GOP Warns Mike Johnson He’s Getting Too Old
While House Republicans are still supportive of Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican Representative Thomas Massie forewarned them that there is not much time left to stop a federal government shutdown.
The shutdown date is November 17, and Johnson has not yet disclosed his strategy to avert one. On October 25, three weeks after Representative Kevin McCarthy of California was removed from the speakership, Johnson of Louisiana was chosen speaker. McCarthy’s resignation was prompted by far-right House Republicans who did not agree with his choice to vote with Democrats on a “continuing resolution” (CR) that prolonged government funding for an additional 45 days past the previous deadline of September 30.
Johnson made it clear at a press conference on Tuesday that he opposes a government shutdown, but he provided no information regarding preventative measures.
“How about this: I won’t tell you when we’re going to bring it to the floor, but it will happen on time. We’re handling the procedure in a manner that I believe will make people proud, so trust us,” Johnson remarked. “[We had] very deliberate, positive discussions about the many options that are on the table, and we’ll be revealing what our plan is in short order.”
Johnson was contacted by Newsweek by email on Thursday for a statement.
Kentucky’s Massie said reporters on Thursday that Johnson must decide quickly and proposed a CR with a September 2024 expiration date.
“I believe that this is just the honeymoon phase. Given what’s happening on the floor today, I’m not sure how long it lasts—maybe 30 days,” Massie remarked. “The honeymoon might not last as long as we had anticipated.”
The Republican congressman went on, “Every time the CR expires, the speaker is putting his head in the lion’s mouth.” “If I were advising the speaker, I would say do a one-year CR before the honeymoon period runs out—buy you enough runway to get you to September 30, 2024.”
Rather of extending the 12 federal funding bills all at once with the same date, Johnson has proposed a “laddered CR,” in which Congress would adopt staggered deadlines, prioritizing the funding of agencies with more expeditious deadlines.
Republicans on the far right have backed this strategy, while Democrats and several Republicans have criticized it for being unclear and unworkable.
The vice head of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine, stated that she favors assembling complete spending legislation into “minibuses,” or groups of three bills at a time.
“I would prefer that we continue with the original plan, which was to have four minibuses,” she stated.
The MAGA sector has chastised Johnson for backing Israel’s fight against Hamas, a Palestinian militant organization, while domestic unrest persists. On November 2, the House approved a $14.3 billion relief package supported by Johnson.
In an October 30 post on X, formerly Twitter, Rumble personality Ryan Matta wrote, “MIKE JOHNSON PUTS ISRAEL 1ST KNOWING THERE ARE 4 MILLION ILLEGAL RIDING TRAIN CARAVANS THROUGH MEXICO.”
“Politicians are incapable of putting America First!” Cynthia Holt, a Trump fan, commented on Johnson online.
States That Are Best for Digital Nomads
While not every place is ideal for working from home, these ten states in particular are ideal for people who must travel for work.
According to the Digital Nomad Index ranking by vacation rental search company Bluepillow, ten states provide benefits to digital nomads, or people who earn a living while traveling, that enhance their work lives outside from an office setting.
Three years after the COVID-19 pandemic struck the United States, digital nomads have continued to gain popularity thanks to many employers’ accommodating work-from-home policies.
“The pandemic expedited the transition to this type of lifestyle and remote working,” digital nomad and PropertyLeads owner Andy Kolodgie told Newsweek. “People have got to learn that they can enjoy flexibility and balance between their job and personal life, as well as do other things while at it.”
However, ten states topped the list of places to call home when working remotely, according to the Digital Nomad Index assessment of vacation rental search engine Bluepillow.
The index examined a number of variables, including quality-of-life indicators such as the typical daily temperature, the typical amount of food and drink consumed off-premises, and the typical amount of fuel used.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts held the top spot for digital nomads. Massachusetts has a high infrastructure score of 64.7 out of 100, making it a great place for remote workers to work. 113 computer repair companies, 176 co-working spaces, and over 12,000 free WiFi connections were among them.
“Those looking for the ideal place to live and work remotely can find useful insights from the Digital Nomad Index,” a Bluepillow representative stated. “Massachusetts’s top ranking is evidence of the state’s outstanding possibilities, infrastructure, and standard of living for digital nomads. This state is a singular and very alluring travel destination since it blends urban conveniences with scenic natural beauty.”
Jersey City
With 63.89 points, residents of the Garden State ranked second among digital nomads. There were 161 co-working spaces for remote workers and 192 computer repair companies in New Jersey. Its violent crime rate of 206.7 per 100,000 population makes it one of the safest states on the list.
New England
With 7,264 free WiFi hotspots and 67 co-working spaces accessible to remote workers, Connecticut ranked third with 61.97 points.
Maryland
Maryland made a strong impression as well, coming in fourth place with 61.71 points, home to 7,364 free WiFi hotspots and 129 co-working spaces. Additionally, there are 454.4 violent crimes for every 100,000 residents.
New York
With 393 computer repair companies and 477 co-working spaces, New York, which came in fifth place with 61.66 points, was also a good destination for digital nomads to set up shop.
Colorado (61.24), Utah (61.09), Virginia (60.25), Rhode Island (57.68), and Florida (57.4) rounded out the top 10.
Mississippi (30.84) came in last on the list, followed by Wyoming (33.86), Arkansas (35.11), and New Mexico (35.61).
Because of their sizable tech communities and plenty of services, states like Massachusetts and Maryland rank well on the list, which doesn’t surprise digital nomad and Eggless Cooking entrepreneur Madhuram Prabhakar.
“Good connectivity, safety, a supportive community and access to good health and wellness resources are primary considerations when choosing a place,” Prabhakar said to Newsweek. “I think states like Utah and Colorado stood out in the list because they also offer a great work-life balance with access to outdoor activities.”
Florida was rated as the greatest location to stay by another digital nomad and remote worker.
“For people like me, Florida is the best state,” said Gene Caballero, a co-founder of GreenPal, a platform for lawn care, to Newsweek. “A major benefit is its year-round bright weather, which makes outdoor work-life integration possible. Working with the sun as a buddy never feels like a job.”
Kolodgie advised looking for a supportive atmosphere, whatever that means to you, no matter where you decide to live as a digital nomad.
“Such people thrive when they get to connect with like-minded individuals,” Kolodgie stated. “The feeling of belonging while on the move is something even money doesn’t buy.”
Jerome Powell is keeping his options open even in the event that the Fed remains on hold
Chair of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell said that unless it had more proof that inflation was slowing down, the bank would not call off its historic rate hikes.
Some investors believe the Fed is done raising rates because wage and price pressures have just subsided. At a speech on Thursday, Powell let those investors down by outlining his reasoning for believing that, should policy change, it will likely be tightened rather than loosened.
Powell cited previous instances of inflation “head fakes,” in which price pressures temporarily decreased before startling Fed officials by increasing once more, even though he did not make a case for raising rates right now. Powell stated that they would keep a tight eye on the state of the economy to minimize the possibility of having hiked rates excessively or of having been “misled by a few good months of data.”
This year, the Fed increased interest rates to a 22-year high in an effort to curb inflation by reducing economic growth. At their meeting last week, officials decided to postpone rate increases for the first time since they started doing so in March 2022. This represents the first time that rates have been held stable at successive policy meetings.
If the economy and inflation don’t slow down as many had predicted, Powell left open the possibility of keeping rates on hold again the next month and hiking them once more the following year. He stated, “At this point, we’re trying to make a judgment about whether we need to do more.”
Powell stated that the central bank was “not confident” that it has raised rates high enough to bring inflation down to its target of 2% in the following two or three years in prepared remarks for an IMF conference.
However, Powell acknowledged that inflation-adjusted interest rates were high during a Q&A session. “We’re in a situation where we have restrictive policy—possibly very restrictive policy—and we’re closely monitoring the impact on the economy,” the speaker stated.
Although the need for workers is still high, it has slowed recently, according to data released by the Labor Department last week. The unemployment rate increased slightly to 3.9% in October from 3.8% in September and from a recent low of 3.4% in April.
This year, however, price pressures have decreased. The Commerce Department reports that for the April to September period, core inflation—which does not include volatile food and energy prices—has decreased to an annualized rate of 2.8% this year. From a recent top of 5.6% last year, that is lower.
Officials, according to Powell, were pleased with the development but anticipated difficulty in achieving a sustainable 2% inflation rate. Because of a reduction in supply constraints and a rise in the labor force participation rate, the United States has had consistent economic growth and declining inflation this year.
After those supply-side tailwinds had run their course, the Fed chair warned that it might be more difficult to continue lowering inflation. “We are aware that maintaining our current pace of progress toward our 2% target is not guaranteed.”
To launch the ‘Workforce Hubs’ project to increase manufacturing jobs, First Lady Jill Biden travels to Georgia and Pennsylvania
November 8 (UPI): First lady Jill Biden traveled to two towns on the East Coast on Wednesday to declare the opening of a government-funded program aimed at increasing the number of people in the country who work in technology. The program will offer career development opportunities and employment training.
In order to begin the process of filling new high-tech manufacturing positions created under President Joe Biden’s legislative agenda, the first lady flew to Pittsburgh and Augusta, Georgia.
The White House stated that communities designated as “Workforce Hubs” will work to promote the growth of advanced jobs across the country by enlisting the help of the public and private sectors to develop technological work skills through education programs and apprenticeships, as well as by offering job support services to millions of potential employees.
The initiative, which was unveiled in May, has a strong emphasis on employing women, students, people of color, and other groups that have historically had low representation in rapidly developing technological industries.
The hubs in Augusta and Pittsburgh will collaborate on a variety of projects with nearby technical schools and community colleges with the goal of increasing the number of skilled workers in each area and the quantity of high-caliber employment that becomes accessible to them upon completion of their training.
According to the White House, since Biden assumed office, the government has helped to enable more than $37 billion in private investments in Georgia, which have resulted in the establishment of new high-tech manufacturing facilities and the creation of 27,000 new jobs.
Concurrently, the Labor Department provided $3.75 million to Pittsburgh to assist 300 apprentices in the fields of broadband infrastructure, transportation, and sustainable energy.
To support a wide range of new manufacturing employment in the techno-economy, numerous corporations in both states have committed to investing millions of dollars in technical job training, paid internships, dual enrollment programs, and scholarships.
The White House claimed that a number of training providers have committed to increasing skill development programs in areas such as advanced manufacturing, construction, nuclear power, clean energy, cybersecurity, and next-generation technology development in order to support the program.
Jill Biden and Mayor Ed Gainey of Pittsburgh announced the creation of over 1,000 new jobs in the fields of clean energy, high-speed internet, sophisticated manufacturing—including robotics and biomanufacturing—and infrastructure.
Pittsburgh has long been known as a site of transition, where iron ore becomes steel and steel becomes affluence. In prepared remarks, Jill Biden stated, “And today, you’re still transforming—turning an old steel mill into a training center for the jobs of the future.”
The White House claimed that, as part of the initiative, education and training institutions in Steel City will increase the number of apprentices and other earn-and-learn training options available to hundreds of people annually.
“Enterprises are expanding. Jobs are returning. There is a historic low in unemployment. Structures are rising,” Mrs. Biden said. “Young folks are also headed for amazing careers. Allegheny County has a bright and exciting future ahead of it, one that every person in this room can be a part of.
The White House previously indicated that other hubs in Phoenix, Arizona; Columbus, Ohio; and Baltimore, Maryland would be announced in the upcoming weeks.
The administration also named the fifteen cities that will be included in its Good Jobs, Great Cities Academy. These cities include Birmingham, Alabama; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Duluth, Minnesota; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Frederick, Maryland; Jamestown, New York; Kokomo, Indiana; Lansing, Michigan; Missoula, Montana; Monroe, North Carolina; Newark, New Jersey; San Antonio, Texas; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Saint Louis, Missouri; and Tempe, Arizona. The academy will also work to provide technical assistance and other workforce development initiatives in a broad range of cities.
A nationwide initiative to increase access to sophisticated manufacturing employment that doesn’t require a four-year college degree is also being planned by the government.
Proposal to raise the retirement age of judges is rejected by voters in Texas
In the election for a constitutional amendment on Tuesday, voters in Texas rejected raising the retirement age for judges. The only amendment to Texans’ votes that was rejected was Proposition 13.
The proposed legislation would have raised the minimum retirement age from 70 to 75 years old and the mandatory retirement age for judges from 75 to 79 years old. Supporters of Proposition 13 contended that judges with longer tenure provide much-needed experience to the bench and that individuals are working later in life.
