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DTE Energy’s outage map shows more than 1,400 customers have lost power since the freezing rain started falling early Monday afternoon. Waterford Township initially had the largest outage – more than 1,000 customers – but that appears to be resolved. Nearly 500 customers in Farmington Hills, north and south of 13 Mile Road, west of Northwestern Highway, are waiting for power to be restored. DTE’s estimated time is 6:30 p.m. today. Related Articles Nearly 400 customers in Royal Oak are without power, down from nearly 475 earlier. DTE estimates service will be restored before 5 p.m. today. Some of the outages are caused by tree branches, others by wildlife or equipment issues, according to outage map details. The National Weather Service Office in White Lake Township estimates the freezing rain and sleet will turn to snow as the night progresses, with about an inch accumulating by Tuesday morning. Ice under the snow could make for dicey travel. The county road commission has salt trucks on the road and used social media to ask drivers to use extreme caution. “Mother Nature is throwing some crazy weather at us right now,” the road commission’s post concluded.Joe Root: ‘Winning the Ashes in Australia would mean more than anything’President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday named Pam Bondi, the former attorney general of Florida, to be U.S. attorney general just hours after his other choice, Matt Gaetz , withdrew his name from consideration. Bondi is a longtime Trump ally and was one of his lawyers during his first impeachment trial, when he was accused — but not convicted — of abusing his power as he tried to condition U.S. military assistance to Ukraine on that country investigating then-former Vice President Joe Biden. Bondi was among a group of Republicans who showed up to support Trump at his hush money criminal trial in New York that ended in May with a conviction on 34 felony counts. She’s been a chair at the America First Policy Institute, a think tank set up by former Trump administration staffers. “For too long, the partisan Department of Justice has been weaponized against me and other Republicans – Not anymore,” Trump said in a social media post. “Pam will refocus the DOJ to its intended purpose of fighting Crime, and Making America Safe Again.” Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. told Fox Business on Sunday that the transition team had backups in mind for his controversial nominees should they fail to get confirmed. The swift selection of Bondi came about six hours after Gaetz withdrew. Gaetz stepped aside amid continued fallout over a federal sex trafficking investigation that cast doubt on his ability to be confirmed as the nation’s chief federal law enforcement officer. That announcement capped a turbulent eight-day period in which Trump sought to capitalize on his decisive election win to force Senate Republicans to accept provocative selections like Gaetz, who had been investigated by the Justice Department before being tapped last week to lead it. The decision could heighten scrutiny on other controversial Trump nominees, including Pentagon pick Pete Hegseth, who faces sexual assault allegations that he denies. “While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition,” Gaetz, a Florida Republican who one day earlier met with senators in an effort to win their support, said in a statement. “There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1,” he added. Hours later, Gaetz posted on social media that he looks “forward to continuing the fight to save our country,” adding, “Just maybe from a different post.” Trump, in a social media post, said: “I greatly appreciate the recent efforts of Matt Gaetz in seeking approval to be Attorney General. He was doing very well but, at the same time, did not want to be a distraction for the Administration, for which he has much respect. Matt has a wonderful future, and I look forward to watching all of the great things he will do!” Last week, Trump named personal lawyers Todd Blanche, Emil Bove and D. John Sauer to senior roles in the department. Another possible attorney general contender, Matt Whitaker, was announced Wednesday as the U.S. ambassador to NATO. Bondi, too, is a longtime loyalist. She has been a vocal critic of the criminal cases against Trump as well as Jack Smith, the special counsel who charged Trump in two federal cases. In one radio appearance, she blasted Smith and other prosecutors who have charged Trump as “horrible” people she said were trying to make names for themselves by “going after Donald Trump and weaponizing our legal system.” If confirmed by the Republican-led Senate, Bondi would instantly become one of the most closely watched members of Trump’s Cabinet given the Republican’s threat to pursue retribution against perceived adversaries and concern among Democrats that he will look to bend the Justice Department to his will. A recent Supreme Court opinion not only conferred broad immunity on former presidents but also affirmed a president’s exclusive authority over the Justice Department’s investigative functions. Bondi would inherit a Justice Department expected to pivot sharply on civil rights, corporate enforcement and the prosecutions of hundreds of Trump supporters charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol — defendants whom Trump has pledged to pardon. It’s unlikely that Bondi would be confirmed in time to overlap with Smith, who brought two federal indictments against Trump that are both expected to wind down before the incoming president takes office. Special counsels are expected to produce reports on their work that historically are made public, but it remains unclear when such a document might be released. In 2013, while serving as Florida attorney general, Bondi publicly apologized for asking that the execution of a man convicted of murder be delayed because it conflicted with a campaign fundraiser. Bondi said she was wrong and sorry for requesting then-Gov. Rick Scott push back the execution of Marshall Lee Gore by three weeks. Before she ran for state attorney general in 2010, Bondi worked for the Hillsborough County state attorney.

Punches came, but the Aggies absorbed each one. In a battle of two men’s basketball programs that have drawn national attention again this year, Utah State was able to come out on top Sunday in Moraga, California. In their first true road game this year, the Aggies returned home for Christmas with a 75-68 victory. “Saint Mary’s is a storied program on the west coast,” USU head coach Jerrod Calhoun said. “... Our plan was to really, really stretch the defense. They play some seven-footers that struggle to move laterally. Karson Templin and Isaac Johnson made some pick-and-pops.” The Aggies (11-1) were also able to bounce back from their first loss of the 2024-25 campaign and on the road. They also played without injured point guard Drake Allen for the first time this season. Despite the challenges, USU put together one of its best outings at the University Credit Union Pavilion in the final non-conference game of the season. “It’s going to be a great Christmas, but we know what is on the horizon,” Calhoun said. “We are going to give them two days off and then get ready for a great San Diego State team.” Going up against a big team that is known for rebounding, the Aggies were challenged to battle the Gaels (10-3) on the boards Sunday. USU won the battle of the glass, 31-27. All nine Aggies that saw time grabbed at least one rebound. “We had to be more physical,” USU forward Karson Templin said. “That’s what we talked about this week in practice. Credit to Saint Mary’s, they are one of the most physical teams in the country. We knew we had to come out and hit them back.” Guard Dexter Akanno came off the bench to lead the Aggies in rebounds with seven. Fellow guards Ian Martinez and Mason Falslev grabbed six and five boards, respectively. “To ourebound this team, we deserved to win the game,” Calhoun said. “When you come into Saint Mary’s, one of the best rebounding teams in America, you get battle tested. When you outrebound them, you deserve to win.” Sharing the ball was also evident in Sunday’s win. Of the 30 made field goals by USU, 23 came with an assist. All nine Aggies that played had at least one dime. Martinez led the way with five, while freshman guard Jordy Barnes had four. “We knew we had to get out and run and spray the ball ahead and try to play at our pace,” Calhoun said. “We did a good job all week passing it and getting ready for this game.” In the setback against UC San Diego, USU was not only outrebounded, but also struggled in the shooting department. Even with unfriendly rims, the Aggies shot 58.8 percent from the field on Sunday, including 35.3 percent from long range. “Our shooting percentage isn’t something that we really look at, as much as our shot selection,” Templin said. “We are going to take good shots within our offense. We cleaned up some of that and took good shots. We trust our guys to make open shots. I thought we did a really good job of shot selection.” USU shot 65.2 percent in the second half. In fact, the Aggies hit nine straight shots after halftime on their way to the largest lead of the game, 58-41, with 12:51 minutes to play. USU actually hit 14 of 15 shots during a 12-minute stretch of the second half. The only thing that prevented from the Aggies completely blowing the game open was five turnovers during that timespan and the Gaels hitting seven 3-pointers in the second half. “When you make shots, you look a lot better,” Calhoun said. “I have to keep referring to UC San Diego, but the number of layups and threes that we missed in that game were really just outrageous. I knew we would make shots tonight. We had two great days of prep.” Four Aggies reached double figures in scoring, but like in the rebounding and assist departments, all nine USU players scored. It seems like all nine took a turn when the Aggies needed points. Aubin Gateretse got USU started with bucket in the paint and then threw down an alley-oop pass from Martinez. Deyton Albury sandwiched four free throws around a trio of 3-pointers from Templin, who checked in five minutes into the game. The Aggies were up 17-7. “We wanted to open up the floor,” Templin said. “We knew their bigs were going to sag off me.” Isaac Johnson ended a 8-0 run by the Gaels with a long jumper. Falslev and Martinez joined the scoring, as did Akanno and Tucker Anderson with 3-pointers. Gateretse had two more dunks, including one just before halftime that had the Aggies in front at the break, 39-27. “We had a good lead at halftime, and we needed to keep it, especially on the road,” Templin said. Once again in the second half Johnson ended a mini-run by Saint Mary’s, this time with a 3-pointer. Falslev then took over, scoring 10 of the next 14 Aggie points. Templin also had a run with two buckets, including one the gave USU its biggest lead of 17 points. The Gaels hit back-to-back 3-pointers, but then it was Barnes who heated up. The freshman had three straight baskets in a 6-0 run by the Aggies. Then it was Martinez who ended a run by the hosts with two quick field goals, including a dunk off a pass from Barnes. “I’m very, very proud of a lot of guys,” Calhoun said. “I thought we got great effort from a lot of individuals. “... I thought Jordy Barnes really calmed things down. Mason (Falslev) was key in the second half. I thought Templin really got things started. Aubin Gateretse was big time. Deyton (Albury) played really well. Jordy and Deyton played well in the first game without Drake (Allen).” Falslev and Martinez combined to score the final seven points for USU. Falslev finished with a team-best 18 points. Templin netted 13, while Martinez added 11 and Gateretse had 10. “Mason (Falslev) and Ian (Martinez) made big shots,” Templin said. “Jordy Barnes made huge plays down the stretch. Aubin (Gateretse), we just had a bunch of guys make big plays. That’s why we came out on top.” The Aggies beat the Gaels in points in the paint, 40-22, bench points, 25-20 and fastbreak points, 12-6. Saint Mary’s did win the second-chance points, 8-2. Calhoun praised Allen for helping from the sidelines in preparation and also other Aggies on the bench, naming Jaxon Smith as an athlete that “was unbelievable in practice the past two days.” “We were really prepared because guys pushed each other in practice,” Calhoun said. After taking a few days off for Christmas, the Aggies must returned focused as big road league games await them. USU will begin with No. 23 San Diego State on Saturday and then play at Nevada.

Jimmy Carter, a one-term president who became a globe-trotting elder statesman, dies at 100Editorial: Still waters run deepAvista Posts Updated Corporate Responsibility Report

Arcane’s two seasons may have cost Riot Games so much they ran away from Hollywood

BBC Strictly Come Dancing’s secret judging moment which you don’t get to see on cameraEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The New York Giants organization got exactly what it deserved in getting blown out by Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Giants were embarrassed in Sunday’s 30-7 loss , taunted by Mayfield after a touchdown run just before halftime. And then they saw their fans walk out on them again when the Bucs extended their lead to 30-0 and sent New York (2-9) to its sixth straight loss. The losing streak is the longest for the Giants since 2019, when they dropped a franchise-record nine straight games to finish 4-12. That led to the firing of coach Pat Shurmur after two seasons. Third-year coach Brian Daboll is clearly in trouble, with the Giants guaranteed a second straight losing season. They were 6-11 in a 2023 season that featured a lot of injuries. Daboll, who denies he has lost the team, isn’t the only one whose job is in jeopardy. General manager Joe Schoen is on the hot seat and so is this entire franchise, which is celebrating its 100th year. It’s one thing to lose. It’s quite another to give up, and that’s what the organization did when it decided to bench Daniel Jones a week ago and then release him on Friday after the 27-year-old asked co-owner John Mara to let him walk away. RELATED COVERAGE Rams WR Demarcus Robinson arrested on suspicion of DUI after loss to Eagles Jackson accounts for 3 TDs, John Harbaugh moves to 3-0 vs. brother as Ravens beat Chargers 30-23 Chargers struggle to score after RB J.K. Dobbins hurts his knee in his reunion game with Ravens While he wasn’t playing well, Jones was the Giants’ best quarterback. He gave them more a of chance to win than either Tommy DeVito or Drew Lock. Removing him from the picture was all but certain to make the Giants worse, even if it was a good business decision. If Jones was hurt and unable the pass his physical before the 2025 season, the team would have been on the hook for a $23 million cap hit. The AP Top 25 college football poll is back every week throughout the season! Get the poll delivered straight to your inbox with AP Top 25 Poll Alerts. Sign up here . The problem is the players care about now. By getting rid of Jones and elevating DeVito to the starting role, the front office was telling the team it didn’t care about winning with seven games left in the season. So the players gave a lackluster effort. Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence called the team soft. Rookie receiver Malik Nabers said he was sick of losing. Left tackle Jermaine Eluemunor said he saw a lack of effort by some players. What they all were saying was they were angry at being betrayed. Money is never more important than winning, and the Giants made that mistake. What’s working At this point in the season? Nothing. What needs help The offense once again. The Giants have scored a league-low 163 points, including only 60 in six games at MetLife Stadium, where they are winless this season. They have scored in double figures at home twice. Daboll’s team has been held scoreless in the first half in three of 11 games and it has been held without a first-half touchdown seven times. Daboll said he will continue to call the offensive plays. Stock up S Tyler Nubin. The rookie has had a team-high 12 tackles in each of the last two games. His 81 tackles for the season are just two behind team leader Bobby Okereke. Stock down RB Tyrone Tracy. The rookie leads Giants running backs with 587 yards on 116 carries — a 5.1-yard average for the fifth-round pick. But holding onto the ball has been a big issue. Tracy’s fumble in overtime cost New York a chance to win in Germany against Carolina. He also lost the ball in the third quarter at the Bucs 5-yard line with New York down 23-0. It earned him a seat on the bench. Injuries LT Jermaine Eluemunor (quad) and OLB Azeez Ojulari (toe) left Sunday’s game in the first quarter. Chris Hubbard filled in at tackle and the Giants luckily got back DL Kayvon Thibodeaux this past week after he missed five games with a broken wrist. DeVito was banged up but Daboll expects him to start against the Cowboys. Key numbers 10 — The Giants have gone 10 consecutive games without an interception, tying the NFL record held by the 1976-77 San Francisco 49ers and the 2017 Oakland — now Las Vegas — Raiders. The Giants and Raiders now share the single-season mark. What’s next A national showcase on Thanksgiving Day for the NFC-worst Giants at Dallas. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Non-crime hate incidents are dragging police officers into politics, a former chief constable has warned amid growing calls for a review of the system. Peter Fahy said the Government needed to overhaul non-crime hate incidents because they were diverting officers from their core duties of . His call followed a row sparked by a police investigation into Allison Pearson, the Telegraph journalist, for allegedly stirring racial hatred in a tweet a year ago. The case by Essex Police. On Monday, Lord Hogan-Howe, a former Metropolitan Police commissioner, also of the use of non-crime hate incidents. He backed a report, published on Monday by the Policy Exchange think tank, which urged ministers to abolish the recording of the incidents by police after finding they took up 60,000 hours of officers’ time every year and . Mr Fahy told The Telegraph: “It is drawing police into really complex social issues, what might be seen as mainstream political comment, and it’s just not appropriate for the police to be drawn into this. We need to keep police out of these moral debates unless there is clear evidence of a crime. “Focusing on hate incidents rather than hate crimes has opened up an endless Pandora’s box about how people feel they are insulted and offended. It is then used as a weapon between different groups, with police stuck in the middle.” He said the future of should be part of a wider government review into what police should and should not do, and suggested there should be an alternative “civil remedy” to handle such hate incidents that did not involve the police. Mr Fahy said the “whole tenor of society” had changed since the recording of non-crime hate incidents was introduced, initially to log race hate incidents in the wake of the Macpherson inquiry into . He said that had come before the full development of social media, which acted as a conduit for amplifying incidents that “tend to gain a huge importance”. “Then they get priority over other more serious crimes just because of the depth of emotion that they generate,” he added. “In reality, there is not a huge amount police can do. I am not sure criminal law is the best way for dealing with this. “You have to look at it in terms of the police being overwhelmed by work. People feel police are not dealing with issues that the public want them to deal with.” In September, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary found that many forces were still failing to correctly apply the guidance . It uncovered evidence that confusion over the rules meant officers were taking a risk-averse approach summed up as “if in doubt, record”. As a result, non-crime hate incidents were too often being logged for complaints that amounted to little more than people’s “ ”. Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, has . She believes logging the incidents – particularly for anti-Semitism and islamophobia – is necessary to enable police to build an intelligence picture around community tensions in order to map trends and prevent escalation. Mr Fahy said any review needed to be wider than simply re-writing the guidance, adding: “It needs greater political direction on what is acceptable and what is not acceptable. If you slander me, I have to go to civil law to seek a remedy. It might be that there is some civil remedy that might be more straightforward. “It needs greater political direction on what is acceptable and a different way to resolve them. At the moment, if you report something, you have to record it – even if you say it was a load of nonsense.”ATLANTA (AP) — Jimmy Carter, the peanut farmer who won the presidency in the wake of the Watergate scandal and Vietnam War, endured humbling defeat after one tumultuous term and then redefined life after the White House as a global humanitarian, has died. He was 100 years old. The longest-lived American president died on Sunday, more than a year after entering hospice care , at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died at 96 in November 2023 , spent most of their lives, The Carter Center said. “Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia,” the center said on the social media platform X. It added in a statement that he died peacefully, surrounded by his family. As reaction poured in from around the world, President Joe Biden mourned Carter’s death, saying the world lost an “extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian” and he lost a dear friend. Biden cited Carter’s compassion and moral clarity, his work to eradicate disease, forge peace, advance civil and human rights, promote free and fair elections, house the homeless and advocacy for the disadvantaged as an example for others. “To all of the young people in this nation and for anyone in search of what it means to live a life of purpose and meaning – the good life – study Jimmy Carter, a man of principle, faith, and humility,” Biden said in a statement. “He showed that we are a great nation because we are a good people – decent and honorable, courageous and compassionate, humble and strong.” Biden said he is ordering a state funeral for Carter in Washington. Businessman, Navy officer, evangelist, politician, negotiator, author, woodworker, citizen of the world — Carter forged a path that still challenges political assumptions and stands out among the 45 men who reached the nation’s highest office. The 39th president leveraged his ambition with a keen intellect, deep religious faith and prodigious work ethic, conducting diplomatic missions into his 80s and building houses for the poor well into his 90s. “My faith demands — this is not optional — my faith demands that I do whatever I can, wherever I am, whenever I can, for as long as I can, with whatever I have to try to make a difference,” Carter once said. A moderate Democrat, Carter entered the 1976 presidential race as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad smile, outspoken Baptist mores and technocratic plans reflecting his education as an engineer. His no-frills campaign depended on public financing, and his promise not to deceive the American people resonated after Richard Nixon’s disgrace and U.S. defeat in southeast Asia. “If I ever lie to you, if I ever make a misleading statement, don’t vote for me. I would not deserve to be your president,” Carter repeated before narrowly beating Republican incumbent Gerald Ford, who had lost popularity pardoning Nixon. Carter governed amid Cold War pressures, turbulent oil markets and social upheaval over racism, women’s rights and America’s global role. His most acclaimed achievement in office was a Mideast peace deal that he brokered by keeping Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at the bargaining table for 13 days in 1978. That Camp David experience inspired the post-presidential center where Carter would establish so much of his legacy. Yet Carter’s electoral coalition splintered under double-digit inflation, gasoline lines and the 444-day hostage crisis in Iran. His bleakest hour came when eight Americans died in a failed hostage rescue in April 1980, helping to ensure his landslide defeat to Republican Ronald Reagan. Carter acknowledged in his 2020 “White House Diary” that he could be “micromanaging” and “excessively autocratic,” complicating dealings with Congress and the federal bureaucracy. He also turned a cold shoulder to Washington’s news media and lobbyists, not fully appreciating their influence on his political fortunes. “It didn’t take us long to realize that the underestimation existed, but by that time we were not able to repair the mistake,” Carter told historians in 1982, suggesting that he had “an inherent incompatibility” with Washington insiders. Carter insisted his overall approach was sound and that he achieved his primary objectives — to “protect our nation’s security and interests peacefully” and “enhance human rights here and abroad” — even if he fell spectacularly short of a second term. Ignominious defeat, though, allowed for renewal. The Carters founded The Carter Center in 1982 as a first-of-its-kind base of operations, asserting themselves as international peacemakers and champions of democracy, public health and human rights. “I was not interested in just building a museum or storing my White House records and memorabilia,” Carter wrote in a memoir published after his 90th birthday. “I wanted a place where we could work.” That work included easing nuclear tensions in North and South Korea, helping to avert a U.S. invasion of Haiti and negotiating cease-fires in Bosnia and Sudan. By 2022, The Carter Center had declared at least 113 elections in Latin America, Asia and Africa to be free or fraudulent. Recently, the center began monitoring U.S. elections as well. Carter’s stubborn self-assuredness and even self-righteousness proved effective once he was unencumbered by the Washington order, sometimes to the point of frustrating his successors . He went “where others are not treading,” he said, to places like Ethiopia, Liberia and North Korea, where he secured the release of an American who had wandered across the border in 2010. “I can say what I like. I can meet whom I want. I can take on projects that please me and reject the ones that don’t,” Carter said. He announced an arms-reduction-for-aid deal with North Korea without clearing the details with Bill Clinton’s White House. He openly criticized President George W. Bush for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. He also criticized America’s approach to Israel with his 2006 book “Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid.” And he repeatedly countered U.S. administrations by insisting North Korea should be included in international affairs, a position that most aligned Carter with Republican President Donald Trump. Among the center’s many public health initiatives, Carter vowed to eradicate the guinea worm parasite during his lifetime, and nearly achieved it: Cases dropped from millions in the 1980s to nearly a handful. With hardhats and hammers, the Carters also built homes with Habitat for Humanity. The Nobel committee’s 2002 Peace Prize cites his “untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.” Carter should have won it alongside Sadat and Begin in 1978, the chairman added. Carter accepted the recognition saying there was more work to be done. “The world is now, in many ways, a more dangerous place,” he said. “The greater ease of travel and communication has not been matched by equal understanding and mutual respect.” Carter’s globetrotting took him to remote villages where he met little “Jimmy Carters,” so named by admiring parents. But he spent most of his days in the same one-story Plains house — expanded and guarded by Secret Service agents — where they lived before he became governor. He regularly taught Sunday School lessons at Maranatha Baptist Church until his mobility declined and the coronavirus pandemic raged. Those sessions drew visitors from around the world to the small sanctuary where Carter will receive his final send-off after a state funeral at Washington’s National Cathedral. The common assessment that he was a better ex-president than president rankled Carter and his allies. His prolific post-presidency gave him a brand above politics, particularly for Americans too young to witness him in office. But Carter also lived long enough to see biographers and historians reassess his White House years more generously. His record includes the deregulation of key industries, reduction of U.S. dependence on foreign oil, cautious management of the national debt and notable legislation on the environment, education and mental health. He focused on human rights in foreign policy, pressuring dictators to release thousands of political prisoners . He acknowledged America’s historical imperialism, pardoned Vietnam War draft evaders and relinquished control of the Panama Canal. He normalized relations with China. “I am not nominating Jimmy Carter for a place on Mount Rushmore,” Stuart Eizenstat, Carter’s domestic policy director, wrote in a 2018 book. “He was not a great president” but also not the “hapless and weak” caricature voters rejected in 1980, Eizenstat said. Rather, Carter was “good and productive” and “delivered results, many of which were realized only after he left office.” Madeleine Albright, a national security staffer for Carter and Clinton’s secretary of state, wrote in Eizenstat’s forward that Carter was “consequential and successful” and expressed hope that “perceptions will continue to evolve” about his presidency. “Our country was lucky to have him as our leader,” said Albright, who died in 2022. Jonathan Alter, who penned a comprehensive Carter biography published in 2020, said in an interview that Carter should be remembered for “an epic American life” spanning from a humble start in a home with no electricity or indoor plumbing through decades on the world stage across two centuries. “He will likely go down as one of the most misunderstood and underestimated figures in American history,” Alter told The Associated Press. James Earl Carter Jr. was born Oct. 1, 1924, in Plains and spent his early years in nearby Archery. His family was a minority in the mostly Black community, decades before the civil rights movement played out at the dawn of Carter’s political career. Carter, who campaigned as a moderate on race relations but governed more progressively, talked often of the influence of his Black caregivers and playmates but also noted his advantages: His land-owning father sat atop Archery’s tenant-farming system and owned a main street grocery. His mother, Lillian , would become a staple of his political campaigns. Seeking to broaden his world beyond Plains and its population of fewer than 1,000 — then and now — Carter won an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1946. That same year he married Rosalynn Smith, another Plains native, a decision he considered more important than any he made as head of state. She shared his desire to see the world, sacrificing college to support his Navy career. Carter climbed in rank to lieutenant, but then his father was diagnosed with cancer, so the submarine officer set aside his ambitions of admiralty and moved the family back to Plains. His decision angered Rosalynn, even as she dived into the peanut business alongside her husband. Carter again failed to talk with his wife before his first run for office — he later called it “inconceivable” not to have consulted her on such major life decisions — but this time, she was on board. “My wife is much more political,” Carter told the AP in 2021. He won a state Senate seat in 1962 but wasn’t long for the General Assembly and its back-slapping, deal-cutting ways. He ran for governor in 1966 — losing to arch-segregationist Lester Maddox — and then immediately focused on the next campaign. Carter had spoken out against church segregation as a Baptist deacon and opposed racist “Dixiecrats” as a state senator. Yet as a local school board leader in the 1950s he had not pushed to end school segregation even after the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision, despite his private support for integration. And in 1970, Carter ran for governor again as the more conservative Democrat against Carl Sanders, a wealthy businessman Carter mocked as “Cufflinks Carl.” Sanders never forgave him for anonymous, race-baiting flyers, which Carter disavowed. Ultimately, Carter won his races by attracting both Black voters and culturally conservative whites. Once in office, he was more direct. “I say to you quite frankly that the time for racial discrimination is over,” he declared in his 1971 inaugural address, setting a new standard for Southern governors that landed him on the cover of Time magazine. His statehouse initiatives included environmental protection, boosting rural education and overhauling antiquated executive branch structures. He proclaimed Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the slain civil rights leader’s home state. And he decided, as he received presidential candidates in 1972, that they were no more talented than he was. In 1974, he ran Democrats’ national campaign arm. Then he declared his own candidacy for 1976. An Atlanta newspaper responded with the headline: “Jimmy Who?” The Carters and a “Peanut Brigade” of family members and Georgia supporters camped out in Iowa and New Hampshire, establishing both states as presidential proving grounds. His first Senate endorsement: a young first-termer from Delaware named Joe Biden. Yet it was Carter’s ability to navigate America’s complex racial and rural politics that cemented the nomination. He swept the Deep South that November, the last Democrat to do so, as many white Southerners shifted to Republicans in response to civil rights initiatives. A self-declared “born-again Christian,” Carter drew snickers by referring to Scripture in a Playboy magazine interview, saying he “had looked on many women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times.” The remarks gave Ford a new foothold and television comedians pounced — including NBC’s new “Saturday Night Live” show. But voters weary of cynicism in politics found it endearing. Carter chose Minnesota Sen. Walter “Fritz” Mondale as his running mate on a “Grits and Fritz” ticket. In office, he elevated the vice presidency and the first lady’s office. Mondale’s governing partnership was a model for influential successors Al Gore, Dick Cheney and Biden. Rosalynn Carter was one of the most involved presidential spouses in history, welcomed into Cabinet meetings and huddles with lawmakers and top aides. The Carters presided with uncommon informality: He used his nickname “Jimmy” even when taking the oath of office, carried his own luggage and tried to silence the Marine Band’s “Hail to the Chief.” They bought their clothes off the rack. Carter wore a cardigan for a White House address, urging Americans to conserve energy by turning down their thermostats. Amy, the youngest of four children, attended District of Columbia public school. Washington’s social and media elite scorned their style. But the larger concern was that “he hated politics,” according to Eizenstat, leaving him nowhere to turn politically once economic turmoil and foreign policy challenges took their toll. Carter partially deregulated the airline, railroad and trucking industