President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to extend his signature Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, a 2017 law that revised the tax code and provided some sweet breaks to favored constituents. Many of those provisions are set to expire at the end of 2025 and, given the GOP’s control of Congress and the White House, the pressure will be on to act fast. Failure to extend the measures would mean increases for most taxpayers in 2026, and they would have no one to blame but Trump & Co. During his campaign, the president-elect teased additional giveaways, vowing to eliminate taxes on tips, which doesn’t make much sense, as well as Social Security income. Apparently, all kinds of ideas are on the table, which makes the complex job of rewriting tax law even more challenging. Throughout the 2000s, the U.S. has lived far beyond its means, as both major parties embraced deficit spending. Extending the Trump tax cuts will jack up the deficit by something like $5 trillion through fiscal 2035. Sweetening the pot with additional goodies would add still more to the tab. We send our best wishes to the much-ballyhooed Department of Government Efficiency, to be run by tech bosses Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. We’re all for eliminating waste, fraud and abuse. But given governmental instincts for self-preservation, experience teaches us to keep expectations modest. That leaves the national debt at $36 trillion and counting, threatening to increase inflation, raise interest rates, weaken the dollar and reduce the government’s capacity to make strategic investments. It’s disappointing to see the GOP , which always claimed to be the party of fiscal discipline when Democrats were in power, freeze out its deficit hawks when it controls the nation’s wallet. Trump has nominated some smart people for his economic team, including Scott Bessent for Treasury secretary, and we’re hopeful that grown-up thinking will prevail. Other Trump nominees could work against that, however. Consider Billy Long, a former GOP congressman from Missouri, whom Trump has proposed to head the Internal Revenue Service. The colorful Long is a professional auctioneer who went into business peddling a fraud-plagued tax credit after leaving public office. During his tenure, he joined other opportunists in scoring cheap political points by demonizing the IRS and pushing attention-getting tax ideas, evidently for effect . Exhibit A is Long’s effort to scrap the federal tax code, and the IRS along with it, while replacing the lost revenue with a regressive national sales tax. That would raise the cost of goods and services by anywhere from 30 to 44 cents for every dollar spent. It doesn’t take a political genius to recognize that raising the cost of a $1 item to as much as $1.44 would never work. Yet Long pushed for it, and now this unserious nominee is in line to run one of the most serious government agencies. Rather than promising to tear down the IRS for the sake of sound bites, the GOP needs to get real about change. This agency that everyone loves to hate will be crucial to carrying out its tax plan in 2025 and beyond. And, as Bessent and some of the better Trump nominees surely recognize, the GOP has a precious opportunity to bring about reform, if its more credible leaders are willing to put in the work instead of voicing fantasies about eliminating essential government services. The complexity of the federal tax code imposes an estimated $546 billion in annual costs on the U.S. economy, including billions of hours in lost productivity and out-of-pocket compliance costs, according to the center-right Tax Foundation. ... If the incoming Trump administration wants its tax-change plans to be carried out effectively, it should retire its anti-IRS rhetoric and give the agency the tools it needs to get the job done. After all, it’s a matter of following the law.2. Rumors of "Strictest Vehicle Inspection of the Year" Debunked:
One of the main issues plaguing Arsenal's left-wing performance is the underwhelming performances of the left-back position. Players who have occupied this role in recent seasons have failed to make a significant impact going forward, leaving Saka with limited options to link up with in attacking situations.