House Joint Resolution 107 passed both the House and the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support, and very few groups openly opposed the change.
One justification for raising the retirement age was given in a House Committee Report on the resolution: 75 is no longer a reasonable age to require someone to resign from the bench due to today’s increased life expectancies.
Voters eventually disagreed, though. Preliminary election results show that more than 60% of voters opposed raising the retirement age.
Though voters in 2019 rejected a plan that would have let elected municipal court judges to serve numerous municipalities simultaneously, constitutional changes seldom fail.
In the upcoming years, a few senior judges will have to retire as a result of the amendment’s rejection. Chief Justice Nathan Hecht of the Texas Supreme Court is among them; he will turn 75 in 2019. Hecht declined to discuss his plans going forward.
According to the Houston Chronicle, five other appellate court judges—Justice Debra Lehrmann of the Texas Supreme Court and Justices Sharon Keller, Barbara Hervey, Bert Richardson, and Scott Walker of the Court of Criminal Appeals—will turn 75 during their next terms if they are reelected.
Hervey and Richardson released a statement together saying, “We will continue to serve the great state of Texas as long as we are able.”
Judge Doug Woodburn, a 74-year-old state district court representative for Amarillo’s 108th district, had planned to seek reelection in the event that Proposition 13 was approved. Woodburn had started fund-raising and had even hired a campaign treasurer. He declared that the news that the bill had failed “flabbergasted” him.
Before being elected to the bench in 2009, Woodburn practiced family law. “I’ll have to sit back and figure out if I want to do anything else,” she added. “I suspect that my wife and I will just fade quietly into the sunset.”
Voters will probably be considering the age of elected figures in the upcoming presidential election, which might pit President Joe Biden, who is 80 years old, against former President Donald Trump, who is 77.
House Representative Cody Thane Vasut, a Republican from Angles, co-wrote HJR 107. He implied that when voters rejected his constitutional proposal, they were considering Biden’s age.
Vasut told The Texas Tribune in a statement that “it is possible voters have seen how incompetent President Biden is and do not want someone as a judge who is like him.” Unlike President Biden, Texas judges can be removed from office for incompetence through a variety of procedures, regardless of age.
With the debate and the attention of Republicans who are against Trump, Nikki Haley leaves
From one of the three guys standing to her left on stage on Wednesday night in Miami, Nikki Haley had heard worse than snippets of gunfire. She faced insults directed at Native Americans when running for South Carolina governor in 2010. Despite the fact that she was born in South Carolina’s Bamberg County Hospital, the state party chairman declared three years later that she ought to “go back to wherever the hell she came from.” The Secretary of State is said to have called her to her face with sexist epithets beginning with B and C while she served as the U.S. Ambassador to the UN.
However, during the third discussion amongst the lesser-known candidates, Haley became quite agitated when her daughter’s use of social media was brought up by the presidential candidate. Rena Haley’s TikTok was brought up by tech bro Vivek Ramaswamy, to which Haley responded with a cool edge, “Leave my daughter out of your voice.” Her daughter was watching from the room when she said, “You’re just scum.”
Haley appeared to be resetting her aggression and maybe reminding herself that anger directed towards female candidates might be easily misinterpreted as hostility. Her gaze was fixed on the bright Miami stage lights overhead.She has done well thus far in the current Republican campaign with such level-headed ownership of her domain. As far as national surveys, early state polls, and her reputation among funders go, she is the only contender rising. Haley is fast emerging as a credible primary opponent and the Republicans’ greatest chance to discover an escape route to Donald Trump’s third nomination, even if he is still miles ahead of her.
“Using politicians from the 20th century to win the battles of the 21st century is not possible. Haley stated in her final remarks, “We have to go ahead. It summed up her campaign’s central claim, which is that Republican voters would prefer a high-stakes diplomat and former state leader to a former president who is facing four separate legal proceedings. That formulation is really logical, in my opinion. However, query Jon Huntsman, the former governor of Utah and the former ambassador to China and Singapore, on the two delegates he secured during his presidential campaign in 2012.
