It has been a hectic few days for pub owner Michael Westwood. When he last Thursday calling for another general election, he felt he would be “chuffed” if it attracted 2,000 signatures. It has since racked up well over two million, and counting. His motivation? The sense he harbours, and believes others share, that “we were lied to by [Prime Minister Sir Keir] Starmer and his cronies to get into power.” His petition phrases it slightly more diplomatically. “I believe the current Labour Government have gone back on the promises they laid out in the lead-up to the last election,” it reads. Four days after the petition went live on the UK Parliament website, the West Midlands small business owner can hardly find time to get his work done amid all the interest in his attempt to hurry democracy along. So what lies does he think the British public has been told? “Mainly [Starmer] promised growth, promised money for certain sectors, none of which has come to fruition at all.” It was the recent , in which Labour announced a significant rise in public spending, financed by tax rises and higher borrowing, that prompted him to act. “With the Budget increasing the minimum wage, increasing [employers’] National Insurance contributions, the knock-on effect is there are going to be a lot of redundancies next year across the UK,” he predicts. “Companies across the UK are going to go, ‘where are we going to find that extra bit of meat on the bones to pay for it?’” Westwood, 40, has three pubs in the West Midlands and supplies beers, wine and spirits to the drinks industry via his wholesale firm, The Jinja Beer Company. He voted Conservative on July 4 (“because better the devil you know”), but is not a self-avowed tribal voter. He was not expecting support for his petition to snowball in the way it has. Even Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X (formerly Twitter) – who is – appears to back it. “The people of Britain have had enough of a tyrannical police state,” he declared on X on Sunday, with characteristic hyperbole. Whether the petition’s two million signatories are indeed all “people of Britain” is unclear. To sign the petition, you need only tick a box to confirm you are a British citizen or UK resident, provide a name, email address and postcode. It is also worth noting that at this year’s general election, which delivered a Labour landslide, about 19 million people voted for other parties. Some 9.7 million voted Labour. And the 2.3 million who had supported Westwood’s call for a re-run by late Monday afternoon still paled in comparison to the total of 6.1 million who signed a petition to revoke Article 50 and remain in the European Union in 2019. “You cannot seriously read public sentiment off the back of a petition,” cautions polling guru Professor Sir John Curtice. Still, recent research points to unrest among even Labour voters. By early October, almost half were already , according to YouGov polling. Six in 10 Britons disapproved of the party’s record so far, while only three in 10 Labour voters felt it had done as well as they had hoped. A snap YouGov poll after the Budget found only 20 per cent of the public believed it would leave the country better off, compared to 38 per cent who thought it would make things worse. A quarter said they expected it would make no difference. None of which makes for reassuring reading for Labour, whose honeymoon seemed to end almost as soon as the plane left the runway. But perhaps this wasn’t surprising, given the relative lack of excitement surrounding the party’s return to power under Starmer. “It wasn’t like 1997, where Labour was voted in on a wave of massive enthusiasm,” says James Frayne, founding partner at Public First, a policy research agency. “This was very different.” Unlike in the heady Britpop era, there were few celebrities bestowing their blessing on a fresh-faced new Labour leader this summer; no 2020s’ version of Cool Britannia. Among the party’s supporters, the overriding emotion was relief more than euphoria. And among the floating voters who helped Labour to victory, a sense of profound weariness was tempered by a timid hope that surely Starmer’s administration couldn’t do any worse than the previous gruelling years of Conservative chaos. “[People’s] hope was there would be change of sorts,” says Frayne. “There was some optimism born of a belief that the last Tory government was uniquely and historically incompetent...and that once we got rid of that lot, things would inherently be better.” Labour encouraged this idea, he says. Their manifesto was simply called “Change”, speaking to the very real desire among the public to see the back of the Tories after 14 years. But change had to come quickly and decisively to satisfy a restive electorate – more quickly than was perhaps ever going to be feasible. Not least when Labour has, as Frayne points out, inherited the same set of challenges the Tories were grappling with: lack of growth, a struggling NHS, a broken border control system, and so on. “Unsurprisingly, they’re finding it very difficult to make headway,” he says. Westwood’s complaint that Labour has not created growth after less than five months in office hints at how little time voters are willing to give politicians to turn things around. That so many seem to agree with him (“it’s astronomical,” says Frayne of the petition’s support) arguably speaks of something else, too: a broader lack of trust in politics itself. The 41st British Social Attitudes report, based on data collected in Autumn 2023 and published in June this year by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), found trust and confidence in Britain’s system of government had hit a record low. Some 45 per cent of the public said they “almost never” trust governments of any party to place the needs of the nation above the interests of their own political party. This was 22 points above the figure recorded in 2020 at the height of the pandemic. The report noted a sharp rise in disenchantment among those who had voted to leave the EU. Sir John agrees trust did indeed decline after failed to deliver what many of its supporters seemingly hoped it would. But the roots of this public disenchantment stretch back much further, he believes. “It’s quite a long story,” he says. “It really starts with [Conservative prime minister Sir] John Major and the whole sleaze story.” If the hope was that the sleaze associated with the ruling Tories in the Nineties would be swept away in the New Labour revolution, ushering in a new era of trust in politicians, it didn’t last. Six years later, the Iraq War disillusioned large swathes of the Labour faithful. The MPs expenses’ scandal, exposed by in 2009, only compounded the damage to public trust in politicians. According to Sir John, it did largely recover in subsequent years – only to decline again around the time of the Brexit impasse (when the Conservatives struggled to get a deal through Parliament and, critics argue, deliver on the results of the referendum). “With the delivery of Brexit, it went [back] up,” he says. The perceived failure of Brexit to deliver the promised benefits is not the only cause of the more recent fall in confidence, reflected in NatCen’s social attitudes report. “Generally people were disillusioned because they had lost trust in government [after] the way the pandemic was managed, but also partygate, and then with Liz Truss and [her mini-] budget and a lot of the ways the Conservatives were running things,” says Katie Crabb from NatCen. The success of smaller parties, such as and the Greens (who won five and four seats respectively at the general election), reflects the mood of a public increasingly unwilling to keep giving mainstream parties another chance. Unless Starmer can create a compelling narrative and restore trust during this parliament, we could be facing a changed political landscape next time around, experts believe. “We found...before the election that people thought, ‘I’m going to vote Labour but it’s going to be my last throw of the dice with mainstream politics,’” says Frayne. “[There was] this sense that ‘we’ll give this lot a go, but if it doesn’t work out I don’t know who I’m going to vote for next time.’ So you can imagine an uptick for Reform and independent [candidates in the future]. You can imagine politics going in a very different direction now.” Back in the West Midlands, Westwood is realistic about what his petition might achieve. “I don’t expect there to be a general election off the back of it,” he says. But he hopes it will at least “give people a voice and a chance to express something”. Starmer, unsurprisingly, has ruled out an election re-run. Yet he and the other leaders of mainstream parties in Westminster may wish to heed one common refrain that Westwood now repeats: that politicians of all stripes have lost touch with the man on the street.Wardha: A day before results of assembly elections are declared, sitting BJP MLA from Arvi assembly constituency , Dadarao Keche , announced his decision to retire from active politics on Friday. The two-time MLA, who was denied a BJP ticket this time, said he felt sidelined in the party and lamented that he should not have withdrawn his nomination as an Independent. For over 42 years, Keche was synonymous with the BJP in the Arvi constituency. Speaking at a press conference at his residence in Arvi, Keche declared that he would not join any other political party but focus on social work. About his journey with the BJP, which began in 1983, he said. "I worked tirelessly to build the party from the ground level." He was first elected as an MLA from Arvi in 2009. "Although I lost in 2014, I continued to serve the constituency, ensuring significant development work under the BJP govt in the state. I returned as an MLA in 2019 and worked on several new projects over the last two and a half years," he said. The veteran politician revealed that he was confident that BJP would renominate him this time, "especially when leaders like party's state president Chndrashekhar Bawankule and Devendra Fadnavis had assured me of ticket". "Even Sumit Wankhede, the current candidate, had told me six months ago that I would be the nominee. Yet, the party chose someone else," he said. Keche said he actively campaigned for Wankhede, conducting 23 rallies and visiting various parts of the constituency. However, suspicions and whispers within the party regarding his loyalty deeply hurt him. "I now feel I should have contested as an Independent. Even the MLC position promised to me seems uncertain now. At 71 years of age, I have decided to step back and retire." While refraining from making direct accusations, Keche hinted at the internal politics within the BJP. Reportedly, he was asked to withdraw his nomination as an Independent following intervention of senior BJP leaders and Union home minister Amit Shah.

A local Black business owner is getting a place on the national stage. Nisha Blackwell, CEO, designer and founder of Knotzland , was nominated by a long-time customer to be part of Recast City’s inaugural Spark 10, which focuses on women in manufacturing — specifically, small business owners with brick-and-mortar retail spaces, making it a perfect fit for the Wilkinsburg bespoke bowtie studio and its mission to amplify innovation in different cities. “The process to pick the Spark 10 was multifaceted. I am passionate about small-scale manufacturing businesses,” said Ilana Preuss, the founder and CEO of Recast City and the creator of Spark 10. There was an open call for nominations, and 10 women across the country were selected for their outstanding contributions as individuals creating innovative models for small-scale manufacturing — models that benefit their communities and serve as examples of excellence and blueprints for others to follow. “Businesses that create products, from artisans in our holiday pop-ups to food product businesses, are growing as a sector but still aren’t receiving the investment they deserve,” Preuss said. Being part of Spark 10 connects Blackwell with leaders from across the country. Blackwell said that this opportunity has been a blessing, allowing her to network with different organizations and learn about diverse business models. “Nisha is really a community hero,” Preuss said. “She also teaches others how to run successful storefronts, sharing her experiences to help others succeed.” Knotzland works with what Blackwell calls a “social network” of 29 community members, including moms, students and others, who are paid fair wages to create products from materials shipped to them. Each item undergoes a quality check before being sold. “We call on them to help us with production when creating collections that require additional hands. On the other side, we work with partners to repurpose their fabrics,” Blackwell said. The model stood out to Preuss. “Her personal story of teaching herself to sew and her business model is truly innovative. It’s a distributed production model, where everyone works from home within their own space, forming a core part of her business approach. It’s a phenomenal model for other entrepreneurs to learn from,” Preuss said. As a former city planner who worked on downtown redevelopment, Preuss emphasizes that small businesses and small-scale manufacturing are critical to local economic development. “This approach looks at how to bring wealth-building opportunities to people, no matter where they are in the country,” she said. For example, the Minnesota Opera sends Knotzland remnants from their productions. “The fabrics are gorgeous, and we reshape and rework them,” Blackwell said, emphasizing her commitment to sustainability and community service. Knotzland also collaborates with designers, interior design companies, nonprofits and suppliers like Humanscale Warehouse in New Jersey, which provides upholstery materials. They even work with men’s suiting companies, transforming suit swatches into bow ties. “This is really popular because it reimagines traditional men’s wear into something new, Blackwell said. The Spark 10 had its first online meeting in November. “Being able to share ideas and build together in that way was inspiring. Listening to the stories of these diverse women and hearing about their challenges made me realize that my own challenges aren’t isolated to my industry,” Blackwell said. Through 2025, Spark 10 will offer more promotions and opportunities for the entrepreneurs in the program. Recast City plans to produce short videos and publish profiles on each business owner nationally. “We want to promote, highlight and shine a light on these individuals and the models they’ve created,” Preuss said. “The stories told nationally are the ones people replicate and are inspired by. Often, women who are catalysts in their communities creating these amazing models aren’t having their stories told. I wanted to ensure we shared those stories.” “I’m excited to see what’s to come. Pittsburgh has been really supportive, it’s often hard to gain visibility outside of the city,” Blackwell said. To support small-scale manufacturers, Preuss recommends shopping locally, especially during the holiday season, by attending pop-up shops and purchasing household items and goods as much as possible from small businesses. Blackwell, who taught herself to sew, reflected on the business’s 10-year journey. “Founding Knotzland combines my passions: community, sustainability, supporting other small businesses and using bow ties as a portal to serve and advocate within the community,” she said. “In 2014, I made a hair bow for my friend’s daughter. I had no idea that one hair bow would lead to this 10 years later, a bowtie company that encapsulates everything I’m passionate about,” she said. Raised in Homewood, Blackwell appreciates her journey. “I’ve experienced the ups and downs, but I’m grateful to be an example of someone who used creativity to build a life and a small yet powerful business,” she said.United States shares lower at close of trade; Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.55%

