Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert disregard Zelenskyy throughout their speech to Congress

MPs Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert arrived at a joint session of Congress to address Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and played on their cell phones.

ABC News’ Will Steakin tweeted:

Matt Gaetz appears to be on his phone during Zelenskyy’s speech.

He just showed Lauren Boebert something.

— Will Steakin (@wsteaks) December 22, 2022

Garetz and Boebert also blew through Capitol Police security and refused to be screened.

The Independent (UK) reported: “Matt Gaetz and Lauren Boebert were seen on the first floor of the Capitol building walking down a hallway outside the home as they headed straight for the chamber. Before they could reach the door, two U.S. Capitol Police officers in suits stopped the couple, addressed Mr. Gaetz by name and told them they had to go through security before entering, and pointed to a nearby metal detector.”

Gaetz and Boebert responded by ignoring security and entering the chamber.

Gaetz and Boebert blew through the security check that was in place because a foreign leader was speaking before Congress, and then went into the speech, not bothering to heed the speaker.

The behavior of the two Republicans is disrespectful towards Zelenskyy and embarrassing for the USA. Guests of our nation should be treated with respect. Rep. Gaetz and Boebert shouldn’t play on the phone and ignore the pleas of a man whose nation is struggling to survive.

America deserves better, but for at least the next two years a circus of awkward clowns will be running the house.

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House press pool and congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a bachelor’s degree in political science. His thesis focused on public policy with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and professional memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Political Science Association

Lucien Laviscount teases his future with Emily in Season four of Paris

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Emily in Paris season three.

Don’t count Alfie out yet.

Season 3 of Netflix’s Emily in Paris didn’t end well for the English heartthrob, played by Lucien Laviscount– when he left his girlfriend Emily Cooper (LiliCollins) for her true feelings for Gabriel (Luke Bravo) were revealed.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean we’ve seen the last of Alfie, at least according to Lucien himself.

“It would be great to come back,” the actor exclusively told E! News at the show’s premiere on December 15 in New York City. “But honestly, I think I’ve had a really, really incredible two seasons on this show. It was really something special.”

So you say there is a chance!

Though Lucien said he didn’t envision Alfie crawling to Emily’s feet and begging her to pick him, insisting, “She might have to pull something out of her pocket to get the captain back.”

Lucien hopes a return for season four would further deepen Alfie’s journey. “Alfie in season two had this little cloud over his head,” he said. “He hated life. In season three, he gets his vulnerable side.”

Testen Sie die Freisprechsysteme von GM, Ford und Tesla

Der Lincoln Corsair 2023 wird das freihändige fortschrittliche Fahrerassistenzsystem ActiveGlide (ADAS) der nächsten Generation des Unternehmens für Autobahnfahrten anbieten, einschließlich Spurwechsel, Positionierung auf der Fahrspur und vorausschauender Geschwindigkeitsassistent.

Lincoln

DETROIT – Loslassen ist schwer. Auch wenn große Autohersteller es einfacher machen wollen.

Autohersteller erweitern schnell Technologien, die das Beschleunigen, Bremsen und Lenken eines Fahrzeugs steuern können. In einigen Fällen können Fahrer das Lenkrad oder die Pedale kilometerweit loslassen.

verwandte Anlagenachrichten

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Die Systeme – früher bekannt als Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) – haben das Potenzial, neue Einnahmequellen für Unternehmen zu erschließen, während sie die Ermüdung der Fahrer verringern und die Sicherheit im Straßenverkehr verbessern. Aber die Autohersteller haben ihre Systeme weitgehend unabhängig voneinander gebaut, ohne branchenübliche Richtlinien von Bundesbehörden. Das bedeutet Jahre in der Entwicklung, “freihändig” oder “halbautonom” kann in den Händen konkurrierender Autohersteller etwas ganz anderes bedeuten.

Um es klar zu sagen, kein Fahrzeug, das heute zum Verkauf steht, ist selbstfahrend oder autonom. Autofahrer müssen immer aufpassen. Aktuelle ADAS verwenden meist eine Reihe von Kameras, Sensoren und Kartendaten, um den Fahrer zu unterstützen und auch die Aufmerksamkeit des Fahrers zu überwachen.

Der Autohersteller, der neben ADAS am häufigsten diskutiert wird, ist Tesla, das über eine Reihe von Technologien verfügt, die es unter anderem willkürlich „Autopilot“ und „vollständige Selbstfahrfähigkeit“ nennt. (Die Fahrzeuge fahren nicht komplett selbst.) Aber General Motors, Ford-Motor und andere veröffentlichen oder verbessern schnell ihre eigenen Systeme und erweitern sie auf neue Fahrzeuge.

Ich habe kürzlich ADAS von Tesla, GM und Ford getestet. Ihre Systeme gehören zu den am leichtesten verfügbaren und dynamischsten auf dem Markt. Allerdings war keiner von ihnen während meiner Zeit hinter dem Lenkrad annähernd fehlerfrei.

Und selbst kleine Unterschiede zwischen den Systemen können große Auswirkungen auf die Sicherheit und das Vertrauen des Fahrers haben.

