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Richard Drury Thesis Silvercrest Asset Management ( NASDAQ: SAMG ) is a wealth management firm with an excellent track record of retaining clients and growing their assets under management. Lately, they are targeting a new global equity strategy that is potentially going to Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was gunned down outside of a Manhattan hotel on Wednesday, Dec. 4. Luigi Mangione, 26, has since been arrested and charged in the killing . In the days after Thompson’s death, UnitedHealthcare came under fire on social media over its alleged high rate of health insurance claim denials. A chart shared in many viral posts across social media shows claim denial rates for major insurance companies. UnitedHealthcare’s denial rate is highest at 32%, according to the posts. VERIFY investigated available data to determine whether the viral chart is accurate. THE QUESTION Does UnitedHealthcare deny patients’ claims at the highest rate of any major insurer, like the viral chart claims? THE SOURCES THE ANSWER The claim that UnitedHealthcare denies patients’ claims at the highest rate of any major insurer is inconclusive. The federal government and private health insurers don’t make data on claim denials for all types of insurance plans available to the public. WHAT WE FOUND We can’t VERIFY that UnitedHealthcare denies claims at the highest rate of any major health insurer. That’s because the federal government and private health insurers, like UnitedHealthcare, don’t make data on claim denials for all types of insurance plans available to the public. Former President Barack Obama signed a comprehensive health care reform law called The Affordable Care Act (ACA) , which is also known as Obamacare, into law in 2010. That law tasked the federal government’s Department of Health and Human Services with “monitoring denials both by health plans on the Obamacare marketplace and those offered through employers and insurers,” Elisabeth Rosenthal reported for KFF Health News , which is part of the nonprofit health policy research and news organization KFF, in May 2023. But HHS “hasn’t fulfilled that assignment,” Rosenthal said. Data the federal government has collected and shared so far isn’t comprehensive and it isn’t audited to ensure it’s accurate, a ProPublica investigation and KFF found. VERIFY reviewed the ACA and found it also tasked the head of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) with conducting a “study on the incidence of denials of coverage for medical services and denials of applications to enroll in health insurance plans.” That GAO report was published in March 2011 but it doesn’t break down denial rates by individual insurers. Where the data in the viral chart comes from VERIFY traced the viral chart back to an article published by ValuePenguin, a consumer research website owned by LendingTree, in May 2024. ValuePenguin has since removed the chart from its article, though the alleged denial rates are still included in the article. The website said on Dec. 6 that it “removed certain data elements” from the piece “at the request of law enforcement.” The chart published by ValuePenguin, which is shown in an archived version of the article here , alleges that UnitedHealthcare denies nearly one-third of claims it receives – or 32% to be exact – the highest rate of any major insurer. It’s followed by Medica at 27% and Anthem at 23%. These rates were based on available data on insurers’ claim denials and appeals from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) public use files, which are available online, ValuePenguin said. ValuePenguin says the CMS data the website used is from the calendar year 2022 and doesn’t include any other years. Medicare and Medicaid data doesn’t include information about employer-sponsored private health plans, which cover the majority of working-age Americans . VERIFY conducted our own analysis of the most recent data from CMS comparing the total number of the in-network claims that health insurers received to their in-network denials. We did not factor in appeals. Our analysis found that UnitedHealthcare did deny claims at a rate of around 33% – the highest rate of any major insurer. This closely mirrors what ValuePenguin found. But there are a handful of caveats to the CMS data that make it impossible to draw conclusions about how often health insurers actually deny patients’ claims. Why it’s impossible to know exactly how many claims health insurers deny The data-gathering on health insurers’ denials is “haphazard and limited to a small subset of plans,” and it “isn’t audited to ensure it is complete,” Karen Pollitz, a retired senior fellow at KFF, said in the 2023 KFF Health News article . When it comes to information that the federal government has collected, it is not standardized or audited, and therefore is “not really meaningful,” Peter Lee, the founding executive director of California’s state marketplace, also told ProPublica. Data “should be actionable” and “this is not by any means right now,” he added. VERIFY reached out to CMS and UnitedHealthcare for comment, but did not receive responses by the time of publication. The VERIFY team works to separate fact from fiction so that you can understand what is true and false. Please consider subscribing to our daily newsletter , text alerts and our YouTube channel . You can also follow us on Snapchat , Instagram , Facebook and TikTok . Learn More » Follow Us Want something VERIFIED? Text: 202-410-8808

Heisman Trophy finalist and two-way Colorado star Travis Hunter was named The Associated Press Big 12 defensive player of the year while also being a first-team selection at wide receiver on Thursday. Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders is the league's top offensive player. Kenny Dillingham, the 34-year-old in his second season at Arizona State, was the unanimous choice as Big 12 coach of the year after leading his alma mater to a championship and a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff. The Sun Devils (11-2) went into their league debut as the preseason pick to finish last among the 16 teams. At cornerback, Hunter had 31 tackles, tied for the Big 12 lead with 11 pass breakups and was tied for second with four interceptions. On offense, he leads the Big 12 with 92 receptions and 14 receiving touchdowns, and is second with 1,152 yards receiving. His 21 catches of at least 20 yards are the most nationally. He is also the AP's player of the year. Sanders is the Big 12 passing leader, completing 337 of 454 passes (74.2%) for 3,926 yards and a school-record 35 touchdowns with eight interceptions for the Buffaloes (10-2) Arizona State freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt, who is 11-1 as a starter, is the league’s top newcomer. The Michigan State transfer has 2,663 yards passing with 24 touchdowns and only five picks in 304 attempts. LAS VEGAS — Former Florida and Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen has agreed to lead UNLV's 24th-ranked football program, two people with knowledge of the hire said Wednesday. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no announcement has been made. The 52-year-old Mullen replaces Barry Odom, who left for Purdue on Sunday after going 19-8 and helping the Rebels receive back-to-back bowl invitations for the first time in program history. UNLV will play California in the LA Bowl on Wednesday. UNLV athletic director Erick Harper wasted little time in finding Odom's replacement. Mullen, most recently an ESPN college football analyst, went 103-61 at Florida and Mississippi State. Rich Rodriguez is returning to West Virginia for a second stint as head coach at his alma mater. Athletic director Wren Baker announced the hiring on Thursday, 17 years after Rodriguez made a hasty exit for what became a disastrous three-year experiment at Michigan. “We are thrilled to welcome Coach Rich Rodriguez and his family back home,” Baker said in a statement. “Coach Rodriguez understands what it takes to win at West Virginia, and I believe he will pour his heart, soul and every ounce of his energy into our program. I am convinced Coach Rodriguez wants what is best for West Virginia, WVU and West Virginia football, and I am excited about the future of our program.” Rodriguez, who is the current coach at Jacksonville State, an architect of the spread offense and a polarizing figure in his home state, replaces Neal Brown, who was fired on Dec. 1 after going 37-35 in six seasons, including 6-6 this year. BRIEFLY FCS: The NCAA is taking its Football Championship Subdivision title game back to Tennessee. The FCS championship games at the end of the 2025 and 2026 seasons will be played in Nashville on the Vanderbilt campus. This season’s game will be played Jan. 6 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, which will host the game for a record 15th season in a row and was set for at least two more. OC: UCLA announced Tino Sunseri’s hiring as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Sunseri replaces Eric Bieniemy, who was fired on Dec. 5 after fielding one of the nation’s worst offenses this season. Sunseri spent one season as Indiana’s co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach after following Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti from James Madison. Get local news delivered to your inbox!

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Gen Faiz vehemently denies charge of guiding PTI: sources Sources say authorities have evidence of these contacts, which include some alleged guidance to PTI ISLAMABAD: Political contacts of former DGISI Faiz Hamid, who has been formally charged with multiple offences, including engaging in political activities and violating the Official Secrets Act, vehemently deny the charge of guiding the PTI in political or other matters. Informed sources said that Gen Faiz’s contacts with politicians included some belonging to the PMLN and PPP. The News had reported while quoting sources that Gen Faiz was in contact with around 50 politicians, mostly belonging to the PTI. The authorities, as claimed by the sources, have evidence of these contacts, which include some alleged guidance to the PTI. Certain aspects of these contacts are under probe. However, according to the sources, Gen Faiz is of the view that these political contacts were routine social interactions. In some cases, this correspondent is told, these contacts were allegedly meant for some personal tasks like employment of someone and award of ticket to some person known to him. On Tuesday, the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement that the former ISI chief has been formally charged with multiple offences, including engaging in political activities and violating the Official Secrets Act. The ISPR stated these violations have compromised state security and interests. According to the ISPR, Gen Faiz has been formally arraigned on charges of engaging in political activities, violations of Official Secrets Act detrimental to safety and interest of the state, misuse of authority and government resources and causing wrongful loss to a person(s). Although some federal ministers alleged that Gen Faiz and Imran Khan were involved in the May 9 riots, the ISPR clearly said that the former spymaster’s role in May 9 “in collusion with vested political interests” was also being investigated. Meanwhile sources had told this correspondent that the nature of Faiz-Imran links, direct or indirect, was also under investigation. Involvement of Lt Gen Faiz Hamid (R), in events related to creating agitation and unrest, leading up to multiple incidents including but not limited to 9th May 2023 incident for fomenting instability, at the behest of and in collusion with vested political interests, is also being separately investigated, the ISPR statement had added.

Max George reveals he will be spending Christmas in hospital due to heart issuesTexans need win over Dolphins and loss by Colts Sunday to clinch 2nd straight AFC South title

Heisman Trophy finalist and two-way Colorado star Travis Hunter was named The Associated Press Big 12 defensive player of the year while also being a first-team selection at wide receiver on Thursday. Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders is the league's top offensive player. Kenny Dillingham, the 34-year-old in his second season at Arizona State, was the unanimous choice as Big 12 coach of the year after leading his alma mater to a championship and a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff. The Sun Devils (11-2) went into their league debut as the preseason pick to finish last among the 16 teams. At cornerback, Hunter had 31 tackles, tied for the Big 12 lead with 11 pass breakups and was tied for second with four interceptions. On offense, he leads the Big 12 with 92 receptions and 14 receiving touchdowns, and is second with 1,152 yards receiving. His 21 catches of at least 20 yards are the most nationally. He is also the AP's player of the year. People are also reading... Sanders is the Big 12 passing leader, completing 337 of 454 passes (74.2%) for 3,926 yards and a school-record 35 touchdowns with eight interceptions for the Buffaloes (10-2) Arizona State freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt, who is 11-1 as a starter, is the league’s top newcomer. The Michigan State transfer has 2,663 yards passing with 24 touchdowns and only five picks in 304 attempts. AP source: Mullen picked as UNLV coach LAS VEGAS — Former Florida and Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen has agreed to lead UNLV's 24th-ranked football program, two people with knowledge of the hire said Wednesday. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no announcement has been made. The 52-year-old Mullen replaces Barry Odom, who left for Purdue on Sunday after going 19-8 and helping the Rebels receive back-to-back bowl invitations for the first time in program history. UNLV will play California in the LA Bowl on Wednesday. UNLV athletic director Erick Harper wasted little time in finding Odom's replacement. Mullen, most recently an ESPN college football analyst, went 103-61 at Florida and Mississippi State. Rich Rodriguez back at West Virginia Rich Rodriguez is returning to West Virginia for a second stint as head coach at his alma mater. Athletic director Wren Baker announced the hiring on Thursday, 17 years after Rodriguez made a hasty exit for what became a disastrous three-year experiment at Michigan. “We are thrilled to welcome Coach Rich Rodriguez and his family back home,” Baker said in a statement. “Coach Rodriguez understands what it takes to win at West Virginia, and I believe he will pour his heart, soul and every ounce of his energy into our program. I am convinced Coach Rodriguez wants what is best for West Virginia, WVU and West Virginia football, and I am excited about the future of our program.” Rodriguez, who is the current coach at Jacksonville State, an architect of the spread offense and a polarizing figure in his home state, replaces Neal Brown, who was fired on Dec. 1 after going 37-35 in six seasons, including 6-6 this year. BRIEFLY FCS: The NCAA is taking its Football Championship Subdivision title game back to Tennessee. The FCS championship games at the end of the 2025 and 2026 seasons will be played in Nashville on the Vanderbilt campus. This season’s game will be played Jan. 6 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, which will host the game for a record 15th season in a row and was set for at least two more. OC: UCLA announced Tino Sunseri’s hiring as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Sunseri replaces Eric Bieniemy, who was fired on Dec. 5 after fielding one of the nation’s worst offenses this season. Sunseri spent one season as Indiana’s co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach after following Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti from James Madison. Be the first to knowKansas once required voters to prove citizenship. That didn't work out so wellNone

Titans keep losing as coach Brian Callahan tries to show some progress NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Brian Callahan insisted Monday he's busy preparing to coach the Tennessee Titans against the Jacksonville Jaguars, not what controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk thinks of his first season. Teresa M. Walker, The Associated Press Dec 23, 2024 11:38 AM Dec 23, 2024 12:05 PM Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan looks up from the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Brian Callahan insisted Monday he's busy preparing to coach the Tennessee Titans against the Jacksonville Jaguars, not what controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk thinks of his first season. “It’s a bottom line business and we’ve got to show progress and we haven’t shown enough,” Callahan said. “I would like to see more and we got two more opportunities to do it." The Titans have lost four straight after a 38-30 defeat in Indianapolis , dropping the season series to their AFC South foe. They also have lost six of seven to drop to 3-12, putting the franchise two losses from matching the most in a season set in 2014 when the NFL played a 16-game schedule. Asked if he thinks he will have to make a case to keep his job when this season ends, Callahan said he has no idea. “My job is to coach the football team and get ready to go play Jacksonville,” Callahan said. “That’s the only thing that I focus on. And anything other than that, is out of my control.” What’s working The Titans played a season-high 10 rookies in Indianapolis. Even with all that youth, they were flagged only four times matching their second-lowest total of the season. That was a huge improvement from the week before when Tennessee was penalized 12 times for 110 yards. What needs help Callahan said every time they try to fix one thing, another issue pops up. Against Indianapolis, t he run defense simply disappeared . They gave up 335 yards rushing, the most in franchise history since Oct. 1, 1961. They gave up touchdown runs of 65 and 70 yards to Jonathan Taylor. A defense that entered Week 16 ranked 12th allowed Taylor to average 7.5 yards per carry and meant Anthony Richardson needed to throw just 11 passes. The Titans gave up 38 consecutive points — the third most allowed in a game all season just a week after giving up 37 in a loss to Cincinnati. Stock up TE Chig Okonkwo. He led the Titans with nine catches and 81 yards receiving — both career highs. He also scored his the second 2-point conversion of his career. He became the first tight end with nine or more receptions in a game since Delanie Walker had nine Nov. 13, 2016, against Green Bay. Stock down Mason Rudolph. Callahan defended the veteran's three interceptions with one going off running back Tony Pollard's hands and the third a last-gasp play to end the game and said he thought Rudolph had a good performance. That said, Rudolph's numbers are almost a mirror image of the quarterback he replaced. Rudolph has eight touchdown passes and eight interceptions. He's completing 63.8% of his passes and has a 78.8 passer rating. That's nearly the same as Will Levis completing 63.7% of his passes with 12 TD passes and 12 interceptions. Callahan said turnovers from the quarterback spot has sort of been “our Achilles' heel” swinging games. But he also hasn't made a decision yet on who starts Sunday, saying stats don't always paint the full picture. “My goal is to try to put the best chance to win on the field for us and we’ll see what that looks like,” Callahan said. Injuries Callahan said K Nick Folk might have a chance to be back after an abdominal injury sidelined the veteran in Indianapolis. The Titans are practicing with a walk-through Tuesday and taking Wednesday off for Christmas so the coach said he'll have a better handle on injuries Thursday. Folk's replacement Brayden Narveson missed a 53-yard field goal that would have given Tennessee a 10-0 lead. Folk is 21 of 22 on field goals this season. Key num ber 121 — Number of points allowed off turnovers this season. It's the most in a season for the Titans since at least 2000, topping the 108 given up in 2015. The Titans lead the NFL with 32 turnovers, which Callahan called their biggest issue. “That’s insanity,” Callahan said. Next steps The Titans visit Jacksonville on Sunday for their final road trip, trying to avoid being swept by their division rival. Then it's back home for the regular-season finale, hosting Houston before more changes this offseason in some form. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Teresa M. Walker, The Associated Press See a typo/mistake? Have a story/tip? This has been shared 0 times 0 Shares Share by Email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Print Share via Text Message Get your daily Victoria news briefing Email Sign Up More Football (NFL) There's no defending Jaguars GM Trent Baalke, especially amid his latest free-agent class Dec 23, 2024 12:15 PM Texans WR Tank Dell out for season after dislocating knee, tearing ACL Dec 23, 2024 12:09 PM Commanders keep playing wild and wacky games. They've gotten better at winning them Dec 23, 2024 11:19 AM

Heisman Trophy finalist and two-way Colorado star Travis Hunter was named The Associated Press Big 12 defensive player of the year while also being a first-team selection at wide receiver on Thursday. Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders is the league's top offensive player. Kenny Dillingham, the 34-year-old in his second season at Arizona State, was the unanimous choice as Big 12 coach of the year after leading his alma mater to a championship and a spot in the 12-team College Football Playoff. The Sun Devils (11-2) went into their league debut as the preseason pick to finish last among the 16 teams. At cornerback, Hunter had 31 tackles, tied for the Big 12 lead with 11 pass breakups and was tied for second with four interceptions. On offense, he leads the Big 12 with 92 receptions and 14 receiving touchdowns, and is second with 1,152 yards receiving. His 21 catches of at least 20 yards are the most nationally. He is also the AP's player of the year. Sanders is the Big 12 passing leader, completing 337 of 454 passes (74.2%) for 3,926 yards and a school-record 35 touchdowns with eight interceptions for the Buffaloes (10-2) Arizona State freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt, who is 11-1 as a starter, is the league’s top newcomer. The Michigan State transfer has 2,663 yards passing with 24 touchdowns and only five picks in 304 attempts. LAS VEGAS — Former Florida and Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen has agreed to lead UNLV's 24th-ranked football program, two people with knowledge of the hire said Wednesday. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no announcement has been made. The 52-year-old Mullen replaces Barry Odom, who left for Purdue on Sunday after going 19-8 and helping the Rebels receive back-to-back bowl invitations for the first time in program history. UNLV will play California in the LA Bowl on Wednesday. UNLV athletic director Erick Harper wasted little time in finding Odom's replacement. Mullen, most recently an ESPN college football analyst, went 103-61 at Florida and Mississippi State. Rich Rodriguez is returning to West Virginia for a second stint as head coach at his alma mater. Athletic director Wren Baker announced the hiring on Thursday, 17 years after Rodriguez made a hasty exit for what became a disastrous three-year experiment at Michigan. “We are thrilled to welcome Coach Rich Rodriguez and his family back home,” Baker said in a statement. “Coach Rodriguez understands what it takes to win at West Virginia, and I believe he will pour his heart, soul and every ounce of his energy into our program. I am convinced Coach Rodriguez wants what is best for West Virginia, WVU and West Virginia football, and I am excited about the future of our program.” Rodriguez, who is the current coach at Jacksonville State, an architect of the spread offense and a polarizing figure in his home state, replaces Neal Brown, who was fired on Dec. 1 after going 37-35 in six seasons, including 6-6 this year. TUCSON, Ariz. — Arizona star receiver Tetairoa McMillan declared for the NFL draft following three stellar seasons. McMillan announced his decision Thursday on Instagram. “Now, it’s time to take the next step. ... I’m officially declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft,” McMillan posted. “This is only the beginning.” McMillian is Arizona's all-time leader in receiving yards, finishing with 3,423 in three seasons, and is projected to be a first-round NFL draft pick. BRIEFLY FCS: The NCAA is taking its Football Championship Subdivision title game back to Tennessee. The FCS championship games at the end of the 2025 and 2026 seasons will be played in Nashville on the Vanderbilt campus. This season’s game will be played Jan. 6 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, which will host the game for a record 15th season in a row and was set for at least two more. OC: UCLA announced Tino Sunseri’s hiring as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Sunseri replaces Eric Bieniemy, who was fired on Dec. 5 after fielding one of the nation’s worst offenses this season. Sunseri spent one season as Indiana’s co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach after following Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti from James Madison.Is recycling worth it?Broadview Heights to decide tonight whether all city services are halted for the first 15 days of January

Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandagriff is retiring from football with one season of eligibility left, the Lexington-Herald Leader reported Sunday. The publication said the school confirmed Vandagriff's retirement. Vandagriff didn't play in the Wildcats' season finale against Louisville. He passed for 1,593 yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 11 games this season. Kentucky has added former Incarnate Word signal-caller Zach Calzada out of the transfer portal since the end of the season. Calzada also was the starting quarterback in 2021 for Texas A&M and the 2025 season will be his seventh as a college player. Vandagriff was a five-star recruit in the 2021 class who initially committed to Oklahoma before flipping and choosing Georgia. However, he didn't get much playing time in three seasons with the Bulldogs with Stetson Bennett and Carson Beck ahead of him. He chose to transfer following the 2023 season. This season, Vandagriff was benched on two occasions and only topped 200 passing yards twice. He had a good chance at a third 200-yard outing on Nov. 2 when he had 123 midway through the third quarter before getting knocked out of the 28-18 loss to then-No. 7 Tennessee due to a concussion. Cutter Boley started the 41-14 loss to Louisville. Another quarterback, Gavin Wimsatt, entered the transfer portal after throwing four interceptions in 39 attempts this season. --Field Level MediaThe move could usher in an end to a protracted political crisis in the European Union country following the annulment of a presidential election by a top court. Parliament approved the new administration in a 240-143 vote in Romania’s 466-seat legislature. The new coalition is made up of the leftist Social Democratic Party (PSD) the centre-right National Liberal Party (PNL), the small ethnic Hungarian UDMR party and national minorities. It caps a month-long period of turmoil in which far-right nationalists made significant gains in a parliamentary election on December 1 a week after a first-round presidential race saw the far-right outsider Calin Georgescu emerge as the front-runner. “It will not be an easy mandate for the future government,” Mr Ciolacu, whose PSD party topped the polls in the parliamentary election, said in a statement. “We are aware that we are in the midst of a deep political crisis,” he said. “It is also a crisis of trust, and this coalition aims to regain the trust of citizens, the trust of the people.” Romania’s 16 ministerial positions will be shared among the parties, which will hold a slim majority in the legislature. It is widely seen as a tactical partnership to shut out far-right nationalists whose voices found fertile ground amid high living costs and a sluggish economy. Mr Ciolacu, who came third in the first-round presidential ballot despite polls indicating he would win the most votes, has served as prime minister since June 2023. After parliament’s approval, President Klaus Iohannis swore in the new government and warned the new Cabinet that it is entering a “difficult new period” in which “for many Romanians, there are major concerns”. Romania was plunged into turmoil after Mr Georgescu’s surprise success in the presidential race, after allegations of electoral violations and Russian interference emerged. Days before the December 8 run-off, the Constitutional Court made the unprecedented move to annul the presidential race. “We go through complicated times, but I think we all learned from mistakes of the past,” Mr Ciolacu said. “I hope that together with my colleagues in the coalition, we’ll find the best solutions to get past the challenges we have in front of us.” Mr Ciolacu said that the new government would aim to quickly organise the rerun of the presidential election in which the new coalition has agreed to put forward an agreed common pro-European candidate. Cristian Andrei, a political consultant based in Bucharest, said that the new government made up of the same political parties will likely embrace “soft populist” rhetoric such as economic patriotism, anti-austerity, and a peace solution in neighbouring Ukraine to counter the rise of far-right populism. “This will be a way to answer the concerns of many Romanians who voted for populists... but will not solve the fundamental problem of trust,” he said. “The only decisive factor now will be who and how convincing the pro-European candidates will be against this popular revolt.” George Simion, the leader of the far-right Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, which came second in the parliamentary election, said that all politicians from his party on Monday would vote against the Ciolacu government. In 2021, the PSD and the PNL also formed an unlikely but increasingly strained coalition together with UDMR, which exited the Cabinet last year after a power-sharing dispute.New loan options for self-employed with stash of cashCOLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork said Thursday that he is "absolutely" confident that Ryan Day will be back as football coach in 2025. Calls to fire the sixth-year coach rose among Ohio State fans after the Buckeyes lost to Michigan for the fourth straight year. Bjork, in an interview on 97.1 The Fan, said Day is the man for the job, regardless of how the Buckeyes perform in the College Football Playoff. They host Tennessee in a first-round game Dec. 21. "Coach Day is awesome," said Bjork, who came from Texas A&M to replace the retiring Gene Smith last summer. "He's great to work with. He totally gets it. He loves being a Buckeye. So, we're going to support him at the highest level." The 13-10 loss to Michigan followed by an ugly melee between the teams put the coach in a precarious spot. He and his team were booed off the field by the home fans. Bjork ended up releasing a statement expressing his support for the coach. "The reason we had to say something after (the Michigan) game is, we're still breathing, we're still alive," Bjork said. "The season's not over. The book is not closed." Thanks to the playoff, Day has a chance to redeem himself with Ohio State's huge fanbase with a win against the Volunteers — and perhaps more in the 12-team tournament. Regardless of what happens, Day will be back next year, according to Bjork. "Coach Day and I just hit it off so well," Bjork said. "I've been really, really impressed. Every single time I talked to him, I learn something. He's innovative. He recruits at the highest level. He's got a great staff." Day wouldn't directly address his job status last weekend. "When you first come off those types of things, there's a lot of emotion," he said, referring to the Michigan loss. "And then as time goes on, you've got to get refocused because you know what you've done in the past does not affect what's going on moving forward. Everything is out in front of us." Failing to consistently beat Michigan is one of the few flaws in Day's coaching record. Hired as a member of coach Urban Meyer's staff in 2017, Day was the hand-picked successor when Meyer retired after the 2018 season. Compiling an overall 66-10 record, he is widely admired in the coaching community. "Great respect for what he's done in his coaching career, what he's done there at Ohio State and the success that they've had year-in and year-out," Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said. Day is in trouble now because losing The Game is considered an unforgiveable sin by Buckeyes fans. "What we have to do is this whole 'championship or bust' mentality, you want that as the goal, but it has to be about the process," Bjork said. "To me, we've got to maybe change some conversations a little bit. I think we need to maybe just approach things a little bit differently." Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!

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