jilimacao 555 Stock market today: Wall Street’s rally stalls as Nasdaq pulls back from its recordPEP GUARDIOLA is really finding Manchester City’s current slump difficult to swallow. The Catalan admitted a run like this can affect everything — from the amount of sleep he gets to his diet. Recently, he has just been having soup for his evening meal as he is struggling to digest much else due to the nerves. With his kids grown up and his wife Cristina back in Barcelona, Pep admits it can be a lonely business being a coach during a bad run. He said this week: “You have people by your side but the pain of defeat only happens to one. “It’s true your friends are there but when you go to sleep and you turn off the light, there’s no consolation possible. “You have to swallow on it, spend a day or two and then come back.” But by and large Guardiola says his frame of mind is not much different to how it was in the spring, when his team were crowned champions for a fourth straight year. That is despite a run of seven defeats in the last ten matches — the same number as City suffered in the previous 105 games up until the end of April. The decline in his all-conquering team has been sudden and alarming and left many people scratching their head. FOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS That includes Pep himself, who showed up for his press conference after the draw with Feyenoord last month with marks on his head and a cut on his nose. At the time he put it down to his nails getting too long — although he explained this week there was another factor. PEP GUARDIOLA admitted he is having sleepless nights as he endures his worst-ever spell as a manager. Here are the three-time defending Premier League champions' nightmare last 10 games... Oct 30: Tottenham 2 Man City 1 - DEFEAT Nov 2: Bournemouth 2 Man City 1 - DEFEAT Nov 5: Sporting Lisbon 4 Man City 1 - DEFEAT Nov 9: Brighton 2 Man City 1 - DEFEAT Nov 23 - Man City 0 Tottenham 4 - DEFEAT Nov 26: Man City 3 Feyenoord 3 - DRAW Dec 1: Liverpool 2 Man City 0 - DEFEAT Dec 4: Man City 3 Nottingham Forest - WIN Dec 7: Crystal Palace 2 Man City 2 - DRAW Dec 11: Juventus 2 Man City 0 - DEFEAT TOTAL - WINS 1, DRAWS 2, DEFEATS 7 He said: “I have a skin problem. I have to take antihistamine for the last two or three years. The nails, yes, I did them on my nose. But the rest was that.” Guardiola turns 54 next month and said in a recent interview he does not have the energy to take another club job after he leaves the Etihad. The question some have been asking since is whether he has enough within him for the rebuilding job needed at City. Some of the older players who have achieved so much for him — the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker and Ilkay Gundogan — are reaching the end of the road. And having achieved pretty much everything he set out to — and even more — with City, some wonder if he has the drive to go again. Yet is easy to forget amid the chaos of the last seven weeks, that he signed a new two-year contract at the Etihad in the middle of it all. It was Pep who indicated he was ready to talk — despite a run of four straight losses before then — and the deal was concluded in a couple of hours. Given what has happened since and the problems he is facing, he may be asking himself whether he did the right thing. Those around him say he has no regrets and is more determined than ever to turn the season around. He accepted the challenge of staying on less than four weeks ago and there is no way he has changed his mind already. I have a skin problem. I have to take antihistamine for the last two or three years. The nails, yes, I did them on my nose. But the rest was that. His feeling all season has been that this was not the right time for him to hand over the keys to his successor and three months in, he was sure of it. The imminent verdict on the 130 charges of financial wrong-doing was a factor, as he has previously said he would not desert the club he loves in their hour of need. But the Club World Cup in the USA in the summer was also a consideration, as it will make the start of next season extremely difficult to navigate. Guardiola felt he wanted to navigate City through this tricky period and he remains determined to do that. In any case, Pep had predicted this would be a tough start to the season — partly due to strain of their recent success and the summer of international duty at Euro 2024 for most of his stars. He did not quite expect it to be this tough, though, as the injuries have made the early months of the season even more challenging. But he remains convinced that once his trusted players are back, he will be able to turn them back into a force. Nothing that has happened since things started to unravel at the end of October has changed his mind. He said: “I have learned with football, not to go against feelings, what you feel at that moment. “If I am sad, I am sad but I know it will pass. That’s how I see it.” A derby win over United on Sunday would help it to pass very quickly.