GMs Super Cruise

Ich habe das System von GM erstmals vor einem Jahrzehnt auf einer abgesperrten Strecke getestet, und die jahrelange Entwicklung des Super Cruise durch den Autohersteller hat sich in der Gesamtleistung, Sicherheit und klaren Kommunikation mit dem Fahrer eindeutig ausgezahlt. Es ist das leistungsstärkste und konsistenteste System.

GM veröffentlichte Super Cruise zunächst 2017 auf einer Cadillac-Limousine – zwei Jahre nach Teslas Autopilot – bevor es in den letzten Jahren auf 12 Fahrzeuge ausgeweitet wurde. Ziel ist es, Super Cruise bis Ende 2023 weltweit für 22 Autos, Lastwagen und SUVs verfügbar zu machen.

Das System ermöglicht es den Fahrern, beim Fahren auf mehr als 400.000 Meilen vorab kartierter, geteilter Highways in den USA und Kanada „freihändig“ zu fahren. (Ford hat 150.000 Meilen kartiert, und Teslas System funktioniert hypothetisch auf jeder Autobahn.)

Wenn die Lenkrad-Lichtleiste beim Super Cruise von GM grün aufleuchtet, können Fahrer ihre Hände vom Lenkrad nehmen.

Michael Wayland / CNBC

Super Cruise ist der Spitzenreiter, wenn es um Autobahnfahrten geht, und kann die meisten Herausforderungen bewältigen, einschließlich Kurven und vielen Baustellen. Die neuesten Updates fügten auch automatische Spurwechsel hinzu, die recht gut funktionieren, um eine eingestellte Geschwindigkeit beizubehalten, indem sie langsameren Fahrzeugen ausweichen.

Über Hunderte von Kilometern mit dem System konnte ich Super Cruise regelmäßig für mehr als 30 Minuten aktivieren und sogar einen Stint auf mehr als eine Stunde ausdehnen, ohne jemals die Kontrolle über das Fahrzeug übernehmen zu müssen. Wenn Super Cruise sich löste, war es normalerweise Minuten, wenn nicht Sekunden später wieder verfügbar.

Die meisten Probleme, die ich hatte, waren laut GM wahrscheinlich auf veraltete Kartendaten zurückzuführen, die das System für den Betrieb benötigt. Wenn eine neu fertiggestellte Konstruktion oder schwerere vorübergehende Arbeiten durchgeführt werden, gibt das System von GM standardmäßig die Kontrolle an den Fahrer zurück, bis die Straße ordnungsgemäß vorkartiert ist.

Lesen Sie mehr über Elektrofahrzeuge von CNBC Pro

GM sagt, dass es mehr als 40.000 Fahrzeuge produziert hat, die mit Super Cruise ausgestattet sind, obwohl nicht alle davon aktive Benutzer repräsentieren, und mehr als 45 Millionen Freisprechmeilen gesammelt hat.

Die Preise für das System variieren je nach Fahrzeug und Marke – beispielsweise 2.500 US-Dollar für einen Cadillac – und tragen eine Abonnementgebühr von 25 US-Dollar pro Monat oder 250 US-Dollar pro Jahr nach einer kostenlosen Testphase.

Fords BlueCruise

Fords System ist das neueste der drei Autohersteller und ähnelt dem von GM. Neben Pre-Mapping und angegebenen Funktionen verfügen beide Systeme über fahrzeuginterne Infrarotkameras, um sicherzustellen, dass die Fahrer aufmerksam sind. Aber wenn das System von GM ein fähiger und selbstbewusster “Fahrer” ist, ist das von Ford immer noch ein Teenager, der lernt, wenn auch sehr schnell.

Fords System – vermarktet als Ford BlueCruise und ActiveGlide für Lincoln – wurde erstmals im Juli 2021 verfügbar, obwohl das Unternehmen die Systeme bis Ende November bereits auf mehr als 109.000 registrierte Fahrzeuge mit mehr als 35 Millionen freihändigen Fahrmeilen ausgeweitet hat.

Die Preise für das System von Ford variieren je nach Marke und Fahrzeug. Es kann Teil von optionalen Paketen sein, die ungefähr 2.000 US-Dollar kosten und andere Funktionen für den Ford F-150 und den Mustang Mach-E von 2023 enthalten. Wie GM erfordert es nach Testperioden ein Abonnement.

Auch wie bei GM funktioniert das System von Ford gut auf Autobahnen … bis es nicht mehr funktioniert. Es ist weniger vorhersehbar und kämpft insbesondere mit größeren oder schärferen Kurven, Baustellen und unter anderen Umständen, die ein menschlicher Fahrer problemlos bewältigen könnte.

Fords BlueCruise-System, wie es auf einem Mustang Mach-E-Elektro-Crossover gezeigt wird.

Ford

Die längste Zeit, die ich während meiner Testfahrten, die größtenteils auf der I-75 und einer mit Bauarbeiten beladenen I-94 in ländlichen und städtischen Gebieten von Michigan stattfanden, mit Fords System freihändig fahren konnte, betrug 20 Minuten und etwa 25 Meilen.

