casino games online free spins
2025-01-08   

To The New York Times, it was a standard journalistic practice done in the name of fairness — asking someone involved in a story for comment. To the mother of the nominee for secretary of defense, it constituted a threat. On Wednesday, Pete Hegseth's mother accused the Times of making ''threats'' by calling about its story on an email she had sent to her son six years earlier that criticized his treatment of women. Penelope Hegseth sought and received an interview on Fox News Channel to support her son, whose confirmation chances are threatened by a series of damaging stories about his personal conduct. At one point, she said she wanted to directly tell President-elect Trump that her son ''is not that man he was seven years ago.'' She also called the Times ''despicable'' and attacked a basic tenet of journalism: giving someone the chance to speak for a story about actions that could be seen in a negative light. The Times' story, published Saturday, quoted from a private email that Penelope Hegseth sent to her son in 2018 while he was in the midst of divorcing his second wife. She criticized his character and treatment of women, suggesting that he get some help. ''I have no respect for any man that belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around and uses women for his own power and ego,'' she wrote to her offspring. ''You are that man (and have been for many years).'' His mother said the message was sent in a moment of anger She told the Times for its story that she had sent the email in a moment of anger and followed it up two hours later with an apology. She disavows its content now. When the Times called her for comment on the story, Hegseth told Fox News that, at first, she did not respond. She said she perceived the calls as a threat — ''they say unless you make a statement we will publish it as is and I think that's a despicable way to treat anyone,'' she said. ''I don't think a lot of people know that's the way they operate,'' she said, speaking about the story. She accused the newspaper of being in it "for the money. And they don't care who they hurt, families, children. I don't believe that's the right way to do things.'' Charles Stadtlander, a spokesman for the Times, said Hegseth's claim ''is flatly untrue,'' and she was in no way threatened. ''The Times did what it always does in reporting out a story, simply reaching out and asking for a comment, which we included,'' he said. Such a call is the opposite of a threat — it's an attempt to be fair, said Tom Rosenstiel, a University of Maryland professor and co-author of ''Elements of Journalism: What News People Should Know and What the Public Should Expect.'' ''She's basically saying that brake lights are a threat because they alert you that the car ahead of you is about to stop," he said. But many Americans would perceive that call as a threat, or certainly as rude and a violation of privacy, said Tim Graham, director of media analysis at the conservative Media Research Center. ''She didn't write that email to be on the front page of The New York Times,'' he said. What are the ethics of publishing a private email between mother and son? A secondary question is the newsworthiness of publishing the content of the private email, one that Hegseth said she almost immediately regretted sending and doesn't reflect how she perceives her son. Graham suggested that the newspaper wouldn't do the same for the nominee of a Democratic president-elect. ''The New York Times is out to destroy these nominees,'' he said. In its initial story, the Times wrote that it had obtained a copy of the email ''from another person with ties to the Hegseth family.'' ''This was a piece of independently reported journalism published in the name of public awareness of the nominee to lead the largest department in the federal government,'' Stadtlander said. ''We stand behind it completely.'' In many circumstances, an email from a mother to her son would be considered a private matter and out of bounds to a news organization, Rosenstiel said. But in this case, Hegseth, a former Fox News weekend host chosen by Trump to lead the Pentagon, has built himself into a public figure and is up for a very important job — and one that leads the military, which involves waging war and in which character is considered a fundamental trait. ''It makes this news, honestly,'' Stadtlander said. The Times wrote about Penelope Hegseth's Fox interview on Wednesday, leading with her saying her son ''was not the same man he was in 2018 when she fired off an email accusing him of routinely abusing women and lacking decency and character.'' There was some question about whether Hegseth would appear for an interview at his former network on Wednesday, after CNN's Kaitlan Collins posted on X the night before that ''multiple people'' said that was expected. A Fox News representative said that no such interview had been scheduled, and the nominee was on Capitol Hill meeting with senators. He has faced a flurry of other damaging reports, including stories about a sexual assault allegation reported to police in 2017. No charges were filed then, and Hegseth said the relationship was consensual. The New Yorker magazine wrote about reports of financial mismanagement, sexist behavior and excessive drinking when Hegseth ran a veterans' organization, and NBC News wrote about people at Fox News concerned about his alcohol use. ___ David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.Google announces quantum computing chip breakthroughcasino games online free spins 。

Trump promises to end birthright citizenship: What is it and could he do it?