John Deere Flashes 2 Bullish Signals As Farm Bellwether Breaks Out

Nearly half of US teens are online 'constantly,' Pew report finds

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans made mistakes in every facet of the game Sunday against the Tennessee Titans to lose for the third time in four games. C.J. Stroud threw two interceptions, the defense gave up multiple big passing plays and Ka′imi Fairbairn missed a 28-yard field goal that would have tied it late in a 32-27 loss . “Just a disappointing loss for us,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “We didn’t do anything well enough to win this game. Out of all the positives that we did have, there were way too many negatives, too many negative plays.” Jimmie Ward had a 65-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter and the Texans tied a franchise record with eight sacks. Danielle Hunter led the group with a season-high three sacks and Will Anderson Jr. added two in his return after missing two games with an ankle injury. But the offense sputtered for most of the game as Joe Mixon was held to 22 yards on 14 carries. But Ryans refused to blame the offense for the loss. “Our offense did plenty," Ryans said. "They gave us enough points. On defense, we have to be able to stop them.” Chig Okonkwo grabbed a short pass and rumbled 70 yards for a touchdown to put the Titans (3-8) up 30-27 with 91⁄2 minutes remaining. Safety Eric Murray missed a tackle that would have stopped him near midfield. It was the last of three big passing plays the Titans had Sunday. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine got in front of the defense and was wide open for a 38-yard TD catch that made it 10-7 late in the first quarter. Calvin Ridley had a 63-yard reception that set up their next touchdown in the second. “It was just way too many negative plays,” Ryans said. “Defensively, unexplainable explosives for touchdowns. We didn’t play good across the board and that starts with me.” Despite this, the Texans (7-5) had a chance to tie it with less than two minutes remaining, but Fairbairn’s short field-goal attempt sailed wide left. He fell to the ground after the miss before getting up and slamming his helmet on the field. “The most frustrating part about it is out of all the bad things that happened, we still had a chance to finish the game,” Ryans said. “Everything that could go wrong, it went wrong. We still had a chance there to tie it up and finish the game, and we didn’t.” The Texans forced a three-and-out, but couldn’t move the ball after that and Harold Landry sacked Stroud in the end zone for a safety to make it 32-27 and allow Tennessee to snap a two-game skid. Stroud threw for 247 yards and two touchdowns, but his two interceptions Sunday give him five combined in the past three games. He now has more interceptions in 12 games this season (nine) than he had in 15 games as a rookie last season (five). “It’s no secret that I haven’t been playing well ... I’ve got to be harder on myself,” he said. “I’m not going to hold my head down. I know I can be a great player, but I’ve got to make better plays.” AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans made mistakes in every facet of the game Sunday against the Tennessee Titans to lose for the third time in four games. C.J. Stroud threw two interceptions, the defense gave up multiple big passing plays and Ka′imi Fairbairn missed a 28-yard field goal that would have tied it late in a 32-27 loss . Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get the latest sports news delivered right to your inbox six days a week.Gaetz withdraws as Trump's pick for attorney general, averting confirmation battle in the Senate

Gisèle Benoit still gets goosebumps when she remembers the first time she saw a family of eastern wolves emerge from the forests of the Mauricie National Park, under the backdrop of a rising moon. It was 1984 and Benoit, then in her early 20s, had been using a horn to try to call a bull moose when she instead heard a long howl, followed by an adult wolf stepping out to a rocky shore accompanied by a half-grown youth and four pups. “I will never forget that,” she said of the magical moment. “It’s anchored in my heart forever.” It was only later that Benoit, an artist and documentary filmmaker, learned that the wolves she saw weren’t grey wolves but rather rare eastern wolves. The species, whose population is estimated at fewer than 1,000 mature adults, could soon be further protected by new measures that are raising hopes among conservationists that attitudes toward a once-feared and maligned animal are shifting. In July, the federal government upgraded the eastern wolf’s threat level from “status of special concern” to “threatened,” based on a 2015 report by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. That report found the population count may be as low as 236 mature individuals in its central Ontario and southern Quebec habitat. The eastern wolf is described as medium-sized canid