WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday threatened 100% tariffs against a bloc of nine nations if they act to undermine the U.S. dollar. His threat was directed at countries in the so-called BRIC alliance, which consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Turkey, Azerbaijan and Malaysia have applied to become members and several other countries have expressed interest in joining. While the U.S. dollar is by far the most-used currency in global business and has survived past challenges to its preeminence, members of the alliance and other developing nations say they are fed up with America’s dominance of the global financial system . The dollar represents roughly 58% of the world’s foreign exchange reserves, according to the IMF and major commodities like oil are still primarily bought and sold using dollars. The dollar's dominance is threatened, however, with BRICS' growing share of GDP and the alliance's intent to trade in non-dollar currencies — a process known as de-dollarization. Trump, in a Truth Social post, said: “We require a commitment from these Countries that they will neither create a new BRICS Currency, nor back any other Currency to replace the mighty U.S. Dollar or, they will face 100% Tariffs, and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful U.S. Economy." At a summit of BRIC nations in October, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the U.S. of “weaponizing” the dollar and described it as a “big mistake.” “It’s not us who refuse to use the dollar,” Putin said at the time. “But if they don’t let us work, what can we do? We are forced to search for alternatives.” Russia has specifically pushed for the creation of a new payment system that would offer an alternative to the global bank messaging network, SWIFT, and allow Moscow to dodge Western sanctions and trade with partners. Trump said there is "no chance" BRIC will replace the U.S. dollar in global trade and any country that tries to make that happen "should wave goodbye to America.” Research shows that the U.S. dollar's role as the primary global reserve currency is not threatened in the near future. An Atlantic Council model that assesses the dollar’s place as the primary global reserve currency states the dollar is “secure in the near and medium term” and continues to dominate other currencies. Trump's latest tariff threat comes after he threatened to slap 25% tariffs on everything imported from Mexico and Canada, and an additional 10% tax on goods from China, as a way to force the countries to do more to halt the flow of illegal immigration and drugs into the U.S. He has since held a call with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who said Thursday she is confident that a tariff war with the United States can be averted. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau returned home Saturday after meeting Trump, without assurances the president-elect will back away from threatened tariffs on Canada.
The San Francisco 49ers picked up a much-needed win on Sunday, as the team took down the Chicago Bears with a final score of 38-13. Despite the big win, one player who did not make much of an impact was star wide receiver Deebo Samuel. More news: Former Texans Star CB Ends Retirement to Join Chiefs It appears Samuel understands his recent slump, but has used it as a chance to seemingly take a shot at the 49ers. Not struggling at all just not getting the ball!!!!!!! 🤷🏾♂️ Samuel took to X to vent his frustrations over his recent targets, as his post states: "Not struggling at all just not getting the ball!!!!!!! 🤷🏾♂️." There is no telling what caused Samuel to state that he isn't struggling, but has not been given the chance for more receptions. That has certainly been proven true in the last three games, as he has accounted for 12 total targets. Dating back to the game against the Green Bay Packers, Samuel was targeted only four times, bringing in one grab for 21 yards. The week after, the 49ers faced off against the Buffalo Bills, and Samuel was targeted five times, only catching four of those balls for 20 yards. In the 49ers' win on Sunday against the Bears, Samuel's targets dropped to three, and he caught two of those targets for 22 yards. It could be that Samuel is not getting targets simply because his YAC (yards after catch) have not been anywhere near where they usually are. It could also be that the 49ers have been trying to evolve their offense in a way that benefits the over-the-middle type of plays that tight end George Kittle is often successful with. Either way, it appears the 49ers have chosen not to involve Samuel nearly as much, and he is making that known on social media. It is a bit strange that his targets have gone down, especially with fellow receiver Brandon Aiyuk lost for the season. To be fair, Jauan Jennings has stepped up in a big way and could be the core reason why Samuel is not garnering more attention in the passing game. Jennings caught all seven of the eight targets thrown his way for 90 yards and two touchdowns. More news: 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan Offers Huge Injury Update on Isaac Guerendo Jennings also secured three catches for 55 yards in Week 13's loss to the Bills. Jennings might just be the better options at receiver for Brock Purdy and the 49ers. Still, the 49ers will need to turn things around for a run at the playoffs, and that means involving Samuel far more. He is still one of the best dual-threat receivers in the NFL . For more on the 49ers, head to Newsweek Sports .Trump threatens 100% tariff on the BRIC bloc of nations if they act to undermine US dollar
Searing guitar riffs, primal drums, and electronic textures collide with impassioned vocals to create a chaotic yet precise sonic storm that blurs the lines between human aggression and mechanical force. That’s industrial rock, and for fans of German band KMFDM, it is the sweet spot between the freedom to express individuality and rebelling against a system of political corruption and injustice. But in 1999, when the band’s lyrics were cited by the perpetrators of the Columbine High School massacre in Colorado, which resulted in 13 deaths, their message of resistance was suddenly eclipsed by the violence they had long condemned. In January, a song by the band was featured in a TikTok video posted moments before a 17-year-old unleashed gunfire at Iowa’s Perry High School, killing two and wounding others. And now, the band has once again been thrust into the spotlight by photos of 15-year-old freshman Natalie Rupnow , who on Monday killed a teacher and student at her private school in Madison, Wisconsin. The images show her wearing a black KMFDM band shirt while at a shooting range. Band says music stands against violence KMFDM issued a statement condemning the Columbine massacre, expressing sympathy for the victims and explaining its music was intended to stand against violence. “KMFDM are an art form — not a political party. From the beginning our music has been a statement against war, oppression, fascism and violence against others,” read the statement at the time. KMFDM told CNN on Saturday it has been “distressing” to be in a similar situation again, after “how unfairly maligned KMFDM was by the media during Columbine, in what was tantamount to a witch hunt.” “We stand by these words as strongly now as we did back then,” KMFDM said in its statement. “We don’t believe Natalie Rupnow wore a KMFDM T-shirt because she’s necessarily a fan of the band, but instead because she glorified the Columbine shooters. Sadly, there’s a subculture of sick individuals who do have an obscure fascination with the Columbine massacre, and our band’s acronym will forever be associated with it.” KMFDM said the concern should not be its music but the ubiquitous, with a persistent rise in gun-related deaths and mass shootings that have killed hundreds of children and school staff in classrooms. “In a culture that is obsessed with guns, people will always try and blame someone or something else for these tragic events, rather than the abundant and easy access to firearms,” KMFDM said. The history of industrial rock The first decade of industrial music was recognized as being “very experimental and very hard to listen to,” said industrial music expert Alexander Reed. It started with combining noise samples – ranging from vacuum cleaners, power tools or banging on metal – with drum beats and turning them into songs. “It was very interested in turning noise into music and music into noise. That’s tied into their idea of flipping notions of the powerless versus the empowered, or good versus evil,” Reed, a professor of music at Ithaca College, told CNN. Industrial music originated in the 1970s in northern England, Germany, and, to some extent, San Francisco before spreading all over the world. Around the mid-1980s, Reed says, industrial musicians began incorporating influences from dance music and rock ‘n’ roll, leading to KMFDM’s rise. The band was founded in 1984 as a performance art project. KMFDM is its original German name, which is intentionally grammatically absurd and stands for “Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid,” translated and interpreted as “No pity for the majority.” The name, KMFDM told CNN, was inspired by Dadaism, the early 20th century antiestablishment art movement which rejected nationalism and war. KMFDM surged to success in the late ’80s and early ’90s, alongside fellow industrial pioneers Nine Inch Nails and Ministry, who helped bring the genre into the mainstream. Themes of dominance and military violence come up all over the history of both industrial and electronic music. They are expressed through the melodic differences between electronic instruments and acoustic rock, Clara Latham, an assistant professor of music technology at The New School in New York City told CNN. Electronic instruments, like drum machines, synthesizers, and keyboards, have a machine precision that lacks the nuance that a drummer or guitar player conveys with fluctuations in tempo. When these elements collide, Latham says, they create a cacophony of melodic chaos. “The sound gets associated with a kind of oppressive quality in comparison, and that became part of the industrial aesthetic,” Latham said. “Compare a crazy guitar solo where the guitar sounds like it has a mind of its own, with an electronic artist at a console turning knobs – it has a totally different connotation.” The combination of the aesthetic sound differences projects the anti-violence messages behind the music: “There is a very, very clear anti-authority, anti-capitalism, anti-establishment political message that’s trying to be shouted,” Latham said. “One of the reasons why they have an enduring sort of legacy among young people is they really make people feel listened to,” Reed said. “They stand for the side of the oppressed, so their politics and their music seem to say, ‘Hey, if you are marginalized, if you are pushed to the side, we will listen to you.’ And some of that sort of earnest fist pumping power that comes through their rock influences is acting as a way to empower their listeners.” KMFDM has released 24 studio albums and related projects and continues to release music. The band had a 40th anniversary tour around the world in October. “KMFDM’s fans are incredibly dedicated, outspoken and loyal, without them, it would be unbearable to continue to exist through times like these,” KMFDM said. Underlying theme of school shootings is gun violence, not music, experts say It is unclear if Rupnow was inspired by the Columbine shooters or if her interest in KMFDM stemmed from Columbine shooter Eric Harris wearing the band’s shirt and citing its lyrics. But whether an individual has a particular musical preference likely has no effect on their decisions to carry out violence, Indre Viskontas, neuroscientist and associate professor of psychology at the University of San Francisco, told CNN. “When people are in a state of anger or very heightened emotions, they often listen to music to help them regulate their emotions, to blow off steam, get that anger out in a healthy way, so that they don’t act aggressively, or ways in which they wouldn’t want to,” Viskontas said. “A person who is going to go into a school and murder children has a lot of issues. That is not healthy behavior, so there’s obviously a lot of failures that have led up to that particular behavior, but I don’t see any evidence that their particular style of music would lead to or enhance that behavior.” Reed, who wrote the book “Assimilate: A Critical History of Industrial Music,” points to examples of how people misinterpret music to fit their own ideas. “People are going to mishear things. Paul Ryan thought that Rage Against the Machine was a right-wing band, and they clapped back saying ‘You are the machine against whom we rage,’” Reed said. One alt-right founder and white nationalist “claimed Depeche Mode is the official band of the alt right when they had been wearing literal Karl Marx beards unironically in their previous video.” It may also be likely that the Columbine shooters misinterpreted the messages in KMFDM’s music, Reed said, since the band consistently denounces violence and uses lyrics that critique social and political issues. “KMFDM was one of a bunch of bands that they listened to and music was only one of a bunch of things that they were into, a lot of which was a lot less savory,” Reed said. “But the most important thing that Columbine kids were into were guns.” The past year has continued to see a rising number of school shootings and a lack of legislation to curb gun violence . There have been at least 83 school shootings in the US so far this year as of December 16, according to CNN’s analysis of events reported by the Gun Violence Archive, Education Week and Everytown for Gun Safety. “After every school shooting, we outsource our conversations, difficult decisions, policies, and our sense of societal guilt to symbols, so we can point to them and say, ‘Oh, well, they listen to this rock band’ and we no longer have to have a conversation about gun control, or the degree to which we are raising our adolescents through screens and algorithms that veer their screens toward extremist politics,” Reed said. “We are missing the point – that the problem is not the music, it’s the guns.”WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday threatened 100% tariffs against a bloc of nine nations if they act to undermine the U.S. dollar. His threat was directed at countries in the so-called BRIC alliance, which consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Turkey, Azerbaijan and Malaysia have applied to become members and several other countries have expressed interest in joining. While the U.S. dollar is by far the most-used currency in global business and has survived past challenges to its preeminence, members of the alliance and other developing nations say they are fed up with America’s dominance of the global financial system . The dollar represents roughly 58% of the world’s foreign exchange reserves, according to the IMF and major commodities like oil are still primarily bought and sold using dollars. The dollar's dominance is threatened, however, with BRICS' growing share of GDP and the alliance's intent to trade in non-dollar currencies — a process known as de-dollarization. Trump, in a Truth Social post, said: “We require a commitment from these Countries that they will neither create a new BRICS Currency, nor back any other Currency to replace the mighty U.S. Dollar or, they will face 100% Tariffs, and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful U.S. Economy." At a summit of BRIC nations in October, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the U.S. of “weaponizing” the dollar and described it as a “big mistake.” “It’s not us who refuse to use the dollar,” Putin said at the time. “But if they don’t let us work, what can we do? We are forced to search for alternatives.” Russia has specifically pushed for the creation of a new payment system that would offer an alternative to the global bank messaging network, SWIFT, and allow Moscow to dodge Western sanctions and trade with partners. Trump said there is "no chance" BRIC will replace the U.S. dollar in global trade and any country that tries to make that happen "should wave goodbye to America.” Research shows that the U.S. dollar's role as the primary global reserve currency is not threatened in the near future. An Atlantic Council model that assesses the dollar’s place as the primary global reserve currency states the dollar is “secure in the near and medium term” and continues to dominate other currencies. Trump's latest tariff threat comes after he threatened to slap 25% tariffs on everything imported from Mexico and Canada, and an additional 10% tax on goods from China, as a way to force the countries to do more to halt the flow of illegal immigration and drugs into the U.S. He has since held a call with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who said Thursday she is confident that a tariff war with the United States can be averted. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau returned home Saturday after meeting Trump, without assurances the president-elect will back away from threatened tariffs on Canada.Just about everything went wrong for the Pittsburgh Steelers in a Week 12 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Coming off of a big win against the Baltimore Ravens, Mike Tomlin 's team was clearly a little worn down and ended up losing a close one, 24-19 . One of the bigger storylines heading into the matchup was the individual rivalry that has brewed between TJ Watt and Myles Garrett. Both players have won an AP Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) Award, and they have undoubtedly etched themselves into a very small category of elite edge rushers in the National Football League. Garrett, however, won on Thursday Night Football . The reigning DPOY in Garrett had himself a heck of a night against the Steelers. He had three sacks and a forced fumble, which gave him the confidence to directly state that he was in a category of one. A lot has been discussed since the game ended in regards to Watt, who wasn't very productive in the contest. It wasn't totally his fault, as the Browns sometimes had three different individuals blocking him. Watt notoriously skipped out on the NFL Honors ceremony after the 2023 season because he knew that the big defensive award wasn't going to him. He brought to social media to hint at feeling disrespected. Nothing I’m not used to. The AFC North is full of fierce rivalries and while Cleveland may be 3-8 after the win on Thursday evening, its social media team did not mind taking a subtle shot at Watt, who won DPOY honors after the 2021 season. Nothing he’s not used to. pic.twitter.com/ejgoYPGOQS Both players are incredible, but the reality of the fact is that Garrett is not on a planet of his own. Watt is just as good, if not better, than his divisional foe. The Browns haven't had much to celebrate in 2024, which is why the admin of their social media team was happy to take a small dig at Watt. It will just add more fuel to the fire when the two franchises meet again in Week 14. On top of it all, prior to Thursday night's matchup, Watt was handily controlling the individual rivalry between he and Garrett. It hasn't been relatively close altogether, as Watt normally shows out against Cleveland. TJ Watt vs Myles Garrett H2H pic.twitter.com/XtYGyio87O Watt was the favorite to win the DPOY award following the 2024 season, but that might change after he did not perform to his best ability versus the Browns. Steelers Need Huge Final Stretch From Watt Pittsburgh's coaching staff needs to figure out more creative ways to get Watt involved. Opposing teams are taking drastic measures to make sure he doesn't wreck games, which is affecting the defense as a whole. It has allowed for a guy like Nick Herbig to make big plays, but the Steelers are at their absolute best when Watt is wreaking havoc all over the field. This article first appeared on SteelerNation.com and was syndicated with permission.
The Green Party is set to suffer significant losses in the Irish General Election, with its leader expecting just a handful of parliamentarians to be returned. Children’s Minister Roderic O’Gorman said the party could not buck the trend in Ireland of junior coalition partners in Fine Gael and Fianna Fail governments losing support in subsequent elections. He said they expected to retain two to three seats out of the 12 they had won in the 2020 election on the back of a worldwide “Green wave”. “Undoubtedly it’s a disappointing result for our party today,” Mr O’Gorman told reporters in Ongar, Dublin. “It’s hard for a smaller party in government, that’s long been the tradition, the history in Ireland. We hoped going into the election to buck that but we haven’t been able to buck that today.” Mr O’Gorman, a candidate in Dublin West, is among the outgoing Green Party TDs in a battle to retain their seats. Culture Minister Catherine Martin, who is fighting to remain a Green Party TD for Dublin Rathdown, said it was a “very tight” race in her four-seat constituency. “We go in (to government) not afraid of that because the issue of the climate and biodiversity crisis is (greater) than our survival,” she said on RTE Radio. “I stand over and am proud of our track record of delivery.” Green candidate in Waterford Marc O Cathasaigh said he would not be “in the shake-up” to retain his seat in that constituency, while junior minister Ossian Smyth looks at risk of losing his seat in Dun Laoghaire. Junior minister Joe O’Brien is expected to lose his seat in Dublin Fingal, Neasa Hourigan is at risk in Dublin Central, while Wicklow’s Steven Matthews garnered just 4% of first preferences. Former Green Party leader Eamon Ryan, who announced his retirement from frontline politics in June, said his party had not had a good day. Arriving at the count centre at the RDS in Dublin, the outgoing environment minister told reporters: “If you don’t get elected you accept that, but you come back stronger and you learn lessons, and we’ve done that in the past and we will do that again.” He added: “No matter what the results today there will be a strong Green Party in Ireland, we have deep roots in the community and it’s a very distinct political philosophy and I think there is still space for that in Irish politics, for sure.” Mr Ryan said he did not believe his decision to retire, and the timing of his announcement, had affected the party’s showing. “Unfortunately – and this is just one of those days – we didn’t get the number of votes,” he said. He added: “We’ll look back and see what are the lessons, and what can we learn and what can we do differently. “It’s just one of those days when we didn’t have a good day.
4 easy, comforting bean dishes for fall
Nordstrom (NYSE:JWN) Reports Upbeat Q3LONDON (AP) — A woman who claimed mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor “brutally raped and battered” her in a Dublin hotel penthouse was awarded nearly 250,000 Euros ($257,000) on Friday by a civil court jury in Ireland. Nikita Hand said the Dec. 9, 2018, assault after a night of partying left her heavily bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. McGregor testified that he never forced the woman to do anything against her will and said she fabricated the allegations after the two had consensual sex. His lawyer had called Hand a gold digger. The fighter, once the face of the Ultimate Fighting Championship but now past his prime, shook his head as the jury of eight women and four men returned the verdict after deliberating for about six hours in the High Court in Dublin. He was mobbed by cameras as he left court but did not comment. He later said on the social platform X that he would appeal the verdict and the “modest award.” Hand's voice cracked and her hands trembled as she read a statement outside the courthouse, saying she would never forget what happened to her but would now be able to move on with her life. She thanked her family, partner, friends, jurors, the judge and all the supporters that had reached out to her online, but particularly her daughter. “She has given me so much strength and courage over the last six years throughout this nightmare to keep on pushing forward for justice,” she said. “I want to show (her) and every other girl and boy that you can stand up for yourself if something happens to you, no matter who the person is, and justice will be served.” The Associated Press generally does not name alleged victims of sexual violence unless they come forward publicly, as Hand has done. Under Irish law, she did not have the anonymity she would have been granted in a criminal proceeding and was named publicly throughout the trial. Her lawyer told jurors that McGregor was angry about a fight he had lost in Las Vegas two months earlier and took it out on his client. “He’s not a man, he’s a coward,” attorney John Gordon said in his closing speech. “A devious coward and you should treat him for what he is.” Gordon said his client never pretended to be a saint and was only looking to have fun when she sent McGregor a message through Instagram after attending a Christmas party. He said Hand knew McGregor socially and that they had grown up in the same area. She said he picked her and a friend up in a car and shared cocaine with them, which McGregor admitted in court, on the way to the Beacon Hotel. Hand said she told McGregor she didn't want to have sex with him and that she was menstruating. She said she told him “no” as he started kissing her but he eventually pinned her to a bed and she couldn't move. McGregor put her in a chokehold and later told her, “now you know how I felt in the octagon where I tapped out three times,” referring to a UFC match when he had to admit defeat, she said. Hand had to take several breaks in emotional testimony over three days. She said McGregor threatened to kill her during the encounter and she feared she would never see her young daughter again. Eventually, he let go of her. “I remember saying I was sorry, as I felt that I did something wrong and I wanted to reassure him that I wouldn’t tell anyone so he wouldn’t hurt me again,” she testified. She said she then let him do what he wanted and he had sex with her. A paramedic who examined Hand the next day testified that she had never before seen someone with that intensity of bruising. A doctor told jurors Hand had multiple injuries. Hand said the trauma of the attack had left her unable to work as a hairdresser, she fell behind on her mortgage and had to move out of her house. Police investigated the woman’s complaint but prosecutors declined to bring charges, saying there was insufficient evidence and a conviction was unlikely. McGregor, in his post on X, said he was disappointed jurors didn't see all the evidence prosecutors had reviewed. He testified that the two had athletic and vigorous sex, but that it was not rough. He said “she never said ‘no’ or stopped” and testified that everything she said was a lie. “It is a full blown lie among many lies,” he said when asked about the chokehold allegation. “How anyone could believe that me, as a prideful person, would highlight my shortcomings.” McGregor’s lawyer told jurors they had to set aside their animus toward the fighter. “You may have an active dislike of him, some of you may even loathe him – there is no point pretending that the situation might be otherwise,” attorney Remy Farrell said. “I’m not asking you to invite him to Sunday brunch.” The defense said the woman never told investigators McGregor threatened her life. They also showed surveillance video in court that they said appeared to show the woman kiss McGregor’s arm and hug him after they left the hotel room. Farrell said she looked “happy, happy, happy.” McGregor said he was “beyond petrified” when first questioned by police and read them a prepared statement. On the advice of his lawyer, he refused to answer more than 100 follow-up questions. The jury ruled against Hand in a case she brought against one of McGregor’s friends, James Lawrence, whom she accused of having sex with her in the hotel without consent.
Bayern Munich fans protest against PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi