Did the Biden administration help cover up the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh by Israeli forces?

This week on UpFront, Marc Lamont Hill speaks to Steve Gabavics, a colonel-turned-whistleblower who was sent by the United States Department of State to investigate Abu Akleh’s killing in 2022.

Gabavics found that Israel intentionally killed Abu Akleh, who was fired at 16 times while wearing a blue vest marked “press”, but the State Department labelled her killing “accidental” to avoid angering the Israeli government.

Gabavics claimed that Abu Akleh is among several American citizens killed by the Israeli military for whom the US has taken no action to hold Israel accountable.

In August, New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani hosted a citywide scavenger hunt, inviting voters to scour the boroughs in search of historic political sites. (Grand prize: a bag of chips.) Clues for it were written by veteran puzzle maker Natan Last, who has long endorsed the idea that puzzles at their best blend politics, community and a nerdy good time.

If you missed the hunt, Last’s book, “Across the Universe,” delivers similar pleasures. Though its subtitle — “The Past, Present, and Future of the Crossword Puzzle” — suggests a history tome, Last approaches the subject essayistically. Crosswords, for him, are arguments on behalf of things: of what qualifies as “common knowledge,” of what role puzzles should play in informing a citizenry, of how wordplay and slang snake into the mainstream. “The crossword is a uniquely capacious artifact ready to absorb and recast any group’s predilections and passions into puzzle form,” he writes.

That may seem like making too much out of an everyday diversion. But as Last points out, crosswords have long been a miniature version of America’s larger culture wars. Crosswords’ popularity exploded in the 1920s in various newspapers; Ernie Bushmiller, cartoonist of “Nancy” fame, exploited the “crossword craze” in a strip called “Cross Word Cal.” But killjoys swiftly arrived to dismiss it as paleolithic brain rot. The New York Times, now the best-known purveyor of crosswords, thought the puzzle beneath it, and didn’t offer one until 1941. (“The last adult in the newsroom,” Last smirks.)

The New York Times’ crossword is synonymous with its current editor, Will Shortz, who gave the puzzle a refresh in the 1990s, jettisoning academic jargon and obscurities in favor of layered puns and pop-culture references. Last recalls working as Shortz’s intern in 2009 and loving the experience. But Last is also the point of the spear among constructors who insist there’s plenty of room for improvement: tokenized ethnic terms, lack of gender parity among constructors, double standards (“erotica” is acceptable, but “gay erotica” isn’t?), a narrow view of what readers know or will accept. “The bar is on the floor,” USA Today crossword editor Erik Agard tells Last.

Last’s public statements on this subject, he writes, are often met with eye rolls: “Oh, so now the crossword puzzle needs to be woke?” But that high dudgeon, he notes, is “as good a proof as any that it’s not just a puzzle.” Not for the solvers he speaks to, who use their puzzle routines as calming influences or mementos of relationships. Not for constructors like India-born Mangesh Ghogre, who came to the U.S. on a specialized visa to make puzzles and who cleverly works Indian themes into his grids. And certainly not for institutions like the New York Times, which has made games a profit center in a news industry that’s often hemorrhaging cash.

Last’s range and intelligence help sell the importance of the crossword, then and now. Still, its lack of a direct throughline can be frustrating. Like a particularly manic solver, he attacks the subject in an across-and-down fashion, here contemplating the impact of AI on the game, there considering what role crossword-style wordplay had on Modernist writers like T.S. Eliot and Gertrude Stein, now contemplating the 1920s crossword craze, now skipping to its 2020s COVID-prompted renaissance. It’s all relevant, and Last is a bright and witty guide through all of it. He demands a certain comfort level with disorientation, though.

Still, that’s kind of the point: For him, puzzles should motivate solvers to be more than half-thinking box fillers. Instead, we should be comfortable learning new ideas through the puzzle. Mamdani’s scavenger hunt didn’t play a big role in his eventual election to the mayorship in October; it probably didn’t even play a small one. But it spoke to the concepts of play, surprise and diversity that the crossword at its best represents for Last. Maybe you don’t have immediate recall on the word “Haudenosaunee” (the Native name for the Iroquois Confederacy), but what’s so bad about a crossword puzzle introducing you to it? Like every other section of the paper, the crossword can bring the news. It can evoke — and shape — a culture.

A winter storm blanketed much of the central Midwest with snow on Sunday at the end of the Thanksgiving weekend, bringing blizzard-like conditions that grounded hundreds of flights and forced the closure of major highways on one of the busiest travel days of the year.

“It’s going to be messy,” said Todd Kluber, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service who is based in suburban Chicago.

With much of the central Plains and Great Lakes region under blizzard or winter storm warnings, about 1,200 flights headed to or from the U.S. had been canceled as of Sunday evening, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware.

Most were supposed to be routed through Chicago or Kansas City, Mo. — areas forecast to be hit hard by the storm.

Strong winds and snow created blizzard conditions across much of Nebraska and parts of Kansas, Iowa and Missouri. The National Weather Service was warning that those conditions would make travel difficult in places.

By midday, the blizzard warning was extended to parts of eastern Illinois near Chicago, where snow is forecast to fall at a rate of about 2 inches an hour.

Other parts of the central Plains and Great Lakes region were under a winter storm warning that could see a foot or more of snow dumped in some places by the end of the day.

In eastern Nebraska, part of Interstate 80 between Lincoln and Omaha was closed Sunday morning because of multiple accidents after snow blanketed that area. That included semitrailer trucks jackknifed across the highway. It was reopened by Sunday afternoon.

In Kansas, Gov. Jeff Colyer issued a state of emergency declaration. The action came as a large stretch of Interstate 70, spanning much of the state, was closed between Junction City and WaKeeney.

in Missouri, a portion of Interstate 29 was shut down near the Iowa border.

As much as a foot was expected in Chicago. Four to 6 inches of snow was expected in the Kansas City area. Forecasters predict more than a foot of snow is likely in southeastern Nebraska, northeastern Kansas, northwestern Missouri and southwestern Iowa.

By Monday morning, the storm was expected to hit parts of northern Indiana and southern Michigan.

Kluber said that the storm was expected to hit the Chicago region Sunday night and that rain will give way to heavy snowfall and “near whiteout conditions” that will make for dangerous travel.

Match of the Day’s Joe Hart analyses how Phil Foden made the Etihad Stadium “his dancefloor”, scoring twice – including a late winner – in Manchester City’s 3-2 victory against Leeds United.

WATCH MORE: Foden stars as Man City leave it late to beat Leeds

Available to UK users only.

Ex-prime minister’s family calls for prayers for her early recovery after hospitalisation for a lung infection.

Bangladeshi former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia has been hospitalised in “very critical” condition, according to members of her party, as her family and supporters urged well-wishers to pray for her speedy recovery.

Zia’s personal physician, Dr A Z M Zahid Hossein, told reporters late on Saturday that the 80-year-old politician, who was taken to the Evercare Hospital in Dhaka on November 23, remains in intensive care.

She was admitted with symptoms of a lung infection and Hossein said she appeared to be responding to the treatment.

“At this moment, I can say her condition has been in the same stage for the last three days. In doctors’ language, we say ‘she is responding to the treatment’,” he was quoted as saying by the Daily Star news website.

“Please pray so that she can continue to receive this treatment.”

Hossein’s comments came a day after the secretary-general of Zia’s Bangladesh National Party (BNP), Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, told reporters that her “condition was very critical”.

According to the Daily Star, Zia has “heart problems, liver and kidney issues, diabetes, lung problems, arthritis, and eye-related illnesses”.

She has a permanent pacemaker and previously underwent stenting for her heart, the outlet reported.

Earlier on Saturday, BNP’s vice chairman, Ahmed Azam Khan, told reporters that an air ambulance was on standby to take Zia abroad for advanced treatment if her medical condition stabilises.

Zia’s eldest son, Tarique Rahman, who has been based in London since 2008, called on the people of Bangladesh to pray for his mother’s recovery.

“We express our heartfelt thanks and gratitude for all your prayers and love for the highly respected Begum Khaleda Zia,” Rahman, 60, said in a social media post on Saturday.

“We fervently request you to continue your prayers for her early recovery.”

Zia, who served three terms as prime minister, was jailed for corruption in 2018 under recently ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government, which also barred her from travelling abroad for medical treatment.

She was released last year, shortly after Hasina’s removal.

Despite her ill health, Zia has promised to campaign in elections expected in February 2026, in which the BNP is widely seen as a frontrunner.

Waiting in front of the hospital since morning, Liton Molla, a driver for a private company, said he rushed there after hearing about Zia’s condition, describing her as his “dear leader”.

“I just pray she recovers and can contest in the election,” Liton, 45, told the AFP news agency.

“At this moment, Bangladesh needs a leader like Khaleda Zia.”

Bangladesh’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, also issued a statement.

“During this transitional period to democracy, Khaleda Zia is a source of utmost inspiration for the nation. Her recovery is very important for the country,” he said on Friday night.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will give his backing to the chancellor’s Budget in a speech on Monday, and commit the government to going “further and faster” on pro-growth measures.

He will say Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s statement will help to alleviate cost of living pressures, lower inflation and ensure economic stability.

It comes as the Treasury faces questions over whether it was transparent about the state of the public finances in the run-up to the Budget.

The Conservatives claimed Reeves misled the public by being too pessimistic about the economic outlook when official forecasts painted a more upbeat picture.

No 10 has denied that Reeves misled voters and defended her statement.

Despite the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) downgrading growth from next year, the prime minister will argue that “economic growth is beating forecasts”, but the government must do more to encourage it.

Protecting investment and public services will further drive financial growth, Sir Keir is expected to say.

The prime minister will also promise to cut “unnecessary red tape” in infrastructure after a report found the UK had become the most expensive place in the world to build nuclear power infrastructure.

He will call for reform in the sector and an urgent correction to “fundamentally misguided environmental regulation”.

Business Secretary Peter Kyle is to be tasked with applying the lessons of the nuclear power report to infrastructure more widely.

The prime minister’s speech on Monday, just five days after the Budget, may suggest some nervousness over how the government’s economic plans have been received by the public, though No 10 say a statement was already planned.

In the days since the Budget, Downing Street has been forced to publicly back Reeves after she was accused by political opponents of repeatedly warning about a downgrade to the UK’s economic productivity forecasts, paving the way for tax hikes.

In a letter to MPs sent on Friday, the chairman of the OBR revealed that he told the chancellor on 17 September that the public finances were in better shape than widely thought.

The Conservatives have accused Reeves of giving an overly pessimistic impression of the public finances as a “smokescreen” to raise taxes.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said the letter showed Reeves had “lied to the public” and should be sacked.

Last week, a spokesperson for the Treasury said: “We are not going to get into the OBR’s processes or speculate on how that relates to the internal decision‑making in the build‑up to a Budget, but the chancellor made her choices to cut the cost of living, cut hospital waiting lists and double headroom to cut the cost of our debt.”

Both the chancellor and Badenoch are scheduled to appear on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme.

EXCLUSIVE – Freddie Flintoff is back this Sunday with a new episode of Bullseye

Bullseye host Freddie Flintoff has a hilarious one-word response as a contestant reveals their unusual talent on Sunday’s episode.

The revamped ITV gameshow is back for another fun episode on Sunday night as three more pairs made up of keen darts player and quizzing partners compete against one another to win points and prizes.

In an exclusive clip obtained by the Mirror of this Sunday’s episode, it sees Freddie, 47, baffled over a contestant’s unique party trick.

In the video, Freddie speaks to contestants Graham and Becky to which the latter reveals she’s a paediatric nurse.

Freddie then says: “I hear you’ve got a anatomy party trick, haven’t you?” to which Becky replies: “Yes I do! I can name a part of the body for every letter of the alphabet!”

Issuing a one-word response, a baffled Freddie says: “Why?” to which Becky responds: “I don’t know!” However, making a joke, Freddie then says: “But Y, Y, I’ve just thrown one at you! Can you do then A to J?”

Becky then starts reciting body parts to the alphabet letters before hilariously asking: “What’s after E, F?!” to which she then misses out the letter G.

This prompts Freddie to joke: “So you know your anatomy but not your alphabet?” to which Becky responds: “Yeah, that’s it!”

Firing another joke, Freddie says: “I was going to say, do you know your a**e from your elbow but I’m not quite sure!”

It comes as Bullseye has returned for a new series and a 2025 Christmas special following last year’s one-off Bullseye festive special, which drew in audiences of over 8.6 million.

The original Bullseye aired from 1982 until 1995 and was hosted by the late Jim Bowen.

Meanwhile, Freddie will not be using his real name as the former England cricketer hosts the ITV quiz show.

The 47-year-old has always gone by Freddie but is actually named Andrew.

Cricket icon Flintoff has always been known as Freddie ever since his school days. He was given the nickname because his surname was similar to that of cartoon character Fred Flintstone.

Bullseye airs Sundays at 8pm on ITV1.

With the festivities in full swing, parents across the nation are busy planning trips with the kids to visit Lapland UK, but one mum booked the real deal in Finland and saved £500

Lapland in Finland is one of the magical destinations during this time of year, offering visitors the chance to meet Father Christmas, witness the Northern Lights, and feed reindeer among the enchanting snow-covered landscape.

One parent has booked a trip to Finland for an extra touch of jolly merriment and managed to save a whopping £500 – making it cheaper than a visit to Lapland UK.

Ahead of the festivities, Jen Carr, 36, from Nottinghamshire, was originally planning a trip to the UK-based winter wonderland with her six-year-old son, her friend and their son, having previously visited Finland with her family. However, as she was looking into prices, she discovered that a trip to the UK destination in either Ascot or Manchester could set them back a whopping £1,100.

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Jen told the Mirror: “I was asking on my socials how much people were spending on Lapland UK because I know it can be quite competitive to get certain tickets, and the prices get ridiculous. A few families told me that they’d spent over £1,000 on Lapland UK, just for the day ticket and a hotel.”

Determined not to let the expense ruin their Christmas plans, Jen thought: “Surely you can go to the real Lapland for that?” This led the mum-of-two to research cheap flights on Skyscanner to Lapland, Finland, from various locations in the UK and for different dates in December.

Jen discovered that the cheapest airports to fly from were Birmingham and London Stansted. She booked direct, return flights from Stansted to Finland, departing on Monday, 15 December, for £103 per person (£412 in total), with hand luggage only.

While the group of four will need to drive two and a half hours to the airport from Nottinghamshire, they’ve managed to find a hack to save even more money. “We found somebody’s drive that we can park on rather than having to pay for airport parking, and they’re going to drop us off at the airport,” Jen explained.

With the flights booked, Jen looked into accommodation options for a two-night stay. “As we’re booking late, a lot of the accommodation in the little city, Rovaniemi, where everybody stays, was pretty much booked up, so it’s really, really expensive,” she explained.

“But we were able to find a room at a reindeer farm, which is about an hour’s drive from Rovaniemi, and it was super cheap.” The room cost £187 for two adults and two children, for a two-night stay.

“Whereas in this little city that everybody goes to, it was around £2,000 for two nights, like really insane prices,” Jen added. As they are staying an hour away from the main Lapland area, they looked into a car hire and booked one for £147. This will also see them drive from the Finland airport to the reindeer farm.

“We thought, it’s in the middle of nowhere, so it’s going to be forestry and snowy. There are going to be reindeer there, and we might even see the northern lights because it’s in the middle of nowhere. We thought that, actually, a lot of it would be free, and we could go sledging as they have sledges there. So we’re not going to have to spend a huge amount.” Jen added that the four of them will be sharing one room, which also features a small kitchenette where they can cook their own meals, and there will be a shared bathroom.

“Most people will just look into staying in Rovaniemi, but looking further out, it’s probably going to be quite nice. It won’t be as busy or touristy.”

In terms of what they’ll get up to during their stay, Jen explained that they’ll arrive quite late in the day.

“So we have the full day, and then we have a morning before we fly home in the afternoon. W’re going to see what there is to do around where we’re staying, do some sledging and feed the reindeer. Then I think we’ll drive to Santa Claus Village in Rovaniemi,” she continued.

“I’ve been before, so I’m familiar with the area. It’s free to go in, you can go sledging, there are some playgrounds, and it’s quite cheap with lots of little activities. You can see Santa Claus for free there, which we’ll do in Santa Claus Village.”

To keep the costs even lower, they’re going to do a little supermarket shop for their meals, making sandwiches or noodles for lunch and pasta in the evenings. The savvy mum added. “We’re also taking our own marshmallows to toast because there are lots of open fires where you can toast marshmallows, but they’re really expensive to buy there.

“Hot chocolates are also really expensive there, so we’re going to take some flasks and our own hot chocolate to make before we go out. Then we can just sit around a little fire with some hot chocolate and marshmallows, and it won’t cost us anything.”

The saving hacks allowed them to pay just £149 per person, including flights and two nights’ accommodation, which is cheaper than many Lapland UK day out tickets. During their winter getaway to Lapland, their only other costs are expected to be petrol for the hire car, their supermarket shop and a few activities.

Offering advice to others looking to save on their next getaway, Jen shared: “It’s research and being a bit flexible, being willing to step out of the box a little bit and go a bit further afield. Maybe travel from an airport that isn’t the closest one to you and try to travel without luggage, because once you add checked-in luggage, you’re adding hundreds of pounds onto the trip. Then just think about the little costs that would add up, like the hot chocolate and the marshmallows, or take a packet of noodles or two. It’s all the little bits that you can save on.”

Jen Carr, family travel expert and founder of The Travel Mum, shares the best affordable holiday deals for families throughout the week on her website. You can also read Jen’s e-book.

Do you have a travel story to share? Email [email protected]

According to an old Latin proverb that might be democracy’s motto, vox populi, vox dei (“The voice of the people is the voice of God”). But when God is speaking, do we drum our fingers on the table and interrupt with “Cut to the chase, we don’t have all day”?

No, we don’t, and we should not hurry along the electoral process that “hears” the sacred voice of the American people either. If recounts in New Mexico or Wisconsin or Oregon are in order, and if they swing the election to George W. Bush, so be it, but take the time to get the counts right. If recounts in Florida or Missouri do the same for Al Gore, then so be it again, but again take the time to get the counts right. Doing so is not a breakdown of the system, it is the system.

When the American republic was founded, all voting was by hand, and so was all counting of votes. The founding fathers allowed enough time between the election and the inauguration of a new president for that laborious counting to take place and for any irregularities along the way to be resolved. Sure, there are many more votes to be counted now, but there are also many more people to do the counting, whatever method they use. The notion that unless the results are known instantly, the nation is in crisis would surely have struck the founders as alarmist. Television, not the Constitution, is responsible for the impression that something is badly amiss if an event cannot be projected beforehand and instantly replayed afterward.

Some of the major editorial pages of the nation seem to be setting themselves up for their own version of the humiliating double reverse that the networks went through on election night. With votes still being counted and Bush maintaining a narrow lead, several have called on Gore to concede for the good of the country. If Gore pulls into the lead, will they then call on Bush to concede for the good of the country? And then, if the race again becomes too close to call, will they decide that for the good of the country neither should yet concede to the other?

That final position should, in fact, be the initial position. Both the principals and those reporting on them need to calm down, take a deep breath and inhabit the space that the American polity has so wisely provided for this uniquely important decision.

HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

FRIDAY’S RESULTS

BOYS

CITY SECTION

Huntington Park 27, Harbor Teacher 26

SOUTHERN SECTION

Adelanto 62, Lawndale 33

AGBU 60, HMSA 31

Alemany 61, San Marcos 45

Alta Loma 86, Apple Valley 52

Arcadia 66, St. Monica 52

Barstow 63, Arroyo Valley 45

Beckman 70, Cerritos 51

Bishop Diego 57, Agoura 28

Brentwood 98, Oxnard Pacifica 54

Buckley 78, South Hills 62

Burbank 65, South Torrance 53

Camarillo 70, Hart 63

Chaminade 71, Shalhevet 49

Downey 38, Saugus 32

Eastside 86, Santa Ynez 51

Elsinore 78, Chino Hills 76

Flintridge Prep 46, Estancia 44

Fountain Valley 67, Canyon Hills 32

Gardena Serra 46, Highland 38

Glendale 57, Paloma Valley 53

Knight 70, Valencia 48

La Canada 71, Calvary Baptist 44

La Palma Kennedy 58, Westminster La Quinta 54

Legacy Christian Academy 51, Calabasas 49

Liberty 51, San Jacinto 46

Milken 78, San Fernando Valley Academy 44

Montebello 55, Rosemead 37

Newbury Park 49, Burbank Burroughs 45

North Torrance 66, La Serna 48

Northwood 79, Placentia Valencia 69

Oaks Christian 70, Golden Valley 54

Oxnard 66, North Torrance 46

Patriot 56, Bloomington 38

Pilibos 50, Simi Valley 36

Ramona 63, Alhambra 62

San Marino 52, Canyon Country Canyon 47

Santa Ana Calvary Chapel 39, Segerstrom 36

Santa Monica 48, Colony 46

St. Bonaventure 58, Ventura 32

Whitney 50, Rancho Alamitos 45

INTERSECTIONAL

Chadwick 73, Triumph Charter 55

Crean Lutheran 92, Cleveland 55

Dos Pueblos 62, Point Loma 48

Gabrielino 71, New West Charter 41

Grant 55, West Ranch 48

Harvard-Westlake 74, Bishop Gorman (NV) 39

Mater Dei 69, O’Fallon (IL) 64

Oceanside El Camino 53, Linfield Christian 45

Pasadena 61, Mt. Bethel Christian (GA) 58

Pasadena Poly 68, Franklin 35

Rancho Christian 65, San Diego 36

San Francisco Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep 70, La Salle 55

Venice 62, El Segundo 38

West Covina 47, Gardena 42

GIRLS

SOUTHERN SECTION

Anaheim Canyon 48, Whitney 44

Arcadia 42, Riverside King 39

Beckman 58, Rialto 44

Bishop Amat 68, Pioneer 34

Burbank 52, Lawndale 43

Chino Hills 51, Temescal Canyon 39

Crean Lutheran 40, Lakewood 29

El Dorado 50, Long Beach Poly 31

El Toro 68, Irvine 49

Etiwanda 44, Redondo Union 40

Golden Valley 50, Riverside North 21

Hacienda Heights Wilson 54, Sunny Hills 50

JSerra 66, Lynwood 64

Mater Dei 81, Moreno Valley 63

Mira Costa 42, Harvard-Westlake 36

Montclair 43, University Prep 37

Muir 43, San Gabriel 42

Newport Harbor 46, Estancia 29

North Torrance 67, Leuzinger 54

Oak Park 63, Windward 51

Ontario Christian 86, Lancaster 63

Paloma Valley 50, Elsinore 36

Rancho Alamitos 43, Ocean View 16

Rancho Cucamonga 60, Eastvale Roosevelt 21

Rolling Hills Prep 55, Gardena Serra 54

Rosary Academy 49, Corona del Mar 27

San Bernardino 69, Royal 26

San Juan Hills 69, Great Oak 34

Sierra Vista 48, Schurr 45

Sonora 54, Colony 32

South Hills 63, Brea Olinda 43

South Pasadena 56, Riverside Poly 33

St. Anthony 68, Esperanza 48

Trabuco Hills 51, Marina 32

Upland 50, El Rancho 48

Warren 54, Arroyo 16

West Ranch 55, Sacred Heart of Jesus 41

Whittier Christian 56, Montebello 12

INTERSECTIONAL

Birmingham 79, Ontario 42

Downey 64, Bakersfield Frontier 62

Garfield 46, Alta Loma 39

Las Vegas Centennial 80, Brentwood 76

Mary Star of the Sea 38, Bravo 18

North County San Marcos 81, Northwood 22

Portola Valley Priory 63, Canyon Country Canyon 41

Ramona Convent 42, Rise Kohyang 2

Rancho Christian 102, Liberty (NV) 62

Red Mountain (AZ) 48, Edison 41

Shadow Hills 46, Oceanside 27

Sierra Pacific 68, Bishop Montgomery 53

Village Christian 55, Palisades 39

Westchester 59, South Torrance 37

Nov. 29 (UPI) — Rep. Troy Hehls, R-Texas, on Saturday announced he will not seek re-election in 2026 and will retire from Congress and focus on his family.

Nehls, 57, since 2021 has represented Texas’ 22nd Congressional District, which is situated southwest of Houston and includes parts of Sugar Land, Richmond and Rosenberg, among other Texas communities.

“I have made the decision, after conversations with my beautiful bride and my girls over the Thanksgiving holiday, to focus on my family and return home after this Congress,” he said Saturday in a post on X.

“Before making this decision, I called President Trump personally to let him know of my plans,” he continued.

“President Trump has always been a strong ally for our district and a true friend, and I wanted him to hear it from me first,” Nehls added.

“Serving this country in the military, serving our community in law enforcement and serving this district in Congress has been the honor of my life.”

Nehls enlisted in the Army Reserve in 1988 and earned two Bronze Stars while serving in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.

He joined the Richmond (Texas) Police Department in 1994 and was elected sheriff of Fort Bend County in 2012, before winning the 2020 House election.

His announced retirement is among several made recently by Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb. and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Nehls’ twin brother, Trever Nehls, already announced his candidacy for the seat and has been endorsed by Troy.

Amid heightened Japan-China tensions, US President Donald Trump spoke by telephone with Chinese President Xi Jinping. While Trump termed it a positive development, stating he would visit China in April 2026, China claimed that it categorically made it clear that “Taiwan’s return to China was an ‘integral part of the postwar international order.” While it has been reported that Trump requested a phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the details of the conversation between the two haven’t been made public yet.

Trump’s claim of “extremely strong” US-China relations has once again seized global attention. Earlier, last month, just ahead of his highly anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea, Trump boldly announced on Truth Social, “THE G2 WILL BE CONVENING SHORTLY!”

Unsurprisingly, the statement sparked widespread discussion, directly invoking China and seemingly reviving the long-dormant G2 concept, an idea previously floated by former President Barack Obama.

This apparent attempt to resurrect the “G2” notion, which envisions shared global leadership between the US and China, marks a notable rhetorical shift and is surprising given that Trump has been hawkish on China even during his first term as the president. By invoking it, Washington has brought back a concept dismissed as a faulty trade-off, given the persistent and often adversarial nature of US-China relations. Media analyses suggest that this move reflects a growing recognition within the US of China’s rising power and an uneasy acknowledgement of its near-equal status on the world stage. The renewed attention signals an implicit acceptance within American policy circles of China’s expanding international influence and the shifting balance of global power.

For China, however, the idea holds little appeal. First, China continues to present itself as a developing country, aspiring to lead the Global South and, eventually, to achieve broader global influence. Unlike the West, China sees strategic value in retaining the support of developing nations to bolster its legitimacy. While it aims to surpass the US militarily, economically, and technologically, it is unlikely to embrace a bilateral framework implying formalized co-governance of the world. Second, the ideological, strategic, and global ambitions gap between China and the US remains vast, limiting the feasibility of any institutionalized G2 arrangement. Third, if such a framework were ever to exist, it would likely involve broader coalitions of nations with differing ideologies, capacities, and priorities, rather than a US-China duopoly. In this light, the G2 concept appears even less plausible for China in 2025 than it did in the 2000s.

While much commentary has focused on how this discourse may be interpreted in China, the implications extend far beyond the bilateral relationship. Washington’s allies and partners across the Indo-Pacific are closely observing these developments. For many in the region, stability in US-China relations is desirable, as it would help mitigate the risks of confrontation, economic disruption, regional instability, and global upheavals. Yet Trump’s rhetoric has also generated unease among America’s regional partners regarding Washington’s long-term strategic intentions.

Concerns are growing that a return to the G2 framework could signal a weakening of US commitment to the Indo-Pacific, particularly in terms of security and regional order. While sustained engagement with China is widely accepted as necessary, framing the relationship as one of shared global governance may alarm America’s allies and partners, especially the Quad countries, the Philippines, and Taiwan. For these countries, any suggestion of a US-China condominium raises doubts about the credibility of the US’s status as a security guarantor and its assurances of collective defense and regional stability.

From the US perspective, reviving the G2 discourse may appear advantageous to smooth the way for a rare earth materials deal with China or to ease bilateral tensions. But fundamental differences and rivalry cannot be erased: China’s ultimate goal is to overtake the US. In all likelihood, China will view G2 rhetoric skeptically, interpreting it as a sign of US weakness and declining influence in the Indo-Pacific.

The Xi-Trump phone call and China’s reiteration of the Taiwan claim put pressure on Trump’s G2 plan. How Trump would manage ties with Japan and Taiwan while building relations with China is an issue worthy of international attention.

Trump’s episodic and erratic approach to China and the region risks eroding the trust the US has painstakingly built with its partners. There is little chance that countries such as India, Japan, or the Philippines would accept a bipolar world dominated solely by the US and China. Rather than serving as a stabilizer, the G2 concept is more likely to be seen as an attempt to divide the world into two poles once again, or worse, as a signal that the US is content with a bipolar world rather than a genuinely multipolar order.

Even if the G2 never materializes, the rhetoric has already strengthened China’s position while placing the US in a strategic bind. In effect, it is a win-win for China but a lose-lose for America. There are limitations to America First not only for the region but also for America itself and its foreign policy. The Trump administration’s path would do well to seriously consider the perspectives of its allies and partners, rather than advancing a strategy that ultimately benefits China.

The Foreign Office has issued a warning to Brits who are planning on heading to a popular European winter holiday spot in the coming weeks, as they could be at risk of hospitalisation or even death

British holidaymakers planning their dream winter getaway in the coming weeks face potential hospitalisation or even death, according to Foreign Office warnings. More than 20 million people flock to the European destination each year, with over one million of those being UK travellers.

Renowned for its tranquil landscapes and stunning mountain views, Switzerland remains a favoured destination for those keen on winter sports, including skiing, snowboarding, and hiking. However, the Foreign Office has warned that some Brits may be engaging in ‘risky’ activities that might not be covered by their insurance policies.

Being inadequately prepared could result in serious consequences for both your well-being and your finances, particularly if you haven’t been careful about selecting the right insurance cover for your trip. In certain circumstances, you might find yourself liable for more than £3,000 if you lack proper travel insurance protection, and that’s excluding medical expenses and hospital bills.

Foreign Office guidance warns: “Adventure sports can be risky. British nationals in the Swiss Alps have been involved in accidents and have been hospitalised or died. Check the company you are using is well-established and that your travel insurance covers any specific activity.

“For sports activities like skiing, potholing and mountaineering, and for sports classed as particularly dangerous (for example, off-piste skiing, mountain biking, climbing, paragliding or BASE jumping), you could get into difficulty and need emergency rescue. Adventure sports can be risky. British nationals in the Swiss Alps have been involved in accidents and have been hospitalised or died.

“Check the company you are using is well-established and that your travel insurance covers any specific activity. For sports activities like skiing, potholing and mountaineering, and for sports classed as particularly dangerous (for example, off-piste skiing, mountain biking, climbing, paragliding or BASE jumping), you could get into difficulty and need emergency rescue.”

Making sure you’ve got the right cover for your winter holiday

If you’re planning a trip to a ski resort this winter, it’s crucial to make sure any activities you intend to participate in are covered by your travel insurance. When sorting out your policy, ensure you’re fully clued up on any exclusions included in the policy and when you won’t be protected.

It’s also vital to consider medical costs, and when your insurance policy will foot the bill for you, especially if you plan on using rental gear, as this likely won’t be covered. Moreover, those hitting the slopes off-piste without a guide may not typically be covered by their insurance.

According to SOS 144, a helicopter rescue in the Swiss Alps can cost as much as 3,500 CHF (£3,293).

TALENTED Emilia Jones and Daisy Edgar-Jones share more than a name — they are starring in a film together as sisters.

The English actresses will play Irish migrants who escaped the devastating potato famine to tough 19th century New York in drama Bad Bridgets.

BAFTA-winning Emilia, 23, is currently on screen in a reboot of 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger future world classic The Running Man.

Daisy, 27, got her big break in TV series Cold Feet as Olivia the daughter of David and Rachel played by Robert Bathurst and Helen Baxendale.

She was recently seen in the 2024 storm chase movie Twsiters and starred opposite Gladiator II hunk Paul Mescal in romantic drama Normal People,

The new film takes inspiration from best selling historical book Bad Bridget: Crime, Mayhem, and the Lives of Irish Emigrant Women by Irish professors Elaine Farrell & Leanne McCormick.

read more on Emilia Jones

KISS ME HARDY

Ex-EastEnders hunk spotted snogging Emilia Jones at Sabrina Carpenter’s gig

WALKING IN THE AIR

Inside the rise and rise of Aled Jones’ daughter Emilia Jones

Emilia is the daughter of Aled Jones, famous for his song Walking In The Air from The Snowman.

Aged eight, Emilia’s acting career began in 2010 when she appeared as Jasmine in the film One Day.

She then made her professional stage debut in the musical Shrek alongside Amanda Holden.

The actress is best known for her lead role as Ruby Rossi in the Academy Award-winning 2021 film CODA for which she has received a Bafta nod for Best Actress.

Reviving an idea they floated last year with an op-ed urging President Obama not to seek a second term, pollsters Patrick H. Caddell and Douglas E. Schoen are out Monday with a new op-ed drafting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to be the Democrats’ 2012 nominee.

Obama should “abandon his candidacy for reelection in favor of a clear alternative,” Caddell and Schoen wrote in Monday’s Wall Street Journal, because “the kind of campaign required for the president’s political survival would make it almost impossible for him to govern — not only during the campaign, but throughout a second term.”

“Never before has there been such an obvious potential successor — one who has been a loyal and effective member of the president’s administration, who has the stature to take on the office, and who is the only leader capable of uniting the country around a bipartisan economic and foreign policy,” they wrote of Clinton.

The two pollsters have worked for a number of high-profile Democrats — Caddell for George McGovern, Jimmy Carter and Joe Biden, and Schoen for President Bill Clinton and for Hillary Clinton in 2008. But they are also known for taking positions that are at odds with the Democratic Party.

Most recently, Schoen has worked with a group called Americans Elect to put a third candidate on the ballot in all 50 states.

The group plans to hold a nominating convention next summer to select a candidate to challenge Obama and the Republican nominee. Participants will draft candidates by putting their names to a Web-based vote. Hillary Clinton and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg — another former client of Schoen’s — are often mentioned as potential nominees.

Like they did last year in an op-ed for the Washington Post, Caddell and Schoen argue that running for reelection will prevent Obama from governing.

“By going down the reelection road and into partisan mode, the president has effectively guaranteed that the remainder of his term will be marred by the resentment and division that have eroded our national identity, common purpose, and most of all, our economic strength,” they wrote.

The pollster duo believes that: “If President Obama were to withdraw he would put great pressure on the Republicans to come to the table and negotiate — especially if the president singularly focused in the way we have suggested on the economy, job creation, and debt and deficit reduction. “

They argue that Clinton would stand a better chance at winning in 2012 because she enjoys her best-ever approval rating and is favored over Republican candidates Mitt Romney and Rick Perry in a Time magazine poll. And they call on Sen. Harry Reid and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to urge Obama to step aside “for the good of the party and most of all for the good of the country.”

Hillary Clinton has repeatedly said that she has no ambitions to run again for president. She has brushed aside talk of replacing Joe Biden as the vice presidential nominee on the Democrats’ ticket.

“I’m out of politics, happy to be out of politics,” she said last week when asked by NBC’s Chuck Todd to weigh in on the field of Republican hopefuls.

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Internal rifts deepen in Corbyn’s Your Party as cofounder Zahra Sultana skips first day of conference amid expulsions from the party.

Veteran British socialist Jeremy Corbyn’s new left-wing political party faced a new crisis after its cofounder, Zarah Sultana, pledged to skip the first day of its inaugural conference.

Corbyn had called for members to “come together” at the opening of the conference on Saturday, with the party seeking to move on from a messy launch and become a viable left-wing challenger to the governing Labour Party.

“As a party, we’ve got to come together and be united because division and disunity will not serve the interests of the people that we want to represent,” Corbyn told the conference in the northwestern English city of Liverpool.

A few hours later, a spokesperson for Sultana said that she would not enter the conference hall on Saturday in protest at one of her supporters being denied entry to the event and several others being expelled from the party over alleged membership of the far-left Socialist Workers Party.

“I’m disappointed to see on the morning of our founding conference, people who have travelled from all over the country, spent a lot of money on their train fare, on hotels, on being able to participate in this conference, being told that they have been expelled,” she told UK’s Press Association news agency.

“That is a culture that is reminiscent of the Labour Party, how there were witch hunts on the eve of conference, how members were treated with contempt.”

Corbyn, 76, and Sultana, 32, both former Labour MPs, have been in frequent dispute since they announced the party in July.

A spokesperson for the new party, currently called Your Party, defended the expulsions.

“Members of another national political party signed up to Your Party in contravention of clearly stated membership rules – and these rules were enforced,” the spokesperson said.

This is the latest blow for a party hoping to make gains on the left as British politics fractures into a multiparty system and Labour moves rightward on some issues.

Two of the four independent MPs who initially signed up later quit over the divisions, which have included a row over a botched membership launch and threats of legal action.

Over the course of the conference, members are set to choose the party’s official name and decide whether it should have a single leader or be led by its members.

Flamengo beat fellow Brazilian side Palmeiras 1-0 in Peru to lift the Copa Libertadores title for the fourth time.

Flamengo defeated Palmeiras 1-0 to win the Copa Libertadores, becoming the most successful Brazilian team in the history of South America’s top club competition by lifting the title for a fourth time.

A second-half headed goal from Flamengo centre-back Danilo settled a scrappy encounter at the Estadio Monumental in Lima on Saturday – the fifth Libertadores final in the past six seasons to feature two clubs from Brazil.

Flamengo’s win avenged their 2-1 defeat to Palmeiras in the 2021 Libertadores final and leaves the famous Rio de Janeiro club firmly on course for a hat-trick of trophies in 2025.

Flamengo began the year with victory in the Brazilian Super Cup and need only two points from their remaining two league fixtures to clinch Brazil’s domestic championship.

Flamengo’s third win in the tournament since 2019, and fourth overall, put them level with Argentina’s Estudiantes, three behind another Argentinian club, Independiente, with seven titles.

Palmeiras, meanwhile, were left ruing a golden chance to equalise in the 89th minute, when Vitor Roque blasted over the bar from point-blank range.

That was arguably the best Palmeiras chance of a mostly fractious final, littered with 33 fouls and seven yellow cards shared between the two teams.

A scrappy first half saw Flamengo enjoy the better chances, with Bruno Henrique the first to trigger alarm in the Palmeiras ranks with a 15th-minute strike that flew high and wide.

Flamengo continued to find space down the flanks, and moments later, Samuel Lino threatened to break the deadlock, cutting in from the left and flashing a shot wide.

This, however, was as good as it got for Flamengo in the first half, and the men in red and black were fortunate not to be reduced to 10 men after 30 minutes, following a melee that erupted when Palmeiras defender Bruno Fuchs brought down Flamengo star Giorgian de Arrascaeta.

As tempers flared, Flamengo’s Chilean international Erick Pulgar flew in and kicked out at Fuchs, yet somehow escaped only with a yellow.

Flamengo again looked the more threatening team after half-time, while struggling to create clear-cut chances.

The breakthrough finally came on 67 minutes, when Arrascaeta swung in an inviting corner from the right.

Danilo – inexplicably left unmarked – rose unchallenged to head home for what would be the winning goal.

Tom Stoppard, frequently hailed as the greatest British playwright of this generation, had both a remarkable life and a remarkable career.

Born in Czechoslovakia in 1937, his family fled to Singapore when the Nazis invaded. When Japan threatened their new home, his mother took him and his brother to India. His father stayed behind in Singapore but died when the ship he was aboard was sunk. His mother later married a British officer and the family relocated to England, where young Stoppard took his stepfather’s surname and “put on Englishness like a coat,” he later said.

Stoppard quickly became known for his clever, witty and intellectually curious work, earning three Olivier Awards, five Tony Awards and an Oscar (for “Shakespeare in Love”). He was even knighted in 1997 by Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to theater.

Starting with “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” in 1966, through his final full-length play “Leopoldstadt” in 2020, Stoppard crafted a body of work that would be the envy of most countries, let alone one writer.

Below are some of Stoppard most important plays, with observations from Times critics:

The 2022 Broadway production of “Leopoldstadt” in a family scene from 1924.

(Joan Marcus)

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (1966)

After working as a journalist, Stoppard had a breakthrough when this absurdist romp debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe. Times theater critic Charles McNulty reviewed a 2013 production at the Old Globe’s Shakespeare Festival in San Diego, describing it as a “metapharcical romp (to coin a genre), in which ‘Hamlet’ is glimpsed through the oblique perspective of the prince’s twin buddies, sent to spy on him by Gertrude and Claudius in that Elsinore castle of murder, adultery and occult intrigue. … Stoppard’s fertile wit keeps this three-act drama pulsing along without too much strain. A subtle pathos, along with the playwright’s verbal sophistication, prevents the play from degenerating into a collegiate vaudeville.” In 1990, Stoppard himself directed a film version starring Gary Oldman and Tim Roth.

Jumpers (1972)

This satire set in an alternative universe in which British astronauts land on the moon and “Radical Liberals” have taken over the nation’s government, premiered at London’s Old Vic starring Michael Hordern and Diana Rigg. Two years later, Times theater critic Dan Sullivan reviewed an American Conservatory Theater production of it in San Francisco. “Stoppard’s new play can’t be hung with one of those preprinted tags that theater critics carry in their pockets for easy labeling,” he wrote. “You might call it a Metaphysical Spoof With Acrobatic Prelude, or you might not. The only general thing you can say about it is that it’s very bright and very funny, and sometimes rather touching.”

Travesties (1974)

The Royal Shakespeare Company staged the first production at the Aldwych Theatre in London, starring John Wood, John Hurt, Tom Bell and Frank Windsor. Stoppard was fascinated with the idea that James Joyce, Vladimir Lenin and Dadadist poet Tristan Tzara were all living in Zurich in 1917. He placed these zeitgeist figures in the orbit of a more humble historical figure named Henry Carr, who figured into Joyce’s “Ulysses.” The Times’ Sullivan took in the 1975 New York production, calling it “dazzling” and wondered if Broadway audiences would be able to keep up with it. “Like Stoppard’s last play ‘Jumpers’ (which didn’t do very well here), this is a vaudeville show where the language does tricks as well as the actors,” wrote Sullivan. “And to do the tricks as well as ‘Travesties,’ John Wood [as Carr], a playwright’s language has got to be pretty accomplished.”

The Real Thing (1982)

Felicity Kendal and Roger Rees originated the lead roles in Stoppard’s very personal examination of love and marriage, truth and honesty. The playwright significantly reworked the script for its Broadway run, starring Glenn Close and Jeremy Irons directed by Mike Nichols, to great success. Linda Purl and Michael Gross assumed the roles for the 1986 L.A. production at the Doolittle Theatre. ”Without spoiling its surprises, the reviewer can say that not every scene in ‘The Real Thing’ is what it seems to be, including the first one,” wrote Sullivan. “Stoppard’s characters are theater people, professional makers of scenes, and some of these scenes get swept into the play. … ‘The Real Thing’ has wit, surprise and characters you care about. … If you like plays written in full sentences, you’ll like ‘The Real Thing.’

Arcadia (1993)

Moving between the 19th century and the present, Stoddard balanced tragedy and comedy with a healthy dose of science and mathematics. The play opened at the Royal National Theatre in London directed by Trevor Nunn with a cast including Rufus Sewell, Felicity Kendal, Bill Nighy and Emma Fielding. Two years later, in New York, Nunn directed a new cast that included Billy Crudup, Blair Brown, Victor Garber as Bernard, Robert Sean Leonard, Jennifer Dundas and Paul Giamatti in his Broadway debut. “‘Arcadia’ is a great play not because it seamlessly meshes serious ideas and the intense pleasure of a literary detective story,” wrote Times critic Laurie Winer, reviewing director Robert Egan’s 1997 Mark Taper Forum production. “It is a great play because, by the end, Tom Stoppard touches ineffability, just as his heroine touches genius.”

The Invention of Love (1997)

For this portrait of poet A. E. Housman, Stoppard once again turned to historical figures for his cast. The play premiered at the Royal National Theatre, London, with Housman played as an old man by John Wood and as a young man by Paul Rhys. It was directed by Richard Eyre. The play opened on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre in 2001, directed by Jack O’Brien. “Stoppard has written an essentially undramatic dreamscape,” wrote Times critic Michael Phillips.” The recently deceased Housman (Richard Easton), about to cross the River Styx, assesses his recessive life and great unrequited love for the athlete Moses Jackson (David Harbour), a fellow Oxford man. En route, the elder Housman runs into his younger self (Robert Sean Leonard). There’s a long scene near the end of Act 1 shared by the two Housmans. As they discuss the niceties and textual flaws of the classics they love as much as life itself, Stoppard’s playfulness is tinged with rue; the older man cannot prevent the younger’s heartbreak to come.”

The Coast of Utopia (2002)

This trilogy of plays, “Voyage,” “Shipwreck” and “Salvage,” zeroed in on philosophical debates in 19th century Russia. They premiered at the National Theatre’s Olivier auditorium in repertory, directed by Nunn. The plays debuted on Broadway, directed by Jack O’Brien, at the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center in 2006. “A nearly eight-hour drama about the Russian intelligentsia that received mixed reviews when it premiered in London in 2002, ‘The Coast of Utopia’ isn’t for the theatrical faint of heart,” cautioned Times critic McNulty. “Stamina is a prerequisite for the company and audience alike. … Stoppard’s play enacts a moment in history when thinkers and writers set out to redirect the future. Ideologies were conceived and pressed immediately into service, sometimes at the expense of the individual lives they were theoretically meant to serve. [It] dramatizes both the ebb and flow of conditional life and the hunger for unconditional solutions to its woes.”

Rock ‘n’ Roll (2006)

Stoppard looked to his Czech roots with this drama, connecting the Prague Spring of 1968 with the Velvet Revolution of 1989 through music. The play premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London, once again directed by Nunn and featuring Rufus Sewell, Brian Cox and Sinéad Cusack. The cast moved to Broadway in 2007. “You might want to arrive a bit early and study the timelines in the lobby, which detail Czechoslovakia’s turbulent political history from 1968 to 1990 and key events in the rock music scene during that era,” wrote reviewer F. Kathleen Foley of Open Fist’s 2010 production. “Read them carefully. Otherwise your head just may explode at some point during this Los Angeles premiere, which presupposes an intimate familiarity with Czech history, the early rock scene and, oh, did we mention Sapphic poetry? It’s all a bit ostentatious and difficult to follow — but even at his most intellectually prolix, Stoppard is flat-out brilliant, arguably our greatest living playwright.”

Leopoldstadt (2020)

The final play of Stoppard’s brilliant career was sparked by the playwright learning of the plight of his Jewish ancestors upon his mother’s death in 1996. It debuted at Wyndham’s Theatre in London’s West End, but was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic and debuted on Broadway in 2022 starring Davis Krumholtz with Patrick Marber directing. The play “unfolds as a series of oil paintings magicked into life,” wrote Times critic McNulty. “The play, which features a cast of 38 actors, moves from turn-of-the-century Vienna, where Freud, Mahler and Schnitzler are the talk of the town, to 1924, when the scars of World War I are clearly visible. Performed without intermission, the action ominously leaps to 1938, as the Nazis are ransacking the homes of Jewish citizens. The play concludes in 1955, when three family survivors reunite to piece together the fates of their murdered relatives. … It’s not just that the work mirrors aspects of his personal history. It’s also the virtuosic way that he conjures the shifting cultural zeitgeist of Vienna in the first half of the 20th century through stylized conversation alone.”

You can find audio dramas by L.A. Theatre Works of “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead,” “The Real Thing” and “Arcadia” on Spotify.

Many of the films Stoppard wrote or co-wrote are available for streaming, including “Brazil” (1985),” Turner Classic Movies, and for rent on Apple TV and Prime Video; “The Russia House” (1990), for rent on Prime Video; “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” (1990), for rent on various platforms; “Empire of the Sun” (1987), for rent on various platforms; and “Shakespeare in Love” (1998), Paramount+ and Kanopy, and for rent on various platforms.

Stoppard is also certainly a playwright whose work is a joy to read. Most of these plays can be found at your local public library or favorite bookstore.