with reddish-tawny fur that lives in family groups of a breeding pair and their offspring. Also known as the Algonquin wolf, it is largely restricted to existing protected areas, including Algonquin Park in Ontario. The federal Environment Department said in an email that development of a recovery strategy is underway, adding it would be “written in collaboration with provincial governments, federal departments responsible for the federal lands where the eastern wolf is found as well as First Nations groups and Indigenous organizations.” The order triggers protection for the species on federal lands and forces Ottawa to prepare a recovery plan. However, the fight for protection could be an uphill battle in Quebec, which does not even recognize the eastern wolf as a distinct species. A spokesperson for Quebec’s Environment Department said Quebec considers the eastern wolf a “genetic group” rather than its own species. “Recent study shows that the eastern wolf is a distinct entity, even if it comes from several crosses between the grey wolf and the coyote,” Daniel Labonté wrote in an email. “However, scientific knowledge does not demonstrate that this genetic grouping constitutes a species in its own right.” Labonté added that this lack of recognition was not a barrier to protecting the animal, since the law also allows for protection of subspecies or wildlife populations. In October, Quebec launched a program to collect samples to improve knowledge on the distribution of large canines, including the eastern wolf. The government said it is currently “impossible to assert that there is an established population” in Quebec due to low numbers — amounting to three per cent of analyzed samples — and the “strong hybridization that exists among large canids.” Véronique Armstrong, co-founder of a Quebec wildlife protection association, says she’s feeling positive about both the Canadian and Quebec governments’ attitudes. While wolves were once “stigmatized, even persecuted,” she said, “we seem to be heading in the direction of more protection.” Her group, the Association québécoise pour la protection et l’observation de la faune, has submitted a proposal for a conservation area to protect southern Quebec wolves that has already received signs of support from three of the regional municipalities that would be covered, she said. While it’s far from settled, she’s hopeful that the battle to protect wolves might be easier than for some other species, such as caribou, because the wolves are adaptable and can tolerate some human activity, including forestry. John Theberge, a retired professor of ecology and conservation biology from the University of Waterloo and a wolf researcher, spent several years along with his wife studying and radio-collaring eastern wolves around Algonquin Park. Back in the 1990s and 2000s, they faced a “huge political battle” to try to expand wolf protection outside park boundaries after realizing that the far-ranging animals were being hunted and trapped in large numbers once they left the protected lands. Conservationists, he said, faced resistance from powerful hunter and trapper lobbies opposed to protecting the animals but in the end succeeded in permanently closing the zones outside the park to hunting and trapping in 2004. Theberge says people who want to save wolves today still face some of that same opposition — especially when governments including Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia kill wolves to protect endangered caribou. But he believes the public support for protecting wolves has increased from when his career began in the 1960s, when they were treated with fear and suspicion. “Nobody wore T-shirts with wolves on them back then,” he said. Over the years, there have been questions about whether the eastern wolf may be a grey wolf subspecies or a coyote-wolf hybrid. But in the order protecting the wolves, the federal government says genetic analyses have resolved that debate, showing that it is a “distinct species.” Benoit, Theberge and Armstrong all believe that while it’s important to protect the eastern wolf from a genetic diversity perspective, there is value in protecting all wolves, regardless of their DNA. Wolves, they say, are an umbrella species, meaning that protecting them helps protect a variety of other species. They kill off weak and sick animals, ensuring strong populations. They’re also “highly developed, sentient social species, with a division of labour, and strong family alliances,” Theberge said. Benoit agrees. After years spent watching wolves, she has developed great respect for how they live in close-knit families, with older offspring helping raise new pups. “It’s extraordinary to see how their way of life is a little like humans’,” she said.Tetairoa McMillan, one of the best wide receivers in Arizona history, will skip his final year of eligibility and enter the 2025 NFL Draft, he announced on social media on Thursday. Projected as a top-10 draft pick, the 6-foot-5, 