STANFORD, Calif. — Andrew Luck is returning to Stanford in hopes of turning around a struggling football program that he once helped become a national power. Athletic director Bernard Muir announced Saturday that Luck has been hired as the general manager of the Stanford football team, tasked with overseeing all aspects of the program that just finished a 3-9 season under coach Troy Taylor. “I am a product of this university, of Nerd Nation; I love this place,” Luck said. “I believe deeply in Stanford’s unique approach to athletics and academics and the opportunity to help drive our program back to the top. Coach Taylor has the team pointed in the right direction, and I cannot wait to work with him, the staff, and the best, brightest, and toughest football players in the world.” Luck has kept a low profile since his surprise retirement from the NFL at age 29 when he announced in August 2019 that he was leaving the Indianapolis Colts and pro football. Cardinal alum Andrew Luck, left, watches a Feb. 2 game between Stanford and Southern California on Feb. 2 in Stanford, Calif. In his new role, Luck will work with Taylor on recruiting and roster management, and with athletic department and university leadership on fundraising, alumni relations, sponsorships, student-athlete support and stadium experience. “Andrew’s credentials as a student-athlete speak for themselves, and in addition to his legacy of excellence, he also brings a deep understanding of the college football landscape and community, and an unparalleled passion for Stanford football,” Muir said. “I could not think of a person better qualified to guide our football program through a continuously evolving landscape, and I am thrilled that Andrew has agreed to join our team. This change represents a very different way of operating our program and competing in an evolving college football landscape.” Luck was one of the players who helped elevate Stanford into a West Coast powerhouse for several years. He helped end a seven-year bowl drought in his first season as starting quarterback in 2009 under coach Jim Harbaugh and led the Cardinal to back-to-back BCS bowl berths his final two seasons, when he was the Heisman Trophy runner-up both seasons. Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck throws a pass during the first quarter of a Nov. 27, 2010 game against Oregon State in Stanford, Calif. That was part of a seven-year stretch in which Stanford posted the fourth-best record in the nation at 76-18 and qualified for five BCS bowl berths under Harbaugh and David Shaw. But the Cardinal have struggled for success in recent years and haven't won more than four games in a season since 2018. Stanford just finished its fourth straight 3-9 campaign in Taylor's second season since replacing Shaw. The Cardinal are the only power conference team to lose at least nine games in each of the past four seasons. Luck graduated from Stanford with a bachelor’s degree in architectural design and returned after retiring from the NFL to get his master’s degree in education in 2023. He was picked No. 1 overall by Indianapolis in the 2012 draft and made four Pro Bowls and was AP Comeback Player of the Year in 2018 in his brief but successful NFL career. Before the 2023 National Football League season started, it seemed inevitable that Bill Belichick would end his career as the winningest head coach in league history. He had won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and 298 regular-season games, plus 31 playoff games, across his career. Then the 2023 season happened. Belichick's Patriots finished 4-13, the franchise's worst record since 1992. At the end of the year, Belichick and New England owner Robert Kraft agreed to part ways. And now, during the 2024 season, Belichick is on the sideline. He's 26 wins from the #1 spot, a mark he'd reach in little more than two seasons if he maintained his .647 career winning percentage. Will he ascend the summit? It's hard to tell. Belichick would be 73 if he graced the sidelines next season—meaning he'd need to coach until at least 75 to break the all-time mark. Only one other NFL coach has ever helmed a team at age 73: Romeo Crennel in 2020 for the Houston Texans. With Belichick's pursuit of history stalled, it's worth glancing at the legends who have reached the pinnacle of coaching success. Who else stands among the 10 winningest coaches in NFL history? Stacker ranked the coaches with the most all-time regular-season wins using data from Pro Football Reference . These coaches have combined for 36 league championships, which represents 31.6% of all championships won throughout the history of pro football. To learn who made the list, keep reading. You may also like: Ranking the biggest NFL Draft busts of the last 30 years - Seasons coached: 23 - Years active: 1969-91 - Record: 193-148-1 - Winning percentage: .566 - Championships: 4 Chuck Noll's Pittsburgh Steelers were synonymous with success in the 1970s. Behind his defense, known as the Steel Curtain, and offensive stars, including Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, and Lynn Swann, Noll led the squad to four Super Bowl victories from 1974 to 1979. Noll's Steelers remain the lone team to win four Super Bowls in six years, though Andy Reid and Kansas City could equal that mark if they win the Lombardi Trophy this season. Noll was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993, two years after retiring. His legacy of coaching success has carried on in Pittsburgh—the club has had only two coaches (Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin) since Noll retired. - Seasons coached: 33 - Years active: 1921-53 - Record: 226-132-22 - Winning percentage: .631 - Championships: 6 An early stalwart of the NFL, Curly Lambeau spent 29 years helming the Green Bay Packers before wrapping up his coaching career with two-year stints with the Chicago Cardinals and Washington. His Packers won titles across three decades, including the league's first three-peat from 1929-31. Notably, he experienced only one losing season during his first 27 years with Green Bay, cementing his legacy of consistent success. Born in Green Bay, Lambeau co-founded the Packers and played halfback on the team from 1919-29. He was elected to the Hall of Fame as a coach and owner in 1963, two years before his death. You may also like: Countries with the most active NFL players - Seasons coached: 29 - Years active: 1960-88 - Record: 250-162-6 - Winning percentage: .607 - Championships: 2 The first head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, Tom Landry held the position for his entire 29-year tenure as an NFL coach. The Cowboys were especially dominant in the 1970s when they made five Super Bowls and won the big game twice. Landry was known for coaching strong all-around squads and a unit that earned the nickname the "Doomsday Defense." Between 1966 and 1985, Landry and his Cowboys enjoyed 20 straight seasons with a winning record. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1990. - Seasons coached: 26 - Years active: 1999-present - Record: 267-145-1 - Winning percentage: .648 - Championships: 3 The only active coach in the top 10, Andy Reid has posted successful runs with both the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City. After reaching the Super Bowl once in 14 years with the Eagles, Reid ratcheted things up with K.C., winning three titles since 2019. As back-to-back defending champions, Reid and Co. are looking this season to become the first franchise to three-peat in the Super Bowl era and the third to do so in NFL history after the Packers of 1929-31 and '65-67. Time will tell if Reid and his offensive wizardry can lead Kansas City to that feat. - Seasons coached: 29 - Years active: 1991-95, 2000-23 - Record: 302-165 - Winning percentage: .647 - Championships: 6 The most successful head coach of the 21st century, Bill Belichick first coached the Cleveland Browns before taking over the New England Patriots in 2000. With the Pats, Belichick combined with quarterback Tom Brady to win six Super Bowls in 18 years. Belichick and New England split after last season when the Patriots went 4-13—the worst record of Belichick's career. His name has swirled around potential coaching openings , but nothing has come of it. Belichick has remained in the media spotlight with his regular slot on the "Monday Night Football" ManningCast. - Seasons coached: 33 - Years active: 1963-95 - Record: 328-156-6 - Winning percentage: .677 - Championships: 2 The winningest head coach in NFL history is Don Shula, who first coached the Baltimore Colts (losing Super Bowl III to Joe Namath and the New York Jets) for seven years before leading the Miami Dolphins for 26 seasons. With the Fins, Shula won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1972 and 1973, a run that included a 17-0 season—the only perfect campaign in NFL history. He also coached quarterback great Dan Marino in the 1980s and '90s, but the pair made it to a Super Bowl just once. Shula was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1997. Story editing by Mike Taylor. Copy editing by Robert Wickwire. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick. You may also like: The 5 biggest upsets of the 2023-24 NFL regular season - Seasons coached: 23 - Years active: 1981-2003 - Record: 190-165-2 - Winning percentage: .535 - Championships: 0 Dan Reeves reached the Super Bowl four times—thrice with the Denver Broncos and once with the Atlanta Falcons—but never won the NFL's crown jewel. Still, he racked up nearly 200 wins across his 23-year career, including a stint in charge of the New York Giants, with whom he won Coach of the Year in 1993. In all his tenures, he quickly built contenders—the three clubs he coached were a combined 17-31 the year before Reeves joined and 28-20 in his first year. However, his career ended on a sour note as he was fired from a 3-10 Falcons team after Week 14 in 2003. - Seasons coached: 21 - Years active: 1984-98, 2001-06 - Record: 200-126-1 - Winning percentage: .613 - Championships: 0 As head coach of Cleveland, Kansas City, Washington, and San Diego, Marty Schottenheimer proved a successful leader during the regular season. Notably, he was named Coach of the Year after turning around his 4-12 Chargers team to a 12-4 record in 2004. His teams, however, struggled during the playoffs. Schottheimer went 5-13 in the postseason, and he never made it past the conference championship round. As such, the Pennsylvania-born skipper is the winningest NFL coach never to win a league championship. - Seasons coached: 25 - Years active: 1946-62, '68-75 - Record: 213-104-9 - Winning percentage: .672 - Championships: 7 The only coach on this list to pilot a college team, Paul Brown, reached the pro ranks after a three-year stint at Ohio State and two years with the Navy during World War II. He guided the Cleveland Browns—named after Brown, their first coach—to four straight titles in the fledgling All-America Football Conference. After the league folded, the ballclub moved to the NFL in 1950, and Cleveland continued its winning ways, with Brown leading the team to championships in '50, '54, and '55. He was fired in 1963 but returned in 1968 as the co-founder and coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. His other notable accomplishments include helping to invent the face mask and breaking pro football's color barrier . - Seasons coached: 40 - Years active: 1920-29, '33-42, '46-55, '58-67 - Record: 318-148-31 - Winning percentage: .682 - Championships: 6 George Halas was the founder and longtime owner of the Chicago Bears and coached the team across four separate stints. Nicknamed "Papa Bear," he built the ballclub into one of the NFL's premier franchises behind players such as Bronko Nagurski and Sid Luckman. Halas also played for the team, competing as a player-coach in the 1920s. The first coach to study opponents via game film, he was once a baseball player and even made 12 appearances as a member of the New York Yankees in 1919. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1963 as both a coach and owner. Get local news delivered to your inbox!Farage: Badenoch must apologise for ‘crazy conspiracy theory’ on Reform numbers
BOISE — Milk and beef remain revenue leaders in Idaho agriculture as producers contend with inflationary constraints. In an Agricultural Outlook Seminar hosted by the University of Idaho on Wednesday, industry leaders and academics discussed their expectations for 2025. Based on current projections, the state is poised to meet a number of all-time highs across the agricultural sector as it continues to contend with inflationary prices. “Idaho is a relatively small economy in the scheme of things, but very big in terms of agriculture,” said Brett Wilder, area extension educator and assistant professor at the University of Idaho, who provided a statewide outlook for 2024 and 2025. In 2023, the state ranked 38th in total gross domestic product, but 19th in total farm GDP. Historically, the state has been fifth in the nation in terms of farm GDP as a total contribution to the state, with 1 in 9 of the state's jobs being in the agribusiness sector, Wilder said. In total, agribusiness accounts for 17% of the state’s economic output and in terms of total cash receipts — generated from sales — the 2024 fiscal year is estimated to bring in $11.3 billion in agricultural cash receipts statewide, Wilder said. “The biggest component of that is milk,” Wilder said. Milk accounts for $3.8 billion of the state’s cash receipts, up 10% from a year ago, Wilder said. Looking ahead to next year, the biggest gains in the dairy sector nationwide are expected to be in cheese production, as the industry contends with a “100 million pound cheese deficit across the country,” Dustin Winston, StoneX Financial commodity market analyst, said. Though Idaho’s cheese production is limited to a singular processing facility, 60% of Idaho’s milk is dedicated to cheese production, which would mean more direct impacts for Idaho stemming from this national push, Wilder said. An additional $2.8 billion comes from cattle and calves, accounting for 25% of the state’s agricultural cash receipts. Continued demand for both importing and exporting beef is expected to keep retail prices higher, as the industry nationwide is in “contraction,” Wilder said. “The industry terminology which means that we’re going to see tighter supplies and probably higher prices both for live animals and for the consumer,” Wilder said, adding that while demand has been historically strong, the consumer's willingness to pay higher prices into next year remains unknown. A pivoting irrigation system stands over a green field at the Boise’s Twenty Mile South Farm in this April 2019 file photo. Idaho ranked 19th in the U.S. in total farm gross domestic product in 2023. On the crop side, sugar beets are also estimated to be at an all-time high of $70 million in cash receipts, up from $69 million in the prior year. Nursery crops are also expected to see a small increases as well, Wilder said. Since 2000, in inflation-adjusted dollars, the nation has improved 60% in terms of cash receipts from agriculture compared to Idaho improving 90% over the same period. Wilder said that the state's performance is largely attributed to milk, which has cash receipts up 190% over the same period. With rising costs, however, these numbers don’t tell the full story, he said. “Even though we’re projecting a new all-time high in cash receipts ... it feels like a counterfeit number,” Wilder said. The difference between today’s dollars and inflation-adjusted cash receipts show a 25% gap, so while there are both technological and efficiency improvements across the agricultural sector, it remains difficult for these improvements to be implemented “at a pace that keeps up with the rate of inflation,” Wilder said. SHIFTING COSTS According to a Purdue University survey of agricultural producers’ sentiments, many are concerned about the ongoing impacts of inflation. The October survey found that a third of respondents said high input costs were their No. 1 concern. Looking back, this sentiment has remained quite consistent over the past 12 months, Xiaoli Etienne, University of Idaho associate professor and Idaho Wheat Commission Endowed Chair, said. While next year is projected to have the fourth-highest input costs on record — behind only 2022, 2023 and 2024 — the breakdown for individual inputs is more nuanced. The price of oil, for example, is expected to maintain its present downward trend into 2025. U.S. Energy Information Administration forecasts predict oil prices to fall to $69 per barrel next year, down from the average of $76 per barrel seen in 2024. This is attributed to supply from countries outside of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), including the United States, Brazil and Canada. China’s shift to clean energy as well as policies from Donald Trump’s incoming administration that are expected to be more favorable for the energy sector are also expected to factor into the price decrease, Etienne said. “Most likely you will see more drilling activities taking place and also less regulatory constraint,” Etienne said. A farmer cultivates a field off Homedale Road near Caldwell in April of 2022. Domestic fertilizer production is forecasted to mitigate effects of projected natural gas price hikes. Natural gas, on the other hand, is expected to have a significant increase in price over the previous year. Though the price spiked in 2022 following the onset of the Russia-Ukraine War, the price has since plummeted and remained relatively stable since. Prices could approach $4 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) — compared to its current average of just under $3 MMBtu — in part due to continued investment into exporting liquefied natural gas (LNG) out of the U.S., that is expected to increase demand, Etienne said. While this could be felt in the state’s electricity costs, of which more than a quarter comes from natural gas, the change could also have downstream effects on farmers since natural gas is a key ingredient in nitrogen-based fertilizers. Increased domestic fertilizer production over the next few years, however, is expected to mitigate these effects, Etienne said. For Idaho’s farmland, value increased an average of 5% in 2023 and 2024. The Federal Reserve, however, is continuing to lower interest rates — the Associated Press reported a 0.25% interest rate cut Wednesday — an outcome that is expected to ease some of the economic burden for agricultural producers. Whether it will be enough to reduce the effects of diminishing supply due to increased urbanization, however, remains to be seen, Etienne said. Looking ahead to next year, labor costs are expected to be a significant variable that the agriculture industry will need to grapple with. In 2024, average wages for all hired workers increased 3% and is expected to see a similar increase as the state contends with a shortage of workers, Etienne said. LEGISLATIVE FUTURE Compared to economic forecasting, the future direction of the Idaho Legislature is a bit harder to predict. The previous legislative session brought a number of positive outcomes for Idaho's agriculture producers. HB 592 provided compensation for livestock lost to grizzly bears and wolves and funded prevention measures against future losses. HB 608 established agricultural protection areas, which requires counties to take into account agricultural producers with five or more acres of active production when making development plans, Dexton Lake, Idaho Farm Bureau Federation government affairs representative, said. The biggest piece of agricultural legislation that failed to pass was SB1245 , which would have shielded pesticide manufacturers from lawsuits over health issues that arose over using their products if their products had appropriate warning labels that were in line with federal regulation. Lake described the bill as a "common sense bill" that says individuals can't sue about something they've already been warned about. Lake said the future success of similar legislation that benefits the agriculture sector is dependent on continuing to educate legislators on key issues for the sector and on stakeholders making their voices heard. “If we want agriculture to continue to have the voice that it does, people have got to speak on its behalf who work in the industry,” Lake said. “Unless they hear from you, from those people, they’re not going to assume that they have an issue with whatever might be coming down the pipeline.”The 25-year-old Sweden international took his goal tally for the season to 12 in the 3-0 Boxing Day win over Aston Villa at St James’ Park, 10 of them in his last 10 Premier League games, after a challenging start to the new campaign. Isak managed 25 goals in a black and white shirt last season to further justify the club record £63million the club paid to bring him to Tyneside from Real Sociedad during the summer of 2022, but as delighted as he is with his big-money signing, head coach Howe is confident there is even more to come. Murph 🔗 Alex Isak Different game. Same link up. 💪 pic.twitter.com/OMhZf7dtKZ — Newcastle United (@NUFC) December 27, 2024 Asked where the former AIK Solna frontman currently ranks in world football, he said: “My biggest thing with Alex is I am evaluating his game on a daily and weekly basis and I just want to try to push him for more. “Everyone else can say where he is in the pecking order of world football. His game is in a good place at the moment. “My job is to not sit back and appreciate that, my job is to try and find areas he can improve, push him towards that and never stop pushing him. He has all the ingredients in there. Football never stops evolving and changing and he has to evolve with it. “There is a lot more to come from him. Our job is to help him deliver that. “Of course the main responsibility is for Alex to keep his focus, ignore the plaudits and keep helping the team, not be selfish. It is about Newcastle and he plays his part.” It is no coincidence that Newcastle have prospered as Isak has rediscovered his best form, and they will head for Manchester United – where they have won only once in the top flight since 1972 – on Monday evening looking for a fifth successive win in all competitions. He has scored in each of the last five league games having grown into the mantle of the Magpies’ main man, a role performed with such distinction in the past by the likes of Jackie Milburn, Malcolm Macdonald and Alan Shearer, and he has done so with the minimum of fuss. Asked about his character, Howe said: “He is calm, cool – he is what you see on the pitch. “He doesn’t get overly emotional, which for a striker is a great quality because that coolness you see and calmness in front of goal is part of his personality, part of what he is. He seems to have an extra half a second when other players don’t. “With Alex, the beauty of his attitude is that he wants to improve. We give him information and he is responsive. He is not a closed shop. “He is in no way thinking he has arrived at a certain place. He knows he has to keep adding to his game. The challenge is great for him to keep scoring freely as he is now.”
The Seattle Seahawks have only one path to the playoffs: winning the NFC West. Seattle finds itself heading into a must-win game against the host Bears on Thursday night, and even if the Seahawks can top Chicago and beat the Los Angeles Rams in Week 18, they still might miss out on the postseason because of the strength-of-victory tiebreaker. If Seattle (8-7) was to get past Los Angeles for a 10-7 finish, the teams would split their season series 1-1, have matching 4-4 records against common opponents and would hold the same in-conference record, leaving strength of victory to determine the fate of the Seahawks and Rams. And that fifth tiebreaker belongs to Los Angeles. "We just got to handle our part, which is win out," Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV said. "Then, let the chips fall where they fall. Hopefully, we catch a little luck and we can get in there." Seattle dropped out of wild-card contention after a 27-24 loss to the Vikings on Sunday. Minnesota was down 24-20 with less than 4 1/2 minutes to go, but Sam Darnold threw a go-ahead 39-yard touchdown pass to Justin Jefferson with 3:51 remaining. Jason Myers came up short on a 60-yard field-goal attempt with 1:55 left, preventing the Seahawks from drawing even. "We got to win two, but it starts with one," said Seattle quarterback Geno Smith, who had 314 passing yards, three touchdowns and two picks against Minnesota. "We got a tough Chicago team on the road. I know their record isn't the greatest, but if you watch film on those guys, they got a tough team ask with a lot of the talent. "We got to be ready coming off a short week, traveling on Christmas. Guys got to get their minds right and get ready to go." The Seahawks will need to rely on Zach Charbonnet in the backfield after placing fellow running back Kenneth Walker III (ankle) on injured reserve ahead of Thursday's game. In a corresponding move, the team signed rookie running back George Holani from the practice squad to the 53-man active roster. Walker returned from a two-game absence due to an ailing calf on Sunday before injuring his ankle versus the Vikings. He leads the Seahawks in carries (153) and rushing yards (573) to go along with seven rushing touchdowns. Charbonnet, in turn, has a team-best eight rushing touchdowns to go along with 106 carries for 453 yards. The Seahawks also ruled out tight end Brady Russell (foot) and safety K'Von Wallace (ankle). The Bears (4-11) have dropped nine consecutive games, most recently losing 34-17 to the Detroit Lions. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams continued to shine, passing for 334 yards and two TDs. "Every snap is valuable," Williams said. "There are so many different situations that happen throughout games that you can learn from and that I've learned from this year." Williams has been building a strong rapport with wide receiver Rome Odunze, a fellow first-round pick in this year's draft. The two hooked up four times for 77 yards against Detroit. "From the moment you step on the field with a great player like him, you feel that confidence and I think that you feed off of that from one another and I think that we do that well," Odunze said of his relationship with Williams. "But you've got to go out there and prove it on the field and we have to continue to do that." The Bears will be without defensive backs Elijah Hicks (ankle/foot) and Tarvarius Moore (knee), running back Travis Homer (hamstring) and offensive lineman Teven Jenkins (calf) for Thursday's game. --Field Level Media
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Mike Slater: These 3 Rhetorical Expressions Are Causing Our Cultural MalaiseOTTAWA — Two senior members of the federal cabinet were in Florida Friday pushing Canada's new border plan with Donald Trump's transition team, a day after Trudeau himself appeared to finally push back at the president-elect over his social media posts about turning Canada into the 51st state. Both Trudeau and former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney, who Trudeau has been courting to become Canada's next finance minister, shared posts on X Thursday, a day after Trump's latest jab at Canada in his Christmas Day message. It isn't clear if Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who has repeatedly insisted Trump's 51st state references are a joke, will raise the issue with Trump's team when he and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly meet with them in Palm Beach. The two are there to discuss Canada's new $1.3 billion border plan with just under four weeks left before Trump is sworn in again as president. He has threatened to impose a new 25 per cent import tariff on Canada and Mexico the same day over concerns about a trade imbalance, as well as illegal drugs and migration issues at the borders. The broad strokes of Canada's plan were made public Dec. 17, including a new aerial intelligence task force to provide round-the-clock surveillance of the border, and improved efforts using technology and canine teams to seek out drugs in shipments leaving Canada LeBlanc's spokesman, Jean-Sébastien Comeau, said the ministers will also emphasize the negative impacts of Trump's threatened tariffs on both Canada and the U.S. Comeau said the ministers will build on the discussions that took place last month when Trudeau and LeBlanc met Trump at Mar-a-Lago just days after Trump first made his tariff threat. It was at that dinner on Nov. 29 when Trump first raised the notion of Canada becoming the 51st state, a comment LeBlanc has repeatedly since insisted was just a joke. But Trump has continued the quip repeatedly in various social media posts, including in his Christmas Day message when he said Canadians would pay lower taxes and have better military protection if they became Americans. He has taken to calling Trudeau "governor" instead of prime minister. Trudeau had not directly responded to any of the jabs, but on Thursday posted a link to a six-minute long video on YouTube from 2010 in which American journalist Tom Brokaw "explains Canada to Americans." The video, which originally aired during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, explains similarities between the two countries, including their founding based on immigration, their trading relationship and the actions of the Canadian Army in World War 2 and other modern conflicts. "In the long history of sovereign neighbours there has never been a relationship as close, productive and peaceful as the U.S. and Canada," Brokaw says in the video. Trudeau did not expand about why he posted a link to the video, posting it only with the words "some information about Canada for Americans." Carney, who is at the centre of some of Trudeau's recent domestic political troubles, also called out Trump's antics on X Thursday, calling it "casual disrespect" and "carrying the 'joke' too far." "Time to call it out, stand up for Canada, and build a true North American partnership," said Carney, who Trudeau was courting to join his cabinet before Chrystia Freeland resigned as finance minister last week. Freeland's sudden departure, three days after Trudeau informed her he would be firing her as finance minister in favour of Carney, left Trudeau's leadership even more bruised than it already was. Despite the expectation Carney would assume the role, he did not and has not made any statements about it. LeBlanc was sworn in as finance minister instead the same day Freeland quit. More than two dozen Liberal MPs have publicly called on Trudeau to resign as leader, and Trudeau is said to be taking the holidays to think about his next steps. He is currently vacationing in British Columbia. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 27, 2024. Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press
BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Aston Villa says it has failed in an attempt to have Jhon Duran’s red card at Newcastle overturned on appeal. The 21-year-old Colombia international was sent off 32 minutes into a 3-0 defeat in the Premier League at St. James’ Park on Thursday after appearing to stamp on defender Fabian Schar, prompting a furious reaction from Villa head coach Unai Emery, who later indicated that the club would appeal. However, Villa said Friday night that its bid was unsuccessful and the forward will now serve a three-match ban for violent conduct. “Aston Villa can confirm that our decision to appeal Jhon Duran’s red card in our match with Newcastle United has been rejected," a statement on Villa’s official X account read. "The player will now miss our next three matches.” Duran will miss Premier League games against Brighton and Leicester, followed by Villa's FA Cup third-round match with West Ham on Jan. 10. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer‘Failure is not an option’: Fire-torn Jasper entering new year with hope, anxiety
The stage is set for the counting of votes in the 2024 Jharkhand Assembly Elections, marking the culmination of a heated electoral battle. The process kicks off today at 8 am with the counting of postal ballots, and initial trends are expected by 9 am. This election could decide whether the BJP-led NDA can wrest power from the JMM-led INDIA bloc or if the ruling coalition retains its hold. This year's voter turnout hit a record-breaking 67.74%, the highest since the state was formed in 2000. Elaborate arrangements have been made at all counting centers, with observers deployed for every assembly constituency. “Preparations are on for the counting day on November 23. Each table will be headed by an ARO to ensure fair counting of postal ballots,” an Election Commission official stated. “The entire process will take place in a transparent manner under the full glare of the media and candidates or their agents.” Fierce Battle Between Key Alliances The elections, held in two phases on November 13 and 20, saw a strong voter turnout across the state's 81 constituencies. In the first phase, 43 seats were contested, followed by 38 in the second phase. The contest has been fierce, with the NDA targeting corruption and governance issues under the JMM-led alliance and the INDIA bloc highlighting welfare schemes and accusing the BJP-led Centre of political vendetta. Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who contested from Barhait, faces challenges not only from the BJP but also from allegations linked to corruption and governance lapses. “The opposition party spent over ₹500 crore on malicious campaigns against me,” Soren alleged during the campaign. His wife, Kalpana Soren, also contested from Gandey. Other key candidates include BJP's Leader of Opposition Amar Kumar Bauri from Chandankiyari and Congress’s Deepika Pandey Singh from Mahagama. Prominent Leaders and High-Stakes Races The polls also saw participation from political heavyweights like BJP’s Babulal Marandi in Dhanwar and Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato (JMM) in Nala. AJSU Party chief Sudesh Mahto contested from Silli, while former Chief Minister Champai Soren ran from Seraikela. Campaigning featured prominent leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren. BJP’s rallies heavily criticized the ruling coalition, focusing on corruption and alleged infiltration. “Ek rahenge toh safe rahenge (if we remain united, we will be safe),” was a key slogan for the NDA, while INDIA bloc leaders emphasized promises of inclusive development and welfare programs. Reserved Seats and Changing Dynamics Of the 81 assembly seats, 28 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST) and nine for Scheduled Castes (SC). In the 2019 elections, the JMM won 19 ST seats, while the BJP secured two. On SC seats, the BJP won six, with the JMM and RJD taking two and one seat, respectively. This year, the NDA has fielded candidates in 68 seats, while allies AJSU Party, JD(U), and LJP(RV) contest 10, two, and one seat each. On the INDIA bloc side, JMM has fielded candidates in 43 seats, Congress in 30, RJD in six, and CPI(ML) in four. What to Expect The state’s political landscape hangs in the balance, with exit polls predicting a tight race. According to CNN-News18 Poll of Polls, the NDA is projected to win around 40 seats, while the INDIA bloc is forecasted to secure 37. Others are expected to win four seats. Security has been heightened at counting centers, with strong rooms fortified with surveillance and security personnel. “Observers have been appointed for each constituency, and candidates or their agents are encouraged to keep a close watch on the process,” an Election Commission official added. The results will not only shape the future of Jharkhand’s governance but also reflect broader political trends as India approaches the 2024 general elections. Stay tuned for live updates as the votes are counted and the winners are declared. With inputs from PTINone