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Gregg County woman sentenced for distributing fentanyl

TYLER – A Longview woman has been sentenced to federal prison for distributing fentanyl resulting in death in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs. Rebecca Diane Merkel, 43, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle. According to information presented in Court, Merkel operated what was known to drug users as the “Walmart of drugs” out of her residence located on Williams Street in Longview. There, she and her co-defendants sold various illegal narcotics, including methamphetamine and pills laced with fentanyl, in exchange for money, stolen goods, and firearms. Merkel’s customers included street-level dealers in Gregg, Rusk, and Panola counties. Continue reading Gregg County woman sentenced for distributing fentanyl

David Rancken’s App of the Day 11/14/24 –Listenable!

Is one of your goals to educate yourself more? Check out David Rancken’s App Of The Day. It’s called Listenable. You can find Listenable in the Apple Store.

Fourth season of ‘Mythic Quest’ coming to Apple TV+ in January

Apple TV+ has announced its lauded workplace comedy Mythic Quest returns for its fourth season on Jan. 29.

The series starring and co-created by Always Sunny star and co-creator Rob McElhenney centers on the dysfunctional team behind the titular fictional hit video game.

The streamer teases the fourth season sees Ian (McElhenney), Poppy (Charlotte Nicdao), Brittlesbee (David Hornsby), Brad (Danny Pudi), Rachel (Ashly Burch) and the rest of the gang back "under the same fluorescent office lights as the reunited team at Mythic Quest confronts new challenges amongst a changing video game landscape as stars rise, egos clash, relationships bloom, and everyone tries to have a little more work life balance."

The show kicks off with two episodes, followed by one new episode weekly through March 26.

Following the finale, the streamer will also be launching Side Quest, an anthology series that "explores the lives of employees, players, and fans who are impacted by the game."

That series will star McElhenney, as well as Abbott Elementary's William Stanford Davis, Mission: Impossible baddie Esai Morales "and many more in the leading roles across each installment."

Texas businesses reveal legislative agenda for child care

AUSTIN – The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports private employers across the state are calling on lawmakers to mend existing gaps in the child care sector that are preventing businesses and the state economy from reaching their full potential at an annual price tag of about $9.4 billion. A task force of almost 70 businesses and organizations announced the specific actions they want to be taken in the upcoming Texas legislative session, which focus on creating partnership models, harnessing relevant data and simplifying the existing array of regulations. The Employers for Childcare Task Force — founded by the Texas Restaurant Association, Early Matters Texas, Texas Association of Business and Texas 2036 — revealed its legislative agenda on Wednesday, Nov. 13, in a virtual press conference about a year after its formation in late 2023.

The task force was created in response to the lack of affordable, accessible and quality child care that limits — or fully prevents — some parents’ ability to participate in the workforce. The resulting turnover and understaffing seen by employers has prompted them to take action toward building a better economic foundation for the state. A recent U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation study showed Texas is estimated to be losing out on roughly $9.4 billion annually because of child care woes. State lawmakers in both chambers have been assigned to study the issues impacting the child care sector, and proposed solutions, ahead of the legislative session that begins Jan. 14. House Speaker Dade Phelan last month announced eight work groups for House members to voluntarily join, one of which is focused on child care accessibility and affordability. The group laid out the following six policy recommendations: Pass legislation to help employers, no matter their size, help their employees find affordable, quality child care through partnerships. Require Texas Workforce Commission and Texas Health and Human Services Commission to collaboratively streamline child care regulations. Improve data sharing across agencies to better inform state officials on child care opportunities and outcomes. Maintain existing sunset scheduling dates for the Texas Workforce Commission and Texas Health and Human Services Commission so the legislature can evaluate the proper regulatory structure for child care in a timely manner. Strengthen child care workforce by helping eligible workers obtain child care subsidies for themselves. Remove costly local regulation barriers (such as zoning) for home-based child care operations, which are already regulated extensively by the state.

Are you not entertained? Regal and Pepsi launching immersive ‘Gladiator II’ fan event

If you'd like to take your viewing of Gladiator II to the next level — and you can't get to Rome to see the real McCoy — Regal Cinemas is transforming one of its New York City theaters into the Roman Colosseum.

Specifically, the theater chain and Pepsi have teamed up to create The Pepsi COLAsseum at Regal Times Square, and announced a fan event for Nov. 19 that will let some lucky moviegoers experience the ancient world as they gear up to see Gladiator II in the immersive 4DX format.

The format uses special moving and rumbling seats, and also incorporates smoke, spritzes of water, snow and other environmental effects.

"Pepsi and Regal have come together to recreate the hype and energy of the 'hypogeum,' offering a select number of lucky fans the chance to walk through these historic tunnels just as the gladiators were fabled to have done before entering the arena," the ad copy touts.

Further, they'll meet a "philosopher" at the gate, who will hand them a customizable leather coin purse or drink koozie and Roman coins they can trade for food, including Gladiator II-themed snacks and beer or wine they can swill from "a Roman chalice fit for an emperor or empress."

