Special counsel David Weiss's office on Monday appeared to push back on President Joe Biden 's claim that its prosecutions of Hunter Biden were politically motivated , calling such allegations "baseless." In a court filing challenging Hunter Biden's request to have the California indictment against him dismissed in light of his father's Sunday night pardon , Weiss noted that a number of judges had already rejected the younger Biden’s claims of vindictive prosecution. In a statement announcing the "full and unconditional" pardon, the president said "I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted," referring to the cases brought by Weiss that led to a guilty verdict on gun-related charges in Delaware and Hunter Biden's guilty plea on tax and fraud charges in California. "I believe in the justice system, but as I have wrestled with this, I also believe raw politics has infected this process and it led to a miscarriage of justice," Biden said. In the court filing , Weiss's office did not directly mention the president's statement, but noted that Hunter Biden filed eight motions to dismiss the California indictment "making every conceivable argument for why it should be dismissed, all of which were determined to be meritless." "Of note, the defendant argued that the indictment was a product of vindictive and selective prosecution. The Court rejected that claim finding that '[a]s the Court stated at the hearing, Defendant filed his motion without any evidence.' And there was none and never has been any evidence of vindictive or selective prosecution in this case," the filing said. It noted that Hunter Biden "made similar baseless accusations" in the Delaware case, which were rejected by that judge as well. Three appeals court panels also rejected Hunter Biden's arguments, the filing said. "In total, eleven (11) different Article III judges appointed by six (6) different presidents, including his father, considered and rejected the defendant’s claims, including his claims for selective and vindictive prosecution," the filing said. In filings Sunday night, Hunter Biden's attorney Abbe Lowell argued the presidential pardon “requires an automatic dismissal of the Indictment" against his client. Weiss argued in the California filing and a separate filing in Delaware that courts typically "do not dismiss indictments when pardons are granted.” "The Government does not challenge that the defendant has been the recipient of an act of mercy. That does not mean the grand jury’s decision to charge him, based on a finding of probable cause, should be wiped away as if it never occurred," the Delaware filing said. "It also does not mean that his charges should be wiped away because the defendant falsely claimed that the charges were the result of some improper motive or selective prosecution. No court has agreed with the defendant on these baseless claims, and his request to dismiss the indictment finds no support in the law," it added. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Lowell responded to Weiss's filing late Monday and argued the judge has the right — and reason — to dismiss the underlying indictment. "Mr. Biden has not been sentenced and no judgment has been entered in this case. Because no judgment has been or will be entered in this case, the appropriate resolution is to dismiss the Indictment while noting that is due to a pardon," Lowell wrote. Hunter Biden had been scheduled to be sentenced in both cases later this month.Stitch Buffalo refugees that make Bills-inspired hats to attend first NFL gamequick spin meaning 。

Chinese tricksters take cue from Squid Game to prey on the indebted

The No. 1 UCLA women’s basketball team digs deeper into its first season of Big Ten Conference play Sunday against Nebraska and continues Wednesday with No. 23 Michigan. The preparation, however, has been underway for much longer. “The work done in the dark always gets revealed in the light,” head coach Cori Close told reporters. “And we’re about to step into a lot of bright lights. It will be truly the things that will be behind the scenes that lead to us doing really, really well when the bright lights come on.” Close disclosed after Dec. 20’s 70-41 win over Creighton that the coaching staff and players are now watching film from up to 11 games on Big Ten opponents as opposed to the six or seven games that they watched for Pac-12 opponents prior to changing conferences. Playing each conference opponent once has doubled the workload for scouting, which has garnered heightened emphasis for the No. 1 Bruins (12-0 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) “We