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NEW YORK — Greg Gumbel, a longtime CBS sportscaster, has died from cancer, according to a statement from family released by CBS on Friday. He was 78. “He leaves behind a legacy of love, inspiration and dedication to over 50 extraordinary years in the sports broadcast industry; and his iconic voice will never be forgotten,” his wife Marcy Gumbel and daughter Michelle Gumbel said in a statement. In March, Gumbel missed his first NCAA Tournament since 1997 due to what he said at the time were family health issues. Gumbel was the studio host for CBS since returning to the network from NBC in 1998. Gumbel signed an extension with CBS last year that allowed him to continue hosting college basketball while stepping back from NFL announcing duties. In 2001, he announced Super Bowl XXXV for CBS, becoming the first Black announcer in the U.S. to call play-by-play of a major sports championship. David Berson, president and CEO of CBS Sports, described Greg Gumbel as breaking barriers and setting standards for others during his years as a voice for fans in sports, including in the NFL and March Madness. “A tremendous broadcaster and gifted storyteller, Greg led one of the most remarkable and groundbreaking sports broadcasting careers of all time,” said Berson. Gumbel had two stints at CBS, leaving the network for NBC when it lost football in 1994 and returning when it regained the contract in 1998. He hosted CBS’ coverage of the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics and called Major League Baseball games during its four-year run broadcasting the national pastime. But it was football and basketball where he was best known and made his biggest impact. Gumbel hosted CBS’ NFL studio show, “The NFL Today” from 1990 to 1993 and again in 2004. He also called NFL games as the network’s lead play-by-play announcer from 1998 to 2003, including Super Bowl XXXV and XXXVIII. He returned to the NFL booth in 2005, leaving that role after the 2022 season.'Delhi Chalo' March: Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann Accuses Centre Of Ignoring Farmers' Demands
Francis' 23 lead NJIT over Navy 69-64Syria’s Christian community has never received political support from the West, particularly Europe, according to Agnes Mariam de la Croix, the mother superior at the Monastery of Saint James the Mutilated in Syria. The abbess made the remarks while talking to RT on Tuesday in light of the recent incident involving the burning of a Christmas tree in the Syrian Orthodox city of Hama by a group of Islamist fighters. The incident has stirred anger among local residents, with hundreds of demonstrators having taken to the streets in the Christian neighborhoods of Damascus on Monday amid fears of further crackdowns on Syria’s religious minorities. Videos circulating online showed hooded figures setting fire to the tree at a traffic circle in the Christian-majority town of Al-Suqalabiyah near the city of Hama in central Syria. Reacting to the events, de la Croix pointed out that after seizing power the jihadist groups, particularly the Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS), have promised to take care of minorities and even paid unexpected visits to spiritual leaders in Aleppo, Hama, and Damascus. Nevertheless, the community has been “targeted by different ways of discrimination and misunderstanding of our Christian symbols, especially in this holy realm on Christmas Eve,” she said. Asked about reports of European assistance to Syria’s Christian community, de la Croix replied, “we don’t rely on protection from the West, I regret to say it.” She noted that Europe has never genuinely assisted Christians in Syria. On the contrary, she said, there was always a feeling it was “even forbidden for us to talk about the prosecution of Christians.” She said European politicians “were not very happy” when she talked about the issue. HTS jihadists launched a surprise offensive in the northern Syrian provinces of Idlib and Aleppo late last month. After the city of Aleppo fell within days, the group advanced south on Damascus, capturing the towns of Suqaylabiyah, Hama, and Homs along the way before they were joined by US-armed Free Syrian Army (FSA) militants for a final push on the capital. Former Syrian President Bashar Assad left for Russia, where he has been granted asylum. Under Assad, Christians and other religious minorities were allowed to openly practice their faith. HTS leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa has vowed to lead Syria into an era of change, promising an inclusive vision where all religious and ethnic groups are represented. However, with HTS in charge, many now reportedly fear persecutions. “We feel insecure, at least,” de la Croix said, noting it is not only about Christians, but there had been aggression against other minorities too. Burning a Christmas tree means “burning our principles, faith, joy, and fist of Christmas,” according to de la Croix, who described it as “an insult” against the community. The abbess raised hope for improvement of the “terrible uncertainty” situation for the Syrian ethnic and religious minorities in the future.