212-pound McMillan finished his illustrious career at Arizona with 3,423 receiving yards, breaking the mark set by Bobby Wade (3,351). In three seasons, the Hawaii native also posted the fourth-most catches (213) and third-most touchdowns (26) in school history. "Wildcat Nation, this journey has been everything I dreamed of and more," McMillan wrote on Instagram. "From the moment I committed to the University of Arizona, to every second spent wearing that Arizona jersey ... it's been an absolute honor. "The University of Arizona has provided me with the platform to grow and chase my dreams. ... Thank you from the bottom of my heart. To the best fans in the country, I appreciate you for all of the love and support you have given me these last 3 years. I will always be a Wildcat." In 2024, McMillan totaled 84 grabs (ninth in Division I) for 1,319 yards (third in Division I) and eight touchdowns for the 4-8 Wildcats. He also ranked third in Division I with 109.9 receiving yards per game. McMillan is a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, given to the most outstanding receiver in college football. --Field Level Media

By Alexandra Alper and Karen Freifeld WASHINGTON (Reuters) - In its latest jab at Beijing, the U.S. will empower companies like Google and Microsoft to act as gatekeepers worldwide for highly sought-after access to AI chips, two people familiar with the draft plan said. Under the regime, to be released as soon as this month, these companies would have to comply with strict requirements, from reporting key information to the U.S. government to blocking Chinese access to AI chips. That would permit them to offer AI capabilities within the cloud overseas without a license, the sources said. The new rules, some of whose details are being reported for the first time, show officials are scrambling in the waning days of the Biden administration to streamline the process for approving AI chip exports while also preventing bad actors from accessing them. The U.S. fears China could harness the power of AI to supercharge its military, unleash powerful cyber attacks or even train a bioweapon. The Commerce Department declined to comment on the content and timing of the new regulations. Sources cautioned the administration's plans may change. Alphabet's Google and Microsoft did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The measure takes a page from a national security agreement Microsoft inked with the U.S. government in April allowing it to provide AI technology to Emirati firm G42, the people said, whose historic ties to China fueled worry in Washington. Under the new draft rules, other companies beyond those with gatekeeper status will compete for licenses to import a smaller number of high-end Nvidia and AMD artificial intelligence chips in each country, one of the sources said. Nvidia, which makes the world’s most powerful AI chips, said it is ready to work with the administration on the rules. AMD did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Exempted from the regime's caps would be 19 allied countries like the Netherlands and Japan plus Taiwan, which would have unlimited access to the AI chips or the capability they provide, two of the sources said. Also outside the framework would be a list of nuclear embargoed countries, including Russia, China, Iran and Venezuela, which are already blocked from acquiring U.S. AI semiconductors and would remain so. The U.S. government is conducting a final review of an "Artificial Intelligence Diffusion" rule drafted by the Commerce Department, according to a government posting this week, indicating it may be closing in on publication. Three sources said the posting referred to the AI caps. The Information Technology Industry Council, an advocacy association whose members include AMD and Google, is concerned the Biden administration is rushing the complex rule out without industry input that could head off adverse consequences. “If reports are accurate, such changes would dramatically expand the scope of export controls and have significant global implications," Naomi Wilson, the council’s senior vice president of Asia and global trade policy, said in a statement. The rules build on a program unveiled in September that gives permission to pre-approved data centers overseas to receive AI chips without a license, two sources said. To achieve that status, data centers must provide information about customers, business activities, access restrictions and cybersecurity. (Reporting by Alexandra Alper and Karen Freifeld; additional reporting by David Shepardson; editing by Chris Sanders and Chizu Nomiyama)Travis Hunter and Ashton Jeanty give this year’s Heisman Trophy ceremony a different vibe

