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Today β€” 2 February 2025Main stream

Luka Doncic snubs Mavericks in farewell note to Dallas fans after blockbuster trade

2 February 2025 at 15:37

Luka Doncic penned a farewell letter to Dallas Mavericks fans on Sunday, hours after the team traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers in a blockbuster that shook the NBA world.

The Lakers acquired Doncic and Maxi Kleber in a deal for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a draft pick. The Utah Jazz were also involved in the deal.

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Doncic is a five-time All-Star and five-time First Team All-NBA. He’s averaging 28.1 points per game.Β 

He was the face of the Mavericks since the team acquired him in the NBA Draft from the Atlanta Hawks. The 25-year-old is among the up-and-coming stars who are expected to be the face of the league – if not already are. It’s why the trade itself was incredibly stunning.

Doncic thanked the fans for their support. He made no mention of the team itself.

"Seven years ago, I came here as a teenager to pursue my dream of playing basketball at the highest level," Doncic wrote. "I thought I’d spend my career here and I wanted so badly to bring you a championship. The love and support you all have given me is more than I could have ever dreamed of. For a young kid from Slovenia coming to the U.S. for the first time, you made North Texas feel like home.

CHIEFS' PATRICK MAHOMES 'SICK' OVER MAVERICKS' LUKA DONCIC TRADE

"In good times and bad, from injuries to the NBA Finals, your support never changed. Thank you not only for sharing my joy in our best memories, but also lifting met up when I needed it most.

"To all the organizations I’ve worked with throughout the Dallas community, thank you for letting me contribute to your important work and join you in bringing light to those who need it. As I start the next part of my basketball journey, I am leaving a city that will always feel like a home away from home.

"Dallas is a special place, and Mavs fans are special fans.

"Thank you, from the bottom of my heart."

Doncic will now team up with LeBron James and the Lakers as they pursue another NBA championship.

"Grateful for this amazing opportunity," he added in a post to his Instagram Stories. "Basketball means everything to me, and no matter where I play the game, I’ll do so with the same joy passion and goal – to win championships."

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State Democrats are looking for ways to advance their priorities without help from Washington

2 February 2025 at 14:51
Colorado legislature.
Β Democratic lawmakers in Colorado are aiming to tackle a series of housing-related bills this year.

RJ Sangosti/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

  • Democrats are outnumbered in Congress.
  • Major policy debates among Democrats are instead unfolding in the states.
  • From housing to school lunches, state Democrats are finding ways to advance their agenda.

Before President Donald Trump took office for his second term, Democrats in state legislatures across the country began preparing themselves for an onslaught of conservative-driven policies.

As the new year began, Democrats in the states filed a flurry of bills addressing everything from minimum wage increases and price fixing to child poverty and medical leave to stave off Trump's expected initiatives.

Despite the preparation, Democrats were still alarmed, however, when the administration last week sought to freeze billions in federal funding.

Here's how state Democrats are seeking to advance their priorities against the prospect of federal funding fights.

An eye on housing affordability

Trump's campaign success rested largely on the economy, rallying his base and even some longtime Democratic voters to the GOP over inflation.

The potential of a funding freeze, however, could threaten critical housing assistance programs that have aided many Americans. The president's new tariffs on imports from Canada, China, and Mexico could also raise the cost of materials for construction, causing house prices to go up.

So Democrats in the states are trying to pass a series of laws focused on housing affordability.

In Colorado, legislative Democrats are debating a bill that would regulate rent-setting computer algorithms, which many lawmakers said have allowed housing prices to be artificially increased and, in turn, have provided more favorable rent prices to landlords.

A report issued by the Biden administration in December found that renters in Denver paid $136 more each month to landlords who used the computer algorithms. (The report has since been taken down from the White House website.)

Similar efforts are underway in California, New Jersey, and Virginia, which all have Democratic-controlled legislatures.

In Wisconsin, legislative Democrats have also introduced a bill to broaden the homestead tax credit, which gives property tax relief to lower-income renters and homeowners.

Tackling child poverty

In 2021, congressional Democrats muscled through an expanded Child Tax Credit as part of then-President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan β€” which directed monthly payments of $250 to $300 per child from July through December of that year.

However, an extension of the expanded Child Tax Credit failed to materialize due to opposition from then-Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. And there was inaction on the issue at the federal level during the final two years of Biden's terms.

Among the uncertainty caused by January's funding freeze order, many eyes turned to the National School Lunch Program, a federal program that provides low-cost or free lunches to schoolchildren.

Democratic lawmakers in Alaska, Washington, New York, and Virginia are looking to pass legislation that would make school breakfasts and lunches free for all public K-12 students.

While there's no guarantee that the school lunch bills will pass in every state, Democrats are positioned to pass many of their highest-profile priorities in the states. And legislative Democrats are set to play a huge role in how the party navigates Trump's second term.

"The Trump administration is leading with chaos and confusion while prioritizing billionaires over working families," Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Heather Williams told Business Insider in a statement.

"As families scramble to navigate the dysfunction and make ends meet, state Democrats are picking up Washington's mess and bringing real solutions forward to bring prices down," she said. "From boosting rental assistance to eliminating the cost of school meals, Democrats are laser-focused and leading the fight against the callous economic devastation threatened by Trump and Republicans."

Read the original article on Business Insider

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