Haley knew the rules on stage. Her hawkish instincts on national security gave her an advantage during a debate that covered threats from China and the southern border, as well as the situations in Ukraine and Israel. She makes the astute argument that Congress enacting a federal abortion ban is about as likely as discovering the Loch Ness Monster because she is a pragmatic realist when it comes to social matters. Her home state edge in South Carolina, which she has never lost once in her 20-year career, is another advantage she has. She is being guided by some very smart advisers in the lead-off states of Iowa and New Hampshire.
But it must be acknowledged that Haley, her policy-based opposite, who once again bailed out of the debate entirely, is still far from posing a challenge to Trump. The former president was presenting his own show, which was rife with victimization and complaints, some 20 minutes away from the Miami theater. He was promising the GOP base an unrealistic agenda once more. An anti-Joe Biden rallying cry, “Let’s Go, Brandon,” was led by a UFC fighter to the audience before Trump entered the stage in Hialeah, Florida. The slogan wasn’t very clever. Not statecraft, but showmanship.
There are benefits to being a past president, and raising money is foremost. In the three months before October, Trump raised over $24 million, and in the previous quarter, he raised $17 million. With $37 million in the bank at the end of the term, he was $20 million ahead of Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis’s $12 million.
Yes, even though DeSantis’s popularity among Republicans has significantly decreased since the beginning of the campaign, he is still running. The man known as “Ron DeSanctimonious” is a little unbalanced coming into the starting line due to some rough terrain and Trump’s scathing insults. Nevertheless, his threat was never very dangerous—the closest he ever came to surpassing Trump was a 15-point disadvantage.
While Haley may be making progress, she is still behind Trump by a significant 50 points. Furthermore, although winning the Not-Trump primary is important for media attention, second place is not rewarded under Republican rules. This implies that she must either begin to map out a strategy for surpassing Trump in less than a year or persuade supporters of candidates such as Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and former governor Chris Christie to switch sides. Still, they are difficult odds. It seems that not even the possibility of voting for a nominee who is in jail will be enough to weaken Trump’s grasp on the party.
“I’ll say this about Donald Trump: You cannot lead this party or this country as a leader if you are going to spend the next year and a half trying to avoid going to jail or being in court,” remarked a sour Christie. “It must be stated clearly.”
That’s the reason Haley has chosen her targets so carefully while criticizing her former boss. “He was the ideal president in the ideal circumstances. Serving as Trump’s U.N. representative, she declared, “He’s not the right president right now.”
But because of her astute late rise, competitors without Trump find her an easy target to humiliate on public platforms.
“Do you need a pioneer who will focus on this country, somebody from an alternate age? Or, on the other hand, is Dick Cheney in three-inch heels more your style? Ramaswamy commented prior to ridiculing both Haley’s and DeSantis’ shoe determination. “In this occurrence, there will be two of them performing this evening.”
Haley missed no beats as she went to her go-to reaction. “They have five crawls of heel. She commented, “I don’t wear them until you can run in them. “I have heels. They’re not intended to make a style explanation. They are used for ammunition.
At the point when she was interrogated in this manner regarding the hostility by Ramaswamy, Haley was naturally derisive. “Hello, I’m a mother.” She expressed in the twist, “I will get me covered up the second that you begin expressing something about my 25-year-old girl.”
But if serious-minded Republicans wish to avoid a third Trump nomination, perhaps it’s time to extend her that courtesy.
The CDC issues a warning regarding infant syphilis. Here’s why Arizona is still experiencing this dilemma
32 infants in Arizona lost their lives to a “rapidly accelerating epidemic” of syphilis in the United States last year; in light of the growing number of cases, local and federal health officials are urging increased testing and awareness.
The frequency of potentially fatal instances of syphilis among newborn U.S. newborns has climbed more than tenfold between 2012 and 2022, according to newly revealed preliminary statistics, which alarmed officials with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday.
Dr. Debra Houry, the chief medical officer of the CDC, told reporters, “This is an outcome of increasing syphilis cases in the United States and the missed opportunities to test and treat mothers for syphilis during pregnancy.” “Newborn syphilis cases have increased to alarming proportions. The CDC is pleading with communities, public health institutions, and healthcare professionals to intensify their efforts in combating infant syphilis.”
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Arizona is where the issue is most severe. According to state data, the number of newborns born with syphilis increased by over thirteen times over a seven-year period, from 17 in 2016 to 219 last year.
