List of All Articles with Tag 'eric'

By Anirban Sen (Reuters) -Canadian private equity firm Brookfield's reinsurance arm is nearing a deal to buy insurer American Equity

Not only does Jason Biggs not mind being known as "the pie guy," he loves it.

Texas governor Greg Abbott is facing ridicule after he fell for a fake story on a satirical website that claimed country music star Garth Brooks had been booed off a stage for refusing to ban Bud Light. Mr Abbott shared a link to the parody site The Dunning-Kruger Times on his official Twitter account on Sunday that claimed Brooks had been targeted at the 123rd Annual Texas Country Jamboree in Hambriston after calling his conservative fans “a**holes”. “Go woke. Go broke,” Mr Abbott tweeted. “Good job, Texas.” There was just one problem: the jamboree didn’t exist, and neither did the city of Hambriston. The Dunning-Kruger Times, named after a cognitive effect where people with low expertise or ability overestimate their knowledge, labels itself as a “network of parody, satire, and tomfoolery”. “Everything on this website is fiction,” the site explains. The purported author of the story, headlined Garth Brooks Booed Off Stage at 123rd Annual Texas Country Jamboree, was listed as “patriot” Flagg Eagleton. Mr Abbott deleted the tweet without an explanation or apology, but it was preserved and roundly criticised on Twitter. “Gov Abbott just accidentally posted a satire article because he wants to hate on queer Texans and Garth Brooks so bad,” wrote Democratic Congressman Greg Casar. “The Texas Country Jamboree doesn’t exist. Hambriston, Texas is not real. And the Governor is not fit to tweet, much less govern,” he added. Teacher Judy Hockenbrough wrote that “poor Greg Abbott got caught in his lies this time”. “There are a couple of big problems with Abbott’s tweet: The city of Hambriston doesn’t exist and the article is completely fake. Abbott fails Texas everyday.” Mr Abbott frequently weighs in on culture war issues on social media, last week urging warring tech billionaires Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk to go through with their much-hyped MMA bout. He has also signed into law some of the country’s most punitive anti-LGBT+ legislation. Texas is facing crippling power outages amid an unprecedented heat wave. Meanwhile, Brooks, who has sold more than 157 million albums, has yet to respond publicly to the kerfuffle. In 2022, Brooks performed two sold-out concerts in Texas at AT&T Stadium in Arlington and Houston’s NRG Stadium to a combined audience of about 147,000 fans. Read More Trump news – live: Supreme Court dismisses Democratic lawsuit over Trump hotel documents Fox News choose Jesse Watters to replace Tucker Carlson in primetime shakeup Texas Gov Greg Abbott bizarrely weighs in on Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg’s cage fight GOP state legislatures seek greater control over state and local election offices Texas gov Greg Abbott reacts to Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg’s cage fight Why are the Texas Rangers the only MLB team without a Pride Night?

About five or six Secret Service agents have testified before the grand jury deciding if former President Donald Trump should be indicted for his actions in connection to the insurrection on January 6, 2021, sources have told NBC News. The grand jury is looking into the riot as well as the attempts to interfere with the peaceful transfer of power. The Secret Service agents who appeared were complying with subpoenas. It remains unclear how close the agents were to Mr Trump on January 6 as well as what information they provided to the grand jury. The investigation led by Special Counsel Jack Smith is separate from the investigation he also leads into Mr Trump’s alleged mishandling of national security information which led to the former president’s indictment and Miami arraignment. More follows...

