Grizzlies vs. Pacers Injury Report Today – December 1NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Iowa football team will be without a few key contributors when it faces No. 19 Missouri in the Music City Bowl on Monday. According to head coach Kirk Ferentz, starting center Logan Jones, wide receiver Seth Anderson and defensive back Koen Entringer will be out for the Hawkeyes (8-4, 6-3 Big Ten) in their matchup against the Tigers (9-3, 5-3 Southeastern) due to injury. Senior offensive lineman Tyler Elsbury will start at center in the place of Jones. “Last year, Tyler stood in there for four games when Logan missed,” Ferentz said. “Els did a great job, really good job. That is a real benefit. It is a luxury item, quite frankly, to have him available. “It is hard to replace a guy like Logan. Logan is not only a really good football player, team leader, he will be on the sideline tomorrow and cannot go, unfortunately. Tyler will do a good job. Great opportunity for him. I know he is excited about it.” Senior linebacker Kyler Fisher will also miss the bowl game due to an “unmet eligibility requirement.” “He is not going to be able to compete,” Ferentz said. “He has been with us. ... He missed something, an assignment, whatever it may have been. He has chosen to stay with the team. He is a senior and practiced each and every day, been on the look squad. That was not beneath him. He has been doing a great job working against our defense.” Ferentz added the team became aware of the issue with Fisher’s eligibility a few weeks ago. “He made every effort to make it to the finish line, but just was not able to,” Ferentz said. “It is unfortunate. ... It is a tough break. Nothing malicious, anything like that. He is the one that is hurting more than anybody, but we will be fine. “It is unfortunate that he won’t play, but he has been here doing a great job and he will be on the sidelines with us tomorrow.” Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz celebrates with quarterback Brendan Sullivan (1) during the first half against Wisconsin Nov. 2 in Iowa City. During his press conference on Sunday, Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz praised the Iowa program and its head coach. “Our football team is excited,” Drinkwitz said. “One of the things you look forward to is obviously the host city, but also the competition that you get to play against and the opportunity to play against a traditional powerhouse in Iowa. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Kirk Ferentz and what he has done with the Hawkeye football team over the course of his 26-year career. “He is the gold standard of college football and what it takes to build and sustain a program of success and excellence, player development. So it's a real honor to be on the same football field with him and his program.” Drinkwitz followed up his praise for the Hawkeyes with his expectations for his team and their performance. “We are going to have to play a clean football game,” Drinkwitz said. “You watch these bowl games. It's going to come down to turnovers and takeaways, tackling, and penalties. We've got to be clean in those areas to give ourselves a chance. One of the hallmarks of Coach Ferentz' football teams is they just don't beat themselves. They force the other team into mistakes, and we're going to have to do a nice job of playing sound football.” Specifically in regards to Iowa’s defense, the fifth-year head coach added he sees no weak links on the formidable unit. “It is a real challenge,” Drinkwitz said. “You have to beat the whole team. You can't just beat one person. You can't just beat one matchup. You have to beat the whole team in order to have a chance to win.” FILE - Missouri head coach Eliah Drinkwitz watches his team during an NCAA college football intra-squad spring game Saturday, March 19, 2022, in Columbia, Mo. Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz welcomed 19 transfers among 50 newcomers to the Tigers this season, and 14 of them arrived from Division I schools. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File) During his press conference, Drinkwitz also made a point to highlight one similarity between Missouri and Iowa, which he said he shared with Ferentz earlier in the week. “Our two programs have done a really good job,” Drinkwitz said. “We have only had two opt-outs on both sides because of potential NFL futures, and careers and we totally understand that, but the rest of the senior classes are wanting to play and they want to play together for the brotherhood. “We have a lot of seniors that this is going to be their final football game for the Missouri Tigers and what a wonderful legacy that they leave to have an opportunity to finish out their careers the right way. ... All of those guys hold a special place in Mizzou football history.” Speaking specifically on his program, Ferentz attributed the low number of opt-outs to the Hawkeyes playing for “the right reason.” “The good of the game is just a chance to be together and go out and compete together and go through the work leading up to the competition,” Ferentz said. “...If you do not like that part in football, you are probably in the wrong sport. “That is kid of the nature of football and the nature of being part of a team. ... That is what you miss when you are done playing. We have been very fortunate. We have had a lot of really good young guys in this program — a bunch of them on this team too.” According to Iowa offensive coordinator Tim Lester, the senior class provided valuable leadership in his first year with the program. “They have meant a lot to this program, meant a lot to me especially coming in and putting a lot of new stuff in,” Lester said. “I am excited for them and excited for their opportunity tomorrow.” Ferentz offered his thoughts on the Tigers after praising Drinkwitz two weeks ago. “They have got an outstanding football team,” Ferentz said. “... You look at them on film. They are really good offensively — very balanced. They have two outstanding running backs, guys we have a lot of respect for (and) a good offensive line. “They have a good receiver corps. ... The whole key to their offense is a quarterback. He has done a wonderful job with his career. Really good football player. To me, he is the catalyst for their offensive football team.” Missouri senior quarterback Brady Cook completed 63.3% of his passes for 2,248 yards and nine touchdowns to two interceptions in 2024. The St. Louis native added 169 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. Defensively, Ferentz said Missouri presents as a typical challenge out of the Southeastern Conference. “They are big and physical up front,” Ferentz said. Ferentz concluded his thoughts on the Tigers saying they check all the boxes in terms of ball security, penalties and time of possession. “They do a great job which indicates they are very well-coached,” Ferentz said. “They pay attention to things that are important and know what to do there.” Brendan Sullivan remains consistent amid Iowa’s search for quarterback in portal Veteran college football coach expects former boss Bill Belichick to turn North Carolina around Iowa’s backfield in good hands against Missouri despite Kaleb Johnson’s exit SEC Bias? What bowl matchup against Missouri means to Iowa Ethan Petrik is a University of Iowa beat writer for the Lee Enterprises network. Follow him on X or send him an email at ethan.petrik@wcfcourier.com . Get local news delivered to your inbox!Former US president Jimmy Carter has died aged 100. Mr Carter, a former peanut farmer, served one term in the White House between 1977 and 1981, taking over in the wake of the Watergate scandal and the end of the Vietnam War. After his defeat by Ronald Reagan, he spent his post-presidency years as a global humanitarian, winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. His death on Sunday was announced by his family and came more than a year after he decided to enter hospice care. He was the longest-lived US president. Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia. pic.twitter.com/aqYmcE9tXi — The Carter Center (@CarterCenter) December 29, 2024 His son, Chip Carter, said: “My father was a hero, not only to me but to everyone who believes in peace, human rights and unselfish love. “My brothers, sister and I shared him with the rest of the world through these common beliefs. “The world is our family because of the way he brought people together, and we thank you for honouring his memory by continuing to live these shared beliefs.” World leaders have paid tribute to Mr Carter, including US President Joe Biden, who was one of the first politicians to endorse Mr Carter for president in 1976 and said the world had “lost an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian”. He said: “Over six decades, we had the honour of calling Jimmy Carter a dear friend. But, what’s extraordinary about Jimmy Carter, though, is that millions of people throughout America and the world who never met him thought of him as a dear friend as well. “With his compassion and moral clarity, he worked to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil rights and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless, and always advocate for the least among us. “He saved, lifted, and changed the lives of people all across the globe.” Irish President Michael D Higgins said Mr Carter was “a principled man who dedicated his life to seeking to advance the cause of peace across the world”. He added: “On behalf of the people of Ireland, may I express my sympathies to President Carter’s children and extended family, to President Joe Biden, to the people of the United States, and to his wide circle of colleagues and friends across the globe.” Mr Carter is expected to receive a state funeral featuring public observances in Atlanta and Washington DC before being buried in his home town of Plains, Georgia. A moderate democrat born in Plains in October 1924, Mr Carter’s political career took him from the Georgia state senate to the state governorship and finally, the White House, where he took office as the 39th president. His presidency saw economic disruption amid volatile oil prices, along with social tensions at home and challenges abroad including the Iranian revolution that sparked a 444-day hostage crisis at the US embassy in Tehran. But he also brokered the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel, which led to a peace treaty between the two countries in 1979. After his defeat in the 1980 presidential election, he worked for more than four decades leading the Carter Centre, which he and his late wife Rosalynn co-founded in 1982 to “wage peace, fight disease, and build hope”. Under his leadership, the Carter Center managed to virtually eliminate Guinea Worm disease, which has gone from affecting 3.5 million people in Africa and Asia in 1986 to just 14 in 2023. Mrs Carter, who died last year aged 96, had played a more active role in her husband’s presidency than previous first ladies, with Mr Carter saying she had been “my equal partner in everything I ever accomplished”. Earlier this year, on his 100th birthday, Mr Carter received a private congratulatory message from the King, expressing admiration for his life of public service.
