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One of the things I love about the NFL is that a good head coach can change the lives of so many people. Not only do the fans get to feel good about their team winning, but people who are connected to that head coach start to get opportunities because of it. Then before you know it, you have a coaching tree. Basically everyone out there is part of a coaching tree in one way or another. For Lions' head coach Dan Campbell, he's part of the Bill Parcels. It was Parcells that gave him his start in the coaching world when he hired him in Miami after Campbell played for Parcells in Dallas. Campbell is also part of Sean Payton's coaching tree too since Payton hired Campbell and got him ready to be a full-fledged head coach. Payton is also part of the Parcell's coaching tree too. Now it would seem that Dan Campbell has his own coaching tree that's slowly forming. Right now it's kind of a baby tree, but the branches are spreading out there and the leaves are beginning to sprout. Let's take a look at what Campbell has on this tree. Alright, there it is. It's a beautiful tree. Maybe Andry Dufrense will hide something under that tree for Red to find before they meet up in Zihuatanejo. Let's talk about each part of this tree. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson: We'll start with the big one. Johnson was on staff in Miami with Campbell when he was the Dolphins interim head coach. Johnson wound up in Detroit on Matt Patricia's staff, but he was one of the only guys retained when Campbell showed up. He's now the hottest head coaching candidate of the cycle for the third straight year. Maybe one of the most desired hires ever. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn: Glenn came over to Detroit from New Orleans with Campbell and since then Glenn has grown to be a great defensive coordinator and one of the best leaders of men in the league. He is also one of the hottest candidates for a head coaching job in this upcoming cycle. Assistant Head coach and running backs coach Scottie Montgomery: This one was tough. I put Montgomery on Campbell's tree because the Lions have given him the biggest job he's had in the NFL and he's expected to get some head coaching interviews because of it. Don't be surprised when this guy is leading a franchise. Linebackers coach Kelvin Shepperd: This was Sheppered's first coaching gig and he has making a lot of noise in the coaching world since he got the gig. If Glenn does leave, Shepperd is expected by many to be the one to take over as the Lions' new defensive coordinator. He won't level out there. Passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand: He's already got some interviews to be an offensive coordinator with three other teams last winter. He didn't get the gig, but if Johnson leaves, he could be the guy for the Lions. Even if Johnson stays, this guy will get more interviews this offseason. Commanders assistant quarterback coach David Blough: The first guy to get a job somewhere else. The interesting thing is that he was never a part of the Lions staff perse, but he was like a player/coach for the Lions on their practice squad for a while. He seemed to be leaning towards coaching for a while. This offseason he retired and now he's making noise in Washington. Big future for him. Assistant linebackers coach Shaun Dion Hamilton: Hamilton was actually playing for the Lions in 2021 and Campbell saw him as such a leader that after the Lions released Hamilton, Campbell had him join the coaching staff. They see something in him. enough to send him out to be a part of the Senior Bowl coaching staff in 2023. Keep an eye on him. Assistant quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett: Barrett was with Cmapbell in New Orleans as a player. After Barrett got done playing in the CFL in 2022, Campbell hired him onto the staff. He's already been promoted from offensive assistant to assistant quarterbacks coach. According to Ben Johnson, Barrett, and two others have been a big part of the Lions' trick plays they've been running for years. Assistant offensive line coach Steve Oliver: Oliver is a part of that group that Johson was talking about. If Hank Fraley were to leave and join Johnson's staff somewhere, he could be the Lions' next offensive line coach. Assistant receivers coach Seth Ryan: The son of Rex Ryan has been making a name for himself in the coaching world. He's still got some time to grow like Oliver and Barrett, but he's also been a part of that group that helps out with the trick plays. Assistant special teams coach Jett Modkins: He's been with the Lions since 2021 and he's been a big help to special teams coordinator Dave Fipp. This is a guy that could be a special teams coordinator for his own group sometime soon. One guy who will soon be on the tree: Teddy Bridgewater has a future coaching in the NFL. He has a very close relationship with Dan Campbell and that's been demonstrated by the team bringing Bridgewater back this year. We know he can coach at the high school level, but my guess is we'll find out what he can do next year when he joins the Lions' staff. I'm calling it here and now. This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.