Das ist ein Problem, wenn Sie versuchen, die Ermüdung des Fahrers zu lindern und das Vertrauen der Fahrer in solche Systeme zu stärken.

“Es ist nicht gut genug, wenn es sich zufällig löst, wenn Sie sich Kurven auf der Straße nähern”, sagte Sam Abuelsamid, ein leitender Analyst bei Guidehouse Insights, der sich auf fortschrittliche und aufkommende Automobiltechnologien spezialisiert hat.

Chris Billman, Chefingenieur für die Integration von ADAS-Fahrzeugsystemen bei Ford, betonte, dass das Unternehmen in diesem Stadium mit seinem System übermäßig vorsichtig sei. Trotz der Warnungen, die Kontrolle wieder zu übernehmen, ist das System so ausgelegt, dass es in Betrieb bleibt, bis der Fahrer übernimmt.

Laut Billman schaltet sich das System in den meisten großen Autobahnkurven aus, weil es derzeit nicht darauf ausgelegt ist, das Fahrzeug vor einer Kurve zu verlangsamen – etwas, mit dem Super Cruise 2017 auf den Markt kam. Das soll mit dem nächsten großen Update des Systems verbessert werden, das Anfang nächsten Jahres beginnt.

Das BlueCruise-System von Ford wird auf dem Fahrerinformations-Cluster eines F-150-Pickup-Trucks angezeigt.

Ford

Ford könnte auch die Interaktionen seines Systems mit dem Fahrer verbessern. GM verwendet einen Lichtbalken am Lenkrad und Kommunikation im Fahrercluster – die besten Kommunikationsfunktionen unter den drei aktuellen Systemen.

Das soll nicht heißen, dass Super Cruise nicht noch dazulernt.

Sowohl Ford- als auch GM-Systeme wären wahrscheinlich auf eine vorübergehende Betonkonstruktionsbarriere gestoßen, wenn ich nicht übernommen und mich auf einer großen S-Kurven-Fahrbahn in der Nähe von Detroit gelöst hätte.

Super Cruise und BlueCruise lösten sich beide mehrmals scheinbar ohne Grund, nur um sich danach schnell wieder zu verbinden. Super Cruise versuchte auch, in einer neu fertiggestellten Bauzone in eine Standspur oder einen Mittelstreifen einzufädeln, während Ford auf halbem Weg durch eine Kurve ein ähnliches Manöver durchführte.

Und natürlich funktioniert keines der Systeme auf Stadtstraßen wie das von Tesla.

Dann gibt es Tesla

Teslas Technologie ist bei weitem die ehrgeizigste der drei und funktioniert gut auf der Autobahn. Aber es kann auf den Straßen der Stadt nervenaufreibend, wenn nicht sogar gefährlich sein, insbesondere wenn es in den Verkehr einbiegt.

Tesla-Fahrzeuge sind standardmäßig mit einem als Autopilot bekannten ADAS ausgestattet. Besitzer können das System jedoch gegen eine Gebühr mit zusätzlichen Funktionen aufrüsten. Das Full Self-Driving (FSD)-Upgrade kostet derzeit 15.000 US-Dollar beim Kauf eines Fahrzeugs, oder ein späteres monatliches Abonnement kostet je nach Fahrzeug zwischen 99 und 199 US-Dollar, so die Tesla-Website.

Ich konnte drei Tesla-Stufen des Systems mit unterschiedlicher Funktionalität in einem Tesla Model 3 Baujahr 2019 verwenden. Das Fahren mit der FSD Beta (Version 10.69.3.1) gehörte zu den stressigsten Fahrmomenten in meinem Leben (und ich hatte viel!).

Während eines begrenzten Tests auf der Autobahn funktionierten die Systeme von Tesla sehr gut. Die Fahrt beinhaltete automatische Spurwechsel und navigationsbasiertes Aussteigen, obwohl aufgrund des Verkehrs eine Ausfahrtsrampe überschritten wurde. GM und Ford verknüpfen die Navigation derzeit nicht mit ADAS.

Teslas ADAS ist auch in der Lage, Ampeln auf Stadtstraßen zu erkennen und entsprechend zu handeln, was sehr beeindruckend war.

Eines meiner größten Probleme mit Teslas System auf der Autobahn war, wie häufig es mich aufforderte, „einzuchecken“ – eine Aktion, die ein Ziehen am Lenkrad erfordert, um zu beweisen, dass der Fahrer physisch auf dem Fahrersitz sitzt und aufpasst. Die “Check-Ins” sind etwas gewöhnungsbedürftig, damit sich das System nicht löst.

Tesla FSD Beta — ein Experiment auf öffentlichen Straßen

Ich kämpfte auch mit der Kommunikation des Autos darüber, wann das System aktiviert wurde.

Im Gegensatz zu Ford und GM, die deutlich anzeigen, wenn das System aktiviert ist, ist der einzige Hinweis darauf, dass Teslas ADAS aktiviert ist, ein winziges Lenkradsymbol – kleiner als ein Cent – ​​oben links auf dem mittleren Bildschirm des Fahrzeugs. (Das Tesla Model 3 hat keine Bildschirme vor dem Fahrer.)