No anti-government sentiment in Kerala, claims CM Vijayan

Snoring linked to behavioral problems in adolescents without declines in cognition November 21, 2024 University of Maryland School of Medicine Adolescents who snore frequently were more likely to exhibit behavior problems such as inattention, rule-breaking, and aggression, but they do not have any decline in their cognitive abilities, according to a new study. This is the largest study to date tracking snoring in children from elementary school through their mid-teen years and it provides an important update to parents struggling with what medical measures to take to help manage snoring in their children. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIN Email Adolescents who snore frequently were more likely to exhibit behavior problems such as inattention, rule-breaking, and aggression, but they do not have any decline in their cognitive abilities, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM). This is the largest study to date tracking snoring in children from elementary school through their mid-teen years and it provides an important update to parents struggling with what medical measures to take to help manage snoring in their children. The findings were recently published in JAMA Network Open . To conduct the study, researchers analyzed the parent-reported snoring data, cognitive, and behavioral test outcomes of nearly 12,000 children enrolled in the national Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, the largest study of brain development and child health in the U.S. Children were enrolled in the study at ages 9-10 and had annual visits through age 15 to assess their snoring frequency, cognitive abilities, and behavioral issues. The researchers found that adolescents who snore three times or more per week were more likely to have behavioral problems such as inattentiveness in class, social difficulties with friendships or adequately expressing their thoughts and emotions. However, these teens who snored did not exhibit any differences in their reading and language abilities, nor any difference on memory or cognitive processing tests compared to their peers who did not snore. The researchers also found that snoring rates declined as children grew older even without any treatment. "Adolescence is a period when the brain's resilience withstands adverse inputs, which could explain why we are seeing the preservation of cognition in light of habitual snoring," said Amal Isaiah, MD, PhD, MBA, study co-author, Chief of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology at UMSOM and faculty at the Institute for Health Computing. "If a child is experiencing behavioral issues, it may be time to consult a pediatrician about a sleep study perhaps even before an evaluation for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We hope that these findings will further distinguish the behavioral versus cognitive effects of snoring to improve our approaches to treatment." As many as 15 percent of American children have some form of sleep disordered breathing and a significant percentage of these children are misdiagnosed as having ADHD and treated unnecessarily with stimulant medications. Dr. Isaiah's findings expand upon his previous research linking frequent snoring to concerning brain changes and behavioral problems in children, with long-term follow-up of these children into their teen years. Frequent snoring in children is often associated with poor health outcomes including poor classroom performance, problem behaviors, and lower quality of life. While clinical associations advocate for proactive treatment of sleep disordered breathing, the lack of available data from the population presents challenges in weighing the appropriate management options such as surgery to remove the adenoids and tonsils (adenotonsillectomy) and other non-surgical options. "Dr. Isaiah utilized sophisticated data analytics to examine over one million data points, assessing the impact of sleep-disordered breathing on the developing brains of children through adolescence," said Mark T. Gladwin, MD, who is the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean of UMSOM, and Vice President for Medical Affairs at University of Maryland, Baltimore."With novel computational and AI tools now available at the UM Institute for Health Computing, calculations that once took months can now be completed in a matter of days." The research team plans to further utilize AI capabilities at UM Institute for Health Computing to process larger datasets and examine the causal relationship between snoring and brain outcomes . The study was supported by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the various funders of the ABCD study. UMSOM is one of 21 research sites involved in the ABCD study and faculty, including Dr. Isaiah, are co-investigators on this ongoing research. Study co-authors Linda Chang, MD, MS and Thomas Ernst, PhD are site principal investigators. Story Source: Materials provided by University of Maryland School of Medicine . Original written by Holly Moody-Porter. Note: Content may be edited for style and length. Journal Reference : Cite This Page :Trump has flip-flopped on abortion policy. His appointees may offer clues to what happens next

