65 jili

65 jili Minnesota House panel votes to cover DFLer’s workplace employment actionCheck Saturday’s headlines after Michigan’s upset win at The Ohio State University, Deion’s and Billy’s vows and Iron Bowl fracas, etc.: “Warren challenges OSU over postgame brawl after Michigan win: ‘You should’ve done something about it.’” “Ohio State-Michigan Ends in Brawl After Wolverines Plant Flag on OSU Logo.” “Police Use Pepper Spray.” “Conference fines schools $100,000 apiece.” “Sanders Draws Line: Colorado Buff’s Face Discipline Over Gang Sign Celebrations.” “Napier apologizes for ‘embarrassing’ postgame melee vs. Florida State, promises consequences.” “Tempers flare during Iron Bowl.” “College Football Bowl Projections: Ohio State, Miami Losses Plunge Playoff Into Pure Pandemonium.” Ricky Adams Surprised? Ahead, let’s count players skipping bowl games “prepping for the NFL Combine/Draft,” creating ever-diminishing, bowls that’re less fun than solitaire Chinese Checkers. The NCAA is moving toward increasing football scholarship totals from 85 to 105, simultaneously invoking the opposite of Emma Lazarus’s welcoming words to U.S.A. arrivals: “Walk-ons not welcome in college sports’ future.” Next, and sadly monstrous, SEC schools have been required to publish injury reports throughout game weeks, so gamblers are bettor informed. Can’t see where anything evil could erupt from enhanced sports gambling, or so the 1919 Chicago White Sox, Alex Karas, Paul Hornung and Pete Rose thought. Is what we watch what’s really happening? Do college fans think some officials’ decisions look suspicious? Or wonder how a quarterback misses a wide-open receiver or how a ball carrier fumbles for no apparent reason? Hmmm. Elsewhere, can anyone deny a future doomsday headline: “ESPN Announces Rose Bowl to Be Played at 1 a.m. Christmas Morning in Poughkeepsie?“ Just wonderin’ ... In the aftermath of the NCAA’s December 4 early signing date for high school football players, on December 9, fans can monitor the transfer pothole, that’s already produced a season of seemingly unexplainable losses/wins. Speaking of the pothole, Alabama (9-3) has 13 transfers; Auburn (5-7) has 38; and Colorado (9-3) has 51. Troy, with 52, boasted a 4-8 record. Arizona State has 65 transfers. Nowadays, it’s not how many starred players a college signs; it’s how many it keeps ... by recruiting/paying its current players daily. There has to be ill will when players emerge from the pothole and are inserted ahead of same position players, who’ve paid with practices/sweat/injuries to play at their school and were projected starters until the new guys arrived. As everyone knows, there’s no “team” in “I.” We may all end up Notre Dame fans. That’s today’s NCAA football. Moving to amateur sports, let’s remember Enterprise High School’s football season that ended one game short of the rematch the Wildcats wanted to play: Central/Phenix City. Here’s how Enterprise opponents ended 95-55 in combined 2024 records: Andalusia—7-5, second-round playoff loss; Pike Road—10-4, semi-final loss; Dothan—5-5; Auburn—10-1, second-round loss; Central—10-2 in Wednesday’s 7A Championship Game vs. Thompson; Carver—6-3; Opelika—9-3, second-round loss; J.A.G.—2-9; Smiths Station—0-10; Austin—9-2, first-round loss to EHS; Baker—9-3, second-round loss to EHS; Thompson—8-5, played Central in Wednesday 7A Championship; Choctawhatchee—10-3, third-round playoff loss. Enterprise outscored opponents, 341-254, went 4-2 at home, 4-3 away. And now they’re getting ready for next year. Hmmm. Rod Serling would’ve felt cozily delighted attending Arkansas at Missouri’s snow game, a hogs-on-ice SEC spectacular Missouri won ... Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!CAMPBELL, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 4, 2024-- ChargePoint Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CHPT) (“ChargePoint”), a leading provider of networked solutions for charging electric vehicles (EVs), today reported results for its third quarter of fiscal year 2025 ended October 31, 2024. “We are encouraged by record EV sales in the industry, and we continue to see network utilization driving the need for more charging infrastructure,” said Rick Wilmer, CEO of ChargePoint. “Our third quarter results exceeded our expectations, and demonstrate that our strategy, focus on operational excellence, and rigorous cash management are translating to tangible results.” Third Quarter Fiscal 2025 Financial Overview For reconciliation of GAAP and non-GAAP results, please see the tables below. Business Highlights Fourth Quarter and Full Year Guidance For the fourth fiscal quarter ending January 31, 2025, ChargePoint expects revenue of $95 million to $105 million. The Company is concentrating on returning to growth and streamlining operations to continue on its path to positive non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA, which is targeted for a quarter in fiscal year 2026. ChargePoint is not able to present a reconciliation of its forward-looking non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA goal to the corresponding GAAP measure because certain potential future adjustments, which may be significant and may include, among other items, stock-based compensation expense, are uncertain or out of its control, or cannot be reasonably predicted without unreasonable effort. The actual amounts of such reconciling items could have a significant impact on ChargePoint's GAAP Net Loss. Conference Call Information ChargePoint will host a webcast today at 1:30 p.m. Pacific / 4:30 p.m. Eastern to review its third quarter fiscal 2025 financial results. Investors may access the webcast, supplemental financial information and investor presentation at ChargePoint’s investor relations website ( investors.chargepoint.com ) under the “Events and Presentations” section. A replay will be available after the conclusion of the webcast and archived for one year. About ChargePoint ChargePoint is creating a new fueling network to move people and goods on electricity. Since 2007, ChargePoint has been committed to making it easy for businesses and drivers to go electric with one of the largest EV charging networks and a comprehensive portfolio of charging solutions. The ChargePoint cloud subscription platform and software-defined charging hardware are designed to include options for every charging scenario from home and multifamily to workplace, parking, hospitality, retail and transport fleets of all types. Today, one ChargePoint account provides access to hundreds of thousands of places to charge in North America and Europe. For more information, visit the ChargePoint pressroom , the ChargePoint Investor Relations site , or contact the ChargePoint North American or European press offices or Investor Relations . Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions including statements regarding our projected revenue for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025 and our goal to achieve positive non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA. There are a significant number of factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made in this press release, including: macroeconomic trends including changes in or sustained inflation, interest rate volatility, or other events beyond our control on the overall economy which may reduce demand for our products and services, geopolitical events and conflicts, adverse impacts to our business and those of our customers and suppliers, including due to supply chain disruptions, tariffs, component shortages, and associated logistics expense increases; our limited operating history as a public company; our ability as an organization to successfully acquire, integrate or partner with other companies, products or technologies in a successful manner; our dependence on widespread acceptance and adoption of EVs, including auto manufacture's plans and strategies to transition to predominately manufacture EV and any corresponding increased demand for installation of charging stations; our current dependence on sales of charging stations for most of our revenues; overall demand for EV charging and the potential for reduced demand for EVs if governmental rebates, tax credits and other financial incentives are reduced, modified or eliminated or governmental mandates to increase the use of EVs or decrease the use of vehicles powered by fossil fuels, either directly or indirectly through mandated limits on carbon emissions, are reduced, modified or eliminated; our ability, and our reliance on our customers, to successfully implement, construct and manage National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) grant opportunities in accordance with the respective terms of the NEVI program in order to validly secure and obtain awarded funding and win additional NEVI grant opportunities; our reliance on contract manufacturers, including those located outside the United States, may result in supply chain interruptions, delays and expense increases which may adversely affect our sales, revenue and gross margins; our ability to expand our operations and market share in Europe; the need to attract additional fleet operators as customers; potential adverse effects on our revenue and gross margins due to delays and costs associated with new product introductions, inventory obsolescence, component shortages and related expense increases; adverse impact to our revenues and gross margins if customers increasingly claim clean energy credits and, as a result, they are no longer available to be claimed by us; the effects of competition; risks related to our dependence on our intellectual property; and the risk that our technology could have undetected defects or errors. Additional risks and uncertainties that could affect our financial results are included under the captions “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on September 9, 2024, which is available on our website at investors.chargepoint.com and on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov . Additional information will also be set forth in other filings that we make with the SEC from time to time. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to us as of the date hereof, and we do not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements provided to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made, except as required by applicable law. Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures ChargePoint has provided financial information in this press release that has not been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”). ChargePoint uses these non-GAAP financial measures internally in analyzing its financial results. ChargePoint believes that the use of these non-GAAP financial measures is useful to investors to evaluate ongoing operating results and trends and believes they provide meaningful supplemental information to investors regarding ChargePoint’s underlying operating performance because they exclude items the Company believes are unrelated to, and may not be indicative of, its core operating results. The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for comparable GAAP financial measures and should be read only in conjunction with ChargePoint’s consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. A reconciliation of ChargePoint’s historical non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable GAAP measures has been provided in the financial statement tables included in this press release, and investors are encouraged to review these reconciliations. Non-GAAP Gross Profit (Gross Margin). ChargePoint defines non-GAAP gross profit as gross profit excluding stock-based compensation expense, amortization expense of acquired intangible assets and restructuring costs for severances and employment-related termination costs, facility and other contract terminations. Non-GAAP gross margin is non-GAAP gross profit as a percentage of revenue. Non-GAAP Cost of Revenue and Operating Expenses (includes Non-GAAP research and development, Non-GAAP sales and marketing and Non-GAAP general and administrative). ChargePoint defines non-GAAP cost of revenue and operating expenses as cost of revenue and operating expenses excluding stock-based compensation expense, restructuring costs for severances and employment-related termination costs, facility and other contract terminations, amortization expense of acquired intangible assets, non-cash charges related to tax liabilities and litigation settlements, including associated non-recurring legal expenses and professional service fees related to the modification of the convertible debt. Non-GAAP Net Loss. ChargePoint defines non-GAAP net loss as net loss excluding stock-based compensation expense, restructuring costs for severances and employment-related termination costs, facility and other contract terminations, amortization expense of acquired intangible assets, non-cash charges related to tax liabilities and litigation settlements, including associated non-recurring legal expenses and professional service fees related to the modification of the convertible debt. These amounts reflect the impact of any related tax effects. Non-GAAP pre-tax net loss is non-GAAP net loss adjusted for provision for income taxes. Non-GAAP Adjusted EBITDA Loss . ChargePoint defines non-GAAP adjusted EBITDA loss as net loss excluding stock-based compensation expense, restructuring costs for