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2025-01-22
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star forward Paul George will miss a few games due to a bone bruise that he suffered in his left knee. George will be re-evaluated in a few days to see where things stand on the injury. ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported the news on social media. Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George has a bone bruise in his left knee and is listed out for the next two games. He will be re-evaluated on Monday. pic.twitter.com/vxKeON5z78 George suffered the injury during the 76ers game on Wednesday against the Memphis Grizzlies. The star forward got injured in the second half of the game and didn't return. After the fact, 76ers head coach Nick Nurse assumed that the issue was a bone bruise but couldn't comment too much on it. Nurse did say that George may have been able to return to the court but the team decided against it. "I think they said it was similar to last time, which was a bone bruise, I think," Nurse said . "He was actually fairly close to coming back in the game, but then it kind of stiffened up as he got out a little bit more, so I decided not to, and now we got to take a look at it, make sure." The game against the Grizzlies was the first time that Philadelphia had all of their three All-Star players together on the court in George, center Joel Embiid and point guard Tyrese Maxey. But fate had other ideas and that dream ended fairly quickly. It has been a nightmare season for the 76ers as they sit with a record of 2-12 currently. The franchise has seen each star miss time due to an injury already this year, so this issue with George has to be frustrating. "Listen, it's certainly not easy," Nurse said . "Tyrese just getting back and didn't really have a feel tonight, and Paul going out. Certainly not easy ... but we didn't put enough together again for 48 [minutes of game time]." The 76ers spent heavily over the offseason to bring George to Philadelphia to pair him alongside Embiid and Maxey. They were seen as one of the favorites in the Eastern Conference this season but injuries have completely derailed those plans. Thankfully, it seems that George may have dodged a massive bullet with this issue but due to his injury history, Philadelphia will likely be cautious in allowing him to return. For now, all the 76ers can do is take things one game at a time as they try to climb out of this massive hole that they have dug for themselves to start the year. For more 76ers and NBA news, head over to Newsweek Sports.PTI leadership bent upon creating anarchy: Sharjeel Sharjeel Inam Memon says public do not concerns about political posturing but about problems posed by inflation KARACHI: Sindh’s Senior Minister, Sharjeel Inam Memon, has said that an imprisoned person is trying to stir chaos and anarchy in the country to achieve his objectives while ignoring the problems of the countrymen. Addressing a media briefing, Sindh’s Senior Minister and Provincial Minister for Information, Transport, and Mass Transit, Sharjeel Inam Memon, said the public is not concerned about political posturing but about the problems posed by inflation. He said businesspeople, farmers, labourers, etc., are desperately seeking relief and are fed up with the populist politics. Referring to the grave situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Memon said despite the loss of 90 people in a tragic incident, the chief minister is not present in their midst. He questioned why the KP police, who are actively used in CM Gandapur’s rallies, is not being deployed in Parachinar where they are truly needed. Questioning the reckless use of provincial government machinery, he asked if the political and administrative machinery was supporting the families of the victims or planning to attack the capital. Criticising the priorities of the KP government, the Sindh senior minister asked them to prove a single successful, public initiative despite running the province for the last 12 years. He charged the political hierarchy of the KP with a misplaced focus that led to the attack on the Army Public School and the break-in at Bannu Jail which complicated the problems for the people. Had the provincial economy fared any better the people of the province would not have had to leave their homes in search of employment opportunities in Sindh or other provinces, the Sindh minister said. Against this backdrop, they are attempting to stir chaos in the country, Memon said. Sharjeel Memon said the disruptive politics of PTI are only aimed at destabilising the country. The ‘foreign leader’ has no concern for the countrymen and is busy fomenting chaos. He blamed the PTI for not even making a single demand for the betterment of the people except for seeking power for Imran Khan. Memon said when the PPP leadership including President Asif Ali Zardari and Faryal Talpur were arrested, the party did not engage in any illegal actions. Despite having a government in Sindh, they did not use government machinery against the federal capital. Terming the people as astute and aware, he said the people have seen through their designs. Being tired and frustrated they are not responding to the PTI calls for agitation. He said the time has come to stop disruptive politics of chaos and abusive language. The minister said people need relief from their daily hardships and need employment, health and education. The minister claimed that on the other hand as soon as the Pakistan Peoples Party came to power in Sindh, they began issuing Kisan Cards. The provincial government is working to provide free electricity to the people through solarisation. Additionally, houses are being constructed for 2.1 million people, and the government is single-mindedly focused on completing this project. Furthermore, they are striving to provide the best possible facilities for health and education to the public. He said there are signs of economic recovery with the improvement of the stock exchanges that are setting record volumes of business every day. The minister for Transport, and Mass Transit, said the Sindh government introduced Electric Vehicle (EV) buses in the country, followed by launching the Pink Bus service for women. He said work is underway on the Red Line and Yellow Line BRT projects. The government, Memon said also plans to introduce EV taxis to provide employment opportunities for the unemployed youth. In response to a question, the provincial minister said, at the behest of the PTI’s founder, his wife, Bushra Bibi, made a shameful statement regarding Saudi Arabia. Even the remaining PTI leadership tried to distance themselves from that stance against one of the best friends of the Pakistani people. To another question, Sharjeel Memon said the PPP has never opposed talks while on the other hand, Imran Khan is the biggest obstacle to dialogue. Regarding Chairman Bilawal Bhutto’s stance on the proposed canals from the Indus, the provincial minister said that is in line with the policy of the Pakistan People’s Party and the Sindh government. He mentioned that the Sindh Chief Minister has also written letters to the federal government on this issue. Memon said the PPP Chairman is clear about water projects and elaborated that the issue should be resolved through negotiations. He said the Sindh government will never compromise on the rights of farmers. The Sindh senior minister said as long as the smaller provinces’ are objecting to the canal issue, the project should not be taken up.Leaders of the centrist group No Labels abandoned a planned third-party presidential bid in April after a successful campaign by Democratic allies of President Joe Biden damaged their public appeal and undermined their ability to recruit electable candidates. Now leaders of No Labels are fighting back in three federal courtrooms with a sprawling legal-discovery effort aimed at exposing the secret machinations they believe led to their project’s demise. Leaders of the moderate Democratic group Third Way and of Investing in US, a political operation funded by LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, are fighting to limit the document production. But documents already unsealed by the courts reveal remarkable details about private proposals for a wide range of hard-nosed tactics that would go beyond public efforts like ads, op-eds and meetings to discourage the No Labels campaign. The documents include emails exchanged between various Democratic strategists involved with efforts to oppose No Labels. “Our main focus should be brand destruction but, where possible, we also need to throw up any and all roadblocks to stop them from being successful at signature-gathering,” Lucy Caldwell, one of the anti-No Labels strategists, wrote in a document uncovered during the legal battle. A separate “Direct Action Campaign” proposal, which was never fully adopted, called for the personal harassment of No Labels founder Nancy Jacobson and her husband, Mark Penn, a former adviser to Bill and Hillary Clinton. The proposal to “socially stigmatize” Jacobson and Penn, according to documents revealed in court, included plans to hire clowns “to hangout on their block” in the Georgetown area of D.C., post fliers in the neighborhood attacking the couple, send a “truck carrying musical performers” to wake them up at 6 a.m., and fly banner planes over Harvard University’s graduation attacking Penn, who does a poll for the university as chair of the Harris Poll and CEO of the marketing company Stagwell. Penn did not play a role in the No Labels presidential bid, according to the group. The proposal, which was emailed May 3, 2023, names Melissa Byrne, a former organizer for Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaigns, as the proposed leader of the effort, and suggests using a mobile billboard to “shame” the couple around the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. Five days earlier, Byrne had taken a mobile billboard to a Georgetown brunch in honor of the White House Correspondents’ Association to attack both Jacobson and Penn as allies of Donald Trump. “There is no place for MAGA hate in Georgetown,” the billboard declared over photos of Trump and the No Labels leaders. Byrne declined to comment for this story. No Labels leaders asked the Justice Department in January to investigate the broader effort to discourage their presidential bid as an “unlawful conspiracy” meant to deny voters choice at the ballot box. The Justice Department has not responded to the request. “These operatives had the gall to say they were fighting to protect our democracy. In reality, they undermined it at every turn with frivolous lawsuits, character assassination, and outright lies designed to prevent No Labels from exercising our constitutional right to get ballot access,” Dan Webb, a No Labels volunteer legal adviser, said in a statement. “If you are wondering why Americans are losing faith in our democracy and so many of our country’s self-anointed elites, this is Exhibit A.” The current legal discovery has been made possible by a federal civil trial in Delaware about an effort by some anti-No Labels activists to buy a NoLabels.com domain with funds from a nonprofit that does not disclose donors. The buyers then produced a website meant to appear as if it was the landing page for the organization that contained information suggesting support for Trump and his allies. U.S. District Judge Gregory B. Williams issued a temporary restraining order over the trademark violation that forced the website’s removal and authorized further legal discovery to “ascertain the identity of all individuals and organizations involved in the Infringing website and Infringing Domain,” and to determine the full scope of the infringement. Caldwell’s 2023 emails, which have been produced in court by No Labels’ attorneys, revealed communications with other Democratic activists and operatives who were involved in the public effort to stop the No Labels presidential bid because they believed it would threaten Biden’s chances of reelection. Among the targets of discovery who have tried to quash the No Labels subpoena in court in Washington is Jonathan Cowan, the founder of Third Way, who was once such close friends with Jacobson and Penn that he participated in their wedding ceremony, and Dmitri Mehlhorn, a former top strategist for Investing in US who worked with Jacobson during the 2000s and 2010s. Third Way employees Cowan, Matthew Bennett and Emily Cain have denied in court filings that they or anyone at Third Way had involvement in NoLabels.com or the trademark infringement. They have all argued that the No Labels subpoenas infringe on their First Amendment rights to political activity. A Third Way spokesman declined to comment. Mehlhorn forwarded to Caldwell the proposal for the Byrne-led social stigmatization plan, according to an email produced in court in San Francisco, where No Labels is fighting for documents from Rae Steward, a managing partner of Investing in US. The stigmatization plan had been forwarded to Mehlhorn from the personal email account of Todd Schulte, another Democratic strategist. It mentioned the public relations consultant Meredith Shiner as a potential communications adviser. Shiner said last week that she had one conversation with Schulte about the possibility of joining an anti-No Labels effort, but that there was no follow-up and she never did any work. Schulte and a spokesperson for Investing in US declined to comment. Caldwell, who worked with the organizers of the NoLabels.com effort and has worked recently with Mehlhorn at his new group, Oakland Corps, also declined to comment. In court filings, Steward and Mehlhorn said they “categorically” reject “any allegation, however veiled and circuitous, of contributory infringement” in the original Delaware website case. “As a venture investor I received thousands of proposals for political work. I forward them to my advisers for initial review,” Mehlhorn said in a statement about the social stigmatization memo. “If No Labels thinks that means I endorse those proposals, they are even dumber than I thought which is saying something.” Days after the “social stigmatization” memo was sent, Caldwell offered her own proposal to Mehlhorn about how to “neutralize the No Labels unity ticket.” She recommended against immediate “in your face” tactics like protesting outside Jacobson and Penn’s home. “Think of those tactics as flame retardant/super-scooper planes - that is, the last resort for when the fire is burning out of control and we have exhausted the options of our earlier phase,” she wrote. Instead she proposed a convening of stakeholders in coordination with Third Way. Such a meeting occurred in June at Third Way’s offices, with several former U.S. senators, anti-Trump Republican activists, advisers to the Biden-Harris campaign and former White House chief of staff Ron Klain in attendance. Caldwell also proposed finding “a disaffected No Labels” staffer to leak internal information, and targeting an ad strategy to make ballot-access efforts more difficult in states where signature gathering was taking place. She suggested using “allies connected in media/etc.” to try to obtain a complete set of No Labels polling; placing op-eds against No Labels; and organizing both moderate politicians and regular voters to reject the effort. “What does it take to revoke ballot access in places where they have gotten it already, outside of court challenges around signatures, technicalities? Probably not worth it, but interesting to consider?” Caldwell wrote. “In the future (early next year), consider other tactics that could make brand toxic substance, like hijacking their ballot line and pushing extremist candidates to muddy the NL brand.” A June 2023 email after the Third Way office meeting from Pat Dennis, president of the Democratic opposition research firm American Bridge 21st Century, offered help in placing stories about alleged misuse of donor funds by No Labels, along with assistance in legal complaints and in finding “firsthand sources” within No Labels and encouraging them to leak to reporters. “The goal is to poison the well for No Labels with their key stakeholders and destabilize their efforts internally and in the minds of the public,” Dennis wrote in his email to Caldwell. “Spread fear, uncertainty, and doubt about their operation, and within their operation.” A December 2023 email sent from Third Way strategist Cain to Caldwell proposed working together on opposition research about No Labels; legal challenges to the group; and a pressure campaign to deter potential candidates from joining the ticket. No Labels abandoned its presidential effort only after potential candidates, including former New Jersey governor Chris Christie (R), former Georgia lieutenant governor Geoff Duncan (R) and Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-West Virginia), declined to sign on. “Americans remain more open to an independent presidential run and hungrier for unifying national leadership than ever before,” the group said in a statement at the time. “But No Labels has always said we would only offer our ballot line to a ticket if we could identify candidates with a credible path to winning the White House. No such candidates emerged, so the responsible course of action is for us to stand down.”kasur ocean magical

In mid-2022, executives from what was then called HBO Max approached James Gunn about doing another series adapted from DC Comics, following his hit “ Peacemaker .” His first idea: an animated show loosely based on the DC comics characters known as the Creature Commandos , i.e. group of monsters thrown together into a black ops team tasked with taking out their enemy by any means necessary. He wrote the seven-episode first season over a few weeks on spec — and then Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav hired Gunn and “Peacemaker” executive producer Peter Safran to run DC Studios and relaunch the DC Universe. “And I said, ‘Oh, I know what I can greenlight!’” Gunn says with a laugh. Two years later, the merrily TV-MA series “Creature Commandos,” debuting on Max on Dec. 5, is serving as a kind of appetizer for the new DCU, before Gunn’s feature film “Superman” provides the main course when it premieres in July 2025. As the studio co-chief, Gunn sees the series as a way to establish both his overall creative philosophy for the DCU and how he intends to build out its wider storytelling landscape. “I just liked the idea of a soft intro to our universe in which metahumans exist, monsters exist, magic exists and incredibly complicated political situations exist,” Gunn says. “And we see what the world of the DCU is through an animated perspective where it costs as much to create a battlefield as it does to create a kitchen — well, not exactly, but not as dissimilar as it would be in a film.” Working in animation also afforded Gunn the freedom to make the show as violent and sexual as anything he’s made in live action — for example, Dr. Phosphorus (voiced by Alan Tudyk) thinks nothing of using his radioactive skin to melt the face off of his enemies, and multiple characters disrobe for bouts of enthusiastic intercourse. But Gunn cautions that this kind of frisky boundary-pushing won’t be a part of every DC Studios project. “One of the main things I want to establish is that you can do anything at DC Studios,” he says. “We can make complete family fare. We can make something that’s for general audiences, like ‘Superman.’ We can make something that’s violent and sexual, like this — which I didn’t think was that violent and sexual; ‘Peacemaker’ is both more violent and more sexual — but I want every project to have its own voice. It isn’t about creating a world in which everything is all sex and violence. It’s about creating a world in which we can tell the story about, you know, one type of character in different genres.” To that end, Gunn and executive producer Dean Lorey assembled their cast — which includes Indira Varma as The Bride; Zoë Chao as Nina Mazursky, an amphibious scientist; and Sean Gunn as G.I. Robot, a WWII-era, Nazi-killing android — with the intention that the actors would play their roles in live action as well, should they be needed for another DCU production. The show is already doing that in reverse: Sean Gunn is also voicing Weasel, the human-sized furry mammal he first played in James Gunn’s 2021 live-action film “The Suicide Squad”; Viola Davis is reprising her performance as Amanda Waller from that film and “Peacemaker,” along with Steve Agee as his “Peacemaker” character John Economos. For most of the new cast, the potential for playing their roles in live action is, at this point, just that. “It’s not contractual,” says Tudyk with a chuckle. “It would be neat!” “I don’t want to get too excited about it,” adds Chao, “because I’m already just excited to be involved in the animated version. I could still eff it up, so I’ll believe it when it happens.” When Gunn first approached David Harbour about playing Eric Frankenstein — an erudite buffoon convinced The Bride will love him, eventually — “we just casually talked about it,” Harbour says. The actor also doesn’t know when, or if, he would embody Frankenstein on camera, let alone whether it would be through makeup, performance capture CGI, or “a little bit of both.” But his face lights up when talking about the possibility. “There’s such a big universe out there that [Gunn] wants to play with in little stories,” Harbour says. “He says he doesn’t want this big sort of MCU arc. He wants to play more individualized things. But wouldn’t it be fun to see, you know, Frankenstein show up in a Batman movie?” While the live-action future for the Commandos remains up in the air, one actor, Frank Grillo — who voices Rick Flag Sr., the seasoned military veteran assigned to lead the team — has already reprised his role, in “Superman” and in Season 2 of “Peacemaker,” as the main narrative thread connecting all three projects. “It was scary and exhilarating at the same time,” Grillo says of the realization that he’d be bringing Flag Sr. to flesh-and-blood life. “[Gunn] did say that the character would resemble me, and then I saw the character and I’m like, I wish I looked like that guy. But then I saw the first four episodes, and I was blown away by how attractive my animated self is.” Grillo has already run into a tricky logistical hurdle with bringing Flag Sr. to “Peacemaker,” where his character replaces Waller as the head of A.R.G.U.S., the U.S. government agency overseeing the Commandos and other metahuman activity. Because the actor’s Paramount+ series “Tulsa King” has been shooting at the same time, he couldn’t recreate Flag Sr.’s striking grey coif. “Hair has been an issue,” Grillo says. “I wanted my hair to be exactly the way I am in the animation, because I think that is a badass haircut. But because of my other obligation, I couldn’t, so we had to reverse engineer the hair.” The production strove to make the animation seem “a little more realistic” in general, Lorey says, when compared to recent DC animated shows like “Harley Quinn.” “We wanted to give it a sort of an Eastern European flair, and have a darker, more complex color palette,” he says. That realism became quite vivid when the animation team began visualizing Gunn’s already evocative descriptions of the action sequences. “James usually really gets graphic with his visuals,” Agee says. “You can read it and be like, ‘Jesus Christ, this is brutal.’ And then when you see it, you’re like, ‘Holy shit, this is even more brutal than it was on the page.’” According to Gunn, there was even a point where he wondered whether the animators had gone a bit too far. “Originally, the script was written in such a way that there were definitely moments of violence, but it maybe wasn’t going to be as violent as it ended up, you know?” he says. “The truth is what they were doing was so great, I was like, ‘Oh, let’s just do it.’ It just seemed true to it. I like the mix of the sweetness of some of the moments and the melancholy of these outcasts, and then this horrific violence that we see from time to time. And the sexiness!” The piece of animation that seems to have surprised Gunn the most didn’t involve any violence, but the decision to create an animated version of him for the opening credits. “We did it without telling James,” Lorey says, as Gunn, seated next to him, begins to blush. “We were like, I hope he’s not offended!” “Well, I didn’t say no, but I didn’t want people to think that I told them to put myself in there,” Gunn says, laughing. “My ego was stroked and I was very embarrassed by it. But at the end of the day, I said OK, and it’s in there. So what are you going to do?”Buchanan scores 28 off the bench, Boise State downs South Dakota State 83-82

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The outgoing head of the nation’s top public health agency urged the next administration to maintain its focus and funding to keep Americans safe from emerging health threats. “We need to continue to do our global work at CDC to make sure we are stopping outbreaks at their source,” Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in an interview Monday with The Associated Press. “We need to keep that funding up. We need to keep the expertise up. We need to keep the diplomacy up.” Philadelphia news 24/7: Watch NBC10 free wherever you are Cohen, 46, will be leaving office in January after about 18 months in the job. President-elect Donald Trump on Friday night said he picked Dave Weldon, a former Congressman from Florida, to be the agency’s next chief. Cohen said she hasn’t met Weldon and doesn’t know him. She previously voiced concern about Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the anti-vaccine advocate and CDC critic nominated to oversee all federal public health agencies. The CDC, with a $9.2 billion core budget, is charged with protecting Americans from disease outbreaks and other public health threats. The staff is heavy with scientists — 60% have master’s degrees or doctorates. The last eight years have been perhaps the most difficult in the agency's history. The CDC once enjoyed a sterling international reputation for its expertise on infectious diseases and other causes of illness and death. But trust in the agency fell because of missteps during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, political attacks and resistance to infection-prevention measures like wearing masks and getting vaccinated. The CDC has four political appointees, out of about 13,000 employees. The rest serve no matter who is in the White House, with civil service protections against efforts to fire them for political reasons. Trump said during the campaign that he wants to convert many federal agency positions into political appointments, meaning those employees could be hired and fired by whoever wins the election. There’s also a proposal to split the agency in two: one to track disease data, and another focused on public health but with a limited ability to make policy recommendations. And then there’s a current budget proposal in Congress that would cut the agency’s funding by 22%. It would also eliminate the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, which works on topics like drownings, drug overdoses, suicides and and shooting deaths. Cohen said there’s reason to be proud of the agency’s work in recent years. The CDC has built partnerships to improve the availability of testing for different infections and to watch for signs of disease outbreaks by monitoring wastewater. There are emerging threats, as always, but no new, full-fledged public health emergencies, she said. The day after the Nov. 5 election, Cohen emailed CDC employees to urge them to keep going. “While the world may feel different with changes ahead — our mission has not changed,” she wrote. She said she’s not aware of any wave of worried CDC scientists heading for the doors because of the election results. “There is a difference between campaigning and governing,” she said. “I want to go into this in a way that we’re passing the baton.” Cohen said she doesn’t know what she’ll do next, other than spend time with her family in Raleigh, North Carolina, where her family maintained its residence while she ran the agency. Next year, for the first time, the CDC director will be subject to Senate confirmation, which could make for a gap before Trump's pick takes the helm. CDC Deputy Director Dr. Debra Houry has been assigned to help manage the transition. Aside from administration transition, the CDC has to face several looming threats. Officials this month confirmed the first U.S. case of a new form of mpox that was first seen in eastern Congo. There’s also the ongoing stream of bird flu cases, most of them mild illnesses seen in farmworkers who were in direct contact with infected cows or chickens. CDC officials say they believe the risk to the public remains low and that there’s no evidence it’s been spreading between people. “I don’t think we’re yet at a turning place. But does that mean it couldn’t change tomorrow? It could,” she said. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.The Power Play

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Matt Gaetz Will Not Take Seat in Next Congress, Will Fight 'From a New Perch'INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts defense started this season struggling. It couldn't stop the run, couldn't keep teams out of the end zone, couldn't get off the field. Now the script has flipped. Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley's group is playing stouter, holding teams — even the high-scoring Detroit Lions — largely in check long enough to give Indy a chance to win, and it's the Colts offense that has struggled. “They are playing their tails off. You don’t want them on the field a bunch and as an offense you want to be able to play complementary football,” running back Jonathan Taylor said after Sunday's 24-6 loss. “I would say specifically on offense, it sucks when you can’t help your defense out when they are fighting their tails off all game.” Indy's defense held up its end of the bargain by limiting the Lions (10-1) to 14 first-half points and allowing just 24, matching Detroit's lowest output since Week 3. The problem: Even when the Colts (5-7) did get Detroit off the field, they couldn't sustain drives or score touchdowns. Again. Anthony Richardson provided the bulk of the ground game by rushing 10 times for 61 yards, mostly early. Taylor managed just 35 yards on 11 carries and a season-high 10 penalties constantly forced the Colts to dig out from deep deficits. Part of that was by design. “We knew Jonathan Taylor was going to be the guy we needed to shut down,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “We did that. The quarterback runs. It got us on a couple but overall, we did what we needed to do, and we kept them out of that game." Part of it could be because of an injury-battered offensive line that has started three rookies each of the past two weeks and finished the previous game with the same three rookies. Whatever the fix, Indy needs a good solution. There is good news for Indy is that its schedule now gets substantially more manageable. After losing four of five, all to teams in playoff position and three to division leaders, Indy faces only one team with a winning record in its final five games. The most recent time the Colts played a team with a losing mark, Richardson rallied them past the New York Jets 28-27. But Colts coach Shane Steichen knows that's not the answer. The Colts must get this offense righted now. “We’ve got to get that figured out. We’ve got to get him going on the ground,” Steichen said when asked about Taylor, who has 92 yards on his past 35 carries. “We’ll look at the offensive line. We’ll look at everything." Pass rush. Pro Bowl DT DeForest Buckner's presence certainly has been felt since he returned from a sprained ankle Oct. 27. In those past five games, the Colts have had 14 sacks, including three of Jared Goff on Sunday. Penalties. The Colts have had one of the cleanest operations in the league most of this season. Sunday was an anomaly, but one that can't merely be written off. WR Michael Pittman Jr. The five-year veteran is one of the league's toughest guys, but playing through a back injury appeared to take its toll on Pittman's productivity. Since sitting out in Week 10, Pittman has 11 receptions for 142 yards including six for 96 yards, his second-highest total of the season, Sunday. Tight ends. Each week the Colts want their tight ends to make an impact. And each week, they seem to fail. It happened again Sunday when Drew Ogletree dropped a TD pass that would have given Indy a 10-7 lead. Instead, Indy settled for a field goal and a 7-6 deficit. Through 12 games, Indy's tight ends have a total of 26 catches, 299 yards and two TDs. That's just not good enough in a league where versatile, productive tight ends increasingly signal success. Pittman and WR Josh Downs both returned to the game after leaving briefly with shoulder injuries. WR Ashton Dulin did not return after hurting his foot in the second half. But the bigger questions come on the offensive line. LT Bernhard Raimann (knee) was inactive Sunday, and rookie center Tanor Bortolini entered the concussion protocol Monday. Bortolini was one of three rookie starters the past two weeks, replacing Pro Bowler Ryan Kelly who is on injured reserve. 55.88 — Indy has scored touchdowns on 55.88% of its red zone trips this season. While it puts it near the middle of the NFL, it's cost the Colts multiple wins. Richardson needs to rebound from this latest 11 of 28 performance and show he can lead the Colts to victories week after week. He'll get plenty of chances over the season's final month, starting with next week's game at the New England Patriots. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Blues supporters also sang the name of head coach Maresca during the closing stages of an emphatic success sealed by goals from Axel Disasi, Christopher Nkunku, Noni Madueke, Cole Palmer and substitute Jadon Sancho. Bottom club Southampton briefly levelled through Joe Aribo but were a man down from the 39th minute after captain Jack Stephens was sent off for pulling the hair of Marc Cucurella. Chelsea, who have endured an underwhelming period since Todd Boehly’s consortium bought the club in 2022, climbed above Arsenal and into second place on goal difference, seven points behind leaders Liverpool. “It was a very good feeling, especially because you can see that they are happy, that is our target,” Maresca said of the atmosphere in the away end. “We work every day to keep them happy and tonight was a very good feeling, especially the one that they can see that Chelsea’s back. This is an important thing.” Maresca rotated his squad in Hampshire, making seven changes following Sunday’s impressive 3-0 win over Aston Villa. Following a sloppy start, his side, who stretched their unbeaten run to six top-flight games, could easily have won by more as they hit the woodwork three times, in addition to squandering a host of chances. “I’m very happy with the five we scored,” said the Italian. “I’m not happy with the first 15, 20 minutes, where we struggled. The reason why we struggled is because we prepared the game to press them man to man and the first 15, 20 minutes we were not pressing them man to man. “After 15, 20 minutes we adjust that and the game was much better. For sure we could score more but five goals they are enough.” Southampton manager Russell Martin rued a costly “moment of madness” from skipper Stephens. The defender’s ridiculous red card was the headline mistake of a catalogue of errors from the beleaguered south-coast club as they slipped seven points from safety following an 11th defeat of a dismal season. “I don’t think anyone will be as disappointed as Jack,” Martin said of Stephens, who was sent off for the second time this term after tugging the curls of Cucurella as Saints prepared to take a corner. “I haven’t got to sit down and talk with him about that at all. He will be hurt more than anyone and it’s changed the game for us tonight, which is disappointing. “I think they have to describe it as violent conduct; it’s not violent really but there’s no other explanation for that really. It’s a moment of madness that’s really cost us and Jack.” Southampton repeatedly invited pressure with their risky attempts to play out from defence, with goalkeeper Joe Lumley gifting Chelsea their second goal, scored by Nkunku. While Saints were booed off at full-time, Martin, who was missing a host of key players due to injuries and suspensions, praised the effort of his depleted team. “When they see such a big scoreline and a couple of the goals we concede, I understand it (the jeers),” he said. “It’s football, it’s emotive, people feel so much about it, it’s why it’s such a special sport in this country and so big. “I understand it but I feel really proud of the players tonight, some of the football we played at 11 v 11 was amazing. “For an hour with 10 men we’ve dug in so deep, there were some big performances. I’m proud of them for that and I’m grateful for that because that’s not easy in that circumstance.”Finding the can be daunting. The only way to truly ensure you get it right would be to ask the recipient what they want, but that wouldn’t be much fun for either of you. Luckily, there’s another tactic to help you earn a “gift whisperer” reputation: seeking out unique, practical, game-changing gifts that will truly surprise and delight. But that’s about as easy as it sounds, which is to say it’s not easy at all. So, we’ve done the legwork for you. Start making your list with this compilation of some of the most innovative, functional and fun gifts of 2024. There’s something for every budget. Bear with me: The new set elevates the pedestrian pepper and spice mill in both function and style. Available in three colors (Sangria Red, Midnight Black and Soft Cream), the rechargeable-battery unit grinds with a light touch rather than hand-tiring twists. That’s easier for everyone and especially helpful for those experiencing hand or wrist issues such as arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome or tendinitis. And it’s fun to use. The set includes a stackable storage tray and four pods that can be easily swapped as needed: The GT microplane grater for hard spices, nuts and chocolate; the MAX for large spices and dried herbs; the ProPlus for smaller and oily spices; and the Pepper Pod for, well, pepper. $110. Campers and backyard firepit lovers who have experienced the heartbreak of wet wood will appreciate having a three-pack of on hand. Made of 89% recycled materials, including sanding dust, wax and flint, the food-safe, eco-friendly, 3-by-2-by-1-inch fire starters will light a fire quickly without matches, lighters or kindling. Just loop the attached green string around a log, incorporate it into a wood stack, and pull the attached red string to ignite. Each windproof, rainproof block burns for 30 minutes. $29.99. The , a company known for its portioned, silicone freezer trays, lives up to its name. The utensils — a serving spoon and a ladle — have innovative, S-shaped handles designed to rest on the edge of a pot, keeping them upright so they won’t slip in. The design also eliminates the need for a spoon rest or, worse, placing dirty utensils on the kitchen counter or stovetop between stirs. A silicone coating in a choice of Aqua, Charcoal, Cranberry or Blueberry keeps handles cool to the touch. $24.99. The could turn anyone into an avid birdwatcher. Equipped with an HD camera, the dual-chamber feeder enables up-close livestreaming of avian visitors, as well as species-logging via the free mobile app. An optional premium subscription ($59.99 annually or $6.99 monthly) includes unlimited photo and video storage, AI identification with species-specific details, and the opportunity to earn badges for logging new visitors. Turn on notifications to get alerts sent to your phone whenever there’s activity at the feeder. $179.99. Fujifilm’s smartphone printer offers a touch of nostalgia without sacrificing technology. Just load the 4.9-by-3.5-by-1.3-inch printer with Instax Mini instant film and connect it to your Android or iOS device via Bluetooth to print wallet-size photos. If you want to get fancy, you can adjust brightness, contrast and saturation, or apply filters, including 3D augmented-reality effects, via the free Instax Mini Link app. It can also make collages of up to six images, or animate photos to share on social media. Available in Rose Pink, Clay White and Sage Green. $99.95. The appropriately named is one of the best gifts you can give your houseplant-loving friends, regardless of their experience level. Select a pot color, size and plant (or get recommendations based on sunlight requirements, pet friendliness and other attributes) and fill the self-watering container’s built-in reservoir roughly once a month. Moisture will permeate the soil from the bottom as needed, eliminating the often-fatal consequences of over- or under-watering. It’s also a literal lifesaver come vacation time. $49-$259. Related Articles If you’ve got a no-dairy friend on your list, a plant-based milk maker could save them money while allowing them to avoid sugar, stabilizers, thickeners and preservatives. The both blends and strains ingredients, converting nuts, seeds, grains or oats into velvety-smooth milk in just one minute, with zero grit. And for zero waste, the pasty leftover pulp can be used in other recipes for added nutrients. The device also makes infused oils, flavored waters and soups. And, importantly, cleanup is easy. Available in white and black. $400. For friends who prefer stronger beverages, the uses “smart” technology to ensure wine is served at its ideal temperature. Unlike traditional wine refrigerators, this device doesn’t take up any floor space. It also doesn’t chill wine to just one or two temperatures based on its color. Instead — paired with the free QelviQ app — the tabletop chiller relies on a database of more than 350,000 wines to bring a bottle to its specific recommended serving temperature in as little as 20 minutes. It also suggests food-wine and wine-food pairings. Plus, the appliance serves as a great icebreaker to inspire dinnertime conversation. Available in Exciting Red, Dashing Black and Dreamy White. $495. Grilling food after dark — and ascertaining its doneness — can prove challenging without outdoor lighting, and it’s nearly impossible to cook while holding a flashlight. But as is often the case, the simplest of solutions can make the biggest of impacts: puts illumination into the handles of its stainless-steel spatula and tongs. After use, the lights can be removed and the utensils run through the dishwasher. $40.

Well, if Cinderella is going to leave her telltale shoe behind, it will not be by accident. Deliberately and conspicuously, she places her footsy calling card in front of the smitten Prince. Come find me, she intimates as she makes eye contact with him — it will be worth it. Director Justin Lucero uses swords, cellphones and a twirling disco ball strategically in “Cinderella,” his debut production as artistic director of Theater Latté Da. With costumes that similarly pull from haute couture, protest movements and the abstracted Middle Ages, and with a puppet menagerie of animals, the show at Minneapolis’ Ritz Theater lacks a coherent period or setting. Even so, Lucero’s operatically ambitious take on Rodgers and Hammerstein’s version of the fairy tale is resourceful and brilliant. It’s spare in places — more metaphoric gesture than fleshed out ideas — but that theatrical invention works to encourage our leaning in. Lucero’s smart direction is complemented by Kyle Weiler’s jaunty choreography, a strong shoe game — sometimes the footwear is its own little show — and stellar performances. This “Cinderella” is markedly different from the TV versions it nods to — the 1957 original and the 1997 Whitney Houston and Brandy film. Lucero uses Douglas Carter Beane’s 2013 Broadway update headlined by Burnsville-born and Eagan-raised Laura Osnes and University of Minnesota grad Santino Fontana and includes new-to-the-show songs culled from the Rodgers and Hammerstein catalog. Beane brought in more nakedly social justice themes into the fairy tale kingdom where people are being dispossessed of property. Cinderella and an activist named Jean-Michel (Po Cushman) bring this injustice to the attention of Prince Topher (Theo Janke-Furman). But the regent (Tod Petersen in another standard-bearing turn) has other ideas and plans. At Latté Da, scenic designer Eli Sherlock’s set is a series of minimalist structures. He has created symmetric risers for Wesley Frye’s six-piece orchestra that flanks the main playing space. A series of transformable half-circle contraptions — some suspended in the design, some on the floor — are used to suggest furniture, then horses or whatever. The half-circles nod to the moon, to ticking clocks and to the idea of completion, all of which work thematically with the directorial vision. If “Cinderella” is an artistic statement, it is not just for Lucero. Young and green, title star Nambi Mwassa carries the show on her very capable shoulders. With gorgeous singing, effective acting and a deft balance between confidence and victimization, her Ella literally shines. The fairy tale rags-to-princess character is not defined by what she wears, including a voguish outfit that ultimately showcases her contemporary regality. Instead, Cinderella has an innate goodness and virtue, and on songs such as “In My Own Little Corner” and the duet “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful?,” Mwassa imbues her with that deeply felt truth. Janke-Furman similarly does a fine balancing as Topher, showing the prince’s maturation from indecisive, if effective, slayer of dragons to someone who knows, and follows, his own heart. And he’s well matched with Mwassa, with the two delivering a touching “Ten Minutes Ago.” Sally Wingert is devilish in her Prada-like couture created by costume designer Mathew LeFebvre. Delivering with her usual excellence, she, similarly, is surrounded by commendable talent. As mean, vacuous stepsister Charlotte, Hope Nordquist is flawless at the start of the second act, delivering a showstopping version of “Stepsister’s Lament.” Isa Condo-Olvera, as kind stepsister Gabrielle, also is effective, going from glam to drab. Kudos to Carnetha Anthony, the understudy who went on in the role of Crazy Marie. She did not miss a noticeable beat on opening night, shining on “There’s Music in You.” Evan Tyler Wilson is fluidly funny as Lord Pinkleton, gliding in Heelys across the stage. “Cinderella” would be a strong show because of its artful and clever stagecraft. But this holiday production succeeds because it ultimately evokes feeling, a tribute to Lucero, Mwassa and their fairy tale team for sweeping us along with their imaginative dreaming. ‘Cinderella’ Where : Ritz Theater, 345 13th Av. NE., Mpls. When : 7:30 p.m. Wed. & Fri., 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. Sat., 1 & 6:30 p.m. Sun. Ends Jan. 5. Tickets : $35-$90. 612-339-3003 or latteda.org .Mid-American Conference football goes all in on November weeknights for the TV viewers

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