
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua possibly made his best catch this season in Sunday's home game against the Buffalo Bills. On a 2nd-and-10 at L.A.'s 49-yard line midway through the second quarter, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford launched a pass to Nacua. He hauled in the 19-yard reception along L.A.'s sideline despite tight coverage. Instant replay showed he managed to keep both feet in bounds on the play. PUKA NACUA! : #BUFvsLAR on FOX : https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/yHduh0KtRG just absurd from @AsapPuka pic.twitter.com/9uz3TLpm4r Last season, Nacua set a rookie record for receiving yards, with 1,486 in 17 games. He finished second in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting behind Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud. This season, a knee issue forced him to miss five games and probably contributed to a slight drop-off. He averaged 13 yards per reception through his first seven games, compared to 14.2 last season. Nacua seems to be getting healthier, though. Over his past three games, he recorded two TD catches. Nacua must thrive down the stretch to help the Rams clinch a second straight playoff berth. Once again, they're trying to overcome a slow start. In 2023, the Rams started 3-6 but won seven of their last eight games. They started 1-4 this season but have captured five of their past seven games entering Sunday's matchup.ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey gambling regulators have handed out $40,000 in fines to two sportsbooks and a tech company for violations that included taking bets on unauthorized events, and on games that had already ended. In information made public Monday, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement fined DraftKings $20,000. It also levied $10,000 fines on Rush Street Interactive NJ and the sports betting technology company Kambi. According to documents released by the state, Rush Street accepted 16 bets worth $1,523 in Nov. 2021 on a college basketball game between the University of North Carolina-Asheville and Tennessee Tech University after the game had already concluded with a UNC victory. Kambi told the enforcement division that a trader had failed to manually remove that game from its betting markets, saying it had stopped receiving messages from its own sports data provider due to a network connectivity error. Kambi said it has updated its guidelines and retrained its traders to prevent a recurrence. Kambi, which is based in Malta, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Monday. Rush Street declined comment, and DraftKings had no immediate comment Monday. DraftKings stopped using Kambi in 2021. In March 2022 Rush Street took seven bets totaling just under $2,900 on three Magic City Jai Alai games after the results were already known. Kambi told the division it experienced a connectivity issue that allowed the bets to be accepted after the games were over. An explanation of what Kambi did to address the situation was blacked out in documents released by the division. A month earlier Rush Street took 13 wagers worth $8,150 with pre-match odds on a Professional Golf Association match after the event had already begun. In this case, Kambi told the division a newly hired trader failed to enter the correct closing time time for bets on the event. The trader and a supervisor underwent retraining. DraftKings was fined for taking bets on unapproved events including Russian basketball for nine months in 2020 and 2021. It eventually voided over $61,000 in bets and returned the money to customers after being directed to do so by the state. In this case, Kambi told the division it misidentified this particular Russian basketball league as one that was approved for wagering in New Jersey. DraftKings told the state it did not catch the error, either. In 2020, DraftKings accepted 484 wagers on unapproved table tennis matches. Kambi incorrectly enabled the events for wagering without conditions required by the state, the division said. In Feb. 2022, the division said DraftKings took pre-season NFL bets involving specific players but did not give the state specific information on what information was to be included in the bets, drawing 182 wagers worth nearly $7,000 that were later voided and refunded to customers. Follow Wayne Parry on X at www.twitter.com/WayneParryAC
House approves mammoth annual defense policy bill
Malik Nabers: I didn't pay for the planeAntoine Griezmann earns Atletico Madrid last-gasp win over Sevilla
49ers QB Brock Purdy, DE Nick Bosa out, Brandon Allen to start at Green Bay
