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Tom Mayenknecht: Otherwordly new contract for Mets' Juan SotoAlvida: Dr Manmohan Singh cremated with full State honours, Ex-PM's daughter lights funeral pyre; PM Modi, Rahul Gandhi pay last respectsOpenAI's legal battle with Elon Musk reveals internal turmoil over avoiding AI 'dictatorship'
BY MELISSA GOLDIN Social media users are misrepresenting a report released Thursday by the Justice Department inspector general’s office, falsely claiming that it’s proof the FBI orchestrated the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. Related Articles National News | OpenAI whistleblower found dead in San Francisco apartment National News | Judge rejects an attempt by Trump campaign lawyer to invalidate guilty plea in Georgia election case National News | Texas’ abortion pill lawsuit against New York doctor marks new challenge to interstate telemedicine National News | US military flies American released from Syrian prison to Jordan, officials say National News | Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds The watchdog report examined a number of areas, including whether major intelligence failures preceded the riot and whether the FBI in some way provoked the violence. Claims spreading online focus on the report’s finding that 26 FBI informants were in Washington for election-related protests on Jan. 6, including three who had been tasked with traveling to the city to report on others who were potentially planning to attend the events. Although 17 of those informants either entered the Capitol or a restricted area around the building during the riot, none of the 26 total informants were authorized to do so by the bureau, according to the report. Nor were they authorized to otherwise break the law or encourage others to do so. Here’s a closer look at the facts. CLAIM: A December 2024 report released by the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General is proof that the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was a setup by the FBI. THE FACTS: That’s false. The report found that no undercover FBI employees were at the riot on Jan. 6 and that none of the bureau’s informants were authorized to participate. Informants, also known as confidential human sources, work with the FBI to provide information, but are not on the bureau’s payroll. Undercover agents are employed by the FBI. According to the report, 26 informants were in Washington on Jan. 6 in connection with the day’s events. FBI field offices only informed the Washington Field Office or FBI headquarters of five informants that were to be in the field on Jan. 6. Of the total 26 informants, four entered the Capitol during the riot and an additional 13 entered a restricted area around the Capitol. But none were authorized to do so by the FBI, nor were they given permission to break other laws or encourage others to do the same. The remaining nine informants did not engage in any illegal activities. None of the 17 informants who entered the Capitol or surrounding restricted area have been prosecuted, the report says. A footnote states that after reviewing a draft of the report, the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington said that it “generally has not charged those individuals whose only crime on January 6, 2021 was to enter restricted grounds surrounding the Capitol, which has resulted in the Office declining to charge hundreds of individuals; and we have treated the CHSs consistent with this approach.” The assistant special agent in charge of the Washington Field Office’s counterterrorism division told the inspector general’s office that he “denied a request from an FBI office to have an undercover employee engage in investigative activity on January 6.” He, along with then-Washington Field Office Assistant Director in Charge Steven D’Antuono, said that FBI policy prohibits undercover employees at First Amendment-protected events without investigative authority. Many social media users drew false conclusions from the report’s findings. “JANUARY 6th WAS A SETUP!” reads one X post that had received more than 11,400 likes and shares as of Friday. “New inspector general report shows that 26 FBI/DOJ confidential sources were in the crowd on January 6th, and some of them went into the Capitol and restricted areas. Is it a coincidence that Wray put in his resignation notice yesterday? TREASON!” The mention of Wray’s resignation refers to FBI Director Christopher Wray’s announcement Wednesday that he plans to resign at the end of President Joe Biden’s term in January. Other users highlighted the fact that there were 26 FBI informants in Washington on Jan. 6, but omitted key information about the findings of the report. These claims echo a fringe conspiracy theory advanced by some Republicans in Congress that the FBI played a role in instigating the events of Jan. 6, 2021, when rioters determined to overturn Republican Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden stormed the Capitol in a violent clash with police. The report knocks that theory down. Wray called such theories “ludicrous” at a congressional hearing last year. Asked for comment on the false claims spreading online, Stephanie Logan, a spokesperson for the inspector general’s office, pointed The Associated Press to a press release about the report. In addition to its findings about the the FBI’s involvement on Jan. 6, the report said that the FBI, in an action its now-deputy director described as a “basic step that was missed,” failed to canvass informants across all 56 of its field offices for any relevant intelligence ahead of time. That was a step, the report concluded, “that could have helped the FBI and its law enforcement partners with their preparations in advance of January 6.” However, it did credit the bureau for preparing for the possibility of violence and for trying to identify known “domestic terrorism subjects” who planned to come to Washington that day. 