Gloves Come Off Early At Vice President Debate

By ZEKE MILLER and AAMER MADHANI WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Donald Trump hosted Apple CEO Tim Cook for a Friday evening dinner at the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago resort, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment publicly. Cook is the latest in a string of big tech leaders — including OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos — who have sought to improve their standing with the incoming president after choppy relations with Trump during his first term. Trump has said he has spoken with Cook about the company’s long-running tax battles with the European Union. The meeting comes less than two months after Trump said he spoke to Cook by phone, and soon after Apple lost its last appeal in a dispute with the EU over 13 billion euros ($14.34 billion) in back taxes to Ireland. “He said the European Union has just fined us $15 billion,” Trump recalled of his conversation with Cook, in an October interview with podcaster Patrick Bet-David.

By HALELUYA HADERO A federal appeals court on Friday left in place a mid-January deadline in a federal law requiring TikTok to be sold or face a ban in the United States, rejecting a request made by the company to halt enforcement until the Supreme Court reviews its challenge of the statute. Related Articles National News | Trump hosts Apple CEO at Mar-a-Lago as big tech leaders continue outreach to president-elect National News | Biden’s commutation in ‘kids for cash’ scandal angers some Pennsylvania families National News | Mysterious googly eyes go viral after appearing on public art in Oregon National News | Drones, planes or UFOs?

By MICHAEL RUBINKAM A judge who helped orchestrate one of the worst judicial scandals in U. S. history — a scheme to send children to for-profit jails in exchange for kickbacks — was among the 1,500 people whose sentences were commuted by President Joe Biden this week. Related Articles National News | Trump hosts Apple CEO at Mar-a-Lago as big tech leaders continue outreach to president-elect National News | Court denies TikTok’s request to halt enforcement of potential US ban until Supreme Court review National News | Mysterious googly eyes go viral after appearing on public art in Oregon National News | Drones, planes or UFOs?

MIAMI — Despite star running back Javian Mallory sidelined with a lingering hamstring issue, West Boca Raton rode a dominating defensive effort and big plays on offense in winning their first football state championship. Related Articles High School Sports | West Boca Raton wins 6A state championship 26-7 | PHOTOS Playing on the biggest stage, there was no stage fright for the Bulls as they completed a 15-0 season with a 26-7 victory over Kissimmee Osceola on Friday afternoon at Pitbull Stadium on the campus of FIU. It is the first state championship for West Boca and the first state title for a Palm Beach County school since Pahokee eight years ago, first for a county large school since Dwyer in 2013 and the first for a school from south Palm Beach County since American Heritage-Delray was victorious in 2011. West Boca head coach Dylan Potts holds up the FSHAA 6A Football Championship trophy following their victory over Osceola on Friday, Dec.

By DAVID BAUDER Time magazine gave Donald Trump something it has never done for a Person of the Year designee: a lengthy fact-check of claims he made in an accompanying interview. Related Articles National Politics | Trump hosts Apple CEO at Mar-a-Lago as big tech leaders continue outreach to president-elect National Politics | Trump’s lawyers rebuff DA’s idea for upholding his hush money conviction, calling it ‘absurd’ National Politics | Trump wants to turn the clock on daylight saving time National Politics | Ruling by a conservative Supreme Court could help blue states resist Trump policies National Politics | A nonprofit leader, a social worker: Here are the stories of the people on Biden’s clemency list The fact-check accompanies a transcript of what the president-elect told the newsmagazine’s journalists.

By CLAIRE RUSH PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Googly eyes have been appearing on sculptures around the central Oregon city of Bend, delighting many residents and sparking a viral sensation covered widely by news outlets and featured on a popular late-night talk show. Related Articles National News | Trump hosts Apple CEO at Mar-a-Lago as big tech leaders continue outreach to president-elect National News | Court denies TikTok’s request to halt enforcement of potential US ban until Supreme Court review National News | Biden’s commutation in ‘kids for cash’ scandal angers some Pennsylvania families National News | Drones, planes or UFOs?