NFL player Jordan Poyer of the Buffalo Bills announced that he has cancelled his annual golf event, following pushback and teams and sponsors pulling out of the charity tournament after they learned it would be hosted on a course owned by former President Donald Trump. The Bills safety announced the news on Instagram on Saturday. The event was set to take place next month at the Trump National Doral Golf Club in South Florida. “Unfortunately, the location of the event led to a few sponsors and golfers withdrawing at the last minute due to external pressures,” the 32-year-old wrote. “While it’s disappointing, I respect their decision. Nevertheless, we will persevere.” It remains unclear how many sponsors and teams withdrew because of the location. The event was intended to benefit the ECMC Foundation – the Erie County Medical Center – according to the Buffalo News. While Mr Poyer described them as a “big sponsor,” the foundation said they were simply the beneficiary. ECMC Foundation executive director Susan Gonzalez wrote in a letter to the Buffalo News that the “ECMC Foundation was fortunate to be a beneficiary of Jordan Poyer’s golf tournament in Florida”. “Although the Foundation was not a sponsor, we have had an excellent partnership with Jordan and we respect his decision to cancel his tournament; we hope he will consider supporting us in his future events,” she added. Last year, PGA of America ended its connection to Mr Trump and moved the 2022 PGA championship from his Bedminster, New Jersey golf course as a result of the January 6 2021 insurrection, Yahoo! Sports noted. The R&A revealed earlier this month that it wouldn’t organise the British Open at Mr Trump’s Turnberry golf course in Scotland while Mr Trump is the owner. The course previously hosted the tournament in 2009, about five years before Mr Trump acquired it. Mr Trump came under fire during his time as president when he suggested hosting the G7 summit at Doral. But Mr Trump’s courses have hosted several events organised by Saudi-operated LIV Golf. On Wednesday, the PGA Tour revealed that it would appear before a Senate subcommittee in July. Connecticut Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal has asked executives from the tour, as well as Saudi golf interests to appear before the panel as they probe the deal between the PGA and LIV that shocked the golf world. The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations will hold a hearing on 11 July to look into the agreement between the PGA tour, Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, and the European tour to gather commercial business and rights in a new firm, the AP noted. “Our goal is to uncover the facts about what went into the PGA Tour’s deal with the Saudi Public Investment Fund and what the Saudi takeover means for the future of this cherished American institution and our national interest,” Mr Blumenthal said in a statement. “Americans deserve to know what the structure and governance of this new entity will be. Major actors in the deal are best positioned to provide this information, and they owe Congress — and the American people — answers in a public setting.” Read More Pence won’t say whether he’d pardon Trump Trump news – live: Trump named ‘Man of the Decade’ at GOP dinner as NFL star cancels golf event over backlash Trump is funneling 10% of 2024 campaign donations to cover his legal bills Rape accuser files new lawsuit as Trump seethes over 2024 flop – live Where do Donald Trump’s family stand on him running in 2024? Trump revealed to have tweeted classified image from spy satellite

Delaware state Sen Sarah McBride announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for Delaware’s sole congressional district, which would make her the first openly transgender member of Congress. Ms McBride announced her candidacy in a video on Monday morning. “My commitment is to the people in Delaware who aren’t seen, who don’t shout the loudest or fund political campaigns,” she said. “Everyone deserves a member of Congress who sees them and respects them.” Ms McBride became the first openly transgender state senator in the United States when she won her election in 2020. Prior to that, Ms McBride worked for the Human Rights Campaign and was also the first openly transgender person to speak at a major party’s convention when she spoke at the 2016 Democratic National Convention. She first came out as transgender in an op-ed for the student newspaper of American University, where she had served as student body president. Ms McBride also worked for former Delaware attorney general Beau Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, who represented Delaware in the Senate for 36 years before he became vice president. “When I came out, it was support from Beau – and the rest of the Biden family – that made me feel safe in Delaware, like I belonged here,” she tweeted in 2019, to which Mr Biden’s account tweeted “Thanks Sarah. I'm proud of you and so is Beau.” In 2018, Ms McBride released her book Tomorrow Will be Different, which detailed her life and the loss of her husband Andy who was also transgender. Mr Biden wrote the foreword for the book. Ms McBride’s candidacy comes shortly after Rep Lisa Blunt Rochester, the state’s incumbent congresswoman, announced she would run for Delaware’s Senate seat after Sen Tom Carper announced that he would not seek another term in the Senate. Delaware is a solidly Democratic state, meaning that the winner of the Democratic primary will most certainly win the general election in 2024. Read More Pioneering transgender lawmaker has advice for pushing back against transphobic bills Neo-Nazis can’t stop Pride in Montana: ‘Yes, we are under attack. But we will not be quiet’

MEXICO CITY Mexican telecommunications giant America Movil, controlled by the family of tycoon Carlos Slim, announced the launch