ESTERO, Fla. (AP) — Sydney Shaw scored 20 points and made four 3-pointers, JJ Quinerly added 14 points and No. 12 West Virginia handed Boise State its first loss, 82-47 on Saturday in the Gulf Coast Showcase. West Virginia advances to the championship game on Sunday, while Boise State plays for third place. The Mountaineers have started 8-0 in back-to-back seasons after last year's 11-0 beginning. Quinerly also had three steals to help West Virginia reach double figures in that category in every game this season. The Mountaineers also forced 20-plus turnovers for the eighth straight game. Boise State was held to just six points in the first and third quarters. West Virginia went on two 10-0 runs in the first quarter to build a 16-point lead. The Mountaineers led by double figures the rest of the way. It was 45-23 at halftime then Quinerly scored four straight points to begin a 9-0 run that ended in a 32-point lead. Freshman Jordan Thomas, coming off her first career double-double, had 10 points and six rebounds for West Virginia. Elodie Lalotte scored 11 points for Boise State (7-1). Teryn Gardner addd 10. West Virginia was coming off an 89-54 victory over High Point on Friday to begin the tournament. The Mountaineers led by as many as 39 points and forced 22 turnovers in that one. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketballWho was Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare fatally shot in Manhattan?

Unity residents concerned as search for woman continues in abandoned mineTarleton St. 61, Hofstra 59Real Madrid suffered a 2-1 LaLiga defeat at Athletic Bilbao as Kylian Mbappe missed from the penalty spot again. Alex Berenguer prodded the hosts ahead after 53 minutes before Mbappe – who failed to convert a Champions League penalty against Liverpool last week – sent his kick too close to Bilbao goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala. Jude Bellingham appeared to have rescued a point for Real after scoring for the fourth successive league game 12 minutes from time. 📸 PORTERAZO. JULEN, JULEN! JULEN JULEN! #AthleticRealMadrid #AthleticClub 🦁 pic.twitter.com/w260s6xo79 — Athletic Club (@AthleticClub) December 4, 2024 But Federico Valverde’s mistake two minutes later gifted Gorka Guruzeta the winner in front of a delirious San Mames crowd. On a busy night of second-round Copa del Rey action, Villarreal suffered a shock 1-0 defeat at Pontevedra while there were wins for Real Betis, Rayo Vallecano and Valencia. Fiorentina went out of the Coppa Italia to Empoli on penalties on an emotional night at Stadio Artemio Franchi. Viola were back in action after Edoardo Bove’s health scare forced their weekend league fixture with Inter Milan to be abandoned during the first half. Midfielder Bove collapsed on the pitch and required emergency medical treatment. He was taken to hospital but regained consciousness in intensive care. Esposito's penalty books Empoli's place in the next round 💪 #FiorentinaEmpoli pic.twitter.com/UUxghH9l6b — Lega Serie A (@SerieA_EN) December 4, 2024 Empoli led at half-time through Emmanuel Ekong’s fourth-minute opener before Moise Kean and Riccardo Sottil put Fiorentina ahead. Sebastiano Esposito struck 15 minutes from time to make it 2-2 and take the last-16 tie into extra time, Empoli eventually winning 4-3 on penalties. Benjamin Sesko opened the scoring and Luis Openda struck twice as RB Leipzig brushed aside Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 in the German DFB Pokal. Second-half goals from Denis Vavro, Jonas Wind and Yannick Gerhardt saw Wolfsburg beat Hoffenheim 3-0. Cologne knocked out Hertha Berlin 2-1 after extra time with Dejan Ljubicic converting a penalty in the final seconds, while Augsburg prevailed 5-4 on penalties against Karlsruhe after a 2-2 draw.The last paycheque from a decades-long career arrives next Friday and the nest egg you built during those working years will now turn into a main source of income. It can be a jarring switch from saving for retirement to spending in retirement. Financial experts say that transition is a process. People need to psychologically prepare for retirement, says Kurt Rosentreter, senior financial adviser at Manulife Wealth. "It's not just stop one day and all of a sudden, start living off your savings," he said. Forecasting how much money you'll need for the next two to three decades and figuring out how to spend that money in your golden years can be challenging. Rosentreter said setting up a plan for retirement spending starts at least two years before bowing out of the job. That means knowing your cost of living, tax impacts and how to live off passive investment income or rental property income for the rest of your retired life. "All of a sudden, your food money and everything else -- your fund money -- is now tied to the stock market, bond market, politics, economics, tax rates," Rosentreter said. "That's pretty intimidating." Having confidence in your planned retirement cashflows is crucial when switching from saving to spending mode -- and helps maintain calm when stocks and bonds aren't doing well, Rosentreter said. "A written plan that says, 'Here's how much you have, here's how you will access it over the next month, next year, next 10 years, the rest of your life,"' Rosentreter said. Rosentreter asks his clients to split their costs of living into four categories -- fixed core costs such as shelter, utility bills, gas and food; fixed variable costs such as birthday gifts; discretionary expenses such as dining out and luxury costs such as driving an expensive SUV. "You start with the mathematics of what their cost of living is," he said. "You can't head into retirement without the numbers." Rosentreter then helps forecast cash flows to age 100 with all the information on expenses and income, he said. Marlene Buxton, the principal fee-only certified financial plannerat Buxton Financial for Retirement, agrees that having a plan is important in reducing the stress of spending. People often move a large amount of money into a checking account and spend from that, she said. "But when that happens, watching the value decrease each month, it's not psychologically good." Deciding which pot to tap into first depends on a person's retirement goals, Buxton said. For example, if a person has a locked-in retirement account, Buxton recommends moving it to a life income fund upon retirement and drawing income from it every month. A retiree can also withdraw a minimal amount from a registered retirement fund to supplement their income. Other income sources can be defined benefit pension plans and tax-free savings. Then, move to CPP and OAS at age 70, she added. Even when people think they have ample savings, there's a level of stress and some even begin to limit their day-to-day spending, Buxton said. But day-to-day spending is not what puts a dent in savings, she added. "It's the larger decisions around how long before downsizing or when to begin certain benefits such as CPP or OAS or what age to retire," that affects retirement cash flow, she said. Rosentreter said retirees need to revisit their cash flow plans once a year and gauge their progress. "You need some kind of dashboard that isn't just investment statements that come at the end of the month and show you (whether you're) up or you're down," he said. Financial plans can also change if someone gets divorced, widowed, or has health issues, Rosentreter said. "Whatever the factors are, you just have to kind of work that into the mathematical calculations," he said. "In the end, it's putting all this on a spreadsheet and working with it and moving the numbers back and forth to see where it works based on what starts the conversation," Rosentreter said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 21, 2024.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana’s GOP-dominated legislature passed tax cuts on personal and corporate income on Friday in exchange for a statewide sales tax increase, a mixed bag of success for Gov. Jeff Landry, whose original tax revision plans faced mounting resistance from lawmakers and lobbyists amid hard fiscal realities . The final passage of the bulk of Landry's proposed measures winds down a special legislative session called Nov. 6 by the governor and his allies. They said their purpose was to make the state’s tax code more business friendly, bring jobs and reverse trends of outward migration from the state. It was the third special legislative session called by Landry, a Republican, since he assumed office in January. The package of legislation includes a permanent $2,000 raise for teachers and doubles standard deductions for residents aged 65 and older. It raises the state sales tax to 5%, while granting Landry’s wish for lower personal and corporate income tax rates. It repeals the 0.275% corporate franchise tax, a levy on businesses operating on the state worth more than $500 million in annual revenue. The state's new corporate income tax rate will be a flat 5.5%, reducing the highest tier from 7.5%. Landry had wanted a 3.5% flat rate. Lawmakers approved a flat 3% individual income tax rate and nearly tripled the standard deduction for individuals. Previously, the personal income tax rate had stood at 4.25% for individuals earning $50,000 or more. “What I’m very confident in is that everyone’s going to have more money in their pocket at the end of the day with the personal income tax reductions,” said Republican Rep. Julie Emerson, who spearheaded legislation to flatten the income tax rate. With the personal income tax reductions reducing annual revenue by $1.3 billion, Landry’s original plan had called for applying sales taxes to dozens of services like car-washing, dog-grooming and lobbying. He also sought to eliminate large tax incentives for the restoration of historic buildings and the film industry. Those proposals were defeated, leading to a bigger sales tax hike than Landry initially proposed. Louisiana already had the highest combined state and average local sales tax in the country at 9.56%, according to the Tax Foundation, a think tank favored by conservatives. Associated Press writer Kevin McGill contributed to this report. _____ Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Brook on the social platform X: @jack_brook96The best Nintendo Cyber Monday deals for 2024: Save on the Nintendo Switch, games, controllers and more

Excerpt from Carol Mithers’ book, ‘Rethinking Rescue’Rachel Reeves to wield ‘iron fist’ against wasteful spendingHeimir Hallgrimsson details a potential addition to Ireland backroom team after Wembley thumping

Could Buying Apple Stock Today Set You Up for Life?Living Nostradamus Athos Salome has recently taken the world by storm by stating that a World War III is imminent, and could bring in mass destruction across the globe, based on various flash points from where thigs could worsen. The psychic and seer has also claimed that cyber threats are the biggest troublesome scenarios for the world, and could be one of the most used warfare methods if World War III were to occur. ET Year-end Special Reads Take That: The gamechanger weapon's India acquired in 2024 10 big-bang policy moves Modi government made in 2024 How governments tried to rein in the social media beast Living Nostradamus shocks the world with World War III predictions According to Salome, World War 3 will not be just fought by humans, but will also have a major involvement of machines. He referred to the use of drone strikes and missiles in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict , which could be one of the biggest examples of the ongoing conflict building up towards World War III. Meanwhile, Salome has also stated that the Cold War situation between the United States and China is another major example of a brimming World War 3, which could have the potential of creating major problems for mankind. According to the psychic, the South China Sea may become the testimony to a critical event in the coming days, as per reports. FAQs: Is World War III coming? If psychic and Living Nostradamus Athos Salome is to be believed, World War III is just round the corner, and could get triggered at the slightest geopolitical situation's worsening. Are Athos Salome's predictions believable? Athos Salome is credited with being a 'Living Nostradamus', with some of his predictions reportedly coming true, but they need to be analyzed with caution. Artificial Intelligence(AI) Java Programming with ChatGPT: Learn using Generative AI By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Basics of Generative AI: Unveiling Tomorrows Innovations By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Generative AI for Dynamic Java Web Applications with ChatGPT By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Mastering C++ Fundamentals with Generative AI: A Hands-On By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) Master in Python Language Quickly Using the ChatGPT Open AI By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Performance Marketing for eCommerce Brands By - Zafer Mukeri, Founder- Inara Marketers View Program Office Productivity Zero to Hero in Microsoft Excel: Complete Excel guide 2024 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance A2Z Of Money By - elearnmarkets, Financial Education by StockEdge View Program Marketing Modern Marketing Masterclass by Seth Godin By - Seth Godin, Former dot com Business Executive and Best Selling Author View Program Astrology Vastu Shastra Course By - Sachenkumar Rai, Vastu Shashtri View Program Strategy Succession Planning Masterclass By - Nigel Penny, Global Strategy Advisor: NSP Strategy Facilitation Ltd. View Program Data Science SQL for Data Science along with Data Analytics and Data Visualization By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI and Analytics based Business Strategy By - Tanusree De, Managing Director- Accenture Technology Lead, Trustworthy AI Center of Excellence: ATCI View Program Web Development A Comprehensive ASP.NET Core MVC 6 Project Guide for 2024 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital Marketing Masterclass by Pam Moore By - Pam Moore, Digital Transformation and Social Media Expert View Program Artificial Intelligence(AI) AI-Powered Python Mastery with Tabnine: Boost Your Coding Skills By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Office Productivity Mastering Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and 365 By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Marketing Digital marketing - Wordpress Website Development By - Shraddha Somani, Digital Marketing Trainer, Consultant, Strategiest and Subject Matter expert View Program Office Productivity Mastering Google Sheets: Unleash the Power of Excel and Advance Analysis By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Web Development Mastering Full Stack Development: From Frontend to Backend Excellence By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program Finance Financial Literacy i.e Lets Crack the Billionaire Code By - CA Rahul Gupta, CA with 10+ years of experience and Accounting Educator View Program Data Science SQL Server Bootcamp 2024: Transform from Beginner to Pro By - Metla Sudha Sekhar, IT Specialist and Developer View Program (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )

Judge weighs Minnesota law banning "statements of faith" for colleges in PSEO programUber Has Ranked 15 Aussie Cities From Best To Worst Riders So Let The Petty Fighting BeginRachel Reeves to wield ‘iron fist’ against wasteful spending

The whiplash-inducing, “Hun­ger Games”-style race to become Donald Trump’s Treasury secretary made it easy for the media to ignore what has been going on with Janet Yellen — and the absolute mess she’s leaving for her successor. Yellen — who, it was revealed Friday, will be replaced as Treasury secretary in January by hedge fund mogul Scott Bessent — was Joe Biden’s pick to run the office that is essentially the country’s CFO. Indeed, it could be the most important cabinet position in the White House given the importance of the US economy. Americans put Trump in office largely over his handling of the economy during his first term — job growth and wages that kept place with a low inflation rate. Despite her gold-plated résumé, Ivy League degrees, and time served as Fed chair, Yellen gave the country just the opposite. Her boss paid the price politically as the American people paid the price economically. And according to my sources, the American people aren’t done paying the price for Yellen’s mismanagement even if most of the financial media is overlooking the fiscal time bomb she devised — one that could blow up once Trump takes office. Specifically, my sources who follow the bond market say Yellen has been setting a trap for the incoming Trump administration through the way she financed the massive $1.8 trillion federal budget deficit that exploded during the Biden years with the accumulation of $36 trillion in debt. Yellen has been moving away from long-term debt to finance the shortfalls to shorter-dated securities, essentially rolling over deficits with more and more Treasury bills instead of the normal way of debt issuance through 10- and 30-year debt. That’s according to an analysis by Robbert van Batenburg of the influential Bear Traps Report, who estimates that around 30% of all debt is the short-term variety — aka 2-year and shorter notes — compared to 15% in 2023. Didn’t lock in low rates In an era of low interest rates, Yellen & Co. could have locked in relatively cheap interest payments for years by issuing more 10- and 30-year debt. So why go there? Politics, according to Yellen’s Wall Street critics. Because the Biden administration has taken spending to new and some say unsustainable levels, Yellen needed to engage in a bit of financial chicanery to keep interest rates low and not spook the stock market during an election year, her critics say. If she had financed deficits with 10- and 30-year bonds, that would have caused a rise in interest rates that impact consumers, i.e. mortgages and credit cards. Follow the latest on President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet selections: Yields on the 10-year bond have remained under 5%, a key level that has coincided with a run-up in stocks. If rates move to 5% and above, it would also probably cause a decline in the stock market because stocks would be competing with higher-yielding super-safe treasuries for investors’ money. She was playing with additional fire because rates on short-dated debt, while low, began to spike in recent years when the Fed raised its base rate to fight inflation. As van Batenburg puts it: “The Treasury now faces a substantial volume of short-term debt maturing annually, which must be refinanced at significantly higher interest rates. Current market rates for short-term debt, while slightly lower than recent peaks, remain elevated compared to historical levels. This mismatch between low-cost historical debt and high-cost replacement debt is driving a substantial increase in the government’s interest expense.” Scary stuff. Average Americans got screwed by inflation and then higher rates that made homeownership less affordable. Rich people luxuriated in gains from higher financial-asset prices. But yields on the 10-year have been inching up to that danger zone of 5%. It could set the stage for a stock market collapse or even worse if the bond market starts to factor in not just higher deficits given Biden’s spending spree, but also the need to issue more long-dated debt because short-term borrowing is more expensive. Thanks, Janet. Gensler’s SEC land mines Speaking of cleaning up messes, SEC Chairman Gary Gensler announced last week he doesn’t plan to stick around until his term ends in 2026. His replacement is still in question as this column goes to press, though sources say long-time securities lawyer and ex-SEC commissioner Paul Atkins has the inside track. While Wall Street’s top cop won’t face the same existential worries being faced by the new Treasury secretary, it won’t be a cakewalk, either. “Cleaning up after Gensler is like avoiding land mines left behind by the retreating Japanese soldiers,” an SEC insider told me. Gensler, during his three-plus years as Biden’s SEC chair, basically defied the agency’s congressional mandate. He turned what’s essentially an investor-protection agency into a climate-activist arm of the Biden administration by trying to impose costly and absurd disclosures on public companies about their carbon footprint, nearly impossible to accurately gauge. His enforcement arm became a de facto regulator of the $3.5 trillion crypto business; instead of setting clear rules for the industry, he brought cases, stifling innovation of all-important blockchain technology in the US and pushing it overseas. Staff morale is at an all-time low due to Gensler’s brusque management style. I can go on, but I don’t want to scare whoever’s taking Gary’s place.

Pete Hegseth's mother says The New York Times made 'threats' by asking her to comment on a story

Related hot word search:

Previous: casino games dice
Next: