British-Canadian computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton and co-laureate John Hopfield are set to receive the Nobel Prize for physics on Tuesday in Stockholm. The pair landed the accolade because they used physics to develop artificial neural networks, which help computers learn without having to program them. These networks form the foundation of machine learning, a computer science that relies on data and algorithms to help artificial intelligence mimic the human brain. Hinton and Hopfield's path to the Nobel began when Hopfield, who is now a professor emeritus at Princeton University, invented a network in 1982 that could store and reconstruct images in data. The Hopfield network uses associate memory, which humans use to remember what something looks like when it's not in front of them or to conjure up a word they know but seldom use. The network can mirror this process because it stores patterns and has a method for recreating them. When the network is given an incomplete or slightly distorted pattern, the method then searches for the stored pattern that is most similar to recreate data. This means if a computer was shown, for example, a photo of dog where only part of the animal was visible, it could use the network to piece together the missing part of the image and recognize it was depicting a dog. Hinton, who was working at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh in 1985, used the Hopfield network as the foundation for a new network he called the Boltzmann machine. Its name came from the nineteenth-century physicist Ludwig Boltzmann. The Boltzmann machine learns from examples, rather than instructions, and when trained, can recognize familiar characteristics in information, even if it has not seen that data before. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which gives out the Nobel, likens this to how humans may be able to identify someone as a relative of one of their friends, even if they've never met this person before, because of they share similar traits. The Boltzmann machine works in a similar way, classifying images or creating new examples based on the patterns it was trained on. This kind of technology can help suggest films or television shows based on a user's preferences and past viewing history The Hopfield network and Boltzmann machine are considered to have laid the groundwork for modern AI. Hinton, a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, went on to win the A.M. Turing Award, known as the Nobel Prize of computing, with fellow Canadian Yoshua Bengio and American Yan LeCun in 2018. He is often called the godfather of AI. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 8, 2024. Tara Deschamps, The Canadian PressBut alongside his stark warning of the threats facing Britain and its allies, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said there would be only a “remote chance” Russia would directly attack or invade the UK if the two countries were at war. The Chief of the Defence Staff laid out the landscape of British defence in a wide-ranging speech, after a minister warned the Army would be wiped out in as little as six months if forced to fight a war on the scale of the Ukraine conflict. The admiral cast doubt on the possibility as he gave a speech at the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi) defence think tank in London. He told the audience Britain needed to be “clear-eyed in our assessment” of the threats it faces, adding: “That includes recognising that there is only a remote chance of a significant direct attack or invasion by Russia on the United Kingdom, and that’s the same for the whole of Nato.” Moscow “knows the response will be overwhelming”, he added, but warned the nuclear deterrent needed to be “kept strong and strengthened”. Sir Tony added: “We are at the dawn of a third nuclear age, which is altogether more complex. It is defined by multiple and concurrent dilemmas, proliferating nuclear and disruptive technologies and the almost total absence of the security architectures that went before.” The first nuclear age was the Cold War, while the second was “governed by disarmament efforts and counter proliferation”, the armed forces chief said. He listed the “wild threats of tactical nuclear use” by Russia, China building up its weapon stocks, Iran’s failure to co-operate with a nuclear deal, and North Korea’s “erratic behaviour” among the threats faced by the West. But Sir Tony said the UK’s nuclear arsenal is “the one part of our inventory of which Russia is most aware and has more impact on (President Vladimir) Putin than anything else”. Successive British governments had invested “substantial sums of money” in renewing nuclear submarines and warheads because of this, he added. The admiral described the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers on Ukraine’s border alongside Russian forces as the year’s “most extraordinary development”. He also signalled further deployments were possible, speaking of “tens of thousands more to follow as part of a new security pact with Russia”. Defence minister Alistair Carns earlier said a rate of casualties similar to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine would lead to the army being “expended” within six to 12 months. He said it illustrated the need to “generate depth and mass rapidly in the event of a crisis”. In comments reported by Sky News, Mr Carns, a former Royal Marines colonel, said Russia was suffering losses of around 1,500 soldiers killed or injured a day. “In a war of scale – not a limited intervention, but one similar to Ukraine – our Army for example, on the current casualty rates, would be expended – as part of a broader multinational coalition – in six months to a year,” Mr Carns said in a speech at Rusi. He added: “That doesn’t mean we need a bigger Army, but it does mean you need to generate depth and mass rapidly in the event of a crisis.” Official figures show the Army had 109,245 personnel on October 1, including 25,814 volunteer reservists. Mr Carns, the minister for veterans and people, said the UK needed to “catch up with Nato allies” to place greater emphasis on the reserves. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Defence Secretary John Healey had previously spoken about “the state of the armed forces that were inherited from the previous government”. The spokesman said: “It’s why the Budget invested billions of pounds into defence, it’s why we’re undertaking a strategic defence review to ensure that we have the capabilities and the investment needed to defend this country.”