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Musk has since escalated the dispute, adding new claims and asking for a court order that would stop OpenAI’s plans to convert itself into a for-profit business more fully. The world's richest man, whose companies include Tesla, SpaceX and social media platform X, last year started his own rival AI company, xAI. Musk says it faces unfair competition from OpenAI and its close business partner Microsoft, which has supplied the huge computing resources needed to build AI systems such as ChatGPT. “OpenAI and Microsoft together exploiting Musk’s donations so they can build a for-profit monopoly, one now specifically targeting xAI, is just too much,” says Musk's filing that alleges the companies are violating the terms of Musk’s foundational contributions to the charity. OpenAI is filing a response Friday opposing Musk’s requested order, saying it would cripple OpenAI’s business and mission to the advantage of Musk and his own AI company. A hearing is set for January before U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland. At the heart of the dispute is a 2017 internal power struggle at the fledgling startup that led to Altman becoming OpenAI's CEO. Musk also wanted the job, according to emails revealed as part of the court case, but grew frustrated after two other OpenAI co-founders said he would hold too much power as a major shareholder and chief executive if the startup succeeded in its goal to achieve better-than-human AI known as artificial general intelligence , or AGI. Musk has long voiced concerns about how advanced forms of AI could threaten humanity. “The current structure provides you with a path where you end up with unilateral absolute control over the AGI," said a 2017 email to Musk from co-founders Ilya Sutskever and Greg Brockman. “You stated that you don't want to control the final AGI, but during this negotiation, you've shown to us that absolute control is extremely important to you.” In the same email, titled “Honest Thoughts,” Sutskever and Brockman also voiced concerns about Altman's desire to be CEO and whether he was motivated by “political goals.” Altman eventually succeeded in becoming CEO, and has remained so except for a period last year when he was fired and then reinstated days later after the board that ousted him was replaced. OpenAI published the messages Friday in a blog post meant to show its side of the story, particularly Musk's early support for the idea of making OpenAI a for-profit business so it could raise money for the hardware and computer power that AI needs. It was Musk, through his wealth manager Jared Birchall, who first registered “Open Artificial Technologies Technologies, Inc.”, a public benefit corporation, in September 2017. Then came the “Honest Thoughts” email that Musk described as the “final straw.” “Either go do something on your own or continue with OpenAI as a nonprofit,” Musk wrote back. Musk didn't immediately respond to emailed requests for comment sent to his companies Friday. Asked about his frayed relationship with Musk at a New York Times conference last week, Altman said he felt “tremendously sad” but also characterized Musk’s legal fight as one about business competition. “He’s a competitor and we’re doing well,” Altman said. He also said at the conference that he is “not that worried” about the Tesla CEO’s influence with President-elect Donald Trump. OpenAI said Friday that Altman plans to make a $1 million personal donation to Trump’s inauguration fund, joining a number of tech companies and executives who are working to improve their relationships with the incoming administration. —————————— The Associated Press and OpenAI have a licensing and technology agreement allowing OpenAI access to part of the AP’s text archives.
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Lebawit Lily Girma | (TNS) Bloomberg News When winter rolls around, travelers predictably turn their attention to beaches. And this year, it’s the destination that comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called “a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean” that’s experiencing outsize demand from Americans planning a warm island vacation. Talk about trashing stereotypes. Related Articles Travel | Would you pay $700 a night to sleep under the stars at this Colorado resort? Travel | Thailand’s starring role in ‘The White Lotus’ is about to pay off Travel | 5 under-the-radar travel destinations the UN says you should visit Travel | Gift ideas for people planning their next trip Travel | Lights and decor, réveillon meals make Christmastime special in New Orleans Puerto Rico has recovered overseas visitors (excluding those from Canada and Mexico) faster than any U.S. state or territory — a staggering 85% increase over its 2019 overseas inbound visitor levels as of 2023, according to an October study from the U.S. National Travel and Tourism Office. There are now more daily flights from the U.S. West Coast, and hotel bookings are 6% higher so far in this last quarter of 2024 year-over-year. It’s a trifecta of tourism growth: more visitors, but also longer stays and a higher spend that reached a record $9.8 billion in 2023, boosting small businesses as well as major brands. “We don’t have a slow season in Puerto Rico anymore,” says Brad Dean, chief executive officer at Discover Puerto Rico. Even if they’re not booking, people are dreaming about “La Isla.” By tracking flight searches for trips between November 2024 and February 2025, a measure of “inspirational” demand, tourism intelligence company Mabrian Technologies reports Puerto Rico is up 9% compared with the same period last year and leads Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and the Bahamas in the Caribbean proper. Only Costa Rica ranked higher in the wider region. Dean attributes Puerto Rico’s ongoing tourism growth to a strategic effort to reposition the island’s brand as more than a sun-and-sea destination, starting back in 2018. That led to the Live Boricua campaign, which began in 2022 and leaned heavily on culture, history and cuisine and was, Dean says, “a pretty bold departure” in the way Puerto Rico was showcased to travelers. He adds that at least $2 billion in tourism spend is linked to this campaign. “We (also) haven’t shied away from actively embracing the LGBTQ+ community, and that has opened up Puerto Rico to audiences that may not have considered the Caribbean before,” Dean says. Hotels are preparing to meet this growing demand: A number of established boutique properties are undergoing upgrades valued between $4 million and more than $50 million, including Hotel El Convento; La Concha, which will join the Marriott Autograph Collection; Condado Vanderbilt Hotel; and the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar. That’s in addition to ultra-chic options that are coming online in 2025, including the adults-only Alma San Juan, with rooms overlooking Plaza Colón in the heart of Old San Juan, and the five-star Veranó boutique hotel in San Juan’s trendy Santurce neighborhood. The beachfront Ritz-Carlton San Juan in Isla Verde will also be reopening seven years after Hurricane Maria decimated the island. The travel industry’s success is helping boost employment on the island, to the tune of 101,000 leisure and hospitality jobs as of September 2024, a 26% increase over pre-pandemic levels, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Efforts to promote Puerto Rico’s provinces beyond the San Juan metro area — such as surfing hub Rincón on the west coast, historical Ponce on the south coast and Orocovis for