to West Virginia for a second stint as head coach at his alma mater. UNLV hires Mullen: UNLV is hiring former Florida and Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen as head coach. FCS title game going back to Tennessee: The NCAA is taking its Football Championship Subdivision title game back to Tennessee, with games at the end of the 2025 and 2026 seasons played in Nashville on the Vanderbilt campus. Basketball: LeBron James was ruled out of the Lakers’ game at Minnesota on Friday due to soreness in his left foot. College: Louisville approved a five-year contract extension for AD Josh Heird . Pro football: The Broncos signed left tackle Garett Bolles to a four-year extension. ... Houston receiver Nico Collins was fined about $5,000 for throwing a football into the stands after a touchdown. Court: Raiders player Charles Snowden was “passed out” behind the wheel of a Jeep Cherokee with its engine running before his arrest on a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence of alcohol. ... The West Coast Conference is suing Grand Canyon University over breach of contract after the school changed course and decided to join the Mountain West Conference. ... The trial against Rays shortstop Wander Franco was postponed and scheduled to resume June 2, 2025. Motor sports: Front Row Motorsports , one of two teams suing NASCAR in federal court, accused the stock car series of rejecting the planned purchase of a charter from Stewart-Haas Racing unless the lawsuit was dropped. Golf: Pro Shop , the new golf media company led by “Full Swing” executive producer Chad Mumm , announced a deal with the PGA Tour that brings back The Skins Game for the first time since 2008. ... Andy Sullivan shot 8-under 64 to take a one-stroke lead at the Alfred Dunhill Championship. Tennis: Three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka was among nine wild-card entries awarded for the Australian Open in January.
Who are the Border Patrol chaplains? And why does the agency need more of them now?
WASHINGTON — The House passed a bill Thursday that would create dozens of new federal district court judgeships for the first time in decades, although the Biden administration has threatened to veto it. Supporters of the legislation, which passed the House 236-173 on Thursday and the Senate via unanimous consent in August, say the bill is aimed at addressing case backlogs in the federal court system. The measure would add 63 permanent positions to the federal judiciary and three temporary positions. The permanent positions would be created in phases between 2025 and 2035. In total, 207 House Republicans and 29 House Democrats voted for the measure. Members of both parties agreed the federal judiciary needs more judges. But the timing of the vote drew opposition from the Biden administration and some House Democrats, who said Republicans were playing political games by refusing to bring the bill up for a floor vote until after the November general election. By waiting to vote on the bill until after the election, there is no longer uncertainty over which presidential candidate would get to appoint the first two tranches of judgeships, which would come in 2025 and 2027, Democrats argued. New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, argued that when the bill arrived in the House, Republican leadership refused to touch it. “If Republican leadership had brought the bill to the House floor in September, we could have passed it on suspension in no time,” Nadler said. “Back then, the president would still have been unknown, and the underlying promise of the bill was still present.” Speaking on the floor, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., acknowledged the bill would have passed by unanimous consent had it been brought up sooner. “I apologize to everyone here for the hour we’re taking for something that we should have done before” the election, he said. But Issa said it would only be “pettiness today if we were to not do this because of who got to be first.” He compared the situation to a coin flip at the start of a football game, where the flip winner gets to decide whether they kick or receive the ball. “Afterwards, it will go back and forth for a very long time. This is a very long time, and we should be the long thinkers on the most permanent body in government,” Issa said. Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, said on the floor that sudden opposition to the bill from Democrats was “nothing more than childish foot-stomping.” The Biden administration threatened to veto the bill earlier this week, saying in a statement of administration policy that the bill is “unnecessary to the efficient and effective administration of justice.” The statement said the bill would add new judgeships in states where senators “have sought to hold open existing judicial vacancies.” “Further, the Senate passed this bill in August, but the House refused to take it up until after the election,” the statement read. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., said when the bill arrived in the House, Republican leadership injected politics into the legislation. He argued bringing the bill to the floor until after the election isn’t fair. “You don’t get to pick the horse after that horse has already won the race, but that’s exactly what my Republican colleagues are seeking to do today,” he said. Issa weighed in after Johnson’s speech. “We often hear the term here in the House and throughout our country: ‘country before party.’ It’s clear we didn’t hear that here yet today on the other side of the aisle,” Issa said. Congress has added a relatively smaller number of district court judgeships since 1990, created using appropriations or authorization bills, but the federal courts say they need much more based on an increase in caseload over the years. The Judicial Conference in 2023 called for 66 new district court judges and seven temporary judges to be made permanent. Gabe Roth, the executive director of Fix the Court, said in press releases that Biden should reconsider his veto threat given “the bill’s bipartisan origins, its broad support among Democratic judicial appointees and its importance to Delaware, whose federal court would get two new judgeships — a 50 percent increase.” “As someone who’s worked for years on adding judgeships, I know how difficult it is to get to the right formula of which judgeships to add when, how much money is needed for appropriations and when in an election cycle to move legislation,” Roth said. “We finally had each of these things in place and now comes a veto threat? That’s a slap in the face to our overworked federal judges, Democratic and Republican appointees alike, who say they desperately need the help,” Roth said.