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York state government agencies will have to conduct reviews and publish reports that detail how they're using artificial intelligence software, under a new law signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York state government agencies will have to conduct reviews and publish reports that detail how they're using artificial intelligence software, under a new law signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York state government agencies will have to conduct reviews and publish reports that detail how they’re using artificial intelligence software, under a new law signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul. Hochul, a Democrat, signed the bill last week after it was passed by state lawmakers earlier this year. The law requires state agencies to perform assessments of any software that uses algorithms, computational models or AI techniques, and then submit those reviews to the governor and top legislative leaders along with posting them online. It also bars the use of AI in certain situations, such as an automated decision on whether someone receives unemployment benefits or child care assistance, unless the system is being consistently monitored by a human. 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. State workers would also be shielded from having their hours or job duties limited because of AI under the law. State Sen. Kristen Gonzalez, a Democrat who sponsored the bill, called the law an important step in setting up some guardrails in how the emerging technology is used in state government. AdvertisementAttorney Daniel Schowengerdt finds his commute between Iola and Kansas City to be surprisingly productive. “Sometimes clients want to have an hour-long conversation, and it’s difficult to find that time during the work day,” he said. The one-hour, 25-minute drive gives him more time to connect with clients and continue to build personal relationships that he considers vital to the success of his new law firm. Schowengerdt launched DS Law about a month ago, splitting his time between Iola and Kansas City, his hometown. About two-and-a-half years ago, he and his family moved from Iola to the city — actually, it’s the edge of the city where “I can still see cows,” he said. He maintains a commitment to practicing in Iola and is temporarily renting office space at Manbeck Law, 10 E. Jackson St. Previously, he and Bob Johnson Jr. were partners in business. “Working with Bob was great,” Schowengerdt said. “We did some great work together and I respect everyone in that office. I’m just going to expand in a different direction.” Wherever that new direction takes him, Schowengerdt said, “I’ll always come back to Iola.” “Iola is a special place. It’s where we raised our kids. I have clients who are parents of kids I coached T-ball and soccer. My paralegal is in Iola. My bank is in Iola. I still get my haircut there.” TECHNOLOGY makes it possible for his new, dual law practice. The COVID-19 pandemic forced court systems to adapt to modern practices such as remote hearings and Zoom meetings. All cases are filed electronically. Status hearings are conducted virtually. Attorneys, particularly those in rural areas such as Southeast Kansas, who once found themselves driving from one county courthouse to another can now appear remotely. That saves time and money, especially for clients who don’t have to pay for that time. Many attorneys practice in communities outside of their home city. Across the state it’s becoming more common for an elected county attorneys to represent multiple counties. Schowengerdt uses technology to his benefit. He can meet with clients virtually, via a phone call or text, Facetime or Zoom. For those who need to meet in person, he’s in Iola on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And, of course, he has more time to talk during his commute. “I really haven’t minded the drive at all. That was my biggest question, can I make this drive for the next 15 years?” he said. “Sometimes I’ll pull up in my driveway and spend another 20 minutes on the phone because we haven’t finished the conversation.”RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The very close election for a North Carolina Supreme Court seat heads next to a hand recount even as election officials announced a machine recount of over 5.5 million ballots resulted in no margin change between the candidates. The statewide machine recount — in which ballots were run again through tabulators — that wrapped up this week showed Democratic Associate Justice Allison Riggs with a 734-vote lead over Republican challenger Jefferson Griffin, who is a Court of Appeals judge. Most county election boards reported minor vote changes from the machine recount requested by Griffin. But State Board of Elections data showed the post-recount lead exactly the same as what Riggs held after all 100 counties fully completed their ballot canvass in November. Griffin led Riggs by about 10,000 votes on election night, but that lead dwindled and flipped to Riggs as tens of thousands of qualifying provisional and absentee ballots were added to the totals through the canvass. Griffin, who already