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NHS bosses have been ordered to prioritise emergency treatment for the sickest patients this winter rather than worry about targets. Health Secretary Wes Streeting called an urgent meeting with Amanda Pritchard, the NHS chief executive, and hospital and ambulance leaders. It comes amid huge pressure on the NHS , which has been hit by a 350 per cent increase in hospital flu cases compared to the same week last year. On average, there are nearly 1,100 people in hospital with flu daily amid fears of a so-called “quad-demic”. Mr Streeting told bosses to focus on keeping ambulances on the road and cutting deadly delays in A&E . He warned them off gaming the system to hit targets by rushing less sick patients through before complex cases. Read More on Health The Health Secretary said: “This winter I want to see patient safety prioritised as we brace ourselves for the coming months. “I’m asking NHS trusts to focus on ambulance delays, handovers and the longest A&E waits.” Ambulance patients should be offloaded to casualty within 15 minutes but NHS figures show 68 per cent currently wait longer, with one in seven waiting over an hour. Handover delays mean ambulances take longer to arrive at the next patient. Most read in Health Category 2 calls, including suspected strokes and heart attacks, currently take 42 minutes against the 18-minute target. Amanda Pritchard , NHS chief executive, said: “The NHS is already seeing unprecedented demand going into winter with flu cases quadrupling. “We know services are set to come under even more strain.” Dr Adrian Boyle, of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: “What contributed to hundreds of avoidable deaths per week last year was stays of 12 hours or more. “Efforts to reduce stays of this length must be given the same priority as treating people within the current target of four-hours. “This is a matter of life and death.” Other doctors hit back at Mr Streeting’s comments as unreasonable. Dr Tim Cooksley, of the Society for Acute Medicine, said: “The stark reality is not that hospitals and staff on the frontline are manipulating targets but that they are simply unable to deliver safe and effective care because there is insufficient workforce and capacity.”None
Kosovo arrested several suspects Saturday after an explosion at a key canal feeding two of its main power plants, while neighbouring Serbia rejected accusations of staging the blast. The explosion Friday near the town of Zubin Potok, which sits in an ethnic Serb-dominated area in Kosovo's troubled north, damaged a canal that supplies water to hundreds of thousands of people and cooling systems at two coal-fired power plants that generate most of Kosovo's electricity. As security forces swarmed the area around the canal, whose concrete walls were left with a gaping hole gushing water, Prime Minister Albin Kurti visited the site and announced authorities had arrested several people. Law enforcement "carried out searches" and "collected testimony and evidence, and the criminals and terrorists will have to face justice and the law," he said. The arrests follow a security meeting late Friday, when Kurti pointed the finger at Serbia. "The attack was carried out by professionals. We believe it comes from gangs directed by Serbia," he told a press conference, without providing evidence. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic hit back Saturday, denying the "irresponsible" and "baseless accusations". "Such unfounded claims are aimed to tarnish Serbia's reputation, as well as to undermine efforts to promote peace and stability in the region," he said in a statement to AFP. Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric had earlier suggested on X that the Kosovar "regime" could itself be behind the blast, calling for an international investigation. The main political party representing Serbs in Kosovo, Serb List, also condemned the attack "in the strongest possible terms". AFP journalists at the scene saw water leaking heavily from one side of the reinforced canal, which runs from the Serb-majority north of Kosovo to the capital, Pristina. However, electricity supplies to consumers were running smoothly on Saturday morning, with authorities having found an alternative method to cool the plants, said Kosovo's Economy Minister Artane Rizvanolli. Repair work was ongoing, authorities said, while Kurti confirmed workers had managed to restore water flows to 25 percent capacity. - Fears of 'escalation' - The United States strongly condemned the "attack on critical infrastructure in Kosovo", the US embassy in Pristina said in a statement on Facebook. "We are monitoring the situation closely... and have offered our full support to the government of Kosovo to ensure that those responsible for this criminal attack are identified and held accountable." Turkey's foreign ministry also condemned the attack, adding: "We call on all parties to exercise restraint to avoid escalation in the region." The NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping mission for Kosovo joined the calls for restraint. "It is important that facts are established and that those responsible are held accountable and brought to justice," it said in a statement. The force is providing security in the surrounding area and has offered logistical, explosives removal and engineering support to the Kosovo authorities, it added. The European Union's ambassador to Kosovo, Aivo Orav, joined the international condemnation, saying on X: "The incident needs to be investigated and those responsible brought to justice." Animosity between ethnic Albanian-majority Kosovo and Serbia has persisted since the end of the war between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanian insurgents in the late 1990s. Kosovo declared independence in 2008, a move that Serbia has refused to acknowledge. Kurti's government has for months sought to dismantle a parallel system of social services and political offices backed by Belgrade to serve Kosovo's Serbs. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama on Saturday denounced "the act of sabotage on the critical water supply infrastructure in the Iber-Lepenc Canal" in comments on X, calling it "a serious crime that endangers the lives of Kosovo's citizens and undermines the process of normalizing relations in our region." Friday's attack came after a series of violent incidents in northern Kosovo, including the hurling of hand grenades at a municipal building and a police station earlier this week. ih/ach/giv/jhb/sbkSyrian government services come to ‘complete halt’ as workers stay at home
Kimberley hosts U18 BC Curling Championships
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Austin Seibert missed his second extra point of the game with 21 seconds left after Washington’s Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin connected on an 86-yard touchdown, Dallas’ Juanyeh Thomas returned the ensuing onside kick attempt for a touchdown, and the Cowboys pulled out a 34-26 victory Sunday that extended the Commanders’ skid to three games. Seibert, who missed the previous two games with a right hip injury, was wide left on the point-after attempt following a low snap. Thomas then took the kick back 43 yards as the Cowboys (4-7) ended their losing streak at five in improbable fashion. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.
Antonio Brown attempted to ask out Yung Miami during his appearance on her talk show, Caresha Please . The topic began with Yung Miami asking the age of the 36-year-old former receiver. "I like to be in a relationship where I can learn something," Miami explained. "I like maturity." She then asked Brown for his current relationship status , to which he answered: "I'm waiting for you." The moment is going viral on social media, with fans sharing mixed responses. "If those cameras were off....he would’ve had her. I can tell," one user responded to the clip on X (formerly Twitter). Others were less supportive of the flirting. "It’s so wack when you approach a woman like this. Okay you got that initial chuckle now get serious my boi!" one fan wrote. Read More: Antonio Brown Criticizes Jay-Z For Performing At Tom Brady Ceremony Mar 11, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Antonio Brown poses for photographers after the game between the Atlanta Hawks and the LA Clippers at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports Elsewhere during the interview, Brown also defended his online antics as being for entertainment. “I just got testosterone and I just like to be respected. You know what I'm saying? I'm from Miami, so I took a lot of disrespect. But for the most part, I'm just an entertainer and I like to bring a lot of tension to s**t,” he explained. “Because I feel like people don't push me to a point where I was, like, nah, I got to be... not even defend myself, it's just, like, now I got to make a joke out of them. I come up with big jokes, smokes and jokes. So, if I'm being funny or bringing some light to something, it's probably some realness and a little entertainment because I don't want to take it too serious." Brown has made countless headlines in recent years since his retirement from the NFL. Last month, he endorsed Donald Trump at one of his rallies in Pennsylvania, where he used to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Check out Antonio Brown's viral appearance on Yung Miami's Caresha Please below. Read More: Antonio Brown Tries To Win Back Keyshia Cole Again By Thirsting In Her IG CommentsPresident-elect John Dramani Mahama Calls for Unity and Action in Victory SpeechSchool district defends decision to punish parents for wearing pink 'XX' wristbands
By Michael Chapman Iceland’s rapid growth in the gambling sector might be considered due to its advanced technological literacy, fast internet speeds, and effective regulations. As it stands as of December 2024, Iceland’s online gambling industry is thought to be worth approximately 150 million euros. Gambling laws are particularly strict in Iceland, and there are no traditional casinos in the country Why is online gambling becoming more popular in Iceland? Despite the regulations, the gambling market is thriving online among Icelanders. In fact, it has been argued that Iceland’s stringent legislation is actually attractive to gaming companies who value security and transparency, particularly in relation to their payment systems. The numbers appear to support this. In 2024, gambling revenues are reported to have increased by 25%, one of the highest upswings in Europe. One of the main reasons behind online gambling’s steady growth here could be down to Iceland’s excellent internet coverage. Another is that is both digitally-literate and generally considered affluent; the prime demographic for online casino users. Sign up for our weekly newsletter Get news from Iceland, photos, and in-depth stories delivered to your inbox every week! Subscribe to Iceland Review In-depth stories and high-quality photography showcasing life in Iceland! Related News From the Travel Desk © 2024 - Iceland Review ehf. All rights reserved.Syria’s prime minister said that most cabinet ministers were back at work on Monday after rebels overthrew President Bashar Assad. However, some state workers failed to return to their jobs and a United Nations official said the country’s public sector had come “to a complete and abrupt halt”. Meanwhile, streams of refugees crossed back into Syria from neighbouring countries, hoping for a more peaceful future and looking for relatives who disappeared during Mr Assad’s brutal rule. President Bashar Assad fled to Russia after rebels overthrew his regime (Hussein Malla/AP) The alliance is led by a former senior al-Qaida militant, who severed ties with the extremist group years ago and has promised representative government and religious tolerance. The rebel command said they would not tell women how to dress. “It is strictly forbidden to interfere with women’s dress or impose any request related to their clothing or appearance, including requests for modesty,” the command said in a statement on social media. Nearly two days after rebels entered the capital, some key government services had shut down after state workers ignored calls to go back to their jobs, the UN official said, causing issues at airports and borders and slowing the flow of humanitarian aid. People attend a rally celebrating the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government. It comes as the prime minister said that Cabinet ministers were back at work (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix) Mr Jalali stayed in Syria when Mr Assad fled and has sought to project normalcy since. “We are working so that the transitional period is quick and smooth,” he told Sky News Arabia TV on Monday, saying the security situation had already improved from the day before. At the court of Justice in Damascus, which was stormed by the rebels to free detainees, Judge Khitam Haddad, an aide to the justice minister in the outgoing government, said that judges were ready to resume work quickly. “We want to give everyone their rights,” Mr Haddad said outside the courthouse. “We want to build a new Syria and to keep the work, but with new methods.” But a UN official said some government services had been paralysed as worried state employees stayed at home. The public sector “has just come to a complete and abrupt halt,” said Adam Abdelmoula, UN resident and humanitarian co-ordinator for Syria, noting, for example, that an aid flight carrying urgently needed medical supplies had been put on hold after aviation employees abandoned their jobs. Ahmad al-Sharaa’s rebel faction has promised representative government and religious tolerance, including announcing that they will not tell women how to dress (Omar Albam/AP) “I think it will take a couple of days and a lot of assurance on the part of the armed groups for these people to return to work again.” In a video shared on a rebel messaging channel, Mr al-Sharaa said: “You will see there are skills” among the rebels. The Kremlin said Russia has granted political asylum to Mr Assad, a decision made by President Vladimir Putin. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on Mr Assad’s specific whereabouts and said Mr Putin did not plan to meet with him. In public squares, many people were still celebrating. Civilian traffic resumed, but there was no public transport (Hussein Malla/PA) In public squares, some people were still celebrating. Civilian traffic resumed, but there was no public transport. Long lines formed in front of bakeries and other food stores. There was little sign of any security presence though in some areas, small groups of armed men were stationed in the streets.The suspect in the high-profile killing of a health insurance CEO that has gripped the United States graduated from an Ivy League university, reportedly hails from a wealthy family, and wrote social media posts brimming with cerebral musings. Luigi Mangione, 26, was thrust into the spotlight Monday after police revealed his identity as their person of interest, crediting his arrest to a tip from a McDonald's worker. He has been connected by police to the fatal shooting of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson last week in broad daylight, in a case that has laid bare deep frustrations and anger with the nation's privatized medical system. News of his capture triggered an explosion of online activity, with Mangione quickly amassing new followers on social media as citizen sleuths and US media try to understand who he is. While some lauded him as a hero and lamented his arrest, others analyzed his intellectual takes in search of ideological clues. A photo on one of his social media accounts includes an X-ray of an apparently injured spine, though no explicit political affiliation has emerged. Meanwhile, memes and jokes proliferated, many riffing on his first name and comparing him to the "Mario Bros." character Luigi, sometimes depicted in AI-altered images wielding a gun or holding a Big Mac. "Godspeed. Please know that we all hear you," wrote one user on Facebook. "I want to donate to your defense fund," added another. According to Mangione's LinkedIn profile, he is employed as a data engineer at TrueCar, a California-based online auto marketplace. A company spokesperson told AFP Mangione "has not been an employee of our company since 2023." Although he had been living in Hawaii ahead of the killing, he originally hails from Towson, Maryland, near Baltimore. He comes from a prominent and wealthy Italian-American family, according to the Baltimore Banner. The family owns local businesses, including the Hayfields Country Club, per the club's website. - Standout student - A standout student, Mangione graduated at the top of his high school class in 2016. In an interview with his local paper at the time, he praised his teachers for fostering a passion for learning beyond grades and encouraging intellectual curiosity. He went on to attend the prestigious University of Pennsylvania, where he completed both a bachelor's and master's degree in computer science by 2020, according to a university spokesperson. While at Penn, Mangione co-led a group of 60 undergraduates who collaborated on video game projects, as noted in a now-deleted university webpage, archived on the Wayback Machine. On Instagram, where his following has skyrocketed from hundreds to tens of thousands, Mangione shared snapshots of his travels in Mexico, Puerto Rico and Hawaii. He also posted shirtless photos flaunting a six-pack and appeared in celebratory posts with fellow members of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. However, it is on X (formerly Twitter) that users have scoured Mangione's posts for potential motives. His header photo -- an X-ray of a spine with bolts -- remains cryptic, with no public explanation. Finding a coherent political ideology has also proved elusive. Mangione has linked approvingly to posts criticizing secularism as a harmful consequence of Christianity's decline. In April, he wrote, "Horror vacui (nature abhors a vacuum)." The following month, he posted an essay he wrote in high school titled "How Christianity Prospered by Appealing to the Lower Classes of Ancient Rome." In another post from April, he speculated that Japan's low birthrate stems from societal disconnection, adding that "fleshlights" and other vaginal-replica sex toys should be banned. ia/nro
9to5Mac Daily: December 9, 2024 – Apple modem and cellular Macs
Hezbollah fires over 180 rockets, other projectiles into Israel, wounding at least 7Unocoin Exchange Lists Morpheus' MOR As Part of Wider AI EmbraceNew season of ‘The Curious Case of...’ explores Bam Margera’s conservatorship
Oil company Phillips 66 faces federal charges related to alleged Clean Water Act violations LOS ANGELES (AP) — Oil company Phillips 66 has been federally indicted in connection with alleged violations of the Clean Water Act in California. The Texas-based company is accused of discharging hundreds of thousands of gallons of industrial wastewater containing excessive amounts of oil and grease. The U.S. Department of Justice announced the indictment on Thursday. Phillips is charged with two counts of negligently violating the Clean Water Act and four counts of knowingly violating the Clean Water Act. An arraignment date has not been set. A spokesperson for the company said it was cooperating with prosecutors. US regulators seek to break up Google, forcing Chrome sale as part of monopoly