Sabres at Sharks | How to watch, lineup notes, and storylines - NHL.comPush to salvage climate talks after poor nations bristle at cash
Furthermore, Russia's relationship with key regional players such as Saudi Arabia and Israel has also faced strains in recent years. While Moscow has sought to build partnerships with these countries to bolster its influence in the Middle East, diverging interests and conflicting alliances have created tensions that have threatened to derail these relationships. For example, Russia's support for Iran and its growing influence in the region has raised concerns in Riyadh and Tel Aviv, prompting them to seek closer ties with the United States and other Western allies to counterbalance Moscow's presence.None
Timothée Chalamet ‘Floored’ by Bob Dylan’s Reaction to New BiopicBy foreign affairs reporter Stephen Dziedzic , ABC When Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka opened a joint press conference with Lloyd Austin in a luxury hotel on his country's west coast at the weekend, he couldn't resist making a brief quip about just how extraordinary the US defence secretary's visit was. "We all pray it's not an indication that we are looking at some dangerous years ahead," the prime minister declared, with a small smile. "We are here to talk about peace, and how we guard, protect and promote that peace." Rabuka's comment neatly captured the mix of anticipation and trepidation that Pacific officials and leaders feel as they navigate the cross-currents created by major powers intent on entrenching their positions in the region. Austin had just become the first US defence secretary to pay a visit to the Pacific island nation, and his arrival in Fiji was a sign of the times. As China's military might continues to swell, the United States is responding by expanding its military presence across the Pacific, swivelling its focus back to countries and territories that its planners and strategists have long ignored. This isn't just in Melanesian nations like Fiji. The US is also rapidly expanding its arsenal and bases across Micronesia, where it already has an entrenched military presence. A smiling Rabuka, sporting a tie emblazoned with the Stars and Stripes, praised Austin and called his visit a "milestone". But Pacific leaders like Rabuka also know that protecting the peace is easier said than done. So why was the Secretary of Defence making this historic trip to Fiji? How is US military strategy shifting across the Pacific? Here is what it might mean for leaders and everyday people across the region. What did the US and Fiji agree on? There was plenty of pomp and fanfare in Nadi to mark the defence secretary's visit. Austin and Rabuka announced almost $5 million from the US to help support Fiji's military modernisation, and signed a new deal to bolster "bilateral logistics cooperation" - which will make it easier for the US to help Fiji during emergencies by quickly transferring things like fuel and medical supplies. The prime minister heaped praise on the announcements, saying American security assistance had long been indispensable. "Fiji has benefited greatly from the US Fiji defence relationship through many programs...that have enabled us to protect our borders and our marine resources, and has assisted us in tackling trans-national crime," he said. The two men also confirmed the two countries would begin negotiating a "status of forces" agreement, a legal pact that would help set rules and arrangements for US military personnel in Fiji. The defence secretary said that would pave the way for "increased exercises" and "military-to-military engagements" between the US and Fiji. "The [agreement] will enable us to deploy and re-deploy forces in support of Fiji. And help us train with the Fijians on a very routine basis," Austin said. Jennifer Parker, an expert associate at the National Security College, told the ABC that while the agreement was hardly unusual (the US has signed dozens of similar pacts with allies and friendly nations) it would still have strategic significance. "It's a clear sign that we'll likely see more US troops rotating through or visiting Fiji for exercises or for coastguard deployments," she said. But that doesn't mean the US will establish a permanent military base in Fiji, as it has in allied countries like the Philippines and Japan. Austin told journalists there was "no notion" of a permanent base, and the idea wasn't on the table during talks. "We did not have any discussions like that," he said. It's not just Fiji So why is the United States suddenly so intent on stepping up its efforts in Fiji, and why now? One big reason is Fiji's location. Jennifer Parker calls Fiji "really strategically important" because it sits on or near many of the vast maritime routes between Pacific ports used by warships and merchant vessels alike. "If you think about the protection of sea lines of communication across the Pacific, access to Fiji is pretty central to that," she said. For decades the United States hasn't been anxious about that access because it exercised overwhelming naval superiority across the Pacific. That's now changing. US defence planners know that China has now built a formidable navy capable of challenging US power in the region. Beijing has also worked assiduously to cultivate stronger security and commercial ties across the Pacific, and US leaders have publicly declared that China wants to leverage that to set up military bases across the region. Parker said while access to sea lines was "not being contested at the moment", the US is clearly "concerned" by China's increasing influence and is trying to buttress its own position. "This is about building greater US influence and greater US access in Fiji," she tells the ABC. It's not just Fiji. Last year the Biden administration struck a sweeping defence cooperation agreement with Papua New Guinea, while promising to help the country modernise and develop its defence forces. The US is also helping to redevelop the Lombrum Naval Base on Manus Island, although funding has been slow to flow. Anna Powles from Massy University says rising tensions between the US and China in Asia are "driving" increasing US defence engagement across the Pacific. "The US is seeking a series of security arrangements...to embed the bilateral relationship within the recipient country's security eco-system and facilitate the US military's ability to operate in the Pacific, including, for example, access to bases," she tells the ABC. She argues that if the US succeeds in that, it not only sends a "symbolic message" but will also help it project power through the Pacific. "All these agreements provide the US Navy with options in the Pacific, both in peacetime and, particularly, during a potential crisis." It's not just Melanesia If the United States is taking its first steps in Papua New Guinea and Fiji, it is moving with much greater speed and urgency in Pacific waters closer to China. The military is racing to upgrade, restore and expand facilities across multiple US Pacific territories, as well as in independent Pacific states that have "Compact" agreements tying them closely to Washington. US troops are clearing the jungle on Tinian Island in the Northern Marianas, restoring a vast World War II-era airfield not far from the major US military base on Guam. They've already rebuilt another WWII airfield in Palau on the island of Peleliu - where the US and Japan fought a vicious and bloody battle in 1944 - and are installing advanced new radar systems in other parts of the country. It's a similar story on the island of Yap in the Federated States of Micronesia, where the US hopes to extend yet another old airfield. Some details of the strategy might be classified but US planners and defence leaders are blunt about what they are doing, and why. If war breaks out, the US expects China will strike military targets in what defence planners sometimes call the "first island chain" closest to the Chinese mainland - including American bases in Japan and the Philippines. Both Guam and the Pacific Island bases that are being rapidly redeveloped are in what's sometimes called the "second island chain" - within China's reach, but harder and more taxing for it to strike. And if China succeeds in destroying or disabling the US base in Guam, the military wants to be able to send its troops, warships, planes and critical supplies to other facilities across the second island chain, to make sure it can keep on fighting. Jennifer Parker says if a full-scale conflict breaks out between the US and China in Asia, then US Pacific territories and bases in Micronesia could quickly become "critical". "If there was to be a conflict in the Indo-Pacific it's pretty clear that any US and allied forces in the first island chain would suffer significant losses and would need to be a fall back outside the first island chain," she said. "And the Pacific becomes critical in terms of being able to position and fight back, in a conflict scenario." A zone of peace? The expanding latticework of defence and policing agreements across the Pacific also sits uncomfortably with the rhetoric used by its leaders, most of whom preach for peace and non-alignment. For example Sitiveni Rabuka, who stood beside the US defence secretary on Saturday, has been championing the idea of an "Ocean of Peace" in the Pacific. Rabuka and other Pacific leaders - including those who have struck security arrangements with Beijing - seem confident they can square that circle, enjoying the benefits of security investments without risking being caught up in a regional conflagration or losing their sovereignty. But Anna Powles says there is still a "tension" between the rhetoric used by Pacific leaders and the security agreements they are increasingly signing off on. "There needs to be a wider conversation about what these potentially competing positions mean for Pacific countries and the region overall and what the obligations are of Pacific countries in a time of crisis," she says. Some civil society groups in the Pacific are also deeply uneasy about the way outside powers are trying to entrench their positions, saying it's driving a rapid militarisation of the Pacific. "Clearly there is an agenda that has been set," says Sharon Bhagwan, a prominent Fijian activist working on peace and security issues. "The question should be asked, should the investment really be about militarisation, when we need hospitals, when we need the human security agenda to be met?" "Isn't that far more important?" She says Pacific governments and regional organisations need to invest real time and effort building a practical framework for the "Ocean of Peace" Rabuka has championed. "There's actually a very critical need right now to actually make sure that our governments, our intergovernmental agencies, particularly the Pacific Islands Forum, is actually getting better at peace building, rather than at militarisation," she says. But Jennifer Parker says while Pacific leaders might face some "difficult" questions in an era of strategic competition, they're also adept at exploiting it. "In many ways for Pacific island nations this period of competition could actually be a great opportunity to get greater investment, and much-needed resilience in some of their infrastructure," she said. "So certainly, it's a difficult position to be in. But there are lots of opportunities as well."
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Known across the globe as the stuck astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams hit the six-month mark in space Thursday with two more to go. The pair rocketed into orbit on June 5 , the first to ride Boeing's new Starliner crew capsule on what was supposed to be a weeklong test flight. They arrived at the International Space Station the next day, only after overcoming a cascade of thruster failures and helium leaks . NASA deemed the capsule too risky for a return flight, so it will be February before their long and trying mission comes to a close. While NASA managers bristle at calling them stuck or stranded, the two retired Navy captains shrug off the description of their plight. They insist they're fine and accepting of their fate. Wilmore views it as a detour of sorts: "We're just on a different path." NASA astronauts Suni Williams, left, and Butch Wilmore stand together for a photo June 5 as they head to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 in Cape Canaveral, Fla., for their liftoff on the Boeing Starliner capsule to the International Space Station. "I like everything about being up here," Williams told students Wednesday from an elementary school named for her in Needham, Massachusetts, her hometown. "Just living in space is super fun." Both astronauts lived up there before, so they quickly became full-fledged members of the crew, helping with science experiments and chores like fixing a broken toilet, vacuuming the air vents and watering the plants. Williams took over as station commander in September. "Mindset does go a long way," Wilmore said in response to a question from Nashville first graders in October. He's from Mount Juliet, Tennessee. "I don't look at these situations in life as being downers." Boeing flew its Starliner capsule home empty in September, and NASA moved Wilmore and Williams to a SpaceX flight not due back until late February. Two other astronauts were bumped to make room and to keep to a six-month schedule for crew rotations. Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore, left, and Suni Williams pose for a portrait June 13 inside the vestibule between the forward port on the International Space Station's Harmony module and Boeing's Starliner spacecraft. Like other station crews, Wilmore and Williams trained for spacewalks and any unexpected situations that might arise. "When the crews go up, they know they could be there for up to a year," NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free said. NASA astronaut Frank Rubio found that out the hard way when the Russian Space Agency had to rush up a replacement capsule for him and two cosmonauts in 2023, pushing their six-month mission to just past a year. Boeing said this week that input from Wilmore and Williams was "invaluable" in the ongoing inquiry of what went wrong. The company said it is preparing for Starliner's next flight but declined to comment on when it might launch again. NASA also has high praise for the pair. "Whether it was luck or whether it was selection, they were great folks to have for this mission," NASA's chief health and medical officer, Dr. JD Polk, said during an interview with The Associated Press. NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, both Expedition 71 flight engineers, make pizza Sept. 9 aboard the International Space Station's galley located inside the Unity module. Items are attached to the galley using tape and Velcro to keep them from flying away in the microgravity environment. On top of everything else, Williams, 59, had to deal with "rumors," as she calls them, of serious weight loss. She insists her weight is the same as it was on launch day, which Polk confirms. During Wednesday's student chat, Williams said she didn't have much of an appetite when she first arrived in space. But now she's "super hungry" and eating three meals a day plus snacks, while logging the required two hours of daily exercise. Williams, a distance runner, uses the space station treadmill to support races in her home state. She competed in Cape Cod's 7-mile Falmouth Road Race in August. She ran the 2007 Boston Marathon up there as well. She has a New England Patriots shirt with her for game days, as well as a Red Sox spring training shirt. "Hopefully I'll be home before that happens — but you never know," she said in November. Husband Michael Williams, a retired federal marshal and former Navy aviator, is caring for their dogs back home in Houston. As for Wilmore, 61, he's missing his younger daughter's senior year in high school and his older daughter's theater productions in college. The astronauts in the video seemed to be in good spirits with one stating, “It’s gonna be delicious.” (Scripps News) "We can't deny that being unexpectedly separated, especially during the holidays when the entire family gets together, brings increased yearnings to share the time and events together," his wife, Deanna Wilmore, told the AP in a text this week. Her husband "has it worse than us" since he's confined to the space station and can only connect via video for short periods. "We are certainly looking forward to February!!" she wrote. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with a crew of two astronauts, lifts off from launch pad 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with a crew of two astronauts, lifts off from launch pad 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) NASA astronaut Nick Hague, left, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, left, gives a thumbs up as they leave the Operations and Checkout Building on their way to Launch Complex 40 for a mission to the International Space Station Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024 at Cape Canaveral, Fla., (AP Photo/John Raoux) NASA astronaut Nick Hague, right, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov leave the Operations and Checkout building for a trip to the launch pad 40 Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) NASA astronaut Nick Hague, right, talks to his family members as Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov looks on after leaving the Operations and Checkout building for a trip to the launch pad 40 Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Two astronauts are beginning a mission to the International Space Station. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) In this image from video provided by NASA, Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, left, and astronaut Nick Hague travel inside a SpaceX capsule en route to the International Space Station after launching from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (NASA via AP) A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with a crew of two astronauts, lifts off from launch pad 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a crew of two lifts off from launch pad 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024 at Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) The Falcon 9's first stage booster returns to Landing Zone 1 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024 at Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a crew of two lifts off from launch pad 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024 at Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox!
New Hampshire courts hear two cases on transgender girls playing girls sportsCardinals' feel-good month comes to a screeching halt after a head-scratching loss to Seahawks
Report: NFL warns players of burglary rings targeting pro athletesThe people that president-elect Donald Trump has selected to lead federal health agencies in his second administration include a retired congressman, a surgeon and a former talk-show host. All of them could play pivotal roles in fulfilling a new political agenda that could change how the government goes about safeguarding Americans' health — from health care and medicines to food safety and science research. And if Congress approves, at the helm of the team as Department of Health and Human Services secretary will be prominent environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine organizer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Recommended Videos By and large, the nominees don't have experience running large bureaucratic agencies, but they know how to talk about health on TV . Centers for Medicare and Medicaid pick Dr. Mehmet Oz hosted a talk show for 13 years and is a well-known wellness and lifestyle influencer. The pick for the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Marty Makary, and for surgeon general, Dr. Janette Nesheiwat, are frequent Fox News contributors. Many on the list were critical of COVID-19 measures like masking and booster vaccinations for young people. Some of them have ties to Florida like many of Trump's other Cabinet nominees: CDC pick Dr. Dave Weldon represented the state in Congress for 14 years and is affiliated with a medical group on the state's Atlantic coast. Nesheiwat's brother-in-law is Rep. Mike Waltz , R-Fla., tapped by Trump as national security adviser. Here's a look at the nominees' potential role in carrying out what Kennedy says is the task to “reorganize” agencies, which have an overall $1.7 billion budget; employ 80,000 scientists, researchers, doctors and other officials; and affect the lives of all Americans. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Atlanta-based CDC, with a $9.2 billion core budget, is charged with protecting Americans from disease outbreaks and other public health threats. Kennedy has long attacked vaccines and criticized the CDC, repeatedly alleging corruption at the agency. He said on a 2023 podcast that there is "no vaccine that is safe and effective,” and urged people to resist the CDC's guidelines on if and when kids should get vaccinated . Decades ago, Kennedy found common ground with Weldon , the 71-year-old nominee to run the CDC who served in the Army and worked as an internal medicine doctor before he represented a central Florida congressional district from 1995 to 2009. Starting in the early 2000s, Weldon had a prominent part in a debate about whether there was a relationship between a vaccine preservative called thimerosal and autism. He was a founding member of the Congressional Autism Caucus and tried to ban thimerosal from all vaccines. Kennedy, then a senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, believed there was a tie between thimerosal and autism and also charged that the government hid documents showing the danger. Since 2001, all vaccines manufactured for the U.S. market and routinely recommended for children 6 years or younger have contained no thimerosal or only trace amounts, with the exception of inactivated influenza vaccine. Meanwhile, study after study after study found no evidence that thimerosal caused autism. Weldon's congressional voting record suggests he may go along with Republican efforts to downsize the CDC, including to eliminate the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, which works on topics like drownings, drug overdoses and shooting deaths. Weldon also voted to ban federal funding for needle-exchange programs as an approach to reduce overdoses, and the National Rifle Association gave him an “A” rating for his pro-gun rights voting record. Food and Drug Administration Kennedy is extremely critical of the FDA, which has 18,000 employees and is responsible for the safety and effectiveness of prescription drugs, vaccines and other medical products — as well as overseeing cosmetics, electronic cigarettes and most foods. Makary, Trump’s pick to run the FDA, is closely aligned with Kennedy on several topics . The professor at Johns Hopkins University who is a trained surgeon and cancer specialist has decried the overprescribing of drugs, the use of pesticides on foods and the undue influence of pharmaceutical and insurance companies over doctors and government regulators. Kennedy has suggested he'll clear our “entire” FDA departments and also recently threatened to fire FDA employees for “aggressive suppression” of a host of unsubstantiated products and therapies, including stem cells, raw milk , psychedelics and discredited COVID-era treatments like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine. Makary's contrarian views during the COVID-19 pandemic including the need for masking and giving young kids COVID vaccine boosters. But anything Makary and Kennedy might want to do when it comes to unwinding FDA regulations or revoking long-standing vaccine and drug approvals would be challenging. The agency has lengthy requirements for removing medicines from the market, which are based on federal laws passed by Congress. Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services The agency provides health care coverage for more than 160 million people through Medicaid, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act, and also sets Medicare payment rates for hospitals, doctors and other providers. With a $1.1 trillion budget and more than 6,000 employees, Oz has a massive agency to run if confirmed — and an agency that Kennedy hasn't talked about much when it comes to his plans. While Trump tried to scrap the Affordable Care Act in his first term, Kennedy has not taken aim at it yet. But he has been critical of Medicaid and Medicare for covering expensive weight-loss drugs — though they're not widely covered by either . Trump said during his campaign that he would protect Medicare, which provides insurance for older Americans. Oz has endorsed expanding Medicare Advantage — a privately run version of Medicare that is popular but also a source of widespread fraud — in an AARP questionnaire during his failed 2022 bid for a U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania and in a 2020 Forbes op-ed with a former Kaiser Permanente CEO. Oz also said in a Washington Examiner op-ed with three co-writers that aging healthier and living longer could help fix the U.S. budget deficit because people would work longer and add more to the gross domestic product. Neither Trump nor Kennedy have said much about Medicaid, the insurance program for low-income Americans. Trump's first administration reshaped the program by allowing states to introduce work requirements for recipients. Surgeon general Kennedy doesn't appear to have said much publicly about what he'd like to see from surgeon general position, which is the nation's top doctor and oversees 6,000 U.S. Public Health Service Corps members. The surgeon general has little administrative power, but can be an influential government spokesperson on what counts as a public health danger and what to do about it — suggesting things like warning labels for products and issuing advisories. The current surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, declared gun violence as a public health crisis in June. Trump's pick, Nesheiwat, is employed as a New York City medical director with CityMD, a group of urgent care facilities in the New York and New Jersey area, and has been at City MD for 12 years. She also has appeared on Fox News and other TV shows, authored a book on the “transformative power of prayer” in her medical career and endorses a brand of vitamin supplements. She encouraged COVID-19 vaccines during the pandemic, calling them “a gift from God” in a February 2021 Fox News op-ed, as well as anti-viral pills like Paxlovid. In a 2019 Q&A with the Women in Medicine Legacy Foundation , Nesheiwat said she is a “firm believer in preventive medicine” and “can give a dissertation on hand-washing alone.” National Institutes of Health As of Saturday, Trump had not yet named his choice to lead the National Institutes of Health, which funds medical research through grants to researchers across the nation and conducts its own research. It has a $48 billion budget. Kennedy has said he'd pause drug development and infectious disease research to shift the focus to chronic diseases. He'd like to keep NIH funding from researchers with conflicts of interest, and criticized the agency in 2017 for what he said was not doing enough research into the role of vaccines in autism — an idea that has long been debunked . ___ Associated Press writers Amanda Seitz and Matt Perrone and AP editor Erica Hunzinger contributed to this report. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
SANTA CLARA — Brock Purdy pulled off his grey 49ers sweatshirt Friday and, as he headed for the locker room showers, his sore right shoulder was exposed. There was no noticeable swelling or lump, aside from minor marks via treatment he received since last Sunday’s once-subtle injury. His muscular 24-year-old build appeared stout as ever. Looks can be deceiving. So can words, in any NFL team’s injury descriptions, any Instagram doctors’ prognosis, or any reporters’ déjà vu feelings. “I don’t want to say there’s long-term concern,” coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday, referring to Purdy’s MRI exam and indicating the quarterback will miss Sunday’s game at Green Bay. Brandon Allen will make the spot start. For how long, though? Exercising caution is wise to protect a bona fide franchise quarterback who threw for a 49ers-record 4,280 yards last season on a surgically repaired elbow and is due for a 49ers-record contract extension at this season’s likely bitter end. Shanahan and general manager John Lynch indicated that Purdy’s MRI on Monday did not reveal a dire, franchise-altering ailment. “We thought he just needed some rest and really weren’t concerned about him not being good this week,” Shanahan said. “But when he started up Thursday, (his shoulder) just surprised him, surprised us, how it felt.” It’s no surprise, however, how a shoulder injury can grow into a bigger firestorm. For now, public proclamations are minimizing any long-range ramifications. Purdy was not made available to reporters, but as he walked through the locker room Friday, he tried to exude a positive outlook, saying: “We’re all good.” His demeanor remained as upbeat and polite as ever in an ensuing conversation with a staff member. Neither of Purdy’s understudies, Allen and Josh Dobbs, has a history of shoulder injuries, so they were hesitant to speak about how fear-inducing those must be for a quarterback. “I’m not too worried about it, I don’t think any of our guys are,” Allen said. “He’ll rehab and get back as fast as he can. And as far as shoulders, it happens. I don’t think it’ll be anything lingering or long-term for him.” Three seasons ago, when the 49ers last visited Lambeau Field, Jimmy Garoppolo was a week removed from hurting his shoulder – a torn capsule, the 49ers said – in a wild-card playoff win at Dallas. Garoppolo played through the injury, the 49ers won without scoring an offensive touchdown. Two months after losing in the NFC Championship Game, Garoppolo surprised the 49ers by electing to have surgery on his shoulder, complicating a potential trade or release and keeping him on the roster. That made for an awkward but necessary comeback in 2022 as he served as a helpful bridge between Trey Lance’s two-start cameo and Purdy’s late-season emergence for another playoff run. Go back nine years and there is another 49ers quarterback quandary. Colin Kaepernick was listed as probable to play at Seattle, but a day before kickoff, the 49ers surprisingly put him on injured reserve. He headed for surgery to repair a torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder. Benched three weeks before that IR move, Kaepernick spent the ensuing offseason rehabilitating for what would be one final season with the 49ers and the NFL. An even messier shoulder story unfolded with Kaepernick’s predecessor, Alex Smith. A 2007 feud ensued between Smith and third-year coach Mike Nolan, who publicly dismissed Smith’s shoulder pain that traced back to a Sept. 30 separation. Smith played hurt a few games, then confessed to the nagging pain in his shoulder, after the 49ers had listed him out of practice with a forearm strain. Smith rallied and rebuilt his career, albeit under other coaches. Now it’s Purdy stepping aside for an unknown length of time. Allen relayed their Friday conversation: “He believes in me, says ‘You’re here for a reason. Go in, step up, play well.’ He’ll be back. So I’m not worried about it.” “He’s doing well. He’s in good spirits,” Dobbs added. “Obviously, I don’t want to speak for him, but he wants to be out there. So he will work his butt off to get back out there, and we’ll hold it down for him until he gets back.”The NFL's security division is warning players to be aware of professional burglars targeting the homes of pro athletes. The Athletic reported Thursday that the NFL sent a memo to teams that outlines the threat. "The homes of professional athletes across multiple sports leagues have become increasingly targeted for burglaries by organized and skilled groups," read the memo, which was obtained by The Athletic. "Law enforcement officials have noted these groups appear to exploit team schedules to target athletes' homes on game days." NBC News reported Wednesday that law enforcement is working to figure out whether an international crime syndicate is involved. The Athletic reported that the memo includes tips for home security and also gives recommendations about the use of social media, such as not posting photos of items that would attract thieves. Players also learned via the memo how homes are targeted and how burglars enter. Mahomes hasn't said much about the burglary, other than to call it "disappointing" and "frustrating." "I can't get into too many of the details because the investigation is still ongoing," he said. "But obviously something that you don't want to happen to really anybody, but obviously yourself." It's not clear what was stolen from Mahomes' home in Belton, Mo., during the Oct. 6 incident. But Kelce apparently lost $20,000 in cash in the burglary at his home in Leawood, Kan., the following day when the Chiefs played the New Orleans Saints on "Monday Night Football," according to a police report. The burglary at the home of Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis in River Hills, Wis., occurred Nov. 2 during the Bucks' home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He said the perpetrators "took most of my prized possessions" and is offering a reward for the return of his property. "Any info that leads to the return of any of my belongings will be rewarded handsomely," Portis said. "Let me know, thank you." --Field Level MediaCardinals' feel-good month comes to a screeching halt after a head-scratching loss to Seahawks