Georgia Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene posted a lengthy tweet bragging about her health and exercise regimen after claiming that her TV in her DC residence appears to be spying on her. On Sunday morning, Ms Greene wrote: “Last night in my DC residence, the television turned on by itself and the screen showed someone’s laptop trying to connect to the TV.” “Just for the record: I’m very happy. I’m also very healthy and eat well and exercise a lot. I don’t smoke and never have. I don’t take any medications. I am not vaccinated. So I’m not concerned about blood clots, heart conditions, strokes, or anything else. Nor do I have anything to hide,” Ms Greene added, possibly in a reference to the novel 1984, where residents are spied on by the state via their TVs. “I just love my country and the people and know how much they’ve been screwed over by the corrupt people in our government and I’m not willing to be quiet about it, or willing to go along with it,” she concluded, before adding a link to a CBS News story about Smart TVs possibly spying on their users, according to the FBI. The agency issued a warning in late 2019 saying that Smart TVs could be hacked and access could be gained to a home’s computer network. The FBI noted that while Smart TVs are connected to the Internet, they’re often much less secure than computers and smartphones. This means that cybercriminals may use the TVs to access home routers, TechCrunch noted at the time. “Beyond the risk that your TV manufacturer and app developers may be listening and watching you, that television can also be a gateway for hackers to come into your home,” the FBI warning said at the time. Ms Greene was quickly mocked by Twitter users for seemingly suggesting that the government was spying on her via her TV. “Yeah every time someone tries to access my WiFi I know that means they’re coming to kill me,” historian Kevin Kruse tweeted. “Was the deep state trying to watch your tv shows?” Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo tweeted. “Am I the only one who doesn’t know what the tv screen looks like when it shows ‘someone’s laptop trying to connect to the TV.’ I wanted to be prepared for when I have my first psychotic break.” “It happens all the time in apt buildings. Someone chooses the wrong tv. You say deny and move on,” Greg Gadren responded. “Do people not know about smart tvs? I’ve accidentally tried to connect to other people’s tv in my apartment complex. It doesn’t mean I’m trying to spy, nor does it mean anything weird is happening,” one account holder said. “You should IMPEACH THE TV,” one Twitter user said. “What is apple play for $200.” “Have you considered an exorcism?” another account holder said. “Are they in the room with us right now?” California Democrat Eric Swalwell joked. “I feel like a neighbor accidentally trying to Airplay to your TV isn’t an assassination attempt?” Hayden Clarkin said. “I am laughing so f****** hard. A neighbor trying to screen share something accidentally clicked ‘Samsung-8237’ instead of ‘Samsung-1490’ and this delusional nut job is issuing a final will and testament,” Caleb Hearon said. Read More Speaker McCarthy supports expunging Trump's impeachments over Ukraine and Jan. 6 Arizona election denier Kari Lake ‘couch-surfing like a bum’ at Mar-a-Lago, ex-Trump lawyer says Lauren Boebert reveals she’s officially a grandmother as she avoids question about Marjorie Taylor Greene spat Trump allies in Congress seek to expunge impeachments Lauren Boebert reveals she’s officially a grandmother at age 36 Marjorie Taylor Greene calls Lauren Boebert a ‘little b****’ on House floor

Donald Trump railed against a list of “villains” including electric vehicles (EVs), President Joe Biden and “radical left lunatics” as he delivered a speech in the battleground state of Michigan on Sunday night. The former president spoke before 2,500 supporters at Oakland County GOP’s Lincoln Day Dinner, where he was honoured by the party as its “Man of the Decade”. During the event, he claimed that electric vehicles would result in the “decimation” of the state’s traditional auto industry and claimed that his criminal indictments are “bulls***”. Michigan could be a key focus of the 2024 race after Mr Trump won the state in 2016 but lost it to Mr Biden in 2020. His appearance came one day after he told a crowd of evangelicals on Saturday that the federal government has a “vital role” in the restriction of abortion access and once again took credit for overturning Roe v Wade. But the former president did not detail his proposal for national abortion restrictions at the Faith & Freedom Coalition conference in Washington DC, in contrast to his 2024 rival Mike Pence, who said he supports outlawing care nationally at 15 weeks of pregnancy. Read More Trump celebrates anniversary of anti-abortion ruling as he tells religious crowd ‘I’m getting indicted for you’ Trump declares himself the ‘most pro-life’ president in American history Biden warns Republicans aren’t done with abortion bans as protesters hit streets on anniversary of Roe’s fall Trump quietly changes political fundraising site to funnel funds toward legal woes

RB Leipzig are seeking a world record transfer fee for a defender in order to sel Josko Gvardiol to Manchester City.

Greece's center-right leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis is to be sworn in as prime minister on Monday, hours after easily winning a second term with a record-high margin over the leftwing opposition in an election that also ushered new far-right parties into Parliament. With 99.67% of the vote counted, Mitsotakis' New Democracy party had 40.55% of the vote — more than twice the main opposition Syriza's 17.84%. It was the largest margin of victory in half a century, and slightly expanded ND's 20-percentage-point lead in previous election five weeks before. Held under a new electoral law that boosts the first party, Sunday's vote gives ND a comfortable majority of 158 seats in the 300-member Parliament, with Syriza getting 48. Center-left PASOK elected 32 lawmakers and the Stalinist-rooted Communist Party 20. The remaining 42 seats will be shared between three far-right parties — including one endorsed by a jailed former leader of the defunct, Nazi-inspired Golden Dawn party — and one representing the far-left. Voter turnout was just under 53%, compared to just over 61% in the May vote. Mitsotakis, 55, campaigned on a platform of securing economic growth and political stability as Greece gradually recovers from a nearly decade-long financial crisis. Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou is set to formally hand him the mandate to form a government on Monday, after which he will be sworn in and announce his new Cabinet. His main rival, 48-year-old Alexis Tsipras, served as prime minister from 2015 to 2019 during some of the most turbulent years of Greece’s financial crisis. Despite Syriza's dismal performance, Tsipras has shown no inclination to resign, and there have been no open calls from within his party for him to do so. After Sunday's result, Tsipras said Syriza would move on to focus on next year's European parliamentary elections. Mitsotakis, a Harvard graduate, comes from one of Greece’s most prominent political families. His late father, Constantine Mitsotakis, served as prime minister in the 1990s, his sister served as foreign minister and his nephew is the current mayor of Athens. The younger Mitsotakis has vowed to rebrand Greece as a pro-business and fiscally responsible eurozone member. The strategy, so far, has worked. New Democracy won in all but one of the country's 59 electoral regions, capturing traditional Socialist and leftwing strongholds, some for the first time. Despite scandals that hit the Mitsotakis government late in its term, including revelations of wiretapping targeting senior politicians and journalists and a deadly Feb. 28 train crash that exposed poor safety measures in public transport, voters appeared happy to return to power a prime minister who delivered economic growth and lowered unemployment. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide

Donald Trump told an audience of MichiganRepublicans that the push for electric vehicles will mean the “decimation” of the state’s traditional auto industry. The former president made the comments as he appeared at the Oakland County Republican Party’s Lincoln Day dinner on Sunday night, his first appearance in the battleground state in the 2024 cycle. “It’s going to be a level that people can’t even imagine,” Mr Trump said during his address inside the Suburban Collection Showplace, in Novi, Michigan. Mr Trump told the crowd that the “maniacal push” for electric vehicles would kill auto jobs in the United States, and mocked the range of the vehicles, saying that they were a win for “tow truck companies.” “If somebody wants an electric car, I’m all for it. But you should be able to have a choice,” Mr Trump told the crowd. The event came the day after he told a crowd of evangelicals on Saturday that the federal government has a “vital role” in the restriction of abortion access while he once again took credit for overturning Roe v Wade. But the former president did not detail his proposal for national abortion restrictions, in contrast to his 2024 rival Mike Pence, who supports outlawing care nationally at 15 weeks of pregnancy. Mr Trump’s remarks to a Faith & Freedom Coalition conference in Washington DC came on the one-year anniversary of the US Supreme Court’s decision to revoke constitutional protections for abortion. Though he has repeatedly taken credit for the ruling, he has avoided questions about whether he would back a national ban if Republican lawmakers managed to pass one through Congress. Read More Trump news – live: Trump makes first 2024 campaign visit to battleground state of Michigan Republicans try to thread the needle on abortion on anniversary of the death of Roe Trump quietly changes political fundraising site to funnel funds toward legal woes Trump celebrates anniversary of anti-abortion ruling as he tells religious crowd ‘I’m getting indicted for you’ Trump is returning to Michigan with hopes of repeating the battleground success he found in 2016