Israel Fails In Lebanon? Netanyahu Gives In, Stops War With Hezbollah | Ceasefire Declared Recommended Playlist Third War In Mideast Begins? After Gaza And Lebanon, Israeli Airstrikes Kill 68 In This Arab Nation Hezbollah's Retaliation 'Turns Out To Be Costly' For Israeli Army Hezbollah Rockets Fly Over Tel Aviv: Second Attack Rocks Central Israel, Several Injured | Watch Hamas Stuns Israel & World; Recruits New Fighters In Gaza, Rejects U.S. Demand On Hostages - Report Three Big Bombings On Israeli Army Site; Iraqi Resistance Shocks IDF With Ferocious Attacks Third Arab Nation Joins Iraq & Yemen In Attacking Israel; Strikes Spark Panic, Big Fire Rockets Fired From Lebanon Target Key Israeli Port City As U.S. Leads Israel-Hezbollah Ceasefire Talks Israeli Committee Blames Netanyahu For Hamas' Oct 7 Attack; Releases Scathing Report After IDF 'Withdrawal', Hezbollah Chief Tells Netanyahu 'Era Of Defeat Over, Now Be Ready For...' Israel 'Dents' U.S. Peace Bid In Lebanon With Deadly Strikes | Details Top Viral Videos Shocking! Lawyer rams Mercedes car into Kachori shop in Delhi, Six injured In a shocking incident, six people were injured after a lawyer rammed his speeding Mercedes car into a Kachori shop in the national capital. The incident took place at Fateh Kachori in Civil Lines area. The police have taken the lawyer into custody and seized his car. The lawyer has been identified as Parag Maini who is a resident of Noida’s Sector 79. The police have registered a case against the lawyer under Section 279 (rash driving) and 337 (causing hurt by endangering life). Telangana cop punched, dragged by villagers, video goes viral On Cam: Crane drags car with senior citizens sitting inside, case registered | video goes viral Instagram influencer shot dead by husband in Rajasthan's Phalodi CCTV: Thieves arrive in car, decamp with jewellery in MP's Damoh Goons hurl abuses at toll plaza employee in MP's Chhatarpur Two goons hurled abuses at a toll plaza employee in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur. One of the assailants is reportedly the brother of an MLA. The incident was filmed by an employee of ol plaza which has gone viral on social media. The goons were upset after they had to wait in the queue. Viral: Cobra blocks road in MP's Chhatarpur district Nigeria: Lion kills zookeeper at Obafemi Awolowo University CCTV: Biker crushed to death by speeding bus in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain district Four women steal tray full of earrings from a jewellery shop in MP's Raisen Shirtless British man punches air steward after destroying aircraft toilet, arrested A shirtless British man punched an air steward after destroying the aircraft toilet. The man was arrested. The man went berserk soon after the flight took off . He went up to smash the plane’s toilet. The incident took place on February 7 when the flight took off from Bangkok to London. A video of the incident went viral on social media. On cam: Several injured after swarm of bees attacks guests during wedding ceremony in MP's Guna On cam: Man hurls abuses at government school teacher in MP's Chhatarpur district On cam: Man thrashes youth with stick in MP's Ujjain Doctor loses cool, misbehaves with home guard in MP's Chhatarpur On cam: Goons thrash Dalit youth in MP's Betul A Dalit youth was thrashed in Madhya Pradesh’s Betul. The man was brutally thrashed and forced to squat while holding his ears. A video of the incident has gone viral on social media. Congress leader Jitu Patwari highlighted the plight of the Dalit man. The police have launched a probe into the matter. On cam: Govt employee consumes alcohol at work place in MP's Singrauli On cam: Goons thrash liquor shop employee in MP's Gwalior CCTV: Man thrashed, abducted in Madhya Pradesh's Betul district Fight breaks out between CHC employee and patient in UP's Barabanki Short Videos BJP Orchestrated Attack On Kejriwal During ‘Padyatra’ Campaign: Delhi CM Atishi Your Autistic Child Can Also Make A Difference Your Autistic Child Can Also Make A Difference Kejriwal Questions RSS Over BJP’s 'Dirty' Tactics Against Opposition | Watch Atishi's 1st Statement After Being Picked As Delhi CM; 'Kejriwal Made Biggest Sacrifice' Kejriwal To Give Up CM Residence; AAP's Sanjay Singh Issues Big Warning... Haryana Polls: Vinesh Phogat & Bajrang Punia Join Congress; Sakshi Malik next? Putin's Big Pledge For Russian Speakers In Ukraine; 'Will Fight For...' Ukraine’s Kursk Incursion Has Failed To Achieve Objectives, Declares Putin Putin Says Russia Will Support Kamala Harris In U.S. Elections Related Articles India to assist Iran in exiting FATF blacklist 'That's not enough': Iran's Khamenei calls for death sentence for Israel's Netanyahu and Gallant Hezbollah believed to be using copy of Israeli missile against Israel UN envoy says 'extremely critical' to avoid Syria being dragged into war UN: Iran increased stockpile of uranium enriched to near-weapons-grade levels Iran, Israel among rivals to showcase their arms at Vietnam defence expo Iran's supreme leader Khamenei in coma? His office releases picture to end rumours Ali Khamenei’s son Mojtaba set to take over as Iran's supreme leader: ReportRussia looks to be packing up its helicopters and air defenses at its base in Syria, new satellite images show