According to CDC data from 2021, Arizona has the highest neonatal syphilis prevalence in the country.
Early in 2024, state-by-state rankings of neonatal syphilis rates together with CDC statistics specific to 2022 are anticipated. The Arizona Department of Health Services’ preliminary state data, however, presents a dismal picture of worsening syphilis rates between 2021 and 2022. During that time, the number of newborn syphilis cases increased from 182 to 219, and the number of babies who passed away from the disease more than doubled, from 14 to 32.
“A serious worry”: The impact Arizona is having from a syphilis medication shortage
There is a germ called syphilis that can infect unborn children through the placenta. Congenital syphilis is the term used to describe cases that are transferred to fetuses during pregnancy. Antibiotics work well to cure syphilis when it is detected early enough. It is crucial to get checked for this reason, particularly if you are pregnant.
Congenital syphilis rates are “very high,” and when state-specific data for 2022 are released, Arizona is expected to rank highest for its range of congenital syphilis cases, according to Dr. Melanie Taylor, an infectious disease specialist and medical epidemiologist with the Maricopa County Department of Public Health.
About half of Arizona’s congenital syphilis deaths occur in Maricopa County, the state’s most populous county, with infants of color being disproportionately afflicted, according to Taylor.
According to state data, American Indians or Alaska Natives made up almost 30%, or 10 out of the 32 babies in Arizona that died from congenital syphilis, and slightly over one-third were Hispanic.
“The issue is really access and uptake of prenatal care for the purposes of congenital syphilis prevention,” Taylor stated. Other behavioral risk factors for substance abuse and use include insecure housing, fears of retaliation against someone taking drugs while pregnant, and reasons why some people may choose not to seek treatment.
Babies may experience severe health implications from syphilis even if they do not die from it, such as bone damage, severe anemia, jaundice, skin rashes, meningitis, blindness, and hearing loss. In order to treat the infection, they will probably spend the first ten days of their existence in the hospital. The statistics on congenital syphilis do not account for miscarriages that might result from syphilis.
According to the new CDC figures, more than 3,700 kids were born in the United States in 2022 with syphilis. According to the CDC, the rise in neonatal syphilis is a result of declining preventive infrastructure and resources, increased syphilis cases among women of reproductive age, and social and economic issues that obstruct access to high-quality prenatal care.
The most recent congenital syphilis study from the CDC discovered that:
With prompt testing and treatment during pregnancy, nearly 90% of infant syphilis cases in 2022 may have been avoided.
More than half of instances of neonatal syphilis in 2022 were among pregnant women who tested positive for the disease but did not receive prompt or appropriate treatment.
Mothers who did not receive prenatal care accounted for nearly 40% of cases of infant syphilis.
The next step in reducing the number of cases of syphilis, according to federal and Arizona health officials, is to reach out to more pregnant women and people who are of childbearing age outside of STD clinics. This can be done by connecting with them wherever they are, whether that be through community health workers, drug rehab centers, or emergency rooms.
Through our ob/gyn partners, we have discovered that 100% of the moms who visit their clinics are screened. But none of our efforts will reach that patient if more than half of the sickened women with syphilis never seek prenatal care, according to Taylor. “So where we are working now is to try and seek places where pregnant women seek care for non-pregnancy-related concerns.”
According to CDC authorities, systemic hurdles to receiving prenatal care include systemic racism and restricted access to health care, while individual barriers to accessing prenatal care may include substance use disorders and a lack of insurance.
According to CDC data, kids born to black, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska Native, or other minority moms had an eight-fold higher risk of having newborn syphilis in 2021 compared to babies born to white mothers, even if the overall number of cases of neonatal syphilis is rising. According to federal officials, the discrepancies are caused by deeply ingrained social determinants of health, or the places where people age, live, work, learn, and play. These variables obstruct access to high-quality healthcare.
Dexter Lawrence of the Giants has been chosen to the PFF Midseason All-Pro Team
With a 2-7 record halfway through the 2023 season, the New York Giants under second-year head coach Brian Daboll have been an embarrassment.
The Giants are on track to establish multiple undesired franchise records and are having one of the worst offensive seasons in team history. Conversely, Wink Martindale’s team has shown a lack of consistency at best; they may be dominant one week and completely outplayed the next.