Titans kicker Nick Folk dealing with soreness so Tennessee added insuranceMid-American Conference football goes all in on November weeknights for the TV viewersMARTIN KEOWN TALKS TACTICS: Tottenham's flying full back Pedro Porro will be a handful for shaky Man City as Pep Guardiola's men bid to end four-game losing streak Pedro Porro can be the difference maker for Spurs against Man City on Saturday Pep Guardiola's City will look to end their four-game losing streak Will Ruben Amorim be Man United's saviour? LISTEN NOW: It's All Kicking Off! Available wherever you get your podcasts. Episodes every Monday and Thursday By MARTIN KEOWN Published: 17:32 EST, 22 November 2024 | Updated: 17:48 EST, 22 November 2024 e-mail View comments Losing is an occupational hazard if you’re most clubs, but not Manchester City . For them, it’s almost an annual event, so rare is it for them to lose one game of football, let alone four in a row. At Arsenal , we went through long periods without losing. You play in a very proud manner, with that feeling of being unbeatable energising and enveloping everyone. Yet I would be lying if I said we did not wonder what would happen if and when that bubble were to burst. Arsene Wenger even used to ask me how I thought the team might respond once we were beaten. Pep Guardiola faced that very problem over the last month as City became the talk of the Premier League for all the wrong reasons. Who knows, maybe the noise around Guardiola possibly leaving amid their 115 charges was unsettling, but all that uncertainty vanished overnight with his signing of a new two-year contract. Now what they need is to follow that up with a home win over Tottenham . Pedro Porro's relentless crossing ability from right back may prove to be a handful for Man City Pep Guardiola will look to snap his side's four game losing streak at home on Saturday evening Looking at the brave way Ange Postecoglou’s team play, City will be asked questions on Saturday evening. What Tottenham will offer is more balls into the box than anyone they have faced. Nobody in the Premier League has produced a higher number of crosses than Spurs’ 275 this season, with Pedro Porro responsible for 76 of those as the full back flies down the right wing to allow Brennan Johnson to move inside. When you look back at the goals conceded by City this could pose a problem, as there are some serious issues which need solving. Take Fulham’s second goal at the Etihad last month, for example. The visitors are moving the ball from side to side at the back, but then one punched pass takes them through two lines of City’s defensive shield and into a pocket of space behind their Rodri-less midfield. Fulham work it wide to Reiss Nelson on the right with zero pressure on them. The cross comes in from Nelson and City’s marking is non-existent. John Stones will know he should have been tight to Rodrigo Muniz as Fulham’s striker is on his own with time to control the ball and finish. City weathered that late storm to keep their 3-2 lead, but they have also conceded goals from crosses to Arsenal, Wolves and Bournemouth. City have had disruption in their defence, with Guardiola fielding six different back fours in 11 Premier League games. That said, equally concerning for Guardiola is how City have conceded in flurries in their last couple of defeats — two goals in five minutes to Brighton and three in 11 to Sporting Lisbon — which perhaps suggests a lack of leadership and character. Guardiola's side may face on onslaught of crosses from Spurs, who lead the league in this stat When you concede, you need to come together as a group, not allow your opponents to gain confidence and energy from grabbing that first goal. It would be ridiculous for anyone to write off City. They’re still in all the fights which they have won before, for the Premier League, for the Champions League and so on. This is fixable, of course it is. Guardiola is the professor of football in today’s game. His back is against the wall as he feels others are celebrating their four-defeat slump. But you can bet he will come out swinging like the serial winner he is. Tottenham Hotspur Pep Guardiola Manchester City Share or comment on this article: MARTIN KEOWN TALKS TACTICS: Tottenham's flying full back Pedro Porro will be a handful for shaky Man City as Pep Guardiola's men bid to end four-game losing streak e-mail Add commentOkoro 1-1 0-0 2, N.Johnson 0-3 0-0 0, Lary 3-11 3-3 10, Lovejoy 4-14 6-8 15, Kuac 2-5 0-0 5, Nadeau 5-15 2-2 13, Geeter 2-5 0-1 4, Gondrezick 2-4 0-0 5, Mitchell 1-2 0-0 2, Kalambay 0-0 1-2 1, Hurst 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-60 12-16 57. Spillers 3-5 1-2 7, Abass 1-1 2-3 4, Cosby 4-12 0-0 11, Hildreth 1-10 3-4 5, Sallis 12-18 2-2 31, Harris 1-7 1-2 4, Friedrichsen 0-3 0-0 0, T.Johnson 2-5 0-0 5. Totals 24-61 9-13 67. Halftime_Wake Forest 36-23. 3-Point Goals_Detroit 5-19 (Gondrezick 1-2, Lovejoy 1-2, Lary 1-3, Kuac 1-4, Nadeau 1-8), Wake Forest 10-35 (Sallis 5-9, Cosby 3-11, Harris 1-4, T.Johnson 1-4, Friedrichsen 0-3, Hildreth 0-4). Rebounds_Detroit 41 (Nadeau 9), Wake Forest 29 (Spillers 9). Assists_Detroit 11 (Lovejoy 6), Wake Forest 16 (Sallis 4). Total Fouls_Detroit 14, Wake Forest 18. A_8,705 (14,665).