Das heißt, um zu bestätigen, ob das System aktiviert ist, muss der Fahrer den Blick tatsächlich von der Straße abwenden. Und wenn sich das System löst, kommuniziert es nicht sehr gut, sodass der Fahrer nicht weiß, wann das System in Betrieb ist, und ängstlich ist.

Solche Probleme waren noch auffälliger, als FSD Beta auf Oberflächenstraßen operierte. Neben den Autobahnproblemen hat das System – wie in unzähligen YouTube-Videos dokumentiert – mit manchen Kurven Schwierigkeiten.

Fügen Sie hinzu, was lokal als “Michigan Left” bekannt ist – ein mittlerer U-Turn-Crossover – und das System verwandelt sich in das Äquivalent eines jungen, wenn nicht gefährlichen Fahrschülers. Bei einem solchen Manöver stoppte der Tesla an einem Punkt nicht nur auf einer, sondern auf drei Fahrspuren, als er versuchte, abzubiegen, bevor ich das System überholte.

Auf geraden, überfüllten Straßen in einem Vorort von Detroit funktionierte Teslas System weitgehend gut. Aber es fehlte die Erfahrung, um Nuancen menschlicher Fahrer zu erkennen, wie z. B. das Anhalten, um anderen den Zugang zu einer Fahrspur zu ermöglichen. Es hatte auch einige Schwierigkeiten mit Spurwechseln und schien verloren zu gehen, wenn Spurmarkierungen nicht verfügbar waren.

All diese Bedenken sind der Grund, warum kein anderes Unternehmen ein System wie Teslas FSD Beta veröffentlicht hat, das dafür kritisiert wurde, seine Kunden als Test-Maultiere zu verwenden. Tesla antwortete nicht auf eine Bitte um Stellungnahme zu diesem Artikel.

CEO Elon Musk hat mehrere Jahre lang versprochen, dass die Fahrzeuge in der Lage sein würden, vollständig selbst zu fahren. In einem kürzlichen Argument als Reaktion auf eine in Kalifornien eingereichte Klage sagte Tesla, dass sein „Versäumnis“, ein solches „langfristiges, ambitioniertes Ziel“ zu verwirklichen, keinen Betrug darstelle und dass es nur „durch konstantes“ vollautonomes Fahren erreichen würde und rigorose Verbesserungen.”

Drug overdose deaths elevated amongst youngsters through the pandemic

According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug overdose deaths among youth rose sharply during the Covid-19 pandemic, largely due to illegal fentanyl.

Monthly drug overdose deaths among youth aged 10 to 19 nearly tripled in the first two years of the pandemic. Deaths rose from 31 in July 2019 to a peak of 87 in May 2021 and then fell to 51 in December 2021.

“Although the number of deaths appears to have decreased in late 2021, they are still alarmingly higher than in 2019,” the authors wrote in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, released Thursday.

More than 2,200 adolescents overdosed during the 2½ year period, 96% of whom were teenagers aged 15 to 19. Fentanyl was implicated in 84% of deaths, while opioids of any kind were implicated in 91%.

Fentanyl deaths among adolescents nearly quadrupled from 21 in July 2019 to a peak of 78 in May 2021 and then declined to 44 in December 2021.

About 70% of the victims were boys and 30% girls. About 60% of the dead were white, 21% Hispanic, and 13% black.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 100 times more potent than morphine, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. It is used as a prescription drug in the United States to treat people experiencing severe pain after surgery. But illegally manufactured fentanyl, often taken as a pill, has become an increasingly common cause of overdose deaths.

There was evidence that 25% of teenage overdose deaths may have been related to counterfeit pills, which often resemble OxyContin or Xanax but often also contain fentanyl. That’s likely an underestimate, since the pills present at the crime scene weren’t always tested, according to the study.

“Whether adolescents intended to take legal pharmaceutical drugs or knew pills were counterfeit is unclear,” the authors write.

About 41% of those who overdosed had a history of mental health problems. About 24% had prior psychiatric treatment, 19% had been diagnosed with depression, and 15% had a history of suicide or self-harm.

The authors of the CDC study said it’s crucial to educate teenagers about the dangers of fentanyl and expand access to naloxone, a drug that can reverse an overdose. Teens should also be educated about the potential presence of illegal fentanyl in pills, which may resemble prescription drugs.

If you are having suicidal thoughts or are in distress, call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for support and help from a trained counselor.

Trump tax returns to be launched by the Home Panel

Committee Chair Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA) and Senior Member Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) speak during a business meeting of the House Ways and Means Committee on Capitol Hill December 20, 2022 in Washington, D.C.

Drew Angerer | News from Getty Images | Getty Images

The House Ways and Means Committee voted Tuesday night to release redacted versions of federal income tax returns filed by former President Donald Trump when he ran for and served in the White House.

It will take “a couple of days” to remove some sensitive information before the returns from Trump and those from eight Trump-affiliated companies are released, said the committee’s chairman, Rep. Richard Neal, of D-Mass.

“But we think it’s only days,” Neal said.

The records set for release include the notes of the IRS audits of the tax returns.