Withdrawal from Syria: Introspection time for Iran
( MENAFN - AzerNews) by Qaiser Nawab | AzerNEWS The operationalization of the Fund for Responding to Loss andDamage at COP29 represents a historic turning point in globalclimate policy. This long-awaited development marks a significantachievement for developing countries, small island states, andvulnerable communities across the globe who have beendisproportionately affected by the intensifying impacts of climatechange. Spearheaded under the leadership of Azerbaijan's COP29Presidency, this milestone reflects a global commitment toaddressing the inequities of climate change impacts while fosteringhope for more inclusive, effective solutions. The journey to the operationalization of the Loss and DamageFund began during COP27 in Egypt, where nations reached agroundbreaking agreement to establish a mechanism for compensatingcountries most affected by climate-induced disasters. However, thepromise of this fund was met with skepticism, as many questionedwhether political will and financial pledges would translate intoconcrete action. COP28, held in the United Arab Emirates, laid the groundwork forthe Fund's operational launch, demonstrating the commitment ofglobal leaders to move beyond rhetoric and take actionable steps. Yet, it was not until COP29, under the meticulousguidance of Azerbaijan's Presidency and the visionary leadership ofPresident Ilham Aliyev, that the Fund was fullyoperationalized. This involved securing agreementswith the World Bank and designating the Philippines as the hostcountry for the Fund's secretariat-a testament to the collaborativeefforts of nations determined to combat the escalating climatecrisis. The Loss and Damage Fund is more than just a financialinstrument; it symbolizes the recognition of historical injusticesfaced by vulnerable nations. Developed countries, which havecontributed the most to greenhouse gas emissions, are finally beingheld accountable for their role in global warming. The Fund servesas a mechanism to transfer financial resources from wealthiernations to those bearing the brunt of climate-induced disasters,such as hurricanes, flooding, and droughts. As of now, the Fund has received pledges totaling over $730million-a promising start but far from what is required to meet thegrowing needs of affected nations. The appointment of IbrahimaCheikh Diong as the Fund's Executive Director further underscoresthe seriousness of this initiative. His leadership, combined with arobust governance structure, ensures that the Fund will be managedtransparently and effectively. The urgency of the Fund's operationalization becomes clear whenexamining the increasing frequency and severity of climatedisasters. The devastating floods in Pakistan in 2022 offer aharrowing example. With nearly one-third of the country submerged,millions were displaced, and the economic losses exceeded $30billion. Pakistan, despite contributing less than 1% of globalgreenhouse gas emissions, faced catastrophic consequences of acrisis it did not create. Similarly, recent hurricanes in the United States, a developednation, have revealed the universal vulnerability toclimate-induced disasters. Storm surges, extreme rainfall, andinfrastructural damages in Florida and Louisiana highlight that nocountry, regardless of its economic status, is immune to the wrathof nature. These events underscore the importance of a unifiedglobal response to climate challenges, making the Loss and DamageFund a cornerstone of international cooperation. Under the COP29 Presidency, Azerbaijan hasdemonstrated remarkable leadership in advancing the global climateagenda. President Ilham Aliyev's emphasis on addressing thechallenges faced by small island states and least-developedcountries reflects a commitment to inclusivity and equity.Azerbaijan's proactive role in hosting the Fund's third Boardmeeting in Baku and facilitating critical agreements with the WorldBank and other stakeholders highlights its determination to ensurethe Fund's success. Azerbaijan's leadership also extends to fosteringpartnerships and encouraging nations to increase their financialcontributions to the Fund. While $730 million is a commendablestart, the scale of climate-induced losses and damages requires amuch larger pool of resources. Countries must view their pledgesnot as acts of charity but as investments in global stability andsustainability. The operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund paves the wayfor financing climate resilience projects beginning in 2025. Thisincludes rebuilding infrastructure destroyed by disasters,supporting displaced communities, and strengthening adaptivecapacities in vulnerable regions. For instance, in flood-prone countries like Pakistan, the Fundcould be instrumental in constructing resilient housing, improvingearly warning systems, and enhancing disaster preparedness.Similarly, small island states grappling with rising sea levelscould use the Fund's resources to invest in seawalls, mangroverestoration, and community relocation plans. The Fund also provides an opportunity for innovative financingmechanisms. By collaborating with private sector entities,governments, and multilateral organizations, the Fund can leverageadditional resources to meet its objectives. Initiatives like greenbonds and climate insurance schemes can complement the Fund'sefforts, ensuring a more comprehensive approach to addressing lossand damage. While the operationalization of the Fund is a significantachievement, it is not without challenges. The first and foremostconcern is the adequacy of financial resources. Developingcountries have estimated that their annual loss and damage costswill exceed $290 billion by 2030. The current pledges, while a stepin the right direction, fall far short of this figure. Another challenge lies in ensuring the equitabledistribution of funds. Transparent governance mechanisms must be inplace to prioritize the most vulnerable communities and preventmisallocation of resources. The involvement of civil societyorganizations and local stakeholders in decision-making processesis essential to maintaining accountability. Lastly, the success of the Fund hinges on sustained politicalwill. Climate negotiations are often marred by delays anddisagreements, and the Loss and Damage Fund is no exception.Continuous advocacy, particularly by developing countries andclimate activists, will be crucial in keeping the momentumalive. The operationalization of the Loss and Damage Fundat COP29 is a beacon of hope for nations grappling with thedevastating impacts of climate change. It represents a collectiveacknowledgment that those least responsible for the climate crisismust not bear its consequences alone. However, this is only the beginning. The international communitymust work tirelessly to ensure that the Fund fulfills its purpose.This includes increasing financial contributions, streamlining itsoperations, and fostering global partnerships to address the rootcauses of climate vulnerability. For countries like Pakistan, which have experienced firsthandthe destructive power of climate disasters, the Fund offers alifeline. It is a chance to rebuild, adapt, and secure a moresustainable future. For developed nations, it is an opportunity todemonstrate solidarity and moral responsibility in the face of ashared global challenge. In the words of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, “The era of global boiling has arrived.” Theoperationalization of the Loss and Damage Fund is a vital steptoward mitigating its consequences. Let us seize this moment tobuild a more just, resilient, and inclusive world for generationsto come. The views and opinions expressed by guest columnistsin their op-eds may differ from and do not necessarily reflect theviews of the editorial staff. MENAFN30112024000195011045ID1108941963 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. 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Larson Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of DuPont de Nemours, Inc. ( NYSE:DD – Free Report ) by 87.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 812 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 379 shares during the quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC’s holdings in DuPont de Nemours were worth $72,000 at the end of the most recent quarter. A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of DD. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of DuPont de Nemours by 22.8% during the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 9,161 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $702,000 after purchasing an additional 1,700 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers raised its holdings in DuPont de Nemours by 186.5% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 87,364 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $6,698,000 after buying an additional 56,870 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of DuPont de Nemours by 16.5% in the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 24,066 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,845,000 after buying an additional 3,409 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of DuPont de Nemours by 61.6% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 5,330 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $429,000 after buying an additional 2,031 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV increased its position in shares of DuPont de Nemours by 9.4% during the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 2,549 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $205,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. 73.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors. DuPont de Nemours Trading Up 0.1 % Shares of DD stock opened at $83.64 on Friday. DuPont de Nemours, Inc. has a 12-month low of $61.14 and a 12-month high of $90.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 2.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The company has a 50 day moving average of $84.74 and a 200-day moving average of $81.87. The firm has a market cap of $34.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.99, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.35. DuPont de Nemours Dividend Announcement The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be given a $0.38 dividend. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.82%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. DuPont de Nemours’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 80.00%. Wall Street Analyst Weigh In Several brokerages recently weighed in on DD. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of DuPont de Nemours from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on DuPont de Nemours from $102.00 to $104.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on DuPont de Nemours from $88.00 to $94.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of DuPont de Nemours from $84.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, DuPont de Nemours currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.42. View Our Latest Analysis on DD About DuPont de Nemours ( Free Report ) DuPont de Nemours, Inc provides technology-based materials and solutions in the United States, Canada, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It operates through Electronics & Industrial, Water & Protection, and Corporate & Other segments. The Electronics & Industrial segment supplies materials and solutions for the fabrication of semiconductors and integrated circuits. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding DD? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for DuPont de Nemours, Inc. ( NYSE:DD – Free Report ). Receive News & Ratings for DuPont de Nemours Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for DuPont de Nemours and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
Fury as Hollywood movie star says he wishes more conservatives weren't 'f**king morons'
The year of the Jubilee has begun!
Seazen Group Limited ( OTCMKTS:SZENF – Get Free Report ) was the target of a large decrease in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,152,100 shares, a decrease of 19.1% from the November 30th total of 1,424,100 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 0 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently ∞ days. Seazen Group Price Performance Shares of Seazen Group stock opened at $0.70 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $0.70 and its 200-day moving average price is $0.70. Seazen Group has a 12-month low of $0.70 and a 12-month high of $0.70. About Seazen Group ( Get Free Report ) Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Seazen Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Seazen Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump offered a public show of support Friday for Pete Hegseth, his choice to lead the Defense Department, whose confirmation by the Senate is in doubt as he faces questions over allegations of excessive drinking, sexual assault and his views on women in combat roles. Hegseth, a former Fox News host, Army National Guard major and combat veteran, spent much of the week on Capitol Hill trying to salvage his Cabinet nomination and privately reassure Republican senators that he is fit to lead Trump's Pentagon. "Pete Hegseth is doing very well," Trump posted on his social media site. "He will be a fantastic, high energy, Secretary of Defense." The president added that "Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!" The nomination battle is emerging not only as a debate about the best person to lead the Pentagon, but an inflection point for a MAGA movement that appears to be relishing a public fight over its hard-line push for a more masculine military and an end to the "woke-ism" of diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be defense secretary, responds to reporters during a meeting with Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Military leaders are rattled by a list of “woke” senior officers that a conservative group urged Pete Hegseth to dismiss for promoting diversity in the ranks if he is confirmed to lead the Pentagon. The list compiled by the American Accountability Foundation includes 20 general officers or senior admirals and a disproportionate number of female officers. It has had a chilling effect on the Pentagon’s often frank discussions as leaders try to figure out how to address the potential firings and diversity issues under Trump. Those on the list in many cases seem to be targeted for public comments they made either in interviews or at events on diversity, and in some cases for retweeting posts that promote diversity. Tom Jones, a former aide to Republican senators who leads the foundation, said Friday those on the list are “pretty egregious” advocates for diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, policies, which he called problematic. “The nominee has been pretty clear that that has no place in the military,” Jones said of Hegseth. Hegseth embraced Trump’s effort to end programs that promote diversity in the ranks and fire those who reflect those values. Other Trump picks, like Kash Patel for FBI director, have suggested targeting those in government who are not aligned with Trump. Trump's allies forcefully rallied around Hegseth — the Heritage Foundation's political arm promised to spend $1 million to shore up his nomination — as he vows to stay in the fight, as long as the president-elect wants him to. Vice President-elect JD Vance offers a public show of support for Pete Hegseth, the embattled choice to lead the Defense Department. "We're not abandoning this nomination," Vance told reporters during a tour of western North Carolina. "We're not abandoning this nomination," Vice-President-elect JD Vance said as he toured post-hurricane North Carolina. He said he spoke with GOP senators and believes Hegseth will be confirmed. The effort became a test of Trump's clout and of how far loyalty for the president-elect goes with Republican senators who have concerns about his nominees. Two of Trump's other choices stepped aside as they faced intense scrutiny: former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., his first choice for attorney general, and Chad Chronister, a Florida sheriff who was Trump's first choice to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration. Thanking the president-elect for the support, Hegseth posted on social media, "Like you, we will never back down." Hegseth faces resistance from senators as reports emerged about his past, including the revelation that he made a settlement payment after being accused of a sexual assault that he denies. He promised not to drink on the job and told lawmakers he never engaged in sexual misconduct, even as his professional views on female troops came under intensifying scrutiny. He said as recently as last month that women "straight up" should not serve in combat. He picked up one important endorsement from Republican Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama, whose support was seen as a potentially powerful counterweight to the cooler reception Hegseth received from Sen. Joni Ernst, a former Army National Guard lieutenant colonel. Ernst, who is also a sexual assault survivor, stopped short of an endorsement after meeting with Hegseth this week. On Friday, Ernst posted on X that she would meet with him again next week. “At a minimum, we agree that he deserves the opportunity to lay out his vision for our warfighters at a fair hearing,” she wrote. On Friday, Trump put out the statement in response to coverage saying he lost faith in Hegseth, according to a person familiar with his thinking who was not authorized to discuss it publicly. The president-elect and his team were pleased to see Hegseth putting up a fight and his performance this week reiterates why he was chosen, the person said. They believe he can still be confirmed. Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be defense secretary, left, joined by his wife Jennifer Rauchet, attends a meeting with Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) If Hegseth goes down, Trump's team believes the defeat would empower others to spread what they cast as "vicious lies" against every candidate Trump chooses. Still, Trump's transition team is looking at potential replacements, including former presidential rival Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. DeSantis plans to attend the Dec. 14 Army-Navy football game with Trump, according to a person familiar with the Florida governor's plans who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. DeSantis and Trump spoke about the defense secretary post Tuesday at a memorial service for sheriff deputies in West Palm Beach, Fla., according to people familiar with the matter who said Trump was interested in DeSantis for the post, and the governor was receptive. DeSantis is poised to select a replacement for the expected Senate vacancy to be created by Marco Rubio becoming secretary of state, and Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump is seen as the preferred choice by those in Trump's orbit. Among President-elect Donald Trump's picks are Susie Wiles for chief of staff, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, former Democratic House member Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general. Susie Wiles, 67, was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 presidential campaign and its de facto manager. Trump named Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to be secretary of state, making a former sharp critic his choice to be the new administration's top diplomat. Rubio, 53, is a noted hawk on China, Cuba and Iran, and was a finalist to be Trump's running mate on the Republican ticket last summer. Rubio is the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries,” Trump said of Rubio in a statement. The announcement punctuates the hard pivot Rubio has made with Trump, whom the senator called a “con man" during his unsuccessful campaign for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Their relationship improved dramatically while Trump was in the White House. And as Trump campaigned for the presidency a third time, Rubio cheered his proposals. For instance, Rubio, who more than a decade ago helped craft immigration legislation that included a path to citizenship for people in the U.S. illegally, now supports Trump's plan to use the U.S. military for mass deportations. Pete Hegseth, 44, is a co-host of Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends Weekend” and has been a contributor with the network since 2014, where he developed a friendship with Trump, who made regular appearances on the show. Hegseth lacks senior military or national security experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he would inherit the top job during a series of global crises — ranging from Russia’s war in Ukraine and the ongoing attacks in the Middle East by Iranian proxies to the push for a cease-fire between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea. Hegseth is also the author of “The War on Warriors: Behind the Betrayal of the Men Who Keep Us Free,” published earlier this year. Trump tapped Pam Bondi, 59, to be attorney general after U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration. She was Florida's first female attorney general, serving between 2011 and 2019. She also was on Trump’s legal team during his first impeachment trial in 2020. Considered a loyalist, she served as part of a Trump-allied outside group that helped lay the groundwork for his future administration called the America First Policy Institute. Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. A fierce defender of Trump, she also frequently appears on Fox News and has been a critic of the criminal cases against him. Trump picked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a well-known conservative who faced sharp criticism for telling a story in her memoir about shooting a rambunctious dog, to lead an agency crucial to the president-elect’s hardline immigration agenda. Noem used her two terms leading a tiny state to vault to a prominent position in Republican politics. South Dakota is usually a political afterthought. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, Noem did not order restrictions that other states had issued and instead declared her state “open for business.” Trump held a fireworks rally at Mount Rushmore in July 2020 in one of the first large gatherings of the pandemic. She takes over a department with a sprawling mission. In addition to key immigration agencies, the Department of Homeland Security oversees natural disaster response, the U.S. Secret Service, and Transportation Security Administration agents who work at airports. The governor of North Dakota, who was once little-known outside his state, Burgum is a former Republican presidential primary contender who endorsed Trump, and spent months traveling to drum up support for him, after dropping out of the race. Burgum was a serious contender to be Trump’s vice presidential choice this summer. The two-term governor was seen as a possible pick because of his executive experience and business savvy. Burgum also has close ties to deep-pocketed energy industry CEOs. Trump made the announcement about Burgum joining his incoming administration while addressing a gala at his Mar-a-Lago club, and said a formal statement would be coming the following day. In comments to reporters before Trump took the stage, Burgum said that, in recent years, the power grid is deteriorating in many parts of the country, which he said could raise national security concerns but also drive up prices enough to increase inflation. “There's just a sense of urgency, and a sense of understanding in the Trump administration,” Burgum said. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ran for president as a Democrat, than as an independent, and then endorsed Trump . He's the son of Democratic icon Robert Kennedy, who was assassinated during his own presidential campaign. The nomination of Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services alarmed people who are concerned about his record of spreading unfounded fears about vaccines . For example, he has long advanced the debunked idea that vaccines cause autism. Scott Bessent, 62, is a former George Soros money manager and an advocate for deficit reduction. He's the founder of hedge fund Key Square Capital Management, after having worked on-and-off for Soros Fund Management since 1991. If confirmed by the Senate, he would be the nation’s first openly gay treasury secretary. He told Bloomberg in August that he decided to join Trump’s campaign in part to attack the mounting U.S. national debt. That would include slashing government programs and other spending. “This election cycle is the last chance for the U.S. to grow our way out of this mountain of debt without becoming a sort of European-style socialist democracy,” he said then. Oregon Republican U.S. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly lost her reelection bid this month, but received strong backing from union members in her district. As a potential labor secretary, she would oversee the Labor Department’s workforce, its budget and put forth priorities that impact workers’ wages, health and safety, ability to unionize, and employer’s rights to fire employers, among other responsibilities. Chavez-DeRemer is one of few House Republicans to endorse the “Protecting the Right to Organize” or PRO Act would allow more workers to conduct organizing campaigns and would add penalties for companies that violate workers’ rights. The act would also weaken “right-to-work” laws that allow employees in more than half the states to avoid participating in or paying dues to unions that represent workers at their places of employment. Scott Turner is a former NFL player and White House aide. He ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump’s first term in office. Trump, in a statement, credited Turner, the highest-ranking Black person he’s yet selected for his administration, with “helping to lead an Unprecedented Effort that Transformed our Country’s most distressed communities.” Sean Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin who was one of Trump's most visible defenders on cable news. Duffy served in the House for nearly nine years, sitting on the Financial Services Committee and chairing the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019 for a TV career and has been the host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business. Before entering politics, Duffy was a reality TV star on MTV, where he met his wife, “Fox and Friends Weekend” co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy. They have nine children. A campaign donor and CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, Write is a vocal advocate of oil and gas development, including fracking — a key pillar of Trump’s quest to achieve U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market. Wright also has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change. He said the climate movement around the world is “collapsing under its own weight.” The Energy Department is responsible for advancing energy, environmental and nuclear security of the United States. Wright also won support from influential conservatives, including oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm. Hamm, executive chairman of Oklahoma-based Continental Resources, a major shale oil company, is a longtime Trump supporter and adviser who played a key role on energy issues in Trump’s first term. President-elect Donald Trump tapped billionaire professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon to be secretary of the Education Department, tasked with overseeing an agency Trump promised to dismantle. McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s initial term from 2017 to 2019 and twice ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut. She’s seen as a relative unknown in education circles, though she expressed support for charter schools and school choice. She served on the Connecticut Board of Education for a year starting in 2009 and has spent years on the board of trustees for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. Brooke Rollins, who graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in agricultural development, is a longtime Trump associate who served as White House domestic policy chief during his first presidency. The 52-year-old is president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, a group helping to lay the groundwork for a second Trump administration. She previously served as an aide to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and ran a think tank, the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Trump chose Howard Lutnick, head of brokerage and investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald and a cryptocurrency enthusiast, as his nominee for commerce secretary, a position in which he'd have a key role in carrying out Trump's plans to raise and enforce tariffs. Trump made the announcement Tuesday on his social media platform, Truth Social. Lutnick is a co-chair of Trump’s transition team, along with Linda McMahon, the former wrestling executive who previously led Trump’s Small Business Administration. Both are tasked with putting forward candidates for key roles in the next administration. The nomination would put Lutnick in charge of a sprawling Cabinet agency that is involved in funding new computer chip factories, imposing trade restrictions, releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. It is also a position in which connections to CEOs and the wider business community are crucial. Doug Collins is a former Republican congressman from Georgia who gained recognition for defending Trump during his first impeachment trial, which centered on U.S. assistance for Ukraine. Trump was impeached for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden in 2019 during the Democratic presidential nomination, but he was acquitted by the Senate. Collins has also served in the armed forces himself and is currently a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command. "We must take care of our brave men and women in uniform, and Doug will be a great advocate for our Active Duty Servicemembers, Veterans, and Military Families to ensure they have the support they need," Trump said in a statement about nominating Collins to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs. Karoline Leavitt, 27, was Trump's campaign press secretary and currently a spokesperson for his transition. She would be the youngest White House press secretary in history. The White House press secretary typically serves as the public face of the administration and historically has held daily briefings for the press corps. Leavitt, a New Hampshire native, was a spokesperson for MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Trump, before joining his 2024 campaign. In 2022, she ran for Congress in New Hampshire, winning a 10-way Republican primary before losing to Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas. Leavitt worked in the White House press office during Trump's first term before she became communications director for New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik, Trump's choice for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard has been tapped by Trump to be director of national intelligence, keeping with the trend to stock his Cabinet with loyal personalities rather than veteran professionals in their requisite fields. Gabbard, 43, was a Democratic House member who unsuccessfully sought the party's 2020 presidential nomination before leaving the party in 2022. She endorsed Trump in August and campaigned often with him this fall. “I know Tulsi will bring the fearless spirit that has defined her illustrious career to our Intelligence Community,” Trump said in a statement. Gabbard, who has served in the Army National Guard for more than two decades, deploying to Iraq and Kuwait, would come to the role as somewhat of an outsider compared to her predecessor. The current director, Avril Haines, was confirmed by the Senate in 2021 following several years in a number of top national security and intelligence positions. Trump has picked John Ratcliffe, a former Texas congressman who served as director of national intelligence during his first administration, to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency in his next. Ratcliffe was director of national intelligence during the final year and a half of Trump's first term, leading the U.S. government's spy agencies during the coronavirus pandemic. “I look forward to John being the first person ever to serve in both of our Nation's highest Intelligence positions,” Trump said in a statement, calling him a “fearless fighter for the Constitutional Rights of all Americans” who would ensure “the Highest Levels of National Security, and PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH.” Kash Patel spent several years as a Justice Department prosecutor before catching the Trump administration’s attention as a staffer on Capitol Hill who helped investigate the Russia probe. Patel called for dramatically reducing the agency’s footprint, a perspective that sets him apart from earlier directors who sought additional resources for the bureau. Though the Justice Department in 2021 halted the practice of secretly seizing reporters’ phone records during leak investigations, Patel said he intends to aggressively hunt down government officials who leak information to reporters. Trump has chosen former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin to serve as his pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency . Zeldin does not appear to have any experience in environmental issues, but is a longtime supporter of the former president. The 44-year-old former U.S. House member from New York wrote on X , “We will restore US energy dominance, revitalize our auto industry to bring back American jobs, and make the US the global leader of AI.” “We will do so while protecting access to clean air and water,” he added. During his campaign, Trump often attacked the Biden administration's promotion of electric vehicles, and incorrectly referring to a tax credit for EV purchases as a government mandate. Trump also often told his audiences during the campaign his administration would “Drill, baby, drill,” referring to his support for expanded petroleum exploration. In a statement, Trump said Zeldin “will ensure fair and swift deregulatory decisions that will be enacted in a way to unleash the power of American businesses, while at the same time maintaining the highest environmental standards, including the cleanest air and water on the planet.” Trump has named Brendan Carr, the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, as the new chairman of the agency tasked with regulating broadcasting, telecommunications and broadband. Carr is a longtime member of the commission and served previously as the FCC’s general counsel. He has been unanimously confirmed by the Senate three times and was nominated by both Trump and President Joe Biden to the commission. Carr made past appearances on “Fox News Channel," including when he decried Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris' pre-Election Day appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” He wrote an op-ed last month defending a satellite company owned by Trump supporter Elon