have a video team that’s not only double the people looking at analytics and we have multiple people doing video breakdown before it ever gets to an assistant coach,” Close said. “The toughest, more together team wins. But you can’t execute that unless you’re extremely prepared.” It’s unclear if 6-foot-7 center Lauren Betts will be a part of UCLA’s preparation this week. Betts, who is averaging a double-double this season, hasn’t played in a game since defeating Long Beach State 102-51 on Dec. 14 and is day to day with a leg injury sustained in that game. “Teams that are smaller than us – I get it, we have a huge advantage,” she told reporters after a 69-37 victory over Cal Poly . “What cannot be allowed is taking our players out at the legs. That’s the reason that Lauren Betts is out today is because of a play that was like that.” Sunday will mark the Bruins’ first game since Dec. 20 and the Cornhuskers (10-2, 1-0), who are receiving votes in the AP Top 25 poll, will feature a more competitive size matchup with eight players who are over 6 feet tall. It’ll be Nebraska’s second straight game against an unbeaten opponent after the Huskers lost to then-No. 17 Georgia Tech on Dec. 21. Forward/center Alexis Markowski recorded her fifth double-double of the season and 45th of her career by logging 20 points and 10 rebounds in the game. Michigan heads to No. 4 USC on Sunday before Wednesday’s game at UCLA. The Wolverines had their first conference game Dec. 8 when they beat Northwestern and have three freshmen averaging double figures in scoring in Syla Swords (15.3 ppg), Olivia Olson (15.7 ppg) and Mila Holloway (10.8 ppg). The Bruins have a deep, versatile roster to rely on even if Betts isn’t healthy enough to play Sunday. Freshman Elina Aarnisalo leads the team in total minutes played with 310 and in assists with 5.3 per game. UCLA shares the ball well, with seven players averaging eight points or better per game. The Bruins are the top team in the Big Ten in assists with 20.6 per game. “This is one of the most exciting parts of the season – getting into conference play knowing that every single night we go out there we’re going to have a really good competitor on the other side,” Rice said. “That’s what we train for and we’re looking forward to that.” Nebraska (10-2, 1-0) at No. 1 UCLA (12-0, 1-0) When: 2 p.m. Sunday Where: Pauley Pavilion TV/radio: Big Ten Plus/UCLA Digital Radio No. 23 Michigan (10-2, 1-0) at No. 1 UCLA (12-0, 1-0) When: 2 p.m. Wednesday Where: Pauley Pavilion TV/radio: Big Ten Network/UCLA Digital RadioCM Omar Abdullah urges officials to take swift action to restore essential services in J&K

2024’s top 10 climate disasters cost more than 200 billion dollars, charity saysNone

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Jim Harbaugh, Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers celebrated in the locker room Saturday after they wrapped up a playoff spot with a 40-7 victory over the New England Patriots. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * Jim Harbaugh, Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers celebrated in the locker room Saturday after they wrapped up a playoff spot with a 40-7 victory over the New England Patriots. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? Jim Harbaugh, Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers celebrated in the locker room Saturday after they wrapped up a playoff spot with a 40-7 victory over the New England Patriots. But even as they realized one goal by making the postseason, Harbaugh tried to keep things focused on the road ahead by stressing: “There’s more to do.” The Chargers (10-6) go into the regular-season finale at Las Vegas knowing they will be at least the AFC’s sixth seed and avoid a trip to Buffalo for the wild-card round. Los Angeles currently is in line to face Baltimore in a Harbaugh Bowl rematch, but it has an outside shot at the fifth seed and a trip to Houston if Cincinnati beats Pittsburgh next weekend. While Harbaugh credited his players for the turnaround from five wins last year to double-digit victories this season, Herbert gave most of it to Harbaugh and first-year general manager Joe Hortiz. “They have done such a great job of getting the right guys here. You look in the locker room and everybody plays for each other,” Herbert said. “(Harbaugh’s) a competitor, and he wants to win no matter what it is. It definitely shows, and it’s the way everyone fights for him, wants to play for him, and respects him.” Harbaugh is the fifth coach in NFL history to win at least 10 games