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The federal Bureau of Prisons is permanently closing the notorious "rape club" women's prison in Dublin and will idle six facilities in a sweeping realignment after years of abuse, decay and mismanagement. The agency informed employees and Congress on Thursday through a notification that it plans to shutter the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin that has been the center of controversy for a number of years. The bureau is additionally deactivating multiple minimum-security prison camps in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Colorado, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Florida. The agency said staff and inmates at the impacted locations will be moved to other facilities. The document issued by the Bureau of Prisons said it was taking "decisive and strategic action" to address "significant challenges, including a critical staffing shortage, crumbling infrastructure and limited budgetary resources." The agency said it is not downsizing and is committed to finding positions for every affected employee. The closures are a striking coda to the Biden administration's stewardship of the Justice Department's biggest agency. After repeatedly promising to reform FCI Dublin and other troubled facilities, Bureau of Prisons Director Colette Peters is pivoting to closures and consolidation, citing inadequate staffing and staggering costs to repair aging infrastructure. The permanent shutdown of FCI Dublin comes seven months after announcing a temporary closure following reform attempts in the wake of staff-on-inmate abuse that led to the "rape club" moniker. At the time, it appeared the agency was set on closing the low-security prison, but officials held out the possibility that it could be repaired and reopened for a different purpose, such as housing male inmates. The assessment identified considerable repairs necessary to reopen the FCI Dublin, the agency said. Low staffing, exacerbated by the high cost of living in the Bay Area, also contributed to the decision to close the facility, the agency said. "We understand the impact the closure will have on our employees and are committed to ensuring all are able to continue accomplishing the agency's mission at other locations," the statement read. The prison has been at the center of a years-long investigation . Since 2021, at least eight employees, including a former warden, have been charged with sexually abusing inmates. Five employees have pleaded guilty. Two were convicted at trial, including former warden Ray Garcia. The case against the eighth employee is pending . At the time of the closure announcement, FCI Dublin was housing about 600 inmates. The move comes three years after the agency closed its troubled New York jail in Manhattan after myriad problems came to light in the wake of Jeffrey Epstein's suicide there, including lax security, staffing shortages and squalid, unsafe conditions such as falling concrete and busted cells. The Bureau of Prisons and the correctional workers union have repeatedly pushed for additional federal prison funding, highlighting what they say is an inadequate amount of money to address pay increases, staff retention and a multibillion-dollar repair backlog. More than half of federal prison facilities were built before 1991 and many are becoming outmoded or obsolete, the agency said. The agency said it expects that reassigning employees to remaining facilities will boost retention and cut down on mandatory overtime and augmentation, a practice by which cooks, teachers, nurses and other prison workers are assigned to guard inmates. FCI Dublin's permanent closure represents an extraordinary acknowledgement by the Bureau of Prisons that it has failed to fix the facility's culture and environment in the wake of AP reporting that exposed rampant sexual abuse within its walls. Hundreds of people who were incarcerated at FCI Dublin are suing the agency, seeking reforms and monetary compensation for mistreatment at the facility. The closures at FCI Dublin and across the federal prison system come amid an AP investigation that has uncovered deep, previously unreported flaws within the Bureau of Prisons. AP reporting has disclosed widespread criminal activity by employees, dozens of escapes, chronic violence, deaths and severe staffing shortages that have hampered responses to emergencies, including assaults and suicides. In July, President Joe Biden signed a law strengthening oversight of the agency after AP reporting spotlighted its many flaws.TOP footie clubs, players and agents have coughed up £800million since HMRC began a tax avoidance probe. The huge tally of unpaid taxes since 2005 includes £75million in the last year. And latest HMRC figures reveal 396 investigations are ongoing — including potential abuses at 33 professional clubs. Newcastle United recently settled a £10million tax dispute that dated back to Mike Ashley’s ownership of the club. Chelsea are being probed having reported themselves to the Premier League after spotting issues as Todd Boehly’s consortium took over ownership from Roman Abramovich . Manchester United are under investigation too, while legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson faces scrutiny over his ACF Sports Promotion firm. Read more on unpaid tax Earlier this year, ex-Man City defender Benjamin Mendy was forced to sell his £5million Cheshire mansion to repay an £800,000 tax debt. Meanwhile, the number of tax investigations in football is likely to rise as a result of inquiries into “dual representation” transfer deals. The deals would see agents claim to work for both a club and a player and split their fee between them. HMRC believes agents work mostly for players and therefore should pay more tax. Most read in Football Officials warn they will no longer accept a 50/50 split as the “standard approach”.NoneStock market today: Wall Street drifts to a mixed close in thin trading following a holiday pause

