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NACOGDOCHES, Texas (AP) — Kobe Stewart scored 17 points as Presbyterian beat Monmouth 71-61 on Saturday. Stewart had five rebounds and six assists for the Blue Hose (5-3). Kory Mincy added 16 points while shooting 4 for 11 (3 for 8 from 3-point range) and 5 of 6 from the free-throw line while they also had five rebounds. Jamahri Harvey shot 5 for 14, including 3 for 9 from beyond the arc to finish with 13 points. The Hawks (0-8) were led in scoring by Jack Collins, who finished with 25 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Monmouth also got 12 points and two steals from Justin Ray. Madison Durr had seven points. The loss is the eighth straight for the Hawks. Presbyterian took the lead with 4:56 left in the first half and never looked back. Stewart led his team in scoring with 13 points in the first half to help put them ahead 45-32 at the break. Presbyterian used an 8-0 run in the second half to build a 17-point lead at 61-44 with 8:51 left in the half before finishing off the win. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar . For copyright information, check with the distributor of this item, Data Skrive.Pittsburgh Steelers free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was fined $11,255 for a late hit after Isaiah Likely’s fumble in last Sunday’s 18-16 win over the Baltimore Ravens, according to the NFL’s operations page . Fitzpatrick and left guard Patrick Mekari were flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct on the play, for offsetting penalties, but only Fitzpatrick got fined. Minkah Fitzpatrick jumped into the pile at the conclusion of the play and got into a skirmish with Mekari. The league office must have thought that Fitzpatrick initiated it, hence why Mekari was not fined. The confrontation between Fitzpatrick and Mekari continued after Patrick Queen ran into the end zone to celebrate his force fumble and recovery. Members of both teams had to separate the two. This is the first time this year that the league has fined Fitzpatrick. Steelers S Minkah Fitzpatrik was fined $11,255 for this late hit on Ravens OL Patrick Mekari. pic.twitter.com/o7tFhj8Mot — Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) November 23, 2024 Ravens All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton also received a fine from last Sunday’s heated AFC North battle. He was docked $11,255 for taunting after a hit on Steelers running back Najee Harris . Hamilton stood right over Harris and was talking trash. He was not flagged on the play. Ravens S Kyle Hamilton was fined $11,255 for taunting after this hit on Steelers RB Najee Harris. pic.twitter.com/u7jrqGQM76 — Jonas Shaffer (@jonas_shaffer) November 23, 2024 The Steelers-Ravens game was an emotional and physical battle. Steelers right tackle Broderick Jones and even kicker Chris Boswell got into post-play skirmishes. That AFC North intensity continued in the Steelers’ Thursday night game against the Cleveland Browns. Steelers wide receiver George Pickens was involved in a fight with Cleveland Browns cornerback Greg Newsome II in the end zone after the final whistle in Thursday night’s 24-19 loss. A fan at Huntington Bank Field recorded the entire scene. Pickens and Newsome were going back and forth on the Hail Mary play and then got into a skirmish near the front row. The fight wasn’t captured during the broadcast, but Pickens was seen being held back by security near the stands. It will not be surprising if Pickens receives another fine from the league for his latest action. George Pickens fighting Greg Newsome during the Hail Mary LMFAO pic.twitter.com/1QT1sN1w5o — Clay Fink (@clay_fink) November 22, 2024 This article first appeared on Steelers Now and was syndicated with permission.

Pitt basketball ranked 25th in coaches' pollRobinson scores 25 in Mercer's 90-89 OT win against Jacksonville

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Ashlon Jackson scored a career-high 30 points and No. 13 Duke defeated No. 9 Kansas State, 73-62 on Monday, in the semifinals of the Ball Dawgs Classic. The Blue Devils (6-1) overcame an early 11-point deficit behind Jackon’s shooting hand to advance to Wednesday’s championship game against the winner of the game between No. 8 Oklahoma and DePaul. Jackson, who has scored in double figures in all six of Duke’s games, shot 12 of 19 (63.1%) from the floor, including 6 of 9 (66.7%) from 3-point range. Reigan Richardson added 16 points for the Blue Devils. Kansas State (5-1) was led by Ayoka Lee, who had 16 points. Serena Sundell scored 15 and Kennedy Taylor came off the bench to add 11 for the Wildcats. Takeaways Kansas State: With her 16-point performance, Lee needs 48 points to pass Kendra Wecker (2001-05) for the Kansas State career scoring record. Wecker scored 2,333 points. Lee, the 2024-25 Preseason Big 12 Player of the Year, is averaging 15.3 points. Duke: Jackson hit her season average of 13.3 points by the 3:54 mark of the second quarter when her pull-up jumper gave her 14. The junior guard was 8 of 11 from the floor, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range, and had 20 points by halftime. Key moment With the Blue Devils trailing by six midway through the second quarter, Jackson triggered a 15-0 run with 13 of the team’s points to help Duke take a lead they’d never relinquish. Up next Duke will face the winner of No. 8 Oklahoma-DePaul on Wednesday in the championship game, while Kansas State will face the loser in the consolation game. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on AP Top 25 basketball throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball W.g. Ramirez, The Associated Press

Nebraska builds big lead, holds off Boston College in Pinstripe BowlNEW YORK —The New York Department of State’s Division of Consumer Protection is providing tips to help consumers navigate return and refund policies. According to the National Retail Federation, this year’s holiday weekend from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday set record levels for consumer spending. The State of Retail Returns 2024 Report states $743 billion dollars’ worth of merchandise were returned last year. However, policies vary from store to store, making returns and refunds a challenge at times. Consumers should be aware of laws that protect them so they can make informed decisions about holiday returns and understand what to look for when reviewing return and refund policies. “As the holiday shopping season comes to an end, both gift givers and receivers may have changed their minds about what they bought,” Secretary of State Walter T. Mosley said in a news release. “But depending on where you’re returning the items, there may be some limitations. It’s important for consumers to pay attention, prior to purchase, the return and refund policy so you can exchange that item you’ll never use for something you love.” The Division of Consumer Protection offers the following tips to help consumers navigate return and refund policies: Pay Attention to Return Policies: New York State law requires that stores post their refund policies conspicuously – on the item, at the store entrance or on or near the cash register. Retailers must provide a written copy of the store’s return policy when requested. New York State Law does not require retailers to accept returns; however, they must post a conspicuous notice visible to consumers before the point of sale, advising that no returns will be accepted.If the retailer does not post a return policy, the law requires the retailer accept returns of unused, undamaged merchandise within 30 days of the purchase date. The returned item must include a proof of purchase and the refund must be in the form of cash or credit based on the customer’s preference.Understand the Refund Terms: For retailers that allow returns, New York State law does not require refunds to be given in any specific manner. However, it does require the form of the refund – cash, credit or exchange – be clearly disclosed in advance of purchase. Retailers must also disclose any fees associated with the return. If no fee is listed, customers should inquire whether the store imposes a re-stocking fee for returned merchandise and determine prior to purchase if the item can be returned for a refund or only store credit. Retain Any Proofs of Purchase: Consumers should hold on to receipts in the event a product needs to be returned. If purchasing gifts, ask if a gift receipt is available. It is also advised to keep the packaging of an item, along with its confirmation number. Consumers having difficulty obtaining a refund are encouraged to file a complaint with the New York State Division of Consumer Protection. About the New York State Division of Consumer Protection Follow the New York Department of State on Facebook, X and Instagram and check in every Tuesday for more practical tips that educate and empower New York consumers on a variety of topics. Sign up to receive consumer alerts directly to your email or phone here. The New York State Division of Consumer Protection provides voluntary mediation between a consumer and a business when a consumer has been unsuccessful at reaching a resolution on their own. The Consumer Assistance Helpline 1-800-697-1220 is available Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm, excluding State Holidays, and consumer complaints can be filed at any time at www.dos.ny.gov/consumerprotection. The Division can also be reached via X at @NYSConsumer or Facebook.BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — Adam Jones ran for 197 yards and two touchdowns and Montana State ran over Montana 34-11 on Saturday to reclaim the Brawl of the Wild trophy. The Bobcats (12-0, 8-0 Big Sky Conference) wrapped up the 123rd meeting in this rivalry with 420 yards, 326 on the ground. Montana State capped its first unbeaten season and can match the school record for consecutive wins with a playoff win in two weeks. The Bobcats, ranked second in the FCS coaches poll, should be the top seed in the playoffs after top-ranked North Dakota State lost its finale to fifth-ranked South Dakota. Montana (8-4, 5-3), ranked 10th, is expected to add to its record 27 FCS playoff appearances but will not have a first-round bye in the 24-team bracket. Montana State quarterback Tommy Mellott was 6-of-12 passing for 94 yards with a touchdown in poor conditions and added 50 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He has helped the Bobcats score at least 30 points in every game this season Mellott had a 5-yard touchdown run on MSU's first possession and Mellott found Jones for a 35-yard touchdown early in the second quarter for a 14-3 lead. Myles Sansted had two field goals in the final two minutes, including a 49-yarder as time expired for a 20-3 halftime lead. Jones dominated the second half and scored two short touchdowns. Eli Gillman scored on a 1-yard run for Montana's touchdown between the Jones' touchdowns. The Grizzlies had just 234 yards and went 2 of 12 on third down. ___ AP college football: and . Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: The Associated Press

Principal U.S. Small-Cap Multi-Factor ETF (NASDAQ:PSC) to Issue $0.08 Dividend

On Wednesday, December 4, at 2:00pm ET , at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan will deliver an address on sharpening America’s war-fighting edge and fortifying the U.S. defense industrial base—one of the most important aspects of America’s security and prosperity—for an era of strategic competition. Informed by the experiences of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the rapid advance of new technology, and the changing character of the strategic landscape, Mr. Sullivan will share steps the Biden administration has taken to rebuild the U.S. defense industrial base after decades of under-investment and the work that remains—at home and with allies—at this high-stakes moment. Mr. Sullivan will join Seth Jones, president of the CSIS Defense and Security Department, for a fireside chat following his keynote address. Jake Sullivan is the 28th Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (National Security Advisor). In the Obama-Biden Administration, he served as Deputy Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor to then-Vice President Biden, Director of the Policy Planning Staff at the U.S. Department of State, and Deputy Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. This event is made possible through general support to CSIS.

People are only just realising that there’s a hidden hair band on your gym gear – here’s where to find it

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In January, the great Nick Saban hung up his whistle at Alabama, having won six national championships, nine SEC titles and a mind-blowing 206 games over 17 seasons with the Crimson Tide. Immediately, Oregon coach Dan Lanning, a rising star still in his 30s — and a former graduate assistant at Alabama — became rumored replacement No. 1. After a month or so, though, Lanning put out a minute-long “I’m staying” video, puffing a cigar inside his swanky, capacious office as it faded to black. It was quite the prophetic start to the year for the Ducks, it seems. With a win Saturday in the Big Ten championship game in Indianapolis, they can break out the victory stogies in celebration of a perfect debut season in the conference and a certain No. 1 seed in the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff . On the other hand, another pretty damn good team will be at Lucas Oil Stadium, too. No. 1 Oregon (-31⁄2) vs. No. 3 Penn State (7 p.m., CBS 2) is anything but a mismatch. The Ducks (12-0) — unbeaten through the regular season for the first time since 2010 — are the most well-rounded they’ve ever been, with an offense that ranks 15th nationally (448.5 yards per game) and a defense that ranks seventh (283.8). Quarterback Dillon Gabriel is the face of this team, but it’s the other side of the ball that’s making Lanning, a former defensive coach at Georgia, look so good. Well, that and a practically bottomless NIL stockpile. But the Nittany Lions (11-1) — in this game because of then-No. 2 Ohio State’s shocking loss to Michigan — are the Big Ten national-title contender the public hasn’t been talking about enough. Defense? This one is even better than Oregon’s, ranked fourth (266.8). Offense? It’s merely a couple of nosehairs behind Oregon’s, ranked 19th (442.8). Dillon’s crisp, easy passing to seemingly wide-open receivers has been widely admired all season, but the finesse lefty ranks eighth in passer rating while PSU’s big, burly Drew Allar is seventh. Will the Ducks’ speed be a separating factor? They’re bigger than ever and fast like always. “Yeah, you don’t want [to face] that,” PSU coach James Franklin said this week with a laugh. But the idea there’s a sizable talent gap here is foolishness. Franklin’s team runs the ball better. It gets after opposing passers with similar virulence. Take all the stats under consideration and it’s pretty much a wash. Fun facts: It’s these distant conference mates’ first meeting in 30 years, the last one having gone PSU’s way in the Rose Bowl. Franklin is going for victory No. 100 at PSU. Also, one that truly tickles: Even with all the hero worship Indiana coach Curt Cignetti deservedly received in his first season, his fired predecessor, Tom Allen, has made a triumphant return to the state as coordinator of one of the baddest defenses in the land — the Nittany Lions’. The mighty Ducks as the No. 1 playoff seed? Or the nasty Nits as No. 1 or No. 2? Each team will be in the playoff win or lose, but the stakes are high and it’s truly a tossup. Roll this in your cigar and smoke it: Nits, 27-26. OTHER CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP PICKS Big 12: No. 15 Arizona State (-2) vs. No. 16 Iowa State (11 a.m., ABC 7): The best possible outcome for either of these teams heading into the weekend required No. 10 Boise State to lose the Mountain West title game, opening a top-four playoff seed and first-round bye. There was also a potential scenario in which ASU or ISU could get in as the 12th seed, score a first-round upset and get to face Boise State in the quarterfinals. Complicated all the way around. Hey, what about this Big 12 game itself? I’ve been wrong about this league all season, so don’t ask. ASU wins (or does it?) 27-20 in Arlington, Texas. MAC: Ohio (+2) vs. Miami (Ohio) (11 a.m., ESPN): Defending champ Miami is on a seven-game winning streak that includes a 30-20 outcome at home against the Bobcats. But the Bobcats — still seeking their first MAC title — are 5-0 since that loss, winning those games by an average of 27 points. Cats in a good one, Bob. SEC: No. 2 Texas (-21⁄2) vs. No. 5 Georgia (3 p.m., ABC 7): Why is Texas favored (and in Atlanta, of all places)? These teams have played already, you know. It was back in October, and Georgia led 23-0 at the half in Austin en route to a 30-15 win over the then-No. 1 Longhorns. Texas simply couldn’t block the Bulldogs, who had seven sacks. Winning QB Carson Beck threw three interceptions, to no real detriment. I must not be smart enough to overlook all that evidence. UGA, 30-24. Sun Belt: Marshall (+51⁄2) at Louisiana (6:30 p.m., ESPN): Don’t know about you, but I dig a championship game played on the home field of the first-place team. The last three title games have gone the home team’s way — Louisiana in 2021, Troy in 2022 and 2023 — with the winner covering each time. That there is what folks in the biz call a trend. Ragin’ Cajuns win and cover. ACC: No. 8 SMU (-21⁄2) vs. No. 17 Clemson (7 p.m., ABC 7): SMU has been terrific, rising up defensively and slicing through the ACC like a hot knife through the tenderest brisket in all of Texas. But the football gods don’t want the Mustangs. No, the football gods want Alabama. The only outcome can be Clemson winning and three-loss Alabama being back-doored into the dance by the committee at the expense of the Mustangs. It’s not a playoff until somebody not from the Big Ten or SEC gets shafted. Clemson wins, some way or another. Last week: 9-3 straight up, 6-6 against the spread. Season to date: 66-27 straight up, 44-48-1 against the spread.Bambey — Une coopérative agricole couvrant 116 hectares a été lancée dans le domaine du Centre national de recherches agronomiques (CNRA) de Bambey (centre), a constaté l'APS. C'est le ministre de la Microfinance et de l'Economie sociale et solidaire, docteur Alioune Dione, et Ousmane Mbaye, le secrétaire général du ministère de l'Agriculture, de la Souveraineté alimentaire et l'Elevage qui ont procédé à ce lancement. La cérémonie de lancement de cette structure présentée comme la coopérative communale de Bambey s'est déroulée en présence des autorités administratives et locales, des élus locaux, du directeur général du CNRA de Bambey et des responsables de groupements d'intérêt économique (GIE). Cette coopérative est initiée par le ministère de la Microfinance et l'Economie sociale et solidaire. Elle va bénéficier d'une ligne de crédit de la Plateforme d'appui au secteur privé et à la valorisation de la diaspora sénégalaise (PLASEPRI). Ce programme vise en particulier la création et le renforcement des PME locales et à favoriser l'investissement dans leur pays d'origine des Sénégalais vivant dans la diaspora. « Dès ma prise de fonction, j'ai été contacté par plusieurs personnes qui avaient nourri l'ambition de retourner vers l'agriculture alors qu'on dispose de plusieurs potentiels dans le département de Bambey avec le domaine du CNRA », a expliqué le ministre de la Microfinance et de l'Economie sociale et solidaire, Alioune Dione. Il a expliqué que « c'est à partir de cette réflexion » que son département a »décidé de lancer avec le ministre de l'Agriculture, de la Souveraineté alimentaire et de l'Elevage la coopérative communale de Bambey ».. Selon lui, cette initiative place le développement endogène au coeur de l'encadrement des potentiels économiques des terroirs. « Aux promoteurs qui participent à cette aventure qui va faire de Bambey un pionnier dans la stratégie de financement ciblé mais aussi dans la stratégie de développement de l'entrepreneuriat rural à travers des coopératives structurées, je les invite à se séparer de l'individualisme pour viser une participation à la réussite collective de cette initiative », a lancé le ministre. Il estime que « la mise en place de cette coopérative qui débute avec des financements sécurisés sera le point de départ de la plateforme nationale des acteurs de l'économie sociale et solidaire ». Il a assuré que son département ministériel va veiller au renforcement de capacités en techniques agricoles, en gestion financière et en technique de vente pour les bénéficiaires. Alioune Dione a assuré que son ministère, de concert avec ses collègues de l'agriculture et du commerce, va travailler à mettre en place des coopératives communales sur toute l'étendue du territoire. Pour le secrétaire général du ministère de l'Agriculture, de la Souveraineté alimentaire et l'Elevage, Ousmane Mbaye, le secteur de l'agriculture « ne peut pas aller seule » et a besoin de l'économie sociale et solidaire pour se développer. « La coopérative que nous venons de lancer à Bambey fera partie des premières coopérations opérationnelles de notre département ministériel », a-t-il déclaré devant les promoteurs de la coopérative, tous membres de groupements d'intérêt économique. Ousmane Mbaye a assuré que le ministère de l'Agriculture, à travers notamment le CNRA de Bambey, va accompagner la mise en oeuvre de cette coopérative agricole. De plus, a-t-il ajouté, cette coopérative peut contribuer à la production de semences certifiées, pour répondre rapidement en qualité et en quantité aux besoins des agriculteurs. « Ce modèle doit être dupliqué dans les autres communes du Sénégal pour booster la production agricole afin de garantir une souveraineté alimentaire conformément aux orientations des plus hautes autorités du pays », a ajouté M. Mbaye. Lire l'article original sur APS .

Special counsel moves to abandon election interference and classified documents cases against Trump WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Jack Smith moved to abandon two criminal cases against Donald Trump on Monday, acknowledging that Trump’s return to the White House will preclude attempts to federally prosecute him for retaining classified documents or trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat. The decision was inevitable, since longstanding Justice Department policy says sitting presidents cannot face criminal prosecution. Yet it was still a momentous finale to an unprecedented chapter in political and law enforcement history, as federal officials attempted to hold accountable a former president while he was simultaneously running for another term. Trump emerges indisputably victorious, having successfully delayed the investigations through legal maneuvers and then winning reelection despite indictments that described his actions as a threat to the country's constitutional foundations. “I persevered, against all odds, and WON," Trump exulted in a post on Truth Social, his social media website. He also said that “these cases, like all of the other cases I have been forced to go through, are empty and lawless, and should never have been brought.” Israel launches new airstrikes on Lebanon as leaders draw closer to a ceasefire with Hezbollah BEIRUT (AP) — Israel's military launched airstrikes across Lebanon on Monday, unleashing explosions throughout the country and killing at least 31 while Israeli leaders appeared to be closing in on a negotiated ceasefire with the Hezbollah militant group. Israeli strikes hit commercial and residential buildings in Beirut as well as in the port city of Tyre. Military officials said they targeted areas known as Hezbollah strongholds. They issued evacuation orders for Beirut's southern suburbs, and strikes landed across the city, including meters from a Lebanese police base and the city's largest public park. The barrage came as officials indicated they were nearing agreement on a ceasefire, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's Security Cabinet prepared to discuss an offer on the table. Massive explosions lit up Lebanon's skies with flashes of orange, sending towering plumes of smoke into the air as Israeli airstrikes pounded Beirut’s southern suburbs Monday. The blasts damaged buildings and left shattered glass and debris scattered across nearby streets. No casualties were reported after many residents fled the targeted sites. Some of the strikes landed close to central Beirut and near Christian neighborhoods and other targets where Israel had issued evacuation warnings, including in Tyre and Nabatiyeh province. Israeli airstrikes also hit the northeast Baalbek-Hermel region without warning. What's blocking a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah? BEIRUT (AP) — Diplomats and other officials say there have been several sticking points in ceasefire talks to end the war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, even as conditions for an agreement appear to be ripe. Israel’s military has killed nearly all of the militant group’s top leaders, but it continues to fire missiles into Israel. Tens of thousands of Israelis who were evacuated from the border months ago are pressuring their government to help them go home. And the world wants to stop regional conflict from spreading after more than a year of fighting. Following the latest visit to the region by a U.S. mediator, Israel hit central Beirut over the weekend, and Hezbollah responded with its biggest barrage in weeks as each applied pressure to reach a deal. Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire almost daily since the day after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, setting off the war in Gaza. Israel launched a widespread bombardment of Lebanon two months ago, then a ground invasion. More than 3,500 people in Lebanon have been killed, many of them civilians. Thanksgiving Travel Latest: Airport strike, staff shortages and weather could impact holiday travel Airports and highways are expected to be jam-packed during Thanksgiving week, a holiday period likely to end with another record day for air travel in the United States. AAA predicts that nearly 80 million Americans will venture at least 50 miles from home between Tuesday and next Monday, most of them by car. However, travelers could be impacted by ongoing weather challenges and those flying to their destinations could be grounded by delays brought on by airline staffing shortages and an airport service workers strike. Here's the latest: U.S. airlines are preparing for a Thanksgiving holiday rush, and so are the U.S. Postal Service, United Parcel Service and FedEx. Shipping companies will deliver about 2.2 billion packages to homes and businesses across the U.S. from Thanksgiving to Dec. 31, said Satish Jindel, a shipping and logistics expert and president of ShipMatrix. White Florida woman sentenced to 25 years in prison for shooting Black neighbor in lengthy dispute A white Florida woman who fatally shot a Black neighbor through her front door during an ongoing dispute over the neighbor’s boisterous children was sentenced Monday to 25 years in prison for her manslaughter conviction. Susan Lorincz, 60, was convicted in August of killing Ajike “A.J.” Owens, 35, by firing a single shot from her .380-caliber handgun in June 2023. She had faced a maximum of 30 years behind bars. Circuit Judge Robert Hodges opted for a slightly lesser term amid evidence that Lorincz had been abused as a child and had mental health problems. “The shooting was completely unnecessary in this case,” Hodges said during an afternoon hearing. “The shooting, I find, was based more in anger than in fear.” The shooting was the culmination of a long-running argument between the two neighbors over Owens’ children playing in a grassy area near both of their houses in Ocala, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northwest of Orlando. Prosecutors said Owens had come to Lorincz’s home after her children complained that she had thrown roller skates and an umbrella at them, which Lorincz denied. Trial testimony showed Owens, a mother of four young children, was pounding on Lorincz’s door and yelling, leading Lorincz to claim self-defense in shooting her neighbor. Judge in LA delays until January decision on resentencing Menendez brothers LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge on Monday delayed until January his decision on whether to resentence Erik and Lyle Menendez for killing their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion 35 years ago, squashing their family’s hope the brothers would be released and home for the holidays. Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic said at the hearing in Los Angeles that he needed time to review 17 boxes of documents and give a new district attorney in Los Angeles County time to weigh in on the case. “I’m not ready to go forward,” Jesic said, setting the hearing for the resentencing request for Jan. 30 instead of Dec. 11 as originally planned. The brothers were scheduled to be seen in court for the first time in decades at the hearing but technical problems prevented them from appearing virtually from a San Diego prison. They were found guilty of murdering Jose and Kitty Menendez in 1989 and sentenced to life in prison without parole. While their defense attorneys argued at trial that they had been sexually abused by their father, prosecutors denied that and accused them of killing their parents for money. In the years that followed, they repeatedly appealed their convictions without success. Supreme Court won’t hear challenge to graphic cigarette warning labels WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court won’t hear a challenge to a federal requirement that cigarette packages and advertising include graphic images demonstrating the effects of smoking. The high court declined to hear the case in a brief written order handed down Monday. Tobacco company R.J. Reynolds appealed to the high court after the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found the warnings do not violate the First Amendment. They include pictures of smoke-damaged lungs, feet blackened by diminished blood flow and a picture of a woman with a large growth on her neck and the caption “WARNING: Smoking causes head and neck cancer.” The company argued the final image, for example, was misleading because a patient would likely go to the doctor before a growth reached that size. Russia reportedly captures a Briton fighting for Ukraine as Russian troops advance Russia's military captured a British national fighting with Ukrainian troops who have occupied part of Russia's Kursk region, according to reports Monday, as Moscow began daylight drone attacks on civilian areas of Ukraine and its ground forces accelerated gains along parts of the front line. The Briton was identified by state news agency Tass and other media as James Scott Rhys Anderson. Tass quoted him as saying that he had served as a signalman in the British army for four years and then joined the International Legion of Ukraine, formed early on in Russia's nearly 3-year-old war against its neighbor. On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces are straining to hold at bay a push by Russia's bigger army at places in the eastern Donetsk region. Russian forces recently have gained ground at “a significantly quicker rate” than they did in the whole of last year, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank. The Russians have detected and are exploiting weaknesses in the Ukrainian defenses, it said in an analysis late Sunday. The war surpassed 1,000 days last week, and the milestone coincided with a significant escalation in hostilities. Judge rejects request to sideline a San Jose State volleyball player on grounds she’s transgender A judge on Monday rejected a request to block a San Jose State women’s volleyball team member from playing in a conference tournament on grounds that she is transgender. The ruling by U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Kato Crews in Denver will allow the player, who has played all season, to compete in the Mountain West Conference women’s championship opening this week in Las Vegas. The ruling comes in a lawsuit filed by nine current players against the Mountain West Conference challenging the league’s policies for allowing transgender players to participate. The players argued that letting her compete was a safety risk and unfair. While some media have reported those and other details, neither San Jose State nor the forfeiting teams have confirmed the school has a trans woman volleyball player. The Associated Press is withholding the player’s name because she has not commented publicly on her gender identity. School officials also have declined an interview request with the player. Crews' ruling referred to the athlete as an “alleged transgender” player and noted that no defendant disputed that the San Jose State roster includes a transgender woman player. So you're gathering with relatives whose politics are different. Here are some tips for the holidays NEW YORK (AP) — There's no place like home for the holidays. And that may not necessarily be a good thing. In the wake of the very contentious and divisive 2024 presidential election, the upcoming celebration of Thanksgiving and the ramp-up of the winter holiday season could be a boon for some — a respite from the events of the larger world in the gathering of family and loved ones. Hours and even days spent with people who have played the largest roles in our lives. Another chapter in a lifetime of memories. That's one scenario. For others, that same period — particularly because of the polarizing presidential campaign — is something to dread. There is the likelihood of disagreements, harsh words, hurt feelings and raised voices looming large. Those who make a study of people and their relationships to each other in an increasingly complex 21st-century say there are choices that those with potentially fraught personal situations can make — things to do and things to avoid — that could help them and their families get through this time with a minimum of open conflict and a chance at getting to the point of the holidays in the first place.

PLAINS, Ga. (AP) — Newly married and sworn as a Naval officer, left his tiny hometown in 1946 hoping to climb the ranks and see the world. Less than a decade later, the death of his father and namesake, a merchant farmer and local politician who went by “Mr. Earl,” prompted the submariner and his wife, Rosalynn, to return to the rural life of Plains, Georgia, they thought they’d escaped. The lieutenant never would be an admiral. Instead, he became commander in chief. Years after his presidency ended in humbling defeat, he would add a Nobel Peace Prize, awarded not for his White House accomplishments but “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” The life of James Earl Carter Jr., the 39th and longest-lived U.S. president, ended Sunday at the age of 100 where it began: Plains, the town of 600 that fueled his political rise, welcomed him after his fall and sustained him during 40 years of service that redefined what it means to be a former president. With the stubborn confidence of an engineer and an optimism rooted in his Baptist faith, Carter described his motivations in politics and beyond in the same way: an almost missionary zeal to solve problems and improve lives. Carter was raised amid racism, abject poverty and hard rural living — realities that shaped both his deliberate politics and emphasis on human rights. “He always felt a responsibility to help people,” said Jill Stuckey, a longtime friend of Carter’s in Plains. “And when he couldn’t make change wherever he was, he decided he had to go higher.” Carter’s path, , pitted moral imperatives against political pragmatism; and it defied typical labels of American politics, especially caricatures of one-term presidents as failures. “We shouldn’t judge presidents by how popular they are in their day. That’s a very narrow way of assessing them,” Carter biographer Jonathan Alter told the Associated Press. “We should judge them by how they changed the country and the world for the better. On that score, Jimmy Carter is not in the first rank of American presidents, but he stands up quite well.” Later in life, Carter conceded that many Americans, even those too young to remember his tenure, judged him ineffective for failing to contain inflation or interest rates, end the energy crisis or quickly bring home American hostages in Iran. He gained admirers instead for his work at The Carter Center — advocating globally for public health, human rights and democracy since 1982 — and the decades he and Rosalynn wore hardhats and swung hammers with Habitat for Humanity. Yet the common view that he was better after the Oval Office than in it annoyed Carter, and his allies relished him living long enough to see historians reassess his presidency. “He doesn’t quite fit in today’s terms” of a left-right, red-blue scoreboard, said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who visited the former president multiple times during his own White House bid. At various points in his political career, Carter labeled himself “progressive” or “conservative” — sometimes both at once. His most ambitious health care bill failed — perhaps one of his biggest legislative disappointments — because it didn’t go far enough to suit liberals. Republicans, especially after his 1980 defeat, cast him as a left-wing cartoon. It would be easiest to classify Carter as a centrist, Buttigieg said, “but there’s also something radical about the depth of his commitment to looking after those who are left out of society and out of the economy.” Indeed, Carter’s legacy is stitched with complexities, contradictions and evolutions — personal and political. The self-styled peacemaker was a war-trained Naval Academy graduate who promised Democratic challenger Ted Kennedy that he’d “kick his ass.” But he campaigned with a call to treat everyone with “respect and compassion and with love.” Carter vowed to restore America’s virtue after the shame of Vietnam and Watergate, and his technocratic, good-government approach didn’t suit Republicans who tagged government itself as the problem. It also sometimes put Carter at odds with fellow Democrats. The result still was a notable legislative record, with wins on the environment, education, and mental health care. He dramatically expanded federally protected lands, began deregulating air travel, railroads and trucking, and he put human rights at the center of U.S. foreign policy. As a fiscal hawk, Carter added a relative pittance to the national debt, unlike successors from both parties. Carter nonetheless struggled to make his achievements resonate with the electorate he charmed in 1976. Quoting Bob Dylan and grinning enthusiastically, he had promised voters he would “never tell a lie.” Once in Washington, though, he led like a joyless engineer, insisting his ideas would become reality and he’d be rewarded politically if only he could convince enough people with facts and logic. This served him well at Camp David, where he brokered peace between Israel’s Menachem Begin and Epypt’s Anwar Sadat, an experience that later sparked the idea of The Carter Center in Atlanta. Carter’s tenacity helped the center grow to a global force that monitored elections across five continents, enabled his freelance diplomacy and sent public health experts across the developing world. The center’s wins were personal for Carter, who hoped to outlive the last Guinea worm parasite, and nearly did. As president, though, the approach fell short when he urged consumers beleaguered by energy costs to turn down their thermostats. Or when he tried to be the nation’s cheerleader, beseeching Americans to overcome a collective “crisis of confidence.” Republican Ronald Reagan exploited Carter’s lecturing tone with a belittling quip in their lone 1980 debate. “There you go again,” the former Hollywood actor said in response to a wonky answer from the sitting president. “The Great Communicator” outpaced Carter in all but six states. Carter later suggested he “tried to do too much, too soon” and mused that he was incompatible with Washington culture: media figures, lobbyists and Georgetown social elites who looked down on the as “country come to town.” Carter carefully navigated divides on race and class on his way to the Oval Office. , Carter was raised in the mostly Black community of Archery, just outside Plains, by a progressive mother and white supremacist father. Their home had no running water or electricity but the future president still grew up with the relative advantages of a locally prominent, land-owning family in a system of Jim Crow segregation. He wrote of President Franklin Roosevelt’s towering presence and his family’s Democratic Party roots, but his father soured on FDR, and Jimmy Carter never campaigned or governed as a New Deal liberal. He offered himself as a small-town peanut farmer with an understated style, carrying his own luggage, bunking with supporters during his first presidential campaign and always using his nickname. And he began his political career in a whites-only Democratic Party. As private citizens, he and Rosalynn supported integration as early as the 1950s and believed it inevitable. Carter refused to join the White Citizens Council in Plains and spoke out in his Baptist church against denying Black people access to worship services. “This is not my house; this is not your house,” he said in a churchwide meeting, reminding fellow parishioners their sanctuary belonged to God. Yet as the appointed chairman of Sumter County schools he never pushed to desegregate, thinking it impractical after the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board decision. And while presidential candidate Carter would hail the 1965 Voting Rights Act, signed by fellow Democrat Lyndon Johnson when Carter was a state senator, there is no record of Carter publicly supporting it at the time. Carter overcame a ballot-stuffing opponent to win his legislative seat, then lost the 1966 governor’s race to an arch-segregationist. He won four years later by avoiding explicit mentions of race and campaigning to the right of his rival, who he mocked as “Cufflinks Carl” — the insult of an ascendant politician who never saw himself as part the establishment. Carter’s rural and small-town coalition in 1970 would match any victorious Republican electoral map in 2024. Once elected, though, Carter shocked his white conservative supporters — and landed on the cover of Time magazine — by declaring that “the time for racial discrimination is over.” Before making the jump to Washington, Carter befriended the family of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., whom he’d never sought out as he eyed the governor’s office. Carter lamented his foot-dragging on school integration as a “mistake.” But he also met, conspicuously, with Alabama’s segregationist Gov. George Wallace to accept his primary rival’s endorsement ahead of the 1976 Democratic convention. “He very shrewdly took advantage of his own Southerness,” said Amber Roessner, a University of Tennessee professor and expert on Carter’s campaigns. A coalition of Black voters and white moderate Democrats ultimately made Carter the last Democratic presidential nominee to sweep the Deep South. Then, just as he did in Georgia, he used his power in office to appoint more non-whites than all his predecessors had, combined. He once acknowledged “the secret shame” of white Americans who didn’t fight segregation. But he also told Alter that doing more would have sacrificed his political viability – and thus everything he accomplished in office and after. King’s daughter, Bernice King, described Carter as wisely “strategic” in winning higher offices to enact change. “He was a leader of conscience,” she said in an interview. Rosalynn Carter, who at the age of 96, was identified by both husband and wife as the “more political” of the pair; she sat in on Cabinet meetings and urged him to postpone certain priorities, like pressing the Senate to relinquish control of the Panama Canal. “Let that go until the second term,” she would sometimes say. The president, recalled her former aide Kathy Cade, retorted that he was “going to do what’s right” even if “it might cut short the time I have.” Rosalynn held firm, Cade said: “She’d remind him you have to win to govern.” Carter also was the first president to appoint multiple women as Cabinet officers. Yet by his own telling, his career sprouted from chauvinism in the Carters’ early marriage: He did not consult Rosalynn when deciding to move back to Plains in 1953 or before launching his state Senate bid a decade later. Many years later, he called it “inconceivable” that he didn’t confer with the woman he described as his “full partner,” at home, in government and at The Carter Center. “We developed a partnership when we were working in the farm supply business, and it continued when Jimmy got involved in politics,” Rosalynn Carter told AP in 2021. So deep was their trust that when Carter remained tethered to the White House in 1980 as 52 Americans were held hostage in Tehran, it was Rosalynn who campaigned on her husband’s behalf. “I just loved it,” she said, despite the bitterness of defeat. Fair or not, the label of a disastrous presidency had leading Democrats keep their distance, at least publicly, for many years, but Carter managed to remain relevant, writing books and weighing in on societal challenges. He lamented widening wealth gaps and the influence of money in politics. He voted for democratic socialist Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton in 2016, and later declared that America had devolved from fully functioning democracy to “oligarchy.” Yet looking ahead to 2020, with Sanders running again, Carter warned Democrats not to lest they help re-elect President Donald Trump. Carter scolded the Republican for his serial lies and threats to democracy, and chided the U.S. establishment for misunderstanding Trump’s populist appeal. He delighted in yearly convocations with Emory University freshmen, often asking them to guess how much he’d raised in his two general election campaigns. “Zero,” he’d gesture with a smile, explaining the public financing system candidates now avoid so they can raise billions. Carter still remained quite practical in partnering with wealthy corporations and foundations to advance Carter Center programs. Carter recognized that economic woes and the Iran crisis doomed his presidency, but offered no apologies for appointing Paul Volcker as the Federal Reserve chairman whose interest rate hikes would not curb inflation until Reagan’s presidency. He was proud of getting all the hostages home without starting a shooting war, even though Tehran would not free them until Reagan’s Inauguration Day. “Carter didn’t look at it” as a failure, Alter emphasized. “He said, ‘They came home safely.’ And that’s what he wanted.” Well into their 90s, the Carters greeted visitors at Plains’ Maranatha Baptist Church, where he taught Sunday School and where he will have his last funeral before being buried on . Carter, who made the congregation’s collection plates in his woodworking shop, still garnered headlines there, calling for women’s rights within religious institutions, many of which, he said, “subjugate” women in church and society. Carter was not one to dwell on regrets. “I am at peace with the accomplishments, regret the unrealized goals and utilize my former political position to enhance everything we do,” he wrote around his 90th birthday. The politician who had supposedly hated Washington politics also enjoyed hosting Democratic presidential contenders as again. Carter sat with Buttigieg for the final time March 1, 2020, hours before the Indiana mayor ended his campaign and endorsed eventual winner Joe Biden. “He asked me how I thought the campaign was going,” Buttigieg said, recalling that Carter flashed his signature grin and nodded along as the young candidate, born a year after Carter left office, “put the best face” on the walloping he endured the day before in South Carolina. Never breaking his smile, the 95-year-old host fired back, “I think you ought to drop out.” “So matter of fact,” Buttigieg said with a laugh. “It was somehow encouraging.” Carter had lived enough, won plenty and lost enough to take the long view. “He talked a lot about coming from nowhere,” Buttigieg said, not just to attain the presidency but to leverage “all of the instruments you have in life” and “make the world more peaceful.” In his farewell address as president, Carter said as much to the country that had embraced and rejected him. “The struggle for human rights overrides all differences of color, nation or language,” he declared. “Those who hunger for freedom, who thirst for human dignity and who suffer for the sake of justice — they are the patriots of this cause.” Carter pledged to remain engaged with and for them as he returned “home to the South where I was born and raised,” home to Plains, where that young lieutenant had indeed become “a fellow citizen of the world.” —-When the Carolina Panthers selected RB Jonathon Brooks in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, they did so believing they were filling a major team need for the future. What they didn't realize is that they'd have another Pro Bowl-caliber player at his position on the roster. Chuba Hubbard has been arguably the lone bright spot on the 2024 Panthers (3-7). He's rushed for 818 yards and six touchdowns in 10 games, while additionally catching 30 passes for 124 yards and another score. All of those numbers have either already eclipsed or are on pace to eclipse Hubbard's previous career-high marks. Though he may not get selected due to the team he's on, Hubbard has a case to be a Pro Bowler this season. Now, though, he'll have to share the field with Brooks, who will presumably become the team's featured back in time. Brooks will likely be eased into the lineup, and perhaps won't supplant Hubbard as Carolina's RB1 until next season. Hubbard has also already been part of a time-share with Miles Sanders, who was just placed on injured reserve. So, if anything, Brooks will be replacing Sanders' production and not Hubbard's. Still, Brooks' upside is high. He'd likely have been a first-round pick had he not torn his ACL during his final year of college at the University of Texas, and once he gets going, Panthers fans will have to hope there's still room for Hubbard in their offense.Croatia's president faces conservative rival in election run-off