Facing mounting pressures from rising property prices, speculative activities, and housing affordability issues, the government has recognized the critical importance of maintaining stability in the real estate market. The directive underscores the need for balanced development, sound regulation, and effective supervision to prevent systemic risks and maintain a steady and orderly market environment.Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save KYIV, Ukraine — NATO and Ukraine will hold emergency talks Tuesday after Russia attacked a central city with an experimental, hypersonic ballistic missile. escalating the nearly 33-month-old war. The conflict is “entering a decisive phase,” Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Friday, and “taking on very dramatic dimensions.” Ukraine’s parliament canceled a session as security was tightened following Thursday’s Russian strike on a military facility in the city of Dnipro. In a stark warning to the West, President Vladimir Putin said in a nationally televised speech the attack with the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile was in retaliation for Kyiv’s use of U.S. and British longer-range missiles capable of striking deeper into Russian territory. Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks Friday during a meeting with the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defense, representatives of the military-industrial complex and developers of missile systems at the Kremlin in Moscow. Putin said Western air defense systems would be powerless to stop the new missile. People are also reading... Margaret Atwood OSU event altered over threats The real reason Corvallis' Pastega Lights moved to Linn County Bomb cyclone, flood risk in Benton County this week OSU women's basketball: An early look at this edition of the Beavers Albany's Joel Dahl pleads guilty to sex crime involving minor Tree farm fiasco has Corvallis homelessness under microscope Strike over: Benton County, union reach tentative deal OSU football: Beavers' season hits a new low in loss at Air Force What's available from Benton County services as strike nears Week 2 Sweet Home man sentenced for crash that injured his daughter In trying to flee, suspect accused of driving over Albany police officer American flag thrown by driver fleeing Benton County deputies OSU football: It's time to look ahead to next year Albany dog badly hurt, possibly shot, during brief escape Tensions rise, as Albany strike enters second week Ukrainian military officials said the missile that hit Dnipro reached a speed of Mach 11 and carried six nonnuclear warheads, each releasing six submunitions. Speaking Friday to military and weapons industries officials, Putin said Russia will launch production of the Oreshnik. “No one in the world has such weapons,” he said. “Sooner or later, other leading countries will also get them. We are aware that they are under development. “We have this system now,” he added. “And this is important.” Putin said that while it isn’t an intercontinental missile, it’s so powerful that the use of several of them fitted with conventional warheads in one attack could be as devastating as a strike with strategic — or nuclear — weapons. Gen. Sergei Karakayev, head of Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces, said the Oreshnik could reach targets across Europe and be fitted with nuclear or conventional warheads, echoing Putin’s claim that even with conventional warheads, “the massive use of the weapon would be comparable in effect to the use of nuclear weapons.” In this photo taken from a video released Friday, a Russian serviceman operates at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov kept up Russia's bellicose tone on Friday, blaming “the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries” in supplying weapons to Ukraine to strike Russia. "The Russian side has clearly demonstrated its capabilities, and the contours of further retaliatory actions in the event that our concerns were not taken into account have also been quite clearly outlined," he said. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, widely seen as having the warmest relations with the Kremlin in the European Union, echoed Moscow’s talking points, suggesting the use of U.S.-supplied weapons in Ukraine likely requires direct American involvement. “These are rockets that are fired and then guided to a target via an electronic system, which requires the world’s most advanced technology and satellite communications capability,” Orbán said on state radio. “There is a strong assumption ... that these missiles cannot be guided without the assistance of American personnel.” Orbán cautioned against underestimating Russia’s responses, emphasizing that the country’s recent modifications to its nuclear deployment doctrine should not be dismissed as a “bluff.” “It’s not a trick ... there will be consequences,” he said. Czech Republic's Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky speaks to journalists Friday during a joint news conference with Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriiy Sybiha in Kyiv, Ukraine. Separately in Kyiv, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský called Thursday’s missile strike an “escalatory step and an attempt of the Russian dictator to scare the population of Ukraine and to scare the population of Europe.” At a news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Lipavský