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Why FDA allows so many chemicals in America’s food supply Why FDA allows so many chemicals in America’s food supply The U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulates food and health-related products to ensure they’re safe for public health. Today, it’s estimated to oversee 80% of the U.S. food supply. This also places ingredient safety regulations under the FDA’s authority. According to a 1958 law, companies looking to introduce a new food additive into the food supply are supposed to file a petition with the FDA, triggering a lengthy process of scientific investigation and public comment. However, experts say a legal loophole has allowed companies to bypass this process entirely. “We know from prior research that over span of decades, thousands of ingredients are added to the food supply without the FDA even knowing about it,” according to Jennifer Pomeranz, an associate professor of public health and policy and management at New York University. “It’s impossible to quantify because we don’t actually know which ingredients are added.” “What we have seen over time is that companies are creating new ingredients, having their own scientists or hiring a small group of outside scientists to make their own determination that an ingredient is safe,” said Melanie Benesh, vice president of government affairs at the Environmental Working Group. “Once they self-declare that their ingredient is safe, they don’t have to go through that pre-market process.” More than 750 new food additives have been introduced into the food supply through this loophole by the food and chemical industry between 2000 and 2021, according to research by EWG. However, supporters of the food additive industry argue that all ingredients are tested with the same rigor as additives that go through the pre-market approval process. “Both process require the exact same requirements,” argued Carla Saunders, executive director at the International Food Additives Council. “There’s a plethora of scientific evidence needed to ensure that those ingredients are safe, reliable, and effective.” Watch the video above to find out why the FDA allows so many chemicals in America’s food supply. Source link #FDA #chemicals #Americas #food #supply Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

French authorities detained 4 people after a deadly stabbing linked to Islamic extremism French authorities detained 4 people after a deadly stabbing linked to Islamic extremism PARIS (AP) — Four people were in custody Sunday after a deadly stabbing in eastern France that authorities linked to Islamic extremism, according to the national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office. A Portuguese man was killed in the Saturday attack in the city of Mulhouse, near the border with Germany. Seven police officers were wounded, including a parking control agent hospitalized with grave injuries, the prosecutor’s office said. Those detained include the suspected assailant, a 37-year-old Algerian man identified by prosecutors as Brahim A. The interior minister described him as an Islamic extremist with a schizophrenic profile. Two of the suspect’s family members and a person who lodged him were also detained, the prosecutor’s office said. Trusted news and daily delights, right in your inbox See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. French President Emmanuel Macron said the government has “complete determination” to respond to the attack, which he blamed on ’’Islamist terrorism.″ France has been on high alert for extremist threats. The suspect repeatedly said ’’Allahu akbar″ — “God is great” in Arabic — during the attack, the prosecutor said. He was armed with a knife and a screwdriver. The suspect arrived in France without papers in 2014 and was arrested and convicted of glorifying terrorism in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, ****** attack on Israel, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau told reporters Saturday night. Police experts had ″detected a schizophrenic profile″ in the suspect, he added. After several months in prison for that conviction, the suspect was confined to house arrest as authorities sought to expel him to Algeria. Retailleau criticized Algeria for resisting the return of criminals France is seeking to deport. The French government will convene a special meeting Wednesday about immigration in the wake of the attack, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Sunday. They will notably study 19 countries “where we have the most difficulty in returning people without papers,″ Barrot said on Europe-1 radio. Source link #French #authorities #detained #people #deadly #stabbing #linked #Islamic #extremism Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Kessel Sabacc Explained – Star Wars’ Ultimate High-Stakes Card Game Kessel Sabacc Explained – Star Wars’ Ultimate High-Stakes Card Game Profchaos8d ago (Edited 8d ago ) personally I’d prefer to be placed in a game that retells the movies with all the original characters. I don’t need an extended universe where publishers push their own agenda’s into star wars. My favourite star wars game ever was honestly episode 1 on PS1 because it was a straight up retelling but gave me the power of the Jedi to just go crazy and you know the gungan level didn’t hurt But walking around tattotine marketplace was one of my favourite memories of the PS1 I get that Lego may have done this but I really don’t like Lego games I want real star wars not a kids version Source link #Kessel #Sabacc #Explained #Star #Wars #Ultimate #HighStakes #Card #Game Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Substack boosts video capabilities amid potential TikTok ban Substack boosts video capabilities amid potential TikTok ban Rafael Henrique | SOPA Images | AP After posting almost 200 videos, amassing hundreds of thousands of followers and racking up millions of views, Carla Lalli Music is quitting YouTube. Substack is her new focus. Music is a cookbook author and food content creator, and she is shifting her focus to Substack, a subscription platform that lets creators charge users subscriptions for access to their content. Music told CNBC she came to that decision after earning more in one year of using Substack, nearly $200,000 in revenue, than she did by posting videos on YouTube since 2021. Music is the exact kind of content creator that Substack is trying to lure to its platform as TikTok’s future in the U.S. remains in limbo. San Francisco-based Substack launched in 2017 as a tool for newsletter writers to charge readers a monthly fee to read their content. The platform allows creators to connect to their followers directly without having to navigate algorithmic models that control when their content is shown, as is the case on TikTok, Google’s YouTube and other social platforms. Substack has raised about $100 million, most recently at a post-money valuation of more than $650 million, the company told CNBC. This year, Substack has broadened its focus beyond newsletters, and on Thursday, it announced that creators can now post video content directly through the Substack app and monetize these videos. “There’s going to be a world of people who are much more focused on videos,” Substack Co-founder Hamish McKenzie told CNBC. “That is a huge world that Substack is only starting to penetrate.” Substack began this push after the social media landscape was thrown into flux as a result of the effective ban of TikTok in January that caused the popular ********-owned service to go offline for a few hours. TikTok was also removed from Apple and Google’s app stores for nearly a month. The disruption to TikTok in January happened as a result of a law signed by former President Joe Biden to force a ***** of the ********-owned app or have it effectively banned in the U.S. On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order extending TikTok’s ability to operate in the U.S., but that order expires on April 5. Days after TikTok went offline, Substack launched a $20 million fund to court creators to its platform. “If TikTok gets banned for political reasons, there’s nothing to do with the work you’ve done, but it really affects your life,” McKenzie said. “The only and surefire guard against that is if you don’t place your audience in the hands of some other volatile system who doesn’t care about what happens to your livelihood.” Moving beyond newsletters McKenzie says that they are going after creators on competing social media platforms to start sharing their video content on Substack. “Video-first creators, people who are mobile oriented, there’s a whole lot of new possibility waiting to be unlocked once they meet this model in the right place,” McKenzie said. Already, Substack has more than 4 million paid subscriptions with over 50,000 creators who make money on the platform, the company said. Substack says that 82% of its top 250 revenue-generating creators have already integrated audio or video into their content, reflecting a growing emphasis on multimedia content. Prior to the video announcements, Substack allowed creators to post videos on the app to Notes, which is the platform’s front-facing feed format. But the feature did not allow creators to publish video content behind Substack’s paywalls. The update enables creators to put video content behind a paywall and it provides data on estimated revenue impact. It also allows them to track viewership and new subscribers. Carla Lalli Music is a cookbook writer and food creator. Carla Lalli Music The push by Substack into video is a welcomed development for creators like Music, who was losing money from making videos for YouTube. Music said each video costs her $3,500 to produce despite filming at home. If she published four videos a month on YouTube, she’d earn about $4,000 in revenue. Music was losing about $10,000 a month, she said. “It’s really depressing to operate at a loss,” said Music. Even with brand deals, which is an agreement where brands pay creators to post content that promotes their products, the earnings were barely enough to recoup the costs of posting on YouTube, Music said. More than half of the $290 billion creator economy comes from direct-to-fan value. That includes ticket sales, courses, livestreams and paid memberships, according to a survey conducted by Patreon, a Substack competitor. With her shift to Substack, Music said she’s now focused on writing another book, posting recipes behind the platform’s paywall and sprinkling in occasional videos. “I have a lot more to benefit from focused attention on a smaller group of people than I ever did on throwing stuff and seeing what was going to stick with billions of potential audience members,” Music said. “It’s more sustainable.” WATCH: Our base case for TikTok is that it gets banned in the U.S.: Lead Edge Capital’s Mitchell Green Source link #Substack #boosts #video #capabilities #potential #TikTok #ban Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