severances and employment-related termination costs, facility and other contract terminations, amortization expense of acquired intangible assets, non-cash charges related to tax liabilities and litigation settlements, including associated non-recurring legal expenses, professional service fees related to the modification of the convertible debt, and further adjusted for provision of income taxes, depreciation, interest income and expense, and other income and expense (net). Investors are cautioned that there are a number of limitations associated with the use of non-GAAP financial measures to analyze financial results and trends. In particular, many of the adjustments to ChargePoint’s GAAP financial measures reflect the exclusion of items that are recurring and will be reflected in its financial results for the foreseeable future, such as stock-based compensation, which is an important part of ChargePoint’s employees’ compensation and impacts hiring, retention and performance. Furthermore, these non-GAAP financial measures are not based on any standardized methodology prescribed by GAAP, and the components that ChargePoint excludes in its calculation of non-GAAP financial measures may differ from the components that other companies exclude when they report their non-GAAP results. In the future, ChargePoint may also exclude other expenses it determines do not reflect the performance of ChargePoint’s operating results. CHPT-IR View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241204328813/en/ CONTACT: Investor Relations Nandan Amladi Vice President, Finance and Investor Relations nandan.amladi@chargepoint.com investors@chargepoint.comPress John Paolo Canton Vice President, Communications JP.Canton@chargepoint.comAJ Gosselin Director, Corporate Communications AJ.Gosselin@chargepoint.com media@chargepoint.com KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA CALIFORNIA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: TECHNOLOGY ALTERNATIVE VEHICLES/FUELS EV/ELECTRIC VEHICLES AUTOMOTIVE VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOFTWARE ENERGY BATTERIES SOURCE: ChargePoint Holdings, Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/04/2024 04:10 PM/DISC: 12/04/2024 04:17 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241204328813/en

Beirut: Syrian rebels announced they had gained full control over the key city of Homs early on Sunday after only a day of fighting, leaving President Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year rule dangling by a thread as insurgents marched on the capital, Damascus. Thousands of Homs residents poured onto the streets after the army withdrew from the central city, dancing and chanting “Assad is gone, Homs is free” and “Long live Syria and down with Bashar al-Assad”. A giant portrait of Bashar al-Assad sits on a building in Damascus. Credit: AP Rebels fired guns into the air in celebration, and youths tore down posters of the Syrian president, whose territorial control has collapsed in a dizzying week-long retreat by the military. The fall of Homs gives the insurgents control over Syria’s strategic heartland and a key highway crossroads, severing Damascus from the coastal region that is the stronghold of Assad’s Alawite sect and where his Russian allies have a naval base and air base. Homs’ capture is also a powerful symbol of the rebel movement’s dramatic comeback in the 13-year-old conflict. Swaths of Homs were destroyed by gruelling siege warfare between the rebels and the army years ago. The fighting ground down the insurgents, who were forced out. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham commander Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the main rebel leader, called the capture of Homs a historic moment and urged fighters not to harm “those who drop their arms”. Syrian opposition fighters on a seized Syrian air force fighter plane at the Hama military airport on Friday. Credit: AP Rebels freed thousands of detainees from the city prison. Security forces left quickly after burning their documents. Syrian rebel commander Hassan Abdul Ghani said in a statement early on Sunday that operations continued to “completely liberate” the countryside around Damascus and rebel forces were looking towards the capital. In one suburb, a statue of Assad’s father, the late former president Hafez al-Assad, was toppled and torn apart. The Syrian army said it was reinforcing around Damascus, and state television reported on Saturday that Assad remained in the city. People arrive at the Jordanian side of the border as others wait in their cars on Saturday, after a ban on crossings into Syria. Credit: Getty Images The lightning rebel advance suggests Assad’s government could fall within the next week, US and other Western officials said. Since the rebels’ sweep into Aleppo a week ago , government defences have crumbled at a dizzying speed as insurgents seized a string of major cities and rose in places where the rebellion had long seemed over. The twin threats to Damascus and the strategically vital city of Homs now pose an existential danger to the Assad dynasty’s five-decade reign over Syria and the continued influence in the country of its main regional backer, Iran. The rebels’ moves around Damascus, reported by an opposition war monitor and a rebel commander, came after the Syrian army withdrew from much of the southern part of the country, leaving more areas, including several provincial capitals, under the control of opposition fighters. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is backed by Russia and Iran, but both are bogged down in separate conflicts. Credit: Saudi Press Agency/AP The advances in the past week were among the largest in recent years by opposition factions led by a group that has its origins in al-Qaeda and is considered a terrorist organisation by the US and the United Nations. In their push to overthrow Assad’s government, the insurgents, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, have met little resistance from the Syrian Army. The UN’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, on Saturday called for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition”. Speaking to reporters at the annual Doha Forum in Qatar, Pedersen said the situation in Syria was changing by the minute. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose country is Assad’s chief international backer, said he felt “sorry for the Syrian people”. In Damascus, people rushed to stock up on supplies. Thousands went to Syria’s border with Lebanon, trying to leave the country. Many shops in the city were shuttered, a resident told the Associated Press, and those still open had run out of staples such as sugar. Some were selling items at three times the normal price. “The situation is very strange. We are not used to that,” the resident said, insisting on anonymity, fearing retributions. “People are worried whether there will be a battle [in Damascus] or not.” It was the first time that opposition forces reached the outskirts of Damascus since 2018 when Syrian troops recaptured the area following a years-long siege. The UN said it was moving non-critical staff outside the country as a precaution. Assad rumours Syria’s state media denied social media rumours that Assad had left the country, saying the president was performing his duties in Damascus. Assad has had little, if any, help from his allies. Russia is busy with its war in Ukraine, and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, which at one point sent thousands of fighters to shore up Assad’s forces, has been weakened by a year-long conflict with Israel. Iran has had its proxies across the region degraded by regular Israeli airstrikes. US President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday posted on social media that the US should avoid engaging militarily in Syria. A Syrian opposition fighter holds a rocket launcher in front of the provincial government office. Credit: AP Pedersen said a date for talks in Geneva on implementing a 2015 UN resolution calling for a Syrian-led political process would be announced later. The resolution calls for the establishment of a transitional governing body, followed by the drafting of a new constitution and ending with UN-supervised elections. Foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries, including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran, along with Pedersen, gathered on the sidelines of the Doha summit on Saturday to discuss the situation. No details were immediately available. The insurgents’ march Rami Abdurrahman, who heads the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said insurgents were in the Damascus suburbs of Maadamiyah, Jaramana and Daraya. Opposition fighters were also marching toward the Damascus suburb of Harasta, he said. An insurgent commander, Hassan Abdul Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces had begun the “final stage” of their offensive by encircling Damascus. Syrian rebel leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani. Credit: Al Jazeera HTS controls much of north-west Syria and, in 2017, set up a “salvation government” to run daily affairs in the region. In recent years, HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani has sought to remake the group’s image, cutting ties with al-Qaeda, ditching hardline officials and vowing to embrace pluralism and religious tolerance. Syria’s military, meanwhile, sent large numbers of reinforcements to defend the key central city of Homs, Syria’s third-largest, as insurgents approached its outskirts. The shock offensive began on November 27, during which rebel fighters captured the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest, and the central city of Hama, the country’s fourth-largest city. Opposition activists on Friday said insurgents entered Palmyra, which is home to invaluable archaeological sites that had been in government hands since being taken from the Islamic State group in 2017. To the south, Syrian troops left much of the province of Quneitra, including the main Baath City, activists said. The Syrian Observatory said government troops had withdrawn from much of the two southern provinces and were sending reinforcements to Homs, where a battle loomed. If the insurgents were to capture Homs, they would cut the link between Damascus, Assad’s seat of power, and the coastal region where the president enjoys wide support. The army said in a statement that it had carried out redeployment and repositioning in Sweida and Daraa after its checkpoints came under attack by “terrorists”. The army said it was setting up a “strong and coherent defensive and security belt in the area”, apparently to defend Damascus from the south. The Syrian government has referred to opposition gunmen as terrorists since the conflict broke out in March 2011. Diplomacy in Doha The foreign ministers of Iran, Russia and Turkey, meeting in Qatar, called for an end to the hostilities. Turkey is the main backer of the rebels. Qatar’s top diplomat, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, criticised Assad for failing to take advantage of the lull in fighting in recent years to address the country’s underlying problems. “Assad didn’t seize this opportunity to start engaging and restoring his relationship with his people,” he said. Sheikh Mohammed said he was surprised by how quickly the rebels have advanced and said there was a real threat to Syria’s “territorial integrity”. He said the war could “damage and destroy what is left if there is no sense of urgency” to start a political process. AP, Reuters Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter .UnitedHealthcare CEO's shooting opens a door for many to vent frustrations over insurance

A man has been killed in a stabbing incident in Kangaroo Flat. or signup to continue reading Police say the stabbing occurred following an alleged altercation between two men at accommodation on High Street about 10.30pm on Saturday, December 7. During the dispute, one of the men was stabbed and died at the scene, police said. Police arrested a 25-year-old Kangaroo Flat man who was assisting police with their enquiries. The two men knew each other, police said. No charges have been laid and the homicide squad was investigation the incident. Anyone with information or CCTV/dashcam footage is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or . Jonathon has been living and working in Bendigo since March 2021, currently working as a general reporter. Contact him on jonathon.magrath@austcommunitymedia.com.au. Jonathon has been living and working in Bendigo since March 2021, currently working as a general reporter. Contact him on jonathon.magrath@austcommunitymedia.com.au. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team. 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 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. TWICE WEEKLY Your essential national news digest: all the big issues on Wednesday and great reading every Saturday. WEEKLY Get news, reviews and expert insights every Thursday from CarExpert, ACM's exclusive motoring partner. TWICE WEEKLY Get real, Australia! Let the ACM network's editors and journalists bring you news and views from all over. AS IT HAPPENS Be the first to know when news breaks. DAILY Your digital replica of Today's Paper. Ready to read from 5am! DAILY Test your skills with interactive crosswords, sudoku & trivia. Fresh daily!