Tensions nearly boiled over between Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill while both light heavyweights trained at the UFC Performance Institute this week. UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira and former titleholder Jamahal Hill ‘s beef used to be strictly competitive. But in recent months, things have escalated between the two sides after trading barbs on social media, and they nearly got physical before coaches intervened. Pereira, who defended the UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 307 in October, is preparing to make his next title defense next year. He’ll likely face Magomed Ankalaev, who is on a lengthy unbeaten streak and has poked at the superstar Pereira for months. Hill has the opportunity to potentially skip the line when he faces Jiří Procházka at UFC 311 next month . An impressive showing, particularly a finish, could be enough to warrant a rematch against Pereira. Since their UFC 300 clash, tensions have sizzled between Pereira and Hill. After Hill was caught yawning in reaction to Pereira’s finish at UFC 307, Pereira hit back by reminding Hill of their first go-around in the Octagon. READ MORE: ‘I got robbed’... NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal shares brutally honest take on watching Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson ringside Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill separated at the UFC PI after Pereira threw gloves As both fighters got some work in at the UFC Performance Institute, a verbal altercation nearly turned physical when Pereira threw a pair of gloves at Hill. Despite Pereira challenging Hill to an impromptu fight, Pereira’s coach stepped in and separated them before chaos ensued. In the below clip, as shared by Full Send MMA , Pereira can be seen working on the mats as Hill walks up to him for a brief conversation. While things seemed relatively innocuous initially, Pereira and Hill nearly threw hands at the UFC PI in Las Vegas. As of this writing, Pereira nor Hill have spoken out on social media since the incident. After the altercation, UFC security personnel will likely have to keep a keen eye on Pereira and Hill and make sure they aren’t in the same vicinity going forward. Interestingly enough, Pereira and Hill shared a cordial encounter at the UFC PI just five months ago, but any amiability has fizzled. READ MORE: Ian Machado Garry declares he’ll ‘put a hole in Shavkat’s head’ at UFC 310 after being tapped by Rakhmonov in training Could Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill 2 be on the horizon? After Pereira finished Hill at UFC 300, Hill threatened to make Pereira pay for his viral post-fight celebration in the Octagon. Hill hasn’t fought since the loss to Pereira due to injury, while Pereira has defended his title against Procházka and Khalil Rountree Jr. Hill earned the then-vacant UFC light heavyweight title by finishing Glover Teixeira at UFC 283. Just months later, he suffered a significant injury that forced him to vacate the belt, which was later won by Pereira at UFC 295. After Pereira and Hill’s recent charged encounter at the UFC PI, the promotion may opt for other plans regarding the next light heavyweight title fight. Regardless of what comes next, don’t expect Pereira and Hill to break bread anytime soon. READ MORE: Dana White’s ‘favorite moment’ in UFC history was watching fighter he feuded with get knocked out

Quebec Premier François Legault will attend the inauguration and reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on Saturday. The historic church was renovated and rebuilt after being ravaged by a fire in April 2019. The premier’s office announced Thursday that Legault’s trip will be a short one — he will return to the province on Sunday. Many other heads of state and dignitaries are expected at the reopening ceremony, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is not scheduled to attend. The event will highlight the restoration of the architectural gem and symbol of Paris. Legault thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for the invitation, which he said was a sign of the deep historic and cultural ties “between our two nations.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 5, 2024.As part of a national “moonshot” to cure blindness, researchers at the CU Anschutz Medical Campus will receive as much as $46 million in federal funding over the next five years to pursue a first-of-its-kind full eye transplantation. “This is no easy undertaking, but I believe we can achieve this together,” said Dr. Kia Washington, the lead researcher for the University of Colorado-led team, during a press conference Monday. “And in fact I’ve never been more hopeful that a cure for blindness is within reach.” The CU team was one of four in the United States that received funding awards from the federal Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health , or ARPA-H. The CU-based group will focus on achieving the first-ever vision-restoring eye transplant by using “novel stem cell and bioelectronic technologies,” according to a news release announcing the funding. The work will be interdisciplinary, Washington and others said, and will link together researchers at institutions across the country. The four teams that received the funding will work alongside each other on distinct approaches, though officials said the teams would likely collaborate and eventually may merge depending on which research avenues show the most promise toward achieving the ultimate goal of transplanting an eye and curing blindness. Dr. Calvin Roberts, who will oversee the broader project for ARPA-H, said the agency wanted to take multiple “shots on goal” to ensure progress. “In the broader picture, achieving this would be probably the most monumental task in medicine within the last several decades,” said Dr. Daniel Pelaez of the University of Miami’s Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, which also received ARPA-H funding. Pelaez is the lead investigator for that team, which has pursued new procedures to successfully remove and preserve eyes from donors, amid other research. He told The Denver Post that only four organ systems have not been successfully transplanted: the inner ear, the brain, the spinal cord and the eye. All four are part of the central nervous system, which does not repair itself when damaged. If researchers can successfully transplant the human eye and restore vision to the patient, it might help unlock deeper discoveries about repairing damage to the brain and spine, Pelaez said, as well as addressing hearing loss. To succeed, researchers must successfully remove and preserve eyes from donors and then successfully connect and repair the optical nerve, which takes information from the eye and tells the brain what the eye sees. A team at New York University performed a full eye transplant on a human patient in November 2023, though the procedure — while a “remarkable achievement,” Pelaez said — did not restore the patient’s vision. It was also part of a partial face transplant; other approaches pursued via the ARPA-H funding will involve eye-specific transplants. Washington, the lead CU researcher, said she and her colleagues have already completed the eye transplant procedure — albeit without vision restoration — in rats. The CU team will next work on large animals to advance “optic nerve regenerative strategies,” the school said, as well as to study immunosuppression, which is critical to ensuring that patients’ immune systems don’t reject a donated organ. The goal is to eventually advance to human trials. Pelaez and his colleagues have completed their eye-removal procedure in cadavers, he said, and they’ve also studied regeneration in several animals that are capable of regenerating parts of their eyes, like salamanders or zebra fish. His team’s funding will focus in part on a life-support machine for the eye to keep it healthy and viable during the removal process. InGel Therapeutics, a Massachusetts-based Harvard spinoff and the lead of a third team, will pursue research on 3-D printed technology and “micro-tunneled scaffolds” that carry certain types of stem cells as part of a focus on optical nerve regeneration and repair, ARPA-H said. ARPH-A, created two years ago, will oversee the teams’ work. Researchers at 52 institutions nationwide will also contribute to the teams. The CU-led group will include researchers from the University of Southern California, the University of Wisconsin, Indiana University and Johns Hopkins University, as well as from the National Eye Institute . The teams will simultaneously compete and collaborate: Pelaez said his team has communicated with researchers at CU and at Stanford, another award recipient, about their eye-removal research. The total funding available for the teams is $125 million, ARPA-H officials said Monday, and it will be distributed in phases, in part dependent on teams’ success. U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, a Democrat who represents Denver in Congress, acknowledged the recent election results at the press conference Monday and pledged to continue fighting to preserve ARPA-H’s funding under President-elect Donald Trump’s administration. The effort to cure blindness, Washington joked, was “biblical” in its enormity — a reference to the Bible story in which Jesus cures a blind man. She and others also likened it to a moonshot, meaning the effort to successfully put Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon nearly 50 years ago. If curing blindness is similar to landing on the moon, then the space shuttle has already left the launchpad, Washington said. “We have launched,” she said, “and we are on our trajectory.”In Portland’s Central Eastside, small acts of kindness are supersized — blown up, immortalized in colorful bursts of paint and splashed across the walls of once-drab buildings. Strolling along Belmont Street, you might find yourself sucked into a perfectly still scene alive with good intentions. Faceless, purple figures clink coffee cups and chat with other equally purple, equally frozen friends. They recycle cans, hold up umbrellas for pets and dance against the colorful, brick-textured background. The mural, titled “Streets of Hope,” covers two walls on the corner of Southeast Eight Avenue and Yamhill Street. It’s the most recent project by the Portland Street Art Alliance and part of its ongoing initiative to uplift the city’s unhoused community through art. To accurately reflect a community, you have to be willing to involve them in the process, said Tiffany Conklin, PSAA’s executive director. “We make murals in the streets, and many times we go out there and we’re in their living room essentially, right?” she said. “For us, it feels right to bring them into the fold.” This mission began in 2021 with the inauguration of the Leroy Blocks , a series of murals honoring and inspired by Leroy Sly Scott, a beloved Portlander who spent 30 years living unhoused in the Sunnyside area. Community members rallied in support of the project, Conklin said — holding up flashlights and helping to redirect traffic during painting days. “Streets of Hope” takes community involvement to the next level. Exploring themes related to how Portland’s unhoused community cares for each other, the mural was created in collaboration with five local nonprofits: P:ear , Street Books , Street Roots , Sisters of the Road and Ground Score Association . With more than a decade of experience as a project manager at Portland State University’s survey research lab, data-informed design has always been a dream of Conklin’s. “Streets of Hope” brought this aspiration to life. Although the first swipe of paint didn’t hit the walls until late August, initial planning and grant applications began more than two years earlier. In March, the group contracted Damon Smyth , a Portland-raised muralist and comic book artist — and he and Conklin spent the next few months interviewing members of each nonprofit. In every conversation, Smyth encouraged individuals to be unfiltered in their answers. He often started sessions by prompting members to draw something that connected to them, then looked for ways to incorporate these ideas into the mural’s final design. Connecting with the community — especially those from P:ear, a mentorship organization for unhoused youth — was both a learning opportunity and a chance to serve as a role model, Smyth said. As a 16-year-old living in Portland in 2008, Smyth was incarcerated for three years, a sentence that was followed by a 6-month period of homelessness, he said. It was in prison that comic books became his go-to escape mechanism, he said, a hobby that later turned into a career illustrating historical graphic novels. In 2020, amid the wave of national and local Black Lives Matter protests, Smyth started painting again — reviving a casual childhood interest in graffiti and turning it into massive downtown murals featuring George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. He’s been painting murals full time since 2021. “We can go down the wrong path sometimes, but you can still be successful,” Smyth said. “ You can still be a great person. You can still be highly empathetic. You can still be valued. You can still be seen as someone that contributes to society.” There’s a lot of beauty in Portland’s unhoused communities, he said. The heart of “Streets of Hope” isn’t just depicting the community’s struggles — it’s showing how much joy, light and kindness individuals emit despite them. Every element of the mural is directly inspired by the stories of those he interviewed, Smyth said. The massive, realistic depiction of two hands reaching for each other was pulled from an instance he witnessed first-hand where two people helped each other up during a drawing session. After noticing how unhoused individuals prioritize their pets’ needs, he sketched a vignette where a man holds an umbrella over his dog. There’s a hand holding a rolled-up newspaper, a reference to the weekly social justice paper dispersed by Street Roots. Scattered coffee allusions — a pair of people holding takeout cups, a giant mug sloshing liquid across the wall — exist as a nod to the P:ear cafe, where some interviews took place. One scene youth were adamant Smyth included was an image of three people dancing, arms stretched up toward the sky. “I felt so inspired that people that don’t even have a roof over their head can still laugh and dance and sing together,” he said. “They were always excited to be around me, and I was excited to be around them.” PSAA invited nonprofit members to join in on a few early days of painting, filling in Smyth’s outlines with spray paint gusts and soaked acrylic paint rollers. For Smyth, art gave him an outlet through which to channel his energy during his incarceration. Making art offers individuals something they have complete control over, he said — a way to reclaim a sense of childhood nostalgia, a spark of life. He’s currently wrapping up two murals at Beaverton’s first year-round homeless shelter , where he’ll teach art classes as part of its yearlong residency program. “Part of the human experience is creation,” Smyth said. “ We have machines that build better than us, we have computers that are better at math — but art is still one of those things that can’t be duplicated.” With “Streets of Hope,” he said, the goal is that the mural’s inherent empathy will be infectious. “ I hope that people will see it and they’ll treat someone different that day because of it,” he said. — Veronica Nocera covers life and culture. You can reach her at vnocera@oregonian.com , 503-221-8111 or @vernocera

Vigil neuroscience CEO Ivana Magovcevic-Liebisch buys $11,700 in stockU.S. stocks slipped below their records in the runup to a big jobs report due on Friday. The S & P 500 edged down 0.2% Thursday after setting an all-time high for the 56th time this year the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.6%, while the Nasdaq composite fell 0.2%. The crypto market had much more action, and bitcoin briefly burst to a record above $103,000 before falling back toward $99,000. It’s climbed dramatically since Election Day on hopes President-elect Donald Trump will be more friendly to crypto. Airline stocks were strong, while Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market. On Thursday: The S & P 500 fell 11.38 points, or 0.2%, to 6,075.11. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 248.33 points, or 0.6%, to 44,765.71. The Nasdaq composite fell 34.86 points, or 0.2%, to 19,700.26. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 30.39 points, or 1.3%, to 2,396.17. For the week: The S & P 500 is up 42.73 points, or 0.7%. The Dow is down 144.94 points, or 0.3%. The Nasdaq is up 482.09 points, or 2.5%. The Russell 2000 is down 38.56 points, or 1.6%. For the year: The S & P 500 is up 1,305.28 points, or 27.4%. The Dow is up 7,076.17 points, or 18.8%. The Nasdaq is up 4,688.91 points, or 31.2%. The Russell 2000 is up 369.10 points, or 18.2%.76ers-Celtics upcoming Christmas Day game ranked surprisingly high | Sporting News

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 23, 2024-- Last Wednesday, attorneys from Susman Godfrey LLP and Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff, LLP filed an antitrust lawsuit on behalf of CDS Litigation, LLC, against Align Technology, Inc. (“Align”), the American Dental Association (“ADA”), and the American Association of Orthodontists (“AAO”). The lawsuit, filed in the Superior Court of California, alleges that the Defendants engaged in a multi-year coordinated and illegal conspiracy to eliminate their most serious market competitor to protect their industry dominance at the expense of consumers’ ability to access effective, affordable, and proven orthodontic care. This lawsuit arises from evidence described in the complaint that the Defendants colluded to drive SmileDirectClub, a leading provider of affordable and effective telehealth-based orthodontic solutions, out of business. Align initially invested tens of millions of dollars in SmileDirectClub and supported its business model as an investor, board member, lender, and manufacturer. All that changed, however, after SmileDirectClub rejected Align’s proposed buyout bid and an arbitrator later forced Align out of the company entirely for improperly using its access to confidential and proprietary SmileDirectClub information to try to copy SmileDirectClub’s business. The complaint explains how Align, no longer able to profit off of SmileDirectClub’s growth, turned to colluding with the ADA and AAO on a years-long campaign to destroy SmileDirectClub. Despite SmileDirectClub’s high customer satisfaction ratings and proven track record of offering effective care, the Defendants’ coordinated actions described in the complaint ultimately required the company to cease operations, resulting in fewer choices and higher costs for consumers. Evidence Of Anti-Competitive Behavior SmileDirectClub’s innovative model disrupted the orthodontic industry and threatened the financial interests of the Defendants by offering affordable, effective, and accessible clear aligner treatment, with clinical supervision and approval by state-licensed dentists and orthodontists on a fully remote basis, thereby doing away with the need for in-office visits and eliminating key barriers of cost and geography for millions of consumers. As detailed in the complaint, Align was initially attracted to this new model, investing $59.5 million for a 19% ownership stake in SmileDirectClub and becoming the company’s exclusive third-party supplier of clear aligners. This partnership granted Align extensive access to SmileDirectClub’s confidential business information, as well as a seat on its board of directors. But as the lawsuit explains, after SmileDirectClub rejected Align’s $1.5 billion buyout offer, Align instead used the confidential information it had learned from SmileDirectClub and opened a series of copycat “Scan Shops” modeled directly on SmileDirectClub’s innovative SmileShops. SmileDirectClub brought an arbitration against Align because of Align’s violation of the restrictive covenants it had previously agreed to, and the arbitrator ruled in SmileDirectClub’s favor in early 2019. The ruling ordered Align to divest its stake in SmileDirectClub at a steep discount, costing Align hundreds of millions of dollars. The arbitrator also enjoined Align from opening competing stores until August 2022. At this point, the complaint alleges that Align pivoted and launched its new strategy to eliminate SmileDirectClub as a competitor and secure a monopoly in the clear aligner market. The complaint details allegations as to how Align worked in concert with the ADA and AAO to spread false and misleading claims about SmileDirectClub’s safety and efficacy to damage its reputation with consumers and industry professionals, filed baseless complaints with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and leveraged exclusive agreements with dental support organizations - while also interfering with other third-party relationships - to block SmileDirectClub from accessing vital market opportunities. According to the lawsuit, these actions represented a calculated and coordinated effort by the Defendants to stifle competition and innovation in orthodontic care as part of their conspiracy to monopolize the industry and prevent consumers from accessing additional proven treatment options at more affordable prices. The lawsuit also shows how these actions directly contradicted the positions two of the conspirators—Align and the ADA—had taken up until the point when Align’s efforts to buy or copy SmileDirectClub failed. As the lawsuit explains, prior to embarking on the conspiracy, Align’s own CEO had forcefully debunked the exact same false assertions about SmileDirectClub’s services that Align and its coconspirators would repeatedly promote once Align shifted from trying to copy or buy SmileDirectClub to trying to destroy it. Similarly, as the lawsuit shows, the ADA expressly supported and endorsed “asynchronous” teledentistry (i.e., dentists treating patients without having to meet with them live) for years, only to reverse course right when it began conspiring with Align to falsely denigrate SmileDirectClub’s business model. Consumer Impact The alleged actions of Align, the ADA, and the AAO significantly reduced competition, requiring consumers to pay higher prices for orthodontic treatment while limiting their access to proven and less expensive alternative solutions. Before its bankruptcy, SmileDirectClub provided millions of consumers with an affordable and effective telehealth solution for clear aligner treatment, receiving high customer satisfaction ratings and helping those who used the company’s products achieve successful outcomes. Despite its effectiveness and proven product quality, the filing explains that SmileDirectClub was forced into bankruptcy and ceased operations in 2023 as a result of the Defendants’ systematic anticompetitive actions. The Plaintiff in this case, CDS Litigation, LLC, has the right to pursue litigation claims held by SmileDirectClub against the Defendants. ADA/AAO Involvement The filing describes the pivotal roles the ADA and the AAO played in the conspiracy to destroy SmileDirectClub, leveraging their positions as influential trade associations and active market participants to shield giant sponsors - like Align - and block disruption in the industry. The complaint alleges that the ADA and AAO participated in this monopolistic conspiracy by using their position as both market participants and powerful trade associations to preserve the profits and dominance of entrenched industry leaders and ensure that disruptive innovations – like SmileDirectClub’s affordable and accessible care model – could not succeed. About Susman Godfrey The lawsuit is being led by the team at Susman Godfrey that secured a $787.5 million settlement on behalf of Dominion Voting Systems in its defamation case against Fox News. “The filing alleges that Align Technology abused its market dominance to systematically crush competition and protect its monopoly at the expense of consumers,” said Stephen Shackelford, Partner at Susman Godfrey LLP . “According to the complaint, after Align was forced to give up its ownership interest in SmileDirectClub, it suddenly changed its tune as to SmileDirectClub’s model and conspired with the ADA and AAO to spread falsehoods, disrupt SmileDirectClub’s business relationships, and block its access to essential equipment and partnerships. Align’s conduct alleged in the complaint was anticompetitive, calculated, and illegal. The allegations in the complaint show how the entrenched and powerful incumbents in Big Dentistry manipulated the system to collude against a revolutionary and otherwise successful competitor, restrict affordable and effective options for consumers, and inflict lasting reputational damage through their dissemination of demonstrably false claims.” “As explained in the complaint, the Defendants didn’t just target their main competitor - they targeted the millions of consumers who stood to benefit from the affordable and accessible orthodontic care the competitor offered. The effectiveness of SmileDirectClub’s model and products threatened the Defendants’ market and financial interests, who, according to the filing, conspired to destroy the company rather than compete with them fairly,” said Davida Brook, Partner at Susman Godfrey LLP . “This complaint presents a textbook example of how dominant players collude to maintain market power, stifle competition, and harm consumers.” Susman Godfrey LLP is a leading national trial firm with an unmatched track record in high-stakes litigation. The firm has earned recognition as a fearless advocate for fairness, representing clients seeking justice against entrenched industry leaders. About Benesch Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff joins Susman Godfrey as co-counsel and is being led by a team that has extensive experience representing SmileDirectClub. “Having previously litigated and won against Align, we are all too familiar with the sort of abusive anticompetitive acts alleged in the Complaint against Align and other dominant players in the traditional dental market. SmileDirectClub pioneered the use of teledentistry to advance oral care with over 2 million satisfied customers, and the Complaint details the astonishing tactics the Defendants devised to run SmileDirectClub out of business,” said David Rammelt, a Partner at Benesch and Co-Chair of its Litigation Group. Benesch’s award-winning Litigation Practice Group has secured multibillion-dollar wins for plaintiffs and defendants in precedent-setting cases. An Am Law 200 firm, Benesch is nationally recognized by Chambers USA, Benchmark Litigation, and Best Law Firms “Best Lawyers” for earning a place of distinction representing mid-size to Fortune 100 companies in high-stakes litigation and jury trials across the country. Founded in 1938, Benesch has grown to more than 400 attorneys across six U.S. offices. Over the last five years, Benesch’s Litigation Practice Group has expanded by 40% to more than 170 attorneys, making it among the fastest-growing practices in the country. View source version on businesswire.com : https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241223208613/en/ Jeremy Adler,jeremy@uplandworkshop.com KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: LEGAL PROFESSIONAL SERVICES HEALTH DENTAL SOURCE: Susman Godfrey LLP Copyright Business Wire 2024. PUB: 12/23/2024 02:30 PM/DISC: 12/23/2024 02:30 PM http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241223208613/en

HOUSTON, Dec. 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tidal Investments LLC (“Tidal”) announced today that Days Global Advisors (“DGA”), a leading innovator in ETF management, will change the listing exchange for shares of DGA Core Plus Absolute Return ETF (ticker: HF) from NYSE Arca, Inc. to the New York Stock Exchange LLC (“NYSE”), effective December 12, 2024. DGA is committed to enhancing the trading experience for its clients and investors. By listing on the NYSE, the ETF will benefit from the expertise of a Designated Market Maker (DMM). This strategic shift reflects DGA’s commitment to delivering superior investment products and optimizing trading outcomes for its investors. The ETF will commence trading on the NYSE as of the open of trading on December 12, 2024. Shareholders of the ETF are not anticipated to be impacted or need to take any action in connection with the change in listing exchange. The ticker of the ETF will remain unchanged. About Tidal Investments LLC Formed by ETF industry pioneers and thought leaders, Tidal Investments LLC sets out to revolutionize the way ETFs have historically been developed, launched, marketed, and sold. With a focus on growing AUM, Tidal offers a comprehensive suite of services, proprietary tools, and methodologies designed to bring lasting ideas to market. Tidal is an advocate for ETF innovation. The firm is on a mission to provide issuers with the intelligence and tools needed to efficiently and to effectively launch ETFs and to optimize growth potential in a highly competitive space. For more information, visit https://www.tidalfinancialgroup.com/ . About Days Global Advisors Days Global Advisors is a premier asset management firm specializing in innovative ETF solutions. With a focus on enhancing liquidity, transparency, and investor confidence, DGA delivers tailored investment products that align with market trends and investor needs. For more information, visit http://www.daysadvisors.com . Important Information Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses carefully before investing. For a prospectus or summary prospectus with this and other information about the Fund, please visit our website at www.daysadvisors.com . Read the prospectus or summary prospectus carefully before investing. Investment Objective: The DGA Core Plus Absolute Return ETF seeks long-term capital appreciation as a primary objective, with capital preservation as a secondary objective. Investments involve risk. Principal loss is possible. New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decision. Shares May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. As with all ETFs, Shares may be bought and sold in the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Shares will approximate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of Shares is more than the NAV intra-day (premium) or less than the NAV intra-day (discount) due to supply and demand of Shares or during periods of market volatility. Cybersecurity Risk. With the increased use of technologies such as the Internet to conduct business, the Fund is susceptible to operational, information security, and related risks. Equity Market Risk. The equity securities in which the Fund invests may experience sudden, unpredictable drops in value or long periods of decline in value. Political Criteria Risk. Because the Sub-Adviser evaluates the political activity of the companies in the Fund’s investment universe as part of its portfolio management process, it may forego some market opportunities available to other funds that do not consider political factors. Tidal Financial Group (Tidal) serves as the Investment Adviser for the Fund. Days Global Advisors (DGA) serves as the Sub-Adviser to the Fund. The Fund is distributed by Foreside Fund Services, LLC. Foreside, Tidal, and DGA are not related. Media Contact: Tidal Financial Group Gavin Filmore gfilmore@tidalfg.com (262) 318-8466Proposed weekend special session of West Virginia Legislature raises questions

“You have a governor that doesn’t know what the hell she’s doing,” Trump said. “We’re going to change it because your border is a disaster.” Though he did not specify which aspects of Hobbs’ policy he opposed, Trump has repeatedly highlighted his intention to halt what he calls an “invasion” of migrants, accusing local and federal leaders of lax enforcement and inadequate deterrence. Hobbs has insisted she is willing to collaborate with the incoming Trump administration to secure additional federal resources for the state’s border region while cautioning against “misguided policies” that harm residents. “Border security was a core issue of the Trump campaign. I look forward to having conversations with the incoming president about Arizona’s needs ... but I won’t tolerate attacks on Arizona families,” she said in November at a Nogales port of entry. Hobbs sent about 40 National Guard members to Nogales to assist CBP with traffic direction at secondary search lanes, dismantling vehicles with contraband at the Mariposa border crossing, and supporting rail operations at the Dennis DeConcini crossing a few miles east. Though he lives in Montana, 45-year-old AmericaFest attendee Jeremy Payne said Trump and Homan’s comments about the border resonated with him. “I believe in having a strong and honorable border,” Payne said. “Immigrants should honor their host country by abiding by our rules and laws. We love immigrants but we want them to be legal. We don’t want them to break laws.” Payne said he wishes the mainstream media would be more precise about characterizing Trump’s stance on the border, which is similar to a homeowner who wants visitors to respect their rules. Similarly, 23-year-old Jimmie Guy, a Glendale resident who works in industrial irrigation, said he works with a lot of people from Mexico who went through legal routes to be able to work in the U.S. Guy, who attended the event with his two brothers, said he doesn’t think it’s fair that people try to flout the law. Dallas resident Roxanne Bellows, 60, said “it’s despicable” what is happening on the border. “We are in danger,” said Bellows, who works in the construction industry and is currently working in San Diego. Marc Mahler, a 54-year-old Phoenix resident, said he agrees with Trump on the border, too. And he doesn’t believe Hobbs has been effective on border issues. “Other than the National Guard, she hasn’t been very vocal,” said Mahler, who works in the health industry. “She hasn’t said anything substantive.” Mahler is a U.S. citizen now but he is originally from Canada. “I did all the things you are supposed to do,” he said. “I am offended people are trying to jump the line. I have patriotism for this country and you should be vetted if you want to move here.”

Social media apps are shown on a smart phone. Texas lawmakers have filed multiple bills in the 2025 legislative session to rein in social media use among minors, including an outright ban on anyone under the age of 18 from signing up for an account As school districts struggle to control the spread of cyberbullying, pornographic images and online exploitation among their students, Texas lawmakers could consider banning social media from minors, among other sweeping measures, in the upcoming legislative session.News release Santa Clarita Transit is scheduled to host its annual Holiday Light Tour on the weekend of Dec. 13-15. “This festive and family-friendly journey showcases some of the most magical and spectacular holiday light displays, which you can view comfortably on board the Santa Clarita Transit Trolley and other transit vehicles,” said a news release from the city. The tour lasts approximately 45 minutes and allows passengers to view local displays of holiday cheer, while leaving the driving to Santa Clarita Transit. Tours will depart from the McBean Regional Transit Center (24375 Valencia Blvd.) on Friday, Dec. 13, through Sunday, Dec. 15, beginning at 6 p.m., with the last trip departing at 9 p.m. Food trucks will be on hand. Additionally, there will be multiple photo opportunities, including selfie-stations, all lit up and ready for your socials. Tickets can be purchased upon boarding for $3 per person, or free with the donation of toiletries, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, men’s deodorant, baby wipes, bar soap and disposable razors. All ticket sales and toiletry items are donated to the Santa Clarita Valley Food Pantry. Seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. For safety purposes, the Holiday Light Tour does not visit Wakefield Court. This year, the city of Santa Clarita is holding a Golden Ticket Giveaway for up to a year of free transit rides. The randomly selected winner will receive a $365 TAP Card, which will allow for 365 free, local trips on the Santa Clarita Transit system. To enter the raffle, visit the Santa Clarita Information Booth at the Holiday Light Tour at the McBean Regional Transit Center. Up to 500 raffle tickets will be available each of the three nights of the Holiday Light Tour. Once all of the raffle tickets have been claimed, no further entries will be accepted. The winner will be drawn at random at 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 15, and will be notified via the contact information they wrote on the winning raffle ticket. For more information about the Holiday Light Tour and the Golden Ticket Giveaway, visit SantaClaritaTransit.com .

