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IU Indianapolis 88, Alabama A&M 83
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hannah Hidalgo scored 24 points and No. 6 Notre Dame defeated JuJu Watkins and third-ranked Southern California 74-61 on Saturday in a marquee matchup on the West Coast. Watkins and the Trojans (4-1) fell behind early and were down 21 points in the fourth quarter. She had 24 points, six rebounds and five assists. Hidalgo came out shooting well, hitting 5 of 8 from the floor in the first quarter and had 16 points at the break. She added six rebounds and eight assists. Hidalgo's backcourt mate, Olivia Miles, added 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Fighting Irish (5-0). Even though Hidalgo outshone her, Watkins’ imprint was all over the game. A documentary about her life aired on NBC leading into the nationally televised game. A buzz arose when Snoop Dogg walked in shortly before tipoff wearing a jacket in USC colors with Watkins' name and number on the front and back. Her sister, Mali, sang the national anthem. Notre Dame: The Irish struck quickly, racing to a 20-10 lead in the opening quarter. Even after cooling off a bit, they never trailed and stayed poised when the Trojans got within three in the second and third quarters. USC: The Trojans were without starting guard Kennedy Smith, whose defense on Hidalgo would have proven valuable. It was announced shortly before tipoff that she had a surgical procedure and will return at some point this season. The Trojans got within three points three times but the Irish remained poised and never gave up the lead. Notre Dame's defense forced the Trojans into 21 turnovers, which led to 22 points for the Irish. Watkins, Kaleigh Heckel and Talia von Oelhoffen had five each. USC was just 1 of 13 from 3-point range Notre Dame plays TCU on Nov. 29 in the Cayman Islands Classic. USC plays Seton Hall in the Women's Acrisure Holiday Invitational on Nov. 27 in Palm Desert, California. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 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-basketballTwo conservative-leaning Edmonton municipal parties merge under PACE banner
It was a jam-packed Saturday (November 23), with the Assembly election results of Maharashtra and Jharkhand being announced. Maharashtra witnessed a historic victory for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, which dominated the Assembly elections by winning 234 of the 288 seats, leaving the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) trailing far behind. The BJP alone secured an impressive 132 seats, with a 26.22 per cent vote share. Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction, a key ally in the NDA, contributed 57 seats with a 12.38 per cent vote share. The NCP won 41 seats, garnering 9 per cent of the vote share. In stark contrast, the MVA alliance faced a crushing defeat. Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena faction managed to win only 20 seats, with a 9.96 per cent vote share. Congress secured 16 seats, receiving a 12.42 per cent vote share, while Sharad Pawar’s NCP, which remained with the MVA, won just 10 seats with an 11.28 per cent vote share. The Jan Mukti Morcha-led INDIA coalition stormed to power for the second time in a row in Jharkhand, decisively defeating the BJP-headed NDA by winning 56 seats in the 81-member Assembly. In the 2019 elections, the INDIA alliance, which includes the Congress, claimed victory in 47 seats. The JMM emerged as the single-largest party with 34 seats, while its alliance partners Congress and RJD won 16 and four constituencies, respectively. The CPI(ML) Liberation secured two seats. The NDA, on the other hand, managed just 24 seats, with the BJP winning 21. Its allies—AJSU Party, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), and JD(U)—secured one seat each. Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who is currently out on bail in a money-laundering case, ran a campaign centred on his government’s social welfare schemes while alleging a conspiracy by the BJP-led central government. The BJP, in contrast, focused its campaign on allegations of corruption within Soren’s administration and infiltration from Bangladesh. While it is decided that Hemant Soren will the Chief Minister in Jharkhand, who will lead Maharashtra is yet to be revealed. With inputs from agenciesAP News Summary at 3:17 p.m. EST2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz XRT Named Compact Truck of Texas at Texas Auto Writers Association's Truck Rodeo
WASHINGTON (AP) — In the history of American politics, there's no shortage of presidents who promised to shake up Washington once they got to the White House. But Donald Trump may prove to be in a class of his own, and he appears more interested in beating the federal government into submission than recalibrating it. In staffing his administration, Trump has shown an inclination to select people who distrust or even disdain the agencies that they've been chosen to lead, setting up a potential war of attrition between the incoming Republican president and American institutions. “There’s been nothing like what Trump is suggesting to do," said Doug Brinkley, a presidential historian. "We’re talking about dismantling the federal government.” Trump's approach will become even clearer this week as Kash Patel, his choice for FBI director , heads to Capitol Hill for an initial round of meetings with senators who will decide whether to confirm him to the post. A former national security official who has branded himself as an eager acolyte of Trump, Patel has talked about shutting down the agency's headquarters, splitting up its responsibilities and targeting Trump's perceived enemies. Greg Brower, a former U.S. attorney who served as the FBI’s top congressional affairs official, said Trump seems to want to make the nation’s law enforcement institutions “part of his political operation run out of the White House.” “That’s a major course change that I’m just not sure a majority of senators are willing to endorse," Brower said. Republican senators are already considering whether to support Pete Hegseth, whom Trump wants to lead the Pentagon , despite allegations of sexual misconduct, excessive drinking and financial mismanagement. Hegseth is an Army veteran and former Fox News commentator who has described the military as flooded with “woke” liberal ideology. He also wants to remove women from combat roles. Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for Trump’s transition team and the incoming White House press secretary, said the next administration wants to “shatter the Deep State," a term for entrenched civil servants who have frustrated Trump and his allies. “President Trump was re-elected by a resounding mandate from the American people to change the status quo in Washington,” she said in a statement. “That’s why he has chosen brilliant and highly-respected outsiders to serve in his Administration, and he will continue to stand behind them as they fight against all those who seek to derail the MAGA Agenda.” Margaret Spelling, who served as education secretary under President George W. Bush, said it is “probably not a good management style" to treat government employees as adversaries. “If you’re going to turn the tide or redirect the ship of state, you’ve got to have help doing it," she said. "And that’s people who work there already.” Spelling's former department could be outright eliminated if Trump has his way. His choice of education secretary , Linda McMahon, has never worked in the field. She served for one year on the Connecticut Board of Education and is a member of the board of trustees at a private university. McMahon lead the Small Business Administration during Trump's first term, and she made a name for herself by running World Wrestling Entertainment, a cultural juggernaut that features musclebound men beating each other up in elaborately scripted fights. Trump's plans for the federal government blend conservative ideology, which has long viewed Washington as too intrusive in Americans' daily lives, with his personal vendettas. After being plagued by investigations and contradicted by career officials during his first term, the returning president has no interest in a replay and he's more skeptical of insider views that clash with his own instincts. Some of his personnel choices have alarmed political opponents, but Trump's approach could prove appealing to voters whose faith in government has sunk to record lows in recent years. Only about 2 in 10 Americans trust the government to do the right thing always or most of the time, according to the Pew Research Center , down from around 4 in 10 who said this in 2000 — before the upheaval of a global financial crisis, an inconclusive war on terrorism and a worldwide pandemic. Kay Schlozman, a Boston College political science professor, said Trump's nominees could be viewed as "an extension of his capacity to question the received wisdom and question the supposed elites who always run everything.” Some of the largest gaps between expertise and personnel have been evident in public health. Trump chose Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services despite his reputation as one of the most prolific spreaders of unfounded theories about the supposed danger of vaccines. Trump also picked Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a critic of public health measures like lockdowns and vaccine mandates that were used during the coronavirus outbreak, to run the National Institutes of Health , the country's top medical research agency. In other areas of government, loyalty has often been prized over expertise. Lee Zeldin, a former New York congressman, never served on any committees dealing with the environment during nearly a decade on Capitol Hill. Now he’s on deck to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. Brinkley said it's not uncommon to have presidents attempt to change how Washington works. Richard Nixon tried to circumvent government agencies by centralizing decision-making in the White House, and Warren Harding stocked his Cabinet with business leaders. But Brinkley said Trump's approach is more venomous, and he seems to be setting up his staff to compete to be the most zealous. “It’s got a gladiator feel," he said. "They each want to show that they’ve got a scalp to punish the so-called deep state, the legacy media or the Democratic Party.” Another way that Trump is taking on Washington is the Department of Government Efficiency , an independent advisory organization that will be run by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Musk, the world's richest man, and Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur, plan to provide ideas on dramatically reducing federal spending and cutting the government workforce. They also said Trump should sidestep Congress whenever possible, setting up a potential constitutional clash. Theda Skocpol, a Harvard University professor of government and sociology, agreed that Americans are often doubtful about Washington's effectiveness. “But it doesn’t mean there’s going to be an easy path to eliminating entire departments or functions of government because people will realize they have the stakes in those things,” she said. However, Skocpol said, chaos might be the actual goal. “Parts of American conservatism have been trying to make government a mess when they control it, and then use it as an argument for less government," she said. ____ Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report.Kulgam, Nov 23: Minister for Health and Medical Education, Social Welfare and Education, Sakeena Masood today visited village Gudder of Kulgam district and held a massive public grievances redressal camp. The camp witnessed an overwhelming participation of locals, who raised various issues and concerns related to infrastructure development and welfare schemes before the Minister. Addressing the gathering, the Minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to addressing public grievances and ensuring effective public service delivery. “Mitigating public issues is a top priority of the government led by Omar Abdullah”, Sakeena said. She added that “our government is working tirelessly to create a conducive environment for our citizens, ensuring their needs are met with efficiency and transparency.” Sakeena Masood highlighted that the government’s focus is on strengthening public grievance mechanisms for prompt redressal of grievances and issues raised by them. “Our government is committed to provide best possible services across all sectors like education, healthcare and infrastructure, to enhance quality of life for everyone”, she said. The Minister assured the gathering that their trust in the government would be met with actions that will translate into tangible benefits for the community. Director RDD Kashmir, district officers of various departments and a large number of locals were also present on the occasion.
Ireland’s Justice Minister commends woman who won civil claim against McGregorPEORIA — A lucky slot player was the second guest to take home big money this month from an East Peoria casino. A news statement from Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino said an unnamed slot player won $46,318 after placing a $9 bet Friday on the Light & Wonder's "Blazing 777 Triple Double Jackpot Wild Nudge." The statement added this guest "left feeling on top of the world" with the money. The casino also said the win is the second major jackpot in five days at Par-A-Dice, noting another guest won a $29,000 payday on Dec. 1. Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino features 26,000 square feet of casino gaming space with 500 slot and video poker machines and 18 table games at 21 Blackjack Blvd., East Peoria. For more information, go to www.paradicecasino.com . The Since U Been Gone star announced on Monday that she will perform 10 shows across July and August in support of her upcoming album Chemistry. "I am so excited for these shows and couldn't think of a better place to get back on stage than Las Vegas! The crowds in Vegas are such an amazing collection of people that simply want to have a great time and that's what we're going to do!” "So many of my musical idols have had, and still have, incredible residencies on The Strip, and I'm so excited to create my own!" In between Dave & Buster's screen-lit aisles and makeshift arenas, it's not unusual to see groups of friends competing with each other. At each of the arcade chain's more than 222 franchises throughout the country, there's just about every kind of friendly physical and virtual game—Hot Shots basketball, Skee-Ball, air hockey, billiards, virtual car racing, and shooting—to master. And that is just the beginning. ATS.io mapped how gambling is entering arcades across the United States and the implications for these two industries. In a partnership with technology company Lucra, Dave & Buster's announced in April 2024 that it plans to allow customers to bet on its arcade games through a social wagering channel on its app. The gamification software will accommodate peer-to-peer digital cash bets on "skill-based" games, otherwise defined as "recreational activities for which the outcome is largely or entirely dependent on the knowledge, ability, strength, speed, endurance, intelligence of the participants and is subject to the control of those participants," Lucra chief operating officer Michael Madding told the New York Times . In the process, loyalty members will be able to digitally wager on each other's recreational abilities, earn various rewards, and unlock exclusive perks, effectively merging sports betting and arcade fandom together. "This new partnership gives our loyalty members real-time, unrivaled gaming experiences, and reinforces our commitment to continuing to elevate our customer experience through innovative, cutting-edge technology," Simon Murray, senior vice president of entertainment and attractions at Dave & Buster's, said in the company's initial press release. The decision to enter the betting fray is the latest example of an arcade or casino investing in gamification to capitalize on the exponential growth of gambling. As of May 2024, close to 40 states have legalized sports betting, which achieved record revenues ($10.9 billion) in 2023, according to the American Gaming Association, thanks to maturation across existing and newer markets, such as Massachusetts and Ohio. In the same year, more traditional and regulated casino slots and table games at brick-and-mortar establishments grossed a record $49.4 billion in revenue. That doesn't even mention the soaring estimations for the fantasy sports market, which projects to reach $56.36 billion in 2030 , according to a report by Grand View Research. "A lot of these new skill games are riding the wave of the sports betting and fantasy sports boom," Daniel Wallach, a gaming law and sports betting attorney, told ATS.io. "If fantasy sports is a legal game of skill, and it falls outside the gambling prohibitions under state law, then that could potentially apply to myriad other skill games. That's what Dave & Buster's is banking on." Still, there are potential consequences and uphill battles. Over the last couple of years, numerous "adult arcades" attempting to circumvent state laws with gambling games have been raided by authorities—namely in Florida, where slot machines are illegal unless they're at casinos or pari-mutuels. Depending on the state and how Dave & Buster's plans to operate its social wagering, the chain may also face legal hurdles. But according to Wallach, as long as an arcade isn't acting as "the house" and setting odds, "in most jurisdictions, the peer-to-peer product is, legally, the path of least resistance." In a post-pandemic world, finding new ways to attract and retain customers has become paramount for big entertainment venues. Until about a decade ago, publications were still delivering eulogies for the arcade, which struggled to compete with home video game consoles. In a 2013 story for The Verge , author Laura June argued: "The economics aren't there anymore, the community support never was, and, of course, gaming companies make a killing in the home—almost none are even producing cabinets anymore." To reinvent themselves, many arcades have introduced more hospitality elements and virtual/augmented reality opportunities, hoping newer social technology might lure customers back. Along with casinos installing slots that incorporate video game elements like storytelling and competition, they've also taken hints from sports betting companies like DraftKings and FanDuel, gamifying their mobile experiences by presenting various "challenges" or "missions" or "bonuses" that can incentivize players to stay active on an app and increase their chances to win prizes. Some arcades, like Galloping Ghost Arcade, based in Brookfield, Illinois, have pivoted the other direction, leaning into nostalgia to fuel their niche customer base. According to owner Doc Mack, the venue—which hosts about 80,000 customers a year—doesn't supply any food or beverage service, has close to 900 different games, and charges a $25 flat rate so customers don't pinch their quarters. "We have tried to really go with an old-school approach to it. Our games kind of speak for themselves," Mack told ATS.io. "You don't have to pitch anything else to make these games iconic or make people want to play them." Unlike Dave & Buster's, he says, which phases old games out, Galloping Ghost prides itself on classic arcade options that don't cater to online opportunities. Considering the scope and intention of his business, gamification only makes sense for a certain size operation looking to draw in more casual customers. "I think it's great to try to innovate and bring new things to it," Mack said. "If you operate that big at this point, maybe you just try to do anything you can to figure out a new revenue opportunity." Considering Dave & Buster's is one of many arcade entertainment franchises that cater to families, underage gambling has become a concern. Legislators such as Illinois state Rep. Daniel Didech have spoken out about the lack of safeguards preventing kids and teenagers from betting themselves. Lucra says its betting services are only intended for adults 18 and up, and that the average contest size is around $5 or $10. But without being regulated—a reason the American Gaming Association declined to comment for this story—the chain opens itself up to more scrutiny. "State regulation can provide an important consumer protection element that would otherwise be missing from unregulated albeit legal activity," Wallach said. "Maybe the answer is to regulate rather than prohibit." Whether or not it finds initial success, Wallach believes this venture into arcade peer-to-peer betting is likely to gain imitators. Consider venues such as Topgolf and PingPod (a fully automated table tennis space), which have already gamified some of their experiences and contain inherent head-to-head competitions. Meanwhile, on Lucra's list of clients is a pickleball ratings system and a tennis app that allows players to compete against each other for real money. According to Lucra, its app has created 1 million unique contests and collected more than $20 million of handle. It seems like just the beginning. "There's much more skill gaming out there at commercial venues than you may even realize," Wallach said. "There's no reason why this concept can't be imported to those types of recreational activities." Story editing by Carren Jao. Copy editing by Tim Bruns. This story originally appeared on ATS.io and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio. Contact Brendan Denison at (309) 820-3238. Follow Brendan Denison on Twitter: @BrendanDenison Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Breaking News Reporter {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.Article content Two conservative-leaning groups in Edmonton are merging into one local political party for the 2025 municipal election . The Principled Accountable Coalition for Edmonton (PACE) and TAPYeg , two groups that announced early intentions to form municipal political parties, are merging under the PACE banner. Leaders from both groups told Postmedia Thursday the goal is to unite for a better chance at winning votes next October. Neither are officially registered as local political parties and no candidates have been announced. The two groups share values of keeping taxes lower, safety and security, business-friendly policies, sticking to the city’s core responsibilities, and accountability, said Doug Main, currently a vice-president for PACE. The board of the refreshed party will include an equal split of PACE and TAPYeg. Main called the merger “historic.” He and Jeffrey Hansen Carlson, a co-founder of TAPYeg, are hoping to build an established municipal party in the city that will live beyond the 2025 election. They heard about a need for co-ordination from business leaders and some in the community to avoid splitting the vote come next October. After some early discussions, plans firmed up to join in recent weeks. “I don’t want to oversell this, but really it’s huge. You’ve got an opportunity for a political party. You’ve got two disparate yet philosophically aligned groups coming together — the heft, the muscle, the commitment, the talent. I’ve been around politics, federally and provincially, for quite a while. I’m pretty impressed,” Main said. “There are still some details to work out — selecting candidates and some of the formal aspects that are necessary for this to be a trusted institution in the city for decades to come. But the people, the values, the effort, the commitment — this is a very unique and significant opportunity for Edmontonians,” Hansen-Carlson said. While neither party has announced candidates, both had individuals working in different parts of the city to start building momentum and gather support — “ward champions” for TAPYeg and “pace setters” for PACE. Currently they are working to get the 1,000 signatures needed to register as a political party and hope to reach that goal by Christmas. Mayoral candidate and current city Coun. Tim Cartmell is also planning to launch a municipal political party with a similar focus on safety and security and fiscal responsibility. ‘Common sense’ Main, a former Progressive Conservative MLA in Alberta, isn’t opposed to the “conservative” label for PACE, but it’s not a word he would use himself, nor is it one he’s heard at their meetings. Rather, he hears “common sense, business-friendly, community-oriented.” The party will stay away from a “hard left, hard right kind of ideology,” focusing on local issues instead of getting “distracted by trying to solve international problems.” “We want the city to focus on the things that a city should focus on — clear the snow, fix the potholes, mow the grass, collect the garbage. Those aren’t ideological, partisan issues,” Main said. “There’s no way anybody in Edmonton is going to solve forest fires in Australia. Focus on what’s going on here.” He agrees the party could also be seen as a referendum on Edmonton’s municipal plan, the City Plan, with frustrations around bike lanes, neighbourhood renewals, public consultations, and the 15-minute city planning principle — though he knows the conspiracy theory is not true. PACE is not affiliated with provincial or federal political parties. Hansen-Carlson said they want to be a party that enables good ideas and empowers experts regardless of where they may fall on a political spectrum. “Good ideas come from all across the spectrum,” he said. “This city needs to get really good at doing great ideas, and we need to empower people that want to take risks and build it.” Hansen-Carlson will be known to some Edmontonians as the man behind the push to build a gondola across the North Saskatchewan River. But since city council grounded that idea in 2022, he doesn’t think it’s coming back. “This mayor and council chased away $175 million (of private money) that was going to be invested in building the experience economy in our core at a time when the city was desperate for something, because their egos got in the way of a sound decision,” he said. “But that money is never coming back to Edmonton.” Neither Hansen-Carlson or Main plan to run for office. lboothby@postmedia.com @laurby Recommended from Editorial Edmonton Coun. Tim Cartmell running for mayor with new political party David Staples: Anger at Edmonton city hall, and Trudeau, gives birth to a new right-wing party Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters . You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton SunMichigan aims to cap lost season by beating Ohio State
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