in his first season with two teams. He is also the eighth to make the playoffs in his first season with two teams. “Very little to do with me. If it goes right, then it’s our players. They’re doing a great job. It’s gone bad a couple times. That’s on me,” he said. “I’ve been drinking the Kool-Aid here from day one, I can’t give enough credit to Derwin James, Justin Herbert, and those two in particular. And Khalil Mack and Rashawn Slater. I mean, stalwarts. Brad Bozeman has come in. He’s been a stalwart. There’s a bunch. There’s probably, like — I counted it up early. There was maybe 15, 15 stalwarts that we had, and it’s grown since then.” Even though the Chargers are 3-5 against teams with winning records at the time they’ve played them, they are 7-1 against teams that were at or under .500. Four of those wins against opponents with losing records have come by at least 17 points, the first time since 2017 the Bolts have won that many games by as big a margin. Since halftime of their Dec. 19 game against Denver, the Chargers have outscored the Broncos and Patriots 61-13 over six quarters. “That’s the type of football we want to be playing in December, January, and hopefully on. That’s the type of football you want to be playing, especially in these big games like that. It was really good to see,” Herbert said. What’s working Offensive coordinator Greg Roman has said throughout the season it’s tough to use the full playbook when the Chargers have short drives. They came into Saturday’s game ranked 26th with only 23 possessions of at least 10 plays, but they had four against the Patriots, leading to three touchdowns and a field goal. It was the first time since Week 10 last season against Detroit they have had at least four drives of double-digit plays. What needs help Kickoff return coverage. The Chargers have allowed nine kick returns of at least 30 yards, eighth most in the league. New England’s Alex Erickson had three returns for 90 yards, including 34 and 31 yards. Stock up RB J.K. Dobbins was activated off injured reserve and provided a boost to the offense with 76 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown. Dobbins, who missed four games due to a knee injury, has set career highs in scrimmage yards (983) and rushing yards (842) in his first season with the Chargers. Stock down WR D.J. Chark was targeted four times but didn’t have a catch. Chark was signed during the offseason to provide experience and speed to a young receiver group. However, he missed the first half of the season with a hip injury and has played sparingly since his return. He has three receptions on the season. Injuries Three starters — RB Gus Edwards (ankle), LB Denzel Perryman (groin) and OG Trey Pipkins (hip) — were inactive. WR Joshua Palmer (heel) and DB Elijah Molden (shin) were injured in the second half. Key numbers 77 and 1,054 — Receptions and receiving yards by Ladd McConkey, both records for a Chargers rookie. 5 — Consecutive seasons by Herbert with at least 3,000 passing yards and 20 touchdown passes, tied with Peyton Manning and Russell Wilson for the most to start a career. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. 2 — Sacks by Derwin James Jr. against the Patriots, the first time in the safety’s seven-year career he has had multiple sacks in a game. What’s next The Chargers go for their first season sweep of the Raiders since 2018 in the regular-season finale. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL Advertisement AdvertisementJimmy Carter's policy legacy is as germane as everAP Trending SummaryBrief at 5:07 p.m. EST

Man City’s worst run since 2002 puts them at risk of Champions League elimination

DALLAS — As Perry Minasian prepared to leave the winter meetings on Wednesday, he wasn’t sure what he’d actually accomplished during his few days in Dallas. The Angels didn’t acquire any players during the event — aside from a left-handed reliever picked in the Rule 5 draft — but Minasian said he hoped he laid some groundwork for deals that could come to fruition throughout the rest of the winter. “We’ll find out,” he said. “I hope so. There are a lot of conversations.” The Angels still need some of everything. Minasian, per usual, would not rank the needs. “We want to get better,” he said. “We want to get deeper. Is that the bullpen? Is that the position players? Is that infield? Is that outfield? Is that starting rotation? We’ll find out. But we would definitely like to add to the team, not only the 26 but below that too.” Considering what the Angels have done and what they have currently, the infield nonetheless still seems to be a pressing need. Shortstop Zach Neto, third baseman Anthony Rendon and utility infielder Luis Rengifo will all be coming off injuries. So far the Angels have only added Kevin Newman and Scott Kingery to provide depth behind that group. A player who can start at third or second would be ideal. The Angels have checked in on trades for at least three third basemen: Nolan Arenado of the St. Louis Cardinals, Alec Bohm of the Philadelphia Phillies and Eugenio Suarez of the Arizona Diamondbacks. A deal for any of those players could be costly — in terms of money with Arenado and talent with Bohm or Suarez. Among free agents, third baseman Alex Bregman is the top of the market, followed by second baseman Gleyber Torres. Bregman is certainly out of their price range, and Torres may be as well. One intriguing option below them would be Jorge Polanco, who is a 31-year-old bounce-back candidate who can play second, third or shortstop. He could likely be had for $8 million to $10 million. Polanco had a career .780 OPS over parts of 10 seasons with the Minnesota Twins, but that dropped to .651 last season with the Seattle Mariners, who declined his option. Seattle is a notorious pitcher’s park, and Polanco had a .606 OPS at home, and a more reasonable .694 mark on the road. Some of last year’s decline could have been attributed to playing through knee issues that ultimately required surgery. He also had a .740 OPS with 11 homers in the second half. Polanco is also a switch-hitter who has been better from the left side over his career. The Angels are in need of any good hitters, but ideally they’d add some who are better against righties, because that was their weaker side last season. “You always want to balance the lineup as best as you can,” Minasian said. “It’s just about what’s available. So we wouldn’t pass on a right-handed hitter that we feel like is productive.” RULE 5 PICK The Angels selected left-handed reliever Garrett McDaniels from the Dodgers in the Rule 5 draft. McDaniels joins the Angels’ 40-man roster. They must keep him on the major league roster all season or else offer him back to the Dodgers. McDaniels, 24, had a 3.19 ERA with 84 strikeouts in 73 1⁄3 innings last season. He pitched just three innings at Double-A, and the rest were at two levels of Class-A. “Good arm, can spin two breaking balls, heater’s 94-95, combination of ground balls and strikeouts,” Minasian said. “Now, it’s at lower levels, but stuff is stuff. We felt like it was worth taking a look at him at spring training, and we’ll see if he can make the team. ... “You can never have too many lefties, and especially guys that can really spin the ball. It’s a good trait to have in the bullpen.” ARIZONA UPGRADES Before Minasian came to Dallas, he stopped in Arizona to get a look at the upgraded spring training facilities. The Angels re-did their clubhouse, weight room and offices, and they added pitching and hitting labs. “It looks great,” Minasian said. “I had a chance to walk through. It’s not completely finished. Obviously, we still have time. It blew me away. It’s better than I even thought it would be. The labs are awesome.” The Angels have been behind other organizations in terms of their technology. This facility should help them catch up, and Minasian believes it will translate to improved performance of their players. “I think it’s going to be significant,” Minasian said. “I really do. I think it will be a significant upgrade from what we had.” Related Articles Los Angeles Angels | Angels win No. 2 pick in 2025 MLB draft lottery Los Angeles Angels | Nolan Arenado traded to the Dodgers or Angels? Not likely Los Angeles Angels | Angels open to adding a full-time third baseman, despite having oft-injured Anthony Rendon Los Angeles Angels | Angels look to continue upgrading as they head to winter meetings Los Angeles Angels | Alexander: Golden at-bat? It would only tarnish baseball KIKUCHI’S ROLE The Angels have made much of what they hope to gain by having veterans like Kyle Hendricks and Travis d’Arnaud around their young players, and that also applies to Yusei Kikuchi. Although it’s reasonable to think the language barrier might preclude Kikuchi from having the same type of influence, Minasian said he is “100%” certain that Kikuchi will help Angels young pitchers, both with his words and actions. “His English is pretty good,” Minasian said. “The work ethic and the the prep and the weight room stuff. People see him doing the work. If you ask people in Toronto and the short stay in Houston and even in Seattle, it’s real. It will be good for our guys.”

Real Life Don't miss out on the headlines from Real Life. Followed categories will be added to My News. Police have finally solved the murder of an 18-year-old woman found naked on a riverbed after almost 40 years. Tracy Whitney was murdered in the US state of Washington in 1988. John Guillot Jr., was identified as a suspect in her slaying only two years ago. However he had died eight months before. Recent DNA testing finally confirmed his role in the murder, New York Post reported. But it means the family will never see justice. “It’s kind of an empty feeling because now we know who did it. ... But we’ll never find out the true story of what actually happened,” said Tracey’s father Ronald Whitney. Tracy Whitney was killed in August 1988 in Washington state. Picture: Pierce County Sheriff's Department Tracy was last seen storming out of a Burger King restaurant after an argument with her friends. The next day, a fisherman stumbled upon her naked body in a gravel bed where two rivers meet. Tracy was strangled and is believed to have been raped, officials said. Her homicide stumped investigators for decades until new DNA evidence and genetic genealogy revealed Guillot as a suspect in 2022. But he was already dead. “If John G. Jr. had been alive today, law enforcement would have probable cause to arrest,” Pierce County Sheriff’s Detective Lindsay Kirkegaard said. “From our standard, he was the suspect, and he would have been arrested for the crime.” The victim’s nude body was found on a riverbed. Picture: Pierce County Sheriff's Department There were no known connections between Tracy and Guillot. Guillot was also questioned in connection to the death of his girlfriend in 2010 and the death of his wife in 2020, although he was never charged in either of those cases. Mr Whitney told King5 News that he had been watching DNA technology advances lead to several cold cases being solved over the years, giving him hope that his daughter’s killer would eventually be found. Ron Whitney remembers his daughter, Tracy, as a happy girl who always had a sparkle in her eye. Picture: Pierce County Sheriff's Department “When the Golden State Killer got busted, I said, ‘This is it, this is the break that we’ve been waiting for’,” he said of the technological gains. Learning the identity of his daughter’s killer has brought the family some closure, Mr Whitney said. But since Guillot is dead, the family will never learn the whole story, he added. “In my head, I imagined that we’d be going to court, and I’d be sitting in the courtroom looking him in the eyes and watching him get sentenced to death or life in prison,” Tracy’s mother, Robin Whitney, told the outlet. The heartbroken father said the pain of his daughter’s death still haunts him. “It’s something that never leaves your mind, every day, I don’t think the grief will ever go away,” he said. “It’s the first thing I think about in the morning, it’s the last thing I think about at night.” This story originally appeared on the New York Post and reproduced with permission More Coverage Nestle responds to outrage over choccie snap Claudia Poposki ‘What?’: $40 festival shorts slammed Claudia Poposki Originally published as Cops finally solve murder after 38 years More related stories Real Life ‘Threatening’ letter left on car at Bottle-o Coles has responded after a liquor store they own punished a P-plater for an “entitled” car park move. Read more Real Life Porn star’s ‘1000 men in 24hrs’ event shocks A woman who is currently in “training” for her world record attempt of sleeping with 1000 men in 24 hours has sparked health concerns. Read moreTweet Facebook Mail Big tech companies could be forced to pay for Australian journalism under a reported plan from the federal government. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will today reveal a plan to impose financial penalties on tech companies such as Meta if they don't negotiate "in good faith" with news organisations. It's expected to pressure tech giants to commit to a bargaining code with publishers and pay for news content shared on their platforms. READ MORE: Baby toy pulled off shelves over choking fears  Tech giants could be penalised for not paying for Australian news under a new plan. (Getty) Mark Zuckerberg's Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram, is currently at the centre of the stand-off, after its existing agreements with news publishers expired. The other major player, Google, has current payment agreements in place but hasn't promised to renew them. Existing laws in Australia designed to encourage tech companies to pay for news can be circumvented if platforms such as Facebook remove traditional media entirely from their site. READ MORE: Meta 'working to fix' outage impacting Facebook and Instagram globally  Time's Person of the Year shortlist revealed View Gallery Meta has done just that in Canada, and reportedly has suggested it could do so in Australia. The Herald reported that the upcoming plan would also levy penalties on companies that were greater than the cost of publishing bargains, which are estimated to be worth a collective $1 billion over four years. DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP : Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play .