nature and coffee haciendas in the central mountains —have spread the demand to small businesses previously ignored by the travel industry. Take Sheila Osorio, who leads workshops on Afro-Puerto Rican bomba music and dance at Taller Nzambi, in the town of Loíza, 15 miles east of San Juan; or Wanda Otero, founder of cheese-producing company Vaca Negra in Hatillo, an hour’s drive west of Old San Juan, where you can join a cheese-making workshop and indulge in artisanal cheese tastings. “The list of businesses involved in tourism has gone from 650 in 2018 to 6,100, many of which are artists and artisans,” Dean says. While New Yorkers and Miami residents have always been the largest visitor demographic, Dean says more mainland Americans now realize that going to Puerto Rico means passport-free travel to enjoy beaches, as well as opportunities to dine in Michelin-rated restaurants, hike the only rainforest in the U.S. and kayak in a bioluminescent bay. Visitors from Chicago and Dallas, for example, have increased by approximately 40% from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, compared with the same period in 2022-2023, and more travelers are expected from Denver now that United Airlines Holdings Inc. has kicked off its first nonstop service to San Juan, beginning on Oct. 29. Previously, beach destinations that were easy to reach on direct flights from Denver included Mexico, Belize and California, but now Puerto Rico joins that list with a 5.5-hour nonstop route that cuts more than two hours from the next-best option. Given United Airlines’ hub in San Francisco, it could mean more travelers from the Golden State in the near future, too. In December, U.S. airlines will have 3,000 more seats per day to the territory compared with the same period last year, for a total of 84,731 — surpassing even Mexico and the Dominican Republic in air capacity, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium. Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, the island’s primary gateway, is projecting a record volume of 13 million passengers by year’s end — far surpassing the 9.4 million it saw in 2019. As for Hinchcliffe’s “floating island of garbage” line, Dean says it was “a terribly insensitive attempt at humor” that transformed outrage into a marketing silver lining, with an outpouring of positive public sentiment and content on Puerto Rico all over social media. Success, as that old chestnut goes, may be the best revenge. “It was probably the most efficient influencer campaign we’ve ever had,” Dean says, “a groundswell of visitors who posted their photos and videos and said, ‘This is the Puerto Rico that I know.’” ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.Citigroup Inc. stock underperforms Friday when compared to competitorsWill Nikola Jokic play against the Detroit Pistons tonight? 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It’s every cowboy’s dream, encased in glass in front of the South Point gift shop. Judy Wagner eyes a gleaming gold belt buckle the size of a large man’s fist. Etched into its face: An image of two horse-riders lassoing a steer amid bejeweled, ornamental swirls, a gritty scene preserved in glamour. “Pro Rodeo Cowboys Assn 2024 World Champion Header” it reads. The buckle looks laser-cut, such is the attention to detail inherent in each crevice, each minute flourish — look closely enough, and you can see the steer’s ribs. (A magnifying glass helps). And yet every step in its creation — the pantagraphing, fabricating, soldering, polishing and engraving — is all done by hand over the course of four to six weeks, meaning each buckle is like a set of artisanal fingerprints: no two are alike. Every year, hundreds of rodeo competitors spend thousands of hours in pursuit of this very thing, a wearable trophy awarded to National Finals Rodeo champions, created by renowned Western jewelry and buckle company Montana Silversmiths. And Wagner will be there again Saturday night when the buckles are awarded to the All-Around Champion and other winners. “With the National Finals Rodeo and the influx of people into Las Vegas at this time, it’s all about the buckle for these cowboys,” Wagner explains, “because they will go throughout the year in hopes of gaining the opportunity of competing here. “And then that culmination is the gold buckle that states that they are the world champion,” she continues. “It truly is a pinnacle in our sport.” Wagner would know: As the former chief marketing officer for Montana Silversmiths, she presented the buckles to NFR winners for over two decades before retiring last year, and was instrumental in securing the company’s partnership with NFR, which dates back to 2000. With NFR back in town, so is Wagner, albeit under a different guise: she’s the subject of a new short documentary “Good Job, Cowgirl: The Judy Wagner Story,” which premiered at the South Point last week and will debut on the Cowboy Channel in the near future. The film chronicles Wagner’s lengthy, pioneering career in all-things Western culture, from ranch cowgirl to rodeo competitor to 4-H extension agent to entrepreneur. In a field traditionally dominated by men, Wagner’s a true trailblazer, having founded her own rope business and helped elevate Montana Silversmiths from a once-small company to a big name in the Western industry that’s become synonymous with NFR. “When I think of a cowgirl, and if I were to look it up in the dictionary, I feel like there should be a picture of Judy Wagner, because she is all of those things,” says Kiki Shumway, president of the Miss Rodeo America Pageant, in the documentary. “She’s everything about our Western culture and promoting and being a positive mentor to young women.” Among these many young women: Maegan Taylor, the director of team marketing for the Arizona Ridge Riders at Professional Bull Riders. “She taught me how to be a cowgirl, ” Taylor says in the film. “Anything that I do, I can be strong, I can be tough, I can work hard. That’s just what cowgirls do.” Origins of an ethos She pushes herself away from the table, arms outstretched, and grips an imaginary horse. Judy Wagner’s in the South Point sportsbook, recalling the origins of a phrase she’s become synonymous with: “Nice job, cowgirl;’ ‘Nice job, cowboy.’” Years ago, Wagner was volunteering as a sidewalker for a developmentally disabled class in her native Montana. One day, she was working with a woman who embraced her horse prior to dismounting. “She put her arms around this horse’s neck,” McFarland recalls, re-enacting the woman’s movements, “and laid her ear into it. Her voice was so angelic, she just said, ‘Nice job, cowboy. Nice job.’ And it went into my heart right then. “I still get shivers when I hear it — right now, I got it right now,” she continues, shoulders shuddering. “And it was like, I can’t imagine a better compliment.” For Wagner, who takes great pride in mentoring others in tasks both big (working as a high school rodeo teacher) and small (helping rodeo pageant contestants with their speeches), this compliment became a part of her persona, a way to offer a little bit of encouragement online or in person, a verbal pat-on-the-back for anyone who might need one. “When I first did it, I was, like, typing it out, and I go, ‘Oh, they’re gonna think this is corny,’” Wagner says. “And then I went, ‘No, it’s my highest compliment,” I heard it, I know how it feels. It means something to each one of us as we’re out there trying in our daily lives.” For filmmaker Natalie McFarland, who directed “Nice Job, Cowgirl,” the phrase is an encapsulation of who Wagner is — and a natural title for her documentary, which she began filming at last year’s NFR, interviewing over 30 subjects and compiling hundreds of hours of footage. “If you get that, ‘nice job cowboy, nice job cowgirl,’ you’re doing something right,” she says, sitting across from Wagner. “So we wanted to take everything that Judy had poured into others, which is recognizing them when they do well, and pour it back into her. Because even though it’s her statement, s he is ‘ nice job cowgirl,’ you know?” A natural born cowgirl The oldest of eight siblings, Wagner grew up on a ranch in Avon, Wyoming, where she was expected to toil just as hard as the boys. “I worked on the ranch with my brothers,” Wagner recalls. “I roped with them. I didn’t know there was a difference.” After attending college to become a 4-H extension agent, Wagner and her husband Alvin started a rope company, Gator Ropes, in 1987. Wagner launched the business in the garage, tying ropes in her basement. Back then, she was wary of calling attention to the fact the company was helmed by a woman, considering how male-centric the industry was. “I didn’t feel comfortable at that time letting everybody know that a woman ran it,” Wagner acknowledges. “A lot of times that was kept secret — or not secret, but I didn’t promote it.” What she did promote was her brand — brilliantly. Though she had no marketing background, Wagner developed some then-novel innovations to build her business, adding two feet to the head rope, naming the ropes and creating a cartoon Gator mascot especially popular with the kids. “Even though I knew nothing really about marketing, I’ve just grown into it,” Wagner says. “It was just telling stories and doing things of value and having fun. Those names, the Intimidator, Instigator, and creating these characters brought it to life. So people would just come to our brand.” And that they did — in droves. “One of my favorite things was a Gator Rope,” recalls Coleman Proctor, one of the top-ranked professional ropers in the world, in “Good Job, Cowgirl.” “Each different style of rope was named, and it all came with a little Gator key chain. I mean, I didn’t even have keys, but I wanted that Gator key chain. I’d be so excited every time we’d go get a Gator rope.” Perhaps most significantly, Gator was also the first rope company to secure an endorsement deal with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) and put brand patches on rodeo competitors. “That gets guys down the road now,” McFarland says of the endorsement money generated from said patches. “The fact that Judy started that is a major industry change. That is revolutionary.” It would also foreshadow her success with Montana Silversmiths, where she was hired to be the director of marketing in 2000 after she and her husband sold Gator Ropes. Time to lasso a new challenge. ‘Every buckle has a story’ “It’s business card. A cowboy business card.” Judy Wagner’s talking about belt buckles. “It’s something you can tell about somebody from a long ways away, where they’re from, what they’re passionate about — everything about them — just by looking at their buckle,” she explains, her voice as bright as her attire is dark, dressed head-to-toe in black. “If you want to talk to a cowboy, sometimes they want to talk, and sometimes they don’t,” she continues. “Two things they’ll talk about: their horse and their buckle, and then you can get them to tell you everything about it. Each one has a special meaning to them. Belt buckles are really a part of the culture, the Western lifestyle. It’s an iconic representation of who we are. It speaks to something that is deep inside of you, what your purposes are, what your passion is.” And so Wagner developed a saying, “Every buckle has a story,” which would become a motto for Montana Silversmiths after she joined the company. Wagner also helped trademark the phrase “Brand of champions” for the business. “Nike doesn’t even have the ‘brand of champions,’” she notes with pride. Perhaps most significantly, Wagner worked to secure a sponsorship deal with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and its annual championship, the National Finals Rodeo. Montana Silvermiths has been creating the much-sought-after buckles for NFR ever since. It’s been a game changer. “Her concepts in branding and marketing transformed that little company and took advantage of the PRCA brand and the National Finals Rodeo brand,” says Steve Rempel, former CMO of the PRCA, in the documentary. “(She) really moved that company in a direction that made it well known as the gold standard, if you will, for all things Western in the buckles and jewelry business.” About those buckles: they represent much more than a win. “It’s almost a recognition award in and of itself,” McFarland explains. “It’s not an easy job to cowboy 365 days a year. It’s not like football; it’s not like baseball, where you can sit on the bench and get paid. That’s not true in rodeo. “If you’re not winning, you’re not pulling checks,” she continues. “If you’re not pulling checks, you’re probably not getting down the road. That buckle’s a recognition of all that time, effort, money and brutality on your own body. Those are the most coveted buckles in the Western industry.” ‘She means this’ The movie’s over, but Judy Wagner’s just begun. The lights have come up in the South Point Showroom following the premiere of “Nice Job, Cowgirl,” the venue crowded with well-heeled cowboys in sport coats and jeans and women in sparkling get-ups that glimmer like discoballs, nearly everyone donning a cowboy hat. Wagner takes the stage to address the audience. “Now for the rest of the story, and why I’m really here,” she says, expressing the ambivalence that she once felt about taking part in the documentary. “Seeing your name on a big screen like this, it’s kind of a big deal. And it kind of bothered me. “It’s a true honor,” she continues, “But why was I going to be up here? I couldn’t understand why that was happening to me.” As McFarland notes, Wagner was cool to the project, initially. “She told me, ‘No,’ at first,” remembers McFarland, who also helms McFarland Productions and Off Your Rocker Films and who’s shot promotional clips for Montana Silversmiths in the past. “She’s like, ‘I don’t want this.