A wild first season of the expanded Big 12 is down to what should be a chaotic final weekend. Through all the upsets, unexpected rises and falls, there are nine teams still in the mix to play in the conference championship game. No. 14 Arizona State and No. 17 Iowa State have the best odds, yet a multitude of scenarios could play out — 256 to be exact. There's even the possibility of an eight-team tie. It may take a mathematician to figure out which teams are in the Dec. 7 game in Arlington, Texas — even for the ones who win. Travis Hunter, Colorado. The Buffaloes' two-way star has excelled on both sides of the field, making him one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy. Cam Skattebo, Arizona State. The senior running back can do a little of everything, but excels at punishing would-be tacklers. He's one of the nation's leaders in yards after contact and the focal point of the Sun Devils' offense. Shadeur Sanders, Colorado. If it weren't for Hunter, Sanders might be the Heisman favorite. The son of coach Deion Sanders, Shedeur is fifth nationally with 3,488 yards passing and has been a big part of the Buffaloes' turnaround. DJ Giddens, Kansas State. The Wildcats' running back is one of the nation's most versatile players. He is ninth nationally with 1,271 rushing yards and has added 21 receptions for 258 yards. Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona. The Wildcats have struggled this season, but McMillan has not. He is third nationally with 1,251 receiving yards with seven touchdowns on 78 catches. Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech. The Red Raiders' junior linebacker leads the Big 12 with 68 tackles, averaging 10.2 per game. He also has four sacks. Brendan Mott, Kansas State. He's a menace to opposing quarterbacks, leading the Big 12 with 8 1/2 sacks. The Big 12 has nine teams already bowl eligible and two more a win away. The winner of the Big 12 championship game will be in the mix for a College Football Playoff spot. Arizona State, Iowa State, No. 19 BYU, Colorado, Kansas State, Baylor, TCU, Texas Tech and West Virginia have already clinched bowl berths. Kansas and Cincinnati can get into the postseason with wins this weekend. Gus Malzahn, UCF. Despite successes in recruiting, the Knights are 10-14 in two seasons since moving to the Big 12. Maybe not enough to get shown the door this year, but another mediocre season could lead UCF to make a change. Kyle Whittingham, Utah. Whittingham was one of the Pac-12's best coaches, leading the Utes to consecutive conference titles. Utah was expected to contend for the Big 12 title its first year in the league, but enters the final weekend 1-7 in conference play, which could push Whittingham toward retirement since it's doubtful he'd be fired. Neal Brown, West Virginia. The Mountaineers' coach was in a precarious spot at the end of last season and West Virginia hasn't lived up to expectations this season. The Mountaineers are eligible to go to a bowl game for the second straight season, but Brown could be on the hot seat even after signing a contract extension before the season. Josiah Trotter, West Virginia. The redshirt freshman is the latest Trotter to have success at the linebacker position, following the footsteps of his father, former Philadelphia Eagles player Jeremiah Trotter, and brother Jeremiah Trotter Jr., a current Eagles linebacker. Sam Leavitt, Arizona State. The Michigan State transfer has been just what the Sun Devils' needed: an agile quarterback who extends plays with his legs and rarely makes bad decisions. Bryson Washington, Baylor. The Bears' running back has rushed for 812 yards — 196 against TCU — and 10 TDs. TCU has the Big 12's highest rated 2025 recruiting class with six four-star players among 26 commitments, according to the 247 Sports composite. Receiver Terry Shelton of Carrollton, Texas, is the highest-rated recruit at 71st nationally. Baylor is next with five five-star players among its 20 commitments, including running back Michael Turner, rated 13th at his position out of North Richland Hills, Texas. Texas Tech is ranked seventh in the Big 12, but has four four-star recruits. Get local news delivered to your inbox!President-elect Trump has named wealthy New Jersey real estate developer Charles Kushner as the next ambassador to France. Trump took to his Truth Social network to announce the appointment of his son-in-law’s dad. The Kushner Companies founder “is a tremendous business leader, philanthropist, and dealmaker,” Trump wrote, adding he “will be a strong advocate representing our Country and its interests.” “Congratulations to Charlie, his wonderful wife Seryl, their 4 children, and 14 grandchildren, Trump continued. “His son, Jared, worked closely with me in the White House, in particular on Operation Warp Speed, Criminal Justice Reform, and the Abraham Accords,” Trump wrote. “Together, we will strengthen America’s partnership with France, our oldest Ally, and one of our greatest!” Kushner, 70, whom Trump knew from industry circles, was convicted in 2005 of illegal campaign contributions, tax evasion and witness tampering as part of a salacious family scandal. In 2020, Kushner was among 26 people granted full pardons by Trump. His son Jared married Trump’s daughter Ivanka in 2009. In a 2004 plea agreement, Kushner admitted to hiring a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, filming the tryst and sending the tape to his sister. The case, which was prosecuted by then-US attorney Chris Christie , resulted in Kushner serving two years behind bars.
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Maharashtra's caretaker Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who fell ill while visiting his native village in Satara district, is recuperating and will return to Mumbai on Sunday evening, according to an associate. Shinde developed high fever and throat infection on Saturday and was treated with medication and IV therapy, his family doctor R M Parte reported. Speculations circulate over his discontent with the formation of the state government. Meanwhile, Maharashtra's Mahayuti government prepares for an oath-taking ceremony on December 5 at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to attend. A new chief minister is yet to be declared amidst intra-party negotiations. (With inputs from agencies.)The Prime Minister will this week kick off what he has called the “next phase” of Government, as he announces the markers for his “missions” that Number 10 say will allow the public to hold Sir Keir and his team to account on their promises and will be reached by the end of the Parliament. The milestones will run alongside public sector reform, Downing Street said. This will include a focus on reforming Whitehall, spearheaded by the as-yet-unannounced new chief civil servant the Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet ministers, so it is geared towards the delivery of Labour’s missions, according to Number 10. The same focus will also influence decisions for next year’s spending review, it has been suggested. Writing in The Sun on Sunday, the Prime Minister compared “focusing the machinery of government” to “turning an oil tanker” and said that “acceptance of managed decline” has “seeped into parts of Whitehall”. “The British people aren’t fools. They know a ruthless focus on priorities is essential,” he wrote. The Sunday Times reported that one of the milestones would focus on early education, with the aim to raise the number of children who are ready for school, educationally and socially. Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden said that “it’s estimated that more than a million school days worth of teacher time each year is spent dealing with” children who are not prepared for school. Labour’s missions, as laid out in their July election manifesto, focus on economic growth, energy security and cleaner energy, the NHS, childcare and education systems, as well as crime and criminal justice. Ahead of revealing the details, Sir Keir said in a statement: “This plan for change is the most ambitious yet honest programme for government in a generation. “Mission-led government does not mean picking milestones because they are easy or will happen anyway – it means relentlessly driving real improvements in the lives of working people. “We are already fixing the foundations and have kicked-started our first steps for change, stabilising the economy, setting up a new Border Security Command, and investing £22 billion in an NHS that is fit for the future. “Our plan for change is the next phase of delivering this Government’s mission. “Some may oppose what we are doing and no doubt there will be obstacles along the way, but this Government was elected on mandate of change and our plan reflects the priorities of working people. “Given the unprecedented challenges we have inherited we will not achieve this by simply doing more of the same, which is why investment comes alongside a programme of innovation and reform.” The so-called “missions” outlined in Labour’s election manifesto focused on five key policy areas: kickstart economic growth; make Britain a clean energy superpower; take back our streets; break down barriers to opportunity; and build an NHS fit for the future. 🚨 New polling with @ObserverUK Keir Starmer has seen an 8 point drop in his net approval rating after a significant uptick in the number disapproving of his performance. 22% approve of his performance vs. 54% who disapprove. This gives Starmer a net rating of -32%. pic.twitter.com/J33nMnwflP — Opinium (@OpiniumResearch) November 30, 2024 The announcement comes after a first five months in office that has seen anger over Budget proposals and reports of tension in Number 10. Polling for The Observer newspaper by Opinium indicates that more than half of the public disapprove of the Prime Minister’s performance. According to the survey of approximately 2,000 adults, 54% of people disapprove of his performance, compared with 22% who approve, leaving him with a net rating of -32%.
Fox News Flash top entertainment and celebrity headlines are here. Bruce Willis ' wife is sharing intimate moments of his life as a family man ahead of the holidays. In a series of Instagram stories posted on Sunday, Emma Heming shared family photos of the 69-year-old actor spending time with his two young daughters. Among the photos was a black and white picture of Heming and Willis with Mabel, 12, and Evelyn, 10, which she captioned, "Them. Always." In the photo, the couple are smiling as they lovingly look each other in the eyes, with their daughters sitting on their laps. The other photos include Willis giving one of his daughters a golf lesson, and another shows him and one of his daughters riding the spinning teacups ride at Disneyland. Willis' wife shared intimate moments of Willis with his children ahead of the holidays. (Emma Heming Instagram/ Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images) BRUCE WILLIS SEEN IN RARE PHOTO SHARED BY DAUGHTERS AS HE BATTLES DEMENTIA Among the photos is a video of Willis sitting in a chair outdoors while yodeling, to which Heming added the caption, "Him. Always." "Yodel-o-whoo-whoo," the former actor can be heard singing, adding, "All right, folks, this is ..." before he started laughing, and the video cut off. Willis and his daughter on the teacups ride at Disneyland. (Emma Heming Instagram) Willis was first diagnosed with aphasia in March 2022, with his family later announcing he had been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia or FTD. In an interview with Town & Country in October, Heming shared the early symptoms of his dementia were dismissed since he struggled with stuttering as a child. "He had a severe stutter as a child," she explained. "Bruce has always had a stutter, but he has been good at covering it up. As his language started changing, it [seemed like it] was just a part of a stutter, it was just Bruce." Willis' initial symptoms were dismissed due to his struggle with a stutter as a child. (Rich Fury/Getty Images) LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS According to the National Institute on Aging, FTD occurs as a "result of damage to neurons in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain," and the symptoms include "unusual behaviors, emotional problems, trouble communicating, difficulty with work, or difficulty with walking." In addition to his two children with Heming, Willis also shares three adult daughters, Rumer, 36, Scout, 33, and Tallulah, 30, with his ex-wife, Demi Moore . The former couple finalized their divorce in 2000. They have remained good friends and co-parents. "You know, I've said this before. The disease is what the disease is," Moore told the crowd at the 2024 Hamptons International Film Festival, while accepting the career achievement in acting award, according to People magazine. "And I think you have to be in real deep acceptance of what that is. But for where he's at, he is stable." She also shared insight on how she and the rest of the family have learned to work with his diagnosis in their interactions with him, explaining you have "to just meet them where they're at, " because "when you're holding on to what was, I think it's a losing game." CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER Moore and Willis have remained close following their divorce in 2000. (Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images) CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Lori Bashian is an entertainment production assistant for Fox News Digital.
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (AP) — Marcus Johnson scored 20 points as Bowling Green beat Aquinas (Michigan) 87-62 on Monday. Johnson went 8 of 10 from the field (3 for 5 from 3-point range) for the Falcons (5-7). Derrick Butler scored 18 points and added five rebounds. Jamai Felt had 13 points and shot 5 of 6 from the field and 3 for 4 from the line. Jadakiss Lewis led the Saints in scoring, finishing with 15 points and two steals. Caden Pokorzynski added 12 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Bowling Green led 43-25 at halftime, with Johnson racking up 15 points. Butler scored a team-high 13 points after intermission. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers, meet your latest lobbyists: online influencers from TikTok. The platform is once again bringing influencers to Washington, this time to lobby members of Congress to reject a fast-moving bill that would force TikTok's Beijing-based parent company to sell or be banned in the United States. On Tuesday, some influencers began a two-day advocacy event in support of TikTok, which arranged their trip ahead of a House floor vote on the legislation on Wednesday. But unlike a similar lobbying event the company put together last March when talks of a TikTok ban reached a fever pitch, this year’s effort appeared more rushed as the company scrambles to counter the legislation, which advanced rapidly on Capitol Hill. Summer Lucille, a TikTok content creator with 1.4 million followers who is visiting Washington this week, said if TikTok is banned, she “don’t know what it will do” to her business, a plus-sized boutique in Charlotte, North Carolina. “It will be devastating,” Lucille said in an interview arranged by the platform. The legislation is drawing unusual support in Congress In an unusual showing of bipartisanship, a House panel unanimously approved the measure last week. President Joe Biden has said he will sign the legislation if lawmakers pass it. But it’s unclear what will happen in the Senate, where several bills aimed at banning TikTok have stalled. The legislation faces other roadblocks. Former president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump, who holds sway over both House and Senate Republicans, has voiced opposition to the bill, saying it would empower Meta-owned Facebook, which he continues to lambast over his 2020 election loss. The bill also faces pushback from some progressive lawmakers in the House as well as civil liberties groups who argue it infringes on the First Amendment. TikTok could be banned if ByteDance, the parent company, doesn’t sell its stakes in the platform and other applications it owns within six months of the bill’s enactment. The fight over the platform takes place as U.S.-China relations have shifted to that of strategic rivalry, especially in areas such as advanced technologies and data security, seen as essential to each country’s economic prowess and national security. The shift, which started during the Trump years and has continued under Biden, has placed restrictions on export of advanced technologies and outflow of U.S. monies to China, as well as access to the U.S. market by certain Chinese businesses. The Biden administration also has cited human rights concerns in blacklisting a number of Chinese companies accused of assisting the state surveillance campaign against ethnic minorities. TikTok isn’t short on lobbyists. Its Beijing-based parent company ByteDance has a strong lobbying apparatus in Washington that includes dozens of lobbyists from well-known consulting and legal firms as well as influential insiders, such as former members of Congress and ex-aides to powerful lawmakers, according to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew will also be in Washington this week and plans to meet with lawmakers, according to a company spokesperson who said Chew’s visit was previously scheduled. Influencers descend on Washington But influencers, who have big followings on social media and can share personal stories of how the platform boosted their businesses — or simply gave them a voice — are still perhaps one of the most powerful tools the company has in its arsenal. A TikTok spokesperson said dozens of influencers will attend the two-day event, including some who came last year. The spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions about how many new people would be attending this year’s lobbying blitz. The company is briefing them ahead of meetings with their representatives and media interviews. Lucille, who runs the boutique in North Carolina, says has seen a substantial surge in revenue because of her TikTok page. The 34-year-old began making TikTok content focusing on plus-sized fashion in March 2022, more than a decade after she started her business. She quickly amassed thousands of followers after posting a nine-second video about her boutique. Because of her popularity on the platform, her business has more online exposure and customers, some of whom have visited from as far as Europe. She says she also routinely hears from followers who are finding support through her content about fashion and confidence. JT Laybourne, an influencer who also came to Washington, said he joined TikTok in early 2019 after getting some negative comments on videos he posted on Instagram while singing in the car with his children. Laybourne, who lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, said he was attracted to the short-form video platform because it was easy to create videos that contained music. Like Lucille, he quickly gained traction on the app. He says he also received more support from TikTok users, who reacted positively to content he produced on love and positivity. Laybourne says the community he built on the platform rallied around his family when he had to undergo heart surgery in 2020. Following the surgery, he said he used the platform to help raise $1 million for the American Heart Association in less than two years. His family now run an apparel company that gets most of its traffic from TikTok. “I will fight tooth-and-nail for this app,” he said. But whether the opposition the company is mounting through lobbyists or influencers will be enough to derail the bill is yet to be seen. On Tuesday, House lawmakers received a briefing on national security concerns regarding TikTok from the FBI, Justice Department and intelligence officials. AP Journalist Didi Tang contributed to this report. This story was originally published on March 12, 2024. It was updated on December 23, 2024 to clarify a quote by TikTok content creator Summer Lucille.NEW YORK, Nov. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Gross Law Firm issues the following notice to shareholders of Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS). Shareholders who purchased shares of HAS during the class period listed are encouraged to contact the firm regarding possible lead plaintiff appointment. Appointment as lead plaintiff is not required to partake in any recovery. CONTACT US HERE: https://securitiesclasslaw.com/securities/hasbro-inc-loss-submission-form/?id=113440&from=3 CLASS PERIOD: February 7, 2022 to October 25, 2023 ALLEGATIONS: According to the filed complaint, it is alleged that defendants made numerous materially false and misleading statements and omissions about the quality inventory that Hasbro held throughout the class period, and represented that its rising inventory levels reflected outstanding and anticipated demand, rather than excess supply that outpaced waning demand. As a result of the foregoing, Hasbro common stock traded at artificially inflated prices throughout the Class Period and defendants’ statements about the Company’s business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. DEADLINE: January 13, 2025 Shareholders should not delay in registering for this class action. Register your information here: https://securitiesclasslaw.com/securities/hasbro-inc-loss-submission-form/?id=113440&from=3 NEXT STEPS FOR SHAREHOLDERS: Once you register as a shareholder who purchased shares of HAS during the timeframe listed above, you will be enrolled in a portfolio monitoring software to provide you with status updates throughout the lifecycle of the case. The deadline to seek to be a lead plaintiff is January 13, 2025. There is no cost or obligation to you to participate in this case. WHY GROSS LAW FIRM? The Gross Law Firm is a nationally recognized class action law firm, and our mission is to protect the rights of all investors who have suffered as a result of deceit, fraud, and illegal business practices. The Gross Law Firm is committed to ensuring that companies adhere to responsible business practices and engage in good corporate citizenship. The firm seeks recovery on behalf of investors who incurred losses when false and/or misleading statements or the omission of material information by a company lead to artificial inflation of the company's stock. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. CONTACT: The Gross Law Firm 15 West 38th Street, 12th floor New York, NY, 10018 Email: dg@securitiesclasslaw.com Phone: (646) 453-8903Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel says he was surprised by reports of Shaq Barrett's unretirement plan
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