******* far-right party AfD could see historic gains in this election. Here’s why – National ******* far-right party AfD could see historic gains in this election. Here’s why – National Alternative for Germany appears to be headed for the strongest showing by a far-right party since World War II in Sunday’s national election and is fielding its first candidate to lead the country. Other parties say they won’t work with the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany, or AfD, and co-leader Alice Weidel has no realistic chance of taking the country’s top job. But AfD has become a factor other politicians can’t ignore and has helped shape Germany’s debate on migration. It has also become prominent outside Germany. The party has won enthusiastic support from Elon Musk, as well as attention from U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. AfD first entered Germany’s national parliament eight years ago on the back of discontent with the arrival of large numbers of migrants in the mid-2010s, and curbing migration remains its signature theme. But the party has proven adept at harnessing discontent with other issues, too: Germany’s move away from fossil fuels, restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic and support for Ukraine after Russia’s full-scale invasion nearly three years ago. Story continues below advertisement The party was founded in 2013 and initially focused on opposition to bailouts for struggling countries in the eurozone debt crisis — measures that then-Chancellor Angela Merkel described as “without alternative.” Over the years, AfD became more radical and repeatedly changed leaders. It was Merkel’s decision in 2015 to allow in large numbers of migrants that supercharged it as a political force. In the 2017 national election, it won 12.6% of the vote, to take seats in the ******* parliament for the first time. Get daily National news Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Where does it stand now? After returning to parliament in 2021 with reduced support of 10.3%, AfD picked up strength as Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left government bickered through a series of crises and finally collapsed. Germany saw a wave of protests a year ago triggered by a report that right-wing extremists met to discuss the deportation of millions of immigrants, including some with ******* citizenship, and that AfD members were present. Story continues below advertisement But that didn’t do long-term poll damage to AfD. It finished second in the European Parliament election in June, and in September, the best-known figure on its hardest-right wing, Björn Höcke, secured the first far-right win in a state election in post-World War II Germany. AfD went into Sunday’s election with renewed confidence and radical language, and polls put it in second place with about 20% support. Weidel, its first candidate for chancellor, has embraced the politically loaded term “remigration” as the party calls for large-scale deportations of people with no legal entitlement to be in Germany. AfD calls for the immediate lifting of sanctions against Russia and opposes weapons deliveries to Ukraine. It wants Germany to reintroduce a national currency and for the European Union to become a ******* “association of European nations,” though it isn’t explicitly advocating leaving the 27-nation bloc. Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has the party under observation for suspected right-wing extremism. The AfD’s branches in three eastern states are designated “proven right-wing extremist” groups. AfD strongly objects to those assessments and rejects any association with the Nazi past. Höcke has appealed two convictions for knowingly using a Nazi slogan at a political event. Trending Now ‘I feel disrespected’: Ontario town considers removing U.S. flags from its buildings Trudeau, Trump talk Ukraine as allies fear U.S. withdrawal from war effort AfD has support across Germany and is represented in all but two of the 16 state legislatures, but the party is strongest in the formerly ********** and less prosperous east. Story continues below advertisement It has a unique ability to seize on issues “that other parties don’t handle with this clarity, with this intensity, with this radicalism and this emotionality,” said Wolfgang Schroeder, a political science professor at the Berlin Social Science Center. “And on top of that, it’s an internet party and from the beginning used the emotionalizing power of the internet for its own communication — much better than all other ******* parties together.” That has helped it to perform strongly among young voters in recent regional elections. The party portrays itself as an anti-establishment force at a time of low trust in politicians. Schroeder described it as “something like an aircraft carrier for resentment and anger.” More on Politics More videos Who are its friends abroad? AfD’s rise has coincided with that of far-right parties in many other European countries, including Austria’s Freedom Party and the National Rally in France, with which it has plenty of common ground. Orbán this month described Weidel as “ the future of Germany.” However, it isn’t part of those parties’ Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament after some tensions before last year’s EU election. AfD was thrown out of one of the group’s predecessors after its leading candidate at the time, Maximilian Krah, said that not all Nazi SS men “were necessarily criminals.” Musk, a tech billionaire and close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, has declared that “only the AfD can save Germany.” He held a live chat on X with Weidel and appeared live by video link at an AfD campaign rally. Story continues below advertisement At that rally, Weidel vowed to “make Germany great again” in an echo of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan. Nine days before the election, Vance met with Weidel after a speech to the Munich Security Conference in which he lectured European leaders about democracy and free speech and declared that “there’s no room for firewalls.” Mainstream ******* parties’ refusal to work with AfD is often referred to as the “firewall.” &copy 2025 The Associated Press Source link #******* #farright #party #AfD #historic #gains #election #Heres #National Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

The Fed is stuck in neutral as it watches how Trump’s policies play out The Fed is stuck in neutral as it watches how Trump’s policies play out U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testifies before a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on “The Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress,” at Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., Feb. 11, 2025. Craig Hudson | Reuters The popular narrative among Federal Reserve policymakers these days is that policy is “well-positioned” to adjust to any upside or downside risks ahead. However, it might be more accurate to say that policy is stuck in position. With an abundance of unknowns swirling through the economy and the halls of Washington, the only gear the central bank really can be in these days is neutral as it begins what could be a long wait for certainty on what’s actually ahead. “In recent weeks, we’ve heard not only enthusiasm — particularly from banks, about possible shifts in tax and regulatory policies — but also widespread apprehension about future trade and immigration policy,” Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic said in a blog post. “These crosscurrents inject still more complexity into policymaking.” Bostic’s comments came during an active week for what is known on Wall Street as “Fedspeak,” or the chatter that happens between policy meetings from Chair Jerome Powell, central bank governors and regional presidents. Officials who have spoken frequently described policy as “well-positioned” — the language is now a staple of post-meeting statements. But increasingly, they are expressing caution about the volatility coming from President Donald Trump’s aggressive trade and economic agenda, as well as other factors that could influence policy. “Uncertainty” is an increasingly common theme. In fact, Bostic titled his Thursday blog post “Uncertainty Calls for Caution, Humility in Policymaking.” A day earlier, the rate-setting Federal Open Market Committee released minutes from the Jan. 28-29 meeting, with a dozen references to the uncertain climate in the document. The minutes specifically cited “elevated uncertainty regarding the scope, timing, and potential economic effects of possible changes to trade, immigration, fiscal, and regulatory policies.” Uncertainty factors into the Fed’s decision making in two ways: the impact that it has on the employment picture, which has been relatively stable, and inflation, which has been easing but could rise again as consumers and business leaders get spooked about the impact tariffs could have on prices. Missing the target The Fed targets inflation at 2%, a goal that has remained elusive for going on four years. “Right now, I see the risks of inflation staying above target as skewed to the upside,” St. Louis Fed President Alberto Musalem told reporters Thursday. “My baseline scenario is one where inflation continues to converge towards 2%, providing monetary policy remains modestly restrictive, and that will take time. I think there is a potential for inflation to remain high and activity to slow. … That’s an alternative scenario, not a baseline scenario, but I’m attentive to it.” The operative in Musalem’s comment is that policy holds at “modestly restrictive,” which is where he considers the current level of the fed funds rate between 4.25%-4.5%. Bostic was a little less explicit on feeling the need to keep rates on hold, but emphasized that “this is no time for complacency” and noted that “additional threats to price stability may emerge.” Chicago Federal Reserve President Austan Goolsbee, thought to be among the least hawkish FOMC members when it comes to inflation, was more measured in his assessment of tariffs and did not offer commentary in separate appearances, including one on CNBC, on where he thinks rates should go. “If you’re just thinking about tariffs, it depends how many countries are they going to apply to, and how big are they going to be, and the more it looks like a Covid-sized shock, the more nervous you should be,” Goolsbee said. Many risks ahead More broadly, though, the January minutes indicated a Fed highly attuned to potential shocks and not interested in testing the waters with any further interest rate moves. The meeting summary pointedly noted that committee members want “further progress on inflation before making additional adjustments to the target range for the federal funds rate.” There’s also more than just tariffs and inflation to worry about. The minutes characterized the risks to financial stability as “notable,” specifically in the area of leverage and the level of long-duration debt that banks are holding. Prominent economist Mark Zandi — not normally an alarmist — said in a panel discussion presented by the Peter G. Peterson Foundation that he worries about dangers to the $46.2 trillion U.S. bond market. “In my view, the biggest risk is that we see a major sell off in the bond market,” said Zandi, the chief economist at Moody’s Analytics. “The bond market feels incredibly fragile to me. The plumbing is broken. The primary dealers aren’t keeping up with the amount of debt outstanding.” “There’s just so many things coming together that I think there’s a very significant threat that at some point over the next 12 months, we see a major sell-off in the bond market,” he added. In this climate, he said, there’s scant chance for the Fed to cut rates — though markets are pricing in the potential for a half percentage point in reductions by the end of the year. That’s wishful thinking considering tariffs and other intangibles hanging over the Fed’s head, Zandi said. “I just don’t see the Fed cutting interest rates here until you get a better feel about inflation coming back to target,” he said. “The economy came into 2025 in a pretty good spot. Feels like it’s performing well. Should be able to weather a lot of storms. But it feels like there’s a lot of storms coming.” Source link #Fed #stuck #neutral #watches #Trumps #policies #play Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Treyarch Might Have Ruined A Good ****** Ops 6 Zombies Story With A Bundle Treyarch Might Have Ruined A Good ****** Ops 6 Zombies Story With A Bundle There isn’t anything inherently wrong with crossovers, especially if thematically the two properties connect and offer some degree of synergy. Take Helldivers and Killzone; the Helghast are an appropriately authoritarian regime that slots in