A related 29-page report on Trump’s taxes was released later Tuesday night.

The 24:16 vote by the Democrat-controlled committee to authorize the release of the statements and report was along the party line. Prior to the vote, the panel spent more than four hours in executive session discussing whether to release the tax returns and how that release should be.

The committee obtained the tax filings – which stretch from 2015 to 2020 – from the Internal Revenue Service last month after a three-year court case to obtain them over Trump’s objections.

Neal previously said the records would be used to evaluate how the Internal Revenue Service reviews incumbent presidents’ tax returns each year.

Trump has broken decades of political precedent by refusing to release his tax returns to the public as a candidate and as president.

The New York Times reported in 2020 that the billionaire real estate businessman paid just $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and the same tiny amount the following year. Trump paid no income tax at all for 11 of the 18 years the Times investigated after receiving his tax return data.

Tuesday’s vote was the latest in a series of negative developments for Trump, who announced last month that he will seek the Republican nomination for president in 2024.

On Monday, a select committee of the House of Representatives voted unanimously to refer Trump to the Justice Department for a criminal investigation and possible prosecution for attempting to reverse his 2020 election defeat by President Joe Biden, including putting pressure on then-Vice President Mike Pence was one to deny certification to several states’ electoral college boards.

After Tuesday’s vote, Neal said lawmakers have two days to submit supplemental information or objections to the panel’s report on returns.

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“After a long process, it wasn’t about punishment, it wasn’t about being malicious, and there were no leaks from the committee,” Neal said. “We strictly obeyed the law.”

The chair also said that “committee staff have the authority to make technical corrections to the report and redact sensitive personal data such as social security numbers, street addresses, personal identification numbers and banking information.”

Neal advised members of Congress to abide by the First Amendment’s speech and debate clause when discussing Trump’s return with the public.

This clause protects the legislature from being sued or arrested for speaking out in legislative activity, but not necessarily in political activity.

“Today, our committee voted to keep the sunlight and democracy alive,” Rep. Bill Pascrell, a New Jersey Democrat who chairs the panel’s oversight subcommittee, said in a statement.

“For six long years we have fought to get these documents released because Americans deserve to know if their chief executive is compromised,” Neal said. “But today’s victory is greater than one corrupt man or one party. This is a triumph for [the] idea that no one is above the law.”

A police escort turned over documents believed to be Trump’s tax returns just before the 3 p.m. hearing began

The senior Republican member of the committee, Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, warned against releasing the statements ahead of Tuesday’s hearing.

“Let me be clear, our concern is not whether the President should have released his tax returns as usual, nor about the accuracy of his tax returns,” Brady told reporters. “That’s for the IRS and the taxpayer to determine.”

“Our concern is that this committee action will set a terrible precedent, unleashing a dangerous new political weapon that will reach far beyond the former president and undo decades of privacy protections for average Americans that have existed since the Watergate reforms.” said Brady .

Documents arrive as the House Ways & Means Committee holds a hearing on former President Donald Trump’s tax returns on Tuesday, December 20, 2022 on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Andreas Harnik | AP

The committee’s first attempt to obtain Trump’s tax returns from the IRS was denied in 2019 by the Treasury Department, then headed by Trump’s appointee Steven Mnuchin. The Treasury Department, which oversees the IRS, said there was no legitimate legal basis for the request.

The Treasury Department dropped its opposition to publishing yields after Biden, a Democrat, took office.

Trump sued to prevent her release.

But he lost those efforts at both the federal district court level and the appellate court level. Last month, the Supreme Court, from which it appointed three judges, rejected its latest attempt to prevent the IRS from giving the Ways and Means Committee its tax records.

Tuesday’s Ways and Means Committee hearing comes less than a month before Republicans take control of the House. GOP lawmakers are expected to quash any further investigation by the committee into Trump’s tax returns.

“What was clear today is that the public disclosure of President Trump’s private tax returns was unrelated to the stated purpose of reviewing the IRS presidential review process,” Brady said after the vote.

Ohio Police Proceed Manhunt For Nalah Jackson After Kidnapping Twins

Ohio police are asking for a woman named Nalah Jackson to bring back a missing 5 month old twin boy. The child, named Kason ThomasHe has been missing since Monday evening. The police believe that Kason is in danger. An AMBER alarm is present.

WATCH NOW: Amber Alert update for 5 month old Kason Thomass. https://t.co/2nyWZ3Bzfg pic.twitter.com/NAOCXzhU93

— Columbus Ohio Police Department (@ColumbusPolice) December 20, 2022

Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant held a press conference on Tuesday afternoon regarding the carjacking and kidnapping and recovery of one of the twins Kyair Thomas.

“First, I would like to make a request. Nalah Jackson, I would like you to return Kason Thomass. Thank you for returning Kyair. You’ve already shown us that you can do the right thing. You can bring him back to any safe place: fire station, hospital, mall. Any public place where someone will find the baby.

We ask you to return Kason. We can even pick him up, just give us a call and tell us where you are and where Kason is. No questions asked. Here the number is 614-645-4701. Getting him home safely is our top priority.”