With a focus on human rights, US policy toward Latin America under Jimmy Carter briefly tempered a long tradition of interventionism in a key sphere of American influence, analysts say. Carter, who died Sunday at the age of 100, defied the furor of US conservatives to negotiate the handover of the Panama Canal to Panamanian control, suspended aid to multiple authoritarian governments in the region, and even attempted to normalize relations with Cuba. Carter's resolve to chart a course toward democracy and diplomacy, however, was severely tested in Central America and Cuba, where he was forced to balance his human rights priorities with pressure from adversaries to combat the spread of communism amid the Cold War standoff with the Soviet Union. "Latin America was fundamental and his global policy was oriented toward human rights, democratic values and multilateral cooperation," political analyst Michael Shifter of the Inter-American Dialogue, a think tank in Washington, told AFP. During his 1977-1981 administration, which was sandwiched between the Republican presidencies of Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan, the Democrat sought to take a step back from US alignment with right-wing dictatorships in Latin America. An important symbol of Carter's approach was the signing of two treaties in 1977 to officially turn over the Panama Canal in 1999. "Jimmy Carter understood that if he did not return the canal to Panama, the relationship between the United States and Panama could lead to a new crisis in a country where Washington could not afford the luxury of instability," said Luis Guillermo Solis, a political scientist and former president of Costa Rica. Carter called the decision, which was wildly unpopular back home, "the most difficult political challenge I ever had," as he accepted Panama's highest honor in 2016. He also hailed the move as "a notable achievement of moving toward democracy and freedom." On Sunday, Panamanian President Jose Mulino praised Carter for helping his country achieve "full sovereignty." During his term, Carter opted not to support Nicaraguan strongman Anastasio Somoza, who was subsequently overthrown by the leftist Sandinista Front in 1979. But in El Salvador, the American president had to "make a very uncomfortable pact with the government," said Shifter. To prevent communists from taking power, Carter resumed US military assistance for a junta which then became more radical, engaging in civilian massacres and plunging El Salvador into a long civil war. Carter took a critical approach to South American dictatorships in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay, suspending arms deliveries and imposing sanctions in some cases. But his efforts "did not achieve any progress in terms of democratization," said Argentine political scientist Rosendo Fraga. The American president also tried to normalize relations with Cuba 15 years after the missile crisis. He relaxed sanctions that had been in force since 1962, supported secret talks and enabled limited diplomatic representation in both countries. "With him, for the first time, the possibility of dialogue rather than confrontation as a framework for political relations opened up," Jesus Arboleya, a former Cuban diplomat, told AFP. But in 1980, a mass exodus of 125,000 Cubans to the United States, with Fidel Castro's blessing, created an unexpected crisis. It "hurt Carter politically with the swarm of unexpected immigrants," said Jennifer McCoy, a professor of political science at Georgia State University. Castro continued to support Soviet-backed African governments and even deployed troops against Washington's wishes, finally putting an end to the normalization process. However, more than 20 years later, Carter made a historic visit to Havana as ex-president, at the time becoming the highest-profile American politician to set foot on Cuban soil since 1959. During the 2002 visit, "he made a bold call for the US to lift its embargo, but he also called on Castro to embrace democratic opening," said McCoy, who was part of the US delegation for the trip, during which Castro encouraged Carter to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Cuban All-Star baseball game. "Castro was sitting in the front row and we were afraid he would rise to give a long rebuttal to Carter's speech. But he didn't. He just said, 'Let's go to the ball game.'" Cubans "will remember with gratitude his efforts to improve relations," the island's current leader Miguel Diaz-Canel said on Sunday. In the years following Carter's presidency, Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) would go on to resume a full-frontal confrontation with Cuba. Decades later, Barack Obama (2009-2017) opened a new phase of measured normalization, which Donald Trump (2017-2021) brought to an end. US President Joe Biden promised to review US policy toward Cuba, but hardened his stance after Havana cracked down on anti-government protests in 2021. "Carter showed that engagement and diplomacy are more fruitful than isolation," McCoy said. bur-lp-rd-jb/lbc/mlr/bfm/sst/bbk/nro/acb

BOZEMAN — The No. 1-seeded Montana State football team rolled to a 49-17 victory over UT Martin in a second-round FCS playoff game Saturday at Bobcat Stadium. The Bobcats improved to 13-0 for their first 13-win season in program history. MSU got going early with a 14-yard carry and a 5-yard catch by wide receiver Ty McCullouch. Quarterback Tommy Mellott scrambled for another 25 yards, and Mellott later found tight end Hunter Provience wide open for the 24-yard touchdown. Provience’s first career score made it 7-0 MSU. QUICK STRIKE 🎯 @HProvience x @Tommy_Mellott #BobcatBuilt | #CATS pic.twitter.com/ZSlm3V4PFV Both teams traded punts. The Bobcats continued to pressure UTM QB Kinkead Dent, with linebacker McCade O’Reilly and defensive back Tayden Gray nearly picking off passes. Meanwhile, MSU’s offense stalled out on its next two possessions. After a third-down stop by safety Rylan Ortt and cornerback Simeon Woodard to force another UTM punt, MSU finally got back on track. Running back Scottre Humphrey broke off a 30-yard run and a face mask penalty on UTM was added to the end of the run. Mellott then threw a dime to WR Taco Dowler over multiple defenders in the back of the end zone. MSU led 14-0. Just an absurd throw 😵‍💫😵‍💫 @Tommy_Mellott x @DowlerTaco #BobcatBuilt | #CATS pic.twitter.com/H7n3f6HdwX The Bobcats added to the lead on their next drive. TE Ryan Lonergan got MSU to midfield on a 32-yard catch and run. McCullouch tried another designed pass — this time more of a wobbler than a tight spiral — intended for Dowler, which came up short. But UTM was called for pass interference. McCullouch later scored on a 6-yard jet sweep. TOUCHDOWN TY ✌️⚡️ 🖥️ ESPN+ @tym4_ | #BobcatBuilt pic.twitter.com/kWRCwz0kjp The Skyhawks converted a fourth-and-3 and a third-and-1 to get inside the MSU 25-yard line for the first time. Ortt tackled UTM RB Patrick Smith short on a third-and-6 — the safety’s third stop on third down in the first half. UTM got on the board with a 37-yard field goal. UTM’s Keyshawn Johnson sacked Mellott on a third-and-8 — the 10th sack MSU has allowed all season — to force a punt. After a sack by MSU defensive end Kenneth Eiden IV and a 3-yard run by Dent, UTM faced a third-and-12 on its own 22. MSU called a timeout with 2 minutes, 13 seconds left in the first half. On the next play, though, Dent fired a deep pass to Trevonte Rucker, who was wide open around midfield. Rucker out-ran multiple defenders en route to the end zone. That was the longest play from scrimmage MSU’s defense has allowed since Sept. 24, 2022, against Eastern Washington (80-yard TD catch). Check out this big throw from Kinkead Dent to Trevonte Rucker as the Skyhawk tandem connected for a 78-yard touchdown! #MartinMade | #OVCit pic.twitter.com/Qn0CKys1HK That score made it 21-10 MSU. An immediate answer from the Bobcats followed. Mellott hit Dowler on a 21-yard pass. A few plays later, Mellott connected with McCullouch on a 39-yard TD pass. UTM’s JaMichael McGoy fell down in coverage, leading McCullouch wide open and giving MSU a 28-10 lead. Tommy Bomb to Ty 💣🎯 @Tommy_Mellott x @tym4_ 🖥️ ESPN+ | #BobcatBuilt pic.twitter.com/zZBCuWYYVS That play was the eighth TD McCullouch has accounted for this season (five receiving, two rushing, one passing). At halftime, MSU led 28-10 and out-gained UTM 290-178 in total yards. Mellott was 14 of 17 for 178 yards and three TDs. McCullouch had 71 all-purpose yards (51 receiving, 20 rushing) and two TDs. UTM was forced to punt on the opening drive of the second half, which was returned by Dowler 40 yards to the UTM 37. Two plays later, Humphrey scored on a 36-yard TD run to put MSU up 35-10. That gave Humphrey his 14th rushing TD of the year. . @ScottreHumphrey is a bad, bad man 😈 🖥️ESPN+ #BobcatBuilt | #CATS pic.twitter.com/ESroVvgI1c Mellott later connected with Lonergan again, this time on a 48-yard catch and run. Three plays later, Dowler took a screen pass 29 yards for his second receiving TD of the game. That also gave Mellott four passing TDs for the second time in his career, previously doing so against Northern Colorado on Oct. 5. TACO TOUCHDOWN 🌮 (playoff edition) 🖥️ ESPN+ | @DowlerTaco pic.twitter.com/N2eNHQMSJe On the next MSU drive, Mellott set a new career high for passing yards in a game on an 8-yard throw to WR Aidan Garrigan. Mellott finished with 300 passing yards, and also later set a new career-high in single-game completions with 22. OH. MY. @AJonessy SPIN CYCLE 🌀🌀 🖥️ ESPN+ | #BobcatBuilt pic.twitter.com/yvvPMI7cUp RB Adam Jones added a 30-yard TD run in the fourth quarter to put MSU up 49-10. Dent later found Rucker for a 4-yard TD catch. MSU will next host the winner of No. 8 seed Idaho and Lehigh in the FCS quarterfinals on either Dec. 13 or 14. This story will be updated. Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!