No Lone Avenger Can Free Us: A Marxist Position on the CEO ShootingRiding a 3-game win streak, the Bengals cling to playoff hopes with the Broncos next

A keen eye for detail is quintessential when choosing between two of the biggest names in the VPN world. NordVPN and ExpressVPN are high-value providers, and they're two of our favorite VPNs for their outstanding performance on benchmarks like security, streaming, and speed. Also: The best VPN services: Expert tested and reviewed Based on my hands-on experience testing both services, one may offer a slight advantage over the other, depending on what you want to achieve with a VPN. Both services offer automatic connection to optimal servers, promise a 30-day money-back guarantee, and offer no-logs policies. Here's how to decide which VPN is best for you. Spec ExpressVPN NordVPN Starting price $4.99/month $3.49/month Servers 3,000+ 6,500+ Countries 105 113 Specialty servers None Double VPN, P2P, Onion over VPN, obfuscated servers Protocols Lightway (proprietary), OpenVPN IKEv2/IPSec NordLynx (proprietary), OpenVPN, IKEv2/IPSec Security AES 256-bit (with PFS), kill switch, leak protection, RAM-only AES 256-bit GCM encryption, kill switch, leak protection, antivirus, dark web monitoring, Ad & malware block Yes (Threat Manager) Yes (Threat Protection Pro) No-logs policy Yes Yes Jurisdiction British Virgin Islands (outside of 5/9/14 Eyes) Panama (outside of 5/9/14 Eyes) Free/ trial/ money-back guarantee 7-day trial, 30-day refund policy Android free trial, 30-day refund policy Simultaneous connections 8 10 Compatible devices iOS, Android, MacOS, Windows, Linux, Android TV, Apple TV, Fire TV Stick, Chromecast, Kindle, Routers, consoles, extensions (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave) iOS, Android, MacOS, Windows, Linux, Apple TV, Android TV, Fire TV Stick, routers, gaming consoles, Kindle Fire, Chromecast, extensions (Chrome, Firefox, Edge) ExpressVPN is relentless with geoblocks. Whether you're trying to access streaming, gaming, shopping, or payment platforms, my experience with the services has always been smooth. ExpressVPN isn't optimized for specific streaming sites like CyberGhost , but the entire server network is obfuscated. This advanced technology disguises your VPN usage, avoiding detection. In comparison, NordVPN's obfuscation only works with the OpenVPN protocol. Also: The best VPN for streaming: Expert tested and reviewed Also, ExpressVPN's vast IP address pool is constantly refreshed, removing any residual IPs that may have already been blocked on streaming platforms for policy violations. Given its excellent performance, it can be most useful for accessing global content or international travel. ExpressVPN has a straightforward design. It's easier to use as a beginner than NordVPN, which is cluttered with several settings that can be a turn-off for inexperienced users. Also, ExpressVPN is compatible with more devices than NordVPN, offering even a native app for routers, so you don't need to perform complex manual setups. Also: ExpressVPN review: One of the fastest VPNs we've tested ExpressVPN has a 7-day free trial that can be used on any device. Previously the trial was only available to mobile users subscribing from the Google Play or App Store. NordVPN doesn't have a free trial, but Android users can try the service for free if they subscribe via Google Play Store. Both providers have a 30-day money-back guarantee for a risk-free trial. You should choose NordVPN if... NordVPN is heavily vested in digital security. Beyond encrypting connections and maintaining privacy, it beats ExpressVPN with some other extras like specialty servers (DoubleVPN, Onion Over VPN, and P2P), a malware scanner for downloaded files, and a Dark Web Monitor to alert you if your sensitive information has leaked on the web. Another feature, Meshnet, allows you to set up a private network over which you can securely share files between devices anywhere or play games with friends online with minimal latency. Also: NordVPN review: Consistent speed and performance from one of our favorite VPNs NordVPN's proprietary protocol, NordLynx, has relatively faster connections than ExpressVPN's Lightway protocol. These two are by far the best VPNs for speed , whether you want to stream or play online games without lag. NordVPN was consistent on most server locations in my speed tests, with connections dropping by 5-25% on nearby and faraway servers. On some server locations in the US, ExpressVPN performed better and even had lower latency, ideal for gaming. Also: The best VPN for gaming: Expert tested and reviewed NordVPN is the more affordable option of the two high-end services. Not only does it offer a cheaper entry price, but there are more tiered subscriptions to choose from on both short and long-term plans. The 2-year plan costs $96.93 ($3.59/month) or $121.23 ($4.49/month) with Threat Protection Pro and Password Manager, while ExpressVPN is $139.72 ($4.99/month) for 2 years. Proton VPN If you're frequently switching subscriptions and want a solid VPN with both free and paid versions, Proton VPN should be on your radar. It's secure and reliable, notably for activities like torrenting. Surfshark This is a great option for countries with heavy online censorship, thanks to its extra built-in features for bypassing network or site-specific restrictions. Private Internet Access (PIA) PIA is an affordable VPN that allows unlimited connections with one subscription. ZDNET's product of the year: Why Oura Ring 4 bested Samsung, Apple, and others in 2024 I tested Samsung's 98-inch 4K QLED TV, and watching Hollywood movies on it left me in awe I let my 8-year-old test this Android phone for kids. Here's what you should know before buying This ThinkPad checks all my boxes for a solid work laptop. Here's why it stands outBiden White House considering preemptive pardons for Trump’s perceived enemies

President-elect Donald Trump has once again suggested he wants to revert the name of North America’s tallest mountain — Alaska's Denali — to Mount McKinley, wading into a sensitive and decades-old conflict about what the peak should be called. Former President Barack Obama changed the official name to Denali in 2015 to reflect the traditions of Alaska Natives as well as the preference of many Alaska residents. The federal government in recent years has endeavored to change place-names considered disrespectful to Native people. “Denali” is an Athabascan word meaning “the high one" or “the great one.” A prospector in 1896 dubbed the peak “Mount McKinley” after President William McKinley, who had never been to Alaska. That name was formally recognized by the U.S. government until Obama changed it over opposition from lawmakers in McKinley's home state of Ohio. Trump suggested in 2016 that he might undo Obama's action, but he dropped that notion after Alaska's senators objected. He raised it again during a rally in Phoenix on Sunday. “McKinley was a very good, maybe a great president,” Trump said Sunday. “They took his name off Mount McKinley, right? That’s what they do to people.” Once again, Trump's suggestion drew quick opposition within Alaska. “Uh. Nope. It’s Denali,” Democratic state Sen. Scott Kawasaki posted on the social platform X Sunday night. Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski , who for years pushed for legislation to change the name to Denali, conveyed a similar sentiment in a post of her own. “There is only one name worthy of North America’s tallest mountain: Denali — the Great One,” Murkowski wrote on X. Various tribes of Athabascan people have lived in the shadow of the 20,310-foot (6,190-meter) mountain for thousands of years. McKinley, a Republican native of Ohio who served as the 25th president, was assassinated early in his second term in 1901 in Buffalo, New York. Alaska and Ohio have been at odds over the name since at least the 1970s. Alaska had a standing request to change the name since 1975, when the legislature passed a resolution and then-Gov. Jay Hammond appealed to the federal government. Known for its majestic views, the mountain is dotted with glaciers and covered at the top with snow year-round, with powerful winds that make it difficult for the adventurous few who seek to climb it. ___ Rush reported from Portland, Oregon. Claire Rush, The Associated PressPresident-elect Trump wants to again rename North America's tallest peak