Moldova's Prime Minister, Dorin Recean, has denounced Russia's halt in the gas supply to the breakaway Moldovan region of Transdniestria, a move that threatens to leave many residents without basic utilities like power and heat. Recean took to Facebook to express his condemnation, accusing Russia of wielding energy as a political weapon to exert pressure. In his message, Recean disclosed that Moldova is now weighing its legal options, which could include pursuing international arbitration to challenge the energy cut-off. (With inputs from agencies.)The Ducks were on to Ottawa, rambling by rail to face the Senators on Wednesday after picking up a point from a shootout loss in Montreal on Monday. They’ll remain in the province of Ontario on Thursday for the final leg of a two-games-in-two-nights challenge that’ll pit them against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Despite Monday’s debut of trade acquisition Jacob Trouba (five hits, one shot on goal), the Ducks have been winless in their past three games and gone 2-4-2 since their best five-game stretch of the year (4-1-0). They nearly slammed the brakes on their current skid in a tightly contested battle with Montreal that gave way to a lopsided shootout in which the Habs went two-for-two while the Ducks failed to score at all. Troy Terry’s attempt was stopped to cement the result, and he also pinged the crossbar late in overtime after scoring his team-topping seventh and eight goals of the season in regulation. “I felt good tonight so I was hoping that I could get it done,” Terry told reporters, before he praised the Ducks’ overarching effort in a game as lively as its Original-Six atmosphere. “That’s just kind of the way it goes.” The way it’s gone for the Ducks, again, is that their schedule has been packed with white-knuckled, bitten-nail affairs. Exactly half of their 108 outings under second-year coach Greg Cronin have been either one-goal games or matches that had a one-goal margin late before an empty-netter or two was tacked onto the score. Half of their 16 defeats this season have come by just one goal, including four in either overtime or a shootout. They’ve also won eight games either by one goal or after leading by a goal before finding the back of an empty net. Last season, 38 of their outcomes were determined either by one goal or that margin plus an empty-net tally (or, as in the case of their win over Carolina, two empty-netters). They dropped 24 decisions by either a goal or two goals with a late empty-netter, while winning only 14 such contests en route to a franchise record 50 regulation defeats. Their next overtime loss will already equal their total from all of last season (five). While the Ducks have found a way to win – and somehow also play in – more tight games this season, the number of close losses highlights their lack of offensive pop as well as the sporadic quality of their overall game. Stretches and periods have been nearly ideal, but seldom has a full hour of game action gone smoothly. “The first period was one of the best periods we’ve played,” Cronin told reporters after the Montreal game. “It kind of resembled the way we’ve been playing when we’re winning.” The Ducks have hardly been alone in trying to create consistent momentum. Ottawa was one of eight teams in the Eastern Conference that’s within two points of .500, in one direction or the other, entering Tuesday’s schedule. After losing five straight games, the Senators reeled off a 4-1-1 spurt that included a shootout loss to the Ducks at Honda Center on Dec. 1. Most recently, they lost 4-2 to the New York Islanders. Tim Stützle leads the Sens in assists (24) and points (34), while captain Brady Tkachuk’s 13 goals, including two against the Ducks, kept him atop the team leaderboard. Mitch Marner tops Toronto (16-9-2) in scoring by a full 10 points, in part because Auston Matthews missed nearly a month with an upper-body injury for which he sought treatment in Germany. Matthews has three goals and seven points in four games since returning to the Leafs’ lineup. Ducks at Ottawa When: 4:30 p.m. Wednesday Where: Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa, Ontario How to watch: Victory+, KCOP (Ch. 13) Ducks at Toronto When: 4 p.m. Thursday Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario How to watch: Victory+
The annual Northeast Epidemiology Conference , hosted in November by the New Jersey Department of Health, was a gathering of state epidemiologists and public health professionals from nine states and New York City. The conference occurred two days after the national election. Many present were worried about ongoing funding for public health. All of the programs have state funding, but, on average, 80% of state and local public health funding comes from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Besides personnel, this funding also supports systems to track illness and identify outbreaks. The group shared information on outbreak investigations and strategies to limit infectious and chronic diseases. Among outbreaks investigated this year were toxoplasmosis parasitic illness acquired at venison dinners in New York State; rising hospitalizations for leptospirosis in New York City, likely linked to rat urine; and eastern equine encephalitis , a mosquito-borne virus appearing in most northeastern and New England states. All states are bracing for possible bird flu in cows, with Massachusetts having established a monthly survey system for all of its dairy farms. The young, bright, enthusiastic professionals at the conference are part of our “invisible shield” of protection. Pathogens do not care about political party affiliation or race and ethnicity. While some neighborhoods are more protected than others from some pathogens, no place is fully safe. Parasites and viruses can become “tiny terrorists,” threatening our health and survival. Epidemiologists track their location, pattern of attack, and find ways to eliminate or reduce the source of the threat. This summer, the U.S. House Appropriations Committee released a Fiscal 2025 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies appropriations bill proposing substantial cuts to public health funding for personnel, training, testing and research. The bill, H.R. 9029, has not yet been acted on by the full House. Ongoing support for these services is essential for our health and is a bipartisan concern. Whatever your political perspective, I urge you to contact your representatives in Washington, urging support for public health. Pauline Thomas, M.D. Note: The writer is a professor and the director of the Training Program in Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Rutgers Health-New Jersey Medical School. The ‘Big Lie’ gets new life The so-called “Big Lie” that Donald Trump won the 2020 election — now in multiple variations — is back in our public life with a new vengeance. Although some people may dismiss them as “just talk” that won’t be acted upon, the lie and its derivatives have real consequences for people and institutions that are targeted: Individuals can be hounded, hurt financially, or even killed, as on Jan. 6, 2021. As everyone now sees, Trump’s claim that he “knew nothing” about the alleged far-right blueprint for his second term, Project 2025, looks to be false. The president-elect just designated Russell Vought, a major Project 2025 co-author, as director of his Office of Management and Budget. Trump’s current nominee for attorney general, Pam Biondi, has actively supported the original election lie that led to the Jan. 6 insurrection. And, Trump’s billionaire supporter, Elon Musk, is targeting retired Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the patriot who blew the whistle on Trump’s attempt to shake down the Ukrainian president for political gain. Musk has called Vindman guilty of treason, which, under U.S. law, can be punishable by death. The national media, unfortunately, continues to do a poor job by simply reporting untrue statements, thus accepting them at face value, and leaving the public to make up their minds. However, we cannot function as a democracy if we accept our public arena as an environment for lies and self-serving manipulation, with no commitment to the greater good. This stokes cynicism, confusion, and passivity from citizens. We’ve seen such behavior in nations which were, and are, under authoritarian leaders. It’s not a future that any of us should want for our country. Steven Lestition, Lawrenceville Big Brother is watching you on the bridge If you drive frequently between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, you’ll want to be more careful than usual about your driving. Earlier this year, the Delaware River Port Authority announced that it would allow the New Jersey State Police to install a new generation of high-speed, digital license-plate reading cameras at its four bridges, the Betsy Ross, Benjamin Franklin, Walt Whitman and Commodore Barry. These cameras are not just an aid for toll collection; they can catch speeders and reckless drivers, and help police identify drivers with non-bridge, unpaid traffic violations. Automatic license plate scanners are becoming popular in law enforcement and can often be found on police cars, road signs and other structures. Historically in New Jersey, traffic violations and deadly accidents are at their peak from the Thanksgiving holiday to New Year’s Day. Drive as though your life depends on it — because it does. Ed Vreeswyk, Yardville A mistake to thwart Trump’s nominees Political pundits, Democrats and some Republicans are making a terrible mistake trying to thwart some of President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees for high government offices, such as secretary of defense and the directors of national intelligence and the FBI. Of course, Pete Hegseth , Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel , respectively, are woefully unqualified for those posts, in terms of both morality and competence. But, the Senate needs to confirm these horrendous choices. Only then will Americans realize, maybe, how much harm a second Trump presidency can inflict on America and its world standing. Hopefully, that lesson will be painful enough so that the electorate never makes such a mistake again. Yes, it will be difficult to endure the hardships we are likely to face. But the most compelling way for a child to learn not to touch a hot stove is, unfortunately, to touch a hot stove. Ouch! Rudy Larini, Somerset When Biden said, ‘no’ to pardon, he meant it I am so tired of the attacks against President Joe Biden for pardoning his son Hunter. The reasons are many, but I won’t bother going over them. Here’s my main reason for writing: When the president promised earlier to abide by the decision of the courts in his son’s criminal cases, and not pardon him, I think he meant it. At that time, I’m sure Joe Biden did not believe Donald Trump would again be elected president and nominate the likes of Kash Patel to head the FBI, as well as other cronies who’ve vowed to weaponize the Department of Justice against of all Trump’s “enemies within.” They’re poised to continue to hunt Hunter to get back at the president, as well as other Democrats, for whatever crimes against their dear leader they’ve imagined. Under these new circumstances, you cannot blame President Biden for pardoning his one and only surviving son. Get off his case and let the man retire in peace. Karen Banda, Bloomfield A special thanks to newspaper carriers We have been subscribers to The Times of Trenton since 1986. (Yes, we’re that old). Since publication of the print version is slated to cease in February, we’d like to send a huge “thank you” to all of the newspaper carriers who have made our daily deliveries over these almost four decades. We started with boys and girls delivering on their bikes and coming to the door to collect payment every week, to men and women driving by in their vehicles, with payment being made online. But the service has always been excellent, on time and covered with protective plastic, even through rain, hail, sleet and snow. We have always included tips in our payments and for Christmas recognition, and I urge those that who are still getting home delivery to do the same, whether or not you have done so in the past. It’s your last chance to show your appreciation. Unfortunately, some of these carriers are losing an important source of income and, at the very least, it would be a nice way to end an invisible, but very appreciated, relationship. RECOMMENDED • nj .com Who would Trump FBI nominee Kash Patel target? He compiled a lengthy list Dec. 2, 2024, 1:22 p.m. Trump loyalist mulled paying piles of cash for tweets to help him land dream cabinet job Dec. 5, 2024, 2:43 p.m. Rochelle Clerkin, Hamilton Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com The Star-Ledger/NJ.com encourages submissions of opinion . Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion . Follow us on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and on Facebook at NJ.com Opinion . Get the latest news updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com’s newsletters .Find the links between the words to win today's game of Connections. Looking for Sunday’s Connections hints and answers instead? You can find them here: Hey there! Welcome to the start of a new week. I hope you’re well rested and raring to go. I’m going to go with a double recommendation today, and I’ll drop the first one right here. Sabrina Carpenter’s Netflix Christmas special is very good, but the obvious highlight is her duet with Chappell Roan. They both have great voices and it’s little surprise that they harmonize wonderfully. And, no, this doesn’t count as you losing Whamageddon since it’s a cover. Today’s NYT Connections hints and answers for Monday, December 9, are coming right up. How To Play Connections FBI Warns iPhone, Android Users—Change WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Signal Apps What To Know About The UnitedHealthcare CEO Murder—As NYPD Releases New Photos Of Suspect iOS 18.2 Release Date: iPhone’s New Upgrade Is Hours Away Connections is a free, popular New York Times daily word game. You get a new puzzle at midnight every day. You can play on the NYT website or Games app. You’re presented with a grid of 16 words. Your task is to arrange them into four groups of four by figuring out the links between them. The groups could be things like items you can click, names for research study participants or words preceded by a body part. There’s only one solution for each puzzle, and you’ll need to be careful when it comes to words that might fit into more than one category. You can shuffle the words to perhaps help you see links between them. Each group is color coded. The yellow group is usually the easiest to figure out, blue and green fall in the middle, and the purple group is usually the most difficult one. The purple group often involves wordplay. Select four words you think go together and press Submit. If you make a guess and you’re incorrect, you’ll lose a life. If you’re close to having a correct group, you might see a message telling you that you’re one word away from getting it right, but you’ll still need to figure out which one to swap. If you make four mistakes, it’s game over. Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen with the help of some hints, and, if you’re really struggling, today’s Connections answers. As with Wordle and other similar games, it’s easy to share results with your friends on social media and group chats. If you have an NYT All Access or Games subscription, you can access the publication’s Connections archive. This includes every previous game of Connections , so you can go back and play any of those that you have missed. Aside from the first 60 games or so, you should be able to find my hints for each grid via Google if you need them! Just click here and add the date of the game for which you need clues or the answers to the search query. What Are Today’s Connections Hints? Scroll slowly! Just after the hints for each of today’s Connections groups, I’ll reveal what the groups are without immediately telling you which words go into them. Today’s 16 words are... And the hints for today’s Connections groups are: What Are Today’s Connections Groups? Need some extra help? Be warned: we’re starting to get into spoiler territory. Today’s Connections groups are... What Are Today’s Connections Answers? Spoiler alert! Don’t scroll any further down the page until you’re ready to find out today’s Connections answers. This is your final warning! Today’s Connections answers are... Ooh, that's more like it. Two perfect games in a row. And my streak is now up to 12 wins. Here's how I fared: 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟦🟦🟦🟦 🟪🟪🟪🟪 This was an easier grid than it seemed at first glance. After a few moments of thought, I was able to zip through the grid. LIGHTER and MAGNIFYING GLASS opened up the greens for me, with the remaining two being clear enough. I decided to go with that Prodigy clue even before it clicked that the name of the singer was Keith Flint (RIP). With MAGNIFYING GLASS out of consideration, REFLECTION had to go with the yellows. I found the blue group fairly straightforward as well, albeit with some slight hesitation over the inclusion of STAIN. Then when, I saw the remaining four words, the connection was blindingly obvious. That’s all there is to it for today’s Connections clues and answers. Be sure to check my blog for hints and the solution for Tuesday’s game if you need them. P.S. There's a new Indiana Jones game out today (at least for those who didn't pay extra for early access). I haven't hopped in yet, but to mark the game's release, I thought I'd shine a spotlight on my favorite Indiana Jones-related thing. Back in the '80s, a group of kids set out to remake Raiders of the Lost Ar k shot-for-shot. It took them seven years — their entire adolescence — to make. Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation was also shot out of sequence, so the actors appear at different ages throughout the film. One scene they weren't able to pull off in the '80s was an aircraft explosion, but they were finally able to raise the funds to do that decades later. The film is charming as heck and you can check out the first 10 minutes below. If you're interested in watching the whole thing, it's $10 to buy on Vimeo : Have a great day! Call someone you love! If you’re so inclined, please do follow my blog for more coverage of Connections and other word games and even some video game news, insights and analysis. It helps me out a lot! Also, follow me on Bluesky ! It’s fun there.ROSEN, GLOBAL INVESTOR COUNSEL, Encourages PACS Group Inc. Investors to Secure Counsel Before ...
NFL odds, lines, picks, spreads, bets, predictions, what to bet for Week 12, 2024: Model eyeing Bears, EaglesWhat did you Google in 2024? From the elections to Copa América, here's what search trends showMayor-elect Daniel Lurie names a philanthropist and five key City Hall staffers
NBA hand out suspensions after fracas in PhoenixOn this "Face the Nation" broadcast, moderated by Margaret Brennan: Rep. Mike Turner , Republican of Ohio Business executive Frank McCourt Mouaz Moustafa , executive director for the Syrian Emergency Task Force, and Andrew Boyd , former director of the CIA's Center for Cyber Intelligence Reps. Mike Kelly , Republican of Pennsylvania, and Jason Crow , Democrat of Colorado Click here to browse full transcripts of "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan." MARGARET BRENNAN: I'm Margaret Brennan in Washington. And this week on Face the Nation: There is breaking news overnight, as Syrian rebels overthrow dictator Bashar al-Assad's regime. What are the implications for the Middle East and American security? Syrian rebels swept into the capital city of Damascus today with breakneck speed, finally toppling the brutal al-Assad regime after 13 years of civil war. It's a conflict that former and soon-to-be-President again Donald Trump is familiar with. He wants bomb Assad's military to punish him for using chemical weapons and then ordered U.S. troops out of Syria six years ago. Trump spent Saturday reconnecting with U.S. allies in Paris. (Begin VT) DONALD TRUMP (Former President of the United States (R) and Current U.S. President-Elect): It certainly seems like the world is going a little crazy right now. (End VT) MARGARET BRENNAN: We will have the latest from the region and we will talk to the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Ohio Republican Mike Turner. Then: Following the congressional task force investigation into security failures leading to the assassination attempts of Donald Trump earlier this year... (Begin VT) REPRESENTATIVE MIKE KELLY (R-Pennsylvania): At every step of the way, they failed. (End VT) MARGARET BRENNAN: ... top investigators Pennsylvania Republican Mike Kelly and Colorado Democrat Jason Crow will give us their findings on how to fix the Secret Service. Finally: With the future of controversial social media giant TikTok in doubt, we will hear from a potential buyer. It's all just ahead on Face the Nation. Good morning, and welcome to Face the Nation. For the first time in 54 years, the al-Assad family is no longer ruling Syria. (Begin VT) (SHOUTING) (End VT) MARGARET BRENNAN: Rebels who'd been fighting government forces for 13 years swept through Syria in two weeks, capturing Damascus, taking the Syrian people and the world by surprise. Dictator Bashar al-Assad appears to have fled the country. And we are reminded this morning of the horrors from his reign of terror. His brutal suppression of anti-regime protests in 2011 sparked the world's largest refugee crisis. Since then, the mass atrocities became too numerous to detail, the death toll impossible to tally, including due to the regime's use of chemical weapons against civilians. Assad dared to test whether America and the world would stop him, something then-President Obama chose not to do militarily, even after he crossed that so-called red line. Here's our Bob Schieffer's report on Assad's chemical weapon attack from 2013. (Begin VT) BOB SCHIEFFER: The death toll in what appears to be a poison gas attack in the Syrian civil war continues to rise. By some estimates, as many as 1,800 people may have been killed. Rebels blame the Syrian government, which continues to deny any responsibility. Whoever is responsible, perhaps nothing can better help us understand the horror of Syria than this video of a mother telling her small child goodbye, almost as if she is hugging her good night and tucking her into bed. (End VT) MARGARET BRENNAN: President-elect Donald Trump met Saturday with French President Emmanuel Macron, as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is lobbying for more aid from the U.S. and NATO allies in his country's war with Russia. In a post on his TRUTH Social Web site early this morning, Mr. Trump blamed Assad's defeat on the entanglements of his allies, saying Russia lost all interest in Syria because of Ukraine, and, along with Iran, Russia is in a – quote – "weakened state" right now. Trump called for an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine, saying that Zelenskyy and Ukraine wanted to make a deal to stop the madness. We begin our coverage today with our Imtiaz Tyab reporting from the Turkish-Syrian border. (Begin VT) (SHOUTING) IMTIAZ TYAB (voice-over): Scenes like this would have been unthinkable just one week ago, Syrian rebels in the heart of Damascus celebrating the fall of the regime, with the whereabouts of President Bashar al-Assad unknown, as people wept for joy in the streets... (MAN SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) IMTIAZ TYAB: ... shouting "Freedom." (MAN SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) IMTIAZ TYAB: Some rebels appeared on state TV to announce Assad's removal. His stunning defeat was at the hands of an alliance of armed groups who launched a lightning-fast offensive seemingly out of nowhere, and who faced little resistance from the Syrian army. The rebel forces say they have now – quote – "fully liberated" a number of major cities. And they have also emptied prisons filled with those who dared to stand up against Assad's rule during the country's nearly-14-year civil war, a war that, up until now, had seemed frozen, even forgotten. But as the statues and monuments to the Assad dynasty continue to be pulled to the ground, the family's blood-soaked half-century of authoritarian rule passed from father to son is now over. Ten years ago, at the height of the civil war, which was born out of the Arab Spring uprisings... (MAN SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) IMTIAZ TYAB: ... Assad was then just barely clinging to power. But Russia and Iran, along with Lebanon's powerful Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia, came to his rescue and tipped the war firmly in his favor through a punishing campaign of well-documented war crimes, including indiscriminate airstrikes and chemical weapons attacks, a brutality against his own people that's hard to fathom. But Russia is now preoccupied with its war in Ukraine. Hezbollah's leadership has been decapitated after a year of bitter fighting with Israel. And Iran along with its other proxies have also been degraded by Israeli strikes. Assad's 24-year rule looks unlikely to be rescued or resurrected, ushering a new, but deeply uncertain era for Syria. (End VT) IMTIAZ TYAB: And a key leader of Syria's armed opposition, Abu Mohammad al-Golani, who belongs to a group known as Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, which used to be aligned with al Qaeda, has forbid anyone to go near the buildings housing Syria's state institutions, signaling the rebels want to support a peaceful transition of power. But the power vacuum left by Bashar al-Assad is enormous, Margaret. And the fear is, these groups could soon turn on each other and begin a new, perhaps even darker chapter in this already ugly civil war. MARGARET BRENNAN: That's Imtiaz Tyab reporting from the Turkish-Syrian border. And we're joined now by the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Ohio Congressman Mike Turner. Just a stunning turn of events within such a short period of time. The U.S. doesn't have a diplomatic presence inside of Syria. Our visibility is a little limited here. What is it that you think Americans need to know about this turn of events? REPRESENTATIVE MIKE TURNER (R-Ohio): Well, Margaret, that was an excellent report, because you certainly laid the groundwork of this has been an incredibly brutal civil war with hundreds of thousands of people dying, including the use of chemical weapons, and, of course, reminding people that the Obama administration had said this would be a red line, that we would use military force to stop the use of chemical weapons, then failing to do so. This is a – an Islamic militia that has risen up and has continued and now is successfully toppling the Assad regime. As your report indicated, it's al Qaeda in its origins, but it opposes ISIS. It is Turkish-backed. This is a blow to Iran, a blow to Russia. We're seeing what is likely a disintegration in – in Syria. The big questions will be, what does this mean for the U.S.? What does it mean for Iran, Russia, the neighbors of Israel and Jordan, which are strong allies of the United States? MARGARET BRENNAN: So, you mentioned there and we showed the picture of Abu Mohammad al-Golani. He is the leader of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, people call HTS. You're going to hear a lot about that in the coming days and weeks, the rebel group that appears to be taking control. But they are working also with the prime minister. The United States government has a ten million bounty on the head of Jolani. Do you think the United States still should keep that? Should Americans be concerned that this will mean something in terms of impact for terror threats to the United States? REPRESENTATIVE MIKE TURNER: Well, this is a terrorist organization and group, but this is not going to be just a passing of power and authority. It could be. We'll have to, obviously, watch that. You know, one of the things that we do see here, though, is, this is a diplomatic failure with respect to the United States and Turkey. You know, the U.S. has troops in Syria. This is on the border of Turkey. Turkey is a NATO ally. The United States is working with the Kurds. This really could have been an opportunity for the United States to work to try to resolve the issue between the Kurds, Turkey and the United States and working with Turkish interests in Syria. Hopefully, this could be an opportunity where there could be a diplomatic support there that hopefully could have – you know, help in this transition in Syria. MARGARET BRENNAN: There are 900 U.S. troops in Syria in the South. Donald Trump in 2019 pulled U.S. troops out of Northern Syria, abandoning our allies there. Do you believe he will stand by the 900 U.S. troops that remain there, or should he consider pulling them out when he takes office? REPRESENTATIVE MIKE TURNER: Well, I think, you know, one of the things that Donald Trump will make clear is, is that any threat to U.S. troops will be unbelievably responded to. So, everyone should understand, absolutely, that the United States troops are to be secure. The second thing is, is, he does absolutely support the Kurds and that he's going to look for a diplomatic solution. I think there will be an assessment as to whether or not those troops should remain. But it's – you know, I think, here, there is an opportunity for the parties, especially now that Iran and Russia's roles are going to be diminished – diminished. They have been brutal in their support with Assad, the hundreds of thousands of people, including use of chemical weapons, that have been killed have been under the Russian influence there. Russia still has two bases, a naval and air force base there, that are going to be, you know, both at risk for Russia, but also a risk to the population of Syria, because they could – they have been used before to attack the Syrian population. We'll have to see what Russia does there. But this is going to be an area that's going to be highly volatile and in transition. MARGARET BRENNAN: And no idea where Bashar al-Assad might have fled to? REPRESENTATIVE MIKE TURNER: No, not at this time. MARGARET BRENNAN: I want to ask you, since we're talking about the incoming administration. Donald Trump has chosen Tulsi Gabbard, the former congresswoman, a former Democrat, now Republican, to be the director of national intelligence, overseeing 18 intelligence agencies. She not only went and met with Assad. She publicly doubted high-confidence assessments by U.S. intelligence that he did what we showed you pictures of him doing, using chemical weapons there. Do you trust that she could actually represent the intelligence community, lead it and be trusted to brief the commander in chief? REPRESENTATIVE MIKE TURNER: Well, I obviously differ in a great deal in a number of areas with both her judgment and – and her background and experience. But what I do trust is the... MARGARET BRENNAN: You're smiling when you're saying this. REPRESENTATIVE MIKE TURNER: ... is the Senate – is the Senate's process. And I think the – the senators are going to put her through a process. She has been nominated. She will go through the process, and I think there will be significant debate and evaluation. I think... MARGARET BRENNAN: You don't think she'll be confirmed? REPRESENTATIVE MIKE TURNER: ... that Donald Trump has put together in his last term, and I think he will in this term, a great national security team. I think CIA Director Ratcliffe, I think Mike Waltz as national security director... MARGARET BRENNAN: Mm-hmm. REPRESENTATIVE MIKE TURNER: ... are both great examples of people who are going to be foundational. MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. REPRESENTATIVE MIKE TURNER: And I think you're going to see a great national security team. MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, this is a community that you also have oversight of. So you may not vote in the Senate, but it sounds like she doesn't have your confidence. What about Pete Hegseth to run the Pentagon at a time of global instability? REPRESENTATIVE MIKE TURNER: Yes, I think – I think the chairman of the Armed Services in the Senate has made a great statement. He said, we certainly support the process, and he has his support going through the process, and we'll have to see how that goes through. One thing that is absolutely clear is that the Pentagon needs reform. We are not keeping pace with what Russia and China are doing in advanced weapon systems. MARGARET BRENNAN: Mm-hmm. REPRESENTATIVE MIKE TURNER: At the same time, we're seeing the weapon systems of advanced technology that are being utilized on the battlefield of Ukraine, and our acquisition systems and our accounting systems, our spending systems are not working at the Pentagon. MARGARET BRENNAN: That requires experience. REPRESENTATIVE MIKE TURNER: We need reform. We need reform. Someone has to be able to lead that, and that's going to be the debate in the Senate. MARGARET BRENNAN: I love when I ask congresspeople, and they just keep reminding me that they don't sit in the Senate and don't want to comment. I sense some – some uncertainty there on your part, but I don't want to put words in your mouth. I want to ask you, though, about what is ticking down in Congress right now. And that is something – there's a scramble at the end of this year to get a bunch of work done. Your Democratic colleague in the Senate Mark Warner, said: "It is an urgent priority to address cybersecurity gaps in these final weeks." Is it a priority for you to do something because of this massive breach by China of U.S. telecom? REPRESENTATIVE MIKE TURNER: You know, one thing that's – that's very disappointing and we've seen from this administration, this malaise of – or this stasis of where they're unable to move as a result of the president unable to make a decision. Here, we have this massive breach, this hack that has occurred from China, but we're hearing nothing from the president himself, no action from this administration as to what their – what consequences there will be. This is not – doesn't need just a technological fix. This needs also a diplomatic fix, a nation-to-nation consequences to China. You know, in the Obama administration... MARGARET BRENNAN: What would consequences look like? REPRESENTATIVE MIKE TURNER: In the Obama administration, China hacked the personnel management system of the U.S. government, and there were no consequences. And now we're seeing China hack the entire system of the nation. MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. REPRESENTATIVE MIKE TURNER: There needs to be consequences. They can be economic. They can be in a number of ways. But, right now, we have zero. We have nothing coming out of the administration. What need – we need to be talking about is not, technologically, how do we fix this... MARGARET BRENNAN: Mm-hmm. REPRESENTATIVE MIKE TURNER: ... but how do we address – which is what Donald Trump is doing, is coming in and saying, China is our most – gravest threat. How do we address the fact that China is aggressively attacking the United States? And they're doing that in our telecom. MARGARET BRENNAN: Question for the incoming administration to pick that up. Thank you, Chair Turner. Face the Nation will be back in a minute. Stay with us. (ANNOUNCEMENTS) MARGARET BRENNAN: For some analysis on the events unfolding in the Middle East, we're joined now by Andrew Boyd, a CBS News contributor who previously held leadership positions at the CIA and once served in Damascus as a Foreign Service officer, and Mouaz Moustafa, the executive director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force. Welcome back to Face the Nation. Mouaz, I want to start with you. You have been involved with the Syrian opposition for well over a decade. Help us understand what it means to see the regime fall. MOUAZ MOUSTAFA (Executive Director, Syrian Emergency Task Force): It's an indescribable feeling of happiness that this regime, this dictator who has made the worst crimes of the 21st century, alongside Russia and Iran and ISIS, all of these horrible people have been defeated by a coalition of rebel forces that did not need any support from any outside country, not Turkey, not Qatar, not anyone. This time around, Syria was liberated by its people for its people. And it's truly inspiring. And it's not just good reverberations for Syria, for the Middle East and Europe as well. MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, there's a lot of uncertainty as to what this all means. Andy, you have watched this region very closely for some time. At this hour, none of the officials that I have spoken with in regional governments, in the U.S. government seem to know where Bashar al-Assad even went. Does it matter where he went? ANDREW BOYD: Mouaz may differ on this one. I don't think it does now that the government has fallen. I do think what unfolds over the next couple of weeks and, if the opposition actually treats all of the factions in Syria with dignity and respect and ensures their safety, we will have more understanding, because there's a lot of atrocities that were carried out by the Assad regime. Those people are probably still in Syria. And so we will see how that goes. MARGARET BRENNAN: A fair point. The people who worked within the regime, they're still there? ANDREW BOYD: The Syrian military intelligence, the military – the other intelligence services, Syrian General Intelligence Directorate, I mean, have a lot of blood on their hands. So... MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. And I know that you personally, Mouaz, were involved in smuggling out documented evidence of some of the torture, of the mass atrocities, the systematic, institutionalized violence that happened from some of those prisons. You brought it to Congress. You made it public. What do you think we can learn now as those billing – buildings are being seized by rebels? MOUAZ MOUSTAFA: Well, the first thing that we are working really hard, and I can tell you all the rebel factions are working really hard to do, is find Austin Tice and hopefully bring him home, God willing, now back to this family. MARGARET BRENNAN: An American journalist who once worked at CBS News for some time, a Marine veteran. MOUAZ MOUSTAFA: And he's a hero. He went to cover the plight of the Syrian people from what Assad, Iran and Russia have been doing to them. And, God willing, we bring him home alive. But we need to find him and bring him to his mom, no matter what. And the Syrians owe him a debt forever. And, also, other Americans that are undeclared, and freeing Syrians from prisons is something that's really important. But the collection of that intelligence, as well as the Hezbollah, Iranian, Russian, Assad regime, any officials that have been arrested by the Syrian people, again, without any support of the international community or regional countries, who actually worked to try to save Assad, that is valuable. That's valuable to the United States. That's why we need to engage with this new emerging government that, God willing, is the path to democracy. The only Arab country in the world... MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. MOUAZ MOUSTAFA: ... with the hope of being a democracy is Syria. That's incredible. MARGARET BRENNAN: That's a big promise to make. MOUAZ MOUSTAFA: It's not a promise. It's hope that's realistic. MARGARET BRENNAN: Or hope. Hope. Andy, but the – right now, the person we're seeing emerge, we showed him in Umayyad Mosque... (CROSSTALK) MARGARET BRENNAN: ... hugely symbolic place to come and make a speech in Damascus, is this leader of a terrorist group designated, by the United States as a terrorist... ANDREW BOYD: Correct. Correct. MARGARET BRENNAN: ... $10 million bounty on his head. ANDREW BOYD: Correct. MARGARET BRENNAN: What does that signify to you? ANDREW BOYD: Well, as Congressman Turner said, it's not going to be an easy process to undesignate Abu Mohammad al-Jolani. MARGARET BRENNAN: You – which means the U.S. can't talk to him. ANDREW BOYD: The U.S. can't talk to him. I mean, we can accommodate some sort of flexibility there, but he's not going to instantly come off the designation list. So, I mean, we will see. I mean, you have said that – that he's going to respect all the factions, the Druze, the Christian, even the Shia and Alawi, who are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Syrians. MOUAZ MOUSTAFA: I'm speaking by his actions, not by his words. ANDREW BOYD: Right. MOUAZ MOUSTAFA: Well, Aleppo, et cetera – you could talk to the bishop of Aleppo, but, yes, absolutely. ANDREW BOYD: But – but time will tell. I mean, I'm a born skeptic, as a lot of my colleagues at the agency are. We will see. MARGARET BRENNAN: Go ahead, Mouaz. MOUAZ MOUSTAFA: Yes. MARGARET BRENNAN: Tell us who is in this. You talked about it as a coalition, not just HTS. Who are these people who now seem to be in control of Syria? MOUAZ MOUSTAFA: Sure. First of all, since the whole world is boiling down the whole Syrian revolution to one faction of a coalition, or, let's say, even one person within a faction of that coalition, let's discuss that. Why was HTS put on the terrorist list? It was put on a terrorist list over an older version called Jabhat al-Nusra that had a loose affiliation with al Qaeda... MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. MOUAZ MOUSTAFA: ... not a transnational or regional terrorist thing, but an inter-Islamist whatever. I don't agree with any... ANDREW BOYD: But, Mouaz, I think Margaret's talking also as a person, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani. I mean, he was in al Qaeda in Iraq. He worked for Abu Musab al Zarqawi. He spent several years in Bucca prison as a detainee. So we're also – we're talking HTS, Jabhat al-Nusra, but also him as a person. He's designated... (CROSSTALK) MOUAZ MOUSTAFA: Sure, let's talk about him as a person. But what's hilarious about this is, right now, as millions of Syrians come back from Europe and are ready to come back home, as people have not been displaced and there has been zero reports of violations – and I was on the phone with the bishop of Aleppo. The reason I was on the phone is that President Trump and people in President Trump's camp were concerned about the Christians in Syria. Of course, there's so much focus on – any time there's something, terrorist, terrorist. MARGARET BRENNAN: Right. MOUAZ MOUSTAFA: And what ended up happening is, the bishop of Aleppo said, sir, first, it's the coalition of groups, including HTS. MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. MOUAZ MOUSTAFA: And we have had electricity more now than we have under the regime, and our only fear is Russian airstrikes. So I'm glad that President Trump still – still... MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. MOUAZ MOUSTAFA: ... told Russia what it should do. MARGARET BRENNAN: Right. MOUAZ MOUSTAFA: Get out of Syria. And it has done so. MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, we will be watching to see whether that continues to be the case and what transpires and what it means... (CROSSTALK) MOUAZ MOUSTAFA: One – one last thing, Margaret. It's really important. MARGARET BRENNAN: I have to go. I'm so sorry. MOUAZ MOUSTAFA: Al Qaeda in Syria is HoR. MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. MOUAZ MOUSTAFA: It's the affiliate. And HTS has defeated it and defeated ISIS. The old designation is kind of irrelevant. MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. Well, we will be watching this developing story. And we will be right back. (ANNOUNCEMENTS) MARGARET BRENNAN: Tonight on 60 Minutes, a look at how the crypto industry flexed its political muscle by donating enormous sums of money to get pro- crypto candidates elected. (Begin VT) BRAD GARLINGHOUSE (CEO, Ripple): Crypto for all of us. MARGARET BRENNAN (voice-over): Brad Garlinghouse is the CEO of a company called Ripple, whose cryptocurrency, XRP, became the third largest in the world this past week. Ripple and two other companies contributed $144 million to super PACs that supported pro-crypto Republicans and Democrats. BRAD GARLINGHOUSE: Do I think we had an impact to elect a Democratic senator in Michigan, Elissa Slotkin? Yes, absolutely. Do