Police believe the suspect stole a black four-door car 2010 Honda Accord from the parking lot of a pizzeria called Donatos. The facility is located at East 1st Avenue and North High Street in Columbus, Ohio.

Additional vehicle details: missing front bumper, torn temporary Ohio license plate on rear bumper, and a white bumper decal that reads “Westside City Toys”.

Police also believe the car was in an accident prior to the carjacking and sustained damage, including purple paint transferred to the left side.

Her mother left the missing child and his twin Kyair in the running car. At the time of the car theft and kidnapping, the twins’ mother was working as a delivery driver at DoorDash. So she was at the restaurant to pick up an order.

Staff reportedly informed investigators that Jackson was at the restaurant when the mother walked in at around 9:45 p.m. on December 19. Jackson promptly exited the restaurant and proceeded to steal the vehicle with the infants in the back seat.

HAVE YOU SEEN THIS VEHICLE?

Officials need help locating a 4-door black 2010 Honda Accord that was stolen near Short North. Two 5-month-old children were in the vehicle when they were kidnapped. The vehicle is missing the front bumper and has tinted windows. Call 911 immediately! pic.twitter.com/xHpGqYyF0S

— Columbus Ohio Police Department (@ColumbusPolice) December 20, 2022

Kyair was later grounded outside Dayton Airport around 4 a.m. Tuesday. He is reportedly in the care of his parents. It’s unclear if the mother will be charged, including endangerment.

The suspect has no apparent connection to the twins or their mother

The 24-year-old suspect is a black woman who is described as being 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 159 pounds. She has a low cut, black hair and brown eyes. Police have not identified any known connection or relationship between Nalah Jackson and the mother and children.

The Columbus Police Department identified Jackson as a “homeless person” or displaced person who has a criminal history with their department. One of their arrests includes Endangering children with intent to harm–as confirmed during Tuesday’s conference.

Surveillance footage released by the Columbus Division of Police picked up Jackson at a gas station in Huber Heights around 11:45 p.m. Monday night. When Jackson walked into the gas station and asked an attendant for money, she was still driving the stolen Honda Accord.

NEW AMBER ALERT PHOTOS SUSPECT

The search continues for Kason Thomass, who was stolen in his mother’s car in Short North last night. Suspect Nalah Jackson was later caught on video at a gas station in Huber Heights asking an employee for money. pic.twitter.com/baipObzCCK

— Columbus Ohio Police Department (@ColumbusPolice) December 20, 2022

Here’s a timeline of the kidnapping and how the public can help police find the missing child

Police Chief Bryant released a timeline of events on Tuesday. They received the message about the stolen car and the missing children on Monday around 9:45 p.m. local time. Officers arrived at the scene around 9:52 p.m

By 10:17 p.m., police had conducted a grid search involving more than 50 officers and the department’s helicopter.

About 13 minutes later, neighboring police departments and the Ohio State Highway Patrol received notification of the case and joined the search.

Police continued their investigations, including visits to Jackson’s known former addresses and three homeless camps in the Columbus area.

Although the Columbus Police Department requested an AMBER alert from the Ohio State Highway Patrol at 11:45 p.m., the statewide alert was not issued until 1:37 a.m

Police received a call that Kyair Thomass was grounded at 4:15 a.m. at Dayton Airport. The abandonment location is about 70 miles from the hijacking site via I-70 W. It takes about an hour drive from Donatos in Columbus to get there.

Cops from the Columbus Police Department made their way to Dayton around 6 a.m. Tuesday to continue their investigation. Huber Heights police alerted Columbus police at 11:15 a.m. for arresting Jackson on surveillance video at the gas station.

Jackson’s current whereabouts and the location of the vehicle remain unknown.

Officials are urging anyone with information to call 911 or the Columbus Department’s Special Victims Unit at 614-645-4701.

Watch the full press conference below:

This is an evolving story.

Nike (NKE) Q2 Outcomes 2023

Nike released quarterly results on Tuesday that slightly beat Wall Street expectations while raising its outlook as the company announced its success in destocking its massive inventory.

Nike shares are up more than 10% after the close on Tuesday.

Here’s how Nike performed in its fiscal second quarter versus Wall Street expectations, based on a poll of analysts by Refinitiv:

  • Earnings per share: 85 cents vs. 64 cents expected
  • Revenue: $13.32 billion versus $12.57 billion expected

The company reported net income of $1.33 billion, or 85 cents a share, for the three-month period ended November 30, compared to $1.34 billion, or 83 cents a share, a year ago.

Nike reported revenue of $13.32 billion, up 17% from $11.36 billion a year earlier.

Considering the strong performance, Matt Friend, Nike’s chief financial officer, said on a conference call that the company now expects sales growth for the full fiscal year.

Over the past three quarters, Nike has beaten Wall Street expectations but, like other retailers, has struggled with overstocking due to supply chain disruptions, rising consumer demand, and unpredictable delivery times.

Inventories rose 43% year over year to $9.3 billion in the quarter. The merchandise glut prompted aggressive discounting, which helped push Nike’s gross margin down to 42.9% from 45.9% a year earlier. Inventories, however, declined from $9.7 billion in the previous quarter. Nike CEO John Donahoe said he believes the company has already passed its inventory peak. Gross margins are expected to fall two percentage points to 2.5 percentage points in the next quarter as liquidation efforts continue, Friend said.

The company also saw SG&A expenses rise 10% year over year to $4.1 billion, primarily due to advertising and marketing expenses and investments in Nike Direct as the company continues to move away from wholesalers. The company expects these costs to continue to increase in the high single digits in the next quarter.

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While the focus on Nike Direct was largely responsible for the increased administrative burden, the investment has paid off. Nike Direct sales rose 16% to $5.4 billion for the quarter, and digital sales were up 25%. Nike executives cited the record growth of the brand’s digital membership platform as the “key reason” for the surge in online sales. Shoppers who became members were able to take advantage of several Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday promotions.

For the past few quarters, wholesale revenue has been virtually flat, but grew 19% in the quarter. Nike executives said sales to wholesalers were stronger in the quarter because they finally had the inventory to sell to them after supply chain restrictions.

Nike’s sales in China, its third-biggest market by revenue, fell 3% year over year, continuing a trend the retailer has been struggling with as the country grapples with ongoing Covid lockdowns and a slowdown in retail spending has to fight. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, retail sales in the country fell 5.9% year on year in November, and sales of clothing and shoes plunged 15.6%.

After Nike’s fiscal first-quarter earnings were released in September, executives said the company’s inventories grew 65% last year in North America alone, and as a result, the company enacted an aggressive promotional strategy to promote the goods to liquidate and make room for new products.

The plan was an important part of Nike’s strategy to shift its sales directly to consumers and away from wholesalers by enhancing the in-store shopping experience and enticing customers to shop online directly from the company.

On Friday, Nike announced its new Jordan World of Flight Milan store on Via Torino, a famous shopping district in Italy known for its designer shoe stores.

The initiative reflects steps Nike is taking to grow the company as a direct-to-consumer brand.

The store, described by the company in a press release as a “unique retail experience,” will feature an integrated members’ lounge and will feature interactive shopping experiences tailored for fans of the acclaimed sneaker brand.

Read the company’s earnings announcement here.

Our grandchildren can pay if we do not repair local weather change

Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft Corp, delivers his speech to the National Assembly August 16, 2022 in Seoul, South Korea.

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The idea of ​​becoming a grandparent is emotional for Bill Gates to write about.

“I recently started seeing the world through a new lens — when my older daughter broke the amazing news that I’m going to be a grandfather next year,” Gates wrote in a letter posted overnight to his personal blog, Gates Notes would.

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Gates’ daughter Jennifer, 26, and her husband Nayel Nassar are expecting their first baby in 2023.

“Just typing that phrase ‘I’m going to be a grandfather next year’ makes me emotional,” wrote the 67-year-old billionaire philanthropist, who made his fortune through co-founders Microsoft in the 1970s. “And the thought gives my work a new dimension. As I think of the world my grandchild will be born into, I am more inspired than ever to help all children and grandchildren have a chance to survive and thrive.”

Gates summarizes the work his eponymous philanthropic organization, the Gates Foundation, is doing for children living in global poverty to improve education, pandemic preparedness and the fight against polio and AIDS.

Gates also talks about his work to fight climate change, both through the Gates Foundation and by supporting early-stage climate companies with his investment firm Breakthrough Energy Ventures.

The response of current leaders to climate change will affect future generations, which is the first point Gates makes in the section of his letter where he addresses climate change.

“I can sum up the solution to climate change in two sentences: we must eliminate global emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050,” writes Gates. “Extreme weather conditions are already causing more suffering, and unless we reach net-zero emissions, our grandchildren will grow up in a world that is dramatically worse off.”

Getting to zero will be the hardest thing humans have ever done.

Bill Gates

Co-founder of Microsoft, climate investor

The implications are enormous – and so is the challenge.

“Getting to zero will be the hardest thing humans have ever done,” writes Gates. “We have to revolutionize the entire physical economy – how we make things, move around, generate electricity, grow food and stay warm and cool – in less than three decades.”

Gates began working on climate change after learning about the struggles of small farmers in countries where his eponymous philanthropic organization operates. The Gates Foundation funds climate change adaptation efforts, helping people adapt to the effects of a warming world where a commercial enterprise cannot turn a profit.

“It starts from the idea that the poorest suffer most from climate change, but companies have no natural incentive to make tools to help them,” Gates writes.

“For example, a seed company can make a profit on a new variety of tomato that’s a nicer shade of red and doesn’t bruise easily, but it has no incentive to produce better cassava varieties that (a) survive floods and droughts and (b) are cheap enough for the world’s low-income farmers,” Gates writes. “The foundation’s role is to ensure that the poorest benefit from the same innovative skills that richer countries benefit from.”

Why poorer countries want rich countries to pay their climate bills

Not all of Gates’ climate work is philanthropic. Breakthrough Energy Ventures funds early-stage companies that are working to build and grow businesses to decarbonize various sectors of the economy. Building for-profit companies to address a problem affecting the well-being of the world’s population may seem unsavory to Gates, who already has a fortune to his name — $103.6 billion, according to Forbes Monday.