ROCKVILLE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 12, 2024-- Argan, Inc. (NYSE: AGX) (“Argan” or the “Company”) today announces that its Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly cash dividend in the amount of $0.375 per common share. The dividend will be payable on January 31, 2025 to stockholders of record at the close of business on January 23, 2025. David Watson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Argan, commented, “We are pleased to declare a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.375 per common share. We remain confident in our business and energized by the strong demand for new projects. “Earlier this week we disclosed via Form 8-K that our subsidiary Gemma Power Systems received a full notice to proceed on an approximately 700 MW combined-cycle natural gas-fired power plant located in the United States. We are seeing a robust pipeline of opportunities as the industry accelerates efforts to build the facilities needed to provide reliable and high-quality power to support the expected significant growth in energy demand. We believe our expertise and well-established reputation as a partner of choice in the power industry position us well as we continue to pursue new opportunities.” About Argan Argan’s primary business is providing a full range of construction and related services to the power industry. Argan’s service offerings focus on the engineering, procurement and construction of natural gas-fired power plants and renewable energy facilities, along with related commissioning, maintenance, project development and technical consulting services, through its Gemma Power Systems and Atlantic Projects Company operations. Argan also owns The Roberts Company, which is a fully integrated industrial construction, fabrication and plant services company, and SMC Infrastructure Solutions, which provides telecommunications infrastructure services. Safe Harbor Statement Certain matters discussed in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Reference is hereby made to the cautionary statements made by the Company with respect to risk factors set forth in its most recent reports on Form 10-K, Forms 10-Q and other SEC filings. The Company’s future financial performance is subject to risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, the successful addition of new contracts to project backlog, the receipt of corresponding notices to proceed with contract activities, the Company’s ability to successfully complete the projects that it obtains, and the Company’s effectiveness in mitigating future losses related to the Kilroot loss contract. Actual results and the timing of certain events could differ materially from those projected in or contemplated by the forward-looking statements due to the risk factors highlighted above and described regularly in the Company’s SEC filings. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241212995447/en/ CONTACT: Company: David Watson 301.315.0027Investor Relations: John Nesbett/Jennifer Belodeau IMS Investor Relations 203.972.9200 argan@imsinvestorrelations.com KEYWORD: MARYLAND EUROPE UNITED STATES UNITED KINGDOM NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: CONSULTING TECHNOLOGY MANUFACTURING CONSTRUCTION & PROPERTY PROFESSIONAL SERVICES TELECOMMUNICATIONS OIL/GAS ALTERNATIVE ENERGY ENERGY ENGINEERING OTHER CONSTRUCTION & PROPERTY SOURCE: Argan, Inc. Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/12/2024 04:45 PM/DISC: 12/12/2024 04:47 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241212995447/enHome | Trump transition recommends scrapping car-crash reporting The Trump transition team wants the incoming administration to drop a car-crash reporting requirement opposed by Elon Musk’s Tesla, according to a document seen by Reuters, a move that could cripple the government’s ability to investigate and regulate the safety of vehicles with automated-driving systems. Musk, the world’s richest person, spent more than a quarter of a billion dollars helping Trump get elected president in November. Removing the crash-disclosure provision would particularly benefit Tesla, which has reported most of the crashes – more than 1 500 – to federal safety regulators under the program. Tesla has been targeted in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigations, including three stemming from the data. The recommendation to kill the crash-reporting rule came from a transition team tasked with producing a 100-day strategy for automotive policy. The group called the measure a mandate for “excessive” data collection, the document seen by Reuters shows. The Trump transition team, Musk and Tesla did not respond to requests for comment. Reuters could not determine what role, if any, Musk may have played in crafting the transition-team recommendations or the likelihood that the administration would enact them. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group representing most major automakers except Tesla, has also criticised the requirement as burdensome. A Reuters analysis of the NHTSA crash data shows Tesla accounted for 40 out of 45 fatal crashes reported to NHTSA through October 15. Among the Tesla crashes NHTSA investigated under the provision were a 2023 fatal accident in Virginia where a driver using the car’s “Autopilot” feature slammed into a tractor-trailer and a California wreck the same year where an Autopiloted Tesla hit a firetruck, killing the driver and injuring four firefighters. NHTSA said in a statement that such data is crucial to evaluating the safety of emerging automated-driving technologies. Two former NHTSA employees said the crash-reporting requirements were pivotal to agency investigations into Tesla’s driver-assistance features that led to 2023 recalls. Without the data, they said, NHTSA cannot easily detect crash patterns that highlight safety problems. NHTSA said it has received and analysed data on more than 2 700 crashes since the agency established the rule in 2021. The data has influenced 10 investigations into six companies, NHTSA said, as well as nine safety recalls involving four different companies. In one example, NHTSA fined Cruise, the self-driving startup owned by General Motors (GM.N), $1.5 million in September for failing to report a 2023 incident in which a vehicle hit and dragged a pedestrian who had been struck by another car. GM this week said Cruise will stop development of self-driving technology. CRASH REPORTING NHTSA’s so-called standing general order requires automakers to report crashes if advanced driver-assistance or autonomous-driving technologies were engaged within 30 seconds of impact, among other factors. In addition to ditching the reporting rule, the recommendations call for the administration to “liberalise” autonomous-vehicle regulation and to enact “basic regulations to enable development” of the industry. In an October Tesla earnings call, Musk called for “a federal approval process for autonomous vehicles,” rather than a patchwork of state laws he called “incredibly painful” to navigate. He said he would use his position as a government-efficiency czar, a post Trump had promised him, to push for such regulatory changes. After the election, Trump named Musk to co-lead a newly created Department of Government Efficiency to advise from “outside government” on slashing federal staff, spending and regulations. MORE DATA, MORE CRASHES Tesla is among the most prominent automakers developing advanced driver-assistance features, which can assist with lane changes, driving speed and steering. Tesla’s Autopilot and “Full Self-Driving” systems, which are not fully autonomous, have come under intense scrutiny in lawsuits and a DOJ criminal probe examining whether Tesla exaggerated its vehicles’ self-driving capabilities, misleading investors and harming consumers. Tesla despises the crash-notification requirement, believing that NHTSA presents the data in ways that mislead consumers about the automaker’s safety, two sources familiar with Tesla executives’ thinking told Reuters. In recent years, Tesla executives discussed with Musk the need to push for scrapping the crash-reporting requirement, according to one of the sources. But because Biden officials expressed enthusiasm for the program, Tesla executives ultimately concluded that they would need a change in administration to get rid of the requirements, according to the source. Tesla finds the rules unfair because it believes it reports better data than other automakers, which makes it look like Tesla is responsible for an outsized number of crashes involving advanced driver-assistance systems, one of the sources said. SABC © 2024After a protracted legal battle — involving dismissals, appeals and extradition from Romania — the co-founder of a California white supremacist group accused of inciting violence across the state will be freed from federal custody, a judge ruled Friday. U.S. District Judge Josephine L. Staton sentenced Robert Paul Rundo to two years but said he would be released on time served. His federal public defender said he’s spent a total of 725 days in custody. Rundo was originally arrested and charged in October 2018 for his role in the Rise Above Movement, or RAM, a group accused of brawling at political rallies throughout the state, according to a federal court filing. A federal court judge twice dismissed the case, but it was revived by appeals courts, leading to Rundo’s extradition from Romania last year to face charges in California. Rundo pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to riot. During the sentencing hearing Friday, Rundo, 34, stood before the judge, arms crossed behind his back. He told the judge that this did not only ruin his own life, “but ruined everyone’s life that was close to me.” He said his mother and sister had to hide photos of him and that old friends lost their careers for being associated with him. “I hope to be able to move on from that time period and that