SHRM Foundation and Clarvida Announce Partnership to Champion Inclusive Hiring Through Untapped Talent InitiativeWASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Sunday that the U.S. government believes missing American journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared 12 years ago near the Syrian capital, is alive and that Washington is committed to bringing him home after Bashar Assad’s ouster from power in Damascus . “We think we can get him back," Biden told reporters at the White House, while acknowledging that “we have no direct evidence” of his status. "Assad should be held accountable.” Biden said officials must still identify exactly where Tice is after his disappearance in August 2012 at a checkpoint in a contested area west of Damascus. “We've remained committed to returning him to his family,” he said. Tice, who is from Houston and whose work had been published by The Washington Post, McClatchy newspapers and other outlets. A video released weeks after Tice went missing showed him blindfolded and held by armed men and saying, “Oh, Jesus.” He has not been heard from since. Syria has publicly denied that it was holding him. The United States has no new evidence that Tice is alive, but continues to operate under the assumption he is alive, according to a U.S. official. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the U.S. will continue to work to identify where he is and to try to bring him home. His mother, Debra, said at a news conference Friday in Washington that the family had information from a “significant source,” whom she did not identify, establishing that her son was alive. “He is being cared for and he is well — we do know that,” she said. The Tice family met this past week with officials at the State Department and the White House. “To everyone in Syria that hears this, please remind people that we’re waiting for Austin,” Debra Tice said in comments that hostage advocacy groups spread on social media Sunday. “We know that when he comes out, he’s going to be fairly dazed & he’s going to need lots of care & direction. Direct him to his family please!”LORETTO, Pa. – A second, third and sometimes a fourth opportunity at an offensive possession was the key factor for Maryland-Baltimore County gaining the upper hand against St. Francis in Sunday afternoon’s matchup. The Retrievers pulled down 18 offensive rebounds and converted the extra looks into 18 second-chance points as Maryland-Baltimore County defeated the Red Flash 61-45 inside DeGol Arena. “When preparing for this game, we told our group that the team that rebounded would get the win,” St. Francis coach Keila Whittington said. “We saw they weren’t as good of a 3-point shooting team, and we decided to pack in the defense since they liked to drive, but when they missed, it was who wanted those rebounds and loose balls more. We struggled with that from the start, and it hurt us.” A putback layup at the buzzer by Laura Lacambra gave the Retrievers a 49-38 lead after three quarters. Maryland-Baltimore County then opened the fourth on a 12-0 run to balloon the lead to 23. The Retrievers capitalized on four offensive boards during the stretch. The Red Flash missed their first nine shot attempts and two free throws while committing four turnovers before Yanessa Boyd knocked down a free throw with 4:16 to go. St. Francis closed the game with seven straight points to set the final. “It was a buzzer-beater from an offensive rebound,” Whittington said. “When you look at their 18 offensive rebounds and 18 second-chance points, then you lose by 16, you see how much of an impact that is. You take away some of those rebounds, that’s more chances for us to score in transition. “You have to be able to develop a half-court defense and a transition offense if you want to win.” After starting the season with five straight losses, the Red Flash picked up a pair of wins over Duquesne and Delaware State on their recent road trip. A bright spot for the Red Flash during the stretch was the return of forward Jade Campbell, who missed the entire 2023-24 season and the first six games of this year with an ACL injury. Campbell produced a career game against Delaware State, compiling 17 points and 19 rebounds in the victory. “I’m very grateful to be back,” Campbell said. “It’s been a long 15 months. It was hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I just stuck with it. Our trainers and everyone really helped with the physical therapy and getting me back, but the support is what helped the most by far.” With Campbell back, the Red Flash are looking ahead to fully utilizing their rotation of forwards with conference play beginning in just over three weeks. “Jade has been a positive spark for us,” Whittington said. “She’s giving the other post players more confidence, which helps allow the guards to settle in. We’re going to continue to work to get better as a group, which will be a better process with a lot of the girls playing well.” Having Campbell inside, along with Julianna Gibson, Giselle Eke, Marina Artero and Alary Bell, will help St. Francis force opponents to shoot from the outside. This game plan gave the Red Flash a strong start against Maryland-Baltimore County, holding the Retrievers to 4 of 17 shooting in the first quarter, including missing all 10 