A few years ago, Games Workshop finally begun taking some unprecedented steps to update the models of one of Warhammer 40,000 ‘s most popular factions: the ranks of the Aeldari , the lithe, elven aliens who have been part of the tabletop game for nearly 40 years. But even with those significant updates, the line of Aeldari models was still home to some of the oldest miniatures that Games Workshop still sold... but next year, that’s finally going to change in a huge way. As part of a special preview event ahead of the upcoming Warhammer World Championships, today Games Workshop revealed the upcoming revamp of the Aeldari’s rulebook for the latest, 10th edition of Warhammer 40K . Alongside the updated rulebook will be a swath of new miniatures focusing on one of the unique elements of Aeldari culture: the Aspect Warriors, clans of specialized elite operatives dedicated to specific schools of martial thought, and their fabled, legendary leaders in the Phoenix Lords. Although these units and heroes are key elements of Aeldari lore —and often fundamental pillars of an Aeldari army—players of the faction have spent literal decades running those Aspect Warriors with the same models while watching Games Workshop find ever-increasing ways to sell people a new Space Marine . Up until relatively recently, many key models in the Aeldari were based on sculpts that been around for the best part of 20 years. Some of the oldest among these models were those of the eight main Aspect Warrior archetypes: the Howling Banshees, Striking Scorpions, Swooping Hawks, Dire Avengers, Warp Spiders, Fire Dragons, Dark Reapers, and Shining Spears. Many of these models were so old that they were still cast in metal or eventually resin, and Games Workshop took its sweet time updating them bit by bit over the years. The Howling Banshees received a model overhaul in 2019 (replacing models from 2006), while the Dark Reapers and Shining Spears were updated as part of that 2022 line overhaul (replacing models from 2006 and 1999, respectively), and the Striking Scorpions were updated this year through the smaller-scaled skirmish game Kill Team (replacing models again, from 2006). Today’s news brings almost every other Aspect Warrior class to contemporary plastic miniature standard. The Fire Dragons, Swooping Hawks, and Warp Spiders will all receive updated plastic multi-part models to replace metal and resin kits from 2006, 2000, and 1994 , respectively. Alongside those mainline squads, the company also unveiled updates for their accompanying Phoenix Lords—the elite hero units that are the heads of each Aspect—in the form of Fuegan (the lord of the Fire Dragons), Baharroth (the Swooping Hawks), and, for the very first time in miniature form at all, Lhykis, the lord of the Warp Spiders, alongside the Dire Avenger lord Asurmen. Putting Lhykis aside as a brand new character, these other miniatures all replaced “current” models from 1994. It should be stressed that Games Workshop charged for these practically ancient miniatures with the same kind of pricing that any of its contemporary miniatures would command, despite their ever-increasing age—and Aeldari players were simply supposed to deal with it and look on as other factions received regular new miniatures and refreshes. As a life-long player of the faction, it’s been wild to me in my off-and-on journey with Warhammer 40K as a grown adult has been played with the same miniatures I could buy as a 10-year-old getting into tabletop gaming for the first time. And it’s taken most of that life for that to change! But at long last, it now is. There’s still some Aeldari models that are showing their age—among the Aspect Warriors at least, Asurmen’s Dire Avengers haven’t been updated since 2006 either, and the Striking Scorpion’s leader, Karandras, is now the last remaining un-updated Phoenix Lord sitting at 30 years old (and counting). Hopefully with the new rules for the faction coming some time in 2025, it won’t take that much longer to see these remaining alien legends get the shiny new plastic treatment they deserve too... and hopefully these new models, as lovely as they look now in 2024, aren’t still on shelves by the 2060s. After all, in the grim dark future of the 21st century, there must always be new plastic soldiers to purchase.