perfectly with that world of managed democracy. The cosmetics offered also managed to look like something that you’d find in Arrowhead’s bug squashing universe. And then you have Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arriving in Call of Duty. Source link #Treyarch #Ruined #Good #****** #Ops #Zombies #Story #Bundle Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Cougar Revenger 4K Mouse review: Feels great, but flawed Cougar Revenger 4K Mouse review: Feels great, but flawed One of the most interesting companies you’ll come across in modern computing is Cougar. Cougar is known for making some of the most niche cases, such as the Conquer 2 and the FV270 — which we took a look at, not too long ago. The aggressive, unique Cougar designs usually extend to their peripherals, too… but not today. Cougar’s newest gaming mouse, the Revenger Pro 4K, is oddly simple for a company that’s known for going above and beyond with its designs. This basic 5-button mouse features a simple, plain, lightweight (55g) design that looks practically mundane next to Cougar’s cases. Design and Comfort The Cougar Revenger Pro 4K is a new mouse from Cougar; a company not really known for its peripherals. The Revenger Pro is available in either white or ****** and features a matte finish that isn’t grippy, nor slick — it’s the right finish in my opinion. However, if you get the ****** model, keep in mind that it will attract palm sweat. I can’t fault Cougar too much for this; it’s practically inevitable. According to Cougar, the mouse has been sculpted to make room for two fingers on each button, meaning you can rest your middle and ring finger on the RMB (right mouse button). I have very large hands and while this was somewhat doable, it was not comfortable at all and I was practically resting my middle finger on the scroll wheel. I should mention that just because this type of grip didn’t work for me, it’s not because this mouse is abnormally small. In fact, it’s a really nice size. It’s a bit smaller than the Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro and weighs only 1.94 ounces (55g). However, if you’d like to add some bulk to the Cougar Revenger 4K, the company was generous enough to include rubber grip tape in the box. Speaking of generosity, the mouse also comes with a little sack for traveling and extra skates so you can truly get the most out of this mouse. These skates aren’t cheap plastic either; they are 100% PTFE. It also comes with both 1,000 Hz and 4,000 Hz polling rate dongles, a USB dongle adapter, and a USB-C to USB-A paracord cable. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) For reference, the measurements of the Cougar Revenger Pro 4K are 4.9 inches (124mm) long by 2.6 inches (65mm) wide by 1.5 inches (38mm) tall. In contrast, the DeathAdder V3 Pro is 5.01 inches long (127.3mm) by 2.65 inches wide (67.31mm) by 1.6 inches (40.6mm) tall. Yes, while the size difference is minuscule, it could be a dealbreaker for some. The side buttons on the Revenger Pro 4K are crafted perfectly. They’re light enough to use on the fly, but not too light to the point where you’re making errors. This is huge for me because I’m the type of person who swears by side buttons for regular computing. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) One of my favorite parts about the Revenger Pro 4K is the switches, which are optical and made by Omron and are rated for 70 million clicks. They felt more lively, clicky, and satisfying than the switches on my Death Adder V3 Pro. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) What isn’t satisfying is the scroll wheel: it’s notched and somewhat loud, and while it didn’t give me any issues, it just wasn’t very satisfying to use. Specs Swipe to scroll horizontally Sensor Model PixArt 3395 Optical Gaming Sensor Max Sensitivity 26,000 Max Speed (IPS) 650 Max Acceleration (Gs) 50 Polling Rates 125-4,000 (with dongle) Programmable Buttons 5 LED Zones 0 Cable 5.9ft / 1.8m braided Connectivity Wired or wireless Measurements (L x W x H) 4.9 x 2.6 x 1.5 inches / 124.5 x 66 x 38.1mm Weight (excluding cable) 1.94oz / 55g MSRP / Price at Time of Review $70 Release Date December or Jan 2025 per media kit Performance (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) The Cougar Revenger 4K is very simple looking; arguably as simple as the Logitech G Pro. However, its performance is the opposite. It’s amazing. After using the Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro as my primary gaming mouse for over two years, I was genuinely concerned about switching to Cougar’s new mouse. However, I had nothing to worry about, as I absolutely adored this mouse’s performance. If you’re unaware, I’m a huge fan of the zombies mode in Call of Duty, and with the release of Call of Duty: ****** Ops 6, there was no better time to test a mouse. Call it a coincidence, but before switching to the Cougar, I was stuck at a high round of 32 — which is decent, but not great. But after switching, I was able to hit round 53 after a few games — and then round 62 a few days later. Everything on the Cougar Revenger Pro 4K feels crisp and smooth. The left and right mouse buttons have a nice, firm tactile bump and the side buttons never felt mushy or unresponsive (and I rely on those a lot for melee attacks). The PixArt 3395 sensor works flawlessly; I use a pretty high DPI for FPS games (1,900) and I never experienced any lag or issues with the lift off distance. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) That said, when I set the report rate to 4,000 Hz, my 1,900 DPI felt more like 800 DPI. Could I bump up the DPI? Yes, but that defeats the purpose of the dongle.This was a bit of a bummer, because while there are some people who obsess over high polling rates, this demonstrates that it’s not just the polling rate that can create lag or latency issues. Plus, there are plenty of mice on the market today that boast even higher polling rates (8,000 Hz), without this issue. The battery life on the Cougar Revenger 4K is fantastic without the dongle — according to Cougar, it’s rated for 150 hours, which is on par with or above that of most premium gaming mice. With the dongle and a 4,000 Hz polling rate, that drops to 45 hours, which isn’t great but could certainly be worse. Despite the fact that I couldn’t get the 4,000 Hz dongle to work correctly, the Cougar Revenger Pro 4K’s performance still blew me away, especially at its price point of only $70. Features and Software The software supporting the Cougar Revenger 4K is simple, yet effective. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) You can adjust the DPI and polling rate, and turn on ripple control, angle snapping, and motion sync. The polling rate will automatically bump up to 4,000 Hz when you’re using the 4K dongle, but you can still adjust it down in the software if you want to. (Image credit: Tom’s Hardware) The Bottom Line While it was disappointing that the Cougar Revenger Pro 4K had issues with its 4,000 Hz polling rate dongle, I still loved this mouse — especially for $70. I’m not too concerned about the polling rate because I don’t think it’s necessary, but there are plenty of mice with 4K or 8K polling rates — such as the $130 Glorious Model D 2 Pro 4K/8K. Source link #Cougar #Revenger #Mouse #review #Feels #great #flawed Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Thousands of supporters of Hezbollah’s slain leader Nasrallah fly into Beirut for his ******** Thousands of supporters of Hezbollah’s slain leader Nasrallah fly into Beirut for his ******** BEIRUT (AP) — Nearly five months after he was killed in an Israeli airstrike, thousands of supporters of the longtime leader of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group have flown into Beirut for Hassan Nasrallah’s ******** on Sunday. Nasrallah was killed on Sept. 27 when Israel’s air force dropped more than 80 bombs on Hezbollah’s main operations room in southern Beirut. It was the biggest and most consequential of Israel’s targeted killings in years. The death of Nasrallah, one of the Iran-backed Shiite group’s founders and Hezbollah’s leader of more than 30 years, was a huge blow to the group he had transformed into a potent force in the Middle East. Trusted news and daily delights, right in your inbox See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. Hezbollah, which the U.S. and some of its allies has designated a terrorist organization, has suffered significant losses in the latest war with Israel, including the killing of several of its most senior military and political figures. His cousin and successor Hashem Safieddine, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a Beirut suburb a few days later, will be laid to rest in his hometown in southern Lebanon. The two had temporarily been buried in secret locations. Hezbollah earlier this month announced plans for their official funerals. Crowds are expected to gather on Sunday at Beirut’s main sports stadium for a ******** ceremony before Nasrallah’s interment. Flights from Iraq, where Hezbollah has a huge following among Iraqi Shiites, have been full for days on end. According to an Iraqi transportation ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the flights, up to 6,000 people have flown to Beirut over the past days. Among those who arrived from overseas was also American commentator Jackson Hinkle, who regularly spreads false information on social media, especially in support of Russia and its war on Ukraine. “I am honored to be attending the ********,” Hinkle posted on the social media platform X after arriving this week in Beirut. Hinkle posted a photo of himself visiting a war-wrecked southern Lebanese border village, waving a Hezbollah flag. Nasrallah, idolized by his supporters and with large followings among the Shiites and the Islamic world, also held the title of sayyid, an honorific meant to signify the Shiite cleric’s lineage dating back to the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam. However, Lebanese authorities have revoked permission for a passenger plane from Iran, leaving dozens who had wanted to attend the ******** stranded in Tehran and triggering protests by Hezbollah supporters in Lebanon. The ban came after the Israeli army accused Iran of smuggling cash to Hezbollah by way of civilian flights, leading some in Lebanon to allege that their government had caved in the face of a threat from Israel. Some of those who were expected to fly in from Iran were now coming to Lebanon via Iraq. Also, members of Iran-backed groups in the region also were traveling to Beirut to attend Nasrallah’s ********. Kazim al-Fartousi, spokesman for the Iran-backed Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada group in Iraq, arrived on Friday. He said Nasrallah was “the father, commander and the book that we read every day to learn about freedom.” U.S. Republican Rep. Joe Wilson criticized Lebanese politicians who were planning to attend the ********. “Any Lebanese politician who attends the ******** of the murderous terrorist Hasan Nasrallah is standing with the Iranian Regime,” Wilson said on X. ___ Associated Press writer Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad contributed to this report. Source link #Thousands #supporters #Hezbollahs #slain #leader #Nasrallah #fly #Beirut #******** Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

TDS GTNXi Released for X-Plane 12 and 11 TDS GTNXi Released for X-Plane 12 and 11 CCG writes – “X-Plane 12 is a very impressive flight simulator. I am definitely new to this genre, so I can’t rely on years of experience to compare this with others. But what I can say is that X-Plane is so highly regarded in the flight simulator universe that there are professional versions of the software (with expensive hardware that you need to purchase as well) which allows you to log flight hours with the FAA that can be used towards a pilot’s license.” Source link #TDS #GTNXi #Released #XPlane Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