attempts from 3-point range. St. Francis shot an efficient 6-for-11 in the opening frame, but were hampered by six turnovers. The Retrievers hit 9 of 10 shots at the free-throw line to hold a 17-15 lead after one. “We always talk about the first five minutes of the game and taking that first punch,” Whittington said. “We knew they were going to press, and we wanted to go back at them. “First quarters had usually been great for us, it’s the second quarter where we can’t usually stand that second punch, and that’s where we struggled.” The Retrievers outscored the Red Flash 14-7 in the second quarter to lead by nine at the half. St. Francis never closed the deficit within eight over the final two quarters. Boyd led the Red Flash with 13 points. Jaden Walker scored a game-high 15 for the Retrievers. St. Francis (2-9) travels to Butler for its next matchup Dec. 15. “It’s a good feeling knowing all of the girls can go to each other for help in any aspect,” Campbell said. “We’re all going to work hard in practice and keep trying to improve over these next couple weeks.” (c)2024 The Tribune-Democrat (Johnstown, Pa.) Visit The Tribune-Democrat (Johnstown, Pa.) at www.tribune-democrat.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.genie guessing game 。

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Donald Trump Jr. mocked MSNBC for its declining ratings on Friday as he and Elon Musk toyed with the prospect of buying the left-leaning cable news channel—apparently in jest. The exchange on X was kicked off when the president-elect’s eldest child responded to a post from the finance meme account @WallStreetMav that suggested that MSNBC was “up for sale” amid reports that Comcast, its parent firm, was spinning the network and other cable assets off into their own company. “Hey @elonmusk I have the funniest idea ever!!!” Don Jr. wrote , to which the world’s richest man responded, “How much does it cost?” Don Jr. apparently couldn’t pass up the chance for a dig at the network that often criticizes his father. “I mean it can’t be much,” he wrote . “Look at the ratings.” The channel’s struggles—with ratings down 40 percent from this time last year, per Nielsen—reportedly have star host Rachel Maddow taking a $5 million pay cut, meaning she’ll earn a $25 million salary over the next five years rather than the $30 million she currently receives. I mean it can’t be much. Look at the ratings. https://t.co/txcATgBbA2 Longtime Melania Trump aide Hayley Harrison has been promoted to be her chief of staff, the former first lady’s office announced on X Friday. “Mrs. Harrison has maintained an integral role and exceptional leadership on the First Lady’s team over the past seven years,” read the statement. “She has a strong understanding of White House operations, and as Chief of Staff, Mrs. Harrison will oversee and manage the East Wing’s team while strategically liaising with other parts of government.” Harrison was named in President-elect Donald Trump ’s indictment for mishandling of classified documents case, reported ABC News in 2023. Named as Trump Aide 1 in the case, Harrison texted another Trump aide about moving the classified documents out of the business center at Mar-a-Lago to make more room for staff to work. “There is still a little room in the shower where his other stuff is,” Harrison allegedly wrote to another staffer. Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is prosecuting Trump on the classified documents case, is expected to wind down the investigation before Trump takes office. Melania’s former chief of staff, Stephanie Grisham, spoke at the Democratic National Convention in July and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president. Scouted selects products independently. If you purchase something from our posts, we may earn a small commission. The pursuit of youth has long plagued our world. Many modern-day consumers go to great lengths to reduce the ravages of aging—Botox, plastic surgery, weird vampire facials, you name it. And while some products do show promise of slowing down aging, nothing can reverse time. However, effective products like the FDA-cleared (and derm-approved) Omnilux Contour Face can help reduce wear and tear. When I first saw the Omnilux Contour Face , it terrified me. 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While $395 may seem like a lot for an at-home face mask, once I did the math, I realized I spend much more on facials, creams, and dermatologist visits over time, I figured splurging on this light therapy mask could potentially save me some money in my beauty-maintenance fund, and it’s much cheaper than injectables like Botox and filler and other in-office procedures. Fortunately, right now, you don’t have to pay full price. Omnilux is offering a sitewide sale ahead of Black Friday next week. Score $60 off on one device with the code SAVE60, $140 off two devices with the code SAVE140 and $240 off when you buy three devices. Read my full review of Omnilux’s Contour device. Click Here > Former Rep. Mike Rogers is no longer under consideration to lead the FBI, a senior Donald Trump adviser said Friday. “Just spoke to President Trump regarding Mike Rogers going to the FBI. It’s not happening—In his own words, ‘I have never even given it a thought.’ Not happening," Dan Scavino, who will serve as deputy chief of staff in the incoming administration, posted on X . Sources told Fox News that Rogers, who lost his Senate race in Michigan earlier this month, visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago to discuss leading the law enforcement agency. During his first administration, Trump appointed Christopher Wray for the 10-year term but has repeatedly criticized him since then and said on the campaign trail that he wants to fire Wray. Rogers, who once served as an FBI officer and was on the House Intelligence Committee for four years, was also floated for the job in 2016. A civil jury found former UFC Champion Conor McGregor liable in a sexual assault case on Friday, ordering him to pay $257,000. According to the woman who brought the case against McGregor, the former fighter “brutally raped and battered” her in December 2018, leading to post-traumatic stress disorder and severe bruising. She also alleged in her testimony that McGregor put her in a chokehold several times during the encounter and threatened to kill her. The jury, which included eight women and four men, deliberated for around six hours in the High Court in Dublin, Ireland, before ultimately siding with her, reported Associated Press . Outside of the courthouse, the visibly shaken woman said she would now be able to move on with her life. In his testimony, McGregor alleged that the woman’s claims came after they had consensual sex. McGregor later took to X and said he’d be appealing the verdict. “The judge’s instruction and the modest award given was for assault, not for aggravated or exemplary damages,” McGregor said. “I am disappointed that the jury did not hear all the evidence that the DPP reviewed.” I will be appealing today's decision. The judge's instruction and the modest award given was for assault, not for aggravated or exemplary damages. I am disappointed that the jury did not hear all the evidence that the DPP reviewed. I am with my family now, focused on my future.... A quality wig should make you feel confident. That means it has to look good, feel good, and stay put all day. After a decade, Luvme Hair has refined its products to hit each of those marks. They believe comfort is key when you want to own your look. That starts with 100% human hair and the signature minimalist lace designed to be completely unlockable so no one will ever know you’re wearing a wig. 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With the movie adaptation of the hit Broadway musical—starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande—set to appear in theaters across the U.S. on Friday, the movie theater chain is planning to air a 30-second ad ahead of screenings that implores attendees not to belt out the show’s immensely catchy numbers, Vulture reported . And yes, that even includes “Popular.” Some attendees of early screenings for the flick told The New York Times they were put off by their fellow audience members’ blatant disregard for movie theater norms. “It started slow. Then people heard each other—it was like they encouraged each other,” attendee Angela Weir told the Times . “It was a beautiful scene, and then you’re taken out of it.” But those with the irresistible inclination to join Grande, Erivo, and the rest of the cast need not fret too much. About 1,000 North American cinemas will host special sing-along showings of Wicked beginning after Christmas, Variety reported earlier this week. While Baby Boomers say a person has to earn around $100,000 a year to be “financially successful,” members of Generation Z say they would need to make almost six times that figure—$587,800—to fit the label, Axios reported based on a September survey by Empower. Gen Z is truly in a league of its own—Generation X put the figure at $212,300, while for Millennials it was a bit lower, at $180,900. Across all generations, the average was $270,200. Despite their lofty ideal of financial success, 71 percent of Gen Z still said they thought they would achieve financial success in their lifetime, which was more than any other generational group. Boomers, who reportedly control over half of all American wealth, could actually end up helping Gen Z achieve their goal. Over the next few decades, as much as $50 trillion could flow from the older generation to younger ones in the form of inheritances—although experts also warn that it could also end up being spent on health-care costs for the aging Boomers. Morning Joe star Mika Brzezinski announced Friday she’s leaving Twitter, encouraging her followers to listen to her appearance on The Daily Beast Podcast as she headed for the exit. “I’ve decided to leave X, but I’d love to keep the conversation going. Join me on BlueSky !” the MSNBC host wrote in her presumably final post on Elon Musk ’s platform. Brzezinski’s penultimate post promoted her Daily Beast Podcast episode, in which she spoke about why she visited Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago after his election victory. The personal visit, which Brzezinski made with her husband and co-host Joe Scarborough, set off a furious backlash —and an exodus of viewers —over what some saw as a capitulation to the president-elect after years of denouncing him. “We heard from many of you wanting to let us know that it was the right thing to do, our jobs,” Brzezinski said as she introduced the footage Friday. “We’ve also faced a lot of criticism about the meeting, largely from folks online.” On the podcast, Brzezinski told co-hosts Joanna Coles and Samantha Bee that one of the reasons she and Scarborough went to Mar-a-Lago is that “people are really scared about Donald Trump’s comments about political adversaries.” She added that while she doesn’t “regret anything” she said during the campaign, she is nevertheless “looking at how to do things differently.” “I would never turn down an opportunity to gain insight or information,” Brzezinski added. “Never.” Watch the full podcast interview below. New episodes of The Daily Beast Podcast drop every Thursday. Like and download on Spotify , Apple Podcasts , YouTube , or your favorite podcast app. And click here for email updates as each episode debuts. Donald Trump will not be sentenced on his 34 fraud convictions anytime soon, a New York judge ruled Friday. With his court order, Judge Juan Merchan indefinitely postponed the hearing that was scheduled to take place next week, allowing Trump’s legal team time to submit their motions for dismissal of the hush money case by December 2. After that, the District Attorney’s office will have a week to deliver its response. On Tuesday, prosecutors signaled that they were fine to give Trump’s attorneys more time to get their argument together, but would oppose any attempts to toss the case. Still, given that Trump is about to assume ultimate pardon power, it now seems unlikely that any consequences will follow from the May conviction. “Just as a sitting President is completely immune from any criminal process,” Todd Blanche, a Trump lawyer poised to join his client’s Justice Department, argued to Merchan in a letter, per NBC , “so too is President Trump as President-elect.” Scouted selects products independently. If you purchase something from our posts, we may earn a small commission. As a child, receiving socks as a present was your first lesson in accepting disappointment with a smile. Now, socks are one of the best gifts to unwrap during the holidays. Bombas is a mission-driven clothing company that specializes in comfy socks, shirts, slippers, bralettes, and underwear . For every piece of essential clothing you purchase, Bombas will donate one in return. If you buy three pairs of socks today, Bombas will donate three pairs. 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Ariana Grande ’s boyfriend Ethan Slater says his girlfriend and her co-star Cynthia Erivo are “soul mates,” explaining why they cry so much on Wicked ’s press tour. Slater, who also appears in the film and began dating Grande during filming, told Today , “Their friendship is really real and really deep and really informed by the work that they did together.” That deep friendship results in lots of tears during interviews, which social media users have been hard at work turning into memes . “They’re both like, after a full day of junkets, ‘Well, we cried 100 times again. Everyone must be getting so annoyed,’” Slater said he hears from Grande and Erivo, “but I think it comes from a really genuine place.” Slater further explained that the movie stars are often moved to tears promoting the film because “they’re getting to talk about and getting to reflect on [their work and the resulting friendship] while they’re still in the midst of it.” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), a MAGA darling and three letter initialism-haver, is poised to lead a new House Oversight Committee Subcommittee that will work with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy ’s ‘DOGE’ commission to “eliminate government waste.” Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), a progressive darling and fellow three letter initialism-haver, is fine with that. “This is good, actually,” AOC tweeted Thursday. “She barely shows up and doesn’t do the reading.” She then likened giving MTG the job to “giving someone an unplugged controller.” Earlier this month, President-elect Donald Trump anointed MAGA entrepreneurs Musk and Ramaswamy as the co-leaders of his planned Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is not a government department but a commission that will table recommendations for how to take a chainsaw to U.S. Federal spending—Musk has mused about up to $2 trillion in cuts. “Absolutely dying at those two now getting assigned the ‘privilege’ of ‘working’ with MTG,” added AOC. “That is actually hilarious. Enjoy, fellas!” This is good, actually. She barely shows up and doesn’t do the reading. To borrow a phrase I saw elsewhere, it’s like giving someone an unplugged controller. https://t.co/cgu6B4IAYV

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that the U.S. military should stay out of the fast-escalating conflict in Syria, where a dramatic rebel offensive reached the capital and threatened the rule of Syria’s Russian- and Iranian-allied president. “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT,” Trump declared on social media. As world leaders watched the stunning rebel advance, with its potential to alter the balance of power in the Middle East, President Joe Biden’s national security adviser separately stressed that the Biden administration had no intention of intervening. “The United States is not going to ... militarily dive into the middle of a Syrian civil war,” Jake Sullivan told an audience in California. Sullivan said the U.S. would keep acting as necessary to keep the Islamic State — a violently anti-Western extremist group not known to be involved in the offensive but with sleeper cells in Syria’s deserts — from exploiting openings presented by the fighting. Insurgents’ stunning march across Syria appeared to reach its goal hours after both men spoke, with rebels entering Damascus after claiming many of the country’s other major cities within roughly 10 days. The head of a Syrian opposition war monitor said early Sunday that Assad left the country for an undisclosed location. Trump’s comments on the dramatic rebel push were his first since Syrian rebels launched their advance late last month. They came while he was in Paris for the reopening of the Notre Dame cathedral. In his post, Trump said Assad did not deserve U.S. support to stay in power. Assad’s government has been propped up by the Russian and Iranian military, along with Hezbollah and other Iranian-allied militias, in a now 13-year-old war against opposition groups seeking his overthrow. The war, which began as a mostly peaceful uprising in 2011 against the Assad family’s rule, has killed a half-million people, fractured Syria and drawn in a more than a half-dozen foreign militaries and militias. The U.S. early on closed its embassy in Syria and imposed sanctions over the brutality of Assad’s conduct of the war. The insurgents are led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which the U.S. has designated as a terrorist group and says has links to al-Qaida, although the group has since broken ties with al-Qaida. The insurgents met little resistance so far from the Syrian army, the Russian and Iranian militaries or allied militias in the country. The Biden administration said the ease of Syrian opposition forces’ capture of government-held cities demonstrates how Russia’s war in Ukraine and Iran’s and Iranian militias’ fight against Israel in Gaza and Lebanon have diminished them. “Assad’s backers — Iran, Russia and Hezbollah — have all been weakened and distracted,” Sullivan said Saturday at an annual gathering of national security officials, defense companies and lawmakers at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley. “None of them are prepared to provide the kind of support to Assad that they provided in the past,” he later added. The U.S. has about 900 troops in Syria, including U.S. forces working with Kurdish allies in the opposition-held northeast to prevent any resurgence of the Islamic State group. Gen. Bryan Fenton, head of U.S. Special Operations Command, said he would not want to speculate on how the upheaval in Syria would affect the U.S. military’s footprint in the country. “It’s still too early to tell,” he said. What would not change is the focus on disrupting IS operations in Syria and protecting U.S. troops, Fenton said during a panel at the Reagan event. Syrian opposition activists and regional officials have been watching closely for any indication from the incoming Trump administration on how the U.S. would respond to the rebel advances against Assad. Robert Wilkie, Trump’s defense transition chief and a former secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, said during the same California event that the collapse of the “murderous Assad regime” would be a major blow to Iran’s power. In his post, Trump said Russia “is so tied up in Ukraine” that it “seems incapable of stopping this literal march through Syria, a country they have protected for years.” He said rebels could possibly force Assad from power. The president-elect condemned the overall U.S. handling of the war but said the routing of Assad and Russian forces might be for the best. “Syria is a mess, but is not our friend, & THE UNITED STATES SHOULD HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT. LET IT PLAY OUT. DO NOT GET INVOLVED!” he wrote in Saturday’s post. An influential Syrian opposition activist in Washington, Mouaz Moustafa, interrupted a briefing to reporters to read Trump’s post and appeared to choke up. He said Trump’s declaration that the U.S. should stay out of the fight was the best outcome that the the Syrians aligned against Assad could hope for. Rebels have been freeing political detainees of the Assad government from government prisons as they advance across Syria. Moustafa pledged to reporters Saturday that opposition forces would be alert for any U.S. detainees among them and do their best to protect them. Moustafa said that includes Austin Tice, an American journalist missing for more than a decade and suspected to be held by Assad. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham renounced al-Qaida in 2016 and has worked to rebrand itself, including cracking down on some Islamic extremist groups and fighters in its territory and portraying itself as a protector of Christians and other religious minorities. While the U.S. and United Nations still designate it as a terrorist organization, Trump’s first administration told lawmakers that the U.S. was no longer targeting the group’s leader, Abu Mohammed al-Golani.China Unveils Agricultural Innovations at the 27th Hainan International Trade Fair for Tropical ProductsNone