also expressed his full support for delivering the necessary additional air defense systems to protect Ukrainian civilians from the “heinous attacks.” He said the Czech Republic will impose no limits on the use of its weapons and equipment given to Ukraine. Three lawmakers from Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, confirmed that Friday's previously scheduled session was called off due to the ongoing threat of Russian missiles targeting government buildings in central Kyiv. In addition, there also was a recommendation to limit the work of all commercial offices and nongovernmental organizations "in that perimeter, and local residents were warned of the increased threat,” said lawmaker Mykyta Poturaiev, who said it's not the first time such a threat has been received. Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate said the Oreshnik missile was fired from the Kapustin Yar 4th Missile Test Range in Russia’s Astrakhan region and flew 15 minutes before striking Dnipro. Test launches of a similar missile were conducted in October 2023 and June 2024, the directorate said. The Pentagon confirmed the missile was a new, experimental type of intermediate-range missile based on its RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile. Thursday's attack struck the Pivdenmash plant that built ICBMs when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. The military facility is located about 4 miles southwest of the center of Dnipro, a city of about 1 million that is Ukraine’s fourth-largest and a key hub for military supplies and humanitarian aid, and is home to one of the country’s largest hospitals for treating wounded soldiers from the front before their transfer to Kyiv or abroad. From tuberculosis to heart disease: How the leading causes of death in America have changed From tuberculosis to heart disease: How the leading causes of death in America have changed We're all going to die someday. Still, how it happens—and when—can point to a historical moment defined by the scientific advancements and public health programs available at the time to contain disease and prevent accidents. In the early 1900s, America's efforts to improve sanitation, hygiene, and routine vaccinations were still in their infancy. Maternal and infant mortality rates were high, as were contagious diseases that spread between people and animals. Combined with the devastation of two World Wars—and the Spanish Flu pandemic in between—the leading causes of death changed significantly after this period. So, too, did the way we diagnose and control the spread of disease. Starting with reforms as part of Roosevelt's New Deal in the 1930s, massive-scale, federal interventions in the U.S. eventually helped stave off disease transmission. It took comprehensive government programs and the establishment of state and local health agencies to educate the public on preventing disease transmission. Seemingly simple behavioral shifts, such as handwashing, were critical in thwarting the spread of germs, much like discoveries in medicine, such as vaccines, and increased access to deliver them across geographies. Over the course of the 20th century, life expectancy increased by 56% and is estimated to keep increasing slightly, according to an annual summary of vital statistics published by the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2000. Death Records examined data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to see how the leading causes of death in America have evolved over time and to pinpoint how some major mortality trends have dropped off. Infectious diseases lead causes of death in America According to a report published in the journal Annual Review of Public Health in 2000, pneumonia was the leading cause of death in the early 1900s, accounting for nearly 1 in 4 deaths. By the time World War I ended in 1918, during which people and animals were housed together for long periods, a new virus emerged: the Spanish Flu. Originating in a bird before spreading to humans, the virus killed 10 times as many Americans as the war. Many died of secondary pneumonia after the initial infection. Pneumonia deaths eventually plummeted throughout the century, partly prevented by increased flu vaccine uptake rates in high-risk groups, particularly older people. Per the CDC, tuberculosis was a close second leading cause of death, killing 194 of every 10,000 people in 1900, mainly concentrated in dense urban areas where the infection could more easily spread. Eventually, public health interventions led to drastic declines in mortality from the disease, such as public education, reducing crowded housing, quarantining people with active disease, improving hygiene, and using antibiotics. Once the death rates lagged, so did the public health infrastructure built to control the disease, leading to a resurgence in the mid-1980s. Diarrhea was the third leading cause of death in 1900, surging every summer among children before the impacts of the pathogen died out in 1930. Adopting water filtration, better nutrition, and improved refrigeration were all associated with its decline. In the 1940s and 1950s, polio outbreaks killed or paralyzed upward of half a million people worldwide every year. Even at its peak, polio wasn't a leading cause of death, it was a much-feared one, particularly among parents of young children, some of whom kept them from crowded public places and interacting with other children. By 1955, when Jonah Salk discovered the polio vaccine, the U.S. had ended the "golden age of medicine." During this period, the causes of mortality shifted dramatically as scientists worldwide began to collaborate on infectious disease control, surgical techniques, vaccines, and other drugs. Leading causes of death tip toward lifestyle-related disease From the 1950s onward, once quick-spreading deadly contagions weren't prematurely killing American residents en masse, scientists also began to understand better how to diagnose and treat these diseases. As a result, Americans were living longer lives and instead succumbing to noncommunicable diseases, or NCDs. The risk of chronic diseases increased with age and, in some cases, was exacerbated by unhealthy lifestyles. Cancer and heart disease shot up across the century, increasing 90-fold from 1900 to 1998, according to CDC data. Following the post-Spanish Flu years, heart disease killed more Americans than any other cause, peaking in the 1960s and contributing to 1 in 3 deaths. Cigarette smoking rates peaked at the same time, a major risk factor for heart disease. Obesity rates also rose, creating another risk factor for heart disease and many types of cancers. This coincides with the introduction of ultra-processed foods into diets, which plays a more significant role in larger waistlines than the increasing predominance of sedentary work and lifestyles. In the early 1970s, deaths from heart disease began to fall as more Americans prevented and managed their risk factors, like quitting smoking or taking blood pressure medicine. However, the disease remains the biggest killer of Americans. Cancer remains the second leading cause of death and rates still indicate an upward trajectory over time. Only a few types of cancer are detected early by screening, and some treatments for aggressive cancers like glioblastoma—the most common type of brain cancer—have also stalled, unable to improve prognosis much over time. In recent years, early-onset cancers, those diagnosed before age 50 or sometimes even earlier, have seen a drastic rise among younger Americans. While highly processed foods and sedentary lifestyles may contribute to rising rates, a spike in cancer rates among otherwise healthy young individuals has baffled some medical professionals. This follows the COVID-19 pandemic that began in 2020. At its peak, high transmission rates made the virus the third leading cause of death in America. It's often compared to the Spanish Flu of 1918, though COVID-19 had a far larger global impact, spurring international collaborations among scientists who developed a vaccine in an unprecedented time. Public policy around issues of safety and access also influences causes of death, particularly—and tragically—among young Americans. Gun control measures in the U.S. are far less stringent than in peer nations; compared to other nations, however, the U.S. leads in gun violence. Firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens (around 2 in 3 are homicides, and 1 in 3 are suicides), and deaths from opioids remain a leading cause of death among younger people. Globally, the leading causes of death mirror differences in social and geographic factors. NCDs are primarily associated with socio-economic status and comprise 7 out of 10 leading causes of death, 85% of those occurring in low- and middle-income countries, according to the World Health Organization. However, one of the best health measures is life expectancy at birth. People in the U.S. have been living longer lives since 2000, except for a slight dip in longevity due to COVID-19. According to the most recent CDC estimates, Americans' life expectancy is 77.5 years on average and is expected to increase slightly in the coming decades. Story editing by Alizah Salario. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Paris Close. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick. This story originally appeared on Death Records and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Critics have condemned the advisor's remarks as both unprofessional and unnecessarily inflammatory. Many have pointed out that such superficial and demeaning comments do nothing to further meaningful discourse or promote positive diplomatic relations between nations. Instead, they serve to undermine the credibility and integrity of the individuals involved, casting a shadow over the entire diplomatic exchange.
So, to the fans who stand by Chelsea through thick and thin, who cheer them on with unwavering loyalty, and who celebrate their triumphs as their own, this is for you. The players, the coaching staff, and everyone associated with Chelsea Football Club are grateful for your support and your passion. Together, we will continue to write new chapters in the history of this great club, united in our quest for glory.
The traditional narrative of the Middle East being a hotbed of anti-American sentiment and resistance to US presence is being slowly rewritten. The recent Abraham Accords, which saw the normalization of relations between Israel and several Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, have paved the way for a new era of diplomacy and cooperation in the region. This diplomatic breakthrough has not only solidified US alliances but also weakened the influence of its adversaries such as Iran and its proxies.