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S&P/TSX composite up on shorter Christmas Eve session, U.S. markets also riseIRISH boxing hero Joe Egan has backed his pal Gerry Hutch for a Dail seat and told us: “He’s no more corrupt than any other politician is he?” Egan says he remains in constant contact with The Monk discussing big boxing bouts over WhatsApp . Hutch , 61, is fighting for a seat in Dublin Central and has been busy canvassing in Dublin Central . Hutch - who bought a building in Summerhill in north inner city Dublin and gave the local Corinthians Boxing Club a 99-year freehold lease - is a big boxing fan. It was through the sport that he and Egan struck up a friendship. And as polling day approaches this Friday, Egan believes Hutch will only do good for those in the north inner city. He told the Irish Sun: “I like Gerard. He’s my friend through boxing . “Listen, he’d be no different than any of the other politicians in there... at least you know where you stand with him. “The rest of them have painted themselves whiter than white. “He’s no more corrupt than any other politician is he? “I’d be happy for the inner city people of Dublin, if he gets elected, that they will have somebody that knows what their needs are and can help them. “He’s a person that the people will be able to talk to. Politicians, they’re hard to get to. They’re sitting behind a big desk in their offices, you might see an aide or two. “At least with Gerard, you’ll be able to approach him, and they’ll be able to say, well, look, we’ve got an issue with this, we’ve got an issue with that, can you help us? And I think he genuinely will. I really do.” Big Joe, a four-time Irish heavyweight champ, added: “We keep in touch. We talk about boxing, we talk about fights and things like that. Usually it’s over an aul WhatsApp message. I don’t judge anybody.” Joe’s old sparring partner Mike Tyson flew in for an event in 2006 and the pair were ferried around by Hutch in a Hummer. Hutch, who had previously settled with the Criminal Assets Bureau , ran a limo company called Carry Any Body at the time. Joe said: “Mike Tyson was the biggest star, still probably one of the biggest boxers. “So Gerard said, ‘look it, you’re flying in Joe, I’ll pick you up.’ “It was a lovely gesture. He picked us up in his beautiful Hummer, drove us around. He drove me to my book signings as well.” Recently, the gang boss flagged up housing, crime, the cost of living and immigration as his key issues in the election. In a video posted on social media, The Monk made his plea to voters in his constituency of Dublin Central but offered little in the way of solutions to the problems he flagged. Hutch has called for more Gardai on the streets and said: “They’re talking about extra Gardai for Christmas , is Santy Claus arriving with something special for Christmas? What about the rest of the year?” The mobster took aim at empty homes being “locked up” in the middle of a housing crisis , but offered no way to fix this. On immigration, he said the Government should stop “ramming gangs of people into one community without consultation with the community”. And he said he did not have a problem with ­people “coming with their toolbox” ready to work ­— but claimed people should not be allowed to come to Ireland to “sponge off the State”.

Tech companies led a broad rally for U.S. stocks Tuesday, a boost for the market in a holiday-shortened trading session. The S&P 500 rose 0.7%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 177 points, or 0.4%, as of 11:20 a.m. Eastern time. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite was up 1%. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request. Get the latest need-to-know information delivered to your inbox as it happens. Our flagship newsletter. Get our front page stories each morning as well as the latest updates each afternoon during the week + more in-depth weekend editions on Saturdays & Sundays.

Nebraska will be trying to preserve its perfect in-state record when it hosts South Dakota on Wednesday night in a nonconference game in Lincoln, Neb. The Cornhuskers (4-1) are 3-0 at home and also won Friday at then-No. 14 Creighton, beating their in-state rivals on the road for the second straight time. But the last time they did that, in 2022, they followed that win with a 16-point loss at Indiana to open Big Ten Conference play. "Believe me, we've addressed a lot of things," Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg said. "A lot of people are saying some really positive things. You've got to find a way to put that behind you. I've liked how our team has responded and come back to work after that great win at Creighton." Brice Williams leads the Cornhuskers with 18.2 points per game and was one of five players in double figures against Creighton. Juwan Gary topped the list with 16. South Dakota (6-2) comes to town off a 112-50 home win Monday night over Randall, the third non-Division I school it has beat. The Coyotes' last game against a D1 opponent was Friday at Southern Indiana, resulting in a 92-83 loss. This will be South Dakota's second nonconference game against a Big Ten opponent, after a 96-77 loss at Iowa on Nov. 12. In December, the Coyotes also visit Santa Clara, hovering near the top 100 in KenPom adjusted efficiency, before jumping into Big Sky play. "The schedule is very good and that should help us," third-year South Dakota coach Eric Peterson said before the season. "We have some good nonconference games that should help prepare us for the end of the season." Nebraska has held four of its opponents to 67 or fewer points, with Saint Mary's the only one to top that number in the Cornhuskers' lone loss. Opponents are shooting 38.1 percent this season. South Dakota shot below 40 percent in its two previous games before shooting 62 percent against Randall. Isaac Bruns, who scored 20 to lead South Dakota in the Randall game, paces the Coyotes with 12.9 points per game. --Field Level Media

Jimmy Carter , the 39th President of the United States, has died at 100. The longest-living president in U.S. history died almost two years after entering hospice care in his Georgia home in lieu of continued medical intervention for his various health issues. Carter was a one-term but popular president, holding office from 1977-1981, and was unseated by Ronald Reagan. The former Commander in Chief’s nonprofit organization announced he was entering hospice care in February 2023. “After a series of short hospital stays, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter decided to spend his remaining time at home with his family and receive hospice care instead of additional medical intervention,” the February 18 Twitter announcement read. “He has the full support of his family and his medical team. The Carter family asks for privacy during this time and is grateful for the concern shown by his many admirers.” Carter had undergone multiple hospital stints in recent years for various health issues, such as melanoma and several falls. On August 2, 2015, Carter underwent surgery to remove a small cancerous mass in his liver, and he recovered easily. However, the procedure revealed further health complications. On August 11, 2015, it was announced that the cancer had spread to other parts of Carter’s body. In an August 20, 2015 press conference, his doctor revealed the melanoma had spread to four parts of his brain. Hulton Archive/Getty Images The politician-turned-humanitarian had a history of cancer in his family. Carter’s parents and three siblings (two sisters and a brother) all died of different forms of cancer. His mother died of breast cancer; his father and siblings all died of pancreatic cancer. Age 90 at the time of his melanoma diagnosis, Carter believed he was nearing the end of his life but was at peace. “I just thought I had a few weeks left, but I was surprisingly at ease,” he said at the time, per ABC News . “I’ve had a wonderful life. I have thousands of friends...so I was surprisingly at ease, much more so than my wife was.” The former president underwent treatment (surgery, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy) to “extend” his life as much as possible. The treatment was successful, with Carter announcing in March 2016 that doctors stopped his treatment. Carter was hospitalized again the next year for dehydration due to building homes for Habitat for Humanity in Winnipeg, Canada. He was back at work on the homes the next day after some hours of observation. In May 2019, Carter broke his hip in a fall on his way out of his Plains, Georgia, home to go turkey hunting. He had a hip replacement a few days later and suffered another fall in October 2016, needing stitches over one of his eyebrows. In November 2019, he underwent surgery to address pressure in his brain caused by bleeding from the falls and recovered fine. Carter first served as a Georgia senator from 1963 to 1967 and then served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975. He beat incumbent President Gerald Ford in the 1976 presidential election. The 2002 Nobel Peace Prize winner sought to make the government “competent and compassionate” during his tenure. His accomplishments as president include creating the Department of Education, bolstering the Social Security system, hiring a record number of minority groups in government jobs, and protecting/improving the environment. Part of that effort was successfully adding 103 million acres of Alaskan land to the national park system. Carter was determined to see the U.S. switch from fossil fuel to clean energy with renewable resources. To that end, he had 32 solar panels installed on the roof of the West Wing in the summer of 1979, hoping to set an example for the future of renewable energy. The panels were used for seven years before Reagan had them removed. While he had notable accomplishments, rising energy costs, mounting inflation, and continuing tensions made it difficult for Carter to meet the high expectations he set for his administration. He shepherded in nearly eight million new jobs and a decrease in the budget deficit (per WhiteHouse.org ), but near record-high inflation and interest rates of the time, and the efforts to fix them, triggered a short recession in the economy. In foreign affairs, Carter led the Camp David Accords in 1978, a political agreement between Egypt and Israel reached through 12 days of secret negotiations at the President’s Maryland country retreat. His focus on human rights didn’t sit well with the leaders of the Soviet Union and some other nations. He obtained ratification of the Panama Canal treaties, set up diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, and finished the negotiation of the SALT II nuclear limitation treaty with the Soviet Union. Born James Earl Carter, Jr. on October 1, 1924, Carter’s family ran a peanut farm in Plains, Georgia. Talk of politics and his Baptist faith were tenets of his childhood. He graduated from the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1946, serving seven years as a naval officer. Carter married his wife, Rosalynn Carter — who died in November 2023 — after graduating from the Academy in 1946. They share three sons, John William (Jack), James Earl III (Chip), Donnel Jeffrey (Jeff), and a daughter, Amy Lynn. Carter became a career politician in 1962 when elected to the Georgia State Senate. After his presidency, Carter focused his public efforts on humanitarian aid. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” More Headlines:Lee University celebrates First Generation WeekNone

Fox attorneys seek to dismiss shareholder lawsuit over reporting of vote rigging allegations in 2020

Autodesk Stock Slides On Q3 Earnings: Key Details From QuarterWhile serving as the 39th president of the United States, Jimmy Carter—who died on December 29 at age 100—brokered a peace deal between Israel and Egypt, pioneered a federal energy program and reassured a nation that was still shaken by the Watergate scandal. Carter’s greatest legacy, however, might just be the way he approached life following his presidency. Carter, inaugurated at age 52, was relatively young when he took the highest office in the nation. He had decades of possibility ahead of him when he left the White House in 1981, and he chose to devote the latter half of his life to continued public service. In 1982, in partnership with Emory University, he established the Carter Center , an organization dedicated to promoting peace and well-being around the globe. Carter and his wife, Rosalynn , who died in November 2023 at age 96, famously volunteered with Habitat for Humanity for decades, and he brought to action what most presidents only speak about, says Claire Jerry, curator of political history at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History . “He doesn’t just talk about housing issues; he’s building houses. He doesn’t just talk about fair elections; he’s traveling the world to ensure that they happen,” Jerry says. “He’s actually doing the things that other people only give words to.” Mindy Farmer, a historian with the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, agrees. “One of the interesting things about being a post-president or former president is that there’s no job description for what you do. You can do any number of things, and some presidents have chosen a life that’s quiet. Some have chosen to be activists. But Carter is really remarkable for choosing to be a nonpartisan humanitarian.” The National Portrait Gallery is home to a significant archive of Carter images , including those displayed here. “Our portraits of Jimmy Carter include images by noted photographers Ansel Adams and Diana Walker. We have prints by Andy Warhol,” says Farmer. “We have several paintings of distinction, and we have many pieces that at one time adorned the cover of Time magazine. Those span a number of mediums, including collages, sculptures and more paintings. And, of course, we have political cartoons.” Carter will be remembered for governing with a sense of morality and honesty, in his approach to both foreign affairs and domestic matters. The late president said in 1978, “Human rights is the soul of our foreign policy.” He maintained his commitment to human rights in his projects with the Carter Center, and he was awarded the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” “He was absolutely steadfast in promoting human rights across the globe,” says Farmer. “It actually cost him at times in his overall foreign policy, but to that he was committed, and that commitment extended not just to the presidency, but the post-presidency.” Domestically, Carter implemented policies that were progressive for his time. He was devoted to protecting the environment in ways big and small, from the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act to the solar panels he installed on the roof of the White House. In his infamous “Crisis of Confidence” speech , Carter stressed the gravity of the energy crisis and warned of “a loss of a unity of purpose for our nation”—ideas that the public perhaps was not ready to hear in the 1970s, Jerry says. Carter enjoyed the longest life of any U.S. president, and he made his many years count. Although his commitment to human rights and ethics may have been underappreciated during his term in office, Jerry says his reputation was resurrected in his out-of-office life. “This idea that the post-presidential platform has a lot of power will be an enduring legacy of Jimmy Carter,” she says. “I think future post-presidencies will be measured against his mark.” James Earl Carter Jr. was born on October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia. His family owned a peanut farm, which would become the subject of good-natured jokes throughout Carter’s political campaigns. At age 10, young Jimmy had already started helping with the family business by selling produce from the farm at the town market. Inspired by postcards from his uncle Tom Gordy , Carter decided to join the Navy at a young age. After completing two years at Georgia Southwestern College and the Georgia Institute of Technology, Carter enrolled in the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He graduated in the top ten percent of his class in 1946. In the Navy, Carter completed two years of surface ship duty before applying to join the submarine service. Admiral Hyman G. Rickover selected the then-lieutenant to join a new nuclear submarine program, where he would become an engineering officer for the nuclear power plant of the U.S.S. Seawolf . However, when the senior Carter fell ill and died in 1953, Jimmy returned to Plains to take over the family business. Carter married Rosalynn Smith, a friend of his sister Ruth, shortly after graduating from the Naval Academy in 1946. Together, they operated Carter’s Warehouse, a seed and farm supply company, in the years following his father’s death. Upon his return to Plains, Carter quickly became a community leader in the areas of education, the hospital authority and the local library. He pursued leadership roles in local elections, winning a seat in the State Senate in 1962 and becoming Georgia’s governor in 1971 after losing his first gubernatorial race in 1966. On December 12, 1974, Carter announced his candidacy for president of the United States. Although he was the Democratic National Committee chairman for the congressional and gubernatorial elections earlier that year, he was entirely unknown in the public sphere—in fact, after his announcement, the Atlanta Constitution ran a headline that read, “Jimmy Who is Running for What!?” Carter’s outsider status turned out to be an advantage given the state of post- Watergate politics. The public was still distrustful of what has come to be known as the imperial presidency, says Jerry, so a newcomer was more than welcome in Washington. “Carter ran very much as a more personal candidate,” Jerry said. “‘We’re going to restore honesty to the White House; we’re going to really work on this together.’ And that resonated very, very positively with the American people.” The 1976 election saw a record number of primaries as the presidential nomination process we know today coalesced, giving Carter the opportunity for nationwide exposure. His campaign established the modern role of the Iowa caucuses as a litmus test for the nation. “He really anticipated that if he was to make a showing in Iowa, it would vault him to the list of front-runner candidates,” Jerry says. Carter came out of Iowa as the top candidate—second only to “uncommitted” in the polls—proving his personal campaigning strategy to be a success. Carter was nominated on the first ballot at the 1976 Democratic National Convention, and he went on to defeat incumbent President Gerald Ford in the presidential election on November 2, 1976. Following his inauguration, Carter opted to walk from the Capitol to the White House with his wife and daughter in the Inaugural Parade, symbolizing a humble shift away from the imperial presidency. On his first full day in office, Carter pardoned hundreds of thousands of Vietnam War draft evaders in an attempt to heal the psychic effects of the war and the social unrest that came with it. Throughout his inaugural year, Carter prioritized energy policy and urged the public to seriously consider the energy crisis. In a televised April 1977 speech , the president called the impending crisis the “moral equivalent of war” and emphasized energy conservation measures. He established the Department of Energy with the Department of Energy Organization Act later that year, but he expressed frustration with the slow pace of energy reform for the remainder of his presidency. “He creates new protected land, especially in Alaska,” notes Farmer. “He encouraged the creation of new forms of renewable energy. In fact, he created [the] Department of Energy just to do that. Under his administration, we see the development of nuclear, wind, solar and other sustainable sources of energy.” Carter inherited the economic quagmire of stagflation, a combination of high inflation and unemployment and slow economic growth. He managed to decrease the budget deficit and create some eight million jobs during his time in office, but inflation and interest rates continued to rise. Toward the end of his presidency, Carter created another new cabinet-level department, the Department of Education , to expand social services for children and families. When it came to foreign policy, Carter took a values-based approach of protecting democracy and advocating for human rights abroad. His most celebrated achievement in the global sphere is the Camp David Accords, the result of a two-week meeting that put to rest 30 years of conflict between Egypt and Israel, and that set a framework for the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty of 1979. Carter also relieved tension between the U.S. and Latin America with the ratification of the Panama Canal treaties that returned the canal zone to the Panamanians. Additionally, he set a precedent for future foreign affairs in Asia by officially establishing diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. Carter further strained U.S. relations with the Soviet Union, especially when he criticized Soviet rights abuses openly. While this may have exacerbated Cold War tensions, some historians credit Carter’s bold criticism as a catalyst for later social reforms in the Soviet Union. Nonetheless, there were casualties in Carter’s dicey diplomacy with the Soviets, such as the failure to ratify the SALT II nuclear limitation treaty. With a series of unfortunate events—namely the Iran hostage crisis—causing discord during Carter’s final year in office, he failed to win reelection in 1980. However, he bounced back with a uniquely strong post-presidency. The Carter Center , a nongovernmental organization committed to promoting human rights around the globe, has engaged in conflict resolution, overseen democratic elections and pioneered public health initiatives in more than 80 countries. His 2002 Nobel Peace Prize made him the third of four presidents to receive the honor. The former chief executive also wrote more than 30 books , including several memoirs, a poetry collection and a children’s book, and he won three Grammy Awards for his audiobooks. Many of Carter’s books deal with the topic of religious faith, which was central to the way he approached his life and death. At a Sunday school lesson at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, in November 2019, Carter shared his reflections on death. “I obviously prayed about it,” Carter said of his diagnosis of metastatic melanoma, which he beat in 2015. “I didn’t ask God to let me live, but I asked God to give me a proper attitude toward death. And I found that I was absolutely and completely at ease with death.”A stroke changed a teacher’s life. How a new electrical device is helping her move

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Hedge fund manager Scott Bessent is a credible, safe choice for US Treasury secretary -- and one that is likely positive for markets -- observers said Saturday following President-elect Donald Trump's highly anticipated nomination. His selection came after competition for the top economic job spilled into the open last weekend, with the world's richest man Elon Musk throwing his support instead behind Trump's transition team co-chair Howard Lutnick. Lutnick has since been named commerce secretary to lead Trump's tariff and trade agenda, and Bessent's nomination days later appears to be uncontroversial for now. "Scott Bessent is a credible, mainstream pick for Treasury Secretary," said Jason Furman, a professor at Harvard University and former top White House economic adviser. "I could see previous administrations as having chosen him," Furman, a former chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, told AFP. But a key difference is that Bessent, 62, has had to adopt and defend views on topics like tariffs, in a way "he never would have in pursuit of the job for a previous Republican administration." Tariffs are a key part of Trump's economic agenda, with the Republican president-elect vowing sweeping duties on allies and adversaries alike. In an opinion piece published earlier this month on Fox News, Bessent defended the potential use of tariffs as a means to raise revenue for the government, protect strategic US industries and negotiate with trading partners. He would be one of the first openly gay Cabinet officials if confirmed by the Senate, and the first at the helm of the Treasury Department. Jens Nordvig, chief executive of data and analytics firm Exante Data who has worked with Bessent, drew a contrast between his demeanor and that of other Trump supporters. While some Trump allies have a tendency towards "general sweeping statements," Bessent is an "analytical thinker, and he communicates accordingly," Nordvig told AFP. He counts Bessent among his early clients. "I would expect his messaging to be very focused, to get his key points across, without any unnecessary flamboyance or gusto," Nordvig added of the Wall Street veteran. Calling Bessent a "safe choice," Brookings senior fellow in economic studies David Wessel told AFP: "He will be an adult in the room for the Trump administration." Besides Bessent, others seen as top contenders for Treasury chief in recent days included former Federal Reserve governor Kevin Warsh, Apollo Global Management chief executive Marc Rowan, and Tennessee Senator Bill Hagerty. It remains to be seen if Bessent will be a big influence "moderating some of the administration's more aggressive trade policy" or simply be a spokesman, Wessel said. He does not have much experience in dealing with Congress either, and this would be important next year as the Trump administration works to raise the debt ceiling and effort a tax bill to deliver on his economic promises. Bessent would also have to grapple with the country's debt burden, with debt borrowed at much lower interest rates previously and Trump's plans estimated to add trillions over time. In an open letter published Saturday, Nordvig called for "thoughtful leadership" at the Treasury, saying a realistic approach to tax cuts and bond issuance was needed. He also sounded a hopeful note, saying Bessent would work to reduce extreme risks for markets. Krishna Guha, vice chairman of Evercore ISI, believes Bessent's nomination "will be well received by financial markets," given his deep understanding of markets and macro conditions. Guha also warned of the risk of bond yields spiking and "pushing up mortgage rates and tanking the housing market, while also causing stocks to sell off." In his past administration, Trump has viewed the stock market as a gauge of his success. bys/md