I think we had an impact in Arizona, a Democratic senator in Arizona, Gallego? Absolutely. MARGARET BRENNAN: Overall, crypto companies contributed one-third of all direct corporate contributions to super PACs. Of the 29 Republicans and 33 Democrats the industry backed in congressional races, 85 percent won. BRAD GARLINGHOUSE: It's incredible. MARGARET BRENNAN: So you see this election as a major victory? BRAD GARLINGHOUSE: For sure. MARGARET BRENNAN: But some people will look at that and say, you teamed up and bought an election. BRAD GARLINGHOUSE: Here's the thing. Voters voted. We educated voters, as many industries do, about candidates. MARGARET BRENNAN: But you helped supercharge the candidates with the money in the coffers, right... BRAD GARLINGHOUSE: We absolutely did. MARGARET BRENNAN: ... on whatever it is they wanted to talk about. BRAD GARLINGHOUSE: That's absolutely right. (End VT) MARGARET BRENNAN: You can watch my full report tonight on 60 Minutes. (ANNOUNCEMENTS) MARGARET BRENNAN: We will be right back with a lot more Face the Nation, including our conversation with the bipartisan chairs of a congressional task force investigating what went wrong with law enforcement in the Butler, Pennsylvania, assassination attempt of former President Trump. Stay with us. (ANNOUNCEMENTS) MARGARET BRENNAN: Welcome back to Face the Nation. On Friday, we sat down with Republican Mike Kelly and Democrat Jason Crow, the leaders of the bipartisan congressional task force investigating the assassination attempts on former President Trump. We wanted to know what they learned about the challenges facing the Secret Service when it comes to keeping protectees safe. (Begin VT) REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW (D-Colorado): The area that I in particular looked at was the culture of the organization, because I was struck by the stories and the recount of the specific actions of officers and agents on the ground that day. And there were some heroic ones, but there were also a lot of examples of people that knew that something was wrong and they didn't say anything. REPRESENTATIVE MIKE KELLY (R-Pennsylvania): Yes. MARGARET BRENNAN: Why didn't anyone say anything? Were they unaware of vulnerabilities, or is there a culture of silence, where people speaking up get smacked down for doing so? REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: That's – that is my concern, is that there's a culture of silence and that individual officers and agents are not empowered to say something is wrong. MARGARET BRENNAN: Congressman Kelly, on that point, I mean, some of this sounds like management 101, that this is not specific to the Secret Service. A lot of organizations have problems like what you just highlighted there. Acting Director Rowe testified Thursday he thinks the Secret Service needs to identify leaders earlier on and promote them based on ability, not just hours logged on the clock. REPRESENTATIVE MIKE KELLY: But isn't that true of everything in life? When you look at this, when people talk about, we need better leadership than that, I was on those grounds the night before. They weren't set up at that point. They were going to work through the night to get it ready. And then you find out afterwards that there was no coordination, there was no team meeting, there was no, well, this is going to be your responsibility to know where you're supposed to be and what time you're supposed to be there. You bring local law enforcement in, but you don't – you don't include them in the planning. Or, when you do the – the interviews afterwards, well, I thought he was going to do it. No, we thought somebody else was going to do it. When you knew there was a suspicious person on the grounds – and this is a common – going back and forth now. This is where they said they weren't communicating with each other. You can't tell me that you didn't know until 10 minutes after 6:00 that you couldn't communicate. At 11 minutes after 6:00, the shooter took action. They knew an hour-and-a-half ahead of time. Out of all the thousands of the people walking around on that ter – on that property, there was a suspicious person, and they kept losing sight of him. I would have said – and I have no background in law enforcement – keep the president back until we clear the area. That's the part that doesn't make sense. MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. REPRESENTATIVE MIKE KELLY: Because they failed from the first thing, from the picking of the site, preparing the site, to the coordination of the site, to the ability to communicate. At every step of the way, they failed. And the question is, why didn't you just say, hold up, just hold up, don't let him come out? MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, when the acting director says on Thursday of this week, we need to pick better leaders, that would suggest that the agency today does not necessarily have the leaders it needs to fix... REPRESENTATIVE MIKE KELLY: Oh. MARGARET BRENNAN: ... all the things you just laid out. REPRESENTATIVE MIKE KELLY: Yes. And I think, by saying what he said, that's what he meant. They don't have the leadership they need. When they morphed them into Homeland Security back in 2001, 2 – whenever it was, they took away their identity and their exclusivity. When you're the best of the best, when you're the elite of the elites... MARGARET BRENNAN: Mm-hmm. REPRESENTATIVE MIKE KELLY: ... if you lose that, then all of a sudden you just become part of a team. There was a huge mistake back when Homeland came into existence. That's not a criticism, because they did what they had to do back then. But I'm telling you, on July 13, there was a lack of professionalism, there was a lack of concern, there was a lack of coordination. And the ability to communicate is the one thing I will never understand. You knew you couldn't talk to each other. Why did you go forward? REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: I want to be really clear that there are plenty of extraordinary agents and officers in the Secret Service, right? MARGARET BRENNAN: Mm-hmm. REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: And when we talk about a failure of mission, you know, in Butler or any place else, that doesn't mean that, you know, 80, 90 percent of the – of the Secret Service agents aren't phenomenal and dedicated professionals. But there is a systematic problem here. The structure, the personnel, the staffing of the Secret Service, hasn't changed in years, at the same time as we are now asking them to do things that they didn't do a decade ago. And they are – they are fulfilling an operational tempo that requires them to be deployed... MARGARET BRENNAN: Mm-hmm. REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: ... three weeks out of a month, constantly doing events, skipping firearms training, skipping leadership development training. We are not developing their skills and their training. And I think you see the results of that. MARGARET BRENNAN: So, you made three dozen recommendations in this report on what to change, including to reduce the number of protectees. Right now, Secret Service protects not only presidential leadership, their immediate families, their spouses, their children, candidates, and anyone really the president designates. Should all of that continue? REPRESENTATIVE MIKE KELLY: We've increased the size of protectees that are out there, including foreign assets that come here and people that bring – bring their families and things. So that's gotten so big. But, if you look at Homeland, I think – I think, when you look at Secret Service, it's about 3 percent of their overall spend. The biggest spend is on FEMA. And, now, we don't want to change anything like that. But you can't have an exclusive without funding them to the level that they need to be funded, not only in manpower and in training, but in the assets that they have to have available to them. MARGARET BRENNAN: Mm-hmm. REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: You always have to ask yourself, what are your missions and what is the thing that only you can do? Like, what is that no- fail mission? MARGARET BRENNAN: Mm-hmm. REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: In this case, with the Secret Service, that no- fail mission is to protect our highest-level candidates and our highest- level elected officials, period. All the other things, investigation of financial crimes, training and support, these are all secondary missions. So, if you're not actually adequately performing any of those missions to standard, and if you have reached a breaking point, then it's time to assess, what are those missions that need to fall off and to be transitioned elsewhere? That's my view. MARGARET BRENNAN: You, Congressman Crow, seemed very frustrated, based on the report and hearing that you have... REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: Do I seem frustrated? REPRESENTATIVE MIKE KELLY: No, no, you're very... (CROSSTALK) (LAUGHTER) MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, with the fact that you couldn't find out more about the shooter, both in Butler and in – the potential shooter in Mar-a- Lago. REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: Yes. That's actually a really important element to the story. And people have rightful questions about it. I have questions about it. And that is, why did the shooter do this? MARGARET BRENNAN: Mm-hmm. REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: What drove him to do it? Was he a lone wolf shooter? Did he have associates or affiliates? What was his motivation? How was he radicalized? We endeavored to get answers to those questions. We submitted numerous requests to the Department of Justice and FBI. Their response is, this is an ongoing criminal investigation, and we can't give that information to Congress. That, in my view, is an unacceptable position. And here's why. MARGARET BRENNAN: For both Butler and Mar-a-Lago, that was the answer? REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: Correct. That's right. And here's why that's unacceptable. I sit on the Intelligence Committee. I have sat on the Armed Services Committee. And Congress all the time gets access to our nation's most sensitive secrets, ongoing operations, intelligence operations, military operations. So you can't tell me that there isn't a way to put us into a secure facility and get us information about an ongoing criminal investigation, when I regularly am receiving briefs on what our – our spies and our military special operators are doing regularly around the world. So, none of this stands to reason. And we have dedicated ourselves to continue to get those answers. And if the FBI and DOJ thinks that they can wait us out and stonewall us, they are wrong. MARGARET BRENNAN: You think they're intentionally withholding information? REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: I don't know what their intention is. I mean, I'm not a mind reader. But, you know, I have been around Congress long enough to know what – what... (CROSSTALK) REPRESENTATIVE MIKE KELLY: When you get