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TEL AVIV, Israel, and BEIRUT — Celebratory gunfire rang out in the Lebanese capital Beirut overnight Tuesday to mark the start of a ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon to end almost 14 months of fighting. The truce, brokered by the United States and France, went into effect at 4 a.m. local time on Wednesday. Fighting, however, continued up to the zero hour, with Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon far into the night. Underlining the potential fragility of the truce, the Israeli military says it fired toward suspects in a prohibited zone just hours into the ceasefire, and the suspects left. Israel's defense minister, Israel Katz, said they were Hezbollah operatives in a border village. In a joint statement , President Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron said the deal "will cease the fighting in Lebanon, and secure Israel from the threat of Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations operating from Lebanon." They said it "will create the conditions to restore lasting calm and allow residents in both countries to return safely to their homes" along the border. Hezbollah started firing rockets into northern Israel in support of Hamas after the Palestinian militant group led an attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire since then. The fighting — which intensified eight weeks ago, when Israel initiated a ground invasion of southern Lebanon aimed at eliminating Hezbollah fighters and weapons capabilities from the border region — has killed more than 3,700 people in Lebanon, according to Lebanese health officials, and around 80 people in northern Israel, according to Israeli officials. The conflict has driven more than 1.2 million Lebanese — about a fifth of the population — from their homes, according to the United Nations . Israel estimates about 60,000 people evacuated northern communities to flee Hezbollah's rockets. Israel also stepped up airstrikes across Lebanon in recent months, which damaged homes and infrastructure, and killing the group's top officials — including longtime chief Hassan Nasrallah , its senior commander in the south, Mohammed Nasser , and rocket and missile commander Ibrahim Qubaisi. Israel has fulfilled its military objectives, primarily eliminating Hezbollah infrastructure, says Randa Slim, director of the Conflict Resolution and Track II Dialogues Program at the Middle East Institute. "On the border, it's pretty much destroyed," Slim says. "But on top of that, they have wiped out their military command council, as well as their political leadership, top senior political leadership. So these are severe blows to Hezbollah, which is going to take a long, long time to recover from." Many Lebanese already began trying to return to their southern villages, despite Israeli military warnings not to do so yet, while Israeli troops are still deployed. In southern Lebanon, Patricia Taleb, 24, was driving Wednesday to reach the home she was forced to abandon earlier. "We know that this is the end days of the war. We know that ultimately it's going to be OK," she told NPR. For now, Israel is discouraging its residents from returning to their abandoned homes in the border area. Education Minister Yoav Kisch said on Israel Army Radio there will be a 30- to 60-day period of renovating buildings and institutions damaged by Hezbollah fire before Israel initiates a return of Israeli residents. Orna Peretz, an Israeli displaced from Kiryat Shmona, a town less than a mile from the Israel-Lebanon border, told NPR he thinks Hezbollah — founded during Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war — has been taught a lesson "it never endured in its entire lifetime." "There is a good deal here that had to come because of the international pressure. And we have somewhere to return to," he said. Alluding to the devastation that Israel has inflicted on southern Lebanon, he added: "The Lebanese have nowhere to return to." The terms of the ceasefire The ceasefire agreement calls for a 60-day timeframe for Hezbollah fighters to withdraw from an area south of the Litani River — effectively creating a buffer between the militants and northern Israel. Israeli forces are expected to similarly withdraw to the Israeli side of the border. To ensure security in the area, the deal calls for thousands of Lebanese government soldiers to deploy to the south, along with U.N. peacekeeping forces known as UNIFIL , according to a copy of the deal seen by NPR. A U.S.