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers, meet your latest lobbyists: online influencers from TikTok. Read this article for free: Already have an account? As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed. Now, more than ever, we need your support. Starting at $14.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website. or call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527. Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community! WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers, meet your latest lobbyists: online influencers from TikTok. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers, meet your latest lobbyists: online influencers from TikTok. The platform is once again bringing influencers to Washington, this time to lobby members of Congress to reject a fast-moving bill that would force TikTok’s Beijing-based parent company to sell or be banned in the United States. On Tuesday, some influencers began a two-day advocacy event in support of TikTok, which arranged their trip ahead of a House floor vote on the legislation on Wednesday. But unlike a similar lobbying event the company put together last March when talks of a TikTok ban reached a fever pitch, this year’s effort appeared more rushed as the company scrambles to counter the legislation, which advanced rapidly on Capitol Hill. Summer Lucille, a TikTok content creator with 1.4 million followers who is visiting Washington this week, said if TikTok is banned, she “don’t know what it will do” to her business, a plus-sized boutique in Charlotte, North Carolina. “It will be devastating,” Lucille said in an interview arranged by the platform. The legislation is drawing unusual support in Congress In an unusual showing of bipartisanship, a House panel unanimously approved the measure last week. President Joe Biden has said he will sign the legislation if lawmakers pass it. But it’s unclear what will happen in the Senate, where several bills aimed at banning TikTok have stalled. The legislation faces other roadblocks. Former president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump, who holds sway over both House and Senate Republicans, has voiced opposition to the bill, saying it would empower Meta-owned Facebook, which he continues to lambast over his 2020 election loss. The bill also faces pushback from some progressive lawmakers in the House as well as civil liberties groups who argue it infringes on the First Amendment. TikTok could be banned if ByteDance, the parent company, doesn’t sell its stakes in the platform and other applications it owns within six months of the bill’s enactment. The fight over the platform takes place as U.S.-China relations have shifted to that of strategic rivalry, especially in areas such as advanced technologies and data security, seen as essential to each country’s economic prowess and national security. The shift, which started during the Trump years and has continued under Biden, has placed restrictions on export of advanced technologies and outflow of U.S. monies to China, as well as access to the U.S. market by certain Chinese businesses. The Biden administration also has cited human rights concerns in blacklisting a number of Chinese companies accused of assisting the state surveillance campaign against ethnic minorities. TikTok isn’t short on lobbyists. Its Beijing-based parent company ByteDance has a strong lobbying apparatus in Washington that includes dozens of lobbyists from well-known consulting and legal firms as well as influential insiders, such as former members of Congress and ex-aides to powerful lawmakers, according to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will also be in Washington this week and plans to meet with lawmakers, according to a company spokesperson who said Chew’s visit was previously scheduled. Influencers descend on Washington But influencers, who have big followings on social media and can share personal stories of how the platform boosted their businesses — or simply gave them a voice — are still perhaps one of the most powerful tools the company has in its arsenal. A TikTok spokesperson said dozens of influencers will attend the two-day event, including some who came last year. The spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions about how many new people would be attending this year’s lobbying blitz. The company is briefing them ahead of meetings with their representatives and media interviews. Lucille, who runs the boutique in North Carolina, says has seen a substantial surge in revenue because of her TikTok page. The 34-year-old began making TikTok content focusing on plus-sized fashion in March 2022, more than a decade after she started her business. She quickly amassed thousands of followers after posting a nine-second video about her boutique. Because of her popularity on the platform, her business has more online exposure and customers, some of whom have visited from as far as Europe. She says she also routinely hears from followers who are finding support through her content about fashion and confidence. JT Laybourne, an influencer who also came to Washington, said he joined TikTok in early 2019 after getting some negative comments on videos he posted on Instagram while singing in the car with his children. Laybourne, who lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, said he was attracted to the short-form video platform because it was easy to create videos that contained music. Like Lucille, he quickly gained traction on the app. He says he also received more support from TikTok users, who reacted positively to content he produced on love and positivity. Laybourne says the community he built on the platform rallied around his family when he had to undergo heart surgery in 2020. Following the surgery, he said he used the platform to help raise $1 million for the American Heart Association in less than two years. His family now run an apparel company that gets most of its traffic from TikTok. “I will fight tooth-and-nail for this app,” he said. But whether the opposition the company is mounting through lobbyists or influencers will be enough to derail the bill is yet to be seen. On Tuesday, House lawmakers received a briefing on national security concerns regarding TikTok from the FBI, Justice Department and intelligence officials. ____ AP Journalist Didi Tang contributed to this report. ___ This story was originally published on March 12, 2024. It was updated on December 23, 2024 to clarify a quote by TikTok content creator Summer Lucille. Advertisement AdvertisementHow to watch Tyler Perry’s ‘Sistas’ season 8 new episode free Dec. 11
Furious Cucurella changes cleats after slipping twice to concede early goals, then helps Chelsea win
Former Tulane quarterback Darian Mensah has already found a new program in Duke, while Mississippi State's Michael Van Buren Jr., Wisconsin's Braedyn Locke and Cal’s Fernando Mendoza are exploring changes of their own in the transfer portal . Mensah, a redshirt freshman with three years of eligibility remaining, told ESPN on Wednesday he has transferred to Duke. He attended the Blue Devils men's basketball game against Incarnate Word on Tuesday night. The Blue Devils (9-3) will face Mississippi in the Gator Bowl, but without 2024 starting quarterback Maalik Murphy and backup Grayson Loftis, who also entered the portal. Mensah, viewed as one of the top players in the portal, threw for 2,723 yards and 22 touchdowns and completed 65.9% of his passes. He led the Green Wave to a 9-4 record and the American Athletic Conference championship game, where they lost 35-14 to Army. Tulane will play Florida in the Gasparilla Bowl on Sunday. Van Buren, Mendoza and Locke announced on social media they had entered the portal. Van Buren started eight games as a true freshmen for the Bulldogs. He threw for 1,886 yards on 55% passing with 16 total touchdowns and seven interceptions for the Bulldogs (2-10, 0-8 Southeastern Conference). He took over as the starter when Blake Shapen suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in a 45-28 loss to Florida on Sept. 21. Shapen has said he plans to return next season. Van Buren, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound passer from St. Frances Academy in Maryland, had two 300-yard performances for the Bulldogs, including 306 yards and three touchdown passes in a 41-31 road loss against Georgia. Mendoza threw for 3,004 yards in 2024 with 16 TDs, six interceptions and a 68.7 completion percentage. “For the sake of my football future this is the decision I have reached,” he posted. Locke passed for 1,936 yards with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for Wisconsin this season. He said he will have two years of eligibility remaining at his next school. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Indian stock market shows resilience, growth potential amid cautiously optimistic outlook — expert advice - Mint
Furious Cucurella changes cleats after slipping twice to concede early goals, then helps Chelsea winThe Gophers football team resembled its fan base in one respect this week. Current players sat down to watch as their predecessors put together highlight after highlight in Minnesota’s 31-26 upset of Penn State in 2019. ADVERTISEMENT The positive plays were plentiful. Tanner Morgan’s three touchdown passes, including a 66-yard catch and run from Rashod Bateman to open the game; Mariano Sori-Marin’s pressure to force a lofted pass on Antoine Winfield’s second interception of the game; Tyler Johnson’s fighting off pass interference to make a one-handed catch on a 38-yard score; Chris Autman-Bell taking a screen pass and making multiple Nittany Lions miss on a 21-yard TD; Esezi Otomewo’s big sack; and Jordan Howden’s game-sealing pick. With fourth-ranked Penn State coming into Huntington Bank Stadium on Saturday, the Gophers will look to pull off another upset. Their use of highlights fulfills one of their mottos: Embracing the past to create our future. Minnesota (6-4, 4-3 Big Ten) will need to collect a similar amount of big plays and turnovers to pull off an upset as an 11-point underdog to the Nittany Lions (9-1, 6-1). “It’s going to take our best players making plays like that,” head coach P.J. Fleck said about the 2019 victory. “Penn State’s going to say the same thing. We’re going to get their best shot. We know that. I don’t expect anything less from a James Franklin team, but we’ve got to coach them up so they get our best shot, too.” ADVERTISEMENT Back in 2019, the Gophers were 8-0 and ranked 13th in the nation. Penn State was also 8-0 and ranked fourth. Minnesota had not beat a ranked team up to that point and doubt remained that Minnesota could play with traditional powerhouses. After the win and fans stormed the field, the Gophers climbed the College Football Playoff rankings the next week. Five years on, it remains of the best wins of Fleck’s tenure since 2017. “That was a great moment spring-boarding us into what we have done consistently,” Fleck told the Pioneer Press. “Then just giving us that ability that we can and that mindset that we can and we will. It’s just a matter of time. A lot of things have to line up for it to happen, but that is what is so fun about it.” For the yesteryear Penn State game, Gophers defensive end Danny Striggow was a visiting recruit from Orono. He and other recruits were told not to storm the field because they were headed into the locker room postgame. ADVERTISEMENT “That was a cool game,” Striggow said. “... I was there as a recruit, so it’s kind of funny to look back on it, just being able to experience that as a fan and as a recruit.” Now Stiggow will play in his 50th game in maroon and gold. “(We can) look back at what they did to win that game, learn from that game and go forward and apply it,” Striggow said. Quarterback Max Brosmer said the 2019 Penn State game was the first one he watched to prepare for this year’s match-up. ADVERTISEMENT “I was wondering how Minnesota beat them in ’19 and what kind of things worked well for them,” Brosmer said. “... How did they execute the small details well to finish and win that game? We took away some good stuff from that game and we will use that to the best of our advantage.” ______________________________________________________ This story was written by one of our partner news agencies. Forum Communications Company uses content from agencies such as Reuters, Kaiser Health News, Tribune News Service and others to provide a wider range of news to our readers. Learn more about the news services FCC uses here .12. Clemson Tigers 10-3 (7-1 Atlantic Coast Conference regular season) What's next: First-round at No. 5 seed Texas, Dec. 21 Head coach: Dabo Swinney (17th season, 180-46 overall) About Swinney: The 55-year-old, who is 6-4 in the CFP, took over during the 2008 season and has won two national titles (2016, 2018). He will take the Tigers to the CFP the first time since the 2020 season and the seventh time overall. Resume The Tigers, the only three-loss team in the 12-team field, were in a must-win situation in the ACC championship game, prevailing on a last-second, 56-yard field goal to defeat SMU 34-31. Clemson lost two games to SEC opponents (Georgia and South Carolina) this season. The Tigers' other defeat came at home to Louisville. The matchup with Texas will be Clemson's first true road game against the SEC this season. Postseason history A nine-time winner of the ACC Championship Game, the Tigers notched a double-figure win total for the 13th time in the last 14 seasons. Along with its two national titles, Clemson reached the title game two other times (2019 and 2015). This will be the first Clemson-Texas matchup. The road to Atlanta It will be a tricky road for the Tigers to reach the CFP title game in Atlanta at a venue familiar to Clemson fans. The Tigers will take at least two and maybe three trips outside of their own time zone to qualify for the final. Names to know QB Cade Klubnik Klubnik, a Texas native, has been taking snaps in crucial situations since a limited role as a freshman in 2022, when he rescued the Tigers in an ACC Championship victory vs. North Carolina. Sporting a 19-8 career record as a starter, Klubnik has thrown for 3,303 yards and 33 touchdowns along with five interceptions this season. He tossed four TDs in the ACC title game Dec. 7 against SMU after receiving All-ACC honorable mention following the regular season. "He's battle-tested," Swinney said. "He has got a lot of experience under his belt. He has had some failure, which has made him better." RB Phil Mafah The senior has racked up 1,106 rushing yards with eight touchdowns this season and has 28 career scores. Mafah has averaged fewer than 17 carries per game, so he makes the most of his opportunities, and at 230 pounds he can be a load to bring down. DE T.J. Parker He's been disruptive on a regular basis, racking up 19 tackles for loss (11 sacks) this season. The 265-pound sophomore helped set the tone in the ACC title game when the Tigers feasted on early SMU mistakes. Parker is tied for the Division I lead with six forced fumbles this season. K Nolan Hauser The freshman joined the Tigers this season with great acclaim and produced a career highlight with a 56-yard game-winning field goal -- the longest in ACC title game history -- to beat SMU at the buzzer. --Field Level Media
BOSTON, Massachusetts — It should not have come as such a surprise that voters in the United States were largely unmoved by the Democrats' warnings that Donald Trump poses a grave threat to American institutions. In a January 2024 Gallup poll, only 28 percent of Americans (a record low) said they were satisfied with "the way US democracy is working." American democracy has long promised four things: shared prosperity, a voice for the citizenry, expertise-driven governance and effective public services. But US democracy — like democracy in other wealthy (and even middle-income) countries — has failed to fulfill these aspirations. Register to read this story and more for free . Signing up for an account helps us improve your browsing experience. OR See our subscription options.Jimmy Carter, former US president and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, dead at 100
How to Watch Vanderbilt vs LSU, Live Stream NCAA Football, TV ChannelTulane QB Mensah transfers to Duke; Mississippi State’s Van Buren, Cal’s Mendoza enter portal
Megawide PCS showcases innovative construction solutions at Philconstruct 2024Joel Embiid scores 31 in return to the 76ers' starting lineup against the Bulls