ARLINGTON, Va., Dec. 12, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fluence Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq: FLNC) (“Fluence” or the “Company”), a global market leader delivering intelligent energy storage, operational services, and asset optimization software, today announced the completion of the previously announced offering of $400.0 million aggregate principal amount of 2.25% convertible senior notes due 2030 (the “Notes”). Fluence also granted the initial purchasers of the Notes an option to purchase, for settlement within a period of 13 days from, and including, the date the Notes are first issued, up to an additional $50.0 million aggregate principal amount of the Notes. The Notes issued on December 12, 2024 include $50.0 million principal amount of Notes issued pursuant to the full exercise by the initial purchasers of their option to purchase additional Notes. The Notes will be senior, unsecured obligations of Fluence, will accrue interest payable semi-annually in arrears and will mature on June 15, 2030, unless earlier repurchased, redeemed or converted. On December 10, 2024, in connection with the pricing of the Notes, the Company entered into privately negotiated capped call transactions (the “base capped call transactions”) with one or more of the initial purchasers and/or their respective affiliates and/or other financial institutions (the “counterparties”). In addition, on December 11, 2024, in connection with the initial purchasers’ exercise of their option to purchase additional Notes, the Company entered into additional capped call transactions (the “additional capped call transactions” and, together with the base capped call transactions, (the “capped call transactions") with the counterparties. The capped call transactions cover, subject to customary adjustments, the number of shares of the Company’s Class A common stock that will initially underlie the Notes. The cap price of the capped call transactions represents a premium over the last reported sale price of the Company’s Class A common stock on the pricing date of the offering of the Notes. The capped call transactions are generally expected to offset the potential dilution to the Class A common stock and/or offset any cash payments the Company is required to make in excess of the principal amount of converted Notes, with such offset subject to a cap, as the case may be, as a result of any conversion of the Notes. In connection with establishing their initial hedge of these capped call transactions, the Company has been advised that the counterparties (i) may enter into various over-the-counter cash-settled derivative transactions with respect to the Class A common stock and/or purchase the Class A common stock in secondary market transactions concurrently with, or shortly after, the pricing of the Notes; and (ii) may enter into or unwind various over-the-counter derivatives and/or purchase the Class A common stock in secondary market transactions following the pricing of the Notes. These activities could have the effect of increasing or preventing a decline in the price of the Class A common stock concurrently with or following the pricing of the Notes and under certain circumstances, could affect the ability to convert the Notes. In addition, we expect that the counterparties may modify or unwind their hedge positions by entering into or unwinding various derivative transactions and/or purchasing or selling the Class A common stock or other securities of the Company in secondary market transactions following the pricing of the Notes and prior to maturity of the Notes (and are likely to do so (x) during any observation period related to a conversion of the Notes or following any redemption or fundamental change repurchase of the Notes, (y) following any other repurchase of the Notes if the Company unwinds a corresponding portion of the capped call transactions in connection with such repurchase and (z) if the Company otherwise unwinds all or a portion of the capped call transactions). The effect, if any, of these transactions and activities on the market price of the Class A common stock or the Notes will depend in part on market conditions and cannot be ascertained at this time, but any of these activities could adversely affect the value of the Class A common stock and the value of the Notes, and potentially the value of the consideration that a noteholder will receive upon the conversion of the Notes and could affect a noteholder’s ability to convert the Notes. Fluence used a portion of the net proceeds from the offering to fund the cost of entering into the capped call transactions. Fluence intends to transfer the remaining net proceeds of the offering directly to purchase an intercompany subordinated convertible promissory note issued by Fluence Energy, LLC, the proceeds of which Fluence Energy, LLC intends to use for working capital needs, upgrading one of its battery cell production lines from 305 amp hour cells to 530 amp hour cells, and general corporate purposes. The offer and sale of the Notes and any shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of the Notes have not been, and will not, be registered under the Securities Act or any other securities laws, and the Notes and any such shares cannot be offered or sold except to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers in reliance on the exemption from registration provided by Rule 144A under the Securities Act. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, the Notes or any shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of the Notes, nor shall there be any sale of the Notes or any such shares, in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. Any offers of the Notes will be made only by means of a private offering memorandum. About Fluence: Fluence Energy, Inc. (Nasdaq: FLNC) is a global market leader delivering intelligent energy storage and optimization software for renewables and storage. The Company’s solutions and operational services are helping to create a more resilient grid and unlock the full potential of renewable portfolios. With gigawatts of projects successfully contracted, deployed and under management across nearly 50 markets, the Company is transforming the way we power our world for a more sustainable future. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements The statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In particular, statements regarding the consummation of the offering of the Notes, the consummation of the capped calls transactions, our future results of operations and financial position, operational performance, anticipated growth and business strategy, future revenue recognition and estimated revenues, future capital expenditures and debt service obligations, projected costs, prospects, plans, and objectives of management for future operations, including, among others, statements regarding expected growth and demand for our energy storage solutions, services, and digital application offerings, relationships with new and existing customers and suppliers, introduction of new energy storage solutions, services, and digital application offerings and adoption of such offerings by customers, assumptions relating to the Company’s tax receivable agreement, expectations relating to backlog, pipeline, and contracted backlog, current expectations relating to legal proceedings, and anticipated impact and benefits from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and related domestic content guidelines on us and our customers as well as any other proposed or recently enacted legislation, are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you may identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “could,” “seeks,” “intends,” “targets,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “grows,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential”, “commits”, or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. Accordingly, we caution you that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, assumptions, and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Among those risks and uncertainties are market conditions and the consummation of the offering of the Notes and the consummation of the capped calls transactions. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable as of the date made, actual results may prove to be materially different from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, our relatively limited operating and revenue history as an independent entity and the nascent clean energy industry; anticipated increasing expenses in the future and our ability to maintain prolonged profitability; fluctuations of our order intake and results of operations across fiscal periods; potential difficulties in maintaining manufacturing capacity and establishing expected mass manufacturing capacity in the future; risks relating to delays, disruptions, and quality control problems in our manufacturing operations; risks relating to quality and quantity of components provided by suppliers; risks relating to our status as a relatively low-volume purchaser as well as from supplier concentration and limited supplier capacity; risks relating to operating as a global company with a global supply chain; changes in the cost and availability of raw materials and underlying components; failure by manufacturers, vendors, and suppliers to use ethical business practices and comply with applicable laws and regulations; significant reduction in pricing or order volume or loss of one or more of our significant customers or their inability to perform under their contracts; risks relating to competition for our offerings and our ability to attract new customers and retain existing customers; ability to maintain and enhance our reputation and brand recognition; ability to effectively manage our recent and future growth and expansion of our business and operations; our growth depends in part on the success of our relationships with third parties; ability to attract and retain highly qualified personnel; risks associated with engineering and construction, utility interconnection, commissioning and installation of our energy storage solutions and products, cost overruns, and delays; risks relating to lengthy sales and installation cycle for our energy storage solutions; risks related to defects, errors, vulnerabilities and/or bugs in our products and technology; risks relating to estimation uncertainty related to our product warranties; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; risks related to our current and planned foreign operations; amounts included in our pipeline and contracted backlog may not result in actual revenue or translate into profits; risks related to acquisitions we have made or that we may pursue; events and incidents relating to storage, delivery, installation, operation, maintenance and shutdowns of our products; risks relating to our impacts to our customer relationships due to events and incidents during the project lifecycle of an energy storage solution; actual or threatened health epidemics, pandemics or similar public health threats; ability to obtain financial assurances for our projects; risks relating to whether renewable energy technologies are suitable for widespread adoption or if sufficient demand for our offerings do not develop or takes longer to develop than we anticipate; estimates on size of our total addressable market; barriers arising from current electric utility industry policies and regulations and any subsequent changes; risks relating to the cost of electricity available from alternative sources; macroeconomic uncertainty and market conditions; risk relating to interest rates or a reduction in the availability of tax equity or project debt capital in the global financial markets and corresponding effects on customers’ ability to finance energy storage systems and demand for our energy storage solutions; reduction, elimination, or expiration of government incentives or regulations regarding renewable energy; decline in public acceptance of renewable energy, or delay, prevent, or increase in the cost of customer projects; severe weather events; increased attention to ESG matters; restrictions set forth in our current credit agreement and future debt agreements; uncertain ability to raise additional capital to execute on business opportunities; ability to obtain, maintain and enforce proper protection for our intellectual property, including our technology; threat of lawsuits by third parties alleging intellectual property violations; adequate protection for our trademarks and trade names; ability to enforce our intellectual property rights; risks relating to our patent portfolio; ability to effectively protect data integrity of our technology infrastructure and other business systems; use of open-source software; failure to comply with third party license or technology agreements; inability to license rights to use technologies on reasonable terms; risks relating to compromises, interruptions, or shutdowns of our systems; changes in the global trade environment; potential changes in tax laws or regulations; risks relating to environmental, health, and safety laws and potential obligations, liabilities and costs thereunder; failure to comply with data privacy and data security laws, regulations and industry standards; risks relating to potential future legal proceedings, regulatory disputes, and governmental inquiries; risks related to ownership of our Class A common stock; risks related to us being a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NASDAQ rules; risks relating to the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws; risks relating to our relationship with our Founders and Continuing Equity Owners; risks relating to conflicts of interest by our officers and directors due to positions with Continuing Equity Owners; risks related to short-seller activists; we depend on distributions from Fluence Energy, LLC to pay our taxes and expenses and Fluence Energy, LLC’s ability to make such distributions may be limited or restricted in certain scenarios; risks arising out of the Tax Receivable Agreement; unanticipated changes in effective tax rates or adverse outcomes resulting from examination of tax returns; risks relating to improper and ineffective internal control over reporting to comply with Sarbanes-Oxley Act; risks relating to changes in accounting principles or their applicability to us; risks relating to estimates or judgments relating to our critical accounting policies; and the factors described under the headings Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” and Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2024. If one or more events related to these or other risks or uncertainties materialize, or if our underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual results may differ materially from what we anticipate. Many of the important factors that will determine these results are beyond our ability to control or predict. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. We qualify all forward-looking statements contained in this press release by these cautionary statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and, except as otherwise required by law, we do not undertake any obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict which will arise. In addition, we cannot assess the impact of each factor on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Contacts: Analyst Lexington May, Vice President, Finance & Investor Relations +1 713-909-5629 Email: InvestorRelations@fluenceenergy.com Media Email: media.na@fluenceenergy.comBy Chidiebere Onyemaizu Almost two years after an impressive electoral outing , Labour party appears to have relapsed into what political analysts have described as its traditional default mode- providing platforms and sanctuary for politicians to contest elections after which such politicians ditch it for parties with more following. This could be evidenced from the waves of defections that have hit the party recently and in the past. Aside recent defections and resignations from the party, prominent politicians who had in the past used the Labour party as a stop – gap measure or a transit camp to contest elections before moving on to a stronger political platforms include former Ondo State governor, Olusegun Mimiko who came to office in 2007 on the party’s platform only to ditch it for the Peoples Democratic party, PDP in 2014, late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah who contested the 2014 Anambra governorship election on the party’s platform but left after he was defeated, Senator Andy Uba(not related to Ifeanyi Uba) who also contested the state’s 2010 governorship election on the LP platform and lost and then left the party, former Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose who contested a Senatorial seat on the LP platform in 2011 and lost and then returned to the PDP in 2011, former Deputy Speaker of the House of Reps, Yusuf Lasun who contested the Osun 2022 governorship election and lost, and then defected to the PDP. Analysts posit that as it is presently, the LP is asphyxiating and haemorrhaging and whether it will survive before the next elections is debatable. Keen watchers of the unfolding evisceration of the party have however told Daily Sun that the recent defections the party suffered are fatal enough to cripple any party, especially a party that lacks taproots as the LP. “The wave of defections the Labour Party has suffered are enough to bring any party without a firm taproot to its knees and LP has no taproot, it has no structure. “Its 2023 presidential candidate and former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi and his Obidients Movement is what can pass as LP’s structure, its tap root and its oxygen but right now, it appears Obi is no longer enthusiastic about the party, so, LP is in a mess; it appears to be on the throes of death”, Godwin Tenebe, a lawyer and social affairs commentator told Daily Sun. However, Iheanyi Nwachukwu, a political analyst who admitted he is a Labour party sympathiser believes the defections and the crisis buffetting opposition parties are engineered by the APC because of 2027. “It is self- evident: The crisis and defections rocking opposition parties are engineered and masterminded by the APC. “The APC is aware that given its dismal performance, if the 2027 election is credibly conducted and contested by a united, virile opposition, it will be voted out of power by Nigerians but the APC wants to cling on to power by all means, whether Nigerians want it or not. So, what you are seeing currently in the opposition parties are antics of the APC to weaken them, destabilise them, compromise them, pocket them and buy them over ahead 2027; the APC wants to win the 2027 elections unchallenged and to achieve this, it is engaging in state capture- APC has captured state institutions critical to free fair elections and has also captured democratic institutions; that is exactly what it has done to the PDP and LP. “In the run up to the 2027 elections, you will likely see a factionalised opposition parties- PDP and LP- with INEC gleefully recognizing the factions sympathic to the APC; these factions will then proceed to adopt the APC, announce a merger with it or field weak presidential candidates to challenge the ruling party”, Nwachukwu told Daily Sun. In July, one of LP Senators, Onyebuchi Francis Ezenwa representing Imo East Senatorial District ditched the party for the APC, offering no cogent reason for doing so. Last week, tsunami visited the party in the House of Representatives when five of its members announced their defections to the APC. The defectors include Tochukwu Okere (Imo), Donatus Mathew (Kaduna), Bassey Akiba (Cross River), Iyawe Esosa (Edo) and Daulyop Fom (Plateau). Two days after the defections, another LP Reps member, Ajang Iliya, representing Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency, Plateau State also announced he has left the party for the APC. The defections were confirmed during a plenary session when Speaker Tajudeen Abbas read their official letters of defection on the floor of the Green Chamber. Of all the defectors, Mathew’s exit probably rankled the LP the most. Reacting to his defection, the party rued that it was betrayed by Mathew whom it described as an Okada rider. Essentially, Mathew, a commercial motorcyclist popular as Okada, made headlines in 2023 for his remarkable journey from riding Okada and coming from lowly background to winning a parliamentary seat to represent Kaura Federal Constituency in Kaduna State. Apparently hurt and bewildered by the depletion of its House of Reps membership, the LP has barked a threat to the defecting members but ironically, the threat, impeccable sources familiar with the alleged extinction facing the party, told Daily Sun, will not stop many more members of the party across the country, especially those holding elective positions, from leaving. Since its National Chairman, Julius Abure regained the control of the party through the instrumentality of the court, speculations have been rife that he has turned the party over to the ruling APC as its appendage so as to spite Obi and LP’s only Governor, Alex Otti of Abia State who had a few months ago set up an interim caretaker Committee to manage affairs of the party following INEC’s initial derecognition of Abure as National Chairman. The APC, through its lackeys in the LP are allegedly plotting to undermine Obi and put road blocks on his path should he attempt to use the party’s platform to contest the 2027 presidential election. Its protestations notwithstanding, the Abure led LP national leadership is allegedly in bed with the APC as regards the defections. The defection of LP House members to the APC, Daily Sun gathered, are allegedly part of an orchestrated move to have the party subsumed under the APC and then get the defected members rewarded with automatic APC return tickets for the 2027 election. Etanabene Benedict, a member of the Labour Party caucus in the House of Representatives, during a recent Channels TV appearance confirmed many more members of the party are on their way to the APC. Benedict, who represents the Okpe/Sapele/Uvwie federal constituency of Delta, also confirmed the defecting LP House members did so as a strategy ahead of the 2027 general election. Apart from APC’s alleged pocketing of opposition parties including the LP to pave the way for easy victory in 2027, Daily Sun has been informed that some of the LP defectors and many more that will later defect are concerned that the party may have lost its charm and winning appeal following Obi and Obidients movement’s somewhat disenchantment with it. The defected LP House members, it was learnt, feared that the former Anambra Governor may seek alternative platform in 2027 thus leaving them politically stranded. “What some of them have done by defecting is to start chasing or searching for a missing black goat before darkness descends and gets blended with the black goat thus making it difficult to find without light. “Some of these guys are concerned that LP may have lost itself electoral appeal and may therefore not record the kind of magic it recorded in 2023. They also feel that its presidential candidate, Peter Obi is no longer enthusiastic about the party following Abure’s return and is likely to seek an alternative platform in 2027, so what I think they have done by defecting to the APC is to start in earnest to chart a political future outside the LP else they get stranded as 2027 approaches”, Dr Alex Ujah, a university don told Daily Sun. Hon. Benedict somewhat shares this sentiment too. According to him, the defected lawmakers were not confident of winning re-election in 2027 under the LP platform His words: “It is about 2027. The trend of Edo and Ondo is frightening to them, and they do not believe that they are strategically positioned to seek re-election under the umbrella of the Labour Party. That is the main reason. “There are still many others in the Labour Party that are thinking along that line too. So, if it happens tomorrow, I won’t be surprised.” Since its formation in 2002, the 2023 elections represented the Labour party’s best election year ever. Riding on the crest of the country-wide charm, popularity and acceptance of its presidential candidate, Obi, the party proved bookmakers who had earlier, before the election, dismissed it as a fringe party that would make no noticeable impact, wrong with its stunning performance. Not only did Obi almost win the Presidency (in fact his supporters still insist he indeed won the 2023 election but was rigged out by the INEC and the APC), Labour party also recorded an unprecedented electoral feat, winning one Governorship seat(Abia), eight Senate seats, 35 House of Reps seats and 39 House of Assembly seats. However, almost two years after the impressive outing, the party is now a shadow of itself, reverting to the inelegant status of a transit camp for weary politicians who have been schemed out or outsmarted by their parties. Apart from its members in the National and State Houses of Assembly who have switched parties since its 2023 landmark electoral performance, the Labour party has also been losing critical members to the ruling party. For example, Chief Edward Nkwegu, 2023 governorship candidate of the party in Ebonyi State and his deputy, Mr. Nwabueze Aja in July defected to APC. Similarly, its governorship aspirant in Edo State, Kenneth Imasuagbon has since resigned from the party. And last week, the governorship candidate of the party in the 2023 Bayelsa governorship election, Udengs Eradiri, and his running mate, Commodore Benjamin Nathus (retd.) announced their resignations from the party. Ward chairmen of the party in the state, Daily Sun gathered, are also warming up to dump it too. In his resignation letter, Eradiri stated that he made the decision to enable him to pursue his political career on a platform better equipped to provide leadership to Bayelsa State. Meanwhile, the party has threatened to approach the court to declare the seats of its defected members vacant. In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Obinna Ifoh, the LP which had earlier denied being in a liaison with the APC said it was undaunted by the defections but vowed to recover the seats. “The defection, to us, is quite unfortunate and we condemn the action which is irrational, untenable, inconsistent and alien to all known norms for which democracy stands for. Section 68(g) of the 1999 constitution is emphatic on when to defect and what happens when a lawmaker sponsored by a political party decides to jump ship. The Constitution states (g) being a person whose election to the House was sponsored by a political party, he becomes a member of another political party before the expiration of the period for which that House was elected; Provided that his membership of the latter political party is not as a result of a division in the political party of which he was previously a member or of a merger of two or more political parties or factions by one of which he was previously sponsored; “Though, the Labour Party leadership is undaunted by the defection, it has however, elected not to allow it slide and has therefore instructed its legal team to commence the legal actions against the defectors and to also commence the process of regaining our mandates in line with the 1999 constitution and 2022 Electoral Act as amended. “The party has also decided to open a ‘Hall of Shame’ register for these lawmakers or any lawmaker or elected officer of the party who engages in fraudulent act of defection without first dropping the mandate gotten under the ticket of the party”, Ifoh said.Learning From Warren Buffett About Investing In Utilities: The BHE Case Study
Hulbert's gift to KoreaAgree Realty Declares Monthly Common and Preferred DividendsWASHINGTON (AP) — Former White House adviser Peter Navarro , who served prison time related to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, will return to serve in Donald Trump’s second administration, the president-elect announced Wednesday. Navarro, a trade adviser during Trump’s first term, will be a senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, Trump said on Truth Social. The position, Trump wrote, “leverages Peter’s broad range of White House experience, while harnessing his extensive Policy analytic and Media skills.”
The FBI should have gathered and disseminated more intelligence about extremists ahead of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, a government watchdog report said Thursday. The report from the Justice Department inspector general identified no major intelligence failures but found the FBI should have known more about the plans for violence among the thousands of protesters who stormed the Capitol after a fiery speech by then-President Donald Trump. “We found that the FBI effectively carried out its tactical support function on Jan. 6,” said the 88-page report . The report also found that the FBI failed to scour its 56 field offices across the country for relevant intelligence, a key failing. FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate told investigators that the lack of such a canvass was a “basic step that was missed.” The probe also mostly shot down a major Jan. 6 conspiracy theory when it said no FBI agents or employees orchestrated the protests or entrapped others into joining the attack, which was designed to block Congress from certifying President Biden’s win over Trump in the 2020 election. It did confirm that 26 FBI informants were in Washington for election-related protests on Jan. 6, and four of those entered either the building or a restricted area outside. But it said none had been authorized to do so, or to break the law or encourage others to do so. Right-wing figures have claimed the attack was a so-called “fed-surrection,” suggesting that law enforcement agents impersonated Trump supporters or far right-wing activists as a way of entrapping innocent rallygoers into committing crimes like invading the Capitol or attacking police. The inspector general recommends in the report that the FBI reassess its procedures to prepare for potential domestic security issues that are not designated as a national special security event like Jan. 6. The report is likely one of the final large-scale official assessments of the shocking events of Jan. 6, which amounts to the first time in American history that a president tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power to his successor. Hundreds of people have been convicted of various crimes in connection to the attack, including a handful of far right-wing figures who have received lengthy prison sentences . Trump has vowed to pardon most of the convicted attackers when he returns to the White House after winning the 2024 election. A congressional panel held highly publicized hearings on the attack and produced a lengthy report that harshly criticized Trump. Trump has vowed to retaliate against the lawmakers. Panel chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) insisted he did nothing wrong but said Thursday he would accept a preemptive pardon if offered one. Special counsel Jack Smith launched a federal criminal investigation that charged Trump with several federal crimes . But he dropped the case after Trump’s win, citing policies barring prosecution of a sitting president. The president-elect still faces several civil suits accusing him of orchestrating the violence, but it remains to be seen if they will proceed once he is back in office.Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said it has donated $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration fund. The donation comes just weeks after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg met with Trump privately at Mar-a-Lago. A Meta spokesperson confirmed the offering Thursday. The news was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Stephen Miller, who has been appointed deputy chief of staff for Trump's second term, has said that Zuckerberg, like other business leaders, wants to support Trump's economic plans. The tech CEO has been seeking to change his company's perception on the right following a rocky relationship with Trump. Trump was kicked off Facebook following the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The company restored his account in early 2023. RELATED STORY | Meta's Mark Zuckerberg is the second richest person in the world. Here's who he just outranked During the 2024 campaign, Zuckerberg did not endorse a candidate for president but has voiced a more positive stance toward Trump. Earlier this year, he praised Trump's response to his first assassination attempt. Still, Trump had continued to attack Zuckerberg publicly during the campaign. In July, he posted a message on his own social network Truth Social threatening to send election fraudsters to prison in part by citing a nickname he used for the Meta CEO. "ZUCKERBUCKS, be careful!" Trump wrote. Corporations have traditionally made up a large share of donors to presidential inaugurals, with an exception in 2009, when then-President-elect Barack Obama refused to accept corporate donations. He reversed course for his second inaugural in 2013. Facebook did not donate to either Biden's 2021 inaugural or Trump's 2017 inaugural. Google donated $285,000 each to Trump first inaugural and Biden's inaugural, according to Federal Election Commission records. Inaugural committees are required to disclose the source of their fundraising, but not how they spend the money. Microsoft gave $1 million to Obama's second inaugural, but only $500,000 to Trump in 2017 and Biden in 2021. RELATED STORY | Celebrity private jet-tracking accounts suspended by Meta without reason, college student claimsCHAPEL HILL, N.C. — In one of the more anticipated news conferences in recent memory at North Carolina, the Tar Heels formally introduced six-time Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Belichick as UNC’s next head football coach Thursday. The news conference came nearly a week to the moment after word began to spread that Belichick was in the conversation to replace Mack Brown, a former NCAA national champion and two-term UNC head coach who’d been fired less than two weeks prior. Belichick, whose 24-year run as head coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League ended in January, won six Super Bowl titles and appeared in nine during that run. Belichick also appeared in three Super Bowls as an assistant coach prior to his head-coaching tenure, earning two rings with the New York Giants under Bill Parcells. This will be Belichick’s first foray into college football, though. His father, Steve, was briefly an assistant at North Carolina from 1953-55 before a 30-year run as an assistant at Navy. What Bill Belichick said — On coaching in college football: “Always wanted to coach college football. It just never really worked out. I’ve had some good years in the NFL. So that was OK, but this is really kind of a dream come true.” — On his family ties to UNC through his father: “Obviously, I was too young to remember a lot of things from Carolina. But as I grew up, you know, you hear the same story over and over and over and over again, and so one story I always heard was, Billy’s first words were, ‘Beat Duke.’ So, full circle.” — On reports he presented a 400-page document to UNC during the process: “I mean, don’t believe everything you read in the papers. All right. I have no idea where that came from. I don’t have a 400-page document. I mean, and to think I was going to hand it (over)?” — On hiring Michael Lombardi as UNC’s general manager: “So grateful to have Michael with me in this process. Michael and I have worked together going all the way back over 30 years, and he has a great knowledge of the general manager role. In this type of position, in terms of scouting two sets of players, high school players and college portal players, as well as dealing with some version of what’s called salary cap, which is now part of college football.” — Why take this job at age 72?: “Well, it beats working. When you love what you do, and my dad told me this, when you love what you do, it’s not work. I love what I do. I love coaching. I love the interaction with the players. Love building a team, working with assistants, game planning, the game itself, which, there’s some good ones, there’s some bad, but they’re all learning experiences.” — On adjusting to the college game from NFL: “I do think there are a lot of parallels. There’s certainly some differences, but there are some parallels and I think that’s the reason for the general structure of Michael, as a general manager, myself as a coach, and working together collaboratively like we have done being in a professional organization. So yeah, I do think there’s some parallels and there’s differences.” — On if he wants to return to the NFL: “I didn’t come here to leave.” — On filling out his UNC staff: “We’ll hire the best coaches we can hire. I want to do everything I can to help this program and make it as strong as possible. So the best moves we can get. There are several college coaches that are involved in bowl games and so forth. So I wouldn’t interfere with the process at those schools with their commitments to their team. So we’ll see how it goes. Look, in the end, I’ve already had a lot of people contact me. There’ll certainly be a strong presence of NFL people on the staff. I think that’s a certainty, and not only in the staff, but in the training area. But at the same time, looking for the best people we can get for Carolina that fit. I think it’s a little different than what an NFL team would have, but we’ll see.” — On how he turned his attention to a college job: “That’s a great question. Here’s what I would say: College kind of came to me this year. I didn’t necessarily go and seek it out, but I had many coaches. I mean, there were probably a couple of dozen coaches talk to me and say, `Hey, can we can sit down and talk to you about these things.’ The let’s call it salary cap of pro football relative to college football. The headsets. The green dot. The two-minute warning. The tablets on the sideline. Those were all rules changes this year in college football that were either the same or similar to what we had in the NFL. And and these coaches said, `Hey, coach, can we just talk to you about how you did this? How you did that? How did you use this? How did you handle the two-minute warning? How did that affect your strategy at the end of the half, the end of the game? How did you look at it, you know? How did you break it down?’ “And so, as those conversations started, and then the personnel conversation started, relative to salary cap and how you spend whatever the allotment of money you have is whether that’s by player, by position, by freshman recruits transfer. How did you look at that? And so I had multiple conversations with several coaches in this conference, within the Big 10 and Southeast Conference, and others ... sometimes there were coaches who were on the staff that were responsible for what’s called situational football. For kind of organizing that, or in some cases, a person in the organization that was maybe in football, but is now being moved over to the, let’s call it semi general manager type role that wasn’t familiar with that aspect of what was now invading college football, right? With the, revenue share and the NIL. So that started to make me a lot more aware of it, because the first thing I did was learn about it and say, `OK, well, what are you dealing with here?’ And then they would kind of explain. Here’s our situation. Then you hear another coach at another school explain it sort of the same way, but it was different at his school for whatever reason it was, and so forth, on and on and on. “So in the end, long answer to a short question here. Sorry, you know, I like to ramble on at press conferences, right? But as you learn different things about different programs, you start to put it all together.” What Bubba Cunningham said — On the future of college football: “In the words of Yogi Berra, ‘The future ain’t what it used to be.’ ” — On the job search turning to Belichick: “We looked at a wide variety of people, and obviously when it became realistic that he was available, that certainly was a path that we really wanted to go down and explore. We’re just really fortunate to be here today and just that he was willing to say yes and to lend his expertise and knowledge to Carolina. Very excited about it.” — On UNC’s funding its top programs in football and basketball: “I think it’s why we’re trying to do what we’re doing. I think if you go all in on those two sports, those two sports provide all of the finances for the rest of the department. The more successful we are in football, more successful we are in basketball, the more opportunities we’re going to be able to provide for everyone else here. So I’m delighted with it, and I think our future is incredibly bright given (Belichick’s) leadership and that of Hubert Davis. Our women’s basketball program starting revenue share this year with the NCAA tournament. Courtney (Banghart) has done a fantastic job. So I think the continued investment is an investment in the future of Carolina athletics.” What Lee Roberts said — On UNC football history, which began in 1888: “I suspect there have been few days in those 136 years that have been as auspicious as this one.” ©2024 The News & Observer. Visit at newsobserver.com . Distributed at Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Elon Musk admitted that the H1-B visas are “broken” and floated a potential fix as he sought to cool a raging civil war within the MAGA base over the immigration program for highly skilled foreign workers. Just a day after vowing to “go to war on this issue” and telling detractors to “F— yourself,” Musk, the world’s richest man, acknowledged some of the criticisms of the program getting abused and argued that the US should make it more costly to hire foreigners. “Easily fixed by raising the minimum salary significantly and adding a yearly cost for maintaining the H1B, making it materially more expensive to hire from overseas than domestically,” Musk wrote on X late Saturday in response to a thread claiming H1-B visas were being used to hire low-wage programmers and developers. “I’ve been very clear that the program is broken and needs major reform,” he added. “I’m confident that the changes made in the @realDonaldTrump administration will make America much stronger.” The controversy continued to boil even after President-elect Trump waded into the debate on Saturday , telling The Post that, “I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them.” Shortly before Christmas, several MAGA diehards including Laura Loomer began raging against the Dec. 22 announcement of venture capitalist Sriram Krishnan to serve as the incoming Trump administration’s senior policy adviser for artificial intelligence (AI). Loomer, 31, in particular, began fuming at the growing influence of the “tech bros” in Trump’s orbit who harbor comparatively lax views on immigration. From there, a rift opened between the MAGA base over the H1-B visa system — which allows highly skilled foreign workers into the country if companies show they can’t find American talent to fill the roles.. The program is particularly favored by Silicon Valley — and critics (some using racist language) pointed out that many of the tech workers from India. Musk and fellow Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) co-head Vivek Ramaswamy, 39, eventually chimed in and defended H1-B visas, which allow up to some 65,000 guest workers into the US. The tech bros contended that H1-B visas are crucial to the US attracting top-tier talent for the development of cutting-edge technologies such as AI and that it has been a boon for the economy. On the other side, immigration hardliners argued that the program was effectively indentured servitude — trapping foreigners at certain companies due to their desire to stay in the US — and that companies were exploiting the system for cheaper labor. Critics also lamented the lack of the US education system’s ability to produce more top-notch talent in occupations that dominate H1-B visas. Under his first administration, Trump ratcheted up restrictions on the program. And in his forthcoming second administration, he’s tapped immigration hardliner Stephen Miller as his deputy chief of staff for policy. Musk, who is South African-born and became a US citizen in 2002, went on a tirade against critics of H1-B visas during the heated spat. “The reason I’m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H1B,” he fumed on X Friday. “Take a big step back and F— YOURSELF in the face. I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend.” Musk argued that H1-B visas are necessary for companies to recruit “the top ~0.1% of engineering talent.” Ramaswamy, who was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, had also caused a stir with a lengthy X post that slammed American culture for celebrating high school jocks over math nerds. In that post, he also tore into popular sitcoms and movies that he claimed promulgated that culture. Throughout the discourse over H1-B visas, Musk had repeatedly maintained that the H1-B visa system needed to be “overhauled” and reformed” — something Ramaswamy had echoed as well. Both Musk and Ramaswamy have suggested that the H1-B visa system needs to be remolded into something that is more meritocratic. Others, including conservative pundit Ann Coulter and former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon had railed against Musk — claiming the visa program takes jobs and kills away from Americans.
Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella changed his cleats just 12 minutes into the game after his slips contributed to both of Tottenham's early goals in the teams' London derby in the Premier League on Sunday. The Spain international ceded possession by slipping on the turf at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the fifth and 11th minutes — and from the ensuing attacks, Spurs scored through Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski. Immediately after Kulusevski's shot hit the net to make it 2-0, Cucurella sprinted to the sideline while shrugging his shoulders and pointed to his cleats. He took them off and threw them away in disgust before putting on new ones. It seemed to work. Within six minutes, he provided the pass that led to Jadon Sancho scoring for Chelsea to make it 2-1. Chelsea went on to win 4-3 — and Cucurella posted a photo on social media after the match, showing the first cleats he wore nestled in a bin. “It almost slipped away,” Cucurella wrote on Instagram Stories, “but proud of the amazing team effort to turn things around.” AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerKalen DeBoer met with the media this week ahead of Alabama’s game with Oklahoma. The Sooners need to win one of their final two games to remain bowl eligible. The Alabama Head Coach spoke about the matchup in Norman. “Just the chance for us to go on the road and have to prove it again that we got what it takes...[they are] a physical football team all around. I think they are an extremely tough defense in all ways. What they do with their scheme and their personnel, they way they fly around. Just some skilled players...Each and every game takes on its own life. For us, all we’re focused on is the next play and the next game. And everything that goes into being our best. And that’s what the recipe for success has been here over the last month.” On ignoring outside noise and keeping the focus on Oklahoma Kalen: We don’t really talk about the outside because we know that if we don’t take care of our business, the rest doesn’t matter. It seems simple, I hope it’s simple.
Biden will decide on US Steel acquisition after influential panel fails to reach consensus WASHINGTON (AP) — A powerful government panel has failed to reach consensus on the possible national security risks of a nearly $15 billion proposed deal for Nippon Steel of Japan to purchase U.S. Steel. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States on Monday sent its long-awaited report to President Joe Biden, a longtime opponent of the deal. Some federal agencies represented on the panel were skeptical that allowing a Japanese company to buy an American-owned steelmaker would create national security risks. That's according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter. Both Biden and President-elect Donald Trump opposed the merger and vowed to block it. Nippon Steel says it is confident the deal will go ahead. Nissan and Honda to attempt a merger that would create the world's No. 3 automaker TOKYO (AP) — Japanese automakers Nissan and Honda have announced plans to work toward a merger that would catapult them to a top position in an industry in the midst of tectonic shifts as it transitions away from its reliance on fossil fuels. The two companies said they signed an agreement on integrating their businesses on Monday. Smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors agreed to join the talks. News of a possible merger surfaced earlier this month. Japanese automakers face a strong challenge from their Chinese rivals and Tesla as they make inroads into markets at home and abroad. What a merger between Nissan and Honda means for the automakers and the industry BANGKOK (AP) — Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan will attempt to merge and create the world’s third-largest automaker by sales as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels. The two companies said they had signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday and that smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors also had agreed to join the talks on integrating their businesses. Honda will initially lead the new management, retaining the principles and brands of each company. Following is a quick look at what a combined Honda and Nissan would mean for the companies, and for the auto industry. Survey: Small businesses are feeling more optimistic about the economy after the election A survey shows small business owners are feeling more optimistic about the economy following the election. The National Federation of Independent Businesses’ Small Business Optimism Index rose by eight points in November to 101.7, its highest reading since June 2021. The Uncertainty Index declined 12 points in November to 98, following October’s pre-election record high of 110. NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg said small business owners became more certain about future business conditions following the presidential election, breaking a nearly three-year streak of record high uncertainty. The survey also showed that more owners are also hoping 2025 will be a good time to grow. Heavy travel day starts with brief grounding of all American Airlines flights WASHINGTON (AP) — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive and winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. Government regulators cleared American flights to get airborne Tuesday about an hour after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a national ground stop, which prevented planes from taking off. American said in an email that the problem was caused by vendor technology in its flight operating system. Aviation analytics company Cirium said flights were delayed across American’s major hubs, with only 37% leaving on time. Nineteen flights were cancelled. Nordstrom to be acquired by Nordstrom family and a Mexican retail group in $6.25 billion deal Century-old department store Nordstrom has agreed to be acquired and taken private by Nordstrom family members and a Mexican retail group in a $6.25 billion deal. Nordstrom shareholders will receive $24.25 in cash for each share of Nordstrom common stock, representing a 42% premium on the company’s stock as of March 18. Nordstrom’s board of directors unanimously approved the the proposed transaction, while Erik and Pete Nordstrom — part of the Nordstrom family taking over the company — recused themselves from voting. Following the close of the transaction, the Nordstrom Family will have a majority ownership stake in the company. Stock market today: Wall Street rallies ahead of Christmas Stocks closed higher on Wall Street ahead of the Christmas holiday, led by gains in Big Tech stocks. The S&P 500 added 1.1% Tuesday. Trading closed early ahead of the holiday. Tech companies including Apple, Amazon and chip company Broadcom helped pull the market higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.9%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 1.3%. American Airlines shook off an early loss and ended mostly higher after the airline briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical issue. Treasury yields held steady in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury was little changed at 4.59% An analyst looks ahead to how the US economy might fare under Trump WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump won a return to the White House in part by promising big changes in economic policy — more tax cuts, huge tariffs on imports, mass deportations of immigrants working in the United States illegally. In some ways, his victory marked a repudiation of President Joe Biden’s economic stewardship and a protest against inflation. It came despite low unemployment and steady growth under the Biden administration. What lies ahead for the economy under Trump? Paul Ashworth of Capital Economics spoke recently to The Associated Press. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. American consumers feeling less confident in December, Conference Board says American consumers are feeling less confident in December, a business research group says. The Conference Board said Monday that its consumer confidence index fell back in December to 104.7 from 112.8 in November. Consumers had been feeling increasingly confident in recent months. The consumer confidence index measures both Americans’ assessment of current economic conditions and their outlook for the next six months. The measure of Americans’ short-term expectations for income, business and the job market tumbled more than a dozen points to 81.1. The Conference Board says a reading under 80 can signal a potential recession in the near future. Stock market today: Wall Street rises at the start of a holiday-shortened week Stocks closed higher on Wall Street at the start of a holiday-shortened week. The S&P 500 rose 0.7% Monday. Several big technology companies helped support the gains, including chip companies Nvidia and Broadcom. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 1%. Honda's U.S.-listed shares rose sharply after the company said it was in talks about a combination with Nissan in a deal that could also include Mitsubishi Motors. Eli Lilly rose after announcing that regulators approved Zepbound as the first prescription medicine for adults with sleep apnea. Treasury yields rose in the bond market.
NewLake Capital Partners Appoints Dina Rollman to Board of Directors and Declares Fourth Quarter 2024 Dividend of $0.43 per ShareShazam! star Zachary Levi has defended his decision to endorse now-President elect Donald Trump, telling Bill Maher that America under Trump’s first term was better than the past four years of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Zachary Levi appeared on the latest episode of Bill Maher’s “Club Random” podcast that dropped Sunday. “The four years of his [Trump’s] presidency were significantly better than the four years of the Biden-Harris presidency and vice presidency,” Levi said, adding: “Our border was more secure, our economy was more secure, crimes rates were down.” Earlier in the conversation, Levi took the legacy news media to task for spreading “bullshit” about Trump virtually non-stop, thus fomenting fear and hatred in their viewers. As Breitbart News reported , actor Zachary Levi — who starred in the Shazam! movies — publicly endorsed Trump in September, saying he believes Trump is the candidate who can successfully “take back this country.” Levi said he had endorsed Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., earlier in the election cycle because the candidate embodied his own distrust of government and unscrupulous corporations. During the “Club Random” conversation, Levi said he hasn’t been cancelled by Hollywood, yet, for backing Trump. “I mean listen, I have yet to see what the ultimate effects of all that are going to be,” he told Maher. “I already had multiple jobs that I was in the process of shooting or that I have yet to shoot and none of those have been compromised. None of my producers or any of the the studios behind those films or projects have called and said, ‘Hey, listen, this is a line too far and we can’t have you associated with the project anymore.'” “We’re all still full steam ahead on those,” he continued. “How it ultimately plays out in the future I don’t know.” Follow David Ng on Twitter @HeyItsDavidNg . Have a tip? Contact me at dng@breitbart.com
Grandmother shut out of Christmas celebrations
The Stock Market Has Entered The Danger ZoneThe 19 best stocking stuffers for everyone on your Christmas shopping list — all under $20
