Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has openly defended her friendship with US tech billionaire Elon Musk, asserting that her personal connection with him does not influence her duties as Italy’s leader. Speaking in Parliament, Meloni made it clear that her government remains independent, despite her relationship with Musk, and she emphasized that she would not be swayed by his economic interests.
Congressional leaders revealed a stopgap funding bill on Tuesday to keep the government operational until March 14, setting off a race to pass the legislation by the end of the week.
A few years ago, the Buffalo Bills threatened to leave New York State unless a new stadium deal was secured. This kind of relocation bluff is common in the NFL, with only the Green Bay Packers standing out as a team with a municipally owned facility and a market too small to seriously consider relocation. Despite the ever-present threat of the Bills moving to a more lucrative market, Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul ultimately signed a deal providing $600 million in state funding for a new $2.1 billion stadium for the Bills, with Erie County contributing an additional $250 million. This was after team owner Terry Pegula threatened to move the franchise to Austin, Texas, where he would privately finance a stadium.
The Pinellas County Commission has approved a $312.5 million bond issue to finance its part of a new $1.3 billion stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays. The 5-2 vote, which was delayed twice, allows the county to move forward with selling the bonds, contingent on the Rays meeting their obligations under the deal. The approval follows the St. Petersburg City Council’s earlier vote to approve its $287.5 million share of the project on December 6.
President-elect Donald Trump is set to meet with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew on Monday at Mar-a-Lago, his resort in Florida, as the popular social media app faces a looming U.S. ban.