But Gates says decarbonizing the global industry is too big a problem even for his deep pockets.

“Philanthropy alone cannot eliminate greenhouse gases. Only markets and governments can achieve this kind of pace and scale,” Gates said. Any profits Gates makes investing in breakthrough energy companies will go back to climate work or to the philanthropic foundation, he said.

And if companies committed to fighting climate change can be self-sustaining, it will encourage other investors to put money into them.

“Companies need to be profitable in order to grow, keep going, and prove there’s a market for their products,” Gates writes. “The incentive to win will attract other innovators and create competition that will drive down the prices of zero-emission inventions and have a significant impact on emissions from buildings.”

Greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise

The bad news is that greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise.

“Unfortunately, we are missing short-term goals. Indeed, between 2021 and 2022, global emissions increased from 51 billion tonnes of carbon equivalent to 52 billion tonnes,” Gates writes.

On Monday, the United Nations Secretary-General also underscored the grim reality of the current climate change moment.

“We’re still moving in the wrong direction,” said António Guterres on Monday. “The global emissions gap is growing. The 1.5-degree target is gasping for air. National climate plans fall woefully short.”

Despite the bleak current climate situation, Gates is optimistic about increasing investments in decarbonization technologies.

“We’re a lot further along than I would have expected a few years ago in getting companies to invest in zero-carbon breakthroughs,” Gates writes.

Public funding for climate research and development has increased by a third since the 2015 Paris climate accord, and legislation passed in the United States this year will allocate $500 billion to shift US energy infrastructure away from fossil fuel sources gates

Private money is also flowing into climate technologies at a rapid pace. Venture capital firms have invested $70 billion in clean energy startups over the past two years, Gates writes.

Watch CNBC's full interview with Breakthrough Energy founder Bill Gates

Kaleigh McEnany is subpoenaed for essentially mendacity to Committee 1/6 – PoliticusUSA

The 1/6 Committee made a special point in its summary to note that Kayleigh McEnany appeared to be speaking from talking points and was evasive.

According to the summary of the 1/6 committee report:

Kayleigh McEnany was President Trump’s press secretary on Jan. 6. you
The deposit was made at the beginning of the investigation. McEnany appeared to acknowledge that President Trump: (1) should have ordered his violent supporters to leave the Capitol earlier than he ultimately did on January 6;
(2) should have respected the judgments of the courts; and (3) publicly claiming that Dominion voting machines stole the election was wrong. but
part of McEnany’s testimony seemed evasive, as if testifying from prepared talking points. In several instances, McEnany’s testimony did not seem nearly as direct as that of her press office staff who testified about what McEnany said.

For example, McEnany denied suggestions that President Trump was refusing to condemn the violence and urged the Capitol crowd to act peacefully when they composed his tweet at 2:38 p.m. on Jan. 6.
But one of her deputies, Sarah Matthews, told the select committee that McEnany informed her otherwise: that McEnany and other advisers in the dining room with President Trump persuaded him to air the tweet, but that
“…she said that he didn’t want to put that in and that they went through different wordings of it, from the mention of peace, to getting him to agree to include it and that it was Ivanka Trump who came up with that’ Keep peaceful’ and that he agreed to include that phrase in the tweet, but was initially opposed to mentioning peace of any kind.” When the select committee asked, “Did Ms. McEnany in any way describe how recalcitrant the President was to record something about peace?”

Matthews replied, “Just that he didn’t want to record it, but they got him to agree to the phrase ‘keep peace.'”

The committee invites the public to compare McEnany’s testimony with his
Testimonies from Pat Cipollone, Sarah Matthews, Judd Deere and others.

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House Republicans will fight to damage the credibility of the 1/6 Committee report because the Committee has so many witnesses and was able to corroborate its findings.

People like McEnany thought they could go before the committee and dodge, which is a form of lying, but the committee knew enough and was well prepared to challenge them in the summary.

The criminal references are bad news for anyone connected to the Trump White House, and if the synopsis is any indication, those who tried to deceive the committee will also have a black smudge next to their name in the have historical records.

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House press pool and congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a bachelor’s degree in political science. His thesis focused on public policy with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and professional memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and the American Political Science Association

Why Pirates Producer Says ‘You Cannot’ Kill Johnny Depp’s Character

On June 1, a jury in Virginia Heard found liable in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed for defaming Depp, in which she described herself as a “public figure representing domestic violence,” without whom to explicitly name the actors in the play. The jury awarded him $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages. Fairfax County District Court Judge Penney Azcarate later reduced the punitive damages to $350,000 to meet the state’s legal ceiling.

Although Heard appealed the verdict, she released a statement on Dec. 19 announcing that she had made the decision to settle the case instead.

During the trial, Depp’s acting career was discussed and at one point the 59-year-old testified that he had no interest in playing Jack Sparrow on screen again.

“In fact, Mr. Depp, if Disney came to you with $300 million and a million alpacas, would there be anything on earth that would make you go back and work with Disney on a Pirates of the Caribbean movie? Right?” Heard’s attorney asked, to which Depp replied on the witness stand, “That’s true.”