Vivek Ramaswamy doubled down on DOGE's calls to eliminate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.He wrote on X that the CFPB overstepped its authority with its recent rule to limit overdraft fees.The CFPB's rule still allows banks to charge overdraft fees, and the bureau has previously pushed back on DOGE's claims.Vivek Ramaswamy is pointing to a government agency's latest rule to give Americans banking relief as an example of why the office should be eliminated.Ramaswamy, who Donald Trump chose along with Elon Musk to make spending cut recommendations with a new Department of Government Efficiency, posted on X on Thursday that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has exceeded its authority with its recent rule to limit overdraft fees."The new administration can & should nullify this overreach, but we must go further: this latest gambit of the CFPB is just a symptom of a deeper (and unconstitutional) cancer of unelected bureaucrats substituting their policy judgments for those of Congress," Ramaswamy said. "That's un-American & needs to end."While DOGE is an advisory commission and does not have the power to eliminate agencies or cut spending on its own, it is in the position to make recommendations. Now both leaders have said the Trump administration should "delete CFPB," as Musk said in November.Ramaswamy's post refers to a rule the CFPB finalized on December 12 that would require banks to limit overdraft fees the amount charged to customers when they attempt to spend more than their balance. The agency estimated that the new rule would save Americans up to $5 billion each year, or $225 per household."The CFPB has heard from tens of thousands of Americans who are sick and tired of paying billions in junk fees," Allison Preiss, a CFPB spokesperson, told Business Insider in a statement. "This rule is common sense and long overdue, and it's unclear why big banks are scared to be transparent with their customers about the interest rate they're charging on overdraft loans."The rule updates federal regulations for banks with over $10 billion in assets, including major institutions like Bank of America and Capitol One. Banks can now choose between two options to address overdraft fees: They could implement a $5 cap on fees, or they could set their fee at an amount necessary to cover the bank's costs and losses. Banks earning profits off of overdraft fees would also be required to disclose the terms of the fees, as they already do with credit cards and other types of loans.The CFPB took action against Wells Fargo in 2022 after the bureau said it charged consumers surprise overdraft fees, which resulted in $205 million in refunds to impacted consumers. Other federal agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Transportation, have also taken steps to ban hidden and excessive fees.The CFPB is no stranger to criticism. The Supreme Court in May rejected a conservative-led lawsuit that sought to dismantle the CFPB's funding structure. The lawsuit argued that Congress should have to approve annual funding for the agency rather than it receiving fundingAlong with the CFPB, Trump, Musk, and Ramaswamy have called for eliminating other federal agencies including the Education Department, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Environmental Protection Agency.It's unclear how far DOGE will succeed in its efforts to eliminate agencies like the CFPB. However, Rohit Chopra, the head of the CFPB, warned Musk and Ramaswamy in an interview earlier this month with MSNBC that axing the agency is "begging for a financial crisis" and would have dire consequences."I don't understand why people would want financial crime," Chopra said, "and if they say it's duplicative, who else will do it?"

By AJ Dellinger Published December 26, 2024 | Comments (0) | A Russian shadow fleet tanker, Turbo Voyager, in the Baltic Sea. Carsten Snejbjerg/Bloomberg via Getty Images An undersea power cable that runs between Finland and Estonia was disconnected on Christmas Day. Finland is pretty sure that Russia is to blame. On Thursday, Finnish authorities boarded an oil tanker that is part of Russias shadow fleet used to dodge sanctions and that just so happened to be spotted passing over the EstLink 2 underwater cable as it stopped working, according to the Financial Times. Per The Guardian, the incident happened at 12:26 pm local time on Wednesday, and Arto Pahkin, Finlands head of operations for the electricity grid, immediately said sabotage could not be ruled out. Finnish authorities have also confirmed that damage was caused to at least three other cables, potentially part of the same incident. This led to the seizure of Eagle S, an oil tanker registered to the Cook Islands but believed to belong to Russia. The ships tracking data suggests it was carrying oil from Russia to Egypt, but apparently made room to cause some chaos along the route. Authorities believe the ships anchor, which could not be found on the ship, was used to cut the cables. The Eagle S is believed by authorities to be part of Russias shadow fleet, which the country has been using since the start of its war with Ukraine to evade Western sanctions. The fleet consists of old, rickety vessels that Russia obscures its ownership of using a variety of techniques including labyrinthian management structures, frequent cargo transfers between vessels, falsified information, identification system blackouts, and other schemes. Its believed the country operates about 600 ships as part of its off-the-books oil business. Because many of these ships carry oil and are poorly maintained, they often violate modern safety standards and ignore regulations, resulting in additional harm including oil spills.The Christmas Day cable cutting is just the latest in a series of incidents in which undersea cables connecting NATO countries have been severed. Last month, two fiber-optic cables in the Baltic Seaone running between Finland and Germany, another connecting Lithuania and Swedenwere cut. Those, too, were believed to be the work of Russias shadow fleet, which has made a habit of hanging out near critical infrastructure in the Baltic and North Seas, according to the New York Times. While the attacks on these cables have yet to result in any tangible disruption, it has led to an uptick in concern about how this underwater infrastructure could be targeted in future conflicts. Reports have suggested that China has utilized similar tactics in the past, using boat anchors to damage undersea cables. Its a relatively easy attack to carry out, as most of the cables are about as thick as a garden hose and sit exposed on the sea floor. Countries are exploring additional protections for these key pieces of connectivity to prevent future attacks.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By Matthew Gault Published December 10, 2024 By Matthew Gault Published November 21, 2024 By Matthew Gault Published November 19, 2024 By Todd Feathers Published October 29, 2024 By Matthew Gault Published October 8, 2024 By Passant Rabie Published October 1, 2024

A pet cat in Oregon has died from bird flu after eating raw cat food that tested positive for H5N1. Its the latest worrying development in the ongoing spread of bird flu among animals and humans this year. The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA)announced the cats death Thursday. The death comes after a bird flu outbreakat Washingtons Wild Felid Advocacy Center this month. The outbreak killed 20 big cats, including African servals, bobcats, and cougars. According to ODA officials, the house cat tested positive for a H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, that was genetically identical to viruses found in samples of raw and frozen pet food sold by the company Northwest Naturals. While no human cases tied to the pet food have emerged as of yet, the company has issued a voluntary recall of its affected products. We are confident that this cat contracted H5N1 by eating the Northwest Naturals raw and frozen pet food, said ODA State Veterinarian Ryan Scholz in a department statement. This cat was strictly an indoor cat; it was not exposed to the virus in its environment, and results from the genome sequencing confirmed that the virus recovered from the raw pet food and infected cat were exact matches to each other.Northwest Naturals has issued a voluntary recall of its Northwest Naturals brand 2lb Feline Turkey Recipe raw & frozen pet food. The company is specifically recalling its 2-pound plastic bags with Best if used by dates of 05/21/26 B10 and 06/23/2026 B1. The products were sold nationwide in the U.S. H5N1 bird flu has become a serious public health concern lately, thanks to continued outbreaks in wild birds and poultry, as well as the emergence of H5N1 and other avian influenza strains in dairy cows and other mammals this year. As ofearly December, outbreaks of H5N1 among dairy cows have occurred in 16 states this year. More than 60 human cases of H5N1 in the U.S. have been documented in 2024, most linked to contact with infected cows or poultry. Cats, too, have been caught in the crossfire. There have been several outbreaks of bird flu among both domestic cats and wild big cats at zoos and animal sanctuaries this year, in the U.S. and elsewhere.H5N1 cases in domestic cats have largely been traced back to cats drinking contaminated unpasteurized, or raw, milk, either while living on dairy farms or from drinking commercially sold products. Plenty of research has indicated that raw milk can be a viable transmission route for spreading bird flu to humans as well. There have been other recent cases of H5N1 in cats traced back to improperly sterilized raw food, though this appears to be the first such case detected in the U.S. The silver lining is that no other H5N1 cases have been tied back to the Oregon cat or to the pet food (one human case of H5N1 was reported in the state this year, though it wasnt connected to dairy cows or milk). On December 11, Oregons Department of Agriculture announced that it would test milk from every commercial dairy in the state as a precautionary measure against the spread of bird flu; that decision came on the heels of hundreds of confirmed bird flu cases across 16 states, including from dairy cattle herds in Idaho, Nevada, and California.While human cases of H5N1 this year have largely been mild so far (though not all), some research has suggested that H5N1 is especially dangerous to felines. And the longer these viruses are allowed to circulate between cows, cats, humans, and other mammals, the greater the risk that a nightmare, pandemic-ready strain will eventually emergeone that can spread quickly between humans and cause widespread disease and death. H5N1 isnt the only potential danger that might come from eating raw pet food, Oregon health officials note. These products also have a higher risk of containing other nasty germs such as Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli bacteria.

Lucasfilm is gifting its fans two presents this holiday season: new episodes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew on both Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. On the one hand, its awesome because many of us are home and able to watch. On the other hand, its a bit less awesome if you write about the show for work and arent working those days. So, thats why this weeks recapand next weekswill be a day late. Our apologies. But we like to think of those days off as a visit to the planet of Lanupa. A time and place to relax, rejuvenate, and, in the case of Skeleton Crew, search for a pirates lair like something straight out of The Goonies. Lets discuss episode five, You Have a Lot to Learn About Pirates. By this point, we basically know what were going to get on Skeleton Crew. Every week the crew goes to a new planet to find a new clue helping them get back to At Attin. And this week was no exception. After a way-too-easy turn back to the good side for droid SM-33, he reveals the location of At Attin is hidden in his old bosss vault. His name was Captain Tak Rennod, a name that immediately sparks Jods fancy. According to him, Rennod was the most ruthless pirate ever, a man who killed his entire crew searching for the treasure of At Attin. In Rennods secret lair, located under Skull Ridge Mountain, the crew can find the way home.SM-33 remembers Skull Ridge Mountain, located on the planet Lanupa, as a brutal place but now its an adults-only luxury hotel and spa. Which is super quirky in a Star Wars sense while also speaking to just how long ago Rennods adventure took place. Because, lets not forget, the kids found Rennods shipfinally officially confirmed as the Onyx Cinder though Lego told us that months agoburied underground on At Attin with everyone dead. We still are very curious about what happened with all of that. Pokkit, played by Kelly Macdonald Lucasfilm After some goofy but welcome hijinks at the hotel, Jod and the crew find themselves searching the underground spas of Lanupa for Rennods lair. We see all manner of cool Star Wars aliens, including a very gross, very hungry Hutt. Jod also runs into a bounty hunter named Pokkit (Kelly Macdonald from Brave and Trainspotting) who knows Jod as Dash Zentin. Thats at least his fourth alias which, of course, just raises more red flags about the character. Pokkit calls in his bounty and Jods former crew, led by Brutus, are dispatched to Lanupa. And so the race begins. Will the pirates find Jod and the crew or will they find the lair?Heres where Skeleton Crew went full Goonies. After befriending a massive squid-type creature named Cthallops, they break through the ground and find themselves on a booby-trapped path to the treasure. You know, just like when the Goonies broke through the floor and had to follow a booby-trapped path to a treasure. Both had skeletons on the ground, both had liquid pools to traverse, both had anti-gravity spike chambers. No, wait, just Skeleton Crew had that. But nevertheless, the similarities are numerous, down to the actual treasure trove itself, which is also booby-trapped. Like The Goonies, the group does find that treasure room and its chock full of cool stuff. Wim even spots a real lightsaber. Soon, they access a dataport and 33 is able to find the location of At Attin and a recording of Rennod. Hes clippy, so we dont get to really see who he is, but the brief look seems to show a cowboy hat, giving Cad Bane vibes. Rennods message also reveals what, specifically, the treasure is on At Attin: the last Old Republic mint. Meaning, you can make your own money. (Also of note, the credits list Rennods performance coming from Colin Follenweider, who is also Jude Laws stunt double. Could Jod be related to Rennod? Well see.)Jod gets a lightsaber Lucasfilm That revelation changes everything for Jod. Closer to the treasure than ever before, he challenges Fern for the title of captain. She bravely tries to fight back, but his Force powers are too strong. Then, in what is set up to be one of those unforgettable Star Wars hero moments, Wim takes out the lightsaber. Hes about to fulfill every single dream and fantasy hes ever had. But, when he ignites it, its upside down and it flies away. Jod tells 33 to capture the crew, but they make a quick escape, as Jod grabs the lightsaber. Our biggest takeaway from Skeleton Crew episode five is just how much fun can be had within this story. Yes, there are some moments of pausesuch as Wim being homesick and his father, back on At Attin, desperately trying to do something. But more so, we just love seeing this group traversing the galaxy, solving puzzles, getting into trouble, and slowly figuring out this mystery. The mystery of why At Attin is so hidden, what the people actually doing there, and who the heck is this pirate Force-user Jod Na Nawood? And if it means we meet new aliens and bounty hunters on exciting new planets along the way? All the better.You can stream the first five episodes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew on Disney+. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

Blue House / studio gamp!Save this picture! Lorenzo ZandriHousesMontefiascone, ItalyArchitects: studio gamp!AreaArea of this architecture projectArea:333 ftYearCompletion year of this architecture project Year: 2021 PhotographsPhotographs:Lorenzo ZandriManufacturersBrands with products used in this architecture project Manufacturers: Fiandre, Artemide, IPF, Irsap, Mutina, Pecchioli Firenze, PorotonMore SpecsLess SpecsSave this picture!Save this picture!Text description provided by the architects. The architectural firm gamp! has finished planning two Villas in Montefiascone. Two houses, one for the clients themselves, and one for their friends to use during weekends and holidays. Three houses - two above ground and a third underground - which were designed on the renovation of two tuff buildings dedicated to the deposit of agricultural machinery and from which the sediment was inspired, stand in the Tuscia land-scape, a gentle countryside, dotted with tall oaks. The architects explain that "the idea was to imagine simple, almost archetypical, houses, which would blend harmoniously with the almost intact landscape of the Tuscia without altering its balance, retracing an established image, without giving up on the characteristics of a modern project."Save this picture!Though spatially fluid, the architecture is rigorous in its functional organization and is able to open the interior space to the exterior space thanks to the accurate positioning of the windows, as well as the predisposition of spaces toward outdoor life. The first two houses present a pitched roof, the third has a garden roof; in all three the existence of a chimney is made evident by its dimensions. "These are apparently traditional houses, though we have played with their geometries through slight deformations and through the way they rest upon the ground; particularly in the light blue house the planimetric deformation, which is visible in the living room, makes the space ever-changing and lacking symmetry".Save this picture!Save this picture!Save this picture!Wanting the houses to fit harmoniously into the landscape brought the architects to choose traditional materials, terracotta, trowelled plaster, travertine, and stone for the exterior; stoneware, ceramic, and wood for the interior, guaranteeing durability and easy maintenance, "and especially giving the architecture the capacity to absorb the passing of time, a characteristic we like to think belongs to good architecture".Save this picture!The use of traditional material corresponds to a not so usual positioning of them: the recycled terracotta tiles completely cover the smallest house, from the walls to the ceiling, in the light blue house the wainscoting climbs up the walls; on the inside, stoneware and ceramic come up the walls and fireplaces to draw translucent diaphragms and volumes. The surrounding landscape is dotted with simple metal gazeboes, which define a sort of hypothetical building, "a counter alter to the commodity of the internal living space".Save this picture!Project gallerySee allShow lessAbout this officestudio gamp!OfficeMaterialsConcreteBrickMaterials and TagsPublished on December 26, 2024Cite: "Blue House / studio gamp!" 26 Dec 2024. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/982003/blue-house-studio-gamp&gt ISSN 0719-8884Save!ArchDaily?You've started following your first account!Did you know?You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.Go to my stream

Continuum 2025 now supports the Fusion page inside of Da Vinci Resolve. In this short tutorial, Nick Harauz walks through the process of keying and compositing a greenscreen shot using multi-input effects and how to achieve a smooth workflow. // K E Y P O I N T S //* In Continuum 2025, effects are now fully supported in Resolve's Fusion Page. * Work with Primatte Studio in the Fusion Page to key a green screen shot* Discover how to use Color Link to quickly match colors between two media inputs.For more Continuum tips and training, visit borisfx.com or join the Discord channel.// U S E F U L L I N K S //Find out what Continuum has to offer: https://borisfx.com/products/continuum/ // D I S C O R D C H A N N E L //https://www.borisfxdiscord.com/ #resolve #VFX #keying #fusion

So you've got a PlayStation 5, but you're looking to take a break from the chaos of online play? Well lucky for you, the PS5 is chock-full of incredible singe-player experiences. Here are our picks for the 10 best ones.

Ever since Shanks first appearance at the very beginning of One Pieces story, fans have been speculating about the origins and true intentions behind Luffys previous mentor figure. With the character only rarely showing up in the story, yet still having a major impact on the world, so little information has been shared about the character that One Piece fans have to start filling in the blanks.

A classic Pokemon comes to life in the real world thanks to a fan who created an animatronic replica of Magnemite. The build serves as a lifelike recreation of one of the oldest creatures in the Pokemon franchise and elicited a heap of praise from other fans due to its detail.

Welcome, @lobsterturn25 ! A better place here on gamedev.net to recruit people for your hobby project is the Hobby Project Classifeds board. https://www.gamedev.net/forums/forum/29-hobby-project-classifieds/ Good luck with your project!