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, you do.’” What ultimately convinced Wagner to participate in the documentary was a revelation she had while praying: “It’s not about you Judy, it’s about the message.” This message — paying things forward; serving others — lies at the heart of “Good Job, Cowgirl.” “Yes, it’s Judy’s story, yes, it’s based in the Western lifestyle — it’s all those things — but the film is really a story of leadership,” McFarland says. “It’s really a story on mentorship. It’s really a story on looking out for each other. “It’s general concepts that make you better as a person,” she continues. “It doesn’t matter where you are. You could be a stock broker in New York City or a cowgirl out on a ranch. There’s always a piece of leadership, a piece of mentorship, planting a seed, working with others. It’s only going to enrich your own life at the same time as you’re helping others.” McFarland’s passion for mentorship is rooted in tragedy: she cites the passing of her father, who died in a tractor accident when she was 16, with putting her on this path. A few weeks prior to his death, Wagner’s dad told her that he would always be proud of her no matter what she chose to do in life. “Those seven words, ‘I will always be proud of you,’ planted a seed in me,” she recalls in her speech after the premiere. And so Wagner’s spent much of her life attempting to plant them in others, especially her female counterparts. “Every time I have a conversation with her, she talks about helping other women in the industry,” says Ken Amorosano, publisher and CEO of “Cowgirl” magazine, in the film. “She really is not only passionate, but she’s emotional about that. She means this.” “I learned from her,” recalls Tia Bledsoe, Pendleton Brand Heritage Director for Proximo Spirits, in the documentary, “I really felt, like, ‘This is a powerful woman that has a voice,’ and that kind of made me take a step back and realize that I can be a part of this.” And so even though Wagner officially retired from Montana Silversmiths in 2023, she’s as omnipresent as ever at NFR this year, where everyone seems to know her name and associates joke that a five minute walk through a casino becomes a half-hour trek with Wagner in tow due to all the people who come up to greet her. Besides, for Wagner, being a cowgirl has always been less a job than a way of life. You can’t retire from that. “This is really a lifetime sport, a lifetime career,” Wagner says. “I love the Western industry. I love the Western lifestyle. And as far as I’m concerned, I’ll probably be an advocate for it for the rest of my life. “These are my people,” she adds. “This is my world.”ORLANDO, Fla. — It was a season of Iowa State comebacks. And fittingly, that's how it ended for the Cyclones. Game MVP Rocco Becht scored from a yard out on fourth-and-goal with 56 seconds remaining and No. 18 Iowa State capped the best season in school history by rallying past No. 15 Miami 42-41 in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Saturday. Becht finished with 270 passing yards and three touchdowns for Iowa State (11-2), a program that entered this season — the 133rd year of Cyclone football — never having won more than nine games in a year. “If you look at this team, it’s really who they’ve been all year,” coach Matt Campbell said. The win marked the fourth time in 2024 that Iowa State got a winning score with less than two minutes remaining. For this one, the Cyclones rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second half — with Miami quarterback Cam Ward watching after a record-setting first half — to get win No. 11. Carson Hansen rushed for a pair of touchdowns for Iowa State. And as the MVP, Becht got the honor of choosing which flavor Pop-Tart was to be sacrificed in a giant toaster. “There's only one,” Becht said. “Cinnamon roll.” Ward passed for three touchdowns in his final college game, while Damien Martinez rushed for a career-high 179 yards for Miami (10-3), which dropped its sixth straight bowl game and lost three of four games to end the season — those three losses by a combined 10 points. "Disappointed that we couldn't pull out a victory," Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “These guys have always fought and always competed and this was no exception. ... It's painful. It's as painful as it gets when you don't win. But there's a lot to build on.” NEBRASKA 20, BOSTON COLLEGE 15: Dylan Raiola passed for 228 yards and a touchdown as Nebraska built an 18-point lead through three quarters and hung on for its first bowl victory since 2015. Raiola hit Emmett Johnson with a 13-yard TD pass on fourth down with 3:02 remaining in the third quarter for a 20-2 edge and the Cornhuskers (7-6) held on for the win at Yankee Stadium. Raiola completed 23 of 31 passes in front of a sizable Nebraska crowd that celebrated the team's first bowl win since topping UCLA in the 2015 Foster Farms Bowl and first winning season since 2016. Raiola completed passes to 10 receivers, including Jahmal Banks, who finished with four receptions for 79 yards. Grayson James finished 25 of 40 for 296 yards as Boston College (7-6). UCONN 27, NORTH CAROLINA 14: Joe Fagnano threw for 151 yards and two touchdowns to help the Huskies (9-4) beat the Tar Heels (6-7) at Fenway Park, embarrassing incoming coach Bill Belichick's new team in his old backyard. Mel Brown rushed for 96 yards for UConn and Skyler Bell caught three passes for 77 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown that gave the Huskies a 10-0 first-quarter lead. Chris Culliver returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, but that would be Carolina's only production in the first half. TCU 34, LOUISIANA 3: Josh Hoover passed for four touchdowns as the Horned Frogs (9-4) routed the Ragin' Cajuns (10-4) in Albuquerque. Hoover was 20 for 32 for 252 yards with an interception. Eric McAlister had eight catches for 87 yards and a TD for the Horned Frogs. TCU's defense also had a solid day, holding Louisiana-Lafayette to 209 yards, including 61 on the game's final possession. LATE FRIDAY LAS VEGAS BOWL USC 35, TEXAS A&M 31: Jayden Maiava threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kyle Ford with eight seconds left to give Southern California the victory over Texas A&M (8-5) in the Las Vegas Bowl. A graduate of Liberty High School in nearby Henderson and a transfer from UNLV, Maiava helped the Trojans (7-6) overcome a 17-point deficit. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Chandigarh: The Haryana Cabinet, presided over by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, on Saturday approved the use of Aadhaar authentication services for candidates appearing in examinations for Group A and B posts conducted by the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC). The authentication will be mandatory during the registration process for these posts on the HPSC portal, an official statement said. The introduction of Aadhaar authentication aims to streamline the application procedure, eliminate fraudulent candidates, and ensure the accuracy of candidate data through de-duplication. This move will enhance the credibility and reliability of the recruitment process, maintaining public confidence in the competitive exams, said the government. The Cabinet decided to increase the maximum limit on the death-cum-retirement gratuity for government employees by 25 per cent, raising it from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 25 lakh. This enhancement will take effect from January 1, 2024. Similarly, the Cabinet approved a 25 per cent increase in the maximum limit of death-cum-retirement gratuity for judicial officers, raising it from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 25 lakh. This enhancement will also be effective from January 1, 2024. These decisions are aimed at providing enhanced financial security to government employees and their families as well as judicial officers. It also approved the standing operating procedure (SOP) for the implementation of Mukhya Mantri Parivar Samridhi Yojana (MMPSY) for 2024-25. As per the SOP, instead of reimbursing the premium to the beneficiaries of PMJJBY, PMSBY, PMKMY, PMSYMY and PMLVMY under Mukhya Mantri Parivar Samridhi Yojana, Rs 1,000 per eligible family per year will be transferred to Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Antyodaya Parivar Suraksha Yojana (DAYALU) for payment of compensation under DAYALU having family income from all sources less than or equal to Rs 1.80 lakh per annum, and having a Parivar Pehchan Patra (PPP). The Mukhya Mantri Parivar Samridhi Yojana was notified on February 6, 2020, with an aim of providing financial assistance and social security, including life and accident insurance and pension benefits to eligible families belonging to economically weaker sections. The Cabinet approved the revision of the ex-gratia to the families of battle casualties of Central armed forces and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel. The revised ex-gratia has been increased from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore. –Kinkead Dent and diverse ground game powers UT Martin past New Hampshire, 41-10 in FCS 1st roundCHATHAM, N.J. — That buzzing coming out of New Jersey? It’s unclear if it’s drones or something else, but for sure the nighttime sightings are producing tons of talk, a raft of conspiracy theories and craned necks looking skyward. Related Articles National News | About 2.6 million Stanley cups recalled after malfunctions caused burns. Is your mug included? National News | Veteran Daniel Penny, acquitted in NYC subway chokehold, will join Trump’s suite at football game National News | The wife of a Wisconsin kayaker who faked his own death moves to end their marriage National News | Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor National News | Attorneys for man accused in Trump assassination attempt seek lengthy trial delay Cropping up on local news and social media sites around Thanksgiving, the saga of the drones reported over New Jersey has reached incredible heights. This week seems to have begun a new, higher-profile chapter: Lawmakers are demanding (but so far not getting) explanations from federal and state authorities about what’s behind them. Gov. Phil Murphy wrote to President Joe Biden asking for answers. New Jersey’s new senator, Andy Kim, spent Thursday night on a drone hunt in rural northern New Jersey, and posted about it on X. But perhaps the most fantastic development is the dizzying proliferation of conspiracies — none of which has been confirmed or suggested by federal and state officials who say they’re looking into what’s happening. It has become shorthand to refer to the flying machines as drones, but there are questions about whether what people are seeing are unmanned aircraft or something else. Some theorize the drones came from an Iranian mothership. Others think they are the Secret Service making sure President-elect Donald Trump’s Bedminster property is secure. Others worry about China. The deep state. And on. In the face of uncertainty, people have done what they do in 2024: Create a social media group. The Facebook page, New Jersey Mystery Drones — let’s solve it , has nearly 44,000 members, up from 39,000 late Thursday. People are posting their photo and video sightings, and the online commenters take it from there. One video shows a whitish light flying in a darkened sky, and one commenter concludes it’s otherworldly. “Straight up orbs,” the person says. Others weigh in to say it’s a plane or maybe a satellite. Another group called for hunting the drones literally, shooting them down like turkeys. (Do not shoot at anything in the sky, experts warn.) Trisha Bushey, 48, of Lebanon Township, New Jersey, lives near Round Valley Reservoir where there have been numerous sightings. She said she first posted photos online last month wondering what the objects were and became convinced they were drones when she saw how they moved and when her son showed her on a flight tracking site that no planes were around. Now she’s glued to the Mystery Drones page, she said. “I find myself — instead of Christmas shopping or cleaning my house — checking it,” she said. She doesn’t buy what the governor said, that the drones aren’t a risk to public safety. Murphy told Biden on Friday that residents need answers. The federal Homeland Security Department and FBI also said in a joint statement they have no evidence that the sightings pose “a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.” “How can you say it’s not posing a threat if you don’t know what it is?” she said. “I think that’s why so many people are uneasy.” Then there’s the notion that people could misunderstand what they’re seeing. William Austin is the president of Warren County Community College, which has a drone technology degree program, and is coincidentally located in one of the sighting hotspots. Austin says he has looked at videos of purported drones and that airplanes are being misidentified as drones. He cited an optical effect called parallax, which is the apparent shift of an object when viewed from different perspectives. Austin encouraged people to download flight and drone tracker apps so they can better understand what they’re looking at. Nonetheless, people continue to come up with their own theories. “It represents the United States of America in 2024,” Austin said. “We’ve lost trust in our institutions, and we need it.” Federal officials echo Austin’s view that many of the sightings are piloted aircraft such as planes and helicopters being mistaken for drones, according to lawmakers and Murphy. That’s not really convincing for many, though, who are homing in on the sightings beyond just New Jersey and the East Coast, where others have reported seeing the objects. For Seph Divine, 34, another member of the drone hunting group who lives in Eugene, Oregon, it feels as if it’s up to citizen sleuths to solve the mystery. He said he tries to be a voice of reason, encouraging people to fact check their information, while also asking probing questions. “My main goal is I don’t want people to be caught up in the hysteria and I also want people to not just ignore it at the same time,” he said. “Whether or not it’s foreign military or some secret access program or something otherworldly, whatever it is, all I’m saying is it’s alarming that this is happening so suddenly and so consistently for hours at a time,” he added. Associated Press reporter Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report. Related Articles
LaNorris Sellers, late surge lift South Carolina to 17-14 win over Clemson
ORLANDO, Fla. — It was a season of Iowa State comebacks. And fittingly, that's how it ended for the Cyclones. Game MVP Rocco Becht scored from a yard out on fourth-and-goal with 56 seconds remaining and No. 18 Iowa State capped the best season in school history by rallying past No. 15 Miami 42-41 in the Pop-Tarts Bowl on Saturday. Becht finished with 270 passing yards and three touchdowns for Iowa State (11-2), a program that entered this season — the 133rd year of Cyclone football — never having won more than nine games in a year. “If you look at this team, it’s really who they’ve been all year,” coach Matt Campbell said. The win marked the fourth time in 2024 that Iowa State got a winning score with less than two minutes remaining. For this one, the Cyclones rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second half — with Miami quarterback Cam Ward watching after a record-setting first half — to get win No. 11. Carson Hansen rushed for a pair of touchdowns for Iowa State. And as the MVP, Becht got the honor of choosing which flavor Pop-Tart was to be sacrificed in a giant toaster. “There's only one,” Becht said. “Cinnamon roll.” Ward passed for three touchdowns in his final college game, while Damien Martinez rushed for a career-high 179 yards for Miami (10-3), which dropped its sixth straight bowl game and lost three of four games to end the season — those three losses by a combined 10 points. "Disappointed that we couldn't pull out a victory," Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “These guys have always fought and always competed and this was no exception. ... It's painful. It's as painful as it gets when you don't win. But there's a lot to build on.” Dylan Raiola passed for 228 yards and a touchdown as Nebraska built an 18-point lead through three quarters and hung on for its first bowl victory since 2015. Raiola hit Emmett Johnson with a 13-yard TD pass on fourth down with 3:02 remaining in the third quarter for a 20-2 edge and the Cornhuskers (7-6) held on for the win at Yankee Stadium. Raiola completed 23 of 31 passes in front of a sizable Nebraska crowd that celebrated the team's first bowl win since topping UCLA in the 2015 Foster Farms Bowl and first winning season since 2016. Raiola completed passes to 10 receivers, including Jahmal Banks, who finished with four receptions for 79 yards. Grayson James finished 25 of 40 for 296 yards as Boston College (7-6). Kevin Davis had a career-high 148 yards rushing and two touchdowns on just nine carries, and Jordan Brunson also ran for two TDs to help Miami (Ohio) wrapped the season at 9-5 by beating Colorado State (8-5) in Tucson, Ariz. Davis scored on a 4-yard run with 12:35 left in the third quarter, Matt Salopek forced a fumble that was recovered by Silas Walters and quarterback Brett Gabbert's first rushing touchdown of the season — a 10-yard scramble that capped a 47-yard drive — made it 22-3 about 2 minutes later. Joe Fagnano threw for 151 yards and two touchdowns to help the Huskies (9-4) beat the Tar Heels (6-7) at Fenway Park, embarrassing incoming coach Bill Belichick's new team in his old backyard. Mel Brown rushed for 96 yards for UConn and Skyler Bell caught three passes for 77 yards, including a 38-yard touchdown that gave the Huskies a 10-0 first-quarter lead. Chris Culliver returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, but that would be Carolina's only production in the first half. Josh Hoover passed for four touchdowns as the Horned Frogs (9-4) routed the Ragin' Cajuns (10-4) in Albuquerque. Hoover was 20 for 32 for 252 yards with an interception. Eric McAlister had eight catches for 87 yards and a TD for the Horned Frogs. TCU's defense also had a solid day, holding Louisiana-Lafayette to 209 yards, including 61 on the game's final possession.Kinkead Dent and diverse ground game powers UT Martin past New Hampshire, 41-10 in FCS 1st round
Looking for big returns for your portfolio? Then look no further, that's because analysts are tipping these buy-rated ASX shares to rise strongly from current levels. Here's what they are saying about them: ( ) Last week, Morgans upgraded this embattled fund manager's shares on the belief that has been overdone and created a buying opportunity. Particularly given that funds under management (FUM) outflows relating to its investment in the Adani Group may not be as bad as feared. It said: An assessment of some of GQG's FUM shows some outflows likely occurred directly post the Adani news. While there is some near-term outflow risk (including headline risk in the imminent FUM update given previous flow strength), based on fund performance we do not expect this to persist for an extended period. The Emerging Markets (EM) fund (>10% exposure to Adani) outperformed its benchmark by ~1% in November. Over timeframes 1-5 years, all strategies have outperformed benchmarks meaningfully (ranging ~180bp – 920bp). GQG will implement a A$100m buyback (~1.5% of shares) commencing 6-Dec. Uncertainty on the investment performance impact of the Adani news was high at the onset, but can now be assessed and has been minor to-date (Adani vehicles -11% to +14%; EM outperformance in Nov). There is some outflow risk and Adani news flow risk (if GQG remains invested), but we believe there is solid underlying business strength and value at ~9.5x FY25F PE. Morgans has put an add rating and $2.47 price target on its shares. This implies potential