has pending election protests challenging the validity of more than 60,000 ballots counted statewide, has asked for a partial hand-to-eye recount, which county boards will start Wednesday or Thursday. The partial hand recount applies to ballots in 3% of the voting sites in all 100 counties, chosen at random Tuesday by the state board. Once the partial recount is complete, a statewide hand recount would be ordered if the sample results differ enough from the machine recount that the result would be reversed if the difference were extrapolated to all ballots. Riggs, who was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2023 and now seeks an eight-year term, again claimed victory Tuesday. In a campaign news release, spokesperson Embry Owen said Griffin “needs to immediately concede – losing candidates must respect the will of voters and not needlessly waste state resources.” Riggs is one of two Democrats on the seven-member court. Through attorneys, Griffin has challenged ballots that he says may not qualify for several reasons and cast doubt on the election result. Among them: voter registration records of some voters casting ballots lack driver's license or partial Social Security numbers, and overseas voters never living in North Carolina may run afoul of state residency requirements. State and county boards are considering the protests. Griffin's attorneys on Monday asked the state board to accelerate the matters before it and make a final ruling early next week. "Our priority remains ensuring that every legal vote is counted and that the public can trust the integrity of this election,” state Republican Party spokesperson Matt Mercer said in a news release. Final rulings by the state board can be appealed to state court. Joining Griffin in protests are three Republican legislative candidates who still trailed narrowly in their respective races after the machine recounts. The Supreme Court race and two of these three legislative races have not been called by The Associated Press. The key pending legislative race is for a House seat covering Granville County and parts of Vance County. Republican Rep. Frank Sossamon trails Democratic challenger Bryan Cohn by 228 votes, down from 233 votes before the recount. Sossamon also asked for a partial hard recount in his race, which was to begin Tuesday. Should Cohn win, Republicans will fall one seat short of the 72 needed in the 120-member House to retain its veto-proof majority — giving more leverage to Democratic Gov.-elect Josh Stein in 2025. Senate Republicans already have won 30 of the 50 seats needed to retain its supermajority in their chamber. The AP on Tuesday did call another legislative race not subject to a protest, as Mecklenburg County GOP Rep. Tricia Cotham won her reelection bid over Democrat Nicole Sidman. A machine recount showed Cotham ahead of Sidman by 213 votes, compared to 216 after the county canvass. Cotham’s switch from the Democrats to the Republicans in April 2023 secured the Republicans' 72-seat veto-proof majority so that Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s vetoes could be overridden by relying solely on GOP lawmakers. Gary D. Robertson, The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said her agency will need to start taking “extraordinary measures,” or special accounting maneuvers intended to prevent the nation from hitting the debt ceiling , as early as January 14, in a letter sent to congressional leaders Friday afternoon. "Treasury expects to hit the statutory debt ceiling between January 14 and January 23," she wrote in a letter addressed to House and Senate leadership, at which point extraordinary measures would be used to prevent the government from breaching the nation's debt ceiling — which was suspended until Jan. 1, 2025. The department in the past deployed what are known as “extraordinary measures” or accounting maneuvers to keep the government operating. Once those measures run out, the government risks defaulting on its debt unless lawmakers and the president agree to lift the limit on the U.S. government’s ability to borrow. "I respectfully urge Congress to act to protect the full faith and credit of the United States," Yellen said. FILE - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks during a visit to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) in Vienna, Va., on Jan. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File) The news came after Democratic President Joe Biden signed a bill into law last week that averted a government shutdown but did not include Republican President-elect Donald Trump’s core debt demand to raise or suspend the nation’s debt limit. Congress approved the bill only after a fierce internal debate among Republicans over how to handle Trump's demand. “Anything else is a betrayal of our country,” Trump said in a statement. After a protracted debate in the summer of 2023 over how to fund the government, policymakers crafted the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which included suspending the nation's $31.4 trillion borrowing authority until Jan. 1, 2025. Notably however, Yellen said, on Jan. 2 the debt is projected to temporarily decrease due to a scheduled redemption of nonmarketable securities held by a federal trust fund associated with Medicare payments. As a result, “Treasury does not expect that it will be necessary to start taking extraordinary measures on January 2 to prevent the United States from defaulting on its obligations," she said. The federal debt stands at about $36 trillion — after ballooning across both Republican and Democratic administrations. The spike in inflation after the COVID-19 pandemic pushed up government borrowing costs such that debt service next year will exceed spending on national security. Republicans, who will have full control of the White House, House and Senate in the new year, have big plans to extend Trump's 2017 tax cuts and other priorities but are debating over how to pay for them. Many consumers may remember receiving their first credit card, either years ago in a plain envelope, or months ago from a smartphone app. Still other consumers may remember their newest card, maybe because it's the credit card they're now using exclusively to maximize cash back rewards or airline miles. But for most consumers, there's also a murky in-between where they add, drop and generally accumulate credit cards over time. Over the years, consumers may close some credit card accounts or leave some of their credit cards dormant as a backup form of payment, or perhaps left forgotten in a desk drawer. In the data below, Experian reveals the changes in consumers wallets in recent years. U.S. consumers, on average, carry fewer cards today than they did in 2017, when the typical wallet held 4.2 active credit cards. As of the third quarter (Q3) of 2023, consumers carried 3.9 cards on average. This average is up slightly since the early days of the pandemic, when consumers reduced their average credit card debt and number of accounts as the economy slowed. As Experian revealed earlier this year, credit card balances are still climbing, despite (and partially because of) higher interest rates. And while average balances are increasing, they are spread across fewer accounts than in recent years. Alternative financing—including buy now, pay later plans for purchases—may account for at least some of this discrepancy, as consumers gravitate toward these newer financing methods. In general, residents of higher-population states tend to carry more credit cards than those who live in states with fewer and smaller population centers. Nonetheless, the difference between the states is relatively small. Considering that the national average is around four credit cards per consumer, the four states with the fewest cards per consumer (Alaska, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming) aren't appreciably different, with "only" about 3.3 credit cards per consumer. Similarly, the four states on the higher end of the scale where consumers have 4.2 or more credit cards are Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, New Jersey and Rhode Island. The disparity in average credit card counts is more apparent when the population is segmented by age, thanks in part to Generation Z, many of whom have yet to receive their first credit card. The average number of credit cards for these consumers was two, less than half of what older generations keep on hand. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.Bengaluru: The year 2024 has seen a revival in late-stage funding compared to earlier stages, paving the way for several large pre-initial public offering (IPO) rounds. The trend is likely to continue in the near term as more marquee companies prepare to go public. Meanwhile, even mid-market deals saw a reasonable rise in the past 12 months, while seed- and early-stage deals stuttered. According to data from market intelligence provider Tracxn, there were 83 rounds in Series D stages and above with an average ticket size of $74.4 million this year, surpassing 73 deals with $71 million in 2023. However, it fell short of 2022 levels where there were 137 rounds with an average deal size of $89.5 million. “Given the complicated cap tables, the need to return capital to LPs and companies trying to manage selling pressure once they are listed, companies are pushing for pre-IPO rounds to enable secondary transactions," said Pankaj Naik, managing director and co-head for digital and technology investment banking at Avendus Capital. LPs, or limited partners, are entities or individuals that invest in venture capital and private equity funds. “We are seeing a return of frantic deal activity. We are anticipating volumes to go up," he said, adding that newer pools of capital such as HNIs (high-net-worth individuals) are providing another alternative to crossover investors for high-quality companies. A cross-over investor is someone who is invested through the pre-IPO stage till after the IPO. Also read | Most transactions this year included secondary swap of shares. Looking ahead, too, the Indian private markets appear ripe for secondary transactions with several new-age startups like OfBusiness, Infra market, Purplle, PhonePe, Bluestone, PayU and Meesho expected to go public in the next two to three years. That is leading to a rush of new funds aimed at secondary transactions. For instance, Piyush Gupta, a former managing director of , launched Kenro Capital last month to target late-stage secondary deals. In September, Oister Global alongside Tribe Capital also launched a $500 million India-focused secondaries fund. With the ongoing macroeconomic volatility, Oister Global chief executive officer (CEO) Sandeep Sinha explained that the revival in growth-stage (or late-stage) rounds is mainly a function of investors looking to get quicker exits. The institutional investor is known for backing investment firms such as Blume Ventures and Stride Ventures. “Given the ongoing macroeconomic volatility, investors are hesitant to commit long-term capital or be locked in for a 10-year time span in the case of funds, especially when the returns are moderate," Sinha said. “They are increasingly preferring higher visibility, shorter tenure assets with a faster path to recovery." He added that with the overall secondary markets picking up, the fund is looking at investing about $200 million across different transactions over the next year. Some notable secondary transactions that have happened over the past year include Temasek and Fidelity’s $200 million purchase of Lenskart’s shares in June, and as a part of a larger fundraise this month, among others. Mid-market deals Even mid-market transactions in Series B and C stages have attracted greater investor interest compared to last year, although they still fall short of 2022 levels when capital was more free flowing. While the volume of deals in these stages was fewer, the average ticket size for Series C rose to nearly $21 million from $15.2 million in 2023. It was higher at $36.8 million in 2022. Similarly, Series B also saw a higher average deal size of about $16 million from $12 million a year earlier and $20.9 million in 2022, data from Tracxn showed. “The years of 2021-22 were probably anomalies. If we look at growth companies raising larger rounds today, the path-to-IPO companies are seeing a lot of cap table action. For such companies, there is a decent mix of primary and secondary," said Vikram Gawande, vice president at Blume Ventures. Also read | The venture capital firm, which has backed prominent Indian startups like Purplle, Batterysmart and LeverageEdu, is a big proponent of encouraging companies to tap the public markets at an earlier stage to facilitate quicker exits. “There has been a transition from growth at all costs to measured growth with a clear path to profitability in the current vintage, and we are seeing that play across many of our portfolio companies," Gawande said, adding that there is a healthy pipeline of companies and only those growth companies with strong fundamentals are getting funded in the current climate. Broadly, investors have also noted that the increase in average deal size across Series B and beyond can be attributed to greater participation by local family offices. Over the years, stabilizing returns from active asset management in India has led to growing demand from HNIs for more complex and differentiated investment options, according to a report published by Avendus this month. The report estimates that HNIs currently allocate an estimated 7-8% of their total assets under management (AUM) to alternatives, indicating significant underpenetration in this segment. Avendus projects doubling of total HNI and ultra-HNI wealth in India to $2 trillion by 2027. Early-stage deals Meanwhile, the earlier stages of funding across seed and Series A continue to show significant strain with an average ticket size that has reduced or stagnated over a three-year time span. As per data from Tracxn, seed-stage deals fell steeply to 760 deals from the 1,273 funding rounds of 2023. The average deal size showed little improvement to $1.4 million from $1.1 million in the past two years. Also read | Series A also mirrored similar patterns with 275 rounds this year compared to 305 in 2023 and 469 in 2022. The deal size fell to $6.1 million from $6.5 million last year and $7.4 million in 2022, Tracxn data showed. Early-stage investors such as Antler India, which invests in pre-seed rounds, also alluded to the dull momentum across the early stages, although the venture capital firm expects to see an uptick in deal volumes in the coming year. While pre-seed has seen traction, the slowdown in seed and Series A has made the journey complex for companies to build products and services with lesser capital while growth-stage investors deploy more selectively. “Sometimes, founders sit on the fence before starting companies because it’s not clear where the growth capital will come from. It has been hard to raise large growth rounds over the last two years as that capital has predominantly come from global pools," said Ritesh Banglani, a partner at Stellaris Venture Partners. Also read | Last month, the venture capital firm raised its largest-ever $300 million fund to continue backing seed and Series A startups. “The uptick in growth-stage investment activity that we have seen in the past six months will give confidence to both founders and investors and drive more early rounds in startups in 2025," Banglani concluded.
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