Israeli strikes without warning in central Beirut kill at least 15 as diplomats push for cease-fire BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — Lebanese officials say Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 15 people and injured dozens in central Beirut as the once-rare strikes in the heart of Lebanon’s capital continue without Israeli warning. Diplomats are scrambling to broker a cease-fire but describe the disputed issues that remain. The current proposal calls for a two-month cease-fire during which Israeli forces would withdraw from Lebanon and Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the southern border south of the Litani River. Lebanon’s Health Ministry says Israeli bombardment has killed more than 3,500 people in Lebanon in the months of fighting that have turned into all-out war. Trump raced to pick many Cabinet posts. He took more time to settle on a treasury secretary WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump launched a blitz of picks for his Cabinet, but he took his time settling on billionaire investor Scott Bessent as his choice for treasury secretary. The Republican not only wanted someone who jibes with him, but an official who can execute his economic vision and look straight out of central casting while doing so. With his Yale University education and pedigree trading for Soros Fund Management before establishing his own funds, Bessent will be tasked with a delicate balancing act. Trump expects him to help reset the global trade order, enable trillions of dollars in tax cuts, ensure inflation stays in check, manage a ballooning national debt and still keep the financial markets confident. Voters rejected historic election reforms across the US, despite more than $100M push JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Election reform advocates had hoped for a big year at the ballot box. That's because a historic number of states were considering initiatives for ranked choice voting or to end partisan primaries. Instead, voters dealt them big losses in the November elections. Voters in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and South Dakota all rejected proposed changes to their voting systems. In Alaska, a proposal to repeal ranked choice voting appears to have narrowly fallen short. The losses in many states came even though election reform supporters raised more than $100 million, easily outpacing opponents. Supporters say they aren't giving up but plan to retool their efforts. The week that upped the stakes of the Ukraine war KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — This past week has seen the most significant escalation in hostilities Ukraine has witnessed since Russia's full-scale invasion and marks a new chapter in the nearly three-year war. It began with U.S. President Joe Biden reversing a longstanding policy by granting Kyiv permission to deploy American longer-range missiles inside Russian territory and ended with Moscow striking Ukraine with a new experimental ballistic weapon that has alarmed the international community and heightened fears of further escalation. Storm dumps record rain in Northern California, while US Northeast deals with winter storms HEALDSBURG, Calif. (AP) — A major storm continues to drop heavy snow and record rain in California, causing small landslides and flooding some streets. Meanwhile on the opposite coast blizzard or winter storm warnings were in effect Saturday for areas spanning from the Northeast to central Appalachia. The storm on the West Coast arrived in the Pacific Northwest earlier this week, killing two people and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands, before moving through Northern California. Forecasters predicted that both coasts would begin to see a reprieve from the storms as the system in the northeast moves into eastern Canada and the one in the West heads south. Even with access to blockbuster obesity drugs, some people don't lose weight Most people taking popular drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy to lose weight have shed significant pounds. But obesity experts say that roughly 20% of patients — as many as 1 in 5 — may not see robust results with the new medications. The response to the drugs varies from person to person and can depend on genetics, hormones and differences in how the brain regulates energy. Undiagnosed medical conditions and some drugs can prevent weight loss. Experts say it can take experimentation to help so-called nonresponders find results. Fighting between armed sectarian groups in restive northwestern Pakistan kills at least 37 people PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — A senior Pakistani police officer says fighting between armed sectarian groups in the country's restive northwest has killed at least 37 people. The overnight violence was the latest to rock Kurram, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and comes days after a deadly gun ambush killed 42 people. The officer said Saturday that armed men torched shops, houses and government property overnight. Gunfire is ongoing between rival tribes. Although Sunnis and Shiites generally live together peacefully in Pakistan, tensions remain in some areas, especially Kurram. These Peruvian women left the Amazon, but their homeland still inspires their songs and crafts LIMA, Peru (AP) — Many Shipibo-Konibo craftswomen migrated from their Indigenous communities in the Amazon to Peru's capital, Lima, in the past few decades. Their ancestors' legacy remains present through their songs and techniques, and some of them have managed to make a living out of their crafts. Textiles, jewelry and paintings convey the culture, worldview and beliefs from the lands where they were born. Doctor at the heart of Turkey's newborn baby deaths case says he was a 'trusted' physician ISTANBUL (AP) — The Turkish doctor at the center of an alleged fraud scheme that led to the deaths of 10 babies says he was a “trusted” physician. Dr. Firat Sari is one of 47 people on trial accused of transferring newborn babies to neonatal units of private hospitals, where they were allegedly kept for prolonged and sometimes unnecessary treatments in order to receive social security payments. Sari said patients were referred to him because people trusted him and he did not bribe anyone involved with Turkey’s emergency medical phone line. Sari, said to be the plot’s ringleader, faces up to 583 years in prison. Hydrate. Make lists. Leave yourself time. And other tips for reducing holiday travel stress Travel, especially during the holiday season, can be stressful. But following some tips from the pros as you prepare for a trip can make for a smoother, less anxious experience. One expert traveler suggests making a list a week before you go of things you need to do and pack. Cross off each item as you complete it during the week. Another tip: Carry your comfort zone with you. That could mean noise-cancelling headphones, playlists meant to soothe airport travelers, entertainment and snacks from home. Carry a change of clothes and a phone charger in case of delays. Stay hydrated. Leave extra time. And know your airline's rules. Downloading the airline's app can help with that.
WATCH: Avalanche caught on camera in New HampshireWashington state Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson on Thursday named a veteran budget writer and policy analyst to serve as his director of the Office of Financial Management. K.D. Chapman-See, the agency’s current legislative affairs liaison, will be the point person helping Ferguson fashion his first state spending plan in the shadow of a potential multi-billion dollar budget deficit. Also Thursday, Ferguson started his search for new leaders of nine state agencies, including the departments of transportation, corrections, social and health services and ecology. Current directors of most of those agencies have already announced plans to step down or retire. With Chapman-See, Ferguson tapped a skilled and respected analyst with experience in the executive and legislative branches of Washington state government. Before joining Gov. Jay Inslee’s budget office, she worked more than a decade in the state House of Representatives as a policy director and as a senior analyst for operating budget and tax policy for the House Democratic Caucus, according to Ferguson’s transition team. “K.D. brings tremendous talent and expertise to this critical position in state government,” Ferguson said in a statement. “She understands the budget challenges facing the state, and I look forward to working with her to deliver efficient, effective government.” Those budget challenges will be significant as Ferguson begins his term. State tax revenues are not keeping pace with the rising costs of current and promised programs. Inslee and his budget director, Pat Sullivan, have warned the gap is around $12 billion over the next four-plus fiscal years and directed state agencies to identify potential cuts . Some ideas for what to trim may wind up in Inslee’s proposed budget for the 2025-27 biennium. So too may some ideas for raising additional revenue. The budget proposal is due out in mid-December and will be a template for Ferguson and state lawmakers when they craft final budgets in the 2025 legislative session. While Ferguson has not commented publicly about the state’s budget situation, Democratic legislators have said they expect to consider spending reductions and new revenue sources to erase the shortfall. Chapman-See will assume her new role on Jan. 15 and be part of Ferguson’s executive leadership team . She will succeed Sullivan, a former state lawmaker who was appointed director of the Office of Financial Management in July when David Schumacher, Inslee’s longtime budget director, departed. “I am deeply grateful to Pat Sullivan for his leadership during this challenging time as he develops Governor Inslee’s final budget,” Ferguson said. “He is an outstanding public servant who puts the needs of Washingtonians first.” Other agencies where Ferguson said he intends to hire new leaders include the Department of Children, Youth and Families, Department of Enterprise Services, the Health Care Authority, and Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs. Directors of all but transportation and enterprise services had previously said they would be leaving. Enterprise services manages state buildings and vehicle fleets, among other responsibilities. Secretary of Transportation Roger Millar told the Washington State Standard in a recent interview that he hoped to stay on in the new administration. He informed Department of Transportation employees Thursday afternoon that his last day will be Jan. 15. “Leading this agency has been a true highlight of my life personally and professionally,” he wrote in an email. “Because of you WSDOT is one of the most innovative, effective and consequential departments of transportation in the world.” In the release, Ferguson said he is evaluating the leadership of other cabinet agencies and will provide an update next week. Those interested in applying for a leadership position or serving on a board or commission can do so online through a newly launched web portal . The Washington State Standard is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news outlet that provides original reporting, analysis and commentary on Washington state government and politics. We seek to keep you informed about Washington’s most pressing issues, the decisions elected leaders are making, how they are spending tax dollars and who is influencing public policy. We’re part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
For the second time this season, DeVonta Smith will miss a game for the Philadelphia Eagles due to an injury. Back in Week 4, Smith missed the team's blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a concussion. Heading into their Week 12 contest against the Los Angeles Rams, Smith will miss the NFC showdown with a hamstring injury. USA Today Sports Smith has been banged up for most of the season with lower body injuries. Sunday will be a chance for him to "get right" ahead of the team's key games down the stretch. But with the former Heisman Trophy no longer available, the Eagles will need additional players to step up for them. Yes, stars like A.J. Brown, Saquon Barkley, and Dallas Goedert are all still on the roster, but even one member of the Eagles missing time is usually a bad sign for the organization. To Philadelphia, Sunday will be a golden opportunity for additional players across the receiver position to step up. Related: Eagles Defense Preparing For Main Part Of Sean McVay's Offense Whether it's former first-round pick Jahan Dotson, the return of special teams ace Britain Covey, or rookies such as Johnny Wilson and Ainias Smith, the Eagles have plenty of weapons to remain competitive against the high-flying Rams. In that regard, anything less than their usual average of points scored will not do with quarterback Jalen Hurts leading the way. Smith's loss is a big issue for the Eagles moving forward, but for Sunday, it's a chance that the team can show they are more than just their star players. Related: Eagles' Star Currently in Top 10 In StatisticIn the past four games, the Dolphins have 21 scoring drives, 14 of which (.667) have been nine or more plays.Brighton frustrated in goalless draw with Brentford