The Giants’ current state is far from what many had anticipated, and last week’s loss of starting quarterback Daniel Jones due to an ACL tear made matters worse.
In spite of the pointlessness and the extreme underperformance, one player has persisted in rising up the ranks and can now legitimately call himself the best in the league for his position.
At this point in the season, Dexter Lawrence is having one of the most dominant nose tackle performances in NFL history. And aptly, that earned him a spot on the Midseason All-Pro Team of Pro Football Focus.
As a pass-rusher from the nose tackle position, Lawrence has the second-highest PFF grade of any defensive player this season.
In 247 pass-rushing snaps, he has accumulated 44 total pressures, good for a position-leading 92.2 PFF pass-rushing grade.
Jalen Carter, a defensive lineman for the Philadelphia Eagles, lost to Lawrence for the title.
The extent of Sexy Dexy’s dominance this year cannot be overstated. When he plays at his peak, he humiliates opponents by winning every snap. Even in his lowest moments, he remains one of the top players on the pitch.
Lawrence has proven to be one of the league’s most influential defenders and unquestionably the best interior defender, going beyond simply being selected for the PFF Midseason All-Pro Team.
Of course, none of the other Giants were on the list.
Observations for Ivanka Trump’s testimony in the Trump Organisation fraud trial
Ivanka Trump, the daughter of Donald Trump, is the last witness for the New York attorney general’s office and will testify on Wednesday in the former president’s civil fraud trial.
Even though Ivanka Trump was removed from Attorney General Letitia James’s case earlier this year by an appeals court, she will probably still be questioned about her involvement in obtaining financing for properties while she was employed by the Trump Organization and the appraisal of an apartment she rented in one of her father’s Manhattan buildings.
Her evidence follows her father’s appearance on the witness stand on Monday, during which the former president repeatedly irritated Judge Arthur Engoron by attacking the attorney general and the judge with political jabs.
Ivanka Trump’s attendance on Wednesday may not have generated as much excitement, but the circumstances surrounding her testimony have certainly generated drama. Engoron decided that she had to testify despite her filing a move to revoke the subpoena demanding her testimony. Her request for a stay was granted by an appellate court, even though she stated it would be challenging to present during a school week.
Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump’s brothers and co-defendants in the lawsuit, gave testimony last week.Ivanka Trump is aware of the accusations made in the civil fraud trial, in which the state attorney general is requesting a $250 million damages award as well as a ban on Trump’s ability to conduct business in the state.
Before joining her husband, Jared Kushner, as a top advisor in the White House in 2017, she was an executive at the Trump Organization.
The attorney general’s first lawsuit, which was filed in September of last year, focused on Ivanka Trump’s role in obtaining a loan for the purchase of Trump’s Doral golf course in Florida and Chicago properties in 2012. The attorney general claims that the loan was extended in part due to Trump’s false financial statements that exaggerated his assets.
The complaint claims that “Ms. Trump knew that on each of those transactions with Deutsche Bank, the transactions included a personal guarantee from Mr. Trump that required him to provide annual Statements of Financial Condition and certifications.”
On Monday, Trump was questioned to confirm that, when he signed those loan agreements, he was aware that they contained requirements for annual financial accounts and a minimum net worth.
Ivanka also participated in the auction for the Washington, DC, Old Post Office, which Trump turned into a hotel before selling it the previous year.
The attorney general’s office stated in a letter that “Mr. Trump and Ivanka Trump participated personally in the bidding process in 2011.” “Ivanka Trump was specifically involved in drafting correspondence to the GSA regarding the bid and replying to the GSA’s criticisms of deficiencies.”
Before the trial ever began, Engoron declared that Trump and the other defendants were guilty of fraud. The amount of damages the Trumps will have to pay for the alleged gains they made through dishonest business practices is currently being considered by the judge. In addition, the attorney general is attempting to substantiate allegations of insurance fraud, phony financial statements, and falsified corporate documents.
Ivanka Trump disassociated herself from the financial records in a deposition taken last year for this probe, stating that she was aware the companies had them but that she had no “specific” memory of her father having personal financial statements.
“Yeah, he has accountants with a ton of stuff and statements, but no, sorry, I don’t know exactly what was prepared for him as an individual apart from the company and the properties I was working on, so no, I don’t know how they did that and who prepared that and the mechanisms like that,” the witness stated in her deposition.
When asked if, as a University of Pennsylvania graduate from the Wharton School of Business, she was aware that financial statements fairly depict the financial status of an entity by including all of its assets and liabilities, she said, “I’ve never prepared one. I’m not sure. I haven’t produced any. I’m not a book-keeper.
Ivanka is not a co-defendant any longer
She will be questioned about her work at the Trump Organisation, but as a result of an appeal court decision in June, she is no longer involved in the case.
After determining that Ivanka Trump was not a party to an August 2021 arrangement between James’ office and the Trump Organization to tollell the statute of limitations, the court dismissed the charges against her.
By the time the tolling agreement was completed, “the record before us…indicates that defendant Ivanka Trump was no longer within the agreement’s definition of ‘Trump Organization,'” the order reads. “Any claims arising after February 6, 2016, are not supported by the charges made against defendant Ivanka Trump. Therefore, all accusations made against her ought to have been rejected as premature.
Engoron has rejected the assertions made by Trump and his lawyers that the statute of limitations should likewise bar claims made against the former president.
Ivanka Trump attempted to circumvent her testimony in the case by utilizing the appeal court’s decision. Bennet Moskowitz, her attorney, contended that the court lacked jurisdiction over her as she had ceased to be a resident of New York and had stopped working there in 2017.
Ivanka’s testimony was subpoenaed, according to Trump’s lawyers, as part of “continuous harassment of President Trump’s children.”
Attorney Chris Kise stated, “They want her in the courtroom so it can be packed with media and we can have another circus day.”
Ivanka’s penthouse apartment Another issue Ivanka Trump is likely to get questions about is a Penthouse apartment in Trump Park Avenue that she leased. According to the attorney general’s complaint, her rental agreement included an option to purchase the unit for $8.5 million. But in Trump’s 2011 and 2012 statements of financial condition, the unit was valued at $20.8 million. In 2013, it was valued at $25 million. The complaint also alleged that she was given an option in 2014 to purchase a different, larger penthouse unit in the building for $14.3 million – but the unit was listed in the 2014 statement of financial condition for $45 million.
“In that year, Ms. Trump’s option to purchase the unit at a steep discount was included in a lease in which she was charged a rental payment substantially below the market rent for similar units in the same building,” the complaint states. Donald Bender, Trump’s former accountant at Mazars, testified that his job was not to audit the financial statements, but “from time to time,” he would point out errors to Trump Organization officials.
Google is releasing tools that allow marketers to produce content using artificial intelligence.
According to a story from earlier this year, Google is launching a new capability that lets advertisers create AI-generated content using the same technology as the Bard chatbot. The business revealed in a blog post that the functionality, which enables US marketers to build and scale text and picture assets for campaigns using AI, is currently available in beta on Google’s Performance Max advertising platform.
Already an AI-powered solution, Performance Max functions with several Google products, such as YouTube, search, display, and others. Through the analysis of performance data, it optimizes ads; additionally, the new function uses AI to help with asset development. According to Google, the features would enable advertisers to produce personalized, high-quality assets on a variety of Google channels quickly.
Google’s Pallavi Naresh wrote, “A successful Performance Max campaign requires a variety of assets.” You’ve informed us that one of the most challenging aspects of developing and refining a cross-channel campaign might be creating and scaling assets. With just a few clicks, you can now create fresh text and image materials for your campaign.”
Similar to Bard or ChatGPT, users input the AI instructions, and it generates customized text and visuals for every company. Before they are published, marketers can examine and modify any materials produced by the system. It can be used to make new advertisements from scratch or to make variations of the current ones. Every image produced by AI has a watermark that can be seen and is identified as such. “We also have guardrails in place to prevent our systems from engaging with inappropriate or sensitive prompts or suggesting policy-violating creatives,” said Naresh.
In addition to helping Google publish those advertisements and generate revenue faster, the tool should assist advertisers in producing advertising materials more swiftly. Given that Google’s primary source of income is advertising, this presents a near-ideal AI use case for the company. By the end of 2023, it is anticipated that the new system, which is presently only accessible in the US and in beta, will be implemented more broadly.