stonewalled. Yes. Yes. REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: When you get stonewalled. I mean, listen, this is – this is not uncommon... REPRESENTATIVE MIKE KELLY: No. REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: ... when you're dealing with agencies and departments. It's a pretty regular method. And it's something that, you know, we encounter all the time in our oversight responsibilities. MARGARET BRENNAN: So, we don't know, or tell me if perhaps you know answer to this. REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: Yes, we're – we're in... MARGARET BRENNAN: Was there a foreign nexus? Do we know, yes or no? (CROSSTALK) REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: Americans are deluged with misinformation and disinformation that's coming from a variety of sources. And conspiracy theories sometimes take root when there's a lack of information or there's conflicting information. So our job is to try to get information out there, to be transparent, to be accessible, to tell the real story. MARGARET BRENNAN: Mm-hmm. REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: And that's why this is important. This element of that story is important, because there's a lot of conspiracies around... REPRESENTATIVE MIKE KELLY: Absolutely. REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: ... these shootings, right? And we take that seriously. And we want to – we want to, you know, rebuff those. But, you know, in this case – and I sit on a lot of other committees with access to information – I have seen no evidence that a state actor, an adversary was responsible for either of these attempted assassination attempts. I have seen no evidence. But, you know, when you're in a position where, you know, the government says, well, it's not this, but we won't tell you what it is, right, and – and we can't tell you – we can't tell you definitively, well, you know, people respond and have questions about that. REPRESENTATIVE MIKE KELLY: Mm-hmm. REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: And I understand that mentality. So, even though we don't have evidence of one thing, people still want to know what else it is. And I still want to know what else it is. MARGARET BRENNAN: Did he act alone? Do we know that? REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: We don't know that. MARGARET BRENNAN: Or Congress doesn't know that. REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: Yes. And, you know, it's one thing to say – and I'm going to be really clear about this. MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: Because this is very, very sensitive territory... REPRESENTATIVE MIKE KELLY: Yes. REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: Because we want to make sure we're not... MARGARET BRENNAN: Right. REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: ... getting people spun up unnecessarily. There is no evidence of – from other sources, you know, internal government sources, from our investigation, that others were involved, that he acted with others, and that a foreign state or adversary was involved in this. But that still raises the question of, why did he do this? MARGARET BRENNAN: Mm-hmm. REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: Was just – was he just a disturbed young man who decided to take action alone? Probably. I mean, that's probably the answer. REPRESENTATIVE MIKE KELLY: That's what it looks like now, yes. REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: Right? REPRESENTATIVE MIKE KELLY: Yes. REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: That's what it looks like. But we need to know, right? And let's get the information out there that the government has to make sure that we can settle this. And that's – that's our obligation. MARGARET BRENNAN: Is the agency today able to do its job, if they weren't able to do it in July? REPRESENTATIVE MIKE KELLY: We were tasked with trying to find out what happened that day, why it happened that day, and to – and to the best of our ability make sure that the Secret Service, that doesn't happen again to them. We can't guarantee that these things won't happen. MARGARET BRENNAN: Mm-hmm. REPRESENTATIVE MIKE KELLY: Because it's a crazy world right now. But there was too much ahead of time that we did know that we didn't share. I would never let my child play near a road. And when you do, you put people in jeopardy of that and you know there's a danger there. Don't let it happen. MARGARET BRENNAN: Is there anything that you feel important to raise that we didn't talk about? REPRESENTATIVE MIKE KELLY: We never identified as Republicans and Democrats. We – we defined as a task force to find out what happened that day. And the whole – the whole goal from day one is to restore the faith and trust and confidence that the American people must have in this agency. At this point, it's probably at the lowest ebb it's ever been. MARGARET BRENNAN: Mm-hmm. REPRESENTATIVE MIKE KELLY: And the other thing is, I think we realize that threats are 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. You can't take a day off. You can't take a play off. You've got to be ready every single moment for anything that could possibly happen. Is that a difficult task? Yes. Is it almost impossible? Yes, there's a lot of bad actors out there. But you know what's not impossible? Our dedication to the fact that we're going to do the best we can do every single day to ensure that the American people have the faith and trust and confidence they must have in us. REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: This is a tough place to work. REPRESENTATIVE MIKE KELLY: Oh. (LAUGHTER) REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: And there are – frankly, there are some people here that don't belong here, that I think are just here to get attention, to get, you know, clicks on social media, that aren't here to legislate. REPRESENTATIVE MIKE KELLY: Yes. REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: But this has been one of the best experiences of my time in Congress. And I couldn't have asked for a better partner than Mike Kelly. You know, and he's a very conservative Republican, and I'm a Democrat. We're both proud of that. (LAUGHTER) REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: We're proud of our politics. And... REPRESENTATIVE MIKE KELLY: We are. REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: And we represent our districts, right? REPRESENTATIVE MIKE KELLY: Yes. Yes. We do. We do. REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: That's actually – that's actually the job, right? REPRESENTATIVE MIKE KELLY: Yes. REPRESENTATIVE JASON CROW: We represent the culture and the politics and the hopes and dreams of our districts. And that's what's so – so beautiful about this place when it works well. But this process – and I think this is really important for Americans to understand – this process was serious. It was bipartisan. It was – it was deep. And we did the job that we were asked to do. (End VT) MARGARET BRENNAN: You can watch our full interview on our Web site and our YouTube page. We will be right back. (ANNOUNCEMENTS) MARGARET BRENNAN: A panel of federal judges in D.C. last week upheld a new law that could effectively ban the popular social media app TikTok by mid- January if its Chinese owners do not sell it to a new buyer. Frank McCourt, the executive chairman of McCourt Global and founder of Project Liberty, is one of the potential buyers, and he joins us now. Good to see you here. FRANK MCCOURT (Executive Chairman, McCourt Global): Good morning. MARGARET BRENNAN: So, TikTok says, well, they might go to the Supreme Court on this one. If they don't, their parent company, ByteDance, has said they're not interested in selling. Do you have any indication that they will and that the incoming Trump administration would support someone like you buying it? FRANK MCCOURT: Well, yes, I think where we are now, Margaret, is, there's three options. You know, one is an appeal. Our lawyers tell us there's very little chance of a successful appeal by ByteDance, strong bipartisan legislation, a 3-0 by the three – you know, by the appellate court. So now that leaves us with two, a ban or a sale. We don't want to see it banned. I would add that President – president-elect Trump has also said he doesn't want to see it banned. So now let's talk about the sale. So we've been working for the last eight months on the assumption that the legislation would be upheld and that there would be a sale. MARGARET BRENNAN: Mm-hmm. FRANK MCCOURT: So, that's where we are right now. And we're working very, very hard to be in a position to buy the U.S. portion of TikTok... MARGARET BRENNAN: Right. FRANK MCCOURT: ... so it's not shut down. MARGARET BRENNAN: So, what is that worth to you? There are estimates it could be as high as $200 billion in worth. FRANK MCCOURT: Two hundred billion dollars would be more – more in the range of what the entirety of the platform is worth, not just the U.S. piece. MARGARET BRENNAN: Mm-hmm. FRANK MCCOURT: And let's be clear. The Chinese government has said they're not selling the algorithm. They view that as I.P. of the country. So, Tik – U.S. TikTok is a piece of ByteDance. If it's sold, it will be sold without an algorithm. So the value will be far, far less than 200 – $200 billion. We have circled over $20 billion to be in a position, and we're very serious about raising whatever capital is required to buy the platform. And – and, to be clear... MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. FRANK MCCOURT: ... we're looking to move the 170 million users over to a new protocol, where the individuals will own and control their identity and their data. We're not looking to replicate the existing version. MARGARET BRENNAN: So, let's talk about that. As you said, 170 million Americans use TikTok, especially young people. U.S. law prohibits foreign control of mass media, but this social media space is kind of a loophole here. There aren't a lot of governing rules in this space. Do you think Congress needs to write new rules of the role – of the road to ban foreign ownership and to put restrictions on even owners like you? FRANK MCCOURT: I think we need to upgrade our regulations and our policies. There's no doubt about that. But, far more importantly, we need to fix the technology. The Internet is broken, fundamentally broken. We heard your guest earlier Representative Turner talk about the threat from China on our telecom hack, massive hack, massive threat to Americans. MARGARET BRENNAN: And they're still in the telecom system, according to U.S. intelligence. FRANK MCCOURT: Absolutely. And we heard your recent guests, Representatives Kelly and Crow, talk about the deluge of misinformation and disinformation, the fact that it's a very dangerous world right now. The reason why the Congress moved so quickly with TikTok to pass the legislation is because it is a national security threat to Americans. MARGARET BRENNAN: Mm-hmm. FRANK MCCOURT: And the reason why the judges upheld it is for that same reason. So let's turn a problem into a solution by taking advantage of this moment, move the 170 million users over to a new protocol where individuals are respected. MARGARET BRENNAN: Do you have an indication from president-elect Trump that he wants to see an American entity buy this? Because he would also have some influence in the outcome. FRANK MCCOURT: Of course, as president-elect, he'll have massive influence. But... MARGARET BRENNAN: Have you spoken to him? FRANK MCCOURT: But – but President – President Trump is a dealmaker. We know that. I'm a dealmaker, OK? I have been doing business deals my entire – my entire life. Let's make a deal where everybody wins, where China's able to sell the U.S. portion of TikTok, where American citizens are protected, and where there's – and 170 million users continue to enjoy the platform. So he has said he doesn't want it banned, which means a sale. And the legislation and the – the appellate decision require that this platform be – be owned by Americans. We have built a clean, bottom-up American stack to move this user base over, where there will be no Chinese backdoors and no ability to – to take advantage of American citizens. MARGARET BRENNAN: You – you're indicating you've built out some technology, you think, that will not allow for government surveillance? FRANK MCCOURT: Correct. MARGARET BRENNAN: But can you, if you are – whoever owns this is going to be powerful, if you get 170 million Americans on a platform, particularly young people, to consume the information on this system. So what guarantees do you make? Because Facebook and Twitter, they also harvest information about consumers. Would you? FRANK MCCOURT: Yes, well, that's exactly what we don't want to do. So the reason why we want to move people to a new stack where you can't harvest without permission, so individuals will own and control their identity and their data, permission its use, will actually have an Internet that respects people, as opposed to exploits them. Imagine empowering people. And, to be clear, Margaret, I'm not looking to be the CEO of TikTok. We call it the people's bid, because we want this to empower people and to stop this nonsense where we're exploiting people by scraping their data and taking advantage of them, and, in the case of TikTok, actually creating a national security threat. MARGARET BRENNAN: Elon Musk, who owns X, formerly known as Twitter, now has raised concerns about content moderation restricting free speech. Do you share that concern, and what restrictions would you put on paid political advertising? FRANK MCCOURT: I mentioned earlier that we need better policies, for sure, but we need better tech. Right now, we have a tech stack that's built, and these giant apps scrape our data and exploit it. Why not flip the power? Why not actually give people their data back? MARGARET BRENNAN: Mm-hmm. FRANK MCCOURT: Our data is our personhood in this age. Let us decide how to use it. Let us each decide what moderation we're comfortable with, what censorship we're comfortable with, what privacy we're comfortable with. MARGARET BRENNAN: Should – OK, so the surgeon general says you need a warning label because this is damaging the mental health of young people in this country. Should people under the age of 16 have access? FRANK MCCOURT: Under the current tech stack, I agree with the surgeon general. Under a new technology – listen, I'm a builder. My family has been building for five generations. This is an engineering problem that can be fixed. Let's take this ban of TikTok... MARGARET BRENNAN: Mm-hmm. FRANK MCCOURT: ... this massive national security problem, and turn it into a solution for Americans. Let's make it a win, a win-win. MARGARET BRENNAN: Yes. Well, mid-January, we will see what happens in this case. And we will watch your potential bid here. Thank you for joining us. We'll be back in a moment. (ANNOUNCEMENTS) MARGARET BRENNAN: The weeklong cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon appears to be holding, but the situation in Gaza remains dire. Here's our Debora Patta reporting from East Jerusalem. (Begin VT) DEBORA PATTA (voice-over): A massive Israeli strike caught on camera by CBS News as it ripped through the Al-Mawasi tented camp near Khan Yunis, a designated humanitarian safe zone turned into a blazing inferno. Faced with unpredictable danger, exhausted families on the move again. Israel says it was targeting two Hamas militants. But over 20 people died, among them four children and a pregnant woman. (MONA SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) DEBORA PATTA: In Central Gaza, 13-year-old Shadi Faraj (sp?) was playing outside when he was killed. (MONA SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) DEBORA PATTA: "This is proof of their crimes," his aunt Mona (sp?) shouted. "They just want to kill as many Palestinians as possible." In Northern Gaza, Israel has ordered everyone to leave. It is under siege. Even as Palestinians flee, they are shot at. Israel has allowed virtually no aid into the north for more than two months. In the south, this is what it looks like outside the few remaining bakeries, as people fight just for a piece of bread. Every morning, 11-year-old Zeina Juhab (sp?) braved those crowds, until one day she did not come home. She had been trampled to death. (AHMED SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) DEBORA PATTA: "The world looks at us, and all they see are terrorists," her father, Ahmed (sp?), told us. "We're not terrorists. We just want to survive." But no one, it seems, is listening, as hunger spreads everywhere. (End VT) DEBORA PATTA: Amnesty International says there is no time to waste and has warned the U.S. to stop sending weapons to Israel because of the likelihood, Margaret, that these would be used for war crimes or genocide. MARGARET BRENNAN: That was our Debora Patta in East Jerusalem. We will be right back. (ANNOUNCEMENTS) MARGARET BRENNAN: That's it for us today. Thank you for watching. Until next week, for Face the Nation, I'm Margaret Brennan.
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Charleston Southern 83, Miami 79( MENAFN - APO Group) The United Arab Emirates has welcomed the diplomatic efforts of the brotherly Republic of Türkiye to resolve the ongoing crisis in Sudan, which also represents a priority for the UAE. The UAE emphasized that these efforts reflect Türkiye's steadfast commitment to promoting regional peace and stability, and contributing to the strengthening of international relations. The UAE is fully prepared to cooperate and coordinate with the Turkish efforts and all diplomatic initiatives to end the conflict in Sudan and find a comprehensive solution to the crisis. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) reaffirmed the UAE's steadfast position in relation to the crisis, stressing that the primary focus remains on reaching an immediate ceasefire and an urgent cessation of hostilities in the internal fighting in Sudan between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces, while also addressing the catastrophic humanitarian crisis through the provision of urgent relief aid to the brotherly Sudanese people. The Ministry emphasized that the UAE is working with all relevant parties, regional partners, and the international community to find a peaceful solution to the crisis, in an effort to stop the escalation, achieve a ceasefire, and begin an intra-Sudanese dialogue that involves all political factions and the warring parties to fulfill the aspirations of the Sudanese people for development, security, and prosperity. Moreover, the UAE stresses the importance of the warring parties' respecting their commitments under the Jeddah Declaration, and the mechanisms proposed by the Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan (ALPS) Group. The Ministry highlighted that the absence of the Sudanese Armed Forces from the latest peace talks – which the UAE participated in, alongside several countries and regional and international organizations, as part of the ALPS Group in Geneva – demonstrates a blatant disregard for the suffering of the brotherly Sudanese people, and reflects their strong unwillingness to cooperate and engage in peace talks aimed at resolving the crisis and achieving lasting peace. Furthermore, the UAE underscored the importance of dialogue and negotiations as the only path to resolve the conflict and secure a political process and national consensus towards a civilian-led government. The UAE continues to call on all the concerned parties to return to negotiations and actively engage in efforts to achieve peace in Sudan MENAFN28122024004934011406ID1109038014 Legal Disclaimer: MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.If you think you are going to owe the Internal Revenue Service (I.R.S.) for this year 2024, you might consider donating to your favorite charities, as always you can donate by cash or writing a check. Depending on your tax burden you might consider donating bonds, stocks, and mutual funds that have appreciated over time. Giving shares of company stock can help with donating goals and help with your capital gains tax. You can donate cars, boats, and real estate as well. Talk to your financial advisor about a (DAF) a Donor Advised Fund. The way a DAF works is that you donate to an irrevocable charity contribution for a public charity. If you are 70 1⁄2 years old or older and have an IRA, you can set up what is called a Qualified Charitable Distribution. An QCD allows you to donate from your IRA without you having to pay taxes on the money drawn. For 2024, the deduction to charitable organizations is generally limited to 30% to 60% of your adjusted gross income (AGI). It all depends on whether you are giving cash or giving a non-cash contribution that will affect your deductions. Like any other transactions you must keep good records for proof of your donations. Great record keeping will help you if you are ever to be audited. When you donate now, it allows you to see the impact that your giving has today. As always, follow the rules of the Internal Revenue Service. If you are giving non-cash contributions of $500.00 or more, you must fill out I.R.S. form 8283. This will allow you to itemize these deductions on your taxes. I.R.S. Publication 561 provides you with information on how to decide the reasonable value for assets donated to a qualified charitable organization. Gifts to individuals are not deductible. Only qualified charitable organizations are eligible to receive tax deductible contributions, when giving cash, check, or other monetary gifts you must keep good records of the contributions. You need to have bank records, or a written communication from the qualified organization that has the name of the organization, the amount, and the date of the contribution. I hope this helps you with your yearend giving. December 31, of this year is the last day you can give to help reduce your taxes for 2024. Jimmy D. Henry is a former Walker County Commissioner. He is a lifelong businessman with management in retail sales. Henry is a published author of The Key to Understanding Credit. His book is available in print and digital on amazon.com .
NBA hand out suspensions after fracas in Phoenix
The NBA on Saturday suspended three players for their roles in an on-court clash during Friday's game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns. Dallas forward Naji Marshall was suspended for four games and Suns center Jusuf Nurkic for three while Mavericks forward P.J Washington will sit out one game. The incident came with 9:02 remaining in the third quarter when Nurkic committed on offensive foul on Dallas's Daniel Gifford. "Marshall and Nurkic then engaged in an on-court altercation. Nurkic escalated it by swinging his arm and striking Marshall on top of his head. Marshall responded by throwing a punch that connected with Nurkic's face," the NBA said in a statement. "As the officials and other players attempted to diffuse the situation, Washington further escalated the altercation by shoving Nurkic to the floor. For their roles, Marshall, Nurkic and Washington were assessed technical fouls and ejected from the game," the league added. Marshall late confronted Nurkic near the locker rooms, in a "hostile manner" according to the NBA. The NBA said the players will not be paid during their suspension periods. sev/bb
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Stock market today: Dow closes at record, S&P 500, Nasdaq rise as Wall Street notches strong weekly gainsDespite Mary Lou McDonald’s confidence around shaping a coalition without Fine Gael and Fianna Fail – the two parties that have dominated the landscape of Irish politics for a century – the pathway to government for Sinn Fein still appears challenging. With counting following Friday’s election still in the relatively early stages – after an exit poll that showed the main three parties effectively neck-and-neck – there is some way to go before the final picture emerges and the options for government formation crystalise. Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader, Simon Harris, has dismissed talk of a Sinn Fein surge and said he was “cautiously optimistic” about where his party will stand after all the votes are counted. Meanwhile, Ireland’s deputy premier and Fianna Fail leader, Micheal Martin, insisted his party has a “very clear route back to government” as he predicted seat gains. The counting process could last days because of Ireland’s complex system of proportional representation with a single transferable vote (PR-STV), where candidates are ranked by preference. The early indications have turned the focus to the tricky arithmetic of government formation, as the country’s several smaller parties and many independents potentially jockey for a place in government. Ms McDonald told reporters at the RDS count centre in Dublin that she would be “very, very actively pursuing” the potential to form a government with other parties on the left of the political spectrum. The smaller, left-leaning parties in Ireland include the Social Democrats, the Irish Labour Party, the Green Party and People Before Profit-Solidarity. Ms McDonald said her party had delivered an “incredible performance” in the election. “I think it’s fair to say that we have now confirmed that we have broken the political mould here in this state,” she said. “Two party politics is now gone. It’s consigned to the dustbin of history and that, in itself, is very significant.” She added: “I am looking to bring about a government of change, and I’m going to go and look at all formulations. “If you want my bottom line, the idea of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael for another five years, in our strong opinion, is not a good outcome for Irish society. “Obviously, I want to talk to other parties of the left and those that we share very significant policy objectives with. So I’m going to do that first and just hear their mind, hear their thinking. But be very clear, we will be very, very actively pursuing entrance into government.” In Friday night’s exit poll, Sinn Fein was predicted to take 21.1% of first-preference votes, narrowly ahead of outgoing coalition partners Fine Gael and Fianna Fail at 21% and 19.5% respectively. Prior to the election, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael both ruled out entering government with Sinn Fein. Fine Gael leader Mr Harris rejected suggestions Sinn Fein had broken new ground. He told reporters in his count centre in Greystones, Co Wicklow: “Certainly we haven’t seen a Sinn Fein surge or anything like it. “I mean, it looks likely, on the figures that we’ve seen now, fewer people, many fewer people would have voted Sinn Fein in this election than the last one. “In fact, I think they’re down by around 5% and actually the parties, particularly the two parties, the two larger parties in government, are likely to receive significant support from the electorate. So definitely, politics in Ireland has gotten much more fragmented.” He said it was too early to tell what the next government would look like. “I think anybody who makes any suggestion about who is going to be the largest party or the construct of the next government, they’re a braver person than I am,” he said. “Our electoral system dictates that there’ll be many, many transfers that will go on for hours, if not days, before we know the final computations at all. “But what I am very confident about is that my party will have a very significant role to play in the years ahead, and I’m cautiously optimistic and excited.” Fianna Fail’s Mr Martin told reporters at a count centre in Cork he was confident that the numbers exist to form a government with parties that shared his political viewpoint. Mr Martin said it “remains to be seen” whether he would return to the role of Taoiseach – a position he held between 2020 and 2022 – but he expressed confidence his party would outperform the exit poll prediction. “It’s a bit too early yet to call the exact type of government that will be formed or the composition of the next government,” he said. “But I think there are, there will be a sufficiency of seats, it seems to me, that aligns with the core principles that I articulated at the outset of this campaign and throughout the campaign, around the pro-enterprise economy, around a positively pro-European position, a government that will strongly push for home ownership and around parties that are transparently democratic in how they conduct their affairs.” Asked if it would be in a coalition with Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Social Democrats, he said that would be “racing a bit too far ahead”. The final result may dictate that if Fianna Fail and Fine Gael are to return to government, they may need more than one junior partner, or potentially the buy-in of several independent TDs. Mr Martin said it was unclear how quickly a government can be formed, as he predicted his party would gain new seats. “It will be challenging. This is not easy,” he added. The junior partner in the outgoing government – the Green Party – looks set for a bruising set of results. Green leader Roderic O’Gorman is in a fight to hold onto his seat, as are a number of party colleagues, including Media Minister Catherine Martin. “It’s clear the Green Party has not had a good day,” he said. The early counting also suggested potential trouble for Fianna Fail in Wicklow, where the party’s only candidate in the constituency, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, is considered to have a battle ahead, with the risk of losing his seat. Meanwhile, there is significant focus on independent candidate Gerard Hutch who, on Saturday evening, was sitting in fourth place in the four-seat constituency of Dublin Central. Last spring, Mr Hutch was found not guilty by the non-jury Special Criminal Court of the murder of David Byrne, in one of the first deadly attacks of the Hutch-Kinahan gangland feud. Mr Byrne, 33, died after being shot six times at a crowded boxing weigh-in event at the Regency Hotel in February 2016. A Special Criminal Court judge described Mr Hutch, 61, as the patriarchal figurehead of the Hutch criminal organisation and said he had engaged in “serious criminal conduct”. The constituency will be closely watched as other hopefuls wait to see if transfers from eliminated candidates may eventually rule him out of contention. In the constituency of Louth, the much-criticised selection of John McGahon appeared not to have paid off for Fine Gael. The party’s campaign was beset by questioning over footage entering the public domain of the candidate engaged in a fight outside a pub in 2018. The Social Democrats have a strong chance of emerging as the largest of the smaller parties. The party’s leader, Holly Cairns, was already celebrating before a single vote was counted however, having announced the birth of her baby girl on polling day.12. Clemson Tigers 10-3 (7-1 Atlantic Coast Conference regular season) Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Scenes from Georgia's victory over Texas in the SEC Championship Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on December 7, 2024. (Photos: Jim Blackburn) Click for more. PHOTOS: Georgia Defeats Texas for SEC ChampionshipLockheed Martin Co. ( NYSE:LMT – Get Free Report )’s share price rose 0.6% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $491.76 and last traded at $491.17. Approximately 160,725 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 85% from the average daily volume of 1,093,384 shares. The stock had previously closed at $488.13. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of brokerages have recently commented on LMT. Melius Research raised Lockheed Martin to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $635.00 target price on shares of Lockheed Martin in a research report on Friday, August 30th. Susquehanna decreased their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $705.00 to $695.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Lockheed Martin from $560.00 to $610.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Lockheed Martin from $600.00 to $620.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Lockheed Martin presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $612.29. Get Our Latest Research Report on LMT Lockheed Martin Price Performance Lockheed Martin ( NYSE:LMT – Get Free Report ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The aerospace company reported $6.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $6.50 by $0.34. The firm had revenue of $17.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $17.38 billion. Lockheed Martin had a return on equity of 101.44% and a net margin of 9.36%. The company’s revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $6.77 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that Lockheed Martin Co. will post 26.88 EPS for the current fiscal year. Lockheed Martin Increases Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 27th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a $3.30 dividend. This represents a $13.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.70%. This is a boost from Lockheed Martin’s previous quarterly dividend of $3.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. Lockheed Martin’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 47.79%. Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lockheed Martin Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Lantz Financial LLC grew its stake in Lockheed Martin by 2.6% in the second quarter. Lantz Financial LLC now owns 4,882 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $2,281,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the period. iA Global Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Lockheed Martin by 82.3% during the 2nd quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,909 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $892,000 after purchasing an additional 862 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in Lockheed Martin during the second quarter worth $4,667,000. Cadinha & Co. LLC raised its holdings in Lockheed Martin by 3.0% during the second quarter. Cadinha & Co. LLC now owns 1,397 shares of the aerospace company’s stock worth $653,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Fin Capital Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Lockheed Martin by 1.6% in the second quarter. Blue Fin Capital Inc. now owns 7,114 shares of the aerospace company’s stock valued at $3,323,000 after buying an additional 112 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.19% of the company’s stock. About Lockheed Martin ( Get Free Report ) Lockheed Martin Corporation, a security and aerospace company, engages in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration, and sustainment of technology systems, products, and services worldwide. The company operates through Aeronautics, Missiles and Fire Control, Rotary and Mission Systems, and Space segments. Featured Articles Receive News & Ratings for Lockheed Martin Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lockheed Martin and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .