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AP Trending SummaryBrief at 9:28 a.m. ESTOregon State inside linebacker Isaiah Chisom announced Tuesday that he’s transferring to UCLA. Chisom is the fourth Beaver from the 2024 roster to complete a transfer, and second headed to UCLA, joining cornerback Andre Jordan Jr. The four OSU transfers who have found new schools all landed at Power 4 programs – Chisom, Jordan, Melvin Jordan IV (Georgia Tech), Luka Vincic (Michigan State). Chisom, a redshirt freshman with three years of eligibility remaining, went into the transfer portal on December 13 . Chisom reportedly visited UCLA five days later. Chisom was Oregon State second-leading tackler, behind safety Skyler Thomas, with 75 tackles, including five for losses. Chisom posted a season-high 11 stops against Air Force on November 16. OSU lost its two starting inside linebackers to the transfer portal in Chisom and Melvin Jordan IV. Chisom started 11 games during the 2024 season. The top inside linebackers returning for Oregon State next season are Dexter Foster and Aiden Sullivan. The Beavers recently picked up USC transfer Raesjon Davis. Earlier in December, OSU signed incoming freshman Jeremiah Ioane. -- Nick Daschel can be reached at 360-607-4824, ndaschel@oregonian.com or @nickdaschel . Our journalism needs your support. Subscribe today to OregonLive.com .UPDATE 3-South Korea President Yoon apologises for martial law ahead of impeachment vote
WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump’s allies on Capitol Hill rallied around Pete Hegseth , Trump’s Pentagon pick, on Thursday even as new details surfaced about allegations that he had sexually assaulted a woman in 2017. The GOP embrace of Hegseth came as another controversial Trump nominee, Matt Gaetz, withdrew from consideration for attorney general. Gaetz said it was clear he had become a “distraction" amid pressure on the House to release an ethics report about allegations of his own sexual misconduct. An attorney for two women has said that his clients told House Ethics Committee investigators that Gaetz paid them for sex on multiple occasions beginning in 2017, when Gaetz was a Florida congressman. Fresh questions over the two nominees' pasts, and their treatment of women, arose with Republicans under pressure from Trump and his allies to quickly confirm his Cabinet. At the same time, his transition has so far balked at the vetting and background checks that have traditionally been required. While few Republican senators have publicly criticized any of Trump's nominees, it became clear after Gaetz's withdrawal that many had been harboring private concerns about him. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who served with Gaetz in the House, said it was a “positive move.” Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker said it was a “positive development.” Maine Sen. Susan Collins said Gaetz “put country first and I am pleased with his decision.” After meeting with Hegseth, though, Republicans rallied around him. “I think he’s going to be in pretty good shape,” said Wicker, who is expected to chair the Senate Armed Services Committee in the next Congress. Republican senators' careful words, and their early reluctance to publicly question Trump's picks, illustrated not only their fear of retribution from the incoming president but also some of their hopes that the confirmation process can proceed normally, with proper vetting and background checks that could potentially disqualify problematic nominees earlier. Gaetz withdrew after meeting with senators on Wednesday. Sen. Thom Tillis said Gaetz was “in a pressure cooker” when he decided to withdraw, but suggested that it would have little bearing on Trump’s other nominees. “Transactions — one at a time,” he said. As the Hegseth nomination proceeds, Republicans also appear to be betting that they won't face much backlash for publicly setting aside the allegations of sexual misconduct — especially after Trump won election after being found liable for sexual abuse last year. Hegseth held a round of private meetings alongside incoming Vice President JD Vance on Thursday in an attempt to shore up support and told reporters afterward: “The matter was fully investigated and I was completely cleared, and that’s where I’m gonna leave it.” A 22-page police report report made public late Wednesday offered the first detailed account of the allegations against him. A woman told police that she was sexually assaulted in 2017 by Hegseth after he took her phone, blocked the door to a California hotel room and refused to let her leave. The report cited police interviews with the alleged victim, a nurse who treated her, a hotel staffer, another woman at the event and Hegseth. Hegseth’s lawyer, Timothy Palatore, said the incident was “fully investigated and police found the allegations to be false.” Hegseth paid the woman in 2023 as part of a confidential settlement to head off the threat of what he described as a baseless lawsuit, Palatore has said. Wicker played down the allegations against Hegseth, a former Fox News host, saying that “since no charges were brought from the authorities, we only have press reports.” Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., said after his meeting with Hegseth that he "shared with him the fact that I was saddened by the attacks that are coming his way.” Hagerty dismissed the allegations as “a he-said, she-said thing” and called it a “shame” that they were being raised at all. The senator said attention should instead be focused on the Defense Department that Hegseth would head. It's one of the most complex parts of the federal government with more than 3 million employees, including military service members and civilians. Sexual assault has been a persistent problem in the military, though Pentagon officials have been cautiously optimistic they are seeing a decline in reported sexual assaults among active-duty service members and the military academies. Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, who will be the No. 2 Republican in the Senate next year, said after his meeting with Hegseth that the nominee is a strong candidate who “pledged that the Pentagon will focus on strength and hard power – not the current administration’s woke political agenda.” Senate Republicans are under pressure to hold hearings once they take office in January and confirm nominees as soon as Trump is inaugurated, despite questions about whether Trump’s choices will be properly screened or if some, like Hegseth, have enough experience for the job. Senate Armed Services Chairman Jack Reed, who will be the top Democrat on the panel next year, said the reports on Hegseth “emphasized the need for a thorough investigation by the FBI on the background of all the nominees.” It takes a simple majority to approve Cabinet nominations, meaning that if Democrats all opposed a nominee, four Republican senators would also have to defect for any Trump choice to be defeated. Trump has made clear he’s willing to put maximum pressure on Senate Republicans to give him the nominees he wants – even suggesting at one point that they allow him to just appoint his nominees with no Senate votes. But senators insist, for now, that they are not giving up their constitutional power to have a say. “The president has the right to make the nominations that he sees fit, but the Senate also has a responsibility for advice and consent,” said Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota. In the case of Gaetz, he said, “I think there was advice offered rather than consent.” Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Get local news delivered to your inbox!Raiders and Saints meet with prominent players nearing statistical milestones
Matt Gaetz says he won't return to Congress next year after withdrawing name for attorney general WASHINGTON (AP) — Matt Gaetz is not coming back to Congress. The Florida Republican said Friday he has no intention of serving another term in the House now that he is no longer President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general. Gaetz withdrew as the nominee this week amid growing fallout from the allegations of sexual conduct against him. Gaetz denies the allegations. Gaetz didn't lay out his plans now that he's out of office, saying only, “I’m still going to be in the fight, but it’s going to be from a new perch." After Gaetz's withdrawal on Thursday, Trump named former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi to lead the Justice Department. Vance takes on a more visible transition role, working to boost Trump's most contentious picks WASHINGTON (AP) — After several weeks working behind closed doors, Vice President-elect JD Vance returned to Capitol Hill this week in a new, more visible role. He's been helping Donald Trump’s most contentious Cabinet picks try to win confirmation in the Senate, where he has served for the last two years. Vance spent part of Wednesday at the Capitol with Rep. Matt Gaetz sitting in on meetings with Trump’s controversial choice for attorney general. On Thursday, Vance was back, this time accompanying Pete Hegseth. Vance is expected to accompany other nominees for meetings over the coming weeks as he tries to leverage the two years he has spent in the Senate to help push through Trump’s picks. Beyond evangelicals, Trump and his allies courted smaller faith groups, from the Amish to Chabad Donald Trump’s lock on the white evangelical vote is legendary, but he didn't focus exclusively on large religious voter blocs. He and his allies also wooed smaller religious groups, away from the mainstream. He posted a tribute to Coptic church members on social media and met with members of Assyrians for Trump — two smaller Christian communities with Middle Eastern roots. He visited the grave of the revered late leader of an Orthodox Jewish movement. His allies sought votes from the separatist Amish community. While Trump won decisively, the outreaches reflected aggressive campaigning in what was expected to be a tight race. NATO and Ukraine to hold emergency talks after Russia's attack with new hypersonic missile KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — NATO and Ukraine will hold emergency talks Tuesday after Russia attacked a central city with a hypersonic ballistic missile that escalated the nearly 33-month-old war. Ukraine's parliament canceled a session Friday over the security threat. In a stark warning to the West, President Vladimir Putin said in a nationally televised speech Thursday that the attack with the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile was retaliation for Kyiv’s use of U.S. and British longer-range missiles capable of striking deeper into Russian territory. Putin said Russia is launching production of the Oreshnik, saying it's so powerful that several of them fitted with conventional warheads could be as devastating as a strike with strategic — or nuclear — weapons. Texas education board approves optional Bible-infused curriculum for elementary schools AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas’ education board has voted to allow Bible-infused teachings in elementary schools. The approval Friday follows other Republican-led states that have pushed this year to give religion a larger presence in public classrooms. The curriculum adopted by the Texas State Board of Education is optional for schools to adopt, but they’ll receive additional funding if they do so. Parents and teachers who opposed the curriculum say the lessons will alienate students of other faith backgrounds. Supporters argue the Bible is a core feature of American history and that teaching it will enrich learning. 2 convicted in human smuggling case after Indian family froze to death on US-Canada border FERGUS FALLS, Minn. (AP) — A jury has convicted two men of charges related to human smuggling for their roles in an international operation that led to the deaths of a family of Indian migrants who froze while trying to cross the Canada-U.S. border during a 2022 blizzard. Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel and Steve Shand each faced four charges related to human smuggling before being convicted on Friday. Patel is an Indian national. Shand is an American from Florida. They were arrested after the family froze while trying to cross the desolate border during a 2022 blizzard. Storm inundates Northern California with rain, heavy snow. Thousands remain in the dark in Seattle HEALDSBURG, Calif. (AP) — Heavy rain from a major storm prompted evacuation warnings for communities near a Northern California river that forecasters say could break its banks Friday, as the system continued to dump heavy snow in mountainous areas where some ski resorts opened for the season. The storm reached the Pacific Northwest earlier this week, killing two people and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands before moving through Northern California, where several roads were closed due to flooding and strong winds toppled some trees. Forecasters are warning about the risk of flash flooding and rockslides in areas north of San Francisco as the region was inundated by this season’s strongest atmospheric river. Archaeologists discover 4,000-year-old canals used to fish by predecessors of ancient Maya WASHINGTON (AP) — Using drones and Google Earth imagery, archaeologists have discovered a 4,000-year-old network of earthen canals in what’s now Belize. The research published Friday in Science Advances shows that long before the ancient Maya built temples, their predecessors were already altering the landscape of Central America’s Yucatan peninsula. The ancient fish canals were used to channel and catch freshwater species such as catfish. These structures were used for around 1,000 years — including during the “formative” period when the Maya began to settle in permanent farming villages and a distinctive culture started to emerge. California case is the first confirmed bird flu infection in a US child Health officials are confirming bird flu in a California child — the first reported case in a U.S. minor. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced confirmatory test results on Friday. Officials say the child had mild symptoms, was treated with antiviral medication and is recovering. The child’s infection brings the reported number of U.S. bird flu cases this year to 55, including 29 in California. State officials have said the child lives in Alameda County, which includes Oakland, and attends day care, but released no other details. Brazilian police formally accuse former President Bolsonaro and aides of alleged 2022 coup attempt SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s Federal Police have formally accused former President Jair Bolsonaro and 36 other people of attempting a coup to keep him in office after his electoral defeat in the 2022 elections. The findings are to be delivered Thursday to Brazil’s Supreme Court, which will refer them to Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet, who will either formally charge Bolsonaro and put the former president on trial or toss the investigation. The former right-wing president has denied all claims he tried to stay in office after his narrow electoral defeat in 2022 to his rival, leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro has faced a series of legal threats since then.
NEW YORK — The rumbling buses echoed for blocks on the quiet campus at Fordham University. Nebraska’s sprawling football operation had arrived. This isn’t the typical home team, the FCS-level Rams that just completed a 2-10 season. The Huskers took the practice field on a cold and sunny Thursday afternoon flanked by social-media cameras and a host of staffers. A post-practice grab-and-go buffet line greeted players afterward as they headed the few miles back toward downtown Manhattan and an evening at a high-profile ping-pong club. “Just looking around, spending time with each other,” freshman linebacker Vincent Shavers said of more time in New York City. “I ain’t never did this before with no other team so I’m very happy. I’m grateful for them.” Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” played on the sound system as Nebraska went through workouts two days before the Pinstripe Bowl. The Huskers practiced at Joe Moglia Field — Moglia, a Fordham alumnus, was once the executive advisor to former NU coach Bo Pelini in 2009 and 2010 — on an artificial surface shared also by the Fordham soccer and baseball teams. Baseball’s press box named after another famous graduate, Vin Scully, was only yards away as the visiting Big Ten team went through drills. The gated campus — just a couple blocks away from bustling neighborhood streets in the Bronx — was covered with small piles of snow scattered throughout. Temperatures in the sun felt perhaps in the mid-40s while shady conditions felt closer to 20. New Nebraska assistant coaches Daikiel Shorts (receivers) and Phil Simpson (outside linebackers) spoke with a smattering of reporters afterward along with a few players. Coach Matt Rhule will talk midday Friday as part of a Pinstripe availability before kickoff Saturday at noon eastern time. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Belagavi: Congress, celebrating the centenary of its session chaired by Mahatma Gandhi, faced a major embarrassment on the inaugural day of the commemorative event in the city Friday. Posters and flex boards put up in parts of the city featured an incomplete map of India, omitting parts of Ladakh, sparking a political firestorm. BJP and its ally JD(S) launched a scathing attack on Congress, alleging the map also excluded the Gilgit region of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir and Aksai Chin, currently under Chinese control. "This was deliberately done to appease their vote bank," they alleged. Congress quickly scrambled to control the damage by removing the posters. However, deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar, who also serves as the state Congress president, defended the party. "Some leaders might have made some mistakes; we are removing everything. Don't try to pick stones in the curd... We have done according to Indian tradition and values of those days. BJP is there to attack us on anything they can't digest. There is no medicine for jealousy. Let them do what they want," Shivakumar said. BJP national and Karnataka units slammed the Congress on social media platform X. "RaGa's Mohabbat ki Dukaan is always open for China! They would break the nation. They've done it once. They'll do it again," the BJP national unit posted. Its Karnataka unit accused Congress of "disrespecting" India's sovereignty. "@INCKarnataka has shown utter disrespect for India's sovereignty by displaying a distorted map at their Belagavi event, portraying Kashmir as part of Pakistan. All this just to appease their vote bank. This is shameful!" Vijayapura MLA and former union minister Basanagouda Patil Yatnal called for legal action, citing violations of geospatial information standards and the National Honour Act. "Displaying the wrong map of India is a clear offence under section 74 of the IPC. This is how Congress celebrates its historic CWC session—by distorting the map of India. Shame on @INCKarnataka," Yatnal posted on X. He urged Belagavi police to file a case against the organizers. JD(S) also criticized Congress, labelling the event as "anti-national". "The Italian Congress has omitted Kashmir from the map of India drawn in Belagavi under the name ‘Gandhi Bharat.' Distorting and altering the map of India is a serious criminal act, like treason," JD(S) wrote on X, holding Shivakumar accountable. Union minister HD Kumaraswamy, who is also state JDS chief, raised another issue, referring to the absence of Mahatma Gandhi's image at the event. "There is not even one photo of (Mahatma) Gandhi in the flexes. Only modern Gandhi flexes are seen. Are these people remembering Mahatma?" he said. Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India . Don't miss daily games like Crossword , Sudoku , Location Guesser and Mini Crossword .