Few picks have been met with more enthusiasm from conservative supporters than President-Elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Harmeet Dhillon to run the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Civil Rights Division. With an impressive track record that includes standing up for civil liberties, challenging woke policies, and advocating for the protection of free speech, Dhillon has emerged as the perfect choice to overhaul the DOJ division that many conservatives believe has been used to target them.
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.
Disney has decided to remove a transgender storyline from its upcoming animated series Win or Lose. The series, which revolves around the Pickles, a co-ed middle school softball team, centers on their journey toward a championship game over the course of one week. Each episode highlights the life and perspective of a different character, including players, parents, coaches, and umpires.
California lost 156,300 jobs in the first half of 2024, according to the latest federal quarterly payroll data, contradicting Governor Gavin Newsom’s optimistic claims about job growth in the state. While Newsom’s office had highlighted preliminary job survey data, which often overestimates employment numbers, the finalized payroll data shows a starkly different picture. In January, California’s payroll data counted 18,037,900 jobs, but by June, that number had dropped to 17,881,600, reflecting a significant job loss.
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.
Incoming trade advisor Peter Navarro has reassured Americans that the tariffs planned for President-Elect Donald Trump's next term will not lead to inflationary pressures. Speaking with CNBC, Navarro pointed to the significant tariffs imposed on Chinese imports during Trump’s previous term, such as steel, aluminum, dishwashers, and solar panels. Despite fears that these tariffs would drive up prices, Navarro emphasized that they had no discernible impact on inflation. He also dismissed past warnings about inflation, recalling how critics had predicted economic chaos during Trump’s first term, only to see those fears prove unfounded.