punishment U.S. regulators want a federal judge to break up Google to prevent the company from continuing to squash competition through its dominant search engine after a court found it had maintained an abusive monopoly over the past decade. The proposed breakup floated in a 23-page document filed late Wednesday by the U.S. Justice Department calls for Google to sell its industry-leading Chrome web browser and impose restrictions designed to prevent Android from favoring its search engine. Regulators also want to ban Google from forging multibillion-dollar deals to lock in its dominant search engine as the default option on Apple’s iPhone and other devices. What you need to know about the proposed measures designed to curb Google's search monopoly U.S. regulators are proposing aggressive measures to restore competition to the online search market after a federal judge ruled that Google maintained an illegal monopoly. The sweeping set of recommendations filed late Wednesday could radically alter Google’s business. Regulators want Google to sell off its industry-leading Chrome web browser. They outlined a range of behavioral measures such as prohibiting Google from using search results to favor its own services such as YouTube, and forcing it to license search index data to its rivals. They're not going as far as to demand Google spin off Android, but are leaving that door open if the remedies don't work. SEC Chair Gary Gensler, who led US crackdown on cryptocurrencies, to step down Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler will step down from his post on January 20. Since taking the lead at the SEC, the commission has been aggressive in its oversight of cryptocurrencies and other regulatory issues. President-elect Donald Trump had promised during his campaign that he would remove Gensler, who has led the U.S. government’s crackdown on the crypto industry and repeatedly called for more oversight. But Gensler on Thursday announced that he would be stepping down from his post on the day that Trump is inaugurated. Bitcoin has jumped 40% since Trump’s victory. US intelligence warns defense companies of Russian sabotage threat WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. intelligence officials are warning American defense companies to increase their security after a wave of sabotage in Europe blamed on Russia. The National Counterintelligence and Security Center issued a public bulletin Thursday advising companies that work in the defense industry that Russia may seek to carry out acts of sabotage as part of its effort to undercut Ukraine's allies and their ability to support Ukraine in its defense against Russia. Western authorities say they believe Russian intelligence is behind several recent acts of sabotage targeting European defense companies. Russia has denied the allegations. Elon Musk's budget crusade could cause a constitutional clash in Trump's second term WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump has put Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy in charge of finding ways to cut government spending and regulations. It's possible that their efforts will lead to a constitutional clash. This week, Musk and Ramaswamy said they would encourage the Republican president-elect to refuse to spend money allocated by Congress, which would conflict with a 1974 law that's intended to prevent presidents from blocking funds. If Trump takes such a step, it would quickly become one of the most closely watched legal battles of his second administration. Musk and Ramaswamy also aim to dramatically reduce the size of the federal workforce. Bitcoin is at the doorstep of $100,000 as post-election rally rolls on NEW YORK (AP) — Bitcoin is jumping again, rising above $98,000 for the first time Thursday. The cryptocurrency has been shattering records almost daily since the U.S. presidential election, and has rocketed more than 40% higher in just two weeks. It's now at the doorstep of $100,000. Cryptocurrencies and related investments like crypto exchange-traded funds have rallied because the incoming Trump administration is expected to be more “crypto-friendly.” Still, as with everything in the volatile cryptoverse, the future is hard to predict. And while some are bullish, other experts continue to warn of investment risks. Stock market today: Wall Street rises with Nvidia as bitcoin bursts above $99,000 NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks climbed after market superstar Nvidia and another round of companies said they’re making even fatter profits than expected. The S&P 500 pulled 0.5% higher Thursday after flipping between modest gains and losses several times in the morning. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 1.1%, and the Nasdaq composite edged up by less than 0.1%. Banks, smaller companies and other areas of the stock market that tend to do best when the economy is strong helped lead the way, while bitcoin briefly broke above $99,000. Crude oil, meanwhile, continued to rise. Treasury yields inched higher in the bond market. What will happen to CNBC and MSNBC when they no longer have a corporate connection to NBC News? Two television networks with “NBC” in their names — MSNBC and CNBC — will no longer have any corporate connection to NBC News once a spinoff formally takes effect in about a year. Comcast is cutting loose several of its cable companies into a separate company in order to improve its bottom line. It leaves several questions, particularly for MSNBC. Will the news network geared to liberal viewers continue to use NBC News personnel? Will it have to leave its offices and studios at the NBC News headquarters in New York's Rockefeller Center? Will they even keep the same names? The biggest remaining unsanctioned Russian bank hit with U.S. sanctions, nearly three years into war WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia’s third largest bank, Gazprombank and its six foreign subsidiaries were hit with U.S. sanctions on Thursday. The action is intended to curtail Russia’s ability to evade the thousands of sanctions imposed on the nation since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the sanctions targeting Russia’s largest remaining non-sanctioned bank would further diminish Russia’s military effort and “will make it harder for the Kremlin to evade U.S. sanctions and fund and equip its military.” In addition, more than 50 internationally connected Russian banks 40 Russian securities registrars, and 15 Russian finance officials were hit with sanctions.WASHINGTON (AP) — For years, Pat Verhaeghe didn’t think highly of Donald Trump as a leader. Then Verhaeghe began seeing more of Trump’s campaign speeches online and his appearances at sporting events. There was even the former president’s pairing with Bryson DeChambeau as part of the pro golfer’s YouTube channel series to shoot an under-50 round of golf while engaging in chitchat with his partner. “I regret saying this, but a while ago I thought he was an idiot and that he wouldn’t be a good president,” said the 18-year-old first-time voter. “I think he’s a great guy now.” Verhaeghe isn't alone among his friends in suburban Detroit or young men across America. Although much of the electorate shifted right to varying degrees in 2024, young men were one of the groups that More than half of men under 30 supported Trump, , a survey of more than 120,000 voters, while Democrat Joe Biden had won a similar share of this group four years earlier. White men under 30 were solidly in Trump’s camp this year — about 6 in 10 voted for Trump — while young Latino men were split between the two candidates. Most Black men under 30 supported Democrat Kamala Harris, but about one-third were behind Trump. Young Latino men’s views of the Democratic Party were much more negative than in 2020, while young Black men’s views of the party didn’t really move. About 6 in 10 Latino men under 30 had a somewhat or very favorable view of the Democrats in 2020, which fell to about 4 in 10 this year. On the other hand, about two-thirds of young Black men had a favorable view of the Democrats this year, which was almost identical to how they saw the party four years ago. “Young Hispanic men, and really young men in general, they want to feel valued," said Rafael Struve, deputy communications director for Bienvenido, a conservative group that focused on reaching young Hispanic voters for Republicans this year. “They're looking for someone who fights for them, who sees their potential and not just their struggles.” Struve cited the during a July rally in Pennsylvania as one of the catalyzing moments for Trump’s image among many young men. Trump, Struve said, was also able to reach young men more effectively by like podcasts and digital media outlets. “Getting to hear from Trump directly, I think, really made all the difference," Struve said of the former president's appearances on digital media platforms and media catering to Latino communities, like town halls and business roundtables Trump attended in Las Vegas and Miami. Not only did Trump spend three hours on Joe Rogan's chart-topping podcast, but he took up DeChambeau's “Break 50” challenge for the golfer's more than 1.6 million YouTube subscribers. Trump already had an edge among young white men four years ago, although he widened the gap this year. About half of white men under 30 supported Trump in 2020, and slightly less than half supported Biden. Trump's were bigger. His support among both groups increased by about 20 percentage points, according to AP VoteCast — and their feelings toward Trump got warmer, too. It wasn’t just Trump. The share of young men who identified as Republicans in 2024 rose as well, mostly aligning with support for Trump across all three groups. “What is most alarming to me is that the election is clear that America has shifted right by a lot,” said William He, founder of Dream For America, a liberal group that works to turn out young voters and supported Harris’ presidential bid. With his bombastic demeanor and a policy agenda centered on a more , Trump framed much of his campaign as a pitch to men who felt scorned by the country’s economy, culture and political system. Young women also slightly swung toward the former president, though not to the degree of their male counterparts. It's unclear how many men simply did not vote this year. But there's no doubt the last four years brought changes in youth culture and how political campaigns set out to reach younger voters. Democrat Kamala Harris' campaign rolled out policy agendas tailored to Black and Latino men, and the campaign enlisted a range of leaders in Black and Hispanic communities to make the case for the vice president. Her campaign began with a from many young voters, epitomized in memes and the campaign's embrace of pop culture trends like the pop star . Democrats hoped to channel that energy into their youth voter mobilization efforts. “I think most young voters just didn’t hear the message,” said Santiago Mayer, executive director of Voters of Tomorrow, a liberal group that engages younger voters. Mayer said the Harris campaign’s pitch to the country was “largely convoluted” and centered on economic messaging that he said wasn’t easily conveyed to younger voters who were not already coming to political media. “And I think that the policies themselves were also very narrow and targeted when what we really needed was a simple, bold economic vision,” said Mayer. Trump also embraced pop culture by appearing at UFC fights, football games and appearing alongside comedians, music stars and social media influencers. His strategists believed that the former president’s ability to grab attention and make his remarks go viral did more for the campaign than paid advertisements or traditional media appearances. Trump's campaign also heavily cultivated networks of online conservative platforms and personalities supportive of him while also engaging a broader universe of podcasts, streaming sites, digital media channels and meme pages open to hearing him. “The right has been wildly successful in infiltrating youth political culture online and on campus in the last couple of years, thus radicalizing young people towards extremism,” said He, who cited conservative activist groups like Turning Point USA as having an outsize impact in online discourse. “And Democrats have been running campaigns in a very old fashioned way. The battleground these days is cultural and increasingly on the internet.” Republicans may lose their broad support if they don't deliver on improving Americans' lives, Struve cautioned. Young men, especially, may drift from the party in a post-Trump era if the party loses the president-elect's authenticity and bravado. Bienvenido, for one group, will double down in the coming years to solidify and accelerate the voting pattern shifts seen this year, Struve said. “We don’t want this to be a one and done thing,” he said. ___ Associated Press writer Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Michigan, and AP polling editor Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux contributed to this report. Matt Brown, The Associated Press
With Santa Claus, the Grinch and Buddy the Elf waiting in the wings, more than 250 families made the most of their trip to Blue Santa Saturday at the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office. The Dec. 21 pickup was the culmination of months of organization — gathering names, Christmas wishes and gifts to match the lists — as families drove through the sheriff’s office drive and parking lot, receiving bags of gifts donated by generous Boerne residents and businesses. Kevin Klaerner — a sheriff’s department lieutenant but “Chief Elf” when Blue Santa time rolls around — said this 32nd year of gift-giving grew out of the KCSO’s original “Brown Santa,” matching their uniform color. “As usual, Saturday was phenomenal,” Klaerner said. “We had over 100 volunteers putting in over 500 volunteer hours to make this happen.” Bu that blossomed into Blue Santa when the Boerne and Fair Oaks Ranch police departments expressed a desire to merge their efforts with the KCSO’s drive. Hundreds of volunteers arrived before 4 p.m. Saturday to take their appointed positions along the long, well-decorated drive prior to the planned 6 p.m. arrival of family vehicles. The sheriff’s office teams up with Boerne ISD for names of families that might benefit from the Christmas drive, as well as working with Helen’s Table out of Comfort, for a similar name supply. Klaerner noted an indirect benefit of the drive — families whose dollars are already stretched to the limit, or maxxed out, do not have to worry about spending money on Christmas gifts. With the distribution of these gifts, those funds can be spent on necessities such as groceries, bills, medication, rent, insurance, whatever issues need to be met. The bulk of presents begin to arrive in the days after Thanksgiving. They are put in storage and brought out once the Blue Santa organizers have names of children, and corresponding Christmas wish lists, to type up. For weeks, volunteers help bag the family gifts by walking among a dozen tables packed with toys, Barbies, basketballs, train sets, Legos, and games, matching wish lists to the proper age of the recipient. Klaerner said Blue Santa grows a little each year, reaching the 250 family mark this holiday season. “This is the largest community outreach project we do,” he said. “We can attribute that to a multitude of different things. I think a lot of it can be attributed to our community growing so fast. “But no matter how but the need is, this amazing community steps up and meets that need,” he said. “The toy donations are still coming in, believe it or not.” Those will be stored in climate-controlled storage and give Blue Santa a jump on toy collections for next year. But making the dream come true was Saturday’s mission, and all went well. Once a car pulls up, a sticker is placed on the vehicle that coincides with the pre-stuffed bags for each family’s children, as drivers make their way around the sheriff’s office parking and entry lane. Additional gift cards and treats were handed out by community supporters, including pizzas, candy canes, and stuffed stockings. Visits by The Grinch, Santa and Mrs. Claus, Buddy the Elf and more awaited the visitors. “There’s so much to see, they are inundated with so much love,” Klaerner said. “Every time they turn around, someone’s handing them something else through their window. “It’s just neat to think of how much love is bestowed upon each family by the members of this community,” he added. Helping make the Blue Santa distribution night happen are supporters such as the Cavender Cares Auto Group, Elite Lighting and Design, Black Rifle Coffee Co., Boerne ISD and the GVTC Foundation, among dozens of others.6 must-see home holiday displays lighting up Northeast Ohio neighborhoods (photos)
New Delhi, Dec 21 (IANS): The SpaDeX mission, expected to launch this year aboard the PSLV-C60 rocket, will propel India to the elite club of nations with space docking capabilities, said Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Saturday. ISRO aims to launch PSLV-C60 on December 30. However, the launch window is open till January 13. The space agency informed that the mission has completed “all tests and clearances”. The integration of the SpaDeX spacecraft is complete, and the spacecraft has been moved to Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh. It is currently “undergoing preparations for launch”. While only a few countries have aced the space docking technology, it is key for India for its impending space missions including the Moon mission, and setting up the Indian space station. “The launch vehicle has been integrated and now moved to the First Launch Pad, for further integration of satellites and launch preparations,” ISRO said in a post on X. “ISRO’s SpaDeX mission, launching with PSLV-C60, will demonstrate in-space docking using two small spacecraft. This groundbreaking technology is key to future lunar missions, building Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS), and more. India aims to join the elite club of nations with space docking capabilities,” it added. The PSLV will lift off two small spacecraft -- SDX01, which is the Chaser, and SDX02, the Target -- weighing about 220 kg each. The mission will showcase the docking of the two spacecraft in a low-Earth circular orbit. "In-space docking technology is essential when multiple rocket launches are required to achieve common mission objectives. Through this mission, India is marching towards becoming the fourth country in the world to have space docking technology,” ISRO said. It will also demonstrate “the transfer of electric power between the docked spacecraft, which is essential for future applications such as in-space robotics -- composite spacecraft control, and payload operations after undocking”. ISRO has also developed indigenous technologies to enable this docking mission. This includes a docking mechanism, a suite of four rendezvous and docking sensors, power transfer technology, indigenous novel autonomous rendezvous and docking strategy, inter-satellite communication link (ISL) for autonomous communication between spacecraft, incorporated with inbuilt intelligence to know the states of the other spacecraft, among others. This mission will be a forerunner for autonomous docking needed for future lunar missions like Chandrayaan-4 without the support of GNSS from Earth, ISRO said.
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