-led international panel will monitor for violations of the terms of the agreement. In addition, the agreement calls for Lebanese government authorities to prevent Hezbollah or any other armed group from carrying out attacks on Israel. It further requires Lebanon's military and security forces be the only armed group allowed to operate in southern Lebanon, and that Lebanese authorities prevent the reestablishment and rearming of any non-state armed group in the country. Israel has pledged to aggressively respond to any breach of the terms. "Any violation of the ceasefire will be met with fire," Israeli military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters. He said Israeli "soldiers are still positioned in southern Lebanon, in villages and areas from which the forces will gradually withdraw in accordance with the agreement." "This is all going to be about the enforcement," says Shalom Lipner, a Jerusalem-based Middle East expert at the Atlantic Council. "They're telegraphing that there will not be any exceptions [as] in the past." "The stated intent is that at the smallest infraction, they will go through the motions of reporting this to the [U.S.-led international] supervisory committee and [if] Israel doesn't get satisfaction, they will take action on their own," he says. Iran and Israel's Arab neighbors have welcomed the ceasefire After the U.S.- and-France brokered deal was announced in Paris, Iran — which has long been the primary backer of both Hezbollah and Hamas militants in Gaza — said it welcomed the news to end "aggression against Lebanon." Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei emphasized Tehran's "firm support for the Lebanese government, nation and resistance." In separate statements, Jordan and Egypt each said Israel's "aggression in Gaza" should be stopped. Jordan called the Lebanon ceasefire "an important step." Egypt's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Cairo hopes the ceasefire "will contribute to the beginning of the de-escalation phase in the region." It called for Israel to allow "full access to humanitarian aid without obstacles in light of the catastrophic humanitarian conditions in the [Gaza] Strip, in addition to stopping the unjustified violations in the West Bank." Saudi Arabia said it hoped the ceasefire "will lead to the implementation of [U.N.] Security Council Resolution 1701," referring to a previous agreement renewing UNIFIL's mandate at the end of a 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. Saudi Arabia called for "the preservation of Lebanon's sovereignty, security and stability and the return of the displaced to their homes in safety and security." Palestinians in Gaza and some Israelis have misgivings Still, some Israelis remain skeptical. "This deal, we still know nothing about it," Avraham Moreno, displaced from Shlomi, a village on the border with Lebanon, tells NPR. "We have very, very mixed feelings, even though we really want to return home." And in Gaza, there are worries as well. Wala Hanuna, 34, a Palestinian displaced by Israel's nearly 14-month military offensive there , worried that the Israeli military would now be free to wreak more destruction on the territory. "We read the news that the Israeli army fighting in Lebanon will go now to Gaza," she said. "Maybe the war here will last another year, with no one thinking how we will get out of this." Hamas, the militant group that Israel has been fighting in Gaza, thanked Hezbollah for its "pivotal role ... in support of the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian resistance, and the great sacrifices," including the death of Nasrallah. On the Lebanese side of the border, "many of the country's displaced may not be able to return home for months, as Israel has razed entire villages near the 'Blue Line' border," according to David Wood, a senior analyst on Lebanon at Crisis Group. The Blue Line is the demarcation in southern Lebanon from where Israel withdrew in 2000. Humanitarian aid agencies see challenges ahead The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, says the fighting has limited access to southern Lebanon, where more than 188,000 people live in more than 1,000 government-assigned collective shelters, many of which have reached maximum capacity. "The heavy bombardments have also had a devastating impact on public services and infrastructure," the agency said. In a statement on the ceasefire, UNICEF said it hopes the agreement "will bring an end to the war which has killed more than 240 children, injured around 1,400, and upended the lives of countless others." "Urgent work must now begin to ensure this peace is sustained. Children and families must be able to return to their communities safely, especially those displaced in shelters and host communities," the agency said. Scott Neuman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Lauren Frayer contributed reporting from Beirut; Kat Lonsdorf and Daniel Estrin contributed from Tel Aviv. Copyright 2024 NPR
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