mindset,” Rundo told the judge. “This process has taken nearly a decade out of my life. It’s a strong reminder to think before I speak and to think before I act.” The judge said of Rundo: “Even he sems to acknowledge that the white supremacist views that he had led him to violence.” “The court does have to consider whether his present claim that he in some respects rejects those views is genuine, and I do hope he’s sincere about that, and I think he should be given the benefit of the doubt,” Staton said. Staton gave Rundo two years of supervised release with conditions that include electronic monitoring and an order to stay away from RAM gatherings and known members. In a sentencing memo, Rundo’s public defenders called the case “extremely unusual” and said it “has hung over Mr. Rundo like a dark cloud.” Prosecutors acknowledged in a sentencing memo that years had passed since the criminal conduct in the case but maintained Rundo “has not renounced the violent extremist ideology that motivated that conduct.” “This defendant sought to further his white-supremacist ideology by plotting riots and engaging in violence at political rallies,” U.S. Atty. Martin Estrada said in a statement. “Hate and violence are antithetical to American values and tear at our community. It is therefore critical that we protect the civil and constitutional rights of our community against those who promote divisiveness.” Prosecutors and public defenders laid out Rundo’s path from Queens, N.Y., to co-founder of RAM in Southern California. At 19, Rundo pleaded guilty to gang assault and was sentenced to two years in prison, according to sentencing memos. While incarcerated, prosecutors said, he tattooed the numbers “88” — a neo-Nazi symbol signifying “HH” or “Heil Hitler,” which he later referred to as a “symbols of white pride.” Rundo’s attorneys said he covered up the tattoo several years ago. After he moved to California in 2016, Rundo’s attorneys wrote that he found a new community among members of the “alt right” and went on to co-found RAM. According to Rundo’s plea agreement, the group “represented itself as a fighting group of a new nationalist white supremacy and identity movement.” “While their views would be described as militant, white nationalist, racist, and “alt right,” it should be remembered that Mr. Rundo is not charged with a hate crime,” Rundo’s attorneys wrote in their memo. Rundo and other members attended rallies “with the intent to provoke and engage in violent physical conflicts,” according to the plea agreement. Rundo admitted to attending a Huntington Beach rally on March 25, 2016, where he and others “pursued and assaulted” people, including one protester he tackled and punched multiple times. Rundo also admitted to attending two other rallies, one in Berkeley on April 15, 2017, and another in San Bernardino on June 10, 2017, according to the agreement. Rundo was originally charged and arrested in October 2018, alongside two other alleged members, Boman and Tyler Laube of Redondo Beach. Judge Cormac J. Carney at least twice dismissed charges against Rundo and Boman, at one point finding that the men were being selectively prosecuted, while “far-left extremist groups, such as Antifa” were not. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in July rejected that finding.

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Andrej Stojakovic converted 11 of 15 from the free throw line and scored 20 points as California held off a late rally to post an 83-77 win over Sacramento State in the Cal Classic tournament on Sunday. Cal came into its tournament without three starters, Jovan Blacksher Jr., DJ Campbell and BJ Omot and the Golden Bears earned back-to-back wins over Air Force and the Hornets. Stojakovic scored a career-high 21 points and freshman guard Jeremiah Wilkinson stepped up with career-best 23 points against the Falcons. Against Sacramento State, Wilkinson came off the bench to score 16 points. Sacramento State took an early 12-7 lead after Emil Skytta hit a pair of free throws five minutes into the game, but Wilkinson hit back-to-back buckets and Stojakovic drew a foul on a three-point attempt and hit all three foul shots to take a 14-12 lead and the Bears pulled away to take a 40-33 lead at intermission. Julian Vaughns knocked down a trey three minutes into the second half to pull Sacramento State even at 43 and his free throw put the Hornets in front. Ryan Petraitis and Wilkinson hit back-to-back 3-pointers to put Cal up 51-47 and the Bears never trailed the rest of the way. Petraitis finished with 13 points, five assists and three steals for Cal (5-1). Joshua Ola-Joseph and Mady Sissoko each added 10 points. Jacob Holt scored 25 points with eight rebounds, two assists and a steal to lead Sacramento State (1-4). Vaughns scored 18 points and EJ Neal added 16. The game was just the third meeting between schools separated by roughly 80 miles, and first since 1992. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball