NEW YORK, Dec. 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Why: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, continues to investigate potential securities claims on behalf of shareholders of Franklin Resources, Inc. BEN resulting from allegations that Franklin Resources may have issued materially misleading business information to the investing public. So What: If you purchased Franklin Resources securities you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. The Rosen Law Firm is preparing a class action seeking recovery of investor losses. What to do next: To join the prospective class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=29671 call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email case@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. What is this about: On August 21, 2024, Franklin Resources filed a current report with the SEC. In this current report, the company announced it was naming a sole Chief Investment Officer at Western Asset Management (a company subsidiary) to replace co-Chief Investment Officer Ken Leech, who had been on a leave of absence, effective immediately. The current report also stated Ken Leech had "received a Wells Notice from the Staff of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission," and "[i]n light of Mr. Leech's leave of absence, the Company has determined that closing its Macro Opportunities strategy [. . .] is in clients' best interests." On this news, Franklin Resources' stock fell 12.5% on August 21, 2024. Why Rosen Law: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources, or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company at the time. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm , on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/ . Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 case@rosenlegal.com www.rosenlegal.com © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.The OmniBook Ultra Flip is one of HP's most stylish laptops yet PC makers are desperate to convince us we need a so-called AI PC. The HP OmniBook Ultra Flip is without doubt one of those, but it’s great despite the AI features, not because of them. The OmniBook Ultra Flip is the best HP laptop I can recall seeing in many a long year. It’s beautifully designed, has a stunning screen and it’s compact and lightweight enough to effortlessly carry on your business travels. It’s when it starts to do the clever stuff that the shine wears off... HP OmniBook Ultra Flip: The AI Features The OmniBook Ultra Flip has that key component that separates AI PCs from mere spreadsheet pushers: a neural processing unit. That NPU is powerful enough to qualify for the Windows Copilot+ label, meaning it will receive AI features such as the controversial Recall , when Microsoft finally decides to roll it out. In the meantime, you’re left with access to the regular Windows Copilot and HP’s own AI Companion app. The HP app, supposedly based on the same technology as ChatGPT, lets you ask general queries, ask questions about how to get more from your PC and—most interestingly of all—create libraries of documents that you can analyze with HP’s AI assistant. The PC assistant is hit and miss. When I clicked on the suggestion to “make my camera follow my face” the AI assistant responded with “we encountered an error when processing your request”. However, it did manage to turn down screen brightness and toggle the screen’s HDR settings when asked to do so. Microsoft Warns 400 Million Windows Users—Do Not Update Your PC What To Watch This Weekend: New Shows And Movies To Stream On Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Apple TV And More NYT Mini Hints And Answers For Saturday, December 14 The ability to query libraries of your own documents initially seemed super useful... until I asked it a question about a report from the U.K.’s telecoms regulator from which it “hallucinated” figures that weren’t in the report in the first place. Worse, this AI Companion app is entirely useless without an internet connection, suggesting it’s not really using the NPU at all, but processing all the data in the cloud, much like Windows Copilot or ChatGPT, which are both better all-rounders. If you’re going to the bother of creating your own AI assistant, it has to offer something different. HP’s barely does. There are other AI features. Live captions for videos, tools that work with your webcam, but none of these are game-changers. This is an AI PC where the AI is one of the least impressive things about it. HP OmniBook Ultra Flip: The Design The device flips and folds into a variety of configurations So, if you’re not buying this laptop for its AI features, why should you buy it? Well, the design is stunning. The all-metal casing is cast in a midnight blue that looks deadly serious, and it’s wonderfully compact. At first you’ll fret that there’s only USB-C connection on the entire device, where the charger would sit, but there are two more hidden on the rear corners, which have been neatly cut in at 45 degrees. As the name suggests, the device flips over into a full tablet mode, made more useful by the supplied stylus. That said, don’t get too excited about this. Windows 11 is still an appalling tablet OS with a crippling lack of touch-friendly apps, and the stylus has an irritating input lag that makes scribbling on screen unsatisfactory. It’s a very poor man’s iPad in this regard. Still, the screen is everything you could wish for at this size. The 2,880 x 1800 resolution is perfect for the 14in display, which scrolls at a smooth 120Hz. It’s an OLED display too, which means colors fizz and there’s a heavyweight punch of contrast. A variety of color profiles let you ease the glare if you’re reading a long document, say, or bashing out a report. The backlit keyboard is a winner too. Well spaced with a satisfying degree of travel under each key, it’s one of those keyboards where you’re instantly up to full typing speed the moment you lay your fingers on it. Furthermore, the large slab of a touchpad beneath it is immaculately responsive. It’s a laptop I’d happily pack for a business trip. Talking of work, the integrated 9-megapixel webcam is ideal for business meetings. It’s sharp and well balanced, and with the supplied Poly Camera Pro app you can apply nice touches such as graphical overlays that show your name, job title, contact details and more. The webcam also does a superb job of helping to monitor your presence, turning the screen off the moment you look away from the display, and switching it back on as soon as your gaze returns, helping to protect privacy and battery life. There’s also a slide-across privacy shield to prevent the webcam capturing images when you don’t want it to. Overall, a tremendous amount of thought and care has gone into the design of the HP OmniBook Ultra Flip, elevating it above the run-of-the-mill laptop. HP OmniBook Ultra Flip: The Internal Spec HP hasn’t neglected the internals in this OmniBook, either. The Intel Core Ultra 7 processor offers a sensible balance between raw performance and power efficiency. A Geekbench 6 benchmark score of 2,487 (single core) and (9,132) puts it in between the heavyweight workstation laptops and the cheap consumer machines. You should get a working day out of the battery if you’re not pushing the PC with anything demanding, but the compact charger isn’t a dreadful pain to carry anyway. Forget about anything other than light, casual gaming, though. The integrated Intel graphics aren’t going to give you super-smooth frame rates in even moderately demanding games. There’s a 1TB SSD in my review machine, but there are cheaper variants available with 512GGB. The supplied 16GB of RAM is on the cusp of what’s acceptable for a laptop in this premium price bracket, but then it’s rare to see 32GB offered in anything other than chunkier workstations. HP OmniBook Ultra Flip Verdict It looks the business and it's great for work too The AI PC concept is still more bluster than substance. Perhaps the all-remembering Windows Recall will make a difference when it arrives, but right now the AI features on the HP OmniBook Ultra Flip are largely unimpressive. That shouldn’t detract too much from what remain a hugely stylish, powerful little laptop that is ideally suited to business executives who want a device to slip into their hand luggage. It’s right up there with the best of the Windows ultraportables. At $1,600 (£1,600 in the U.K.), the HP OmniBook Ultra Flip is punchily priced, but you don’t need an AI assistant to tell you it’s a very decent laptop.online casino 50 minimum deposit philippines gcash 。

KUALA LUMPUR: Five years, five leaders. After a period of rapid government turnover from 2018 to 2022, many Malaysians see the current Madani administration’s two-year birthday as the mark of relative political stability. “If the government keeps on changing, how are policies going to stick? Who would want to invest in the country?,” said Mr Mohd Asrul Nizam. The 39-year-old automobile technician was speaking to CNA at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre this weekend, at an event to mark the government’s second anniversary. It has been two years since its leader, Mr Anwar Ibrahim, took the helm of the country in 2022. Thousands flocked to the event on Friday (Nov 22) where, as well as an opportunity to settle outstanding traffic fines issued by the police with a 60 per cent discount, there were booths promoting health screenings, a free helmet exchange programme, a job fair and sales of essential goods. Mr Asrul himself was there, not only to mark the political anniversary, but also to pay off his company’s eight summonses, most of them which were for speeding. He said that he is not surprised by the fact that the government is still intact. But given the country's recent history of political instability, some experts consider the administration reaching this two-year mark to be an achievement in itself. “When the unity government was formed, no one thought that it would be able to last this long. There are 18 parties in the coalition with different agendas, but it has held on,” said Dr Azmi Hassan, senior fellow at the Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research. Some political analysts told CNA that Mr Anwar’s biggest achievement to date was to keep the government - made up of 18 different parties - running this long, adding that economic concerns were of a higher priority than institutional reform for most people. “For the majority, the main concern is economic related. Institutional reforms are a lower priority compared to livelihoods,” said Mr Ibrahim Suffian, co-founder and programs director of the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research. But there are some, especially those from civil society organisations, who are unhappy with the pace of reform and say that the government should not assume that it has the luxury of time to implement the reforms that were promised in their election manifestos. “D GRADE” IN REPORT, DESPITE NEW INITIATIVES Last month Mr Anwar told members of his PKR party that the unity government has helped the country to achieve political stability that enabled the federal administration to set clear policies on industry, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, green technology, and semiconductors. However, the CSO platform for reform - a coalition of 70 organisations – said that excitement for reform is fading as the pragmatism of realpolitik takes precedence. “Delays, excuses, and a slow pace hinder progress. It is essential to maintain a sense of urgency and not allow fear of identity politics or opposition pressures to derail the momentum for reforms,” said its chairman, Mr Jerald Joseph. He acknowledged several reforms Mr Anwar’s government has initiated or pledged support for, such as the removal of the mandatory death penalty, the subsidy rationalisation of things such as petrol and education and the engagement over the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) which seeks to restore the rights of Sabah and Sarawak. He also said that several new initiatives were similarly promising, such as the vetting of high-profile appointments in government-linked companies (GLCs), forming additional Parliamentary Special Select Committees (PSSC), and raising the minimum salary to RM1,700 (US$380) a month. However, he said that comprehensive reforms in key governance areas are still lacking. “It is time to create a clear, public roadmap that conveys the urgency and scope of the institutional changes Malaysians need. Without this, the government risks eroding public trust and confidence,” he said. The executive director of the Coalition of Free and Fair Elections (BERSIH) Mr Ooi Kok Him told CNA that there were two trains of thought when it came to the pace of reforms – some who said time was needed and others who were “impatient” for reforms. “We believe that time is running out. You may believe that you have three more years just like how Pakatan Harapan leaders believed they had more than 22 months to govern. So you cannot take time for granted and you must implement reforms when you have the opportunity to do so,” he said. BERSIH is well known for its organisation of protests against the government in the past. On Tuesday, it revealed its report card for the government, with the Madani administration getting 45.8 per cent or a D grade. BERSIH said the grade reflected significant gaps between its reform promises and actual implementation. Mr Anwar’s political secretary Kamil Abdul Munim said in a post on X on Wednesday that reforms as well as the political, economic and administrative change agenda were still ongoing. He also said that they should learn from their past experiences and that changes cannot be rushed. “They also have to be done based on priority according to the context and current situation,” he said. Their report card looked at three aspects – electoral reforms, institutional reforms, and civil liberties with the assessment looking at the fulfilment of manifesto commitments and a comparative evaluation of progress relative to previous administrations. It did not consider aspects such as the economy. The report said that when it came to electoral reforms there had been no meaningful progress on key issues such as constituency malapportionment, gerrymandering, or the introduction of absentee voting for outstation voters, despite campaign promises to address these. On institutional reforms, the report said the government achieved incremental progress, including passing the Public Finance and Fiscal Responsibility Act and strengthening Parliamentary Special Select Committees. It noted however that major reforms to safeguard institutional independence, such as separating the roles of the attorney general and public prosecutor, or institutionalising fair Constituency Development Funds (CDF), remain stalled or unfulfilled. It added that critical appointments, such as those of the attorney general and the heads of key institutions such as the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) and Election Commission (EC), continued to lack parliamentary oversight. On civil liberties, BERSIH said that while the government had abolished the mandatory death penalty, it had failed to repeal or amend laws such as the Sedition Act, the Communications and Multimedia Act, and the Peaceful Assembly Act. The Malaysian Cabinet agreed to review the Sedition Act last year so that it can only be applied to provocations towards the royal institution. In March this year, it agreed to start the process of amending the act. However, in the meantime, activists have still been arrested under the Sedition Act for incidents unrelated to royalty. “Activists and opposition figures continue to face harassment under these laws, contradicting the government’s reformist rhetoric,” said the report. The report even claimed that comparative analysis showed that Mr Anwar lagged behind his predecessors in implementing reforms within the first two years of coming into power, coming in third behind Mr Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Muhyiddin Yassin and Najib Razak were ranked fourth and fifth respectively in the report. “Leaders such as Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Mahathir Mohamad made more substantial progress within similar time frames,” said the report, adding that Mr Anwar even underperformed compared to Najib in his first term, although Najib’s subsequent actions in undermining key institutions for his political benefit during his second term meant his administration ranked bottom. “The Unity Government’s cautious and incremental approach has slowed reform momentum and diminished public confidence,” added the report. Mr Ooi said that a post-election coalition government should not be an excuse to abandon all reform promises, pointing out that BN and PH shared four major promises that have not been fully implemented. He said that one of the common promises made by both coalitions in their manifestos was that major appointments at public institutions such as the MACC and EC would go through parliamentary scrutiny, but this has not happened so far. Mr Azam Baki was reappointed as the chief commissioner of MACC in May this year without undergoing parliamentary scrutiny. Economy minister Rafizi Ramli in Jan 2022 said that some of MACC actions against PH were political persecution and that he would be called up for questioning if they formed the government. “Election manifestos remain binding even when parties enter coalitions. Coalitions should be formed to advance and fulfil these agendas, not to set them aside,” said Mr Ooi. Mr Anwar was sworn in as prime minister on Nov 24, 2022, after the 15th General Election failed to produce a clear winner and resulted in a hung parliament. He leads a unity government comprising Pakatan Harapan (PH), previous ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN), Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) and Parti Warisan (Warisan) among others. The government has also faced criticisms over some of its plans and proposals. Ms Sophie Lemière, an adjunct fellow with the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that several planned reforms, such as the Malaysian social media licensing plans, amendments to its citizenship bills and the “Mufti bill”, are stirring Malaysia “backward”. “The stability of the government and the current desperate need for economic recovery are the recurrent political arguments used to justify the necessity to cooperate with existing power structures while satisfying the most conservative sections of society even if that means compromising civil liberties,” she said in an article on Nov 1. The “Mufti Bill” aims to define the role and responsibilities of the Islamic jurors in the Federal Territories, which include Kuala Lumpur, Labuan, and Putrajaya. In a response to BERSIH’s grading, Mr Anwar told the parliament on Thursday that the government was still new and could perform better over time. “About BERSIH's (rating), it's okay if they want to give us a 'D'. At least it's not an 'F'. (If in UPSR) we get a 'D', later during SPM we should get an 'A'. (Because) we are still very new,” he was quoted as saying by news portal Malaysiakini. The UPSR refers to the now discontinued public exam for primary students while the SPM is the equivalent of the O-levels examination taken by fifth year secondary school students. ANWAR “COMMITTED TO REFORMS” BUT MORE CHANGES NEEDED In a public forum held last week by the CSO platform for reform, Deputy Law Minister M. Kulasegaran said that he also wanted to see more changes in the country although there were many challenges they had to overcome, including pushback from the civil service. “I also want to see the changes (happening),” he said, giving the example of wanting more power to be given to the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) which he described as being “toothless”. He also said that the appointment of the MACC chief for example was something that he believed should be brought to the parliament. “This is what we said when we were there (as opposition) ... We should empower it. If you refer to our speeches in parliament, many of us would have said that. I feel very wrong about it,” said Mr Kulasegaran. He however claimed that Mr Anwar is committed to reforms. “He has given a fair leeway to the ministries and ministers ... and that changes must come from within (the ministries). He has no time to look into any particular matter,” he said. Dr Wong Chin Huat, a political scientist from Sunway University in Kuala Lumpur told CNA that the government was stable and could complete its full term. He said that while it had delivered some reforms, he asked if they were trying to co-opt the opposition into the coalition. “This government claimed that it cannot implement a lot of reform for fear of backlash. That’s true when you look at certain things such as the Sedition Act but fair treatment of the opposition is certainly not something that will get you backlash anywhere. Not from the society or not from the opposition,” he said, in reference to the CDF. He said the reason why Malaysia ended up being embroiled in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal for instance was because there were not enough checks and balances. “Ultimately you don’t have opposition on the pretext of nation-building, stability and harmony but eventually what you are doing is undermining democracy,” he added. Dr Wong said that for some voters, the reforms mattered, and they used it to measure if the government kept to its promises. “If the government acts like these things didn’t matter, there is a section of voters who would simply not go out and vote and this government would pay the price heavily,” he said. He believes that even a 10 per cent drop of votes from non-Malays and liberals would be enough to see PH lose half of their seats. But he added that the vote drop would affect other parties and coalitions as well. “If PH goes down, BN probably wouldn’t be doing much better,” he said. KEEPING GOVERNMENT INTACT: THE BIGGEST REFORM In a press conference on Friday the Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said the government would examine the views of various parties and strive to improve the quality of services besides efforts to improve, change and make institutional reforms. He said that the Minister of Law and Institutional Reform Azalina Othman Said would be introducing several bills in the parliament soon, reflecting the Government's efforts and ideas to bring about reforms to the institutions. “Many bills are being planned and are in the process (of being introduced) including the Malaysian Media Council Bill. This is the government’s commitment to improvement, including the ecosystem for media practitioners,” he said to a question about BERSIH's views on the government when it came to reform. Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli said that he welcomed feedback from the different stakeholders and that as a cabinet member, he didn’t look at it negatively. “We need to find the most harmonised way to carry out these reforms,” he was quoted as saying by news platform Free Malaysia Today (FMT). “Some of the major reforms have been initiated, but it will take a while (for others),” he said on Wednesday when asked about the BERSIH report on the government. Dr Azmi told CNA however that Anwar’s biggest reform was to make sure there was political stability in the country and government. “Considering what we have been through over the past few years, it is the best reform for the last two years. I don’t think the opposition can topple the government,” he said. Since PH defeated BN in the 2018 general elections, there has been political instability in Malaysia, said Dr Azmi. In 2020, the “Sheraton Move” crumbled the Mahathir Mohamad administration from within. Part of this plot was reportedly hatched in the Sheraton Hotel in Petaling Jaya. The move saw more than 30 MPs in the ruling PH alliance defect, bringing it down after it had been in charge for just 22 months. This led to the appointment of Muhyiddin as prime minister, as Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu), Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) and BN joined hands to form a new ruling coalition. However, Muhyiddin’s tenure only lasted until August 2021 when some MPs from BN’s main component party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) pulled their support for him and put forth party vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob to replace Muhyiddin as prime minister. “When he formed the unity government, no one thought that he (Mr Anwar) would be able to last this long. There are 18 parties in the coalition with different agendas, but he has held on,” said Dr Azmi. Mr Anwar has served longer as prime minister than all three of his predecessors since the May 2018 general elections. Dr Azmi believed that Mr Anwar has been doing his best to rid the country of corruption and that reforms could come from this effort. He also pointed to the subsidy rationalisation plan as one of the toughest things any Malaysian prime minister could do. “That requires political will and is one of the most difficult and sensitive things to do,” he said. He said that most people were concerned with the high cost of living, but that problem was not unique to Malaysia and that Mr Anwar couldn’t be blamed for it. Mr Ibrahim of the Merdeka Centre said that while it has been a bumpy road so far with doubts about the government's ability to stay intact, how it is perceived has improved over time. “The government has proven itself to be stable and functional and people are appreciating efforts made by the government to to attract foreign investment. There has been a positive impact and the mood is changing gradually,” he said. When asked about the lack of institutional reforms, Mr Ibrahim said that it was understandable as the government was still trying to learn the lessons from before, citing the PH government that was brought down in 2020. “They want to address bigger concerns such as jobs, wages and government efficiency. That is needed to be addressed first to secure legitimacy from the majority of voters. They are aware that they didn’t get cross-cutting support (from voters) and the number one issue is the economy. “They have to seize on that first and the priority is bringing in investments and part of improving efficiency to approve applications and projects,” he said. He however said that certain things such as Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s acquittal from a corruption charge last year are hanging over Mr Anwar’s head. He added that those who cared about institutional reforms were from the upper middle-class group who would have voted for PH. Mr Ibrahim also said there were quiet reforms such as the civil service reforms where the position of Chief Secretary to the Government went to Mr Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, a low-profile civil servant. “The dissatisfaction remains but ultimately it is a smaller segment of the crowd that the government has to attend to,” he said. The stability of the government is the most important and people believe it is needed to create economic growth. The majority of people don’t want to go back to the volatile period between 2018 and 2022.”How poorly we treat our elderly in this miserable, narcissistic, materialistic society. And, those in government couldn’t care less. A case in point is the Medford Care Center, which an NJ Advance Media story indicated was just barred from new admissions by the New Jersey Department of Health. This Burlington County nursing home was rated poorly in by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid in 2023, which is when its last full health inspection occurred. Despite the low ranking, state health officials didn’t intervene until just last week. When inspectors arrived, they allegedly found inhumane conditions — a lack of hot water, a non-working stove, piled up trash, unpaid staff, and low food stocks — with residents said to be at “immediate and serious risk of harm.” But rather than being shut down immediately or being taken over by the state, the facility has been allowed to continue to operate, and what the state calls an absentee owner was granted time to fix the horrific conditions instead of being arrested on multiple charges. I’m sure that’s of great consolation to the families of the 93 residents (as of Nov. 14) trapped in the facility. The owner disputes some of the violation findings. Don’t grow old in America. Unlike other societies that revere their elders, this harsh, merciless land can’t wait to shove you out of sight once you’re no longer deemed “of use,” and the hell if anyone cares what becomes of you after that. John Woodmaska, Kearny RECOMMENDED • nj .com Even Trump’s backers will regret his cabinet picks | Letter Nov. 17, 2024, 8:25 a.m. Teachers should not squash opposing viewpoints | Letters Nov. 19, 2024, 2:58 p.m. Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com . Send a letter to the editor of South Jersey Times at sjletters@njadvancemedia.com Bookmark NJ.com/Opinion . Follow on Twitter @NJ_Opinion and find NJ.com Opinion on Facebook .

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Rob Cooper, who has worked for the trust since 2015, has taken over from Ann Marr OBE. Mr Cooper has held a number of roles at MWL, including assistant director of operations for medicine, director, and managing director. He has worked in health and social care for many years, and completed his nursing degree at Liverpool University in 1997. READ > Butterfly sculpture recognises hospital's commitment to tissue donation He then worked in A&E, vascular surgery, and intensive care as a nurse, before joining MWL. Mr Cooper said: "Today is a very proud moment for me. "MWL is a fantastic organisation, with a longstanding history of outstanding care, and a trusted reputation in our local communities. "I am truly honoured to be chief executive here. "I’ve been part of MWL for nine years now and over that time I have had the absolute pleasure of working alongside so many amazingly talented staff. "Every part of the NHS is under significant pressure at the moment and the areas of Merseyside and West Lancashire are no exception. "My focus will be on making sure that we continue to look after our patients and our staff to the highest standards against this challenging backdrop. "I’d also like to thank my predecessor, Ann Marr OBE, for her tireless commitment to our patients and staff over her 22 years at the trust. "Ann transformed Whiston and St Helens hospitals into the world-class facilities they are today, leading the former St Helens and Knowsley Trust to receive its outstanding CQC rating." Whiston Hospital (Image: Stock) Richard Fraser, chairman of MWL, said: "Rob’s unwavering focus on quality, patient care and staff experience has always shone through and I am sure with his leadership the trust will continue to be known as one of the leading organisations in the NHS." Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals serves a population of more than 600,000 people, with a combined workforce of around 9,000 staff. The trust provides acute and specialist hospital care, intermediate care, and primary care at Whiston, Southport, Ormskirk, St Helens and Newton hospitals, with a wide range of community-based services delivered across the region.Ricardo Salinas Pliego is no stranger to controversy and crisis. Over decades, the entrepreneur has feuded with business partners, investors and regulators as he built an empire that’s made him Mexico’s third-richest person. But even for Salinas, the current financial predicament is dire — and also a little odd. Ricardo Salinas Pliego is in a financial predicament. Credit: Bloomberg That’s because the bulk of his $US10.5 billion ($16.3 billion) wealth is tied up in a company, Grupo Elektra, that is poised to plunge in value as soon as it begins trading again on the Mexican stock exchange. This is where things get weird. Officials have been trying for days to lift the halt on the stock that was imposed in July, only to give up once buy orders hit trading screens in the pre-market auction. The problem: the bids are so shockingly low, coming in at less than 50 per cent of the stock’s value in July, that the market circuit breaker designed to limit volatility is immediately tripped, and the stock is halted again without a single transaction taking place. So for official bookkeeping reasons, Elektra’s shares are still worth the same 944.95 pesos they were quoted at on July 26, and Salinas’ wealth remains, precariously for now, intact. The cause of the initial ban was, like many things involving Salinas, a bit mysterious. Salinas himself had triggered the trading halt in July when he alleged a creditor had used the company shares to fund a $US110 million loan. Loading Lawyers for the billionaire said most of the shares appeared to have been sold, pushing the stock price down — with the rest allegedly pocketed by the creditor. The creditor has denied any wrongdoing. Index suspension What followed the allegations of fraud was easier to understand — after a month of no trading, Elektra got booted from the country’s main stock gauge, leaving it without the crucial support of index-tracking funds needed to support the share price. Which is why traders have been lobbing in such lowball bids when the exchange tried to restart trading.

Two British Columbia (BC) innovation organizations are doling out a combined $9.2 million in funding to projects spanning cleantech and life sciences. The BC Centre for Innovation and Clean Energy ( ) is investing $7.7 million into 13 projects made through its call for wildfire tech projects and its July open call for innovation. Crown corporation has also awarded $1.5 million to five BC projects focused on research and development in life sciences, food sciences, or cleantech. CICE is investing $3.5 million in six of the 74 companies that applied for the 2024 call for innovation from June. The initiative was launched to source and fund projects working to commercialize technology that can help communities adapt to, prevent, and mitigate the impact of wildfires—a problem that is being in BC by climate change. The companies receiving funding from CICE under this stream include CRWN.ai, FireSwarm Solutions, Hummingbird Drones, Skyward Wildfire Technologies, Voxelis, and Wildfire Robotics. “Wildfires are becoming more frequent and destructive, threatening communities, ecosystems, and the economy,” Sarah Goodman, president and CEO of CICE, said in a statement. “The companies we selected are developing cutting-edge solutions to reduce fire risk, improve response times, and protect vulnerable regions.” CICE is also investing $4.2 million in seven B.C. climate tech companies, selected from 79 applicants to its July 2024 open call for innovation. The projects span three key areas: low-carbon hydrogen, low-carbon fuels, and energy storage. They include Edison Motors, NORAM Electrolysis Systems, AlgaFilm Technologies, NanosTech Environmental, Ekona Power, Quantum Technology, and Unilia Fuel Cells. Earlier this year, Ekona Power was among that received a cumulative $57 million from Alberta Innovates. The startup closed in Series A financing in 2022. To date, CICE has invested $39 million in 59 clean energy and climate technology projects valued at over $196 million through its calls for innovation. Innovate BC’s funding comes from the province through the Ignite program, which funds innovation projects in the areas of natural resources and applied sciences. To be considered, projects must also address an industry problem with the potential for significant benefit to BC and be implemented by a group of academic and industry members. Each project is receiving $300,000 in funding. One funded project, led by Ideon Technologies and the University of British Columbia, focuses on developing cosmic-ray muon tomography to improve safety and efficiency in mineral mining. Another project, Peqish Group in collaboration with UBC, is creating chia-based fat substitutes to reduce calories in foods. Rockburst Technologies and UBC received funding to develop a carbon dioxide-based ore pulverization method that reduces emissions in mineral extraction. Also among the Ignite-funding projects is one initiative led by Viridis Research and Simon Fraser University (SFU) to advance water treatment technology for recycling textile wastewater. Lastly, Geno10X Biosciences, Gene Bio Medical, and SFU researchers are receiving funding for their work on an artificial intelligence-driven platform for rapid, non-invasive testing for human papillomavirus, better known as HPV. “These innovations not only address some of the province’s most pressing challenges, but also help promote productivity and growth in key industries, ultimately contributing to a prosperous economy that benefits all British Columbians,” Innovate BC president and CEO Peter Cowan said in a statement.The Borneo Post photographer Roystein Emmor (left) and Bernama representative Mazlan Samion at the Third YICF, taking place in Yunnan, China. XISHUANGBANNA (Dec 15): The Third Yunnan International Communication Forum (YICF) recently, which brought together key media leaders from various countries, served as a platform for in-depth discussions, idea exchanges, consensus building and promoting win-win cooperation. Organised by Xinhua News Agency and the Yunnan Provincial Government, the forum, themed ‘Cooperation, Creating the Future, and Exploring New Paths for International Communication,’ was officially declared opened by Zeng Yan, a member of the Standing Committee of the Yunnan Provincial Party and Minister of Publicity, on Dec 10. Among the distinguished guests present were Cambodia’s Minister of Communications Neth Pheaktra and Xinhua News Agency deputy president Yuan Bingzhong, along with over 200 participants consisting of scholars, government officials, private sector representatives, university students, and media representatives from 21 countries. Yuan delivers his speech at the forum. — Photo by Roystein Emmor In her speech, Zeng said the purpose of organising such a forum was to pave the way for bilateral international communication between China and the world. “For three years, this forum has evolved from a domestic level to an international one. “The impact of its spillover is expanding, making it the main platform for global media exchange and cooperation, as well as an opportunity for media partners to better understand and present China. “As the host, we are committed to making this forum an industry brand characterised by China and global influence, as well as a high-level international communication forum that injects media power to build a community with a shared future for mankind,” she said. Zeng presents her opening remarks. — Photo by Roystein Emmor Zeng also said to build a high-level regional international communication forum, China was ready to cooperate with all parties to tell the story of the country in this new era, while hoping that media partners from around the world could help convey the story of China’s successes in an engaging and in-depth manner. “We also aim to improve the mechanisms for international communication cooperation. Media plays an important role in fostering relationships between countries, strengthening trust, and disseminating information. “With the rapid changes in information technology and the emergence of new media, we must work together to create new opportunities in global information exchange and communication,” she said. Zeng added that the YICF should have a positive impact on issues such as international cooperation, tourism, poverty, and ecology, as well as contribute to sustainable global development. Meanwhile, Laos News Agency journalist Sangthong Phasavath, 47, expressed excitement at the opportunity to meet regional media practitioners at the forum. “This forum opens opportunities to promote various sectors such as tourism, which in turn would benefit Asean member countries.” Sangthong Phasavath Md Sabbir Ahamed, 25, a doctoral student from the Communication University of China, praised the YICF as an important platform for exchanging views. “Information is the key to understanding today’s world. This forum helps us get closer to current issues.” Md Sabbir Ahamed Malaysia also sent representatives from National News Agency of Malaysia (Bernama) and The Borneo Post , to participate in the forum. As a side event, the YICF also held the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on news exchange, a photo exhibition, sharing experiences from renowned photographers, a session on communication security in the era of artificial intelligence (AI), as well as a tour around the city of Xishuangbanna. — Bernama

Kevin Kisner Takes Lead Analyst Role at NBC GolfNC Supreme Court candidate challenges loss using theory even election deniers deem extremeBEIJING , Dec. 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Baijiayun Group Ltd ("Baijiayun" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: RTC), a one-stop AI video solution provider, today announced it was honored with the title of "Exclusive Member Unit". In recent days, the First Council of the Artificial Intelligence Education Professional Committee of the Beijing Educational Informationization Industry Alliance and the 2024 Symposium on Artificial Intelligence Empowering the Innovative Development of Primary and Secondary Schools were successfully held at the Affiliated Experimental School of Beijing Institute of Technology. Nearly 200 renowned experts, leaders of education bureaus, principals of primary and secondary schools, front-line educators, and representatives of artificial intelligence technical support units from Beijing , Tianjin , Hebei , Liaoning and other places attended the conference. This conference was hosted by the Beijing Educational Informationization Industry Alliance, Baijiayun was also invited to participate in the conference and , together with many well-known enterprises in the industry, and won the honor of "Exclusive Member Unit" of the Beijing Educational Informationization Industry Alliance. In the future, Baijiayun will work with the Beijing Educational Informationization Industry Alliance to continue to carry out research and promotion on educational informationization industry technologies across China , promote in-depth cooperation across disciplines, departments, and industries, jointly build an educational informationization development platform, create an industrial resource integration platform, an application service platform, and a technology transformation platform, share the fruits of development, give play to the supporting and leading role of educational informationization in educational modernization, and further promote the innovative development of the national education cause. About Baijiayun Group Ltd Baijiayun is a one-stop AI video solution provider with core expertise in SaaS/PaaS solutions. Baijiayun is committed to delivering reliable, high-quality video experiences across devices and localities and has grown rapidly since its inception in 2017. Premised on its industry-leading video-centric technologies, Baijiayun offers a wealth of video-centric technology solutions, including Video SaaS/PaaS, Video Cloud and Software, and Video AI and System Solutions. Baijiayun caters to the evolving communications and collaboration needs of enterprises of all sizes and industries. For more information, please visit ir.baijiayun.com . Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements." These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the parties' perspectives and expectations, are forward-looking statements. The words "will," "expect," "believe," "estimate," "intend," and "plan" and similar expressions indicate forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, and shareholders and other potential investors must recognize that actual results may differ materially from the expectations as a result of a variety of factors. Such forward-looking statements are based upon management's current expectations and include known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are hard to predict or control, that may cause the actual results, performance, or plans to differ materially from any future results, performance or plans expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking information provided herein represents the Company's estimates as of the date of this press release, and subsequent events and developments may cause the Company's estimates to change. The Company specifically disclaims any obligation to update the forward-looking information in the future. Therefore, this forward-looking information should not be relied upon as representing the Company's estimates of its future financial performance as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. A further list and description of risks and uncertainties can be found in the documents the Company has filed or furnished or may file or furnish with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which you are encouraged to read. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those indicated or anticipated by such forward-looking statements. Accordingly, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements relate only to the date they were made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date they were made except as required by law or applicable regulation. For investor and media enquiries, please contact: Company Contact: Ms. Fangfei Liu Chief Financial Officer, Baijiayun Group Ltd Phone: +86 25 8222 1596 Email: ir@baijiayun.com View original content: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/baijiayun-was-honored-with-the-title-of-exclusive-member-unit-by-the-beijing-educational-informationization-industry-alliance-302331799.html SOURCE Baijiayun Group Ltd

A new year means new laws for Texans, and several will go into effect starting Jan. 1. Some of these laws will affect drivers and internet users, while others will affect court operations and school funding. Changes to the laws were passed during the 88th Texas Legislature and were signed by Gov. Greg Abbott. Here’s an outline of those new state laws and how they will affect Texans in 2025. Safety inspections will no longer be required for Texans to register a vehicle, with the exception of commercial ones, according to The Texas Department of Public Safety. All non-commercial vehicles will, however, be required to pay a $7.50 inspection program replacement charge when registering with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Cars that have not been registered in Texas or another state will have to pay a $16.75 initial inspection program replacement charge to cover two years. A safety examination is still necessary for commercial vehicles. There won’t be any replacement costs for such cars. The cost of registration will not change, and a non-commercial vehicle must still undergo an emissions test if it is registered in a county where it is mandated. The following counties require emissions tests: Brazoria, Collin, Dallas, Denton, El Paso, Ellis, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Johnson, Kaufman, Montgomery, Parker, Rockwall, Tarrant, Travis and Williamson. Emissions tests will be required in Bexar County starting in 2026. Texans will be able to decide if a company is allowed to collect and process their personal data in 2025, under the updated Texas Data Privacy and Security Act. House Bill 4 already let Texans authorize someone else or technology to opt out of having a company process their personal information. This new safeguard starting on Jan. 1 enables Texans to use browser settings, extensions and device functionalities to opt out of data sales, targeted advertising and profiling based on personal data. Opting out must be the user’s choice rather than a default setting, according to the law, and that must be made clear by companies. Three new courts will be established in Texas counties, as outlined in House Bill 3474. Denton County will be home to the 477th judicial district court, and cases in Edwards, Gillespie and Kimball counties will be heard by the new 499th judicial court. Kendall County will be home to the 498th judicial district court. Under Senate Bill 2, more money will be available to school districts if they run out of their budgets after regular state funding and local taxes are calculated in 2025. Districts will be able to apply for extra funds in an effort to make up for the loss of tax revenues due to limitations on tax increases for elderly and disabled homeowners. The Texas Education Agency must also publish the highest compressed rate for every school district starting in January. The Texas Code of Criminal Procedure will undergo revisions that will provide clarity for the public and legal experts. The modifications will make legal statutes easier to understand without affecting their structure or readability. These changes aim to bring the state’s legal system up to date.Doha Bank, QTF sign sponsorship deal for Qatar ExxonMobil open

Tioga-Sequoia sells over 40 copies of board game during Monopoly launch party

California Democrats open special session to Trump-proof state prioritiesExxonMobil ( XOM -0.88% ) is already the undisputed leader among international oil companies. The oil giant delivered industry-leading earnings, cash flow, and shareholder returns during the third quarter. It owes its leadership to its advantaged resource portfolio, which features several world-class assets that generate high margins. The oil company believes its best days lie ahead. It recently unveiled its new corporate plan to 2030, which would see it deliver significant incremental earnings and cash flow in the coming years. Exxon's bold 2030 plan Exxon expects to deliver an incremental $20 billion in earnings and $30 billion in cash flow by 2030. That implies the oil giant will grow its earnings at a 10% annual rate while its cash flow rises at around an 8% compound annual pace. That's a very healthy growth rate for a company of Exxon's massive size. The company isn't banking on higher oil and gas prices to fuel its plan. It expects Brent oil, the global benchmark price, to be around $65 a barrel by 2030 (Brent is currently in the mid-$70s). Meanwhile, it foresees natural gas prices to be roughly $3 per MMBtu (metric million British thermal units) in the U.S. and $6.50 per MMBtu globally. (While U.S. gas prices have been in the $2 per MMBtu range this year, international gas prices have been over $10.) Instead, Exxon expects a combination of investing in its advantaged assets, operational excellence, and disciplined cost and capital management to drive its earnings and cash-flow growth. Drilling down into the core of Exxon's plan The core of Exxon's strategy is to continue investing heavily to develop and expand its best assets. The company expects capital spending to be between $27 billion and $29 billion in 2025. It sees its capital spending rising to a range of $28 billion to $33 billion annually in the 2026 to 2030 time frame. Exxon expects to deploy about $140 billion into major capital projects and its Permian Basin development program through 2030. The company anticipates this investment will generate strong returns of more than 30%. In addition to the Permian, Exxon expects to continue investing heavily in two other advantaged upstream assets: Guyana and LNG . The company has four world-class LNG projects under development that will add 40 million tons of annual LNG production by 2030. Meanwhile, it expects to complete eight developments in Guyana by 2030, which will grow that region's gross production to 1.3 million barrels per day. Overall, Exxon expects its upstream business to produce an average of 5.4 million barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) per day by 2030. That's up from nearly 4.6 million BOE/d in the third quarter of this year. The company expects more than 60% of its production to come from its high-margin advantaged assets by 2030. But wait, there's more Investing heavily in its upstream business unit is only part of Exxon's strategy. The energy giant also expects to invest capital into growing its product-solutions businesses (chemicals and refining) and low-carbon solutions platform. The company believes it can grow its product-solutions earnings by an additional $8 billion by 2030 by investing in several projects to expand its capacity to produce high-value products like thermoset resin, advanced coke, and renewable diesel. Meanwhile, it plans to invest up to $30 billion into low emissions opportunities between 2025 and 2030. That includes projects to reduce its carbon footprint and help third-party customers cut their emissions profile. It's primarily focused on three opportunities: carbon capture and storage , hydrogen , and lithium . Finally, Exxon plans to continue leveraging its growing scale to reduce costs. The company expects to capture more than $3 billion in annual synergies from its Pioneer Natural Resources acquisition. That's an over 50% increase from its initial expectations. On top of that, Exxon plans to capture an additional $7 billion in structural cost savings by simplifying its business processes, optimizing its supply chains, and modernizing its technology. Exxon's monster plan to grow shareholder value Exxon plans to invest heavily into growing its best assets over the next several years. The company expects that strategy will grow its earnings by around 10% each year while adding about $30 billion to its annual cash flows. That will give Exxon plenty of cash to return to shareholders via a growing dividend and meaningful share-repurchase plan. Add it all up, and Exxon appears to have the fuel to be a terrific long-term investment.

A broad coalition of civil liberties and activist organizations is calling on lawmakers across the U.S. to oppose bans on wearing masks in public before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January. Dozens of mask bans, which are typically presented as “anti-crime” bills, have been proposed at the local, state and federal level s in what critics say is a direct response to protests against the mass killing and displacement of Palestinians by Israel. Police in some states are reviving once-defunct mask bans dating back to the 19th and early 20th centuries, when masked members of the Ku Klux Klan violently terrorized Black people and immigrants. During the height of the COVID pandemic, politicians put out statements to ensure the public that archaic anti-mask laws still on the books in 16 states would not be enforced. Now, members of both parties are reversing course after months of mass protests in solidarity with Palestine that pro-Israel pundits conflate with violence and mischaracterize as antisemitism, despite the fact that pro-peace Jewish groups are integral to the movement. For example, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul recently expressed support for proposals to criminalize mask-wearing in public for reasons besides health protection. Similar proposals to restrict or ban masks have received bipartisan support in North Carolina , Los Angeles , St. Louis , Louisville , and beyond. “It’s no surprise that fascists and science-deniers want to ban masks from protests. But it’s alarming that supposedly progressive lawmakers are helping them do it,” said Evan Greer, director of the digital rights group Fight for the Future, in a statement . Greer said bans on masking in public have massive implications for social movements and personal autonomy. Masking is now the norm at many political protests — as well as at abortion and reproductive health clinics — to protect against both COVID and doxxing by far right extremists who seek to attack the privacy of people they disagree with and harass them online. “There are many reasons to cover your face at a protest or in public, from defending yourself from harassment and doxxing to protecting your community from COVID during an ongoing public health crisis,” Greer said. For people living with disabilities or compromised immune systems, masking to prevent illness is necessary for participating in public forums in the first place. Face masks also defend against rapidly advancing digital surveillance and facial recognition technology, which is providing both law enforcement and internet trolls with new tools to target individuals as Trump pledges to take “retribution” against Democrats and leftists. While new and proposed masking laws typically contain exceptions for masks worn for religious or health reasons, it’s virtually impossible for police to tell the difference at a large event without confronting people directly. Everyone has a health reason to mask in public with COVID still floating around, and that ambiguity creates space for “discretionary and selective enforcement,” according to the American Civil Liberties Union. A newly instated mask ban on Long Island, New York, has already been weaponized against a peaceful demonstrator wearing a keffiyeh, the iconic scarf symbolizing solidarity with Palestine. A video shows activist Xavier Roa being handcuffed with a keffiyeh around his neck during a protest in September outside a synagogue that was reportedly promoting the sale of stolen Palestinian land to buyers in the United States. Roa faced up to a year in jail or a $1,000 fine under a law approved by Nassau County Republicans one month earlier in response to anti-genocide protests. The law has exceptions for masking in public for health or religious purposes, but police said Roa was concealing his identity and claimed to be wearing the keffiyeh in solidarity with Palestine, so they arrested him. Mayor Adams has pushed for a similar ban in New York City. In an early test of their ability to enforce anti-mask laws against protesters, prosecutors dropped the charges against Roa on November 22 after determining that they did not have enough evidence to convince a jury. The Nassau County mask ban also faces lawsuits filed by disabled residents who wear masks for health protection. However, even if violations of anti-mask laws may be difficult to prove in court, civil rights groups argue the laws provide police with enormous power to harass and arrest protesters as well as people who are disabled, immunocompromised, or suffering from Long COVID. “Like other anti-protest laws, these draconian measures will be selectively enforced, and used as an excuse by law enforcement to crack down on marginalized communities and protesters who they don’t like,” Greer said. In an open letter to policymakers, more than 40 organizations fighting for COVID justice, reproductive rights, organized labor and civil liberties, argues that criminalizing masking is a “serious threat” to public health, privacy and free speech, making “everyone less safe” while putting marginalized and disabled people already targeted by police at further risk. “As we continue to see sustained death and disablement due to COVID and Long COVID, the public health and disability justice implications of criminalizing mask-wearing are disastrous alone,” the letter states. “But to make matters worse, these bans violate our most fundamental civil liberties.” The letter points to North Carolina, where people who wear masks for health reasons reported an escalation in harassment as Republicans overrode the Democratic governor’s veto and put a harsh mask ban into effect . In June, a woman being treated for cancer was accosted and coughed on for wearing a mask. The North Carolina law allows police and property or business owners to demand that people unmask to be identified, which the groups argue could expose people not just to insults but also facial recognition software and “bad actors and their cameras.” Due to right-wing attacks on abortion rights and gender-affirming care, people may also choose to wear masks to avoid harassment and doxing when accessing reproductive health care, according to Jenna Sherman, a campaign director at the gender justice group UltraViolet. “Particularly in an era of increased surveillance and facial recognition, people are living in fear of being targeted for what should be routine, protected parts of our lives, like accessing reproductive healthcare,” Sherman recently wrote. “Everyone must have the right to choose to wear a mask regardless of whether it’s to protect their health or safeguard their privacy.” Sean O’Brien, founder of the Yale Privacy Lab, said masks provide people with “vital protection” not only from harassment but the “pervasive and growing tendrils of surveillance in our society.” “Mask bans create a chilling effect on speech and allow for biased and predictive policing, making it possible for facial recognition technology to follow individuals from protests and rallies all the way to their homes,” O’Brien wrote in a statement.

Why doesn't Army-Navy game have any impact on CFP rankings, 12-team CFP bracket?Baijiayun was honored with the title of "Exclusive Member Unit" by the Beijing Educational Informationization Industry Alliance.Baijiayun was honored with the title of "Exclusive Member Unit" by the Beijing Educational Informationization Industry Alliance.Relief, defiance, anger: Families and advocates react to Biden's death row commutations