As trade tensions simmer, these are the stocks with the most to lose — based on region As trade tensions simmer, these are the stocks with the most to lose — based on region President Donald Trump’s tariffs on imported goods have investors on edge as they could pressure a slew of companies regardless of sector. Within his first month back in office, he placed a 10% levy on all ******** goods. China then retaliated with tariffs of up to 15% on select U.S. imports, including coal and liquified national gas products. U.S. neighbors Canada and Mexico have also been targets of the Trump administration. Trump earlier in February announced a 25% tariff on ********* and ******** imports. Those duties were quickly halted for a month, though there has been little indication that the White House would move away from them. Even Europe could be in Trump’s crosshairs when it comes to tariffs, after he signed a memorandum breaking down a plan to impose “reciprocal tariffs” on imports. “Tariffs cannot be positive, okay? I mean, it’s a tax,” billionaire investor Steve Cohen said Friday . “I think we’re seeing the regime shift a little bit. It may only last a year or so, but it’s definitely a ******* where I think the best gains have been had and wouldn’t surprise me to see a significant correction.” Against this backdrop, CNBC parsed data from Goldman Sachs to find the companies that could be hurt the most by tariffs. Specifically we looked at those with the most revenue exposure to these regions: Latin America, Asia Pacific and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Latin America Renewable energy company AES topped the list, with around 53% of its revenue coming from the region. The stock has taken a beating over the past year, losing more than a third of its value. Airline carrier American Airlines derives approximately 14% of its revenue from Latin America. But Bank of America analyst Andrew Didora, who last month upgraded the stock to neutral, thinks that any potential tariffs won’t pose a severe threat to shares. That’s because a very small portion of American Airlines’ revenue comes from Mexico, while the rest is made up of long-haul flights through South America such as to Brazil or other vacation destinations in the Caribbean. “Quite honestly, I don’t think about my airline universe being meaningfully impacted by tariffs. Where I would see more meaningful impact is the tariff impact on currency,” Didora said to CNBC in an interview. “If it makes it more expensive or cheaper for leisure consumers to go back and forth to the two different geographies that could be an impact, but tariffs are not necessarily that meaningful from a passenger airline perspective.” Didora’s $20 price objective is approximately 31% above where shares closed on Friday. Europe, Middle East and Africa Booking Holdings topped the list of stocks with the most revenue exposure to EMEA at nearly 80%, followed by hydrocarbon exploration company APA Corp. at 59%. The former, which reported earnings that beat expectations on Friday, has rallied more than 33% over the past six months. The latter has struggled in that time, losing 18%. Another stock that made the list is Fortinet , with the cybersecurity company obtaining nearly 40% of its revenue from the region. Despite this high exposure, TD Cowen analyst Shaul Eyal believes that Fortinet can escape Trump’s tariffs relatively unscathed. “We can look at the entire cybersecurity industry as slightly more isolated given its mission criticality and how important cybersecurity has become. One could even make an argument that it is some sort of a consensus, bipartisan topic. There is absolutely no question about the growing need for cybersecurity solution,” he told CNBC. “Results and guidance indicate probably very solid demand, which is in the near term alleviating some concerns about tariffs.” Eyal added that cybersecurity companies are also safer from tariffs since they predominantly serve enterprises rather than direct consumers. Fortinet shares have rallied more than 16% to start the year. FTNT YTD mountain FTNT year to date Asia Pacific Las Vegas Sands has the highest revenue exposure to Asia Pacific, coming in at 100%, thanks to its massive presence in Macao, based on Goldman data. The company sold its Las Vegas properties to private equity in 2021. Even still, Jefferies analyst David Katz said that he has “not seen or heard of any evidence” that would suggest Las Vegas Sands would take a revenue hit from potential economic tariffs. “At the local level, these properties are well managed. They’re well connected with the Macau and ******** governments, they have executed very well, they have been good citizens in the figurative and literal sense, and as a result, those enterprises generate a considerable amount of tax revenue for both Macau and therefore the ******** government,” he told CNBC. “So impacting that in some way would be financially detrimental.” In January, Katz upgraded shares of Las Vegas Sands to a buy from hold rating. His price target of $69, raised from $60, is nearly 57% above where the stock closed on Friday. Shares of Las Vegas Sands have slipped 18% in the past 12 months. Other stocks with high revenue exposure to the region include Wynn Resorts at 47%, Corning at 51% and Teradyne at 70%. — CNBC’s Fred Imbert and Nicholas Wells contributed to this report. Source link #trade #tensions #simmer #stocks #lose #based #region Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

DOGE for Ohio? Vivek Ramaswamy enters governor’s race pushing cuts and merit pay DOGE for Ohio? Vivek Ramaswamy enters governor’s race pushing cuts and merit pay Vivek Ramaswamy, one of the leaders of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed new Department of Government Efficiency, walks on the day of his meeting with members of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. December 5, 2024. Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters CLEVELAND — Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who will declare his candidacy for governor of Ohio on Monday, wants to reshape public schools, cut regulations and slash spending. It’s a disruptive agenda that sounds a lot like the one that Ramaswamy helped draw up for President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. But in an interview with NBC News ahead of his campaign launch, the former Republican presidential contender hesitated when confronted with that observation. “There are a lot of people sort of eager to sort of make that analogy and characterization,” Ramaswamy said. “But I think I characterize my vision for Ohio expansively.” Divorcing DOGE from Ramaswamy’s bid for governor is nevertheless a tricky exercise. Ramaswamy, 39, had been expected to execute the Trump administration’s cost-cutting initiative alongside billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk. He said his decision to step aside before DOGE was officially up and running reflected a realization that the job would prevent him from campaigning and a belief that he could be more useful to the cause back home in Ohio. “President Trump, Elon and I had a great relationship but talked about exactly where each of us was going to drive maximum change for the country,” Ramaswamy said. “And, for me, I believe that leading from the front here in Ohio and setting an example for the rest of the country and, frankly, even bringing some of the principles of efficiency and spending and deregulation to our state would be the way that I as a leader would be able to have the biggest impact.” Ramaswamy’s association with DOGE, and the Trump administration’s overall push to reorient federal government and slash spending, could help position him as a change agent even as he runs to extend 16 years of GOP control in Ohio. It could also be a liability. Ohio has a sizable number of federal employees, and there are concerns in the state about the future of federal Medicaid funding. In a recent CNN poll, 51% of respondents said they believe Trump has gone “too far” in cutting federal programs. (Another 32% said Trump has “been about right” and 17% said he has “not gone far enough.”) “I think the way we’re going to do it in Ohio, the way we’re going to run the state, is going to be, I believe, wildly popular with everyone who is a parent and has skin in the game for the next generation,” Ramaswamy said when asked if he worried about political fallout. Ramaswamy filed paperwork earlier this month to begin raising money for the race and is expected to kick off a statewide announcement tour Monday night in Cincinnati. His long-anticipated campaign has shaken up the GOP field in the Buckeye State, where Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, is barred from seeking a third consecutive term. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost entered the race earlier than expected, in mid-January, following the first round of buzz about a Ramaswamy campaign. State Treasurer Robert Sprague, who had been preparing to run and initially signaled that Ramaswamy’s plans would not affect his own, threw his support to Ramaswamy this month and instead launched a bid for Ohio secretary of state. Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, the former Ohio State football coach whom DeWine recently picked to be his deputy, has also stoked speculation that he might seek the GOP nomination and has not ruled out the possibility. ‘DOGE before DOGE was cool’ In previous campaigns, Yost, who served two terms as Ohio’s elected auditor before his two terms as attorney general, ran under the slogan “Peace, love and skinny government.” In an interview, Yost proclaimed that he was “DOGE before DOGE was cool.” “It’s the difference between somebody who can give a speech and somebody who can do a job,” Yost said, contrasting himself with Ramaswamy. “Not to denigrate my own ability to give a speech, but the key is, I’ve been on the front lines working for the goals that Ohioans share. I’ve been in the trenches fighting the battles against federal overreach, protecting the Constitution. And I just candidly think I’m much better prepared to bring bold leadership to Ohio.” Yost, 68, added that he considered Ramaswamy to be a friend — but also characterized him as a shifty amateur who has trouble following through on his political commitments. “He has wanted, over the last year, to be president, to have a Cabinet spot, to be co-leader of DOGE,” Yost said. “The governor of Ohio is not a consolation prize. … My concern is that what he seems to do best is to quit.” Close advisers to Vice President JD Vance, some of them with overlapping ties to Trump, signed on last month to steer Ramaswamy’s effort and an aligned political organization. But while Ramaswamy has a national profile and proximity to Trump world, he remains a political novice and outsider in a state where career officeholders like DeWine and former Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, had long thrived — at least until Vance won a Senate seat in 2022 in his first run for office. Internal polling shared by the Ramaswamy and Yost teams showed that both are popular with GOP voters in Ohio while also underscoring how a Trump endorsement could boost either candidate. But without a Trump endorsement or other information about Ramaswamy or Yost factored into the questions, Ramaswamy led both campaigns’ polls. Ramaswamy declined to comment when asked how confident he was of receiving Trump’s support. Yost said he has not discussed the race with Trump but hoped to have the conversation. He dodged when asked if a Trump endorsement of Ramaswamy would alter his plans. “I’m the only person in the race that has had his endorsement,” said Yost, referring to Trump’s support of his 2022 re-election campaign, “and I am very hopeful that I will have it. So the calculation is with his endorsement, I not only will win, but will win going away.” ‘I’m not looking to pick a fight with anybody’ Ramaswamy’s 2024 presidential bid, which ended before Ohio’s March primary, raised speculation that he might run for office in his native state. He had been floated as a prospect for Vance’s Senate seat, but DeWine appointed his former lieutenant governor, Jon Husted, to fill the vacancy, removing another potential Ramaswamy rival from the gubernatorial field. Though he’s never held elected office, Ramaswamy has cultivated political relationships in Ohio in recent years. A Cincinnati native who now lives in the Columbus area, Ramaswamy served on the board of InnovateOhio, a tech-focused agency that Husted founded and led. “Many of the things that I aspired to accomplish as U.S. president actually more effectively and, in some cases, only could be accomplished by an actual governor,” said Ramaswamy, who added that leaders across the state had “actively recruited” him to run for the job. “I believe Ohio has the potential to be the state that really leads the way in our national revival.” As he described his vision, Ramaswamy shifted between abstract goals — “energy dominance, manufacturing dominance and AI dominance” — and more specific policy proposals. He talked of phasing out the state’s income tax and shaking up K-12 education by promoting homeschooling and instituting a merit-based pay system for public school teachers. “Merit-based pay for teachers, merit-based pay for principals, administrators and superintendents,” Ramaswamy said. “The best teachers deserve to be paid much more than they are right now, and yet they’re not, because there’s no meritocracy in compensation. That would make the state the magnet for the best educators across the country.” The income tax and merit pay ideas are proposals that have surfaced to some degree among previous Republican governors or in a state legislature long dominated by the GOP, but they have never made it into law. Teachers unions and other lobbying groups in Columbus, the state capital, have always been a barrier. Ramaswamy believes the political climate is different now. “I would tell you that it is a uniting issue across parents, across the state,” he said. “My view is I’m not looking to pick a fight with anybody. I’m not going to seek a fight with the teachers unions or anybody else. What I’m going to stand for is the achievement of our students.” Ramaswamy added: “I don’t think a standard politician can get that job done. I do think it’s going to take somebody with fresh legs, a governor who is willing to drive real change. I think that that’s going to require a leader for our moment that was a little different than a traditional politician, and that’s a big part of why I’m called into this race as well.” As for any future White House ambitions he may have, Ramaswamy pledged to serve at least a four-year term, which would take a run in 2028 — and a potential primary clash with Vance — off the table. “I’m fully committed to serving a full term,” Ramaswamy said. “It is my expectation that an agenda as ambitious as the one we’re pursuing will likely take two terms to fully implement.” Source link #DOGE #Ohio #Vivek #Ramaswamy #enters #governors #race #pushing #cuts #merit #pay Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Earth’s 1st Asteroid Mining Prospector Heads to the Launchpad – The New York Times Earth’s 1st Asteroid Mining Prospector Heads to the Launchpad – The New York Times Earth’s 1st Asteroid Mining Prospector Heads to the Launchpad The New York TimesSpring-loaded Robot Could Explore the Asteroid Belt Almost Indefinitely Universe TodayKarman+ digs up $20M to build an asteroid-mining autonomous spacecraft TechCrunchExploit asteroids for resources using automated mining equipment as they hurtle through your space-claim in Astronomics PC GamerKarman+: $20 Million (Seed) Secured For Mining Asteroids Pulse 2.0 Source link #Earths #1st #Asteroid #Mining #Prospector #Heads #Launchpad #York #Times Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Parti Québécois faces drop in support for sovereignty amid Trump threats Parti Québécois faces drop in support for sovereignty amid Trump threats With Canadians – and even Quebecers – rallying around the flag in the face of threats from the Trump administration, the sovereigntist Parti Québécois is struggling to find its footing. The Quebec opposition party has been leading in the polls for more than a year, and leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon has promised to hold a third referendum by 2030 if his party forms government in next year’s election. But U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats of tariffs and annexation have shaken up the political landscape in Quebec. Support for independence is suddenly lower than it has been in years, raising questions about whether the PQ needs to pivot away from sovereignty. For now, the party insists it’s staying the course. “We believe it’s something that inspires Quebecers to have people who are faithful to their convictions and their values,” Pascal Paradis, a PQ member of the national assembly, said in a recent interview. Story continues below advertisement He said it’s interesting to see ********* leaders defend the country’s sovereignty “tooth and nail” against Trump’s threats to make Canada the 51st state. He compared the wave of nationalism to Quebec’s own independence movement, questioning why it’s “good for Canada but not for Quebec.” “We will stay true to our message,” he said. That could make the PQ vulnerable. A recent Léger poll found support for Quebec independence had dipped to 29 per cent. Executive vice-president Sébastien Dallaire said that’s around the lowest level of support the polling firm has ever measured. More on Politics More videos “It’s clearly related to the current context of increased patriotism in Canada, an increased feeling that we need to stick together and stand up to the United States,” he said. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Support for the Parti Québécois has also taken a hit since late last year, Dallaire said, though the party is still leading in the polls. So far, it’s the Quebec Liberals – rather than the governing Coalition Avenir Québec – whose political fortunes have ticked up. “The Liberal brand in general, both at the federal and the provincial level, has been bolstered by what’s happening,” Dallaire said, adding that the Liberals are “more associated with the fight for ********* unity.” But the commitment to sovereignty is central to the PQ’s identity under the leadership of St-Pierre Plamondon. Dimitri Soudas, a political analyst and former director of communications for prime minister Stephen Harper, said the 48-year-old lawyer is the first PQ leader in a long time who hasn’t been “wishy-washy” on independence. Story continues below advertisement St-Pierre Plamondon took the reins of the PQ in 2020, when it was on the brink of collapse. The party had been reduced to 10 seats in the provincial legislature in the 2018 election, and would drop to three in 2022. Paradis won a fourth seat in a 2023 byelection. “At the time, the strategy was simple,” Soudas said. “You have to crystallize the base.” Trending Now Trump wants to replace Canada’s car industry. How much would that cost? Police officer, gunman dead after hostages taken at Pennsylvania hospital Since then, St-Pierre Plamondon has stood firm on his pledge to hold a referendum in a first mandate, even though support for sovereignty has never climbed much above 35 per cent in recent years. But that commitment could now turn into an “Achilles heel” in the context of Trump’s threats, Soudas said. “If I was campaigning against them, I would campaign on one issue: the instability that the referendum would bring.” Quebec Premier François Legault, whose popularity has waned after more than six years in office, has been quick to seize the opportunity, arguing now is not the time to prepare for a referendum. But the PQ has not backed down. Last week, the party published a video on social media claiming the concept of ********* unity is a myth and that Quebec would be better placed to defend its own interests and protect its border if it separated from Canada. “An independent Quebec would be stronger,” the video says. Story continues below advertisement Paradis said Canada has not presented a common front to the United States, with provinces such as Ontario and Alberta only looking out for themselves. “The results show that there was no ********* shield, that belonging to Canada did not protect us against the tariff threat,” he said. Antonine Yaccarini, a political analyst and former staffer for the PQ and the Coalition Avenir Québec, said St-Pierre Plamondon’s party must find a way to be taken more seriously on economic matters, rather than just on questions of identity. But she also believes the PQ should hold steady on sovereignty. She said there’s a good chance support for independence will rebound if Quebecers don’t feel Ottawa has their interests at heart. “I really think these issues will resurface very quickly,” she said. “And that Quebecers will look for someone to defend them.” &copy 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc. Source link #Parti #Québécois #faces #drop #support #sovereignty #Trump #threats Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump’s revolution will end badly — for himself, and for America Trump’s revolution will end badly — for himself, and for America According to Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” The law relates to physics but has relevance for politics. President Trump and his minions would do well to heed it. As the first few weeks of the Trump administration’s actions have clearly shown, the president’s agenda is revolutionary, hoping to bring about rapid, comprehensive and fundamental change to American life. If past revolutions from above are any guide to the future of Trump’s endeavor, his revolution will not only fail to achieve its goals, but also generate its opponents and gravediggers. Trump’s revolution will fail because rapid, comprehensive and fundamental change is too complex, with too many imponderables and unknowns to succeed. Unintended consequences will appear, problems will arise and sooner or later the whole project will come to a standstill. Except of course that it will have ruined the lives of millions of people — usually those with the least to lose. The affected elites and masses, which will comprise everyone besides Trump’s fanatical supporters, will likely take to the streets and demonstrate that “people power” can be an effective tool of resistance to revolutionary elites with inhuman agendas. The administration would respond with threats and violence, but, unless it’s willing to engage in mass terror in the style of the French Revolution, the coercion would only harden the resolve of the protestors. The mass marches would continue. But a certain segment of the opponents would draw a different lesson from the government crackdown. Like the Weather Underground, the ****** Panthers and Young Lords in the U.S., and like the Red Army Faction in Germany and the Red Brigades in Italy, they may conclude that violence must be countered with violence. Expect bank robberies and assassinations, campuses in turmoil. The National Guard would be mobilized. But the key line of defense, the FBI, would likely be too disorganized and too demoralized to track down the terrorists. Then things could get worse. With the FBI and CIA in disarray, and with a Putin sympathizer whom no European service will trust in charge of national intelligence, the U.S. will be an easy target for foreign terrorists delighted by FBI Director Kash Patel’s and Elon Musk’s pell-mell destruction of American security institutions. A repetition of 9/11 is no longer unthinkable. Both responses to Trump’s revolution — national protests and domestic and foreign terrorism — would delegitimize the president and his regime for a simple reason: Having assumed charge of all of America, Trump will be held responsible for everything that goes right and everything that goes wrong. And far more will go wrong than right. At that point, with chaos and disorder spreading throughout America, Trump could either up the ante and employ mass violence, or have to step down, probably as a result of a palace coup led by an opportunist such as Vice President JD Vance. Mass violence would not save the regime, as it would only generate an equal and opposite reaction. A palace coup could rid the country of an illegitimate leader and usher in a transition to moderation and democracy — call it a Thermidor — that Vance would be unlikely to survive politically. There will be chaos, but America will have the opportunity to save itself from the revolutionaries and terrorists. Alexander J. Motyl is a professor of political science at Rutgers University-Newark. A specialist on Ukraine, Russia and the USSR, and on nationalism, revolutions, empires and theory, he is the author of 10 books of nonfiction, as well as “Imperial Ends: The Decay, Collapse, and Revival of Empires” and “Why Empires Reemerge: Imperial Collapse and Imperial Revival in Comparative Perspective.” Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Source link #Trumps #revolution #badly #America Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Alibaba rose on China AI hopes. Where analysts see the stock heading Alibaba rose on China AI hopes. Where analysts see the stock heading Alibaba is back in the spotlight — with U.S.-traded shares soaring nearly 70% so far in 2025 — as a favored play on ******** artificial intelligence. The company said Thursday its AI-related product revenue grew by triple digits for a sixth-straight quarter in the ******* ended December. Its Qwen AI model has proven itself a capable rival to DeepSeek , along with winning a deal for iPhones sold in China . Founder Jack Ma, once politically sidelined, made his latest public reappearance on Feb. 17 — with a front-row seat at a rare meeting ******** President Xi Jinping held with entrepreneurs , including DeepSeek’s Liang Wenfeng. Several analysts think Alibaba’s gains will continue, with Jefferies setting a $156 price target as of Feb. 20. That’s upside of more than 8% from Friday’s close of $143.75. UBS equity strategists on Thursday said they have switched out PDD for Alibaba in a model portfolio “given its exposure to AI and quant factors.” Remember how just several months ago the Temu parent had a larger market cap , raising concerns that Alibaba was struggling to compete on its core e-commerce business? Taobao and Tmall Group saw sales rise 5% in the latest quarter. As excited as many investors are about AI opportunities in China, crowding into related stocks has only picked up by 0.02 so far this year on UBS’s scoring system. That’s far below the increase of 0.2 in the crowding score for U.S. AI-related names over the last two years, UBS said. Alibaba had the highest crowding score among large ******** internet technology names, the report said. “Our Quants team’s analysis previously suggested that stocks with reasonable but improving crowding have seen the most near-term outperformance.” Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index hit a three-year high Friday with China Unicom, Lenovo and Alibaba’s locally traded shares leading gains. “Should investors rotate from Alibaba to the AI trade laggers (i.e. Tencent and Baidu)? Not for now,” JPMorgan internet analyst Alex Yao wrote in a Feb. 17 note. “We think both Tencent and Baidu’s share prices could be driven by AI development in different ways with different risks.” U.S.-listed shares of Baidu are up by about 8% for the year so far, despite the company sharing on Feb. 18 that its AI Cloud revenue rose 26% year-on-year to 7.1 billion yuan in the fourth quarter. Hong Kong-traded shares of Tencent , which has yet to report earnings for the *******, have risen by about 24% for the year so far. JPMorgan is neutral on Baidu, but overweight on Tencent and Alibaba. The firm has a price target of $125 on Alibaba shares, suggesting a 13% decline from Friday’s close. At least four other major investment firms have a buy rating on Alibaba. But Morgan Stanley is notably more cautious with an equal-weight rating and a price target of $100. That would imply a drop of 30% from Friday’s close. The firm pointed out that Alibaba’s capital expenditures were 11% of revenue in the latest quarter, versus 3% in the prior quarter — a potential weight on future margins that management warned about. Morgan Stanley also highlighted risks such as weaker consumption and a slower pace of enterprise digitalization. — CNBC’s Michael Bloom contributed to this report. Source link #Alibaba #rose #China #hopes #analysts #stock #heading Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Ukraine-Russia war latest: Ukraine hit by large-scale Russian drone attack on eve of third anniversary of war – BBC.com Ukraine-Russia war latest: Ukraine hit by large-scale Russian drone attack on eve of third anniversary of war – BBC.com Ukraine-Russia war latest: Ukraine hit by large-scale Russian drone attack on eve of third anniversary of war BBC.comUkraine war live: Russia launches largest drone attack on eve of third anniversary of invasion The GuardianVideo: Russia Launches 267 Drones On Ukraine On Eve Of War’s 3rd Anniversary NDTVAs U.S. and Ukraine Haggle Over Minerals, Russia Attacks With Drones The New York TimesRussia launches war’s largest drone attack on Ukraine, Kyiv says Reuters Source link #UkraineRussia #war #latest #Ukraine #hit #largescale #Russian #drone #attack #eve #anniversary #war #BBC.com Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Carney under pressure as Liberal leadership candidates prepare for French debate – National Carney under pressure as Liberal leadership candidates prepare for French debate – National Presumed Liberal leadership front-runner Mark Carney faces a major test Monday in Montreal, when he and his rivals square off in person for the first time in a French-language debate. Carney is new to federal politics and his performance will be under the microscope. He’ll have to prove to Liberals that he can think on his feet in French — and since he has the most to lose, he’s expected to spend most of his time on defence. “Especially after his inaugural speech in Edmonton, some people criticized his French, saying it was not that good. He does speak French, there is no question about it, but I think it will be a test for him,” said Daniel Béland, political science professor and director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada. “People will be listening very carefully, especially people in Quebec or francophones, to not just what he says but how well he says it.” Story continues below advertisement Béland said Carney’s performance Monday should indicate how well he might perform in a French debate against Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet, both strong debaters. Rival candidate Chrystia Freeland, an experienced debater who appears to have fallen far behind in the race, will look to stage a comeback. Get daily National news Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. “This is potentially an opportunity for her to put some gas and some energy back into her campaign, and perhaps for Liberal party members to remember why it is that they have been so fond of her for so many years,” said Liberal strategist Carlene Variyan of Summa Strategies. More on Politics More videos Carney currently leads in endorsements, polling and fundraising, and he’s the subject of frequent attacks from Poilievre and his caucus — but that doesn’t mean he’s got the leadership sewn up. “Anything can happen because this is a campaign,” said Variyan. “I wouldn’t be prepared to rule anything out, particularly because of the unpredictable and erratic nature of decisions that come from south of the border and (U.S. President) Donald Trump.” Former government House leader Karina Gould and former Montreal MP Frank Baylis will also take the stage to make their pitches to the Liberal grassroots. Variyan said she is eyeing Gould because she could have the most to gain from a solid debate performance. Story continues below advertisement “She has been a force in this race that I don’t think a lot of political observers perhaps would have predicted at the outset,” she said. “What would be very interesting now would be to see whether the race for second truly becomes competitive between Gould and Freeland. That to me is the big story of this leadership campaign — who Karina Gould is and what she’ll do next when this is over.” Trending Now ‘I feel disrespected’: Ontario town considers removing U.S. flags from its buildings Trump wants to replace Canada’s car industry. How much would that cost? An English-language debate is set for Tuesday in Montreal. Nelson Wiseman, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Toronto, said that while debates on their own don’t often matter that much in determining the outcome of leadership races, they can occasionally offer make-or-break moments and help turn around political fortunes. While Kamala Harris’s sharp debate performance against Trump didn’t help her much at the U.S. polls last year, Jack Layton’s performance in the federal French debate in 2011 helped lift the NDP to official Opposition status, Wiseman said. The other wild card, he said, is the state of the candidates’ get-out-the-vote machinery, which is difficult to assess before the voting is over. “We could still have surprises, and that’s because of the method that the Liberals are using to select the leader,” Wiseman said. Each riding is worth 100 points in the race — which means ridings where the Liberals typically do badly are great places to shop for votes. Freeland has spent time in rural Quebec wooing dairy farmers and in rural Alberta and elsewhere rallying Ukrainians. Story continues below advertisement “She’s playing it very smart to do that,” said Wiseman, pointing to the 2004 Conservative leadership race won by Stephen Harper. “Belinda Stronach came in second, ahead of Tony Clement. How did she come in second? She swept all these Quebec ridings.” On Wednesday, immediately following the debates, advance voting opens for party members. The winner will be named March 9. &copy 2025 The ********* Press Source link #Carney #pressure #Liberal #leadership #candidates #prepare #French #debate #National Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Mulitple ********* cities holding rallies to mark anniversary of the Ukraine invasion – National Mulitple ********* cities holding rallies to mark anniversary of the Ukraine invasion – National Descrease article font size Increase article font size Multiple cities across Canada are holding rallies at city halls, museums and community centres this weekend as part of a global day of action marking the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Rallies spanning across the country in cities including Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver will be held today. Rallies began in cities across the country yesterday, and a handful of other cities have rallies scheduled for Monday. Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022 in a major escalation of a conflict that began in 2014. The invasion is the largest and deadliest conflict in Europe since World War II, and has caused hundreds of thousands of military casualties and tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilian casualties. Get daily National news Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Since the invasion, thousands of Ukrainians have fled to Canada as refugees. Story continues below advertisement Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump about the war in Ukraine Saturday as European allies fear a withdrawal of U.S. support for Kyiv’s efforts to defend against Russia’s invasion. The White House readout of the converstation focused on Ukraine, suggesting the two leaders aligned on Trump’s approach in seeking a peace agreement — despite Trudeau’s public insistance that Kyiv must be part of the conversation in any deal after three years of brutal war. Trending Now ‘I feel disrespected’: Ontario town considers removing U.S. flags from its buildings Trudeau, Trump talk Ukraine as allies fear U.S. withdrawal from war effort “Prime Minister Trudeau echoed President Trump’s desire to see an end to the war and acknowledged that President Trump is the only world leader who can push through a just and lasting peace,” the White House readout said. “President Trump reminded the Prime Minister that the war should never have started and would not have had he been President at the time. The Prime Minister agreed.” The conversation came as both Moscow and Washington have signalled that talks are progressing for a summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin — a remarkable change in U.S. diplomatic strategy that sought to isolate Russia after its wholescale invasion of Ukraine. With files from Global’s Sean Boynton. More on Politics More videos &copy 2025 The ********* Press Source link #Mulitple #********* #cities #holding #rallies #mark #anniversary #Ukraine #invasion #National Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content] For verified travel tips and real support, visit: [Hidden Content]

Pope Francis asks for prayers in message from hospital Pope Francis asks for prayers in message from hospital Sarah Rainsford Europe Correspondent Reuters Pope Francis has asked Catholics to pray for him, as he continues to receive treatment in hospital for double pneumonia. The pontiff was unable to deliver the traditional Angelus prayer in person for the second Sunday running. But in a message written over the last few days, he said he was “confidently continuing” his hospitalisation at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital and “carrying on with the necessary treatment.” The message comes after the ******** revealed on Saturday that the 88-year-old’s condition continues to be “critical”. In his message, released on Sunday, the Pope thanked the doctors and health workers at the hospital, and well-wishers who sent in messages. “In recent days I have received many messages of affection, and I have been particularly struck by the letters and drawings from children,” he wrote. “Thank you for this closeness, and for the prayers of comfort I have received from all over the world! I entrust you all to the intercession of Mary, and I ask you to pray for me.” The 88-year-old was first admitted to hospital on 14 February after experiencing difficulties breathing for several days. He is especially prone to lung infections due to developing pleurisy – an inflammation around the lungs – as an adult and having part of one of his lungs removed at age 21. During his 12 years as leader of the Roman Catholic church, the Argentine has been admitted to hospital several times, including in March 2023 when he spent three nights in hospital with bronchitis. Reuters Well-wishers continue to gather and pray outside the hospital where the Pope is receiving treatment He also used his message on Sunday to highlight the third anniversary of the war in Ukraine on Monday, and called on people to remember all victims of armed conflict and to “pray for the gift of peace in Palestine, Israel and throughout the Middle East, Myanmar, Kivu and Sudan”. The Angelus prayer is delivered by the Pope from a window of the Apostolic Palace at the ******** and is accompanied by a short message. Source link #Pope #Francis #asks #prayers #message #hospital Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

******** researchers develop method to revive lithium batteries that significantly extends their lifespan ******** researchers develop method to revive lithium batteries that significantly extends their lifespan Researchers from Fudan University in China have developed a method to refresh and extend the lifespan of lithium batteries, a breakthrough that could improve battery sustainability and reduce electronic waste. The findings, recently published at Nature, are based on a technique that rejuvenates degraded lithium-ion cells, potentially increasing their usability for long periods. As we know, lithium-ion batteries power everything from smartphones and laptops to electric vehicles, but their efficiency declines over time due to electrode degradation and chemical side reactions. The research led by Peng Huisheng and Gao Yue from Fudan University, along with other collaborating ******** research institutions, began by identifying and synthesizing a lithium carrier molecule – lithium trifluoromethanesulfinate (LiSO₂CF₃). The researchers described the white powdered functional salt as a “precise-treatment medicine for lithium-ion batteries.” Over time, lithium-ion batteries lose efficiency as lithium becomes trapped in inactive compounds and electrode materials degrade. The new method involves introducing an electrolyte solution containing dissolved LiSO₂CF₃ into a degraded battery. When a voltage is applied, the compound breaks down, releasing lithium ions that reintegrate into the electrode material, effectively restoring lost capacity. Simultaneously, the breakdown process generates gaseous byproducts, including sulfur dioxide (SO₂), trifluoromethane (HCF₃), and hexafluoroethane (C₂F₆), which naturally escape from the electrolyte if the battery is designed to allow venting. Extending lifespan from 1,500 to 12,000 charge cycles Once the lithium restoration is complete, the battery is sealed and tested to confirm its performance. Early experiments have shown that lithium-iron phosphate batteries treated with this method can regain nearly all of their lost capacity, extending their lifespan up to 12,000 charge cycles. For comparison, a typical electric car battery has a lifespan of around 1,500 charge cycles. According to Gao Yue, “The battery only lost 4% of its performance after 11,818 cycles. For an EV that charges twice a day, this means the battery could last up to 18 years. In comparison, current EV batteries usually lose 30% of their performance in just 2.7 years with the same charging routine.” However, practical implementation requires that batteries be designed with electrolyte replenishment and gas venting in mind, which may limit the new technology’s feasibility for widely used consumer electronics. While still in the experimental stage, this process presents a promising approach to reducing battery waste and increasing the longevity of rechargeable lithium-ion cells, particularly in large-scale energy storage systems. The breakthrough not only has the potential to extend battery lifespans and reduce e-waste, but it can also lower the environmental impact of lithium mining. More testing and regulatory approvals will be needed before this method can be implemented widely, but it seems to be a promising step toward a more sustainable battery industry. Get Tom’s Hardware’s best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. Source link #******** #researchers #develop #method #revive #lithium #batteries #significantly #extends #lifespan Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Arizona Lottery Powerball, The Pick results for Feb. 22, 2025 Arizona Lottery Powerball, The Pick results for Feb. 22, 2025 The Arizona Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Arizona offers Powerball, Mega Millions, The Pick, Triple Twist, Fantasy 5 and Pick 3 as well as Scratchers, Quick Draw and Fast Play. Lottery players have seen enormous jackpots recently, with previous winners of both the Powerball and Mega Millions breaking into the top 10 largest jackpots in U.S. lottery history. Money raised from Arizona lottery games goes toward funding higher education, health and human services, environmental conservation and economic and business development in the state. Powerball 07-18-22-50-65, Powerball: 15, Power Play: 2 Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here. The Pick 21-25-32-35-38-43 Check The Pick payouts and previous drawings here. Pick 3 8-5-8 Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here. Fantasy 5 03-26-30-33-39 Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here. Triple Twist 05-19-27-28-35-42 Check Triple Twist payouts and previous drawings here. Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news and results Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize All Arizona Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $100 and may redeem winnings up to $599. For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Arizona Lottery offices. By mail, send a winner claim form, winning lottery ticket and a copy of a government-issued ID to P.O. Box 2913, Phoenix, AZ 85062. To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a winner claim form and deliver the form, along with the ticket and government-issued ID to any of these locations: Phoenix Arizona Lottery Office: 4740 E. University Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4400. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount. Tucson Arizona Lottery Office: 2955 E. Grant Road, Tucson, AZ 85716, 520-628-5107. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount. Phoenix Sky Harbor Lottery Office: Terminal 4 Baggage Claim, 3400 E. Sky Harbor Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4424. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999. Kingman Arizona Lottery Office: Inside Walmart, 3396 Stockton Hill Road, Kingman, AZ 86409, 928-753-8808. Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999. Check previous winning numbers and payouts at [Hidden Content]. Winning lottery numbers are sponsored by Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Where can you buy Arizona lottery tickets? Tickets can be purchased in person at gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. Some airport terminals may also sell lottery tickets. You can also order tickets online through Jackpocket, the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network, in these U.S. states and territories: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Texas, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. The Jackpocket app allows you to pick your lottery game and numbers, place your order, see your ticket and collect your winnings all using your phone or home computer. Jackpocket is the official digital lottery courier of the USA TODAY Network. Gannett may earn revenue for audience referrals to Jackpocket services. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER, Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 18+ (19+ in NE, 21+ in AZ). Physically present where Jackpocket operates. Jackpocket is not affiliated with any State Lottery. Eligibility Restrictions apply. Void where prohibited. Terms: jackpocket.com/tos. This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Arizona Republic editor. You can send feedback using this form. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Lottery Powerball, The Pick results for Feb. 22, 2025 Source link #Arizona #Lottery #Powerball #Pick #results #Feb Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Top Wall Street analysts are bullish on these dividend stocks Top Wall Street analysts are bullish on these dividend stocks Dividend stocks provide stable income for investors and enhance the overall returns of a portfolio. However, picking the right dividend stocks from a vast universe of publicly traded companies could be difficult. To this end, the recommendations of top Wall Street analysts can help investors make the right decision, as these experts select stocks of companies that could deliver strong financials to support consistent dividend payments. Here are three dividend-paying stocks, highlighted by Wall Street’s top pros as tracked by TipRanks, a platform that ranks analysts based on their past performance. McDonald’s Fast-food chain McDonald’s (MCD) recently reported fourth-quarter earnings in line with market expectations. However, the company’s revenue lagged the Street’s estimates, as sales at the U.S. restaurants were affected by an E. coli outbreak in late October. That said, MCD stock rose on earnings day due to strong international sales and expectations of improvement in the company’s performance in 2025, backed by strategic efforts. Earlier this month, McDonald’s announced a cash dividend of $1.77 per share, payable on March 17. At an annualized dividend per share of $7.08, MCD stock offers a dividend yield of 2.3%. It is worth noting that McDonald’s is a dividend aristocrat and has increased its dividends for 48 consecutive quarters. Following the Q4 results, Jefferies analyst Andy Barish reiterated a buy rating on MCD stock and raised the price target to $349 from $345. While the decline in Q4 2024 U.S. same-store sales was largely anticipated, the analyst thinks that modestly positive traffic and continued momentum into Q1 2025 seem favorable. Further, Barish thinks that recent traffic trends indicate that McDonald’s value messaging is gaining traction, with the McValue menu launch expected to support momentum along with other growth drivers like digital sales, delivery, drive-thru and core menu initiatives. The analyst continues to expect 2025 and 2026 U.S. same-store sales growth of 2.3% and 2.6%, respectively. Noting the improving underlying traffic trends in the domestic market and solid same-store sales trends in international markets, Barish thinks that MCD is “best positioned to outperform peers in ’25+ through attractive value proposition from a scaled, global brand.” Barish ranks No. 566 among more than 9,300 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings have been profitable 57% of the time, delivering an average return of 10.4%. See McDonald’s Stock Charts on TipRanks. Ares Capital We move to this week’s second dividend pick, Ares Capital (ARCC). It is a business development company that offers financing solutions to middle-market entities. Earlier this month, Ares Capital announced its Q4 2024 results and declared a dividend of 48 cents per share for the first quarter, payable on March 31. ARES stock offers a dividend yield of 8.2%. In reaction to the Q4 print, RBC Capital analyst Kenneth Lee reaffirmed a buy rating on ARCC stock and increased the price target slightly to $24 from $23. The analyst stated that the company’s Q4 results were somewhat mixed relative to his expectations. While net asset value per share of $19.89 was modestly above RBC’s estimate of $19.87, core earnings per share of 55 cents slightly fell short of RBC’s forecast of 58 cents per share. On the positive side, Lee noted that portfolio activity was slightly better than expectations. Meanwhile, leverage at 1.03x was lower than expectations, partly due to the equity capital raised in the quarter. The analyst highlighted that ARCC’s credit performance remained solid amid the current economic backdrop. Specifically, Lee noted that the non-accrual rate increased to 1.7% (amortized cost basis) from 1.3% in Q3 2024, but was still lower than the 2.8% average rate witnessed by the company since the Great Financial Crisis. Lee revised his 2025 core EPS estimate to $2.10 from $2.13 and the 2026 core EPS estimate to $2.14 from $2.16 to reflect assumptions about a decline in asset yields, partially offset by downward revision in debt costs. Overall, Lee is bullish on ARCC, as he favors the company’s “strong track record of managing risks through the cycle, well-supported dividends, and scale advantages.” Lee ranks No. 15 among more than 9,300 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings have been successful 74% of the time, delivering an average return of 19.1%. See Ares Capital’s Ownership Structure on TipRanks. Energy Transfer Let’s look at Energy Transfer (ET), a midstream energy company that operates an extensive network of pipeline and associated energy infrastructure across 44 states in the U.S. The company’s fourth-quarter results and adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization missed expectations. Nonetheless, it plans to spend $5 billion on growth projects this year, including capacity expansion. The rise in capex comes amid growing demand for power to support data centers. Meanwhile, Energy Transfer announced a quarterly cash distribution of $0.3250 per common unit for Q4 2024, reflecting a 3.2% year-over-year increase. ET stock offers a yield of 6.7%. Reacting to Q4 results, Mizuho analyst Gabriel Moreen reiterated a buy rating on ET stock with a price target of $24. The analyst said that he was not overly concerned about the FY25 guidance miss, as he thinks that the main story is the company’s notable capex guidance of about $5 billion for this year. Moreen noted that the capex outlook is way above the company’s $2.5 billion to $3.5 billion annual “run-rate” expectation and seems elevated. Nonetheless, the analyst is constructive on this capex guidance, given that most of the planned spending will be directed towards projects in which Energy Transfer has extensive experience, such as the Hugh Brinson Pipeline, NGL export, transportation and storage, as well as the development of the company’s Permian gathering and processing footprint. While the 2025 adjusted EBITDA guidance missed expectations, Moreen contends that ET has a strong record when it comes to optimization, which could translate into some earnings upside. Overall, the analyst is optimistic about Energy Transfer’s future and expects its robust capex to translate into strong earnings growth beyond 2026. Moreen ranks No. 62 among more than 9,300 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings have been profitable 78% of the time, delivering an average return of 16.4%. See Energy Transfer Insider Trading Activity on TipRanks. Source link #Top #Wall #Street #analysts #bullish #dividend #stocks Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Trump's Ukraine peace "plan": A massive betrayal of America's friends — like me – Salon Trump's Ukraine peace "plan": A massive betrayal of America's friends — like me – Salon Trump’s Ukraine peace “plan”: A massive betrayal of America’s friends — like me SalonEurope can’t count on the US to be its bodyguard. That’s great for its defense companies CNNOpinion | Has Trump Abandoned Ukraine In Favour Of Russia? NDTVOpinion | A U.S. Betrayal Is Surreal for Europeans The New York TimesYes, America Is Europe’s Enemy Now Foreign Policy Source link #Trump039s #Ukraine #peace #quotplanquot #massive #betrayal #America039s #friends #Salon Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]

Pastor Warns of Dangerous Error Many Christians Are Making on Satan, Demons, and Spiritual Realm Pastor Warns of Dangerous Error Many Christians Are Making on Satan, Demons, and Spiritual Realm Jonathan Pokluda is on a mission to help people “identify spiritual warfare” and “defeat the enemy.” Pokluda, pastor of Harris Creek ******** Church in Waco, Texas, is tackling the topic of spiritual warfare head-on, recently releasing, “Your Story Has a Villain: Identify Spiritual Warfare and Learn How to Defeat the Enemy,” a new book aimed at helping people see through chaos to discern truth. In describing the roots of his interest in discussing the spiritual realm, the preacher appealed to his own story being raised Catholic and interacting with multiple denominations. All of that faith exposure, though, didn’t prepare him spiritually for what was to come. “ lived the kind of crazy college life,” Pokluda said. “They say, ‘Drugs, sex, and rock and roll.’ In my case, ‘Drugs, sex, and hip hop.’ And, then … I graduated. I was in the world. I was at a club. Someone invited me to church. I went, hung over, sat in the back row, and surrendered my life to Jesus.” From there, Pokluda “went all in with Jesus,” but as he embarked on the journey, he realized something: many people were missing a key piece to the spiritual puzzle: In fact, some Christians weren’t fully aware — or even seeking — answers about the overarching spiritual battle raging between good and evil that Paul describes in Ephesians 6. “Being raised Catholic, I would see statues of angels and demons, and I was taught in religion class about the spiritual war that was happening around me,” he said. “And I knew the story in Genesis 3, the fall, you know the tempting of Satan in the Garden of Eden.” Pokluda continued, “But, if this war was happening around us, I knew very little about it. And I didn’t know what could happen.” The preacher said he was shocked to realize many people in the Christian community seemed “comfortable not knowing” these answers. This led Pokluda to do an in-depth exploration of what the ****** actually teaches. “It really was a three-year journey,” he said, noting he eventually went on to do a teaching series about the topic at his church, helping others discover what he learned from Scripture. Listen to the latest episode of “Quick Start” Ultimately, Pokluda said it’s essential for Christians to understand Ephesians 6 and the battle between good and evil, warning that “spiritual warfare has implications for everything we do.” “It’s a foundational truth to the Christian faith,” he added. It’s a subject he’s hoping to help believers explore in “Your Story Has a Villain: Identify Spiritual Warfare and Learn How to Defeat the Enemy.” As for why so many Christians avoid such issues, Pokluda said it’s clear there is a “Pentecostal thread” that is very comfortable with the unseen realm. These people are open to discussing demonic possession, oppression, and other related issues. “But then there’s a large majority of churches outside of that that they just live in the mystery,” he said. “And they would say, ‘Hey, that’s gray. There’s a lot we don’t know there.’” These folks might wonder if cases presented as possession are simply mental illnesses, and because of the rampant uncertainty around such matters, they refuse to speak with clarity on the issues. Pokluda said famed Christian author C.S. Lewis reminded believers of the two errors often made regarding “devils.” “One is to make too much of them, believing that they are involved in everything,” Pokluda said. “And the second, and which is equally as dangerous, is to not even acknowledge their existence.” But Pokluda said there’s also a third error he sees today — one that has been very popular in the modern era. “The more popular error of this century would be believing that there is a demonic realm and that belief having zero implications of anything that we do,” he said. “And if there is a demonic spiritual realm — if there is indeed a battle around us, which I have a deep conviction that there is — then it has implications for everything we do.” Satan’s attempts to make himself seem like an “allegory or parody,” Pokluda said, are unsurprising. The goal is to convince people he’s simply not real or active. The preacher is hoping “Your Story Has a Villain” helps people confront these realities so they can survive and thrive. “The demonic realm [is] seeking to keep you from the abundant life that Christ has to offer,” Pokluda said. “For the non-believer, he tries to keep us from salvation in Christ. And to the believer, he tries to keep us stuck in dead religion away from a thriving relationship with God through his Son.” He continued, “And, so, he operates both. He’s read the back of the book in Revelation. He knows that his destiny is hell.” Pokluda said people simply need to give God their hearts. Source link #Pastor #Warns #Dangerous #Error #Christians #Making #Satan #Demons #Spiritual #Realm Pelican News View the full article at [Hidden Content]