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Report: Leadership needed to address quantum threat mitigationThe rumor mill has been churning for months, and now, leaked images of what appears to be the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 PCB (printed circuit board) have surfaced, sending waves of excitement through the tech community. These images, initially shared on the Chinese tech forum Chiphell, offer tantalizing clues about NVIDIA’s next flagship graphics card, expected to launch at CES 2025. The PCB reveals a massive GPU package, a redesigned memory layout, and support for cutting-edge technologies that promise a significant leap in gaming and professional visualization performance. What we know so far: Why this leak is significant: This leak provides the most concrete evidence yet of NVIDIA’s plans for its next-generation graphics cards. It confirms previous rumors about the GB202 GPU, GDDR7 memory, and PCIe 5.0 support, painting a picture of a truly high-performance graphics card. The massive GPU and memory capacity suggest the RTX 5090 will be aimed at demanding workloads like 4K and 8K gaming, AI applications , and professional content creation. My Take: Having followed NVIDIA’s GPU development for years, I’m genuinely excited about the RTX 5090. The leaked PCB confirms the company is pushing the boundaries of graphics technology. The combination of the massive GB202 GPU, GDDR7 memory, and PCIe 5.0 has the potential to deliver a generational leap in performance. However, I’m also curious about how NVIDIA will manage power consumption and thermals with such a powerful card. It’s going to be interesting to see how cooler manufacturers tackle this challenge. Deep Dive into the Leaked PCB Let’s break down the key elements of the leaked PCB and what they tell us about the RTX 5090: Performance Expectations Based on the leaked PCB and other rumors, the RTX 5090 is shaping up to be a performance monster. Here’s what we can expect: Looking Ahead The leaked PCB has certainly fueled anticipation for the RTX 5090. However, it’s important to remember that this is still just a leak. NVIDIA hasn’t officially confirmed any details about the RTX 5090, so we’ll have to wait for the official announcement to get the full picture.AP Business SummaryBrief at 6:08 p.m. ESTNone
Rangers 1 Tottenham 1: Super-sub Kulusevski saves Spurs as Postecoglou leaves Ibrox with crucial Europa League point
Companies tighten security after a health care CEO’s killing leads to a surge of threatsMultnomah County will shell out an additional $1.8 million to pay for construction and upgrades to its deflection center , built to give drug users an alternative to arrest. The Board of Commissioners approved the new funding Thursday, with Commissioner Sharon Meieran casting the lone opposing vote.WASHINGTON — The House on Wednesday passed a $895 billion measure that authorizes a 1% increase in defense spending this fiscal year and would give a double-digit pay raise to about half of the enlisted service members in the military. The bill is traditionally strongly bipartisan, but some Democratic lawmakers opposed the inclusion of a ban on transgender medical treatments for children of military members if such treatment could result in sterilization. It passed by a vote of 281-140 and next moves to the Senate, where lawmakers sought a bigger boost in defense spending than the current measure allows. Lawmakers are touting the bill's 14.5% pay raise for junior enlisted service members and a 4.5% increase for others as key to improving the quality of life for those serving in the U.S. military. Those serving as junior enlisted personnel are in pay grades that generally track with their first enlistment term. Lawmakers said service member pay failed to remain competitive with the private sector, forcing many military families to rely on food banks and government assistance programs to put food on the table. The bill also provides significant new resources for child care and housing. "No service member should have to live in squalid conditions and no military family should have to rely on food stamps to feed their children, but that's exactly what many of our service members are experiencing, especially the junior enlisted," said Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. "This bill goes a long way to fixing that." The bill sets key Pentagon policy that lawmakers will attempt to fund through a follow-up appropriations bill. The overall spending tracks the numbers established in a 2023 agreement that then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., reached with President Joe Biden to increase the nation's borrowing authority and avoid a federal default in exchange for spending restraints. Many senators had wanted to increase defense spending some $25 billion above what was called for in that agreement, but those efforts failed. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who is expected to serve as the next chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the overall spending level was a "tremendous loss for our national defense," though he agreed with many provisions within the bill. "We need to make a generational investment to deter the Axis of Aggressors. I will not cease work with my congressional colleagues, the Trump administration, and others until we achieve it," Wicker said. House Republicans don't want to go above the McCarthy-Biden agreement for defense spending and are looking to go way below it for many non-defense programs. They are also focused on cultural issues. The bill prohibits funding for teaching critical race theory in the military and prohibits TRICARE health plans from covering gender dysphoria treatment for children under 18 if that treatment could result in sterilization. Rep. Adam Smith of Washington state, the ranking Democratic member of the House Armed Services Committee, said minors dealing with gender dysphoria is a "very real problem." He said the treatments available, including puberty blockers and hormone therapy, have proven effective at helping young people dealing with suicidal thoughts, anxiety and depression. "These treatments changed their lives and in many cases saved their lives," Smith said. "And in this bill, we decided we're going to bar service members' children from having access to that." Smith said the number of minors in service member families receiving transgender medical care extends into the thousands. He could have supported a study asking medical experts to determine whether such treatments are too often used, but a ban on health insurance coverage went too far. He said Speaker Mike Johnson's office insisted on the ban and said the provision "taints an otherwise excellent piece of legislation." Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, called the ban a step in the right direction, saying, "I think these questions need to be pulled out of the debate of defense, so we can get back to the business of defending the United States of America without having to deal with social engineering debates." Smith said he agrees with Roy that lawmakers should be focused on the military and not on cultural conflicts, "and yet, here it is in this bill." Branden Marty, a Navy veteran who served for 13 years, said the loss of health coverage for transgender medical treatments could prompt some with valuable experience to leave the military, affecting national security because "we already struggle from a recruiting and retention standpoint." He also said the bill could regularly force service members into difficult choices financially. "It will be tough for a lot of them because of out-of-pocket expenses, especially enlisted members who we know already struggle with food insecurity," said Marty, the father of a transgender teenager. "They don't get paid very much, so they're going to be making a lot of choices on a day-to-day, tactical level." Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, said his team did not tell Democrats how to vote on the bill. "There's a lot of positive things in the National Defense Authorization Act that were negotiated in a bipartisan way, and there are some troubling provisions in a few areas as well," Jeffries said. Overall, 81 Democrats voted for the bill and 124 against it. On the Republican side, 200 voted for the bill and 16 against it. "It's disappointing to see 124 of my Democrat colleagues vote against our brave men and women in uniform over policies that have nothing to do with their intended mission," Johnson, R-La., said. The defense policy bill also looks to strengthen deterrence against China. It calls for investing $15.6 billion to build military capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region. The Biden administration requested about $10 billion. On Israel, the bill, among other things, includes an expansion of U.S. joint military exercises with Israel and a prohibition on the Pentagon citing casualty data from Hamas. The defense policy bill is one of the final measures that lawmakers view as a must-pass before making way for a new Congress in January.
RA Capital Management Announces Close of $1.4 Billion Acquisition of Aliada Therapeutics by AbbVieJiuzi Holdings and Shenzhen Maigesong Terminate Negotiations to Focus on Future Growth
The federal government led by Bola Tinubu has assured Nigerian workers of the implementation of the newly approved national minimum wage FG assured organised labour that states will implement the wage starting from January 2025, thereby appealing to workers to exercise patience Minister of Labour, Muhammad Dingyadi, made the plea and gave the assurance on Thursday during a meeting with members of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCN) CHECK OUT: Education is Your Right! Don’t Let Social Norms Hold You Back. Learn Online with LEGIT. Enroll Now! Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements. FCT, Abuja - On Thursday, December 12, the federal government led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said many states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) will comply with the new national minimum wage by January 2025. The Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, made this known on Thursday when he received a delegation of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCN) at the ministry's headquarters in Abuja. Read also LG autonomy: What will happen to govs who tamper with LGA funds, circumvent Supreme Court judgement Daily Trust reported that he specifically appealed for patience from the workers, stating that his ministry was yet to know the states that have complied and those yet to do so. PAY ATTENTION: Follow us on Instagram - get the most important news directly in your favourite app! Speaking further, the minister also noted that four or five states were yet to comply with the new minimum wage while some have complied with it to some level. He stated thus: “The FCT said it will comply with the new minimum wage in January. But your FCT chapter is saying that they want it done right now. I am not sure whether that is fair. “Many states are going to do it in January.” Additionally, he noted that the ministry had taken note of all the issues in contention and assured that all of them were going to be looked at thoroughly, and resolved amicably. Read more on minimum wage: Minimum wage: Zamfara governor says payments may be jeopardised in some states, gives reason NLC lambasts PDP as Nigerian governor approves higher minimum wage Read also “Let heaven fall”: Drama as Wike ignores Senate order, vows to continue FCT demolitions Bayelsa LG workers to get N80,000 minimum wage Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Bayelsa state government approved the demand of organised labour to pay the new N80,000 minimum wage to Local Government workers. The state government, which had earlier approved the N80,000 minimum wage for workers in the state employ, also promised to add to the December salaries of its workers the differentials that will arise from the ongoing discussions on the template used in paying the new wage last month. PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find the “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy! Source: Legit.ngAP Business SummaryBrief at 6:08 p.m. ESTBill Belichick, the former NFL head coach who led the New England Patriots to six Super Bowl wins, will be the new head coach of the University of North Carolina's football program. The school announced the news on social media Wednesday night. He's agreed to a five-year deal with the Tar Heels, which is pending approval from the university's board of trustees and board of governors. A press conference was held at the school on Thursday to formally announce Belichick as the new head coach, which he described as a dream come true. UNC Chancellor Lee H. Roberts and Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham jokingly gifted Belichick a Tar Heels sweatshirt with his trademark short sleeves. RELATED STORY | Bill Belichick 'moves on' from coaching New England Patriots "I grew up in college football with my dad," Belichick said, showing off one of his father's old sweatshirts from when he was an assistant coach at the school for a couple of years before he went on to coach at the U.S. Naval Academy for over three decades. He said Carolina was home and his family always joked when he was growing up that his first words were "beat Duke" — the Tar Heels' rival school. Belichick won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants before continuing his career with the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets. But he's known for his career with the Patriots, where he was the head coach for 24 seasons and won 13 AFC championship titles and made nine Super Bowl appearances. He retired from the NFL as the second-winningest coach in NFL history.
ROSEN, GLOBAL INVESTOR COUNSEL, Encourages Dentsply Sirona Inc. Investors to Secure Counsel ...Pete Hegseth’s lawyer and Sen. Tom Cotton slammed West Point on Wednesday for falsely claiming the defense secretary-designate was never accepted into the nation’s top military academy — in potential violation of federal privacy laws, according to letters exclusively obtained by The Post. Attorney Tim Parlatore and Cotton (R-Ark.) fired off a pair of letters to the US Military Academy’s superintendent, expressing concern that a public affairs officer shared “false information” with a journalist that could have blocked President-elect Donald Trump’s defense pick from confirmation. “Not only did Mr. Hegseth apply, but he was accepted as a prospective member of the class of 2003,” Parlatore said in a letter to West Point Superintendent Lt. Gen. Steven Gilland, disclosing a copy later tweeted by his client of the offer of admission in 1999. “The use of false statements to influence or damage a political nominee’s reputation is particularly concerning, as it may interfere with the democratic process and the fair consideration of candidate for public office,” he added. Cotton claimed that West Point’s civilian press rep, Theresa Brinkerhoff, also showed “egregiously bad judgment to share such information about the nominee to be Secretary of Defense with a known liberal outlet like ProPublica,” claiming that the reporter at the outlet was preparing “a derogatory hit piece.” “Perhaps there’s an honest mistake here, though I can’t imagine what it might be,” the Arkansas Republican said. “But I also can’t imagine this action was authorized or known to the West Point leadership.” A West Point spokesperson later told The Post, “A review of our records indicates Peter Hegseth was offered admission to West Point in 1999 but did not attend. An incorrect statement involving Hegseth’s admission to the U.S. Military Academy was released by an employee on Dec. 10, 2024.” “Upon further review of an archived database, employees realized this statement was in error,” the rep said. “Hegseth was offered acceptance to West Point as a prospective member of the Class of 2003. The academy takes this situation seriously and apologizes for this administrative error.” Investigative nonprofit ProPublica, which bills itself as a “nonpartisan, careful and independent,” was reporting a piece on Hegseth’s links to West Point when it got the erroneous statement from the prestigious academy. The story never ran after the publication eventually received a copy of Hegseth’s admission letter. “So: No, we are not publishing a story,” ProPublica editor Jesse Eisinger posted in a lengthy thread on X Wednesday. “This is how journalism is supposed to work. Hear something. Check something. Repeat steps 1 and 2 as many times as needed. The end.” Both Parlatore and Cotton called for a thorough investigation into the matter and noted that West Point’s actions may have violated the Privacy Act of 1974, which prohibits federal agencies from disclosing personnel records without the individual’s express consent. The only exceptions to the statute involve records that are demanded by law enforcement or asked for via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request — neither of which applied here, according to Parlatore. Technically, all West Point records are under the purview of the Department of the Army in the Pentagon, which Hegseth, an Army combat vet, will oversee if a majority of the Senate confirms him in the 119th Congress. In addition to “reputational harm,” Parlatore added, the potentially criminal fabrication could also “undermine public trust” in the US military. “In light of these concerns, I urge you to investigate this matter thoroughly and take appropriate corrective action to prevent future violations. As a fellow Service Academy graduate, I am sure that we both agree that it is imperative that our Service Academies uphold the highest standards of privacy, accuracy, and integrity in their communications.” Making false statements as an executive branch employee with the intent to mislead is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine. The attorney’s missive to the US Military Academy shows that Hegseth was accepted for admission to the US Military Academy in January 1999 — but he chose to enroll at Princeton University instead later that year. The future defense nominee served in the Ivy League school’s ROTC program and graduated in 2003, going on to serve in the Minnesota National Guard and Army National Guard for nearly two decades and rising ultimately to the rank of major. He served three deployments — including as a platoon leader during the Iraq war and teacher of counterinsurgency tactics in Afghanistan — and was awarded two Bronze Star Medals. Hegseth, 44, has waded other accusations from anonymous former colleagues about being ousted from veterans groups he helmed between 2007 and 2016 for binge drinking and sexual impropriety — though those who worked alongside him have dismissed the allegations in their entirety as untrue . Parlatore disputed other allegations of sexual assault in 2017 by pointing to police reports contradicting the accuser — who he believes made other false claims of misconduct against another person. Hegseth’s confirmation appeared on the rocks for weeks as Republican senators expressed reservations about the “concerning” allegations against the defense appointee — but Trump, 78, refused to back down . “Pete Hegseth is doing very well. His support is strong and deep, much more so than the Fake News would have you believe,” the once and future president wrote on Truth Social last week, rejecting reports he was reconsidering his pick. “He was a great student – Princeton/Harvard educated – with a Military state of mind. He will be a fantastic, high-energy, Secretary of Defense” he added, predicting the former Fox News personality will be “one who leads with charisma and skill. “Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!” he crowed. Sen. Joni Ernst, who is a rape survivor, was the only Republican to indicate she was not ready to vote “yes” on Hegseth’s confirmation but has since warmed up to the Pentagon nom after private discussions. “Following our encouraging conversations, Pete committed to completing a full audit of the Pentagon and selecting a senior official who will uphold the roles and value of our servicemen and women — based on quality and standards, not quotas — and who will prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks,” Ernst (R-Iowa) said. It would only take four GOP senators voting “no” to torpedo a Trump nominee.
Madigan trial testimony reveals big political fight over tiny piece of land
EAST RUTHERFORD — Joe Schoen apologists will tell you that he hasn’t had a chance to “pick” his own quarterback. Yet all he did this season was assemble one of the worst quarterback rooms in modern football history. Three quarterbacks have tried and three quarterbacks have failed miserably in this putrid Giants offense — the latest example coming Sunday at MetLife Stadium when Drew Lock had poor pocket presence and missed open receivers in the Giants’ 14-11 loss to a bad Saints team. “Obviously we could’ve done a better job in certain areas whether it’s protection, reads, throws, calls — whatever it may be,” said head coach Brian Daboll, who has also failed at being the offensive mastermind that the Giants hired him two years ago to be. “It’s a collective thing. Put it on me.” Look, the obvious caveat is that it would be difficult for many quarterbacks to thrive in this environment. The 2-11 Giants are down to backups at both offensive tackle spots, lost two more linemen during Sunday’s game, and don’t have a legitimate pass-catching tight end. No one is asking for Tom Brady-level production, though, and it’s undeniable that the front office didn’t help its cause by signing lousy quarterbacks who don’t elevate an offense in any shape or form. Remember when Schoen thought he could somehow neutralize Daniel Jones’ deficiencies by drafting wide receiver Malik Nabers instead of picking a new quarterback like J.J. McCarthy or Bo Nix, who is going to win Offensive Rookie of the Year with the Broncos? Remember when the staff didn’t have enough faith in Tommy DeVito to name him the backup this season, but suddenly wanted the No. 3 quarterback to start after benching Daniel Jones in Week 12, then changed their minds after DeVito missed one game due to injury? Or remember when they thought Lock was a legitimate backup to sign in the first place, rather than pursue a more provenly successful veteran like Russell Wilson? None of it has worked out. Schoen has made numerous miscalculations that he must own, and it’s no longer realistic for fans to trust that he’s the right man to find a franchise quarterback with one of the first picks in next year’s draft. Just how bad was Lock against the Saints’ 29th-ranked passing defense? He didn’t complete a pass until the second quarter after eight straight incompletions, and he had only 81 passing yards entering the fourth quarter, when the Giants trailed by double digits. “Just missed some easy ones,” Lock said. “One of those (first) halves where you’re gonna go back and be frustrated. They were giving us some stuff, and, ah, man, just didn’t maximize the opportunities they gave us. As the quarterback and how I feel, it’s the classic ‘shoot myself in the foot.’ Found some plays where we had opportunities and didn’t take them, didn’t make them.” Lock even went viral on social media in the second quarter for inexplicably cutting to the outside on a scramble when he had a first down if he continued running straight. Even when the Giants miraculously had a chance to tie or take the lead late, Lock rolled to his right and threw an interception with 1:52 remaining from the Giants’ 38-yard line. Then the Giants got the back ball thanks to their defense forcing the Saints to punt for the seventh time, yet their last-minute drive stalled at the Saints’ 17-yard line and fittingly ended with a blocked field goal. “They were giving us a lot of Tampa (defensive coverage) on that final drive,” Lock said in explaining the second- and third-down incompletions. “Flipped around a couple guys around in the huddle. Put Wan’Dale (Robinson) at 3, (Malik Nabers) at the X, tried to get it to him on one of the boundary safeties. They gave me Tampa, Wan’Dale did a great job of getting around 56, put a low ball to Wan’Dale and guy made a good play on that. “The last play it was, we’ve got the field goal, they’re gonna be playing off, can’t get tackled in bounds. If we do, we better get up on the ball. But at that point it was end zone, incomplete or out of bounds, and it ended out of bounds.” The only positive to come out of Sunday was that with a fourth-quarter touchdown, the Giants are still averaging 14.9 points per game. That’s 0.1 higher than the worst scoring average in team history (minimum 16-game schedule) set by the 1979 Giants. But there’s plenty of time for that record to be broken with four more opponents who all have a chance to make the playoffs and will be almost certainly be tougher than the Saints. The Giants are also on pace to finish with the most losses (at least 14) in franchise history after recording 13 in 2021 and 2017. They have finished with two wins or fewer five other times (not since 1974), except all of those seasons contained no more than 14 games. It’s not an ideal way to celebrate your 100th year as a franchise, but this is what happens when you run a systemic failure from the top all the way down, starting with a dreadful quarterback room. So where do the Giants turn to for answers in the final month of the season? “Each other,” said wide receiver Darius Slayton, who has endured five losing seasons in six years with the Giants. “Nobody is gonna come make the plays. We’ve got to make the plays. We’ve got to run, catch, throw and block. So got to do that better.”STATE COLLEGE — Despite falling to No. 1 Oregon in the Big Ten Championship, Penn State will play in its first appearance in the College Football Playoff. Announced Sunday afternoon, the Nittany Lions drew the No. 6 seed in the CFP, and will host 11-seed SMU on Saturday, Dec. 21 at noon in Beaver Stadium. Penn State lost 45-38 to Oregon in Saturday’s Big Ten Championship, arguably playing its best offensive game of the season. That said, it was also unquestionably the worst defensive game for the Nittany Lions all season. Let’s get into it... Watching these two teams play, the thing that jumped off the screen was Oregon’s speed, offensively and defensively. The Ducks rushed for 183 yards Saturday, led by junior running back Jordan James. James had 20 carries for 87 yards with two touchdowns. Then, when James wasn’t in the game, the Ducks went to junior Noah Whittington, who rushed for 82 yards on 15 carries. Not only did the running game hurt Penn State, the Oregon passing game dropped the hammer as well. The Penn State defense has been susceptible to quick-triggered quarterbacks and intermediate passes all season, and that was the case Saturday. Dillon Gabriel was 22-of-32 for 283 yards and four touchdowns, and his biggest beneficiary was a player highlighted in my preview of the game, wide receiver Tez Johnson. Johnson caught a game-high 11 passes on 12 targets, rolling up 181 yards and a touchdown against Penn State. Johnson’s 16.5 yards per catch is an eye-popping number, because whenever Gabriel needed a big play downfield, Johnson was there to make the Nittany Lions pay. His 48-yard touchdown catch made it a 38-24 game with 7:36 left in the third quarter. Five other Ducks caught passes in the game as sophomore tight end Kenyon Sadiq had a couple grabs for 30 yards, and scored on both. Tight end Terrance Ferguson also hurt the Nittany Lions with three catches for 30 yards, including a touchdown that put Oregon ahead 21-10 in the first half. Speed kills, and the Nittany Lions had real issues with it from a positioning and tackling standpoint. Maybe it was the sleek black Oregon uniforms, but Penn State struggled to bring down the slippery Ducks most of the night. Penn State finished with only one sack and six tackles for loss. Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Abdul Carter finished with six total tackles but did not record a sack or a tackle for loss in the game. It was only Carter’s fourth game this season without a tackle for loss. “To be quite frank, they sped up our defense,” veteran defensive tackle Dvon J-Thomas said after the game. “That’s a credit to their offensive coordinator. They did an incredible job of speeding us up. We also just made a lot of mistakes. That’s a credit to them. When you have such a talented team and you’re playing at an elite level, the margin of error is very, very small. Coach Franklin alluded to that after the game, the margin of error is so small, so slim in these games that it makes all the difference. “I feel like defensively that we made more mistakes in that game than we’ve made in almost any other game. And you know it’s up to a great team to capitalize. I feel like Oregon did that today.” Though the Nittany Lions are an exceptional second-half defensive team, even that couldn’t save them as Oregon did something no other team could do this season — score a touchdown on Penn State in the third quarter. Oregon also did a good job of mixing tempo against Penn State. The Ducks had three scoring drives of 10 plays or more, but the time those drives took was significant. Oregon’s final touchdown drive was most gutting as it went 12 plays for 75 yards spanning 6 minutes and 49 seconds. The Ducks also had a 10-play, 61-yard scoring drive that lasted only 1 minute and 46 seconds. Being able to sustain drives, but also being able to chew up time and be speedy played a big role in Oregon’s offensive success. “They do a really good job of making it a space game,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “They’ve got three wide receivers that are challenging — (Johnson) is really challenging in space. They’ve got a really good running back, and they’ve got a quarterback that is poised and confident, distributes the ball. “Then. they do a really good job of changing up tempo — going fast at times, then slowing down. Then look-look, see what we’re in defensively, look to the sideline, check the call, and then we’re trying to check the call. It was a chess game the entire time. Again, give them credit. But some of the things they were doing to cause stress and their athleticism also created some of the mistakes and challenges that we made.” Offense answers the bell Offensively, though it wasn’t perfect, the Nittany Lions did more than enough to win this game. They put up 518 total yards, rushing for 292 yards and ripping off 8.3 yards per carry. They also had more first downs than Oregon, 28-24. Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton were spectacular against Oregon. Allen rushed for 124 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown, while Singleton rushed for 105 on 10 carries and caught a touchdown pass. “Oregon entered the game 22nd in the country in rush defense, giving up 112 games per game, and we rushed for 292 yards today on them,” Franklin said. Kaytron averaged 8.9 yards per carry and Nick Singleton averaged 10.5. Both went over 100 yards. It’s a credit to the O-line and tight ends and obviously those two young men. I also think it was the balance and our ability to both run and pass throughout the game.” Quarterback Drew Allar wasn’t particularly sharp, but he made some impressive throws to extend drives. He wasn’t great, but wasn’t that bad either — throwing for 226 yards and three touchdowns. However, his 51.3% completion percentage (20-for-39) was his worst all season, and his two interceptions were costly. His first one was a poor throw behind Trey Wallace that Dontae Manning picked and nearly took to the house. The turnover led directly to points as James walked in from a yard out to give Oregon a 28-10 lead. The second pick was a questionable call, considering it was on second-and-1 from Penn State’s 46. With Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen combining for 229 yards rushing, running the ball there with two timeouts made more sense than to take a deep shot to Wallace, who isn’t exactly known for contested catches. Though Oregon’s Nikko Reed got away with a tug of Wallace’s jersey, Allar’s ball wasn’t quite in position for Wallace to catch it exclusively along the sideline, and Reed made a great play on the ball. The turnover allowed Oregon to run out the clock for an eight-point victory. “I saw [Reed] hold and not get any depth, and tried to give Trey a chance,” Allar said. “I’ve got to do a better job of him or nobody. I’ve just got to see the leverage with the DB and give him more of a back shoulder, around the body where it’s going to be him or nobody and move on in the progression. But that’s what I saw on that play.” Not only were Singleton and Allen excellent on Saturday, so was Tyler Warren, who had a team-leading seven catches for 84 yards. Oregon did a commendable job to keep Warren out of the end zone, and Warren failed to come up with a few of the catches he’s made routinely most of the season, as he got 12 targets on the night. “I mean, on third down specifically they tried to bracket him a little bit,” Allar said of Oregon’s coverage of Warren. “Honestly, it kind of opened up our backside progressions. There were a couple early in the game where I hit Trey on a third-and-15 in man coverage where the strong safety just bracketed Tyler. So they tried to take him away as much as they could, but he still had a phenomenal game in the pass game and the run game.” The catch that wasn’t In perhaps the most head-scratching sequence of the night, Allar threw to Omari Evans near the left sideline and though Evans caught the ball by every presentable angle, the pass was ruled incomplete. The play would’ve allowed Penn State to move farther down the field on a critical drive as they were looking to score and convert a potential game-tying two-point conversion. “There were a couple calls that we didn’t get that I thought we should have,” Franklin said. “One of the calls that I thought was a critical point in the game was the two-minute drive with a catch on the sideline to Omari, I thought was a catch. And looking on the Jumbotron, it looked like it was a catch. “It is what it is, but the catch on the sideline, to me, that’s a critical moment in the game and it was close enough that it should have been buzzed down and at least reviewed.” The path of...most favorable?...resistance Had Penn State defeated Oregon, it would have clinched the No. 1 seed in the CFP. With the loss to Oregon, the sixth-seeded Nittany Lions draw SMU, who rightfully made it over Alabama due to its 33-30 loss in the ACC Championship to Clemson. Penn State still gets to host its first-ever home playoff game in the CFP era, and the current path is favorable despite not clinching the 1-seed and a first-round bye. Top-seed Oregon and fourth-seed Arizona State each earned first-round byes, as did No. 2-seed Georgia and third-seed Boise State. If Penn State gets past SMU, it will face Boise State in the second round of the CFP. The best case scenario would see Penn State beat Boise State and face the winner of Georgia and the winner of the first-round matchup between Notre Dame and Indiana in the CFP semifinals.
Fears of a press crackdown under Donald Trump’s second term deepened with his nomination of Kash Patel as FBI director — given his calls for retribution against journalists. Yet a rare chance to protect press freedom has emerged. The bipartisan Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying (Press) Act, the strongest press freedom legislation in U.S. history, is on the brink of a vote. While President-elect Trump has urged Republicans to block it, the Senate could still deliver it to Joe Biden before the lame-duck session ends in January. The Press Act would ban secret government demands for journalists’ communications from tech giants such as Google or Verizon and protect reporters from jail for refusing to reveal sources. For investigative reporters to do their jobs — holding government officials to account for corruption and wrongdoing — they need to be able to protect the confidentiality of their sources. With courts recently weakening already-imperilled “reporter’s privilege” protections, this bill would finally give journalists in the U.S. federal protections comparable to those afforded to other relationships where confidentiality is paramount, such as lawyers and clients, doctors and patients, and spouses. The bill has something for both Democrats and Republicans to like. The Press Act’s broad and nonpartisan definition of “journalist” takes into account the modern media landscape: you don’t have to work full-time for a mainstream media organisation to be covered. Freelancers, independent reporters writing Substack newsletters and even journalists posting primarily to social networks such as X would be included. It protects right-leaning journalists just as much as anyone at the New York Times or the Guardian. It also has commonsense national security exceptions (like preventing a terrorist attack or an imminent threat of violence) without diluting the bill’s strong protections. It’s worth remembering that Democratic administrations have abused their powers to go after the first amendment rights of journalists just as much as Republicans. The Obama administration brought a record number of prosecutions against whistleblowers, and was implicated in several government spying scandals, including secretly targeting journalists at the Associated Press and Fox News. Even the Biden administration, before reversing course after public outrage, continued pursuing at least some of the surveillance orders against news outlets that the first Trump administration initiated. That’s why, in an age of extreme political polarisation, the Press Act is about as bipartisan as it gets. The House passed the bill early in 2024 unanimously, with several prominent Republicans publicly touting its importance. The bill also has powerful co-sponsors in the Senate, ranging from Democrats such as Ron Wyden and Dick Durbin, the judiciary committee chair, to Trump-supporting Republicans like Mike Lee and Lindsey Graham. Even the former Fox News host Tucker Carlson supports the bill, as he made clear in a recent interview he did with the former Fox News and CBS reporter Catherine Herridge, who was subpoenaed to reveal a source for a story she wrote several years ago. She was recently in front of the DC court of appeals, where her lawyers argued that forcing reporters to reveal their sources in court sends a chilling effect to countless others around the country.