How Jimmy Carter's long feud with Donald Trump started on Stephen Colbert Carter and Trump had simmering feud that started on chat show Carter's funeral will happen shortly before Trump's inauguration By GEOFF EARLE, DEPUTY U.S. POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 02:11 GMT, 30 December 2024 | Updated: 02:11 GMT, 30 December 2024 e-mail 1 View comments Jimmy Carter may have been a longtime Sunday school teacher but he also knew how to dish it out to a political rival - with a smile on his face. Nearly seven years ago, at the age of 93, Carter launched some memorable shots at Donald Trump in an interview on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert . It came at a time when Democrats were in an uproar during Trump's first term. Trump hit back against Carter, repeatedly trashing him in campaign speeches until as recently as this fall – including on his 100th birthday. Now, Carter's death on Sunday is set to cut into some of the build-up to Trump's inauguration on January 20th. Trump has been rolling out cabinet announcements and firing out policy ideas as he prepares to take the oath for the second time after his historic comeback. Democrats have been on the back foot. But Carter is set to be memorialized in Washington, D.C. and Georgia just days before the inauguration. Following Carter's death Trump issued a statement saying the nation owed the 39th president a 'debt of gratitude' for his service. It was very different to the swipes and counter-swipes the two had previously taken at each other during a long feud. 'Does America want kind of a jerk as president?,' Colbert asked Carter during the 2018 interview, wondering if the Georgian was 'too nice.' 'Apparently, from this recent election , yes. I never knew it before,' Carter quipped with a smile, earning a big laugh from the crowd. The host also asked him what it took to be president. 'I used to think it was to tell the truth,' Carter said, building in a dramatic pause. 'But I've changed my mind lately.' Jimmy Carter delivered several shots at Donald Trump during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert In the interview Carter also said that he prays for Trump. Read More Jimmy Carter swore he saw a UFO and vowed to reveal the TRUTH... but never did. So what happened? Trump regularly went after Carter, whose Gallup approval rating was at 34 percent when he left office. Carter came in 26th place when historians were asked to rank U.S. presidents in 2021. Trump mocked Carter's administration during an October 1 campaign event in Waunakee, Wisconsin, comparing him to President Joe Biden, who Trump regularly casts as feckless and unaware. 'Jimmy Carter is the happiest man because Jimmy Carter is considered a brilliant president by comparison, (to Joe Biden),' Trump said. Carter made other comments on Trump, which included telling told CBS that Trump was 'very careless with the truth, 'I think he’s a disaster...In human rights and in treating people equal,' Carter said. Host Stephen Colbert asked Carter what it took to be president Carter attended Trump's inauguration in 2017. Trump did not attend Rosalyn Carter's memorial service, although he issued a statement upon Jimmy Carter's death saying the nation owed him 'a debt of gratitude' Donald Trump repeatedly attacked Jimmy Carter at rallies by saying Biden's administration was even worse than his Former first lady Rosalynn Carter, who died in 2023, added at the time: 'The worst is that he is not telling the truth, and that just hurts everything.' Trump did not attend Rosalynn Carter's memorial service in Carter's hometown of Plains, Georgia, although neither did Barack Obama or George W. Bush. In 2019, speaking at the Carter Center, the 39th president indicated that he believed Trump was an illegitimate president. He pointed to allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 election. when asked about Russia's role, Carter said: 'Well, the president himself should condemn it, admit that it happened, which I think 16 [of the] intelligence agencies have already agreed to say. 'And there's no doubt that the Russians did interfere in the election. And I think the interference although not yet quantified, if fully investigated would show that Trump didn't actually win the election in 2016. 'He lost the election, and he was put into office because the Russians interfered on his behalf.' When presidential biographer Jon Meacham, a favorite of Biden's, asked if he believed Trump was an illegitimate president, Carter quipped: 'Based on what I said, which I can't retract...', then cast a wide grin. Democrats Politics Georgia Donald Trump Share or comment on this article: How Jimmy Carter's long feud with Donald Trump started on Stephen Colbert e-mail Add comment

‘EARTHQUAKE for corporate America’: The viral post that ‘decodes’ words on ammunition used to gun down UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson

Political leaders jousting to prove their love for Ambedkar should read Anand Teltumbde’s Iconoclast: A Reflective Biography of . In this book, they will discover that Ambedkar was a man of contradictory parts. Nothing illustrates this more vividly than his decision to enter into a pact on religious conversion with Hindu Mahasabha leader B S Moonje, whose disdain for the Depressed Classes, as the so-called ‘Untouchables’ were then classified, was revolting. A February 1936 entry in Moonje’s diary bears this out: “Any money spent on untouchables is like feeding a garden-serpent.” The genesis of their pact dates to October 13, 1935, when, at Yeola, declared that though he was born a Hindu, he shall not die as one. Hindu nationalists panicked at the thought of Ambedkar and his followers leaving Hinduism, for in that era, the population of every religious community determined representation in the legislatures. For this reason, there ensued a scramble among leaders of other faiths to woo him. Thereafter, Ambedkar explained at several public meetings why the Depressed Classes should exit Hinduism but never explicitly stated to which religion they should convert. For instance, in April 1936, he attended the Sikh Mission’s conference in Amritsar, where a conversion ceremony took place, sparking speculation whether Sikhism was to be his new faith. But then, on May 30-31, 1936, at the Bombay Mahar Provincial