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New York man sentenced to 2 years for conspiring to steal GE trade secrets for China

2023-01-03T21:49:20Z

The General Electric Co. logo is seen on the company’s corporate headquarters building in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. July 23, 2019. REUTERS/Alwyn Scott

A New York man was sentenced on Tuesday to two years in prison for conspiring to steal General Electric Co’s (GE.N) trade secrets to benefit China, the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement.

Xiaoqing Zheng, 59, of Niskayuna, New York, was convicted of conspiracy to commit economic espionage following a four-week jury trial that ended in March last year, according to the Justice Department.

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Man who opened fire in Brooklyn subway pleads guilty to terrorism

2023-01-03T21:43:50Z

The man who set off smoke bombs on a crowded New York subway train before shooting 10 people last April in one of the most violent attacks ever seen on the city’s transit system pleaded guilty on Tuesday to terrorism and weapons charges.

Frank James, 63, appeared in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn and read aloud from a short statement confessing to the attack on a Manhattan-bound N train on April 12, for which he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

“I got on the subway train that was carrying people,” said James, dressed in wrinkled khaki jail overalls and sitting at a table alongside his public defenders. “While I was on the train, I started shooting a firearm.”

James shot 10 passengers during the morning rush hour as the train headed to an underground station in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood, while another 13 people were injured in the ensuing panic, according to the police account. No one was killed.

In May, he had initially pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of committing a terrorist attack and other violence against a mass transportation system and using a firearm during a crime of violence.

In Tuesday’s statement to the court, James said he did not plan to kill anyone, intending only “serious bodily harm,” and said he would make “a complete statement expressing my remorse” at his later sentencing hearing.

Prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn rejected James’ account of his intent, telling the court that if he had gone to trial, the government could prove his intention was deadly.

Prosecutor Sara Winik told the court that the trajectory of the bullets showed James’s gunfire was aimed at his victims’ torsos because he was trying to kill them. She also said they would be able to prove that James had been planning the attack since 2017.

In a letter to the court last week, prosecutors said that if James demonstrated that he accepted responsibility for the crime, a prison sentence of 32 to 37 years would be appropriate under federal guidelines. If not, he could face 40 years to life.

Defense lawyers said the sentencing guidelines pointed to between 16-1/2 years and just over 18 years in prison.

Judge William Kuntz accepted James’ 11 guilty pleas, spoken in a voice that at times cracked.

The judge ordered the government’s probation department to complete a pre-sentencing report by July 4, but he did not set a date for sentencing.

James smiled with his two public defenders and shook their hands before U.S. marshals escorted him out of the courtroom to return him to the federal Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

Police apprehended James in Manhattan’s East Village neighborhood 30 hours after the attack and following a massive manhunt. Bystanders spotted the man and posted pictures of him to social media.

The New York Police Department (NYPD) said they initially linked James to the assault after finding keys to a rented U-Haul van left at the crime scene.

James, a native of the city’s Bronx borough with recent addresses in Philadelphia and Milwaukee, had nine prior arrests in New York and three in New Jersey, according to the NYPD. read more

Less than two months after James’ attack, a man was arrested in the fatal, unprovoked shooting of a man on a subway car crossing the Manhattan Bridge from Brooklyn into Manhattan. In June, another man was arrested on suspicion of pushing a woman onto the tracks of a subway station in the Bronx. read more

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Frank James, the suspect in the Brooklyn subway shooting walks outside a police precinct in New York City, New York, U.S., April 13, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

A New York police officer of the anti-terrorism unit patrols the 36th St. subway station, a day after a shooting incident took place in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, U.S., April 13, 2022. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
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Wharton professor Jeremy Siegel channels Warren Buffett in explaining the problem behind Tesla’s epic stock price decline

Wharton professor Jeremy SiegelWharton professor Jeremy Siegel is a long-time market commentator.

REUTERS/Steve Marcus

  • Jeremy Siegel used a quote from Warren Buffett to explain the problem behind Tesla’s epic stock price decline.
  • “It’s far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price, than a fair company at a wonderful price,” Buffett once said.
  • “The problem with Tesla was always the price, and I think that’s the bottom line,” Siegel said.

Tesla’s epic stock price decline has been jarring to many investors, but not Wharton professor Jeremy Siegel, who channeled Warren Buffett in explaining the problem behind the stock.

Tesla stock has erased just over $900 billion in market value over the past year, with the stock price falling more than 70% from its record high. The decline accelerated in recent months after CEO Elon Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion.

What might be confusing to some investors is the fact that as Tesla continues to decline, with the stock price down another 13% on Tuesday, the underlying business continues to grow at a fast clip.

Tesla announced fourth-quarter deliveries of just over 405,000 on Monday, falling short of Wall Street forecasts but representing year-over-year growth of 31%. For the full-year, the company delivered just over 1.3 million vehicles, representing year-over-year growth of 40%. 

But none of that matters, according to a Friday CNBC interview with Siegel.

“Warren Buffett said ‘fall in love with the price of a stock. Don’t fall in love with the company,” Siegel said. The full Buffett quote Siegel may be referring to is: “It’s far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price, than a fair company at a wonderful price.”

“The problem with Tesla was always the price, and I think that’s the bottom line,” Siegel said. 

When Siegel says “price” he is referring to Tesla’s valuation, which has been sky-high since it started producing profits in 2021.

According to data from YCharts, Tesla currently trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of about 25x, which is its lowest level ever. For much of 2022, Tesla traded at a valuation multiple of more than 60x, and it peaked at over 180x in late 2021.

“I’m old enough to remember when everyone fell in love with Polaroid in 1975 and sent it up to 95 times earnings,” Siegel said.

Polaroid was a “nifty fifty” stock, a term attributed to a group of large-cap, blue chip, US stocks that were seen by investors as immune to broader market woes in the 1960s and early 1970s. The fervor for these stocks sent their valuations to ranges so high that some never revisited those levels ever again, like Polaroid.

“Well, I don’t think Tesla is going to have the same fate as Polaroid, but every stock that was sent up over 50 times earnings performed extremely poorly in the future. It’s the price, it’s not the company that causes investors problems,” Siegel said. 

Read the original article on Business Insider
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Dollar General, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree are taking over the US with more new stores than any other retailer — and it reveals a shift in how Americans are shopping

Merchandise is displayed at the entrance to a Dollar General store near Bloomsburg.

Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

  • Dollar General announced more than 1,000 store openings in 2022, per company Coresight Research.
  • More customers turned toward discount deals due to inflation jacking up the prices of goods.
  • Other companies that opened many stores in 2022 include Aldi, Ross Dress For Less, and Five Below.

Shoppers in the US craved discounts in 2022.

With inflation rising to a 40-year high toward the end of last year, consumers looked for relief on their wallets any way they could get it — such as cutting their discretionary spending or trading down for private label items at grocery stores like Walmart.

And discount stores have reaped the benefits: Dollar General’s stock soared to an all-time high in November 2022, for example. 

Dollar General CEO Jeff Owen said in a quarterly earnings release in October 2022 that the company had seen a boost in customer traffic and sales, “all of which we believe are a testament to the strength of the value and convenience proposition we offer our customers.”

With so many people looking to save money, discount stores led the pack for retailers in opening new locations next year. As of late December 2022, there were 5,103 major US store openings announced last year, far outweighing the 2,603 announced store closures, according to data provided by research and advisory company Coresight Research. Discount retailers accounted for thousands of those openings.

From Dollar General to Five Below, here are the 10 companies that announced the most US store openings from the start of 2022 through December 30, according to Coresight Research.

1. Dollar General — 1,024 stores

dollar generalDollar General.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

2. Family Dollar — 393 stores

family dollarFamily Dollar.

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

3. Dollar Tree — 206 stores

Dollar Tree logo is seen on the shop in Streator, Illinois, on October 15, 2022.

Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

4. Five Below — 134 stores

five belowFive Below.

John Greim/Getty Images

5. TJX Companies — 133 stores

TJ MaxxT.J. Maxx.

Associated Press

6. Ace Hardware — 119 stores

ace hardwareAce Hardware.

Ken Wolter / Shutterstock.com

7. Burlington Stores — 113 stores

burlington storesBurlington.

John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images

8. Aldi — 109 stores

AldiAldi.

Joe Seer/Shutterstock

9. Ross Stores — 101 stores

Shoppers stand in front of Ross Dress for Less discount retail store in Miami Beach, Florida.Ross Dress For Less.

Jeff Greenberg/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

10. Signet Jewelers — 100 stores

Kay Jewelers Zales SignetSignet Jewelers is the parent company of Kay Jewelers and Zales Jewelers.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

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Markets are being rocked by the biggest macro storm in decades, and investors need to brace for volatility and persistent inflation, BlackRock warns

NYSE trader

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

  • A recession is coming and investors need to brace for a new period of volatility in 2023, BlackRock warned.
  • That’s because markets are still being rocked by the “biggest macro storm in decades,” strategists said in a note.
  • It also means the old investment strategy of buying-the-dip won’t work, and investors can’t rely on the Fed to buoy stocks as they did in the past.

Markets are being rocked by the biggest macro storm in decades, and investors need to brace themselves for volatility and persistent inflation in 2023, BlackRock strategists warned.

“Last year’s shocks were extreme, causing sharp stock and bond sell-offs,” strategists said in a note on Tuesday, pointing to factors like Russia’s war on Ukraine, ongoing supply-chain issues, and hawkish central bankers in the face of rising inflation. 

Those headwinds hammered stocks in 2022, with the S&P 500 posting its worst loss since 2008. Some market bulls are optimistic about a recovery as inflation cools and the Fed eases up on its rate hikes, but stocks are still dealing with the storm of macro pressures, strategists warned.

The conditions call for three investment lessons for the new year.

“First, widen the lens of possible scenarios and beware of inertia and other behavioral biases,” BlackRock said. “Second, factor in compensation for geopolitical risk. Third: We need a new investment playbook – the key theme of our 2023 Global Outlook. That means more frequent portfolio changes in the new regime of greater macro and market volatility.”

Investors hoping for the Fed to pull back on rate hikes are also likely to be disappointed, as central bankers won’t step in to buoy stocks.

BlackRock predicted that while inflation will keep cooling as spending patterns normalize and energy prices back off, it will persist above the Fed’s 2% target in coming years. 

“We see stock rallies built on hopes for rapid rate cuts fizzling. Why? Central banks are unlikely to come to the rescue in recessions they themselves caused to bring inflation down to policy targets,” the note warned.

Central bankers raised rates an aggressive 425-basis-points last year to rein in inflation, which cooled to 7.1% in November. Fed officials are waiting for the release of the November jobs report on Wednesday to guide their next policy move, but Powell has already signaled the central bank will keep monetary policy restrictive through 2023, with plans to hike rates to 5.1%.

A rate that high could easily overtighten the economy into a recession, experts say. BlackRock previously warned that a recession was already in the cards, although that hasn’t been fully priced into corporate earnings.

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China’s a ‘big wild card’ for oil prices as the hit from surging COVID cases has yet to be seen, energy expert Dan Yergin says

Energy historian Daniel YerginDaniel Yergin.

Getty Images

  • China is a “big wild card” for oil as the lifting of COVID curbs sends cases soaring, Dan Yergin said.
  • Nobody knows how bad the impact of so many infections will be on the economy, the energy expert said.
  • A slowdown in the world’s second-biggest economy would pull down demand and prices for crude oil.

China is “one big wild card on the upside that hangs over the oil market,” energy expert Daniel Yergin has said, as the country lifts its strict zero-COVID restrictions after nearly three years of lockdowns. 

After a wave of public protests, Beijing made an abrupt U-turn on its policy and relaxed curbs to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Those restrictions on businesses and people took a toll on economy activity in the country — but so could the easing of the measures, Yergin said.

“China is clearly reopening, but the reopening comes with disruption,” he said, according to a Nikkei Asia report Tuesday.

“No one knows how bad the impact of COVID will be on China, and the degree to which — although the lockdown has been lifted — the economy will still be depressed because there are so many infections,” the S&P Global vice chairman added.

Factory activity in the country shrank in December, a Caixin PMI survey showed Tuesday. The decline came alongside a big jump in new coronavirus cases, which scientists believe are reaching 1 million a day compared with the official figure of 4,000, The Guardian reported.

Manufacturing powerhouse China is typically a huge buyer of oil, and any fall in economic activity will mean a cut in demand for crude.

Tensions between China and Taiwan also stand to impact oil prices, according to Yergin.

If a crisis unfolds, “it would send huge shock waves through the world economy and create a panicky situation in the global energy market,” Yergin said, adding that crude prices would “go up dramatically.”

Crude oil prices have trended downward since reaching above $120 a barrel in June thanks to the fallout from Russia’s war on Ukraine. But they have revived somewhat recent weeks, adding about 13% in December as investors grew hopeful for a bounceback in Chinese demand. 

Brent crude, the international benchmark, were down 3% at $83.26 a barrel at last check Tuesday. US benchmark WTI crude futures was also 3% lower at $77.83 a barrel.

 

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Tweets Review at 5 p.m. [Inoreader digest]

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Tweets Review at 5 p.m.

created by Michael Novakhov  •  Jan 03 2023

Tweets Review at 5 p.m. EST Daily
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Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger arrives at court – Daily Mail ino.to/oNeLgTo
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Russia-Ukraine war latest updates: Anger in Russia over Donetsk strike – The Washington Post washingtonpost.com/world/2023/01/…
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Being at UNSC helps to form ‘axis of evil’

The fact of Russia being the UNSC member emerges as the only driver for it not to lose the authoritarian allies. At the same time, formal support that Russia is able to provide at the UN is not enough for the nations to respond by political and military assistance to the Kremlin, as they feel the risks it poses to their security and stability.

President Aleksandar Vučić of Serbia, on December 31, 2022, spoke against Russian Wagner Group, as they wanted to open the office in Belgrade. Vučić obviously has information on Wagner ties to radical groups in Serbia, and understands the Kremlin can implement its own scenario in the Balkans, with official Belgrade unable to affect it.Vučić chided Moscow for withdrawing Russian peacekeepers from Kosovo in the late 1990s and early 2000s, as a precaution.

Vučić says Belgrade should work closely with NATO, as Russia once left the Kosovo conflict. Serbian President, in other words, implicitly acknowledged Russia is unable to function as a peacekeeper, with NATO successful in ensuring regional security.

The key message by Vučić was that Serbia keeps working with Russia, as Russia helps the Serbs at the UN Security Council. Belgrade admitted that way it cooperates with Russia mainly because Russia is able to block UN resolutions.

Syria, North Korea, Yemen and Iran enjoy that kind of support by Russia today. Being a permanent member of the UN Security Council and having the right to veto are among three pillars that make Russia exist, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council says.

Congressmen Cohen and Wilson insisted that Russian invasion of Ukraine violates the goals and principles of the UN, that is why this country should be excluded from the Security Council.  President Charles Michel of the European Council also said Russia should be expelled from the Security Council for violating the UN Charter.

The Kremlin believes it is impossible to expel Russia from the Security Council, as it is not mandated by the UN Charter. China is not the one that would be in. Some arguments allow to make a decision without amending the UN Charter. Following the Soviet collapse, Russia did not pass the approval procedure for UN General Assembly membership, as the Security Council should have recommended that for a new state admitted. There is a precedent when the Czech Republic and Slovakia underwent this procedure following Czechoslovakia collapse. After Yugoslavia collapse, newly independent states also joined the UN with UN Security Council recommendations. Serbia, seeking to get a seat in the UN under the Russia succession scheme, had to pass the UNSC recommendation procedure, eventually.

That makes it possible, therefore, to call into question whether Russia is able to remain at the UN as a successor to ex-Soviet Union, with procedure ignored in December 1991.

US President Joe Biden has a slightly different approach to solving the veto issue, as Russia abuses it, having lost its image of ‘big state’ among the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council. He said the UN Security Council needs to be reformed when addressing the session of the General Assembly at the end of September 2022.

Shaping UN reform is the work for the US and its allies. The matter is to promote the UN General Assembly role, as the balance of power that has emerged is not in line with modern challenges. The General Assembly will act as a decision-making center at the UN, with more control over the Security Council, especially over the nations that abuse the veto. This reform should weaken Russia’s hand and reduce the number of its allies, as Russia protects them at the Security Council from being hit by international sanctions. The UN General Assembly will consider every single case of applying the veto and weigh this decision in terms of UN purposes and principles. Aside from that, the Security Council is planned to be expanded by new members to reconsider the status quo that emerged after WWII.

The most likely way to restore the UN efficiency, therefore, is to reform it, as US President Joe Biden and his allies are pushing forward. That means increased GA role, with more permanent and non-permanent representatives of the UN Security Council, allocated seats at the UNSC for regions that should be represented at the Security Council, and refraining from vetoing, except for rare, emergency cases.

That reform would add credibility to the UN system as a whole, and also make it impossible for Russia, as the UN Security Council permanent member, to be an ‘umbrella’ for other authoritarian governments that remain among Kremlin’s allies.

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Kevin McCarthy Fails to Win Speakership in Historic First Voting Rounds

For the first time in a century, the party in power failed to elect a Speaker of the House during its first two rounds of voting on Tuesday, as Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy struggled to stave off a rebellion from the most hardcore conservatives in his caucus, resulting in an imbroglio with no clear path forward.

The opening session of the 118th Congress began in historic tumult, when nineteen Republicans voted against the California lawmaker, who has been the odds-on favorite to lead the lower chamber. The internecine drama unfolded on the House floor despite McCarthy spending the holiday weekend capitulating to his party’s defectors on multiple fronts. On Sunday, for instance, he released a resolution that changed the House rules to give more leverage to his defiant detractors, allowing just five members the ability to oust the Speaker.

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But those concessions came to no avail. In both rounds of voting, the Democratic leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, garnered more votes than his GOP counterpart, leaving open the possibility that the leader of the minority party could win the speakership on a plurality vote if Republicans cannot reach a consensus. There could be many more rounds of voting to come. “This is what it is,” Republican Rep. Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania told TIME. “We have procedures to deal with this. We may be on the floor for a long time.”

It was a chaotic opening to the return of divided government in Washington, as House Republicans signaled with their leadership fight that they may not be able to accomplish even some basic responsibilities of the chamber in the coming months.

During the first vote, which took place shortly after 12 p.m., McCarthy lost the nearly 20 votes to a mishmash of candidates, including avowed opponents such as Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona and Jim Banks of Indiana. While both men were expected to draw the support from the party’s small band of McCarthy detractors, firebrand right-winger Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado drew murmurs throughout the ornate House gallery when she voted for Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, a McCarthy supporter. By the second round, which started a few hours later, the defectors consolidated around Jordan, the pugnacious Ohio legislator slated to be the next chair of the powerful House Judiciary Committee, who clinched 19 votes. Jordan himself voted for McCarthy—and encouraged his own colleagues to do so before the second round.

“We’re working to get Kevin elected,” Jordan told TIME outside the chamber, shortly before the voting began, describing a morning meeting with the House GOP caucus as “fine and, for the most part, productive.” He insisted that he was pushing for colleagues to circle the wagons behind McCarthy. “For 60 days, I’ve been trying to get them to support Kevin, but they’ve got their reasons.”

Those entreaties didn’t seem to work. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida nominated Jordan for Speaker on the second round of voting, right after Jordan nominated McCarthy. “Maybe the right person for the job of Speaker of the House isn’t someone who wants it so bad,” Gaetz proposed to his colleagues.

With Republicans holding only a slim 222-212 majority, McCarthy can only afford four defections. Some of those holdouts could vote “present” if they wanted to remain firm on their McCarthy antagonism but not propel forward a protracted conflict, sources say, but with Jeffries leading the total vote count, that could hand the speakership to a Democrat if the House moves to adopt a resolution to approve the speaker on a plurality line. That is, unless the GOP members can rally around one of their own. It’s a scenario that reflects the fragility of the fractured Republican governing coalition positioned to take the reins of the House.

The Republicans’ intra-party fighting stood in a marked contrast to the Democrats, who unanimously voted for Jeffries, with incoming members bringing their small children onto the House floor to help them cast their votes for Jeffries, who on Tuesday made history as the first ever Black American to receive the most votes for Speaker.

Read More: America Loves to Celebrate ‘Firsts’ Like Hakeem Jeffries. It Doesn’t Always Make It Easy for Them to Lead

“Democrats are unified and Republicans have become the chaos conference,” Democratic Rep. Lauren Underwood of Illinois told TIME.

Nevertheless, McCarthy’s supporters were steadfast throughout the day that, no matter how many rounds of voting it took, their pick would end up victorious. “There’s challenges right now, but in the end, McCarthy will be the Speaker,” Rep. Tim Walberg of Michigan told TIME. “I think ultimately the other side is going to break down and say, ‘We’ve lost, we don’t have the votes, and we have nobody to offer that has any ability to get near the votes.’”

A group of five hard-right lawmakers, most of whom are part of the House Freedom Caucus, have made their antipathy to a McCarthy speakership known for months. McCarthy, in their view, has been too willing to work with Democrats in the past and has contributed to a bloated federal government. In an attempt to unite his side of the aisle, McCarthy released a new rules package that included a five-member “motion to vacate,” which would render him vulnerable to disgruntled Republican legislators. That same measure also contained provisions to effectively gut the Office of Congressional Ethics, the independent ethics watchdog on Capitol Hill that was preparing to investigate members who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

That was not enough. Boebert on Tuesday morning demanded a single-member motion to vacate and Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania released a statement that McCarthy refused to acquiesce to their demands, thus relinquishing his opportunity to secure the speakership. He did not provide more details beyond that.

After the closed-door meeting this morning with the entire House GOP caucus, some members couldn’t wrap their arms around what concessions the defectors wanted from McCarthy that they had not already gotten. “There’s no clarity,” Thompson said.

Nor was there certainty that the next Speaker could be even decided by day’s end. The standoff could conceivably last for days. A third round of voting started around 4 p.m., but with Republicans still scrambling to resolve the stalemate, there appears to be no end in sight.

-With reporting by Jasmine Aguilera and Mini Racker/Washington

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What We Know So Far About Damar Hamlin’s Cardiac Arrest

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is still in critical condition at a Cincinnati hospital on Tuesday after going into cardiac arrest during a primetime game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night.

The football star’s heartbeat was restarted on the field by medical officials before he was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center for more testing and treatment, according to the Bills.

Hamlin’s collapse has horrified the nation, and led to the cancelation of the Monday Night Football game for the foreseeable future.

Here’s what to know so far.

Bills Bengals Football
Joshua A. Bickel—APBuffalo Bills players pray for teammate Damar Hamlin during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2, 2023.

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Damar Hamlin remains in critical condition

As the first quarter was ending, Hamlin tackled Bengals receiver Tee Higgins, who rammed into Hamlin at high speed. In the collision, Higgins’ helmet appeared to strike Hamlin around the head and chest. By most accounts, it was not an especially noteworthy, or violent hit in the context of the NFL.

Hamlin rose from the open-field tackle, but collapsed onto his back moments later.

Update on Damar:

His vitals are back to normal and they have put him to sleep to put a breathing tube down his throat. They are currently running tests.

We will provide updates as we have them.

— Jordon Rooney (@jordonr) January 3, 2023

The team’s trainers rushed to help Hamlin and an ambulance arrived within a few minutes, with medics performing CPR before he was taken to the nearby hospital.

Within 90 minutes, Hamlin’s vitals were stable and he’d been sedated and given a breathing tube, according to a tweet from Jordon Rooney, Hamlin’s self-identified marketing representative and friend.

In statements from the team on Tuesday, the Bills confirmed that Hamlin is in critical condition and undergoing further tests.

Announcement directly from Damar’s family: pic.twitter.com/MdzgxUmVfg

— Jordon Rooney (@jordonr) January 3, 2023

Rooney tweeted a statement from Hamlin’s family Tuesday morning that thanked the team, healthcare workers and football fans for their support. The statement said the family will release updates on Hamlin’s status as they come.

“On behalf of our family, we want to express our sincere gratitude for the love and support shown to Damar during this challenging time. We are deeply moved by the prayers, kind words, and donations from fans around the country.

We also want to acknowledge the dedicated first responders and healthcare professionals at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center who have provided exceptional care to Damar. We feel so blessed to be part of the Buffalo Bills organization and have their support. We also want to thank Coach Taylor and the Bengals for everything they’ve done.

Your generosity and compassion mean the world to use.

Please keep Damar in your prayers. We will release updates as soon as we have them.”

Football fans pray outside the University of Cincinnati Medical Center after Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin collapsed
Cara Owsley—USA Today Network/ReutersFootball fans pray outside the University of Cincinnati Medical Center after Buffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field during the Monday Night Football NFL showdown with the Bengals in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Jan. 2, 2023.

What is the NFL saying?

After Hamlin was driven out in an ambulance, officials consulted both teams’ coaches and decided to suspend the game, leaving both teams to file out of the field to the locker room.

With the Bengals leading 7-3, the game has been postponed indefinitely. The NFL has no current plans to resume the Bills-Bengals game and spokesperson Jeff Miller said the league will decide on that at an appropriate time.

Both the NFL and its players’ association expressed that their priority is Hamlin’s well-being and members from both the Bills and Bengals visited Hamlin in the hospital.

“Last night was supposed to be a great night for the NFL and a great showcase for our hometown. Instead, the human side of our sport became paramount… and in that moment, humanity and love rose to the forefront,” Mike Brown, Cincinnati Bengals’ owner said in a statement on Tuesday.

Bills Hamlin Injury Football
Greg M. Cooper—APBuffalo Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin leaves the field after an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, on Dec. 1, 2022, in Foxborough, Mass.

Who is Damar Hamlin?

Hailing from the Pittsburgh area, Hamlin was a high school football champion as a teenager and was pursued by several Division 1 football universities. Loyal to the Steel City, he said it was an easy choice when he decided to play for the University of Pittsburgh. Hamlin was named captain in his last season at Pitt. In 2021, he declared for the NFL draft and was chosen by the Bills in the sixth round.

In his second season, the 24-year-old made more appearances on the field this fall when he took over as starting safety. Standing at 6 feet and weighing 200 lbs., Hamlin played in all 15 games Bill games so far this season and has made 91 tackles.

Hamlin is known for his strong love and connection to his hometown, and in 2020 he started a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for a community toy drive. His initial fundraising goal was $2,500. As of last month, the campaign had just over $2,900 in donations, but since news of Hamlin’s injury spread, the campaign has now raised more than $3.8 million for children’s toys. With more than 147,000 donors, Bills fans have turned to donations as a way to show their support for Hamlin.

“As I embark on my journey to the NFL, I will never forget where I come from and I am committed to using my platform to positively impact the community that raised me,” Hamlin said in the GoFundMe’s description.

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