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Nico Iamaleava threw for 209 yards and four touchdowns to lead No. 10 Tennessee to a 56-0 victory over UTEP on Saturday. The Volunteers (9-2) overcame a sluggish start to roll up the impressive win. Both teams were scoreless in the first quarter, but Tennessee found its rhythm. Grad student receiver Bru McCoy, who hadn't caught a touchdown pass this season, had two. Peyton Lewis also ran for two scores. Tennessee's defensive line, which had no sacks in last week's loss to Georgia, had three against the Miners. UTEP (2-9) struggled with two missed field goals and three turnovers. Tennessee's offense came alive with 28 points in the second quarter. In the final four drives of the quarter, Iamaleava completed 11 of 12 passes for 146 yards and touchdowns to Squirrel White, Ethan Davis and McCoy. UTEP was the dominant team in the first quarter. Tennessee managed just 37 offensive yards and, thanks to an interception near the end zone and a missed field goal by the Miners, both teams were scoreless after 15 minutes. POLL IMPLICATIONS Tennessee’s convincing victory, coupled with losses by Mississippi and Indiana, should put the Volunteers in a good position when the next College Football Playoff poll is released. The Vols were ranked No. 11 going into this week’s games. THE TAKEAWAY UTEP: The Miners will head into a very winnable game against New Mexico State having won two of their last five games. First-year coach Scotty Walden will try to build on that success in the offseason to help enhance his roster. Tennessee: Even a lopsided win won’t carry much weight where it means the most — in the College Football Playoff rankings. The Vols will have to rely on a convincing win against Vanderbilt next week, a team that has shown a lot of improvement this season, to help their standing for those coveted spots. UP NEXT UTEP: The Miners will finish their season at New Mexico State Saturday. Tennessee: The Vols will finish their regular season at Vanderbilt next Saturday. 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
More funding is needed to assist those dealing with mental health issues, including in the North Okanagan. Through a first-of-its-kind report, the Canadian Mental Health Association provided an in-depth look at the mental health system in Canada and how people are faring in every province and territory. Among the findings of report is no jurisdiction is spending enough on mental health, in part because they’re not obliged to. “The report highlights that there needs to be significant investment in mental health services and strategies, particularly at a time when we know that a growing number of Canadians, including in the North Okanagan, are being impacted by mental health,” said Julia Payson, executive director of CMHA Vernon & District. “Here in the North Okanagan, we have made positive strides towards mental health for all. These actions have included preserving and improving critical affordable housing stock, providing employment services to people in recovery, and providing rights-based advice for those experiencing involuntary treatment under the Mental Health Act. In the past year, we have also launched new peer support and counselling to young people in the community. “Our branch will continue to pivot and innovate to ensure that our programs are meeting North Okanagan residents where they are at on their mental-health journey. We will also continue to urge all levels of government to join us in ensuring access to mental health care.” CMHA is calling on the federal government to write mental health care into federal law. The federal government must also prioritize the mental health and well-being of Canadians by investing 12 per cent of health care spending in mental health, addictions, and substance use services. The report states provinces and territories are only spending an average of 6.3 per cent of their overall health budgets on mental health, which leaves Canada lagging behind many peer countries - 15 per cent in France, 11 per cent in Germany, nine per cent in the UK and Sweden. The report said the funding doesn’t even meet the level of spending called for in Canada’s own, stale-dated mental health strategy. The deep-dive report showcases 24 indicators of the state of mental health in Canada, from how much is being spent on care, to rates of suicide and levels of discrimination against people with mental health concerns — all broken down province and territory. The most recent statistics from the report show the mental health of Canadians is three times worse than before COVID-19 and millions of people can’t get the care they need. “The report tells us that people receive drastically different care depending on their home province or territory, and that people across Canada are doing worse in some places, particularly in the north and in rural parts of Canada, and distress is higher among Indigenous and racialized populations,” said Dr. Leyna Lowe, national senior research and policy analyst with CMHA National and the lead author of the report. However, the report also highlights promising innovations, like universal mental health care in Nova Scotia, significant investments in mental health promotion in B.C. and addictions treatment in Alberta. And through a series of actionable recommendations, this report gives decision makers a roadmap to better mental health care. For more information about the report, . To learn more about CMHA Vernon & District, visit their .
KISS PR Brand Story Leads Innovation: Now Accepting Bitcoin Payments for Press Release ServicesLike every runner, I go through a standard checklist before I head out: shoes tied, phone charged, hydration ready, keys in my pocket — good to go. But I’ve also got another checklist to review, one that every woman who runs will recognize. I make sure it’s light out and that my route avoids solitary areas. I let someone know where I’m going. I lower the volume of my music so I can remain aware. And I carry pepper spray because I never know who or what I’ll run into while I’m alone. It’s sad that women have to take these precautions before they work out. It’s sadder still that some women never come home from their runs at all. By all accounts, Alyssa Lokits also did everything she could to be safe. She went for a run near her Nashville, Tenn. home when it was still light out. She chose a trail where other people were around and within earshot. And when she was attacked, she fought back . However, the elected officials charged with public safety failed to do their part to keep Lokits safe. She was murdered on Oct. 14 when her alleged killer pulled her off the trail, attempted to sexually assault her, and then shot her. Her alleged attacker, of course, had prior offenses. Unaccountable prosecutors — many of them politically motivated and guided by radical leftist ideology — routinely allow repeat, violent offenders to roam free. Far too often, these soft-on-crime policies result in female runners never making it home. Eliza Fletcher, a kindergarten teacher in Memphis, Tenn., was on a morning run in 2022 when she was forced into a vehicle and shot in the back of the head . Her killer had been arrested every single year — on charges including rape and kidnapping — from 1995 to 2000. He had been released early from a 24-year prison sentence. Laken Riley, a nursing student in Georgia, was running in the middle of the day early this year when she was dragged to a secluded area, assaulted and murdered. Her alleged killer, an illegal immigrant, had been detained in 2022 but released — then, after committing multiple additional crimes, released again. All these women just wanted to go for a run. But because of government policies that allowed violent offenders to walk free, they never made it home. How many candlelight vigils, memorial runs and devastated communities will it take before prosecutors get serious about keeping dangerous people off America’s streets? The world is a dangerous place, and to some degree, going for a run is always a risk. But that risk should be limited to sprained ankles, shin splints, steep hills and maybe a barking dog or two. The consequences for some women shouldn’t be violent attacks or death. The consequences for families shouldn’t be never seeing their loved ones again. But the trend on the left over the past decade has been to tilt the scales of justice in favor of the criminals — and against victims and future victims. However, there’s been a palpable shift in tone after November’s election. Mayor Adams, to his credit, has recently talked tough about deporting migrants who commit crime in New York City. Voters this year spoke up loudly — even in left-leaning California, where they overwhelmingly passed Proposition 36 , a ballot measure that re-elevated certain misdemeanors and drug possession to felonies and made punishment harsher. It’s a step in the right direction to end the “soft on crime” movement, but it’s not moving fast enough for women joggers trying to outrun their attackers. States like Florida have shown what Americans can and should expect of their elected leaders, introducing real consequences for criminal prosecutors who refuse to prosecute criminals. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has fired two rogue prosecutors for neglecting their duties to enforce the law, and can assign a new prosecutor in cases where a district attorney fails to do his or her job. Under the law, actions should have consequences — and the failure to act should have consequences, too. Our laws should mean something. More states need to follow Florida’s lead. And Adams needs to make good on his tough talk . Voters from coast to coast have signaled that’s what they want. It shouldn’t be radical for a woman to be able to go for a run without risking death because a criminal walked free when he shouldn’t have. Sarah Coffey, an avid runner, is senior editor at the Foundation for Government Accountability.
The disability worker who was filmed having a tense exchange with Taoiseach Simon Harris while the Fine Gael leader was out canvassing in Cork on Friday has said she was left “shaken” following the interaction. Footage captured by RTE News, which has been widely shared on social media, shows Mr Harris walking away from the carer after she told the Taoiseach “we were ignored" and "the disability sector is a joke". The Section 39 disability worker, Charlotte Fallon, approached Mr Harris while he was visiting a supermarket in Kanturk in north west Cork yesterday and told him the government 'had done nothing' for carers and that people 'were suffering'. READ MORE: Friends killed in Donegal crash named locally as Gardai appeal for witnesses READ MORE: A year has passed since Dublin stared into the abyss - a proud city came perilously close to asphyxiation Ms Fallon, who was visibly upset during the exchange, said she was very passionate about her job but expressed concerns that there was 'no mention whatsoever' of people in her line of work in the latest budget. She said: "We’ve fought for our money ... but we are ignored". When Mr Harris said, "no you weren't", the woman responded by saying "yes we were, the disability sector is a joke, you've done nothing for us, our people are suffering". After a brief exchange, Mr Harris eventually shakes Ms Fallon's hand and walks away after she said: "Keep shaking people's hands and walk away. You're not a good man". You can watch a full video of the encounter below: Speaking to The Irish Times today, Ms Fallon said the exchange with Mr Harris left her in tears, as she described the actions of the Taoiseach as 'horrible'. “I was shaken, I was upset. I exited through the back door because I just didn’t want to go back into that crowd. I came down the laneway and the campaign was passing by. I wish I had said more," Ms Fallon, who works with St Joseph’s Foundation, told the outlet. The carer revealed that Mr Harris contacted her on Saturday morning to apologise, with the Irish Times reporting that the Fine Gael leader intends to meet with Ms Fallon. “I’ve just come off the phone with Simon Harris," she said. "I’m still a bit shook. He rang me and apologised and took full responsibility. "He said that is not the way he works. He said he was very sorry and that he had a long day. He said it was subject he was passionate on, and I said so am I. He said there was no need for that, you were only doing your shopping, I was harsh. He said I deserved to have my say. I’m glad I got the apology.” Mr Harris appeared in a video shared on his social media account on Saturday morning in which he said he had 'no excuse' for not properly engaging with Ms Fallon that he wishes to have a 'longer conversation with her in future.' The Fine Gael leader also stressed he is very passionate about supporting disability services, having grown up seeing the struggles his parents faced trying to find supports for his brother, who has autism. He said: "I was in Kanturk last night at the end of a very long day and was talking to a woman who works in a Section 39 disability organisation and she was raising issues with me. And, I want to say I didn't give her the time that I should have given her and I feel really bad about that because it's not who I am, it's not what makes me tick. I really, really, really passionately believe in disability services. "I do hope to be able to have a longer conversation with her. I want you to know and I want her to know I'm absolutely in the business of listening, learning and of acting when it comes to disability services. I always always will be." Join the Irish Mirror’s breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive breaking news and the latest headlines direct to your phone. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice .The Swans stunned Pride Park into silence with less than two minutes on the clock when Zan Vipotnik sent a bullet past Jacob Widell Zetterstrom before Ronald slotted home his first of the season in the 14th minute. Cyrus Christie brought Tom Barkhuizen down inside the box and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing dispatched the resulting penalty to cut the deficit in half and, despite piling on the pressure, Derby succumbed to a second home defeat of the season. Williams told a press conference: “We started the game very well, we were good up until we scored the second goal then we lost the grip on the game and I thought Derby were the better team. “The next thing for us we have to be able to maintain that level throughout the game and we weren’t able to do that to be quite honest today. “They made it difficult, reacted very well after the second goal and didn’t go under, far from it.” Swansea leapfrogged their opponents into the top half of the table with their sixth win of the season and took three points back to south Wales following two last-minute defeats by Burnley and Leeds heading into the match. Williams added: “We’ve recently conceded late goals but they’re a very resilient group and we saw it out in the end. “We’ve dominated games a lot but probably failed to score when we’ve been that dominant and tonight we managed to score the goals when we were dominant. “We scored the goals at the right time today.” Derby had been unbeaten in their last three matches coming into this one but Paul Warne put defeat down to a poor start. He said: “We conceded two and didn’t get close enough, weren’t aggressive enough, not enough body contact and looked soft, that’s my fault. “Maybe I didn’t message it properly. Sometimes it doesn’t come down to shape and tactics but I thought that was what the difference was. “Credit Swansea for the win but after the 25 mins it looked like we would score. I really enjoyed it, that’s the truth. I had 70 minutes of a team giving everything, I don’t think we’ve had that many attempts in the Championship this season. “It’s a rude awakening, last year we would’ve won that 4-2.”DUBLIN, Calif. (AP) — DUBLIN, Calif. (AP) — Ross Stores Inc. (ROST) on Thursday reported fiscal third-quarter profit of $488.8 million. The Dublin, California-based company said it had profit of $1.48 per share. The results beat Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of nine analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.39 per share. The discount retailer posted revenue of $5.07 billion in the period, missing Street forecasts. Seven analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $5.15 billion. Ross Stores expects full-year earnings to be $6.10 to $6.17 per share. This story was generated by Automated Insights ( http://automatedinsights.com/ap ) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on ROST at https://www.zacks.com/ap/ROST
Donald Trump says he’ll protect US-made cars through steep tariffs, but there is no such thing as an all-American carDolphins say they won’t fall into trap of looking past Patriots
BROWN 83, CANISIUS 76By BILL BARROW, Associated Press PLAINS, Ga. (AP) — Newly married and sworn as a Naval officer, Jimmy Carter 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, a mix of happenstance and calculation , 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 Georgians and their inner circle as “country come to town.” Carter carefully navigated divides on race and class on his way to the Oval Office. Born Oct. 1, 1924 , 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 died on Nov. 19 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 “move to a very liberal program,” 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 family property alongside Rosalynn . 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 public pilgrimages to Plains became advantageous 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.” —- Bill Barrow, based in Atlanta, has covered national politics including multiple presidential campaigns for the AP since 2012.
The youngest child of didn’t want to become the next president — but Dr Bernice King believes taking place on the same day as the federal holiday honoring her father is a small win. “I’m glad that if it was going to happen, it happened on the King holiday, because Dr King is still speaking to us,” she told She sees the January 20 event as a wake-up call for the country and an opportunity to stand up to the incoming administration’s charged agenda items. “We cannot retreat or recoil,” King said. “We have to commit ourselves to continuing the mission of protecting freedom, justice and democracy in the spirit of my father.” King had been excited about the prospect of seeing Vice President Kamala Harris, who is of Black and South Asian heritage, become the country’s first female president on MLK Day. She’d hoped the US would elect someone who embodied the values her father did. Not “someone who’s spewing hateful rhetoric, who’s not been very kind-hearted and whose policies are not humane in their approach,” as she described the president-elect. She later added: A Trump win could potentially set in motion a perilous and oppressive presidential administration that would undermine and deny the hard-fought battle for civil and human rights for which my parents and so many others sacrificed.” Civil rights leaders like her are worried the incoming administration will attempt to scale back those rights. Trump has proposed a mass deportation plan, vowed to go after his enemies, and intends to implement discriminating federal policies against LGBTQIA+ people and people of color. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and NAACP have announced their commitment to fighting what may come next. “We are entering a new era of civil rights for better or worse,” Gerald Griggs, president of the Georgia NAACP, said. “We have not seen an assault on civil rights like I believe is about to happen since the ‘50s, maybe even the ‘20s.” The group is working to ensure Trump’s power does not go unchecked by bolstering its legal and lobbying teams. Griggs said he’s willing to give the president-elect a chance, but is concerned about some of his recent actions, like appointing former congressman Matt Gaetz as his pick for US attorney general. Gaetz withdrew himself from consideration on Thursday. Under Trump, Griggs fears the Department of Justice’s civil rights division will be weaponized against minority groups. “We have to be ready right now,” he said. “We are already having organizational meetings, both on the national level and the state level, to prepare the units for what’s about to happen.” In a distributed the day after the election, the ACLU promised to defend against Trump’s deportation plan, provide counsel to whistleblowers and challenge any discriminatory policies and regressive plans on reproductive freedoms. King knows any pushback against the incoming administration will require the same level of dedication seen during her father’s movement, before the country had a Civil Rights Act or a Voting Rights Act. In the weeks after the election, she’s been comforted by his famous words like, “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred,” something he said while delivering the famous “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963. “I know a lot of people are angry right now,” King told . “But we can’t let that rot in us.” Thousands of protesters are expected to descend onto the streets of Washington DC ahead of Trump’s inauguration. The “People’s March on Washington” is scheduled for January 18. A coalition of organizations, including the ACLU, Planned Parenthood and the National Women’s Law Center, are planning the event to protest Trump’s stances that they fear will undermine civil rights. On Inauguration Day, Al Sharpton’s National Action Network plans to hold a rally in the city. “There has never been a more important time to peacefully mobilize and organize,” Sharpton said while announcing the event on MSNBC last week. MLK Day has been celebrated on the third Monday in January since its establishment in 1983, while Inauguration Day has been set as January 20 since 1937. The late civil rights icon was assassinated in 1968. Griggs and King will spend the holiday attending events commemorating the late King’s legacy. As Trump takes the oath, Griggs wants the incoming president to consider the importance of the late icon in American history and not forget people in King Jr’s birthplace, Fulton County, are still waiting for an explanation on charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. In August 2023, Trump was charged with racketeering and conspiracy for allegedly urging Georgia officials to sway the results in his favor. The case has been delayed after a December 5 hearing in the matter was canceled until further order from the court. “It’s interesting,” Griggs said of the upcoming holiday. “The juxtaposition of a man of immense greatness, humility and concern for the community, with Donald Trump.” Only two presidents have taken the oath on the holiday before: Barack Obama in 2013 and Bill Clinton in 1997. Obama used a Bible belonging to the civil rights leader in the ceremony. emailed a Trump spokesperson asking whether the president-elect would incorporate King’s legacy into the ceremony but did not get a response.Rain, snow, sleet or state playoffs can’t stop T-Day grid traditions in Newark & E.O.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Dan Campbell stood at the podium after Detroit blew a 17-point lead to San Francisco in last season's NFC title game and talked about how that might have been the Lions' only shot at reaching the Super Bowl. The coach knew how difficult it would be to maintain that high level of play through injuries, attrition and with a target on their back as a top contender in the NFC. Eleven months later as Campbell and the Lions prepare to return to Levi's Stadium for the first time since that loss , that has proved to be prophetic — for San Francisco instead of Detroit. The Lions (13-2) head into the rematch Monday night with the inside track at the top seed in the NFC playoffs, while the 49ers (6-9) have already been eliminated from postseason contention . The element of revenge for last season's 34-31 loss is secondary for Detroit, considering what's on the line the last two weeks of the season. The Lions can clinch the top seed in the NFC by winning their final two games or with a win against the Niners if Minnesota loses to Green Bay on Sunday. “Anytime we lose, the thought of losing is going to motivate you to not want to lose again, particularly with where you were at,” Campbell said. “So, that’s always going to bring its own level of motivation to it. But this is where we’re at in the season, we know that we need another win, we understand where we’re at in the division and the NFC, so I think it’s all encompassing.” While the Lions have no need to search for motivation, that's not the case for the 49ers, who are playing out the string of a lost season after making losing back-to-back NFC title games in 2021-22 and the Super Bowl last season. A run of injuries to key players like Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams, Nick Bosa and Brandon Aiyuk, combined with inconsistent play all season have led to the 49ers having nothing to play for in the final two games. “It’s obviously not where you want to be this time of year,” Bosa said. "It’s different, especially watching where we’re at last year against this team. Just that feeling of December, January football is a feeling that I’ve gotten used to being really competitive and being in the mix. I think we’re doing a good job of staying engaged and obviously this is our job, so we’re going to finish it strong. Detroit’s faith in Jameson Williams is paying off, taking advantage of his game-breaking abilities with big plays. Jared Goff heaved an 82-yard touchdown pass over Williams’ shoulders and into his hands in last week’s win at Chicago. Earlier this season, Goff threw 70-, 64- and 52-yard passes for scores to the third-year receiver. “We work on it a ton, him and I do, and it’s a testament to him,” Goff said. “He’s asking for it. He wants that work, and I’m more than happy to give it to him during the week. It’s good. Our connection continues to grow. He’s obviously one of the best deep threats in our league, even when it’s not perfect.” The 49ers head into the game scrambling to put together an offensive line. Williams has been out for more than a month with an ankle injury and his backup at left tackle, Jaylon Moore, is now sidelined by a quadriceps injury. Left guard Aaron Banks injured his knee last week, while his backup Ben Bartch is already out with an ankle injury. That will leave the Niners with two third-stringers protecting Brock Purdy. But Shanahan said he isn’t thinking of sitting Purdy to protect him. “People deal with that throughout the year on other weeks, too,” he said. “I mean, we’ve got a football team. We’ve got to go out and we’ve got two games here and we’ve got to see what guys we can put out there and whatever we do we’re going to put a game plan together to, as best as we can to give us a chance to win.” Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who may have a chance for the second straight offseason to be an NFL head coach, routinely pulls off trick plays and his latest was a doozy. Goff intentionally stumbled after taking a snap and Jahmyr Gibbs went to the ground as their teammates yelled, “fumble,” to fool the Bears on a 21-yard touchdown pass to Sam LaPorta. “Those make you feel good because everybody is invested in it,” Campbell said. “It’s fun. It’s different. It’s sound. “I know it sounds crazy, but it’s sound.” San Francisco kicker Jake Moody is having a rough second season after being drafted in the third round a year ago. Moody has missed seven field goals this season, including a 41-yarder last week at Miami. Moody is just 10 for 16 since coming back from a high ankle sprain in his kicking foot, but Shanahan said he still has confidence in him. “I still feel the same about him, that I believe he’ll be our guy,” Shanahan said. "I mean everyone’s got to perform and do things like that. I think he has had a tough year. Before his high ankle sprain, he missed one. ... I think he was 12 of 13 before that, so I thought he was doing really well." AP Sports Writer Larry Lage contributed to this report. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflFrancis, 87, declined an invitation from French President Emmanuel Macron to attend the Notre Dame reopening ceremony in Paris on December 7. He will however head to Corsica's capital Ajaccio for a conference on the Catholic faith in the Mediterranean one week later on December 15, the Vatican said. Some French bishops were "annoyed" by the pope's decision to stay away from the Notre Dame gala, according to one bishop speaking on condition of anonymity. But the head of the Bishops' Conference of France (CEF) Archbishop Eric de Moulins-Beaufort said: "The star of the Notre Dame reopening ceremony is Notre Dame itself." The pope had not wanted his presence to be a distraction from the essential point of the occasion, he added. "It's not a snub aimed at France," said another bishop. Francis's one-day trip to Corsica will be the first papal visit to the island, where 90 percent of its 350,000 population is Catholic, according to the local Church, and religious traditions remain deeply rooted. He will give two speeches, preside over a mass and meet Macron during his nine hours on the island, the Vatican said. "It is a historic event, we will give ourselves the extraordinary means to put on an exceptional welcome for the Holy Father," said Bishop of Ajaccio Francois-Xavier Bustillo said in a video posted on social media. Francis, who will celebrate his 88th birthday on December 17, has been to France twice since becoming head of the worldwide Catholic Church in 2013. He visited Strasbourg in 2014, where he addressed the European Parliament, and last year went to Marseille for a meeting of Mediterranean area bishops, where he met Macron. He has yet to make a state visit to France, one of Europe's main majority-Catholic countries. He is also yet to make state visits to Spain, the United Kingdom or Germany. The Argentine pontiff prefers visiting smaller or less established Catholic communities, from Malta to Mongolia. The Corsica visit was championed by the popular media-friendly Bustillo, who was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in September 2023. "It will not be a state visit, but a pastoral visit. It will be a beautiful moment, a moment of hope and joy," he told AFP. In addition, the head of the Catholic Church is scheduled to be at the Vatican on December 7-8 for a service at which he will create 21 new cardinals. Rescheduling appointments over coming months would appear to be tricky, given the multitude of events due to take place in Rome in 2025, a Catholic jubilee year. Bustillo is one of the active cardinals Francis has appointed in the Mediterranean region, with the pope keen they "work together to meet the specific challenges of the area", a bishop told AFP on condition of anonymity. Those issues include migration, global warming and interreligious dialogue. Corsica will be the 47th overseas visit for Francis and his third this year, after a long tour of the Asia Pacific in early September and a trip to Belgium and Luxembourg the same month. cmk-bur/tw/jm