Musk. Trump said Atkins, the CEO of Patomak Partners and a former SEC commissioner, was a “proven leader for common sense regulations.” In the years since leaving the SEC, Atkins has made the case against too much market regulation. “He believes in the promise of robust, innovative capital markets that are responsive to the needs of Investors, & that provide capital to make our Economy the best in the World. He also recognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The commission oversees U.S. securities markets and investments and is currently led by Gary Gensler, who has been leading the U.S. government’s crackdown on the crypto industry. Gensler, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, announced last month that he would be stepping down from his post on the day that Trump is inaugurated — Jan. 20, 2025. Atkins began his career as a lawyer and has a long history working in the financial markets sector, both in government and private practice. In the 1990s, he worked on the staffs of two former SEC chairmen, Richard C. Breeden and Arthur Levitt. Jared Isaacman, 41, is a tech billionaire who bought a series of spaceflights from Elon Musk’s SpaceX and conducted the first private spacewalk . He is the founder and CEO of a card-processing company and has collaborated closely with Musk ever since buying his first chartered SpaceX flight. He took contest winners on that 2021 trip and followed it in September with a mission where he briefly popped out the hatch to test SpaceX’s new spacewalking suits. Rep. Elise Stefanik is a representative from New York and one of Trump's staunchest defenders going back to his first impeachment. Elected to the House in 2014, Stefanik was selected by her GOP House colleagues as House Republican Conference chair in 2021, when former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after publicly criticizing Trump for falsely claiming he won the 2020 election. Stefanik, 40, has served in that role ever since as the third-ranking member of House leadership. Stefanik’s questioning of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile. If confirmed, she would represent American interests at the U.N. as Trump vows to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine begun in 2022. He has also called for peace as Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza and its invasion of Lebanon to target Hezbollah. President-elect Donald Trump says he's chosen former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker to serve as U.S. ambassador to NATO. Trump has expressed skepticism about the Western military alliance for years. Trump said in a statement Wednesday that Whitaker is “a strong warrior and loyal Patriot” who “will ensure the United States’ interests are advanced and defended” and “strengthen relationships with our NATO Allies, and stand firm in the face of threats to Peace and Stability.” The choice of Whitaker as the nation’s representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is an unusual one, given his background is as a lawyer and not in foreign policy. President-elect Donald Trump tapped former Sen. David Perdue of Georgia to be ambassador to China, saying in a social media post that the former CEO “brings valuable expertise to help build our relationship with China.” Perdue lost his Senate seat to Democrat Jon Ossoff four years ago and ran unsuccessfully in a primary against Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. Perdue pushed Trump's debunked lies about electoral fraud during his failed bid for governor. A Republican congressman from Michigan who served from 1993 to 2011, Hoekstra was ambassador to the Netherlands during Trump's first term. “In my Second Term, Pete will help me once again put AMERICA FIRST,” Trump said in a statement announcing his choice. “He did an outstanding job as United States Ambassador to the Netherlands during our first four years, and I am confident that he will continue to represent our Country well in this new role.” Trump will nominate former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel. Huckabee is a staunch defender of Israel and his intended nomination comes as Trump has promised to align U.S. foreign policy more closely with Israel's interests as it wages wars against the Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah. “He loves Israel, and likewise the people of Israel love him,” Trump said in a statement. “Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East.” Huckabee, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2016, has been a popular figure among evangelical Christian conservatives, many of whom support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland. Trump has been praised by some in this important Republican voting bloc for moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Trump on Tuesday named real estate investor Steven Witkoff to be special envoy to the Middle East. The 67-year-old Witkoff is the president-elect's golf partner and was golfing with him at Trump's club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15, when the former president was the target of a second attempted assassination. Witkoff “is a Highly Respected Leader in Business and Philanthropy,” Trump said of Witkoff in a statement. “Steve will be an unrelenting Voice for PEACE, and make us all proud." Trump also named Witkoff co-chair, with former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler, of his inaugural committee. Trump said Wednesday that he will nominate Gen. Keith Kellogg to serve as assistant to the president and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg, a retired Army lieutenant general who has long been Trump’s top adviser on defense issues, served as National Security Advisor to Trump's former Vice President Mike Pence. For the America First Policy Institute, one of several groups formed after Trump left office to help lay the groundwork for the next Republican administration, Kellogg in April wrote that “bringing the Russia-Ukraine war to a close will require strong, America First leadership to deliver a peace deal and immediately end the hostilities between the two warring parties.” (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib) Trump asked Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, Trump announced in a statement Tuesday. The move puts Waltz in the middle of national security crises, ranging from efforts to provide weapons to Ukraine and worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah. “Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda,” Trump's statement said, "and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!” Waltz is a three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida. He served multiple tours in Afghanistan and also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs. He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population. Stephen Miller, an immigration hardliner , was a vocal spokesperson during the presidential campaign for Trump's priority of mass deportations. The 39-year-old was a senior adviser during Trump's first administration. Miller has been a central figure in some of Trump's policy decisions, notably his move to separate thousands of immigrant families. Trump argued throughout the campaign that the nation's economic, national security and social priorities could be met by deporting people who are in the United States illegally. Since Trump left office in 2021, Miller has served as the president of America First Legal, an organization made up of former Trump advisers aimed at challenging the Biden administration, media companies, universities and others over issues such as free speech and national security. Thomas Homan, 62, has been tasked with Trump’s top priority of carrying out the largest deportation operation in the nation’s history. Homan, who served under Trump in his first administration leading U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was widely expected to be offered a position related to the border, an issue Trump made central to his campaign. Though Homan has insisted such a massive undertaking would be humane, he has long been a loyal supporter of Trump's policy proposals, suggesting at a July conference in Washington that he would be willing to "run the biggest deportation operation this country’s ever seen.” Democrats have criticized Homan for his defending Trump's “zero tolerance” policy on border crossings during his first administration, which led to the separation of thousands of parents and children seeking asylum at the border. Former Rep. Billy Long represented Missouri in the U.S. House from 2011 to 2023. Since leaving Congress, Trump said, Long “has worked as a Business and Tax advisor, helping Small Businesses navigate the complexities of complying with the IRS Rules and Regulations.” Former Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler was appointed in January 2020 by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and then lost a runoff election a year later. She started a conservative voter registration organization and dived into GOP fundraising, becoming one of the top individual donors and bundlers to Trump’s 2024 comeback campaign. Even before nominating her for agriculture secretary, the president-elect already had tapped Loeffler as co-chair of his inaugural committee. Dr. Mehmet Oz, 64, is a former heart surgeon who hosted “The Dr. Oz Show,” a long-running daytime television talk show. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate as the Republican nominee in 2022 and is an outspoken supporter of Trump, who endorsed Oz's bid for elected office. Elon Musk, left, and Vivek Ramaswamy speak before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at an Oct. 27 campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York. Trump on Tuesday said Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Ramaswamy will lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency" — which is not, despite the name, a government agency. The acronym “DOGE” is a nod to Musk's favorite cryptocurrency, dogecoin. Trump said Musk and Ramaswamy will work from outside the government to offer the White House “advice and guidance” and will partner with the Office of Management and Budget to “drive large scale structural reform, and create an entrepreneurial approach to Government never seen before.” He added the move would shock government systems. It's not clear how the organization will operate. Musk, owner of X and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, has been a constant presence at Mar-a-Lago since Trump won the presidential election. Ramaswamy suspended his campaign in January and threw his support behind Trump. Trump said the two will “pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies.” Russell Vought held the position during Trump’s first presidency. After Trump’s initial term ended, Vought founded the Center for Renewing America, a think tank that describes its mission as “renew a consensus of America as a nation under God.” Vought was closely involved with Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term that he tried to distance himself from during the campaign. Vought has also previously worked as the executive and budget director for the Republican Study Committee, a caucus for conservative House Republicans. He also worked at Heritage Action, the political group tied to The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Dan Scavino, deputy chief of staff Scavino, whom Trump's transition referred to in a statement as one of “Trump's longest serving and most trusted aides,” was a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign, as well as his 2016 and 2020 campaigns. He will be deputy chief of staff and assistant to the president. Scavino had run Trump's social media