They'll also be able to explore costumes and props — and virtually suit up for battle via augmented reality on a two-story-tall digital screen.

For a chance to RSVP for the special event, check out Pepsicolasseum.com.

Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Connie Nielsen and Denzel Washington can be seen in Gladiator II in theaters nationwide on Nov. 22.

FBI raids Polymarket founder’s home in criminal probe of election betting platform

(NEW YORK) -- The FBI searched the New York City home of Polymarket founder Shayne Coplan as part of a criminal investigation into the election betting platform, law enforcement sources told ABC News.

The investigation, at least in part, involves whether Polymarket violated a prior settlement with the U.S. government by allowing American-based users access to its platform.

The 2022 settlement with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission required Polymarket to pay a $1.4 million penalty for operating an illegal unregistered "event markets" that allowed users to bet on events taking place in the future, such as who will win a presidential election.

Coplan posted on X, "It's discouraging that the current administration would seek a last-ditch effort to go after companies they deem to be associated with political opponents."

He added that the company is "deeply committed to being non-partisan."

Polymarket correctly predicted Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential election last week.

"This is obvious political retribution by the outgoing administration against Polymarket for providing a market that correctly called the 2024 presidential election, " a company spokesman added. "Polymarket is a fully transparent prediction market that helps everyday people better understand the events that matter most to them, including elections. We charge no fees, take no trading positions, and allow observers from around the world to analyze all market data as a public good."

House Republicans strike deal on motion to vacate, making it harder to oust speaker

(WASHINGTON) -- House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Wednesday evening that House Republicans from across the conference struck a deal to raise the threshold for the motion to vacate -- a procedure rank-and-file lawmakers can use to remove the speaker. The new agreement makes it harder to remove a speaker from the position.

The agreement would raise the threshold to force a vote on ousting a speaker from one member to nine members.

A one-member vote triggered the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and ultimately led to Johnson's ascension to the speakership a little more than a year ago.

While the nine-member threshold makes it harder to oust a speaker, it does not completely remove the threat.

Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris of Maryland and Main Street Caucus Chairman Dusty Johnson of South Dakota -- who negotiated the deal on Wednesday -- appeared with Johnson at a press conference where they explained the change.

"We had an opportunity to set the motion to vacate at a higher than number one, that motion to vacate will be set at nine in return for getting rid of some amendments that probably would have divided this conference," Johnson said.

He said the agreement allows Republicans to be "in a better position to move forward with the Republican agenda to make sure that Speaker Johnson, South Dakota Senate Leader John Thune and our President Donald Trump have an opportunity to go forward."

"For me this is exactly how we're supposed to come together," Johnson said.

Harris said the change allows the conference to execute on Trump's plans.

"We've been able to work across the conference to eliminate the controversial issues that could have divided us and move forward together to deliver on the President's agenda. That's it," Harris said.

A little over a year ago, former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz introduced a motion to remove McCarthy from the House speakership, plunging the chamber into chaos for weeks.

Earlier this year, Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene filed a motion to vacate the speaker's chair, threatening to oust Johnson just months after he ascended to the speakership. When she officially triggered a vote on her motion to oust Johnson, Democrats joined almost all Republicans to overwhelmingly reject her move.

House Republicans will are huddling Thursday morning where they'll still have to ratify the agreement.

Johnson won the House Republican nomination Wednesday to stay on as the House's top job. On Wednesday, he said he was "delighted" and "honored" to be the nominee for speaker, saying "we'll head into Jan. 3 to make all that happen."

The chamber will vote on their rules package for the 119th Congress on Jan. 3, 2025, following the election of the speaker on the floor.

Pete Hegseth’s plan to overhaul America’s military: ‘You need to fire a ton of generals’

(NEW YORK) -- Across hours of podcast and television interviews, Army veteran and Fox News host Pete Hegseth has articulated his plan for a "frontal assault" to reform the Department of Defense from the top down, including by purging "woke" generals, limiting women from some combat roles, eliminating diversity goals and utilizing the "real threat of violence" to reassert the United States as a global power.

As President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for the Secretary of Defense, Hegseth, 44, could have the chance to implement that vision, commanding the country's more than a million active duty soldiers.

An infantry officer in the U.S. Army National Guard, Hegseth deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan before leaving the service with the rank of major, according to military records. Hegseth has worked for Fox News since 2014, where he co-hosts "FOX & Friends Weekend." Once a critic of Trump's foreign policy and military stances during Trump's 2016 campaign, Hegseth grew to become one of Trump's fiercest on-air defenders.

"Pete is tough, smart and a true believer in America First. With Pete at the helm, America's enemies are on notice - Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down," Trump said announcing the nomination.

A New York Times best-selling author, Hegseth has frequently commented on military policy and suggested one of his first orders of business would be firing any generals who supported the Pentagon's diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

"First of all, you got to fire the Chairman Joint of the Chiefs and obviously going to bring in a new Secretary of Defense, but any general that was involved -- general, admiral, whatever -- that was involved in, any of the DEI woke s---, has got to go," Hegseth said during a recent interview on the "Shawn Ryan Show" podcast. "Either you're in for warfighting, and that's it. That's the only litmus test we care about."

Hegseth had preemptively defended the move, saying it would be a return to normalcy for soldiers rather than a "MAGA takeover."

While Hegseth has described countries like Russia and China as threats, he has framed the military's biggest threat as an internal one, arguing that "wokeness" divided the military internally and created an issue that adversaries can exploit.

"I think our biggest threat is internal. I think we're committing cultural suicide, and we've lost complete focus on the basics and building blocks of what made Western civilization in America exceptional, fruitful, prosperous, strong, free," Hegseth said on the podcast.

Hegseth has proposed a wholesale purge of military officials who have supported DEI policies, urging a "frontal assault right back at what's been done to this military from the top and to the bottom."

"The dumbest phrase on planet Earth in the military is our diversity is our strength," Hegseth said on the podcast, arguing that uniformity between soldiers is a key to the military's strength.

"Every time I hear a military leader say [diversity is our strength], I throw up in my mouth a little bit more, because if they believe it, it shows you how sideways and how indoctrinated they are," Hegseth said on "The Right Take With Mark Tapson" podcast.

While 17.5% of active-duty military personnel are women, Hegseth has argued that military leaders should acknowledge that their main constituency is "strong, normal men," rebuffing efforts to diversify the ranks of the armed services.

"There aren't enough lesbians in San Francisco to staff the 82nd Airborne like you need, you need the boys in Kentucky and Texas and North Carolina and Wisconsin," Hegseth said on Tapson's podcast earlier this year.

Hegseth was on the "Take It Outside with Jay Cutler and Sam Mackey" podcast and said that transgender soldiers are "not deployable" because they are "reliant on chemicals" and suggested that women should not serve in certain combat roles.

"Everything about men and women serving together makes the situation more complicated, and complication in combat means casualties are worse," Hegseth said on Ryan's podcast, arguing that men are "more capable" in combat roles because of biological factors.

An ardent defender of the president-elect, Hegseth has argued that the United States military under Trump was more effective by posing both "uncertainty" and the "real threat of violence."

"At least under Trump, there were missiles falling on terrorists' heads," Hegseth said on the "Man of War" podcast with Rafa Conde. "They knew he meant business. Kim Jong Un, even though it didn't work, knew Trump meant business. Fire and fury was a real thing. Uncertainty is a real thing. The real threat of violence is a real thing, and none of that exists under these globalists who think they can sanction their way."

He has also criticized international institutions like the United Nations as a "farce" and "giant joke" while advocating a military policy that aims to end long-term conflicts through decisive action.

"We expect this clinically sanitized, you know, no civilian casualties. Everything's going to be perfect. No one's going to get hurt, everything. It's just not how war operates, and that's unfortunate," Hegseth said on "The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe" podcast. "But if we try to do it with kid gloves or with surgical gloves, we're never really going to get rid of, actually exterminate the enemies that we need to defeat to create a peace on the other side."

New vision for the Astrodome

HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Astrodome has been in limbo, waiting for its chance at a second life since being shuttered more than 15 years ago.

It was a technological marvel when it opened in 1965. But its heyday has long passed and it hasn’t been home to a sports team since the Astros left in 1999 and it was closed to all events a decade later.

Over the years, ideas for its redevelopment and rebirth have been plentiful, everything from turning it into an indoor water park to flooding its sunken floor in order to reenact naval battle scenes. But none of these plans garnered enough public support or financing.

The latest proposal to refurbish the Astrodome was unveiled on Wednesday by a nonprofit focused on saving the beloved domed stadium. The group, the Astrodome Conservancy, proposes redeveloping the inside of the structure to create new areas for restaurants, retail, office and cultural spaces. But like the others before it, this plan could face a similar fate, with a $1 billion price tag and an initial lack of support from local entities that would need to give their OK for the project to go forward.

Beth Wiedower Jackson, the conservancy’s executive director, said that unlike previous proposals, her organization believes theirs is backed by data and would be economically viable in part because there would be enough private investment to support it.

“This is a big, big, bold vision. And those previous plans, even admitted by Harris County officials, were a first step towards a future Astrodome. And this is the full swing of the bat. And this gives people something to be excited about,” Jackson said.

The plan, Vision: Astrodome, proposes the construction of four state-of-the-art buildings inside the stadium that would offer spaces for restaurants, stores and offices. Similar spaces for shopping and eating would also be located around the Astrodome and connected to other facilities around the stadium. The Astrodome is at NRG Park, a 350-acre complex that includes NRG Stadium, located right next to the Astrodome and home to the NFL’s Houston Texans, as well as an arena and exhibition halls.

“The Astrodome is ready now for its next chapter, redevelopment,” said Phoebe Tudor, the conservancy’s chairman. “It is time for all of us in Houston to come together and do something hard, working together to repurpose the Astrodome.”

Nicknamed “the Eighth Wonder of the World,” the Astrodome ushered in a change in how people attended sporting events. It also hosted various cultural events, including concerts by Elvis and Tejano music star Selena as well as the “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match between Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King in 1973.

Some people have called for its demolition. But a 2017 designation by the Texas Historical Commission as a state antiquities landmark essentially protects it from wholesale destruction. The stadium also maintains a strong foothold in the memories of many people both in and outside of Houston.

Rafi Kohan, whose 2017 book “The Arena” explores the place sports stadiums hold in American culture, said the Astrodome’s construction came at a time of incredible technological innovation in the United States, and it helped transform Houston from what some saw as a “backwoods cow town” into a leader in technology. Houston became the home of the space program with the opening of Johnson Space Center in 1964.

“There was and continues to be a lot of civic pride around the Astrodome, what it represented, the sort of space age feat, you know, in stadium form,” Kohan said.

Douglas Brinkley, a historian and professor at Houston’s Rice University, said the Astrodome has tremendous historical relevance and is worth saving.

“It’s been our fault that we’ve neglected it or not invested in it. But a turnaround is upon us right now. We’re going to get this done,” Brinkley said.

But whether there continues to be enough support in Houston to refurbish and save the Astrodome remains to be seen. It costs between $100,000 and $200,000 a year to maintain the stadium.

The Astrodome is owned by Harris County and managed by the Harris County Sports & Convention Corporation.

The office of Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, the county’s top elected official, declined to comment on the conservancy’s proposal.

James Dixon, the sports and convention corporation’s chairman, said in a statement that he respects the conservancy’s efforts but “over the last few years, we have seen several concepts that, while thought-provoking, haven’t resulted in viable funding and maintenance solutions.”

Dixon said his organization and the county are working with other stakeholders on a plan for the future of NRG Park and “the solution for the Astrodome must be decided within that context.”

One of those stakeholders, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which holds its annual event at NRG Park and would have a say on what to do with the Astrodome, was not on board with the conservancy’s proposal.

“The proposed plan by the Astrodome Conservancy does not align with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo’s strategic vision and operational requirements,” Chris Boleman, the group’s president and CEO, said in a statement.

The Onion buys InfoWars in bankruptcy auction

(NEW YORK) -- The satirical website The Onion purchased InfoWars on Thursday, a capstone on years of litigation and bankruptcy proceedings following InfoWars founder Alex Jones' defamation of families associated with the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.

Those families backed The Onion's bid to purchase InfoWars' intellectual property, including its website, customer lists and inventory, certain social media accounts and the production equipment used to put Jones on the air. The Connecticut families agreed to forgo a portion of their recovery to increase the overall value of The Onion's bid, enabling its success.

The families said the purchase would put an end to Jones' misinformation campaign.

"We were told this outcome would be nearly impossible, but we are no strangers to impossible fights. The world needs to see that having a platform does not mean you are above accountability -- the dissolution of Alex Jones' assets and the death of Infowars is the justice we have long awaited and fought for," said Robbie Parker, whose daughter Emilie was killed in the Sandy Hook shooting.

In 2022, the families that brought the case against Jones in Connecticut secured a $1.4 billion verdict in their defamation lawsuit. A Texas bankruptcy court ruled on the liquidation of Jones' assets in June of this year, handing over control to an independent trustee tasked with selling them off to generate the greatest possible value for the families.

"From day one, these families have fought against all odds to bring true accountability to Alex Jones and his corrupt business. Our clients knew that true accountability meant an end to Infowars and an end to Jones' ability to spread lies, pain and fear at scale. After surviving unimaginable loss with courage and integrity, they rejected Jones' hollow offers for allegedly more money if they would only let him stay on the air because doing so would have put other families in harm's way," said Chris Mattei, attorney for the Connecticut plaintiffs and partner at Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder.

Jones had filed for bankruptcy last year in a bid to avoid paying the billion-dollar judgment, but a judge ruled he still had to settle with the Sandy Hook families.

Bankruptcy often staves off legal judgments but not if they are the result of willful and malicious injury. U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Christopher Lopez in Houston decided that standard was satisfied in Jones' case.

"[I]n Jones's case, the language of the jury instruction confirms that the damages awarded flow from the allegation of intent to harm the Plaintiffs – not allegations of recklessness," Lopez wrote in his ruling.

Jones had claimed on his InfoWars show that the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School -- which killed 26 people, including 20 elementary students -- was performed by actors following a script written by government officials to bolster the push for gun control.

ABC News' Max Zahn contributed to this report.

Trump issues early challenge to GOP Senate with defiant nominations

WASHINGTON (AP) — Just hours after Republican Sen. John Thune was elected as the incoming Senate majority leader on Wednesday, President-elect Donald Trump presented him with one of his first tests — an announcement that he intends to nominate controversial Rep. Matt Gaetz as attorney general.

The Florida Republican is one of the more universally disliked members of Congress, including among GOP lawmakers after he led the effort to oust House Speaker Kevin McCarthy last year. He has spent his congressional career agitating against the Justice Department and has been under a House Ethics investigation probing whether he engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct. Gaetz denies the allegations.

Asked about the nomination as he left a Senate vote, Thune smiled and declined to answer. “That’s probably a good question for the chairman of the Judiciary Committee,” he said.

An hour earlier, the likely incoming chairman of the Judiciary panel, Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, also deflected, saying he doesn’t know Gaetz but will look at the nomination. “Don’t ask me any other questions,” Grassley said.

Two months before Trump even takes office, he is already challenging those congressional Republicans to defy him as he nominates potentially controversial figures to his Cabinet — including Gaetz, former Democratic House Rep. Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence and conservative media personality Pete Hegseth for secretary of defense. On Sunday, Trump even said in a post on X that he wants the new Senate leader to allow him to make appointments when the chamber is on recess, bypassing confirmation votes altogether.

“I think it’s a little bit of a test,” said Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, who called the Gaetz nomination a “Hail Mary” pass from Trump. Cramer said he sees Gaetz as a disruptive force in the House and has concerns about the “serious allegations” against him, but stopped short of saying he wouldn’t vote for his confirmation.

“It will take a lot of political capital to get him across,” Cramer said, adding that “there will forever be tension between the branches.”

What’s unclear is how much political capital Trump will have to expend to get his picks through — or whether it will even be necessary. Republicans will have a 53-seat majority in the Senate next year, giving them room to lose a few votes.

Immediately after his election as the incoming GOP leader, Thune suggested that the Senate will not fully relinquish its power to vet nominations — but kept the door open to Trump’s suggested changes.

“The Senate has an advise and consent rule in the Constitution,” Thune said, adding that Senate Republicans will do everything they can to get Trump’s nominees quickly in place.

“How that happens remains to be seen,” Thune said.

While Trump’s announcement about Gaetz sent an immediate shock wave around Capitol Hill, many Republican senators who will be tasked with confirming him were reluctant to publicly criticize the pick.

Texas Sen. John Cornyn, a member of the Judiciary panel, said he didn’t know Gaetz “other than his public persona,” and said he won’t “prejudge any of these” nominations.

Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, elected Wednesday as the incoming No. 2 Republican in the Senate next year, would only say that Trump “is going to continue to make his appointments. We’re going to continue to look forward to them coming to the Senate and have hearings and get his Cabinet confirmed as quickly as possible.”

“I’ve got nothing for you,” said Sen. Katie Britt, an Alabama Republican. “We’ll see,” said Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin when asked whether he would support Gaetz’s confirmation.

A few GOP senators praised Gaetz, who resigned from the House shortly after the announcement, ending the House Ethics investigation and making way for a replacement to be elected before the new Congress is sworn in Jan. 3.

“I’ve known Matt for a very long time, we’re friends,” said Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who was nominated for secretary of state Wednesday, but was instead flooded with questions about Gaetz. “I think he would do a very good job for the president.”

Gaetz is “a smart, clever guy,” said South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, though he said “he’ll have to answer some tough questions in the hearing, and we’ll see how he does.”

Other Republican senators, like Cramer, were skeptical while stopping short of saying they would oppose his nomination.

Gaetz “will have his work cut out for him,” said North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, adding that it should “make for a popcorn-eating confirmation hearing.”

Maine Sen. Susan Collins said she was “shocked” by Gaetz’s nomination.

“I recognize that the president-elect has the right to nominate whomever he wishes, but we in Congress have a responsibility under the Constitution and our advise and consent, which will lead to hearings, an FBI background check and an awful lot of questions being asked in this case,” Collins said.

Gaetz has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, and said last year that the Justice Department’s investigation into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls had ended with no federal charges against him.

Democrats were appalled.

“This nomination is the first test of whether Republicans are willing to stand up to Donald Trump and go with conscience and conviction as opposed to just politics,” said Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democratic member of the Judiciary panel.

New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., was even more blunt.

“People voted for cheaper eggs, not whatever the f@#€ this is,” he posted on X, referring to last week’s election.

Flurry of contract deals come as railroads, unions see Trump’s election looming over talks

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The flurry of contract agreements announced early this fall — including two more Wednesday — offer evidence that major railroads and their unions are working to avoid the standoffs that led them to a brink of a national strike two years ago.

Both sides are also now keenly aware that President-elect Donald Trump — who has a track record of supporting big businesses — would be the one ultimately appointing the people who would help resolve the contract dispute this time if they can’t work something out themselves.

“I think overall it may lead the unions and employers to want to bargain more intensively and come to agreements sooner,” said Todd Vachon, who teaches in the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations.

But it still won’t be easy to satisfy all the workers who remain concerned about the widespread job cuts and have seen much bigger raises in other labor disputes.

Current contracts don’t expire until July but the National Carriers Conference Committee group that negotiates on behalf of the railroads said in its statement at the start of the talks on Nov. 1 that it was hoping for an early resolution. And just Wednesday, the railroads announced two new tentative agreements with the Transportation Communications Union and the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen.

The railroads play such a crucial role in the economy that the president and Congress have the power to intervene because so many businesses rely on them to deliver their raw materials and finished goods. The Railway Labor Act that governs railroad contract talks dictates that if the two sides can’t reach an agreement, the dispute could wind up in the hands of a special board of arbitrators the president appoints that would hear from both sides and recommend a deal. That happened in 2022 — though the industry still reached the brink of a strike.

The two unions that inked deals Wednesday and several others among the 12 rail unions had already reached some agreements with CSX, Norfolk Southern and BNSF railroads even before the formal talks began between the unions and a coalition of railroads that includes Norfolk Southern, BNSF and Canadian National. The other major railroads — CSX, Union Pacific and CPKC — have decided to bargain individually with their unions.

“I think we all saw the perils of going through that again,” Norfolk Southern CEO Mark George said about the yearslong battle the industry engaged in last time that created “a lot of anxiety and uncertainty in the labor force.”

The industry has also made strides over the past two years toward addressing some of the quality-of-life concerns that nearly led to a strike in 2022 before Congress and President Joe Biden intervened. In the two years since the nation’s freight railroads nearly ground to a halt, the industry has offered paid sick time to 90% of them — at the urging of the Biden administration and other officials — and most railroads have promised to improve the unpredictable schedules of train crews who were generally on call 24-7 without any idea when their next day off might come.

As a result, the relationships between the major freight railroads and the dozen different unions that represent their workers have generally improved, though they remain strained at times.

The president of the largest rail union that represents conductors — SMART-TD — Jeremy Ferguson said, “We’ve come a long way in two years.” But many workers still feel overworked and underappreciated by the railroads after the job cuts made in the name of efficiency in recent years.

CSX’s CEO Joe Hinrichs, who has led the industry with the first sick-time deals and other efforts to show employees they are appreciated, said he’s optimistic about the prospects for deals.

“We’re in a dramatically different place than we were two years ago, that’s for sure,” Hinrichs said. “I think what’s gotten us there is just everyone stepping back at CSX and at the unions and saying, OK, no one was satisfied what happened last time. What are we going to do differently this time?”

A bunch of those early deals were ratified this fall, not long after the first ones were announced in the midst of the labor dispute that brought Canadian National and CPKC railroads to a halt for a few days in Canada. But more recently, deals that offer 18.8% raises and improved vacation and health benefits over five years have been getting voted down after workers at Boeing and the East Coast ports secured deals with much larger raises following their strikes.

Josh Hartford with the Machinist Union’s District 19 rail division said that with a deal with CSX already out for a vote when the longshoreman secured their big raises, there wasn’t enough time to explain why this contract — coming on the heels of the 24% raises rail workers received in their last contract — might be considered a good deal. The port workers had gone longer without a new deal before this one that includes 62% raises.

But Hartford said “the morale is still poor” on most railroads after all the cuts and there is a strong feeling among some workers that maybe they could get more if they fight longer, so the Machinists rejected that deal. Conductors have also voted down all but one small deal on part of BNSF they have considered so far, and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union has been unwilling to sign onto any of these early deals. Plus, the third largest union that represents track workers split on the deals it voted on so far.

So getting all the unions to agree won’t be easy. Consider that BLET is locked into a lawsuit with Union Pacific trying to get that railroad to deliver the schedule improvements it promised, and SMART-TD is headed into arbitration on scheduling issues at UP and crew size details at BNSF.

BLET union president Eddie Hall said his organization that represents engineers “wasn’t going to rush into deals that didn’t deliver.”

“Some of the deals that were reached early by other unions were hurried and failed to meet the needs of those railroaders who operate trains,” said Hall, who cited concerns about the expanding use of remote-control trains, the ever-increasing length of trains and the impact of all the job cuts.

But the pressure will be on the unions to settle because the Biden administration won’t be there anymore to lean on the railroads, said Virginia Commonwealth University professor Victor Chen, who studies labor issues as a sociologist.

“I expect the Trump 2.0 administration will continue with its earlier playbook of blocking unions at every turn. In negotiations, the unions will need to keep in the back of their minds that the White House will no longer step up for them the way that Biden did,” Chen said.

Satire publication The Onion buys Alex Jones’ Infowars at auction

AUSTIN (AP) – The satirical news publication The Onion won the bidding for Alex Jones’ Infowars at a bankruptcy auction, backed by families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims whom Jones owes more than $1 billion in defamation judgments for calling the massacre a hoax.

“The dissolution of Alex Jones’ assets and the death of Infowars is the justice we have long awaited and fought for,” Robbie Parker, whose daughter Emilie was killed in the 2012 shooting in Connecticut, said in a statement provided by his lawyers.

The Onion acquired the conspiracy theory platform’s website; social media accounts; studio in Austin, Texas; trademarks; and video archive. The sale price was not immediately disclosed. The Onion said its “exclusive launch advertiser” will be the gun violence prevention organization Everytown for Gun Safety.

“Everytown will continue to raise awareness on InfoWars’ channels about gun violence prevention and present actual solutions to our nation’s gun violence crisis, including bipartisan, common-sense measures and public safety initiatives backed by Everytown,” The Onion said in a statement Thursday.

Jones confirmed The Onion’s acquisition of Infowars in a social media video Thursday and said he planned to file legal challenges to stop it.

“Last broadcast now live from Infowars studios. They are in the building. Are ordering shutdown without court approval,” Jones said on the social platform X.

Jones was broadcasting live from the Infowars studio Thursday morning and appeared distraught, putting his head in his hand at his desk.

Sealed bids for the private auction were opened Wednesday. Both supporters and detractors of Jones had expressed interest in buying Infowars. The other bidders have not been disclosed.

The Onion, a satirical site that manages to persuade people to believe the absurd, bills itself as “the world’s leading news publication, offering highly acclaimed, universally revered coverage of breaking national, international, and local news events” and says it has 4.3 trillion daily readers.

Jones has been saying on his show that if his detractors bought Infowars, he would move his daily broadcasts and product sales to a new studio, websites and social media accounts that he has already set up. He also said that if his supporters won the bidding, he could stay on the Infowars platforms.

Relatives of many of the 20 children and six educators killed in the shooting Jones and his company for defamation and emotional distress for repeatedly saying on his show that the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, was a hoax staged by crisis actors to spur more gun control. Parents and children of many of the victims testified that they were traumatized by Jones’ conspiracies and threats by his followers.

The lawsuits were filed in Connecticut and Texas. Lawyers for the families in the Connecticut lawsuit said they worked with The Onion to try to acquire Infowars.

New LA DA Nathan Hochman speaks out on Menendez brothers’ fight for freedom

(LOS ANGELES) -- As calls grow for the Menendez brothers to be released from prison, the incoming Los Angeles County district attorney says he has a lot of evidence to review before showing his support.

Nathan Hochman won last week's election for DA, beating incumbent George Gascón in a landslide, will take office in December. The election came weeks after Gascón announced his recommendation that the Menendez brothers be resentenced and eligible for parole immediately.

Hochman questioned the motivation behind Gascón's decision to support resentencing so close to the election.

"Part of the problem with the Gascón timing of his decision is there's a cloud over that credibility. Is it a just decision, or was it just a political ploy?" Hochman said.

"There will be no cloud over whatever decision I do," he added.

Gascón denied his decision was politically motivated, telling ABC News, "I believe that they should be released and they should be released cleanly within the law."

"I base my decision in the review of 30 years of ... information about their behavior, as well as a very thorough understanding of what they were convicted of and the elements of the crime," Gascón said. "So my decision was appropriately based."

The infamous case dates back to 1989, when Lyle Menendez, then 21, and Erik Menendez, then 18, shot and killed their parents, Jose and Kitty Menendez, in the family's Beverly Hills home. The defense claimed the brothers acted in self-defense after enduring years of sexual abuse by their father, but prosecutors alleged they killed for money.

The first trial, which had separate juries for each brother, ended in mistrials. In 1996, after the second trial -- during which the judge barred much of the sex abuse evidence -- the brothers were convicted and both sentenced to two consecutive terms of life without parole.

As Gascón's appeal for the brothers' resentencing makes its way through the courts, Hochman -- who is set to take office on Dec. 2 -- said he plans to read through the new alleged evidence, trial transcripts, confidential prison files and interviews with family, lawyers and law enforcement.

"What these files say is too important an issue to delegate to somebody else. I need to actually do the work myself," he told ABC News.

The next hearing in the resentencing case is Dec. 11. Hochman, a former federal prosecutor, said he'll "work as expeditiously as possible," adding, "If we need some additional time to formulate our position, I'll ask the court for it."

"I'm not going to ask for delay, just for delay's sake," he added. "We'll ask for the minimal amount of time necessary to do this work, because we owe it to the Menendez brothers, we owe it to the victim family members, we owe it to the public to get this decision right."

The brothers' case was propelled back into the spotlight this fall with Netflix's release of a scripted series and a documentary -- and now a new generation is calling for their release.

"If you decide this case based on just reviewing a Netflix documentary, you're doing a disservice to the Menendez brothers, to the victims' family members, to the public," Hochman said.

The Menendez brothers have three possible paths to freedom.

One path is through resentencing. Gascón announced last month that he was recommending the brothers' sentence of life without the possibility of parole be removed, and they should instead be sentenced for murder, which would be a sentence of 50 years to life. Because both brothers were under 26 at the time of the crimes, with the new sentence, they would be eligible for parole immediately, Gascón said.

The DA's office said its resentencing recommendations take into account factors including the defendants' ages, psychological trauma or physical abuse that contributed to carrying out the crime and their rehabilitation in prison. Gascón praised the work Lyle and Erik Menendez did behind bars to rehabilitate themselves and help other inmates.

The second path is the brothers' request for clemency, which they've submitted to California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The third path is their habeas corpus petition, which was filed last year for a review of new evidence not presented at trial.

One piece of evidence is allegations from a former boy band member who revealed last year that he was raped by Jose Menendez.

The second piece of evidence is a letter Erik Menendez wrote to his cousin eight months before the murders detailing his alleged abuse. The cousin testified about the alleged abuse at trial, but the letter -- which would have corroborated the cousin's testimony -- wasn't found until several years ago, according to the brothers' attorney.

The next hearing on the habeas corpus petition is set for Nov. 25.

ABC News' Alex Stone, Jenna Harrison and Ashley Riegle contributed to this report.

Russia increases Ukraine drone attacks by 44% since Trump election

Ukrainian emergency services extinguish a fire in a house, after Russian shelling, in the city of Kostiantynivka, Ukraine on November 13, 2024. (Photo by Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images)

(LONDON) -- Russia increased the intensity of its long-range drone attacks on Ukrainian cities by around 44% in the week following President-elect Donald Trump's election victory, ABC News analysis shows.

The size and complexity of drone attacks by both Russia and Ukraine have been steadily increasing since the full-scale war began in February 2022. The past five weeks have seen around 4,500 UAVs cross the shared border in either direction.

But Trump's electoral victory -- confirmed in the early hours of Nov. 6 -- aligned with an uptick in Moscow's use of Iranian-produced Shahed strike drones to bombard Ukrainian targets nationwide.

The week since Trump's win saw Russia launch 641 strike drones into Ukraine, per daily figures published by Ukraine's air force -- an average of more than 91 UAVs each day.

Ukraine's air force recorded 2,286 launched into its territory in the period from Oct. 1 to Nov. 5, at a daily average of less than 64 UAVs.

The daily number of Russian drones surpassed 100 on three of the seven days since the U.S. presidential election, that threshold having been reached only five times in the five weeks previously. The record high of 145 drones was set on Nov. 10.

Russia often also launches ballistic missiles along with its drone barrages, though far fewer. Ukraine's air force reported 88 missiles fired into the country between Oct. 1 and Nov. 5, and 12 in the week after the election. That meant a daily average of just over 2 Russian missiles in the period before the election and just under 2 after.

The rate of Ukrainian drone attacks has been stable since the start of October, per figures published in real time by the Russian Defense Ministry on its Telegram channels.

Moscow reported downing 1,277 between Oct. 1 and Nov. 5 -- an average of just over 35 UAVs each day. The week after the election saw Russian air defenses down 243 drones, the ministry said, for a daily average of just below 35 UAVs.

ABC News cannot independently verify the numbers provided by either defense ministry. The publicly available totals do not include short-range or reconnaissance drones used in front line areas. Both Russia and Ukraine may have reasons to inflate the figures and war conditions mean details can be hard to confirm.

Nonetheless, the general trend is toward larger and more regular drone barrages.

"In the next few months up to Jan. 20, we are expecting a significantly increasing number of launches towards Ukraine," Ivan Stupak, a former officer in the Security Service of Ukraine, told ABC News.

Stupak said the number of Russian drone attacks has been steadily increasing in recent months. August saw 818 launches, September 1,410 and October 2,072, he said. Moscow's intention, Stupak suggested, is to cause as much damage to Ukraine as possible before the change in U.S. administration.

Russia's rising rate of long-range attacks comes alongside its increased intensity of ground assaults, with heavy fighting ongoing in eastern Ukraine, in Russia's western Kursk region -- parts of which Kyiv's forces have occupied since August -- and with Ukrainian commanders bracing for an expected offensive in the southern Zaporizhzhia region.

Both sides have a two-month window in which to maneuver before Trump returns to the White House, having promised during the campaign to end the war "in 24 hours" by forcing Kyiv and Moscow to the negotiating table.

Russia is upping the ante "because they want to put Ukraine in the most difficult situation before Trump is inaugurated," Oleg Ignatov -- the International Crisis Group think tank's senior Russia analyst -- told ABC News. "It's good for Russia to be as a strong as possible," he added, though noted that "events on the ground have their own logic" beyond the purely political.

Ukraine will want to continue its own long-range strikes, using its fast-developing and far-reaching drone arsenal. "Ukraine will continue conducting such types of strikes as long as it possible," Stupak said. "First of all, Ukraine is interested in destroying huge munition depots and oil refineries and facilities."

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia sees "positive signals" following Trump's victory, though added it is unclear "to what extent Trump will adhere to the statements made during his campaign."

Still, President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said any peace talks must be based on the "new territorial realities" of partial Russian occupation and claimed full sovereignty over four Ukrainian regions -- Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson -- as well as continued control of Crimea, which was annexed in 2014.

The Kremlin has also signaled it will not begin negotiations with Ukraine on ending the war until Ukrainian troops are removed from Kursk.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy set out a five-point "victory plan" in October, which included demands for full NATO membership and more long-range Western weapons -- plus permission to use them on Russian territory -- as key deterrence measures.

Zelenskyy's victory plan also included three "secret annexes" that were presented to foreign leaders but not made public.

ABC News' Patrick Reevell and Natalia Popova contributed to this report.