3 lucky coins Steve Sarkisian slams officials at halftime of Texas-Georgia SEC championship gameA Democratic state senator’s errant email is shedding light on new taxes that she and her colleagues may pursue in 2025 as well as a strategy to sell them to the public. Sen. Noel Frame, D-Seattle, sent the missive last Friday as a follow-up to discussion during a Washington state Senate Democratic Caucus retreat. But she inadvertently blasted it out to every Republican senator too. You can predict what happened next. Her email and attached PowerPoint presentation found their way onto social media. A furor followed. Conservative podcaster Brandi Kruse, a former television journalist, led the way, calling the materials “worse than getting a lump of coal in your stocking.” “Probably the worst email and ideas in state history,” wrote Rep. Travis Couture, R-Allyn, on X. He will be the lead Republican on the House Appropriations Committee next session. Frame on Monday described the email mixup as a “very simple error.” She said her presentation was intended as an “education exercise” for her Democratic colleagues. With the state facing a multi-billion dollar shortfall, she said her role as vice chair of finance on the Senate Ways and Means Committee is to explore tax options while others try to identify savings. “I wanted to get the conversation started early. Not this early. Now, every legislator is better prepared,” she said Frame’s email says the quiet part out loud. House Speaker Laurie Jinkins and Senate Majority Leader Jamie Pedersen have said voters’ preserving of the capital gains tax in the November election is a sign they’re comfortable with requiring super-wealthy individuals and large businesses to pay a little more. And Democratic budget writers in the two chambers have already indicated that they plan to consider all revenue options to erase a shortfall estimated between $12 billion and $16 billion over the next four-and-a-half fiscal years. They’ve just not itemized tax policies in the manner Frame did. For example, there have been private conversations on attempting a statewide version of Seattle’s JumpStart tax levied on companies with large payrolls and high-paid employees. Frame puts it atop her list. The idea is employers would pay a tax on the total compensation paid to employees making more than $168,600 annually. It would affect companies with an annual payroll of $8 million or more in Washington. A “wealth tax” is on her list as well. Last year, she proposed a 1% levy on intangible assets above $250 million such as cash, bonds and stocks. Gov. Jay Inslee last week called for a similar tax on wealth above $100 million. Frame’s PowerPoint includes a guesstimate of what might be raised if the threshold is lowered to $50 million. In addition, Frame suggests the Democratic majorities in the House and Senate could make another run at a 1% real estate transfer tax on any portion of property sales above $3.025 million. That proposal didn’t reach the finish line last session. Her roster includes a 1% surcharge on taxes paid by the state’s largest corporations, an excise tax on guns and ammunition sales, a lift of the 1% cap on annual property tax increases, and a sales tax on self-storage unit rentals. “We can fund world-class schools, affordable housing, and more by making the wealthy few pay what they owe,” reads the PowerPoint. “We have to identify the villain and the problem blocking our progress and how we can take action to solve the issue.” Pedersen said Monday he doesn’t think it’s “necessarily a bad thing” the email got out. Democrats are trying to be transparent on the pluses and minuses of different revenue options, he said, adding that there will be months of discussion “before we get to the answer.” Even so, Pedersen distanced himself from the content. “The PowerPoint contained language that Sen. Frame was trying to sell the caucus on and I’ll say that reflects Sen. Frame’s viewpoint, and that’s not necessarily the viewpoint of any other member,” he said. Frame also outlined tax relief ideas such as a renters’ credit and a property tax exemption for one’s primary residence. A margin tax for businesses is on the list too. This would allow a company to choose a major deduction — like the cost of labor — before tax is calculated on its gross receipts. In her email, Frame invited her Democratic colleagues to reach out if they had interest in sponsoring a revenue bill. “Let’s spread that tax policy love around!” she wrote.

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Immigration measures announced as part of Canada’s border response to president-elect Donald Trump’s 25 per cent tariff threat are starting to be implemented, beginning with a ban on what’s known as “flagpoling.” This is when someone who was in Canada on a temporary visa leaves for the U.S. then quickly re-enters Canada to access immigration services at a port of entry. The restriction on providing work and study permits to flagpolers takes effect today. Last week, Immigration Minister Marc Miller said that going forward temporary visa holders will have to apply online to extend their stay in Canada. The Canadian Border Services Agency processed more than 69,300 people who engaged in flagpoling in the 2023-2024 fiscal year. There are still rare exceptions where a person will be granted a work or study permit even though they meet the definition of flagpoling, including international truck drivers with a work permit, professionals under certain free trade agreements and American citizens. Miller first announced the plan to ban the practice on Dec. 17, alongside Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc who promised a border control package worth $1.3 billion. This includes removing the point value for having a job offer in Canada’s express entry immigration system. The stated goal of this change is to reduce and prevent immigration fraud. In a social media post, Miller said this will take effect in the spring and that it will be a temporary measure. A broader review of the express entry program is being conducted, and a future decision on the value of a job offer in that system will be made at that time. A labour market impact assessment, a key document required for an employer to hire a foreign worker, is currently worth 50 to 200 points in the express entry system. Applicants are not supposed to pay for these, but a black market has emerged where people are charging tens of thousands of dollars for these documents. Applications that are already in progress won’t be affected once this change takes effect. Miller also said the government is looking at ways to streamline Canada’s asylum system at that Dec. 17 press conference. This includes exploring options to “quickly deal with” illegitimate claims. The government’s broader border measures plan to respond to Trump’s 25 per cent tariff threat also includes enhanced aerial surveillance and drug detection efforts.Attacks such as Magdeburg strike at everyone’s securityHere are some creative and cost-efficient ways to wrap gifts this holiday season

After opening the week with a perfectly clean injury report, Los Angeles Rams offensive tackle Rob Havenstein is dealing with a shoulder injury that occurred in practice, putting his status up in the air in advance of Saturday's home game against the Arizona Cardinals. The Rams (9-6), who are on a four-game winning streak that moved them into the lead in the NFC West, have rebounded from a 1-4 start. That poor early stretch was due, in part, to injuries on the offensive line. Havenstein missed the season opener against the Detroit Lions with an ankle injury, then missed a three-game stretch in November with more ankle issues. Havenstein did not practice Thursday because of the shoulder injury, although he typically does not participate in the final practice of the week for rest purposes. The 32-year-old is in his 10th NFL season, all with the Rams going back to the team's 2015 season in St. Louis. Joe Noteboom would likely start if Havenstein is not available Saturday. The Rams can clinch the NFC West this weekend with a victory over the Cardinals (7-8), combined with a loss or tie by the Seattle Seahawks (8-7) against the Chicago Bears (4-11). --Field Level Media

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ANN ARBOR, Michigan (AP) — Michigan defensive lineman Kenneth Grant is skipping his final college season to enter the NFL draft. Grant, a key part of the Wolverines' 2023 national championship team, announced his decision Thursday on X, formerly known as Twitter. Fellow Michigan interior lineman Mason Graham had already declared for the draft. Both are projected as likely first-round picks. The 6-foot-3, 339-pound Grant was a third-team Associated Press All-American. He had 32 tackles, 6 1/2 tackles for loss and a pair of fumble recoveries. Grant helped Michigan upset Ohio State in the Big Ten regular-season finale, making four tackles. Cornerback Will Johnson and tight end Colston Loveland have also declared for the draft leading up to Michigan's game against No. 11 Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballPrincess Kate made a hilarious admission to the fans who were waiting to meet her outside St Mary Magdalene church following the Christmas Day service. During the walkabout, the Princess of Wales was “laden” with flowers from members of the public who waited to greet her after the royals attended the service at Sandringham. As the Princess continued to meet the large number of fans and stopped to speak with as many people as she could, she realised Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis had walked away. In a clip circulating on social media, the royal can be heard saying: “I think I have lost my family!” Prince William and the children could be seen in a separate picture patiently waiting for her to finish her chat with members of the public who wished her well. The sweet moment captured on a video left many royal fans praising the Wales family. One person wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “When the most popular Princess in the world is your wife and mother to your children, this will be a common sight." Catherine: “I think I've lost my family” || her family ?????? pic.twitter.com/qErb6JY1tm A second person said: “I love this picture and you know that they have no problems waiting for her! She's a genuine Princess. She is why they write fairy tales about them.” A third user said: “Catherine is only too well aware that some of those people had been there since Tuesday night. She couldn't greet everyone personally but did her best to greet as many as possible. William and the children respected that and waited patiently, without fuss for her to join them.” A fourth user wrote: "Love all the pictures. It's fantastic and adorable that they are all colour coordinated. The boys wearing matching tartan ties with their mum’s tartan scarf and Charlotte and William wearing blue. Lovely looking family who seemed to be enjoying the moment. Lovely to see." The Princess of Wales and her husband Prince William, both 42, were accompanied by their three children Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six, to St Mary Magdalene Church on Christmas Day morning near the royal estate in Norfolk. The King, 76, and Queen Camilla, 77, led the group of royals, which also included the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, as they walked into church and were greeted by the Reverend Canon Dr Paul Rhys Williams.

Opposition fighters are closing in on Syria’s capital in a swiftly developing crisis that has taken much of the world by surprise. Syria’s army has abandoned key cities in the west and south with little resistance. Nervous residents in Damascus describe security forces on the streets. The state news agency has been forced to deny rumors that President Bashar Assad has left the country. Who are these ? If they enter Damascus after taking , what then? Here’s a look at the stunning reversal of fortune for Assad and his government in just the past 10 days, and what might lie ahead as Syria’s 13-year . The aim? Overthrow the government This is the first time that opposition forces have reached the outskirts of the Syrian capital since 2018, when the country’s troops recaptured the area following a yearslong siege. The approaching fighters are led by the most powerful insurgent group in Syria, , or HTS, along with an umbrella group of Turkish-backed Syrian militias called the Syrian National Army. Both have been entrenched in the northwest. They launched the shock offensive on Nov. 27 with gunmen capturing Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, and the central city of Hama, the fourth largest. The HTS has its origins in al-Qaida and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the United Nations. But the group said in recent years it cut ties with al-Qaida, and HTS has sought to remake itself in recent years by focusing on promoting civilian government in their territory as well as military action. HTS leader Abu told CNN in an exclusive interview Thursday from Syria that the aim of the offensive is to overthrow Assad’s government. Possible rifts ahead The HTS and Syrian National Army have been allies at times and rivals at times, and their aims might diverge. The Turkish-backed militias also have an interest in creating a buffer zone near the Turkish border to keep away Kurdish militants at odds with Ankara. has been a main backer of the fighters seeking to overthrow Assad but more recently has urged reconciliation, and Turkish officials have strongly rejected claims of any involvement in the current offensive. Whether the HTS and the Syrian National Army will work together if they succeed in overthrowing Assad or turn on each other again is a major question. Others take advantage While the flash offensive against Syria’s government began in the north, armed opposition groups have also mobilized elsewhere. The southern areas of Sweida and Daraa have both been taken locally. Sweida is the heartland of Syria’s Druze religious minority and had been the site of regular anti-government protests even after Assad seemingly consolidated his control over the area. Daraa is a Sunni Muslim area that was widely seen as the cradle of the uprising against Assad’s rule that erupted in 2011. Daraa was recaptured by Syrian government troops in 2018, but rebels remained in some areas. In recent years, Daraa was in a state of uneasy quiet under a Russian-mediated ceasefire deal. And much of Syria’s east is controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led group backed by the United States that in the past has clashed with most other armed groups in the country. Syria’s government now controls just four of 14 provincial capitals. What’s next? Much depends on Assad’s next moves and his forces’ will to fight. A commander with the insurgents, Hassan Abdul-Ghani, posted on the Telegram messaging app that opposition forces have started carrying out the “final stage” of their offensive by encircling Damascus. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian troops have withdrawn from much of the two southern provinces and are sending reinforcements to Homs. If that city is captured, the link would be cut between Damascus, Assad’s seat of power, and the coastal region where he enjoys wide support. “Homs to the coastal cities will be a very huge red line politically and socially. Politically, if this line is crossed, then we are talking about the end of the entire Syria, the one that we knew in the past,” said a Damascus resident, Anas Joudeh. Assad appears to be as allies Russia and Iran are distracted by other conflicts and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah has been weakened by its war with Israel, now under a fragile ceasefire. The U.N. special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, is calling for urgent talks in Geneva to ensure an “orderly political transition,” saying the situation is changing by the minute. He met with foreign ministers and senior diplomats from eight key countries including Saudi Arabia, Russia, Egypt, Turkey and Iran on the sidelines of the Doha Summit. President-elect Donald Trump in his on the developments in Syria said the besieged Assad didn’t deserve U.S. support to stay in power. “THIS IS NOT OUR FIGHT,” Trump posted on social media.

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Deep-pocketed investors have adopted a bullish approach towards BigBear.ai Hldgs BBAI , and it's something market players shouldn't ignore. Our tracking of public options records at Benzinga unveiled this significant move today. The identity of these investors remains unknown, but such a substantial move in BBAI usually suggests something big is about to happen. We gleaned this information from our observations today when Benzinga's options scanner highlighted 32 extraordinary options activities for BigBear.ai Hldgs. This level of activity is out of the ordinary. The general mood among these heavyweight investors is divided, with 46% leaning bullish and 46% bearish. Among these notable options, 3 are puts, totaling $75,075, and 29 are calls, amounting to $2,330,271. Predicted Price Range Taking into account the Volume and Open Interest on these contracts, it appears that whales have been targeting a price range from $1.0 to $7.0 for BigBear.ai Hldgs over the last 3 months. Insights into Volume & Open Interest Looking at the volume and open interest is an insightful way to conduct due diligence on a stock. This data can help you track the liquidity and interest for BigBear.ai Hldgs's options for a given strike price. Below, we can observe the evolution of the volume and open interest of calls and puts, respectively, for all of BigBear.ai Hldgs's whale activity within a strike price range from $1.0 to $7.0 in the last 30 days. BigBear.ai Hldgs Option Activity Analysis: Last 30 Days Biggest Options Spotted: Symbol PUT/CALL Trade Type Sentiment Exp. Date Ask Bid Price Strike Price Total Trade Price Open Interest Volume BBAI CALL SWEEP BEARISH 01/15/27 $2.4 $2.3 $2.3 $3.50 $219.6K 9.6K 6.6K BBAI CALL TRADE BULLISH 01/15/27 $2.9 $2.6 $2.9 $2.00 $209.6K 1.6K 2.7K BBAI CALL SWEEP BEARISH 01/15/27 $2.8 $2.5 $2.5 $3.50 $141.0K 9.6K 8.3K BBAI CALL SWEEP BEARISH 01/15/27 $2.85 $2.8 $2.8 $2.00 $140.0K 1.6K 836 BBAI CALL SWEEP BEARISH 01/15/27 $2.55 $2.4 $2.4 $3.50 $131.0K 9.6K 633 About BigBear.ai Hldgs BigBear.ai Holdings Inc is a technology-led solutions organization, that provides both software and services to its customers. Its AI-powered decision intelligence solutions are leveraged in three markets; supply chains & logistics, autonomous systems, and cybersecurity. It operates in two segments; Cyber & Engineering segment and Analytics segment. Following our analysis of the options activities associated with BigBear.ai Hldgs, we pivot to a closer look at the company's own performance. Current Position of BigBear.ai Hldgs Trading volume stands at 93,999,331, with BBAI's price up by 21.59%, positioned at $4.54. RSI indicators show the stock to be may be overbought. Earnings announcement expected in 70 days. Unusual Options Activity Detected: Smart Money on the Move Benzinga Edge's Unusual Options board spots potential market movers before they happen. See what positions big money is taking on your favorite stocks. Click here for access . Options trading presents higher risks and potential rewards. Astute traders manage these risks by continually educating themselves, adapting their strategies, monitoring multiple indicators, and keeping a close eye on market movements. Stay informed about the latest BigBear.ai Hldgs options trades with real-time alerts from Benzinga Pro . © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.