profile in the White House during his first administration. He was also held in contempt of Congress in 2022 after a month-long refusal to comply with a subpoena from the House committee’s investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. James Blair, deputy chief of staff Blair was political director for Trump's 2024 campaign and for the Republican National Committee. He will be deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs and assistant to the president. Blair was key to Trump's economic messaging during his winning White House comeback campaign this year, a driving force behind the candidate's “Trump can fix it” slogan and his query to audiences this fall if they were better off than four years ago. Taylor Budowich, deputy chief of staff Budowich is a veteran Trump campaign aide who launched and directed Make America Great Again, Inc., a super PAC that supported Trump's 2024 campaign. He will be deputy chief of staff for communications and personnel and assistant to the president. Budowich also had served as a spokesman for Trump after his presidency. Jay Bhattacharya, National Institutes of Health Trump has chosen Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead the National Institutes of Health. Bhattacharya is a physician and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, and is a critic of pandemic lockdowns and vaccine mandates. He promoted the idea of herd immunity during the pandemic, arguing that people at low risk should live normally while building up immunity to COVID-19 through infection. The National Institutes of Health funds medical research through competitive grants to researchers at institutions throughout the nation. NIH also conducts its own research with thousands of scientists working at its labs in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Marty Makary, Food and Drug Administration Makary is a Johns Hopkins surgeon and author who argued against pandemic lockdowns. He routinely appeared on Fox News during the COVID-19 pandemic and wrote opinion articles questioning masks for children. He cast doubt on vaccine mandates but supported vaccines generally. Makary also cast doubt on whether booster shots worked, which was against federal recommendations on the vaccine. Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, Surgeon General Nesheiwat is a general practitioner who serves as medical director for CityMD, a network of urgent care centers in New York and New Jersey. She has been a contributor to Fox News. Dr. Dave Weldon, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Weldon is a former Florida congressman who recently ran for a Florida state legislative seat and lost; Trump backed Weldon’s opponent. In Congress, Weldon weighed in on one of the nation’s most heated debates of the 1990s over quality of life and a right-to-die and whether Terri Schiavo, who was in a persistent vegetative state after cardiac arrest, should have been allowed to have her feeding tube removed. He sided with the parents who did not want it removed. Jamieson Greer, U.S. trade representative Kevin Hassett, Director of the White House National Economic Council Trump is turning to two officials with experience navigating not only Washington but the key issues of income taxes and tariffs as he fills out his economic team. He announced he has chosen international trade attorney Jamieson Greer to be his U.S. trade representative and Kevin Hassett as director of the White House National Economic Council. While Trump has in several cases nominated outsiders to key posts, these picks reflect a recognition that his reputation will likely hinge on restoring the public’s confidence in the economy. Trump said in a statement that Greer was instrumental in his first term in imposing tariffs on China and others and replacing the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, “therefore making it much better for American Workers.” Hassett, 62, served in the first Trump term as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers. He has a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania and worked at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute before joining the Trump White House in 2017. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.Sarawak premier visits Mitsubishi Power Takasago Hydrogen Park
Brooks Black Friday deals just dropped with up to 41% off, including the Adrenaline GTS 23 for under $100An American map showing the rapid increase in average winter temperatures across the United States published last week showed us by doing the numbers what we gardeners know in our bones: It’s getting toastier out there. Not always toasty. There is still cold. Just a lot toastier than before. Thirty-five years ago, when I bought my Pasadena garden (and a little cottage sitting on its edge), there were three or four regular overnight frosts, morning ice glistening on the rose bushes and the irises, every winter, and seven or eight in the different microclimate just down the hill, the floor of the Arroyo Seco canyon where the Rose Bowl is. It’s been well over a decade since we have seen any frost at all. The map published by Climate Central shows that our coastal zone of Southern California is an area that has seen average winter temps rise between 2 and 3 degrees Fahrenheit since 1970. That’s not nearly as major a change as back East, where all of New England is in a zone where the winter lows are on average 5 degrees higher than 54 years ago. This is not an issue of opinion. It doesn’t matter to the real world if a politician such as Donald Trump finds it convenient to pretend that “climate change is a hoax.” This winter numbers are just a small piece of the data pie showing this year to be the hottest ever. “The global mean surface air temperature from January to September 2024 was 1.54°C above the pre-industrial average. This is the first time the world has exceeded 1.5°C warming,” the World Meteorological Organization reports. King Canute can command the tides to recede all he likes, but the rising tide pays no attention to his royal wishes. But the perhaps apocryphal story of the actual ancient English king, crowned in 1027, as told by his chronicler, Henry of Huntingdon, was meant to tell the opposite of how the story is now understood. After the tide kept coming up and dampened his shoes despite the command, Canute stepped back and declared, “Let all men know how empty and worthless is the power of kings, for there is none worthy of the name, but He whom heaven, earth, and sea obey by eternal laws.” A king, or a president, can have no effect on global warming and other examples of climate change by commanding the atmosphere and the oceans to stop heating up. The laws of chemistry, and of physics, are eternal laws. But the president can, out of a desire to seem populist, or whatever reality-denying motive is at play here, once again withdraw our nation from The Paris Agreement, negotiated by 196 countries in 2015 “to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change by keeping a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.” And surely once in office Trump will do just that. It’s a national embarrassment, yet another one; it’s anti-human, as well as anti-Earth. For those of us who favor the Earth over, say, Mars, and who don’t want to leave our great-grandchildren an inhospitable home planet, it’s a disgusting political maneuver. But that doesn’t mean that smart, everyday Americans will give up on our own fight against climate change, absurd as it is that the president’s likely action will see us join only a tiny group of countries, including Libya, Iran and Yemen, in the denialism. We do contribute 13% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and American scientists, engineers and politicians of goodwill will continue to work to bring that number down, waiting out the Trump administration’s colossal error. As Max Boykoff, professor in the Department of Environmental Studies at the University of Colorado says, yes, there will be “a loss of trust and a loss of opportunity for the U.S. to be in a position of leadership in a clean energy economy, and more generally on other global issues as well.” But: “The renewable energy sector has grown to a point where it actually makes great financial sense to continue to benefit from these market trends. With the way the economy has been moving, the Trump administration’s withdrawal ... may carry more symbolic significance than actual functional significance.” Keep up the good fight, even if this president is unlikely to attain the wisdom of the old king. Larry Wilson is on the Southern California News Group editorial board. lwilson@scng.com.Former President at the age of 100. The 39th president of the United States was a Georgia peanut farmer who sought to restore trust in government when he assumed the presidency in 1977 and then built a reputation for tireless work as a humanitarian. He earned a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Carter died Sunday, coming up on two years after entering hospice care, at his home in Plains, Georgia. At age 52, Carter was sworn in as president on Jan. 20, 1977, after defeating President Gerald R. Ford in the 1976 general election. Carter left office on Jan. 20, 1981, following his 1980 general election loss to Ronald Reagan. Here's the latest: Carter's state funeral will be Jan. 9 President Joe Biden has scheduled a state funeral in Washington for former President Jimmy Carter on Jan. 9. Biden also declared Jan. 9 as a National Day of Mourning across the U.S. Carter, the longest-lived former president, died Sunday at his home in Plains, Georgia. He was 100. Biden also ordered U.S. flags to fly at half-staff for 30 days from Sunday. Guterres' remembrance focuses on Carter's contributions to peace United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Sunday praised Carter for his significant contributions to international peace through the Camp David Accords, the SALT II Treaty and the Panama Canal treaties. “President Carter’s commitment to international peace and human rights also found full expression after he left the presidency,” Guterres said in a statement. "He played a key role in conflict mediation, election monitoring, the promotion of democracy, and disease prevention and eradication. These and other efforts earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 and helped advance the work of the United Nations. “President Carter will be remembered for his solidarity with the vulnerable, his abiding grace, and his unrelenting faith in the common good and our common humanity,” Guterres said. Reflections from King Charles III King Charles III joined leaders from around the world in issuing their condolences and sharing their reflections on the former president. “It was with great sadness that I learned of the death of former President Carter," the king said in a public statement. “He was a committed public servant, and devoted his life to promoting peace and human rights. His dedication and humility served as an inspiration to many, and I remember with great fondness his visit to the United Kingdom in 1977." Biden remembers Carter for his decency President Joe Biden broke from his family vacation in the U.S. Virgin Islands to remember Carter, recalling his predecessor as a role model and friend. America and the world lost a “remarkable leader” with Carter’s death, Biden said, adding that he had spoken to several of the former president's children and was working with them to formalize memorial arrangements in Washington. Speaking for roughly 10 minutes, Biden remembered Carter as a humanitarian and statesman, someone he couldn't imagine walking past a person in need without trying to help them. He represented “the most fundamental human values we can never let slip away,” Biden said. The president repeatedly praised Carter's “simple decency” and his values, saying some will see him as a man of honesty and humility from a bygone era. “I don’t believe it’s a bygone era. I see a man not only of our time, but for all times,” Biden said. “To know his core, you need to know he never stopped being a Sunday school teacher at that Baptist church in Plains, Georgia.” Egyptian president notes historic Camp David Accords Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said on X that Carter's significant role in achieving the peace agreement between Egypt and Israel "will remain etched in the annals of history.” He went on to say Carter's “humanitarian work exemplifies a lofty standard of love, peace, and brotherhood.” Carter will be remembered as “one of the world’s most prominent leaders in service to humanity,” el-Sissi said. Biden to speak on Carter's death President Joe Biden will speak about Carter Sunday evening. The president will make his address from a hotel in St. Croix, from the U.S. Virgin Islands, where he is on a holiday vacation with his family. Carter’s relationship with his wife Rosalynn spanned a near-lifetime Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter had one of the and political partnerships in U.S. presidential history. The former president sometimes called his wife, who died Nov. 19. 2023, “Rosie,” which is a good way to remember how her name actually is pronounced. It is “ROSE-uh-lyn,” not, repeat NOT, “RAHZ-uh-lyn.” They were married more than 77 years but their relationship went back even further. Jimmy’s mother, “Miss Lillian,” delivered Eleanor Rosalynn Smith at the Smith home in Plains on Aug. 18, 1927. The nurse brought her eldest child back a few days later to visit, meaning the longest-married presidential couple met as preschooler and newborn. She became his trusted campaign aide and White House adviser, surprising Washington by sitting in on Cabinet meetings. Then they traveled the world together as co-founders of The Carter Center. Most of the nation saw the former president for the last time at Rosalynn Carter’s funeral. Grandson Jason Carter says Plains kept his grandparents humble Jason Carter is now the chairman of The Carter Center’s board of governors. He said his grandparents “never changed who they were” even after reaching the White House and becoming global humanitarians. He says their four years in Washington were just one period of and that the center his grandparents founded in Atlanta is a lasting “extension of their belief in human rights as a fundamental global force.” Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter traveled the world advocating for democracy and fighting disease, but Jason Carter said they weren’t motivated by pity, or arrogance that a former American president had all the answers — they ventured to remote places because they could “recognize these people.” They too were from “a 600-person village” and understood that even the poorest people “have the power ... the ability ... the knowledge and the expertise to change their own community.” President Biden mourns his predecessor As reaction poured in from around the world, President Joe Biden mourned Carter’s death, saying the world lost an “extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian” and he lost a dear friend. Biden cited Carter’s compassion and moral clarity, his work to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless and advocacy for the disadvantaged as an example for others. Biden said he is ordering a state funeral for Carter in Washington. Pelosi says Carter’s life ‘was saintly’ in devotion to peace Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is remembering Carter as a man steeped “in devotion to public service and peace.” The California Democrat said in a statement Sunday that Carter was committed to “honoring the spark of divinity within every person,” something she said manifested in “teaching Sunday school in his beloved Marantha Baptist Church, brokering the landmark Camp David Accords to pave the way to peace or building homes with Habitat for Humanity.” Pelosi also said Carter led “perhaps the most impactful post-presidency in history.” Historical praise from the United Kingdom British Prime Minister Keir Starmer noted in a post on X the special contribution Carter made by brokering the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt and through his work with the Carter Center. “Motivated by his strong faith and values, President Carter redefined the post-presidency with a remarkable commitment to social justice and human rights at home and abroad,” Starmer said. Commemoration in New York City To commemorate Carter’s death, officials with the Empire State Building said in a post on social media that the iconic New York City landmark would be lit in red, white and blue on Sunday night, “to honor the life and legacy” of the late former president. The Obamas recall Carter's Sunday services In a statement issued Sunday, former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama said Carter’s beloved Maranatha Baptist Church “will be a little quieter on Sunday,s” but added that the late former president “will never be far away -- buried alongside Rosalynn next to a willow tree down the road, his memory calling all of us to heed our better angels.” Noting the “hundreds of tourists from around the world crammed into the pews” to see the former president teach Sunday school, as he did “for most of his adult life,” the Obamas listed Carter’s accomplishments as president. But they made special note of the Sunday school lessons, saying they were catalysts for people making a pilgrimage to the church. “Many people in that church on Sunday morning were there, at least in part, because of something more fundamental: President Carter’s decency.” A somber announcement The died Sunday, more than a year after entering , at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, who , spent most of their lives. “Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia,” The Carter Center said in posting about his death on the social media platform X. It added in a statement that he died peacefully, surrounded by his family. A Southerner and a man of faith In his 1975 book “Why Not The Best,” Carter said of himself: “I am a Southerner and an American, I am a farmer, an engineer, a father and husband, a Christian, a politician and former governor, a planner, a businessman, a nuclear physicist, a naval officer, a canoeist, and among other things a lover of Bob Dylan’s songs and Dylan Thomas’s poetry.” A moderate Democrat, as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad smile, outspoken Baptist mores and technocratic plans reflecting his education as an engineer. After he left office and returned home to his tiny hometown of Plains in southwest Georgia, Carter regularly at Maranatha Baptist Church until his mobility declined. Those sessions drew visitors from around the world. Former Vice President Gore remembers Carter for life "of purpose” Former Vice President praised Jimmy Carter for living “a life full of purpose, commitment and kindness” and for being a “lifelong role model for the entire environmental movement.” Carter, who left the White House in 1981 after a landslide defeat to Ronald Reagan. concentrated on conflict resolution, defending democracy and fighting disease in the developing world. Gore, who lost the 2000 presidential election to George W. Bush, remains a leading advocate for action to fight climate change. Both won Nobel Peace Prizes. Gore said that “it is a testament to his unyielding determination to help build a more just and peaceful world” that Carter is often “remembered equally for the work he did as President as he is for his leadership over the 42 years after he left office.” During Gore’s time in the White House, President Bill Clinton had an uneasy relationship with Carter. But Gore said he is “grateful” for “many years of friendship and collaboration” with Carter. The Clintons react to Jimmy Carter's death Former President former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, remember Carter as a man who lived to serve others. “Hillary and I mourn the passing of President Jimmy Carter and give thanks for his long, good life. Guided by his faith, President Carter lived to serve others — until the very end." The statement recalled Carter's many achievements and priorities, including efforts “to protect our natural resources in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, make energy conservation a national priority, return the Panama Canal to Panama, and secure peace between Egypt and Israel at Camp David." After he left office, the Clinton statement said, Carter continued efforts in "supporting honest elections, advancing peace, combating disease, and promoting democracy; to his and Rosalynn’s devotion and hard work at Habitat for Humanity — he worked tirelessly for a better, fairer world,” the statement said.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Baidu ( NASDAQ:BIDU – Free Report ) from an overweight rating to a neutral rating in a research report report published on Wednesday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on BIDU. Hsbc Global Res cut shares of Baidu from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 24th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Baidu from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Benchmark lowered their target price on Baidu from $135.00 to $130.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, November 22nd. Bank of America cut their price target on Baidu from $128.00 to $117.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Finally, Susquehanna lowered Baidu from a “positive” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $105.00 to $85.00 in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Baidu currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $113.75. Read Our Latest Research Report on BIDU Baidu Stock Up 0.3 % Institutional Inflows and Outflows Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Baidu during the third quarter worth $72,000. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Baidu in the 3rd quarter valued at about $653,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in shares of Baidu during the third quarter worth about $5,009,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Baidu during the third quarter worth approximately $3,660,000. Finally, MML Investors Services LLC raised its holdings in Baidu by 453.5% in the third quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 13,877 shares of the information services provider’s stock valued at $1,461,000 after acquiring an additional 11,370 shares in the last quarter. Baidu Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) Baidu, Inc engages in the provision of internet search services in China. It operates through two segments: Baidu Core and iQIYI. The company offers Baidu App to access search, feed, and other services using mobile devices; Baidu Search to access its search and other services; Baidu Feed that provides users with personalized timeline based on their demographics and interests; Baidu Health that helps users to find the doctor and hospital for healthcare needs; and Haokan, a short video app. See Also Receive News & Ratings for Baidu Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Baidu and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Shohei Ohtani wins third MVP award, first in NL. Aaron Judge earns second AL honor in 3 seasons
Beans are kind of like the your best friend from high school — nearly forgotten but always ready to step back into the limelight and help out an old pal when needed. As gorgeously (and tantalizingly) demonstrated in Rancho Gordo’s new cookbook, “The Bean Book: 100 Recipes for Cooking with All Kinds of Beans” (Ten Speed, $35), beans are indeed a magical fruit, though not in the way you heard as a kid. Classified as both a vegetable and a plant-based protein in the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans, beans and other legumes can be the ingredient you build an entire vegetarian or veggie-forward meal around. Or, they can help an economical cook stretch a dish twice as far with nutritious calories. A healthful and shelf-staple plant food — they last for years when dried — beans have been among a home cook’s most reliable pantry items for a very long time. (Common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) are thought to have been grown in Mexico more than 7,000 years ago.) That’s why, for some, they’re often something of an afterthought, especially if the only time you ate them as a kid was when your mom tossed kidney beans into a pot of beef chili or made baked beans (with brown sugar and bacon, please!) for a family cookout. Vegetarians have always appreciated their versatility and nutritional punch, and because they’re cheap, they also were quite popular during the Great Depression and World War II as C rations. Sales also peaked during the coronavirus pandemic, when shoppers stockpiled long-lasting pantry essentials. It wasn’t until Rancho Gordo, a California-based bean company, trotted out its branded packages of colorful heirloom beans that the plant began to take on cult status among some shoppers. Unlike the bean varieties commonly found in even the smallest grocery stores, heirloom beans are mostly forgotten varieties that were developed on a small scale for certain characteristics, with seeds from the best crops passed down through the generations. The result is beans that are fresher and more colorful than mass-produced beans, and come in different shapes and sizes. They also have a more complex and intense flavor, fans say. “The Bean Book” dishes up dozens of different ways to cook Rancho Gordo’s 50 heirloom bean varieties, which include red-streaked cranberry beans, mint-green flageolets, black and classic garbanzos and (my favorite) vaquero — which wear the same black-and-white spots as a Holstein cow. Other gotta-try varieties (if just for the name) include eye of the goat, European Soldier, Jacob’s Cattle and Good Mother Stallard, a purple bean with cream-colored flecks. “The very good news is that you have to work extra hard to mess up a pot of beans, and it’s not difficult to make an excellent pot,” Steve Sando writes in the book’s foreword. “The even better news is that you become a better cook with each pot you make.” Not convinced? Here are five reasons to jump on the bean bandwagon: Even the smallest grocery store will have a selection of dried and canned beans. Common varieties include black, cannellini (white kidney), Great Northern, pinto, navy, kidney, Lima and garbanzo (chickpea) beans. Even when they’re not on sale, beans are a bargain at the supermarket. Many varieties cost less than $1 a can, and dried beans are an economical way to build a menu. I paid $1.25 for a one-pound bag of cranberry beans, a smooth and velvety bean with a slightly nutty flavor, at my local grocery store. Rancho Gordo’s heirloom beans cost substantially more. (They run $6.25-$7.50 for a one-pound bag, with free shipping on orders over $50.) But they are sold within a year of harvest, which makes them more flavorful and tender. A bag also comes with cooking instructions and recipe suggestions, and the quality is outstanding. Plus, after cooking their beans with aromatics, “you are left with essentially free soup,” Sando writes in the cookbook. “If you drain properly cooked and seasoned beans, the liquid you are left with is delicious.” Beans are a great source of plant-based protein and both soluble and insoluble fiber, and they include essential minerals like iron, magnesium and potassium. If you’re watching your weight or following a particular diet, beans are naturally free of fat, sodium and cholesterol and are rich in complex carbohydrates. They also contain antioxidants and folate. And if you’re vegan or vegetarian, most types of dry beans are rich sources of iron. The U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends eating 1-3 cups of legumes, including beans, per week Dry beans have to be soaked overnight, but cooking them is easy. They can be cooked on the stovetop, in a slow cooker, in the pressure cooker and in the oven. Canned beans are even easier — just rinse and drain, and they’re ready to go. Beans can be used in so many different dishes. They can be made into soup, salad or dips, top nachos, add some heft to a casserole or be mashed into the makings of a veggie burger. You also can add them to brownies and other baked goods, toss them with pasta, add them to chili or a rice bowl or stuff them into a taco or burrito. Check out these four recipes: PG tested This light and creamy vegetarian soup benefits from a surprising garnish, roasted shiitake mushrooms, which taste exactly like bacon. For soup 1/4 cup olive oil 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 2 celery stalks, chopped 1 medium carrot, scrubbed and chopped 6 garlic cloves, finely grated or pressed 2 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more for garnish 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 4 cups vegetable broth 2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed For bacon 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, caps cut into 1/8 -inch slices 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt To finish Plant-based milk Chili oil, for drizzling Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Make soup: In large pot, heat oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Add onion, celery, carrot, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are fragrant and tender, 8-10 minutes. Add vegetable stock and beans, increase heat to high and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until thickened, 12-14 minutes. Meanwhile, make the bacon: Spread shiitake mushrooms into a single layer on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Bake until browned and crispy, 18-20 minutes, rotating pan front to back and tossing mushrooms with a spatula halfway through. Let cool in pan; mushrooms will continue to crisp as they cool. To finish, add some milk to the soup and use an immersion blender to puree it in the pot, or puree in a blender. (Cover lid with a clean kitchen towel.) Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Divide soup among bowls and top with shiitake bacon. Garnish with thyme sprigs and a drizzle of chili oil. Serves 4-6. — “Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking” by Joe Yonan PG tested Velvety cranberry beans simmered with tomato and the punch of red wine vinegar are a perfect match for a soft bed of cheesy polenta. This is a filling, stick-to-your-ribs dish perfect for fall. 1/4 cup olive oil 1 small onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 cups canned chopped tomatoes, juice reserved 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth 4 fresh sage leaves Salt and pepper 4 cups cooked Lamon or cranberry beans 2 cups uncooked polenta 6 ounces pancetta, diced Chopped fresh basil or parsley, for garnish Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving In large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and red wine vinegar. In a small bowl, dissolve tomato paste in the broth and add to pan. Stir in sage and season with salt and pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened, 15-20 minutes. Add beans to tomato sauce. Cook, stirring frequently, until heated through, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare polenta according to package instructions. Place pancetta in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the pancetta is brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer pancetta to a paper towel to drain. To serve, spoon polenta into serving dishes. Ladle the beans over the polenta and top with the pancetta. Garnish with fresh basil and serve with grated Parmesan. Serves 6. — “The Bean Book: 100 Recipes for Cooking with All Kinds of Beans” by Steve Sando PG tested Beans and seafood might seen like an unusual pairing, but in this recipe, mild white beans take on a lot of flavor from clams. Spanish chorizo adds a nice contrast. 4 cups cooked white beans, bean broth reserved 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/2 white onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste 1/2 cup finely chopped Spanish-style cured chorizo 2 plum tomatoes, chopped 1/2 cup dry white wine 2 pounds small clams, scrubbed well Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish Country-style bread and butter, for serving In large pot, heat beans in their broth over medium-low heat. In large lidded saucepan, warm olive oil over medium-low heat. Add onion, garlic and salt and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add chorizo and cook gently until some of the fat has rendered, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and wine and cook to allow the flavors to mingle, 5-6 minutes. Increase heat to medium and add clams. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. Uncover the pan and cook until all of the clams open, another few minutes. Remove pan from heat, then remove and discard any clams that failed to open. Add clam mixture to the bean pot and stir very gently until well mixed. Simmer for a few minutes to allow the flavors to mingle but not get mushy. Ladle into large, shallow bowls and sprinkle with parsley. Set out a large bowl for discarded shells and encourage guests to eat with their fingers. Pass plenty of good bread and creamy butter at the table Serves 4-6. — “The Bean Book: 100 Recipes for Cooking with All Kinds of Beans, from the Rancho Gordo Kitchen” by Steve Sando with Julia Newberry PG tested So easy to pull together for your next party! 1 1/2 cups cooked cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Juice and zest of 1 lemon 1 small garlic clove, minced Generous pinch of salt Freshly ground black pepper 2 or 3 tablespoons water, if needed 2 fresh basil leaves, chopped, optional 1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves chopped, optional In a food processor, pulse cannellini beans, olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic, salt and several grinds of pepper until combined. If it’s too thick, slowly add the water with the food processor running until it is smooth and creamy. Blend in the basil and/or rosemary, if using Serve with veggies, pita or bruschetta. Makes 1 1/2 cups — Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette ©2024 PG Publishing Co. 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WEST PALM BEACH, Florida — An online spat between factions of Donald Trump's supporters over immigration and the tech industry has thrown internal divisions in his political movement into public display, previewing the fissures and contradictory views his coalition could bring to the White House. The rift laid bare the tensions between the newest flank of Trump's movement — wealthy members of the tech world, including billionaire Elon Musk and fellow entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and their call for more highly skilled workers in their industry — and people in Trump's Make America Great Again base who championed his hard-line immigration policies. Register to read this story and more for free . Signing up for an account helps us improve your browsing experience. OR See our subscription options.Ustby, Donarski lead No. 16 North Carolina women over Villanova 53-36 in Battle 4 Atlantis semifinalTrump offers a public show of support for Pete Hegseth, his embattled nominee to lead the Pentagon