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7xm site (BPT) - The holidays bring a whirlwind of excitement, sales, and unfortunately also scams. Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Week mean increased online transactions, e-commerce traffic, and a heightened focus on fulfilling customer orders — all of which make small businesses, especially micro-businesses, prime targets for cybercriminals. According to Bank of America's Small Business Owner's Report , more than half of small business owners said cybersecurity threats have impacted their business. Unlike larger corporations with dedicated IT departments, many small and micro businesses lack proper security infrastructure, leaving them more vulnerable to and harmed by threats. A single scam or breach can be costly and can put a business behind during the busy holiday season. Scammers know how to exploit the season's hustle and bustle. But don't let the Grinch steal your seasonal success — arm yourself with these tips from the pros at Norton Small Business to stay protected and keep the holiday cheer intact. The Naughty List: Common Holiday Cyber Scams In today's digital-first world, cybersecurity is no longer optional — it's a necessity. With cyber threats evolving constantly, safeguarding your business requires vigilance, informed employees, and robust practices. Investing in cybersecurity tools is a simple way to address these concerns. The Nice List: 7 Cyber Safety Tips for the Holidays In a world where scams are harder to detect it is good to have extra help. Owners and employees can check in real time if something might be a scam with the free Norton Genie app . With a simple screen shot, this AI-powered scam detection tool can tell you if a text message, social media post, email or website message is likely to be a scam, what makes the content suspicious, and what to do next. Beyond just protecting your systems, it's essential to build trust with your customers by showing them that your business takes cybersecurity seriously. Displaying security badges on your website, being transparent about how customer data is protected, and offering secure payment options can go a long way in fostering customer confidence and retention. The holidays are a time of opportunity for both small businesses and scammers. By adopting these best practices, you can protect your business, your customers, and your peace of mind this season. Think of Norton Small Business as your holiday helper, protecting your devices and data while you focus on operating your business. With easy setup and robust features, it's your always-on IT department working 24/7 to protect your business and employees. Visit https://us.norton.com/products/small-business for more information.By Stephanie Lai and Hadriana Lowenkron, Bloomberg News Donald Trump says he is selecting venture capitalist David Sacks of Craft Ventures LLC to serve as his artificial intelligence and crypto czar, a newly created position that underscores the president-elect’s intent to boost two rapidly developing industries. “David will guide policy for the Administration in Artificial Intelligence and Cryptocurrency, two areas critical to the future of American competitiveness. David will focus on making America the clear global leader in both areas,” Trump said Thursday in a post on his Truth Social network. Trump said that Sacks would also lead the Presidential Council of Advisors for Science and Technology. In Sacks, Trump is tapping one of his most prominent Silicon Valley supporters and fundraisers for a prime position in his administration. Sacks played a key role in bolstering Trump’s fundraising among technology industry donors, including co-hosting an event at his San Francisco home in June, with tickets at $300,000 a head. He is also closely associated with Vice President-elect JD Vance, the investor-turned-Ohio senator. Sacks is a venture capitalist and part of Silicon Valley’s “PayPal Mafia.” He first made his name in the technology industry during a stint as the chief operating officer of PayPal, the payments company whose founders in the late 1990s included billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk and investor Peter Thiel. After it was sold to eBay, Sacks turned to Hollywood, where he produced the 2005 satire Thank You for Smoking. Back in Silicon Valley, he founded workplace communications company Yammer, which was bought by Microsoft Corp. in 2012 for $1.2 billion. He founded his own venture capital firm, Craft Ventures, in 2017 and has invested in Musk-owned businesses, including SpaceX. Sacks said on a recent episode of his All-In podcast that a “key man” clause in the agreements of his venture firm’s legal documents would likely prevent him from taking a full-time position, but he might consider an advisory role in the new administration. A Craft spokeswoman said Sacks would not be leaving Craft. In his post, Trump said Sacks “will safeguard Free Speech online, and steer us away from Big Tech bias and censorship.” Protecting free speech is a keen interest of Sacks. He regularly speaks about “woke” interests that try to muzzle unpopular opinions and positions. Crypto czar The new post is expected to help spearhead the crypto industry deregulation Trump promised on the campaign trail. The role is expected to provide cryptocurrency advocates a direct line to the White House and serve as a liaison between Trump, Congress and the federal agencies that interface with digital assets, including the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Trump heavily campaigned on supporting crypto, after previously disparaging digital assets during his first White House term, saying their “value is highly volatile and based on thin air.” The president-elect on Thursday said Sacks would “work on a legal framework so the Crypto industry has the clarity it has been asking for, and can thrive in the U.S.” During the campaign, Trump spoke at a Bitcoin conference, accepted crypto campaign donations and met with executives from Bitcoin mining companies and crypto exchanges multiple times. Trump’s desire to give priority to the digital asset industry is also reflected in his close allies and cabinet selections, including his Commerce secretary pick, Howard Lutnick, and Treasury secretary nominee Scott Bessent. AI tech On the AI front, Sacks would help Trump put his imprint on an emerging technology whose popular use has exploded in recent years. Sacks is poised to be at the front lines in determining how the federal government both adopts AI and regulates its use as advances in the technology and adoption by consumers pose a wide array of benefits as well as risks touching on national security, privacy, jobs and other areas. The president-elect has expressed both awe at the power of AI technology as well as concern over the potential harms from its use. During his first term, he signed executive orders that sought to maintain US leadership in the field and directed the federal government to prioritize AI in research and development spending. As AI has become more mainstream in recent years and with Congress slow to act, President Joe Biden has sought to fill that void. Biden signed an executive order in 2023 that establishes security and privacy protections and requires developers to safety-test new models, casting the sweeping regulatory order as necessary to safeguard consumers. A number of technology giants have also agreed to adopt a set of voluntary safeguards which call for them to test AI systems for discriminatory tendencies or security flaws and to share those results. Trump has vowed to repeal Biden’s order. The Republican Party’s 2024 platform dismissed Biden’s executive order as one that “hinders AI Innovation, and imposes Radical Leftwing ideas on the development of this technology.” Musk ties Sacks can be expected to work closely with Musk, the world’s richest person and one of the president-elect’s most prominent supporters. Musk is also a player in the AI space with his company xAI and a chatbot named Grok — efforts which pit him against Silicon Valley’s giants — and he stands to wield significant influence within the incoming administration. The appointment won’t require Sacks to divest or publicly disclose his assets. Like Musk, Sacks will be a special government employee. He can serve a maximum of 130 days per year, with or without compensation. However, conflict of interest rules apply to special government employees, meaning Sacks will have to recuse himself from matters that could impact his holdings. Strong opinions Sacks’s Craft Ventures is known more for enterprise software investing than for crypto, but it has made a few crypto investments, including BitGo and Bitwise. Still, Sacks has firm opinions on the sector. Speaking last month on All-In, Sacks praised a bill on crypto regulation that had passed in the U.S. House but not the Senate earlier this year. The Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act would regulate certain types of digital assets as a commodity, regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. “The crypto industry basically wants a really clear line for knowing when they’re a commodity and they want commodities to be governed, like all other commodities, by the CFTC,” he said on the November podcast. He also disparaged some of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s positions on crypto under its chair, Gary Gensler. “The days of Gensler terrifying crypto companies,” he said. “Those days are about to be over.” Earlier this week, Trump nominated crypto advocate Paul Atkins to lead the SEC. With assistance from Zoe Ma, Bill Allison, Sarah McBride, Anne VanderMey and stacy-marie ishmael. ©2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins suffered a knee injury during the second quarter of Monday night's game against his former team, the Baltimore Ravens, and did not return. Dobbins had 40 yards on six carries before being injured. The Ravens drafted Dobbins in the second round in 2020 but he missed most of two seasons with injuries. He signed a one-year deal with the Chargers during the offseason. Dobbins entered the game third in the AFC in rushing with 726 yards and was averaging 4.8 yards per carry. He has been considered among the candidates for Comeback Player of the Year after suffering a torn Achilles tendon in last season's opener.UK ticket holder scoops whopping £177million EuroMillions jackpot as they bag third biggest National Lottery win everLOS ANGELES (AP) — Defending national champion South Carolina women defeated by UCLA 77-62 for their first loss since the 2023 Final Four.

Momentary distractionsWhy Are Ulta (ULTA) Shares Soaring TodayCutting in line? American Airlines’ new boarding tech might stop you at now over 100 airports

Hyderabad: As the drive against drunk driving continues, 193 offenders were arrested by Cyberabad police on Saturday, November 23. According to reports, a total of 160 two-wheelers, 6 three-wheelers, and 27 four-wheelers were seized. Among the offenders, 19 individuals had blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) ranging from 200 mg/100 ml to 550 mg/100 ml. All offenders will be presented before the court for further legal proceedings. Drunk driving is a punishable offence under Section 185 of the MV Act, with penalties including a fine of up to Rs. 10,000 and/or imprisonment for up to six months. Repeat offenders face the suspension of their driving licenses for a minimum of three months or permanently. Around 13,933 motorists have been booked by Hyderabad police for drunk driving between August 24 and November 21, with violators facing fines, imprisonment and suspension of licences. According to reports, 824 drunk drivers were sentenced to jail ranging from one to 10 days. Additionally, 227 drivers were sentenced to complete two days of social service. The regional transport office (RTO) also suspended 99 driving licenses for periods between two to six months, based on the orders of magistrates. Further, the courts imposed a hefty fine for drunk driving totalling Rs 2,87,20,600 on all violators during this period. The Hyderabad traffic police emphasized the dangers of drunk driving pointing out that alcohol impairs vision, reduces caution, and encourages risky behaviour, all of which can lead to accidents, often with fatal consequences.

DNC chair election foreshadows fight for party’s futureMAI Capital Management Purchases 367 Shares of iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF (NYSEARCA:IHI)FRIDAY, Dec. 6, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Faced with rising cases of bird flu virus being detected in raw milk in California, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Friday announced it would mandate testing for the virus in milk nationwide. The National Milk Testing Strategy (NMTS) "builds on measures taken by USDA and federal and state partners since the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza [HPAI] H5N1 in dairy cattle was first detected in March 2024," the agency said in a statement . Any entity that handles pre-pasteurized raw milk -- milk processors and transporters, for example -- must hand over samples for testing to USDA staff upon request. According to the USDA, this could be an efficient way to identify herds infected with H5N1. As of Thursday, 718 cattle herds nationwide are known to be infected with the avian flu virus. The new testing initiative "will give farmers and farmworkers better confidence in the safety of their animals and ability to protect themselves, and it will put us on a path to quickly controlling and stopping the virus’ spread nationwide," U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in the USDA statement. The move comes only a few days after a California dairy farm said it was expanding its recall of raw milk and cream after state health officials discovered bird flu virus in more milk samples. In a notice posted Tuesday, Fresno-based Raw Farm LLC said it has now recalled all whole milk and cream products with "use by" dates of Nov. 27 to Dec. 13. Meanwhile, California health officials took additional steps to keep consumers safe, including quarantining the farm. "While this voluntary recall only applies to raw whole milk and cream, due to multiple bird flu detections in the company's operation, the California Department of Public Health [CDPH] urges consumers to avoid consuming any Raw Farm products for human consumption including raw milk, cream, cheese,and kefir, as well as raw milk pet food topper and pet food kefir marketed to pet owners," the CDPH said in a health alert posted Tuesday. "In addition to the statewide voluntary recall, CDFA [California Department of Agriculture] has placed the farm under quarantine, suspending any new distribution of its raw milk, cream, kefir, butter and cheese products produced on or after November 27," the agency added. No human bird flu cases linked to the consumption of raw milk products have been confirmed at this point, the CDPH noted. Unlike raw milk, pasteurized milk is heat-treated to kill off any viruses and remains safe to drink. More from this section The latest actions follow recalls of two lots of Raw Farm products after bird flu was first reported in raw milk samples on Nov. 24. Bird flu first surfaced in U.S. dairy cows in March. Since then, the virus has been spreading across the country, particularly in California, where nearly 500 of the more than 700 infected herds nationwide have been detected, the Associated Press reported. So far this year, the virus has infected 58 people in the United States, including 31 in California, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Mild illnesses have been seen in dairy and poultry workers who had close contact with infected animals. No cases of bird flu spreading between people have been detected so far, the agency added. In a statement posted to its website, Raw Farm officials said they were working to restore raw milk supply quickly. “There are no illnesses associated with H5N1 in our products. But rather this is a political issue,” the post stated. “There are no food safety issues with our products or consumer safety. We are working towards resolving this political issue while being cooperative with our government regulatory agencies.” Any move to restrict public access to raw milk could be challenged by the incoming Trump administration, however. Robert Kennedy Jr., who has long criticized crackdowns on raw milk, has been nominated to run the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and has vowed to push for greater distribution of raw milk products. More information The CDC has more on bird flu . SOURCE: U.S. Department of Agriculture, news release, Dec. 6, 2024; California Department of Public Health, news release, Dec. 4, 2024; Associated Press A California dairy farm has issued a full recall of its raw milk and cream after bird flu was discovered in more milk samples.