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TORONTO - Live streams of Taylor Swift’s sold-out Eras Tour concerts in Toronto have given devoted fans a window into the spectacle of outfits, surprise songs and elaborate stages from one of the biggest cultural events in recent memory. As the massive tour inches toward its final three shows in Vancouver early next month, feeding Swifties’ insatiable appetite has become a nightly tradition for a handful of live stream hosts based all over the world. They act as ringleaders for tens of thousands of viewers witnessing Swift’s constantly evolving show through unofficial channels. Swifties who've hosted unofficial live streams of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour shows say it's enhanced the experience for fans across the world. But rebroadcasting copyrighted music without a licence isn't allowed, and social media platforms sometimes shut down live feeds mid-stream. (Nov. 23, 2024 / The Canadian Press) “I never saw it being as big as it is,” said Tess Bohne, one of the personalities credited as a pioneer of the Swift live streams. “There is a big idea of community (and) being present without being there.” Broadcasting unauthorized concert live streams on social platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Facebook isn’t an entirely new phenomenon, but it’s one that’s been amplified with Swift’s tour. As their popularity grows, the streams are sparking conversations about copyright law and the delicate balance between protecting intellectual property and allowing listeners to embrace their fandom. “We’ve gone beyond art being a one-way conversation from the artist to the audience,” said Jay Kerr-Wilson, an IP lawyer and co-leader of Fasken’s Technology, Media and Telecommunications Group in Ottawa. “Copyright owners, generally speaking, are being more flexible and they’re not necessarily (thinking) black-and-white.” Representatives for the singer did not respond to requests for comment. For fans, the lines are already blurred. Bohne got wrapped up in the Swift live-streaming phenomenon nearly two years ago after she attended the second night of the Eras Tour, in Glendale, Ariz., and found herself consumed by the experience for days afterward. “(Often) you go to a concert and you’re like, ‘That was great, let’s move on with my life,’” the 33-year-old explained in a video call from Salt Lake City. “But there was something different. It was like, ‘No, that wasn’t enough. I’m not done.’” Eager to relive the high she felt, Bohne chased down the TikTok profiles of fellow Swifties streaming other stops on the tour. With little technical experience, she began rebroadcasting their videos, with credit, on her own TikTok profile. She would place an iPad playing their feed in front of her phone’s camera, and then swap it out with her other iPad when she found a user with a better angle of the concert. The crude setup initially drew a few thousand viewers, she said, and with more effort put into the productionher audience has grown to 100,000 to 200,000 during peak moments. Since her initial broadcast, Bohne estimates she’s streamed more than 110 of Swift’s concerts in a split-screen format, streaming the concert in one corner and munching on snacks in the other while discussing all things Swift with a chat room of strangers. Some fans donate cash, and her social media status has helped attract influencer partnerships. But the stay-at-home mom of three children said this is primarily a labour of love. Bohne is credited by many of her contemporaries as the one who inspired them to take a shot at hosting their own Eras Tour with live commentary. “A lot of people say it’s like religion for them,” explained Lucas Chalub, a Twitch streamer and longtime Swiftie. Chalub first experimented with hosting streams in August 2023. Rumours swirled that the singer might announce the release date for one of her re-recorded albums on stage in Los Angeles, so many Swifties sought out live feeds, which included his impromptu setup that night. “A lot of people joined,” remembered the 27-year-old sports journalist from Argentina. “That’s the first night that I said, ‘Why not do this every night?’” Chalub said he usually draws on streams from 10 to 15 concertgoers who are often aware their recordings might get picked up by the streaming hosts. Many bring power banks to recharge their devices and sometimes a backup phone. “We are not the heroes that people think we are,” Chalub added of his fellow streamers, crediting fans on the ground who do their work pro bono. “The real heroes are the people in the venue spending — or wasting — their time trying to live stream for us instead of enjoying the show.” The legality around live streaming Swift’s concerts is murky. In the simplest terms, the rebroadcasting of copyrighted music without a licence isn’t allowed, and platforms such as YouTube and TikTok have sometimes shut down live feeds mid-stream at the behest of record labels. It happened to Ammir Shar, a 25-year-old streamer from Blackpool, U.K., who saw his YouTube feed for the fourth Toronto concert yanked down while the show was in progress. Hosts say they worry about racking up too many takedown notices, which can risk permanently shutting down their channels. Usually after a live stream ends, they delete the footage from platforms like YouTube. However, they say attempts to silence them won’t amount to much. When one streamer falls, sometimes two others turn up. Copyright owners are still grappling with that perspective, especially when unsanctioned live streams can impact other financial stakes, said Kerr-Wilson. In Swift’s case, she sold the streaming rights to her “The Eras Tour” film to Disney Plus for US$75 million. Arguably, the lawyer suggested, a company might take issue with similar options on the market, such as a live stream. But even that seems to be an evolving conversation. “People have realized that social media and user-generated content isn’t the enemy, and, in fact, can be a powerful way to engage with fans and to be part of the conversation,” he said. “I think the trend is going to continue.” While Swift hasn’t publicly said much about the streams, several streamers believe she is aware of them. They also argue the vast majority of people tuning into their feeds already have an investment in Swift’s success. Last November, a group of technologically savvy Swifties launched Swift Alert, a phone app that sends out alerts for the highlights of each Eras Tour show. Inside the app, the creators also launched a game called Mastermind — named after a Swift song, of course — where fans can win prizes by guessing which of Swift’s rotating selection of outfits she’ll wear for each “era” of her performance. Using Swift Alert in tandem with the live streams, many fans tune in for the standout moments of the three-hour concert. “A lot of people compare it to fantasy football,” Shah said. “This kind of stuff brings us closer together.” With the Eras Tour set to end in Vancouver on Dec. 8, many live streamers say they’re uncertain how the future looks. Recently, Bohne experimented with a live stream from pop singer Meghan Trainor’s concert to see if there’s similar interest. While it was enjoyable, she said the experience wasn’t quite the same. Others have started streaming Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet Tour. They say her shows are closest to Swift’s because Carpenter is a natural at witty banter, performs nightly surprise songs and changes up her outfits. “I’ve considered doing a few other (musicians, but they) are more like normal concerts — the artist on the stage with a microphone in one outfit, just singing their songs,” said Shah. “It’s not something that people at home will be like, ‘What outfit is she going to wear?’” Some wonder how live streaming will look without the intrigue of Swift’s tour. Added Bohne: “No concert is like The Eras Tour.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 23, 2024.Rams WR Demarcus Robinson not suspended, will play Sunday after arrest on DUI suspicionThe bad blood between UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira and former opponent Jamahal Hill is very real. Following several months of comments exchanged through interviews and social media, the fighters ran into each other at the UFC Performance Institute on Thursday with Pereira’s coach eventually stepping in between them to ensure a verbal confrontation didn’t turn into a physical altercation. Alex Pereira and Jamahal Hill ran into each other and were ready to throw down pic.twitter.com/tkMgzRO1m9 The footage was first posted by Full Send MMA showing Hill approaching Pereira during a training sessions at the UFC P.I. in Las Vegas. “Not on Twitter now,” Hill said to Pereira as the Brazilian motioned to him for a fist bump before things turned volatile. The war of words continued with Pereira and Hill both looking more and more agitated as the incident seemingly escalated. “Put the gloves on,” Pereira told Hill in Portuguese as he invited his former opponent to get in a sparring session right then. That eventually led to Pereira’s longtime coach Plinio Cruz stepping in between the fighters while reminding them that they get paid to fight. “It’s coming,” Hill said in response. “I’ll get that money from that boy being asleep.” There were a number of fighters watching the altercation unravel with Pereira and Hill eventually moving in opposite directions before a potential brawl could erupt. The rivalry between these two started back at UFC 300 when Pereira scored a vicious knockout to beat Hill in the first defense of his light heavyweight title. Hill called foul on the knockout after a low blow forced the referee to step in between the fighters with Pereira then waving him off before throwing the punch that ended the fight. Things have only intensified in recent days with Pereira telling Hill to “calm down” and pass the test in front of him when he faces Jiri Prochazka at UFC 311 and then “Dad will give you a second chance.” That led to a fiery response from Hill, who only seemed that much angrier towards Pereira. “Beat it,” Hill wrote on Twitter. “Funny how you rushed lil ass [Khalil] Roundtree and dumbass Jiri like you were the man but waited until the refs got in the way to swing at me!!! “You will see me again at 100 percent soon and we both know the fear that was in your heart!!” Beat it funny how you rushed lil ass roundtree and dumbass Jiri like you were the man but waited until the refs got in the way to swing at me!!! You will see me again at 100% soon and we both know the fear that was in your heart!! https://t.co/ARC4XQyNQq Given this latest incident, Hill has that much more riding on his upcoming fight against Prochazka while Pereira’s attention is likely going to shift focus towards his next title defense, which is expected to come against Magomed Ankalaev sometime in 2025.

Manmohan Singh, India’s former Prime Minister, dies at 92As school districts struggle to control the spread of cyberbullying, pornographic images and online exploitation among their students, Texas lawmakers could consider banning social media from minors, among other sweeping measures, in the upcoming legislative session. Over the last decade, Texas lawmakers have attempted to slow the spread of social media's harmful effects by criminalizing cyberbullying and preventing online platforms from collecting data on minors, the latter of which has faced court challenges by social media companies. While law enforcement and prosecutors have traditionally been responsible for cracking down on these online dangers, lack of resources in those agencies has meant enforcement has fallen onto educators, who already struggle to meet the demands of instruction, let alone stay knowledgeable on all the ways children use the internet. “Almost every kid comes to school these days, regardless of background, regardless of socioeconomic status, they have some type of smartphone device in their hand. So they will have access to unfettered content most of the time, no matter what we try to do,” said Zeph Capo, president of the Texas American Federation of Teachers. Lawmakers have suggested several initiatives next session to address the online dangers affecting Texas children, including a bill filed by Rep. Jared Patterson, R-Frisco, that would prohibit minors from creating accounts on social media sites and require age verification for new users. Other options include adding funds to internet crimes units in law enforcement agencies, banning the use of people’s likeness in artificially created pornographic images, and making people aware of the dangers of the internet. "Social media is the most dangerous thing our kids have legal access to in Texas," Patterson said in a news release. While they welcome any efforts to reduce harm to children, school officials and cybercrime investigators say more needs to be done to hold social media companies accountable for enforcement. “We need these businesses to be responsible business people and throttle some of this tremendously negative content, particularly when it comes to kids,” Capo said. “But, you know, they don’t want to do anything like that.” During a Senate Committee on State Affairs hearing in October, lawmakers listened to a litany of stories about how social media has affected young people in Texas: a middle school girl who developed an eating disorder after watching a TikTok video, a middle school boy addicted to cartoon pornography after his YouTube algorithm took him to a porn site, and a woman who testified to being groomed for sex work in high school as her images were posted on social media applications. Most of these incidents had a starting point at school where children have frequent access to technology and teachers and administrators are too busy to provide oversight. Add in the fact that they know ways to circumvent campus firewalls, students are being groomed via social media on school grounds, said Jacquelyn Alutto, president of Houston-based No Trafficking Zone, during the hearing. “Right now, schools are a hunting ground,” she said. The Texas Tribune requested interviews with several school districts about online dangers in schools, including the Austin, Round Rock, Katy and Eanes school districts, but they did not respond. The Plano school district declined to be interviewed. Last year, the American Federation of Teachers and the American Psychological Association, among other national organizations, called out social media platforms for undermining classroom learning, increasing costs for school systems, and being a “root cause” of the nationwide youth mental health crisis. The admonishment came after a report detailed how school districts across the country are experiencing significant burdens as they respond to tech’s predatory and prevalent influence in the classroom. The same year, in an attempt to hold social media companies more accountable, Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law House Bill 18, known as the Securing Children Online through Parental Empowerment Act. The SCOPE Act requires covered digital service providers to provide minors with certain data protections, prevent minors from accessing harmful content, and give parents tools to manage their child’s use of the service. It also required school districts to obtain parental consent for most software and social media applications used in the classroom and to look for alternatives to the internet for instruction. However, many of the family-friendly websites and games that children might use for entertainment are also rife with potential sexual predators who pretend to be children. “A little boy can be playing Robloxs in the cafeteria, and during that lunch break, a trafficker can target him, and he can be sexually groomed or exploited within a few weeks or months,” Alutto said. And even harder to control is when students share pornographic images of themselves online, a reason why some child welfare groups want social media platforms restricted or outright banned for minors. “This has also helped human traffickers groom and recruit children,” Alutto said. Studies show 95% of people aged 13 to 17 report using social media, with more than a third saying they use social media “almost constantly.” Nearly 40% of children ages 8 to 12 use social media, even though most platforms require a minimum age of 13 to sign up, according to a study by the U.S. Surgeon General. This has created a generation of chronically online children, and the medical community is still unsure of their longterm effects. Although the SCOPE Act was passed to restrict kids from seeing harmful online content and give parents more control over what their children do online, social media companies have watered it down. A federal district court judge earlier this year temporarily blocked part of the law that required them to filter out harmful content, saying it was unconstitutional under the First Amendment free speech right. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced in October that he was suing TikTok for allowing its algorithm to affect minors. TikTok denied the state's allegations, pointing to online information about how parents in certain states, including Texas, can contact TikTok to request that their teen's account be deleted. This lawsuit, like dozens of others across the country, is playing out in court, forcing Texas lawmakers to wait and see what more they can do in the upcoming session to hold social media companies accountable. Australia recently banned social media for children under the age of 16. “The state needs to ensure that if technology providers want to do business, they must protect our children, stop the flow of (child pornography and child sexual assault) and report it,” Brent Dupre, director of law enforcement at the Office of the Attorney General of Texas, told The Texas Tribune. Dupre’s department is one of three Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces in the state, and his agency alone covers 134 counties. His office receives 2,500 cyber tips per month for investigation from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an overwhelming number of cases for an agency with only 11 officers. The problem is so persistent that Dupre said his office was conducting a live training session with law enforcement officers a few months ago on how to pose in chat rooms as a minor when the trainer noticed a real adult was already trying to solicit their fake minor for sex. “These proactive investigations aren’t done as frequently as we like because of the sheer caseload that we got,” Dupre said, noting how they work with other law enforcement agencies who are suffering with staff shortages. Christina Green, chief advancement and external relations officer for Children’s Advocacy Centers of Texas, said her agency serves more than 60,000 child victims yearly, with a majority of these connected to online incidents that happened in school while using social media applications. She said law enforcement agencies as well as hers need more resources to protect children. “This field is rapidly developing, and the tools needed to continue must also develop,” she said. Echoing school officials, Dupre said social media companies should enforce more restrictions on what minors can do on their platforms. He said companies should be required to track attempts to upload child pornography and other internet harm and be held accountable for allowing sexually explicit content to stay on their websites. Dupre suggested lawmakers require chat and social media companies to use artificial intelligence to scan for child pornography and child sexual assault material and block users from sending this kind of material on their platforms. “To me, children who try to upload self-produced material should automatically have their accounts disabled,” he said. “Many technology providers scan for these photos and videos, which are then quarantined and reported, but not all providers lockout or cancel that user end-to-end encryption.” However, the most essential place to stop cyberbullying, sexual exploitation and other internet-based crimes on minors is at home, Green said. She suggested teaching children in schools as early as the third grade about online risks and repeating training yearly. She also wants the same education extended to parents.“We have been talking to parents about when you drop your kid off at someone’s house, do you know if devices will be used there? It’s like asking if there is a pool in the backyard. These types of questions need to become commonplace,” Green said. Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup. Error! There was an error processing your request.

Former Broncos coach makes switch to rival Queensland team after leaving Brisbane in 2024While still on injured reserve, Buffalo Bills linebacker Matt Milano (biceps) was a full participant at practice Wednesday. Tight end Dalton Kincaid (knee) did not practice. Wide receiver Keon Coleman (wrist) and right tackle Spencer Brown (ankle) were limited. The Bills also opened the 21-day practice windows for defensive tackle DeWayne Carter (wrist) and offensive lineman Tylan Grable (groin). Both were full participants on Wednesday. Get in the game with our Prep Sports Newsletter Sent weekly directly to your inbox! Sports reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.

Israel committed genocide against Palestinians: Amnesty

Argentina's Racing wins its first Copa Sudamericana championship by beating Brazil's Cruzeiro 3-1

AP Race Call: Democrat Derek Tran wins election to U.S. House in California's 45th Congressional District, beating incumbent Michelle SteelAres management sells $28.7 million in Frontier Communications stock

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Austin, Texas–(Newsfile Corp. – November 27, 2024) – Citizens, Inc. (NYSE: CIA) , a leading diversified financial services company specializing in life, living benefits, and final expense insurance, today announced it has filed a shelf registration statement (the “Shelf Registration”) on Form S-3 with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), replacing a previous shelf registration statement on Form S-3 that will expire on November 30, 2024. The replacement Shelf Registration will allow the Company to continue offering shares under its Stock Investment Plan (SIP), which has been in place since 2001. Under the SIP, the Company can either issue new shares to investors or facilitate purchase of shares on the open market. This Shelf Registration reduced the number of shares the Company could offer under the SIP to 5 million shares from 15 million shares registered under the previous S-3, demonstrating the Company’s commitment to shareholder returns. “The shelf filing is a renewal of our prior filing, which was set to expire. We believe it is a matter of good corporate practice to replace our previous shelf registration, as it allows Citizens to continue offering a convenient and economical way for investors to purchase our shares, whether that be through the open market or directly from us. While we don’t currently use the SIP to raise capital, this allows us to maintain flexibility in the future with respect to our capital management as we progress on our strategic roadmap designed to deliver sustainable growth in book value per share,” said Jon Stenberg, President and Chief Executive Officer. The Shelf Registration relating to these securities has been filed with the SEC but has not yet become effective. These securities may not be sold nor may offers to buy be accepted prior to the time the Registration Statement is declared effective by the SEC. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. About Citizens, Inc. Citizens, Inc. (NYSE: CIA) is a diversified financial services company providing life, living benefits and final expense insurance and other financial products to individuals and small businesses in the U.S., Latin America, and Asia. Through its customer-centric growth strategy, Citizens offers innovative products to address the evolving needs of its customers in their native languages of English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Mandarin. The Company operates two primary segments: Life Insurance, where internationally the Company is a market leader in U.S. Dollar denominated life insurance and where it is growing in niche markets in the United States through its final expense products distributed through white-label and established distribution channels, and Home Service Insurance, which operates primarily in the U.S. Gulf coast region. For more information about Citizens, please visit the website at www.citizensinc.com and LinkedIn . Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which can be identified by words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate”, “believe”, “project”, “intends,” “continue” or comparable words. Such forward-looking statements may relate to the Company’s expectations regarding its business performance, operational strategy, capital expenditures, technological changes, regulatory actions, and other financial and operational measures. In addition, all statements other than statements of historical facts that address activities that the Company expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Such statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions, which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those matters expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. The risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are involved in our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to the risk factors discussed in our most recently filed periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. The Company undertakes no duty or obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events or changes in the Company’s expectations. Accordingly, you should not unduly rely on these forward-looking statements. The Company also disclaims any duty to comment upon or correct information that may be contained in reports published by the investment community. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/231664 #distroLAS VEGAS (AP) — Formula 1 on Monday at last said it will expand its grid in 2026 to make room for an American team that is partnered with General Motors. “As the pinnacle of motorsports, F1 demands boundary-pushing innovation and excellence. It’s an honor for General Motors and Cadillac to join the world’s premier racing series, and we’re committed to competing with passion and integrity to elevate the sport for race fans around the world," GM President Mark Reuss said. "This is a global stage for us to demonstrate GM’s engineering expertise and technology leadership at an entirely new level.” The approval ends years of wrangling that launched a U.S. Justice Department investigation into why Colorado-based Liberty Media, the commercial rights holder of F1, would not approve the team initially started by Michael Andretti. Andretti in September stepped aside from leading his namesake organization, so the 11th team will be called Cadillac F1 and be run by new Andretti Global majority owners Dan Towriss and Mark Walter. The team will use Ferrari engines its first two years until GM has a Cadillac engine built for competition in time for the 2028 season. Towriss is the the CEO and president of Group 1001 and entered motorsports via Andretti's IndyCar team when he signed on financial savings platform Gainbridge as a sponsor. Towriss is now a major part of the motorsports scene with ownership stakes in both Spire Motorsports' NASCAR team and Wayne Taylor Racing's sports car team. Walter is the chief executive of financial services firm Guggenheim Partners and the controlling owner of both the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers and Premier League club Chelsea. “We’re excited to partner with General Motors in bringing a dynamic presence to Formula 1," Towriss said. "Together, we’re assembling a world-class team that will embody American innovation and deliver unforgettable moments to race fans around the world.’’ Mario Andretti, the 1978 F1 world champion, will have an ambassador role with Cadillac F1. But his son, Michael, will have no official position with the organization now that he has scaled back his involvement with Andretti Global. The approval has been in works for weeks but was held until after last weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix to not overshadow the showcase event of the Liberty Media portfolio. Max Verstappen won his fourth consecutive championship in Saturday night's race, the third and final stop in the United States for the top motorsports series in the world. Grid expansion in F1 is both infrequent and often unsuccessful. Four teams were granted entries in 2010 that should have pushed the grid to 13 teams and 26 cars for the first time since 1995. One team never made it to the grid and the other three had vanished by 2017. There is only one American team on the current F1 grid — owned by California businessman Gene Haas — but it is not particularly competitive and does not field American drivers. Andretti’s dream was to field a truly American team with American drivers. The fight to add this team has been going on for three-plus years and F1 initially denied the application despite approval from F1 sanctioning body FIA . The existing 10 teams, who have no voice in the matter, also largely opposed expansion because of the dilution in prize money and the billions of dollars they’ve already invested in the series. Andretti in 2020 tried and failed to buy the existing Sauber team. From there, he applied for grid expansion and partnered with GM, the top-selling manufacturer in the United States. The inclusion of GM was championed by the FIA and president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who said Michael Andretti’s application was the only one of seven applicants to meet all required criteria to expand F1’s current grid. “General Motors is a huge global brand and powerhouse in the OEM world and is working with impressive partners," Ben Sulayem said Monday. "I am fully supportive of the efforts made by the FIA, Formula 1, GM and the team to maintain dialogue and work towards this outcome of an agreement in principle to progress this application." Despite the FIA's acceptance of Andretti and General Motors from the start, F1 wasn't interested in Andretti — but did want GM. At one point, F1 asked GM to find another team to partner with besides Andretti. GM refused and F1 said it would revisit the Andretti application if and when Cadillac had an engine ready to compete. “Formula 1 has maintained a dialogue with General Motors, and its partners at TWG Global, regarding the viability of an entry following the commercial assessment and decision made by Formula 1 in January 2024,” F1 said in a statement. “Over the course of this year, they have achieved operational milestones and made clear their commitment to brand the 11th team GM/Cadillac, and that GM will enter as an engine supplier at a later time. Formula 1 is therefore pleased to move forward with this application process." Yet another major shift in the debate over grid expansion occurred earlier this month with the announced resignation of Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei, who was largely believed to be one of the biggest opponents of the Andretti entry. “With Formula 1’s continued growth plans in the US, we have always believed that welcoming an impressive US brand like GM/Cadillac to the grid and GM as a future power unit supplier could bring additional value and interest to the sport," Maffei said. "We credit the leadership of General Motors and their partners with significant progress in their readiness to enter Formula 1." ___ AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing Jenna Fryer, The Associated Press

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