upside of approximately 19%. In addition, a 10% is forecast in FY 2025. ( ) Goldman Sachs thinks that this engineering company's shares could be undervalued at current levels. The broker is positive on the company's outlook due to it being "well positioned to play a role in enabling the transition from fossil fuels to a more sustainable energy mix." It also highlights that the ASX share is forecasting strong growth in FY 2025 despite economic and geopolitical uncertainty. It said: At its Nov AGM WOR reiterated expectations for low double digit FY25e EBITA growth in a period of moderating growth due to economic and geopolitical uncertainty. Despite re-iterated guidance, general uncertainty around capital expenditure plans in key end markets and timing/uncertainty around discrete major projects has seen WOR's share price lag, in our view. We have assessed earnings levels being capitalised at the current share price and believe the risk/reward remains positively skewed. Goldman has a buy rating and $18.00 price target on its shares. This suggests that upside of 35% is possible over the next 12 months.' incredible success with Team USA at the has seen her nominated as one of the finalists in the 2024 Texan of the Year award as she prepares to be honored by her home state. The artistic gymnast claimed gold in the team, all-around and vault events in Paris, as well as adding a silver on the floor to bring her career haul to 11 medals in the Summer Games and to leave no doubters to her greatness after her turbulent 2020 campaign in Tokyo. The 27-year-old then embarked on her Gold Over America Tour (GOAT) across the to continue to perform her skills and to promote her sport too, as she bathes in the shine of her glory. Despite the medal haul from Europe and adoration across the nation, the nomination for Texan of the Year might be her favorite one through her staunch patriotism and passion for the Lone Star State that she grew up in and is building a home in. Biles honored by Associated Press The successes continue to come pouring Biles' way after her determined 2024 too, as the star finds herself honored as the AP Female Athlete of the Year runner-up behind the . Biles earned 25 votes to finish 10 behind the WNBA icon, and a long way ahead of in third-place, who won just four. The Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani won the AP Male Athlete of the Year too. The 4ft 8in gymnast earned recognition for her performances, and also for her awareness regarding mental health after she backed out of the Olympics in Japan after suffering the twisties before staging her fightback in 2024. "Everybody's mental health journey is unique," Biles told CNN's Coy Wire. "I'm not the poster child for it, but I'll support (anyone's) mental health journey. "Now people come up to me and they're like, 'I've been in therapy for the first time in my life, and thank you so much'. There's power in that. And I just know I'm helping people out there."
Shares of Rocket Lab USA, Inc. ( NASDAQ:RKLB – Get Free Report ) rose 0.9% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $27.20 and last traded at $25.67. Approximately 26,547,281 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 129% from the average daily volume of 11,610,826 shares. The stock had previously closed at $25.44. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of brokerages have issued reports on RKLB. Cantor Fitzgerald lifted their target price on shares of Rocket Lab USA from $7.00 to $24.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Rocket Lab USA from $15.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Rocket Lab USA from $10.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Rocket Lab USA from $5.00 to $12.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Rocket Lab USA from $5.25 to $13.50 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $16.50. Read Our Latest Report on RKLB Rocket Lab USA Price Performance Insiders Place Their Bets In other news, insider Frank Klein sold 35,968 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.15, for a total transaction of $868,627.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,464,032 shares in the company, valued at $35,356,372.80. The trade was a 2.40 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website . Also, General Counsel Arjun Kampani sold 28,562 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.15, for a total transaction of $689,772.30. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now owns 608,996 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,707,253.40. The trade was a 4.48 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders sold a total of 2,064,530 shares of company stock valued at $37,018,400 in the last quarter. Insiders own 13.70% of the company’s stock. Institutional Investors Weigh In On Rocket Lab USA A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in RKLB. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Rocket Lab USA by 9.2% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 29,000,578 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock worth $119,192,000 after acquiring an additional 2,448,789 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Rocket Lab USA by 59.4% during the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 10,816 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 4,032 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Rocket Lab USA in the 1st quarter valued at $175,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in Rocket Lab USA by 153.9% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 380,965 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock valued at $1,567,000 after buying an additional 230,931 shares during the period. Finally, Bayesian Capital Management LP raised its stake in shares of Rocket Lab USA by 38.7% in the 1st quarter. Bayesian Capital Management LP now owns 20,800 shares of the rocket manufacturer’s stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 5,800 shares in the last quarter. 71.78% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Rocket Lab USA Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) Rocket Lab USA, Inc, a space company, provides launch services and space systems solutions for the space and defense industries. The company provides launch services, spacecraft design services, spacecraft components, spacecraft manufacturing, and other spacecraft and on-orbit management solutions; and constellation management services, as well as designs and manufactures small and medium-class rockets. Read More Receive News & Ratings for Rocket Lab USA Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Rocket Lab USA and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .
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