Conference, Ambedkar seemed to suggest yet another “path for salvation.” He said the Untouchables’ plight stemmed from three factors—they were numerically inferior everywhere; they were financially strapped; they were spiritually debilitated as they had internalised their demeaning status as fated and, therefore, lacked confidence. Muslims too, Ambedkar said, were a numerical minority and financially weak, but they were spiritually strong, the reason why violence was seldom visited on them as casually as it was on the Dalits. To overcome the three factors behind their plight, they should convert to an existing religion, he advised. Teltumbde writes, “The manner in which he referred to the Muslim community...indicated his preference for Islam over other religions.” were alarmed, for the conversion of Ambedkar’s followers to Islam would have ballooned the Muslim population and upset the communal balance of power. They sent Moonje to meet Ambedkar on June 18, 1936. Ambedkar took just three days to agree on a pact with Moonje, whom he had dubbed as “communalist” in 1932. The pact stipulated that the Hindu Mahasabha would not object to Ambedkar converting to Sikhism; nor to the inclusion of neo-Sikhs in the list of the Scheduled Castes for whom government jobs were reserved; nor to them contesting seats reserved for the Depressed Classes in the joint electorate. The Depressed Classes were, thus, not to forfeit their rights on abandoning Hinduism as long as they embraced Sikhism, not any other faith. In exchange for these gains, academic Keith Meadowcroft points out in his article on the pact, Ambedkar agreed to assist the Mahasabha in “countering Muslim and Christian proselytising and in propagating Hindu culture.” Sounds incredible today, doesn’t it? For Moonje, the Sikh population was so small that its augmentation because of Ambedkar’s conversion to it could not have posed a threat to the Hindus. By contrast, Ambedkar’s motivation to sign the pact was bewildering, for its purported gains to his followers on conversion could have been guaranteed by the British and perhaps Gandhi, not Moonje. The pact was to be a secret till such time the Mahasabha leadership endorsed it. However, Moonje wrote about the pact to another Depressed Classes leader, M C Rajah, who made it public, triggering a furore that ultimately nixed the pact. Yet, as the controversy over the pact raged, Ambedkar made statements saying conversion to Sikhism suited even Hindus. How? Ambedkar explained, “If the Depressed Classes join Islam or Christianity, they not only go out of the Hindu religion, but they also go out of the Hindu culture...” It would “denationalise the Depressed Classes.” This statement implied Muslims and Christians were not national. On the other hand, their conversion to Sikhism would retain them within the Hindu culture, “by no means a small advantage to Hindus,” he said. Ambedkar’s statements testify to his belief in the Hindutva ideology, which claims that there exists a cultural unity among the followers of faiths born in India. This ‘truth’ constitutes the foundation of cultural nationalism, of which Muslims and Christians cannot be a part as their religions were birthed outside India. Even a decade later, Ambedkar’s idea on this count did not change, Meadowcroft says, citing from his book, Pakistan Or The Partition Of India, published in 1945-46, as evidence: “Islam can never allow a true Muslim to adopt India as his motherland.” That he did not believe India had evolved a truly syncretic culture, which was the basis of its nationalism, was evident from his explanation for converting, in 1956, to Buddhism: “Buddhism is part and parcel of Bharatiya culture. I have taken care that my conversion will not hurt the tradition and culture of this land.” Yet, in the same Partition book, Ambedkar also warns, “If Hindu Raj does become a fact, it will, no doubt, be the greatest calamity for this country.... Hindu Raj must be prevented at any cost.” He was instrumental in enshrining the rights of the minorities in the Constitution, and deepening the meaning of liberty, equality and fraternity. Ambedkar lived a life of contradictions, as did Gandhi and Nehru, as much to be admired as critiqued.

A Minnesota House committee voted along party lines Tuesday to have the public pay the legal bill of a Democratic lawmaker over an outside employment action. The decision covers about $10,400 in attorney fees for Rep. Bianca Virnig. The first-term Eagan legislator alleged that her former employer, a nonprofit school cooperative known as BrightWorks, reduced her pay and hours following her first session of service in the Legislature. A state law is meant to bar such an action by granting protection to legislators who return to their regular jobs when the session calendar wraps up for the year. Details of the settlement were not disclosed. But fellow Democrats say because the case was tied to her House service, reimbursement of legal fees is appropriate. “If this is precedent-setting, I think it’s a good precedent because I do think that for members of either party, if they are faced with a similar circumstance in the future, we would want them to be represented and want there to be the opportunity for them to have their rights advocated for,” said Minneapolis Rep. Jamie Long, DFL chair of the committee. Republicans objected, but came up on the losing end of a pair of 9-5 votes to pause the approval. “I find this very troubling,” said Rep. Jim Nash of Waconia. “The House of Representatives is a third party at best, and we are now going to take taxpayer dollars and pay for these legal fees when the representative, Rep. Virnig, did receive a settlement.” House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, said she supports the ability of Virnig to seek compensation for a possible rights violation. But she said BrightWorks should be held accountable if it was accused of violating the law instead. “Employers need to follow the law and employee and Minnesota taxpayers should not be on the hook for when that does not happen,” she said. BrightWorks didn’t respond to an email message about the matter. A request placed with the House DFL caucus for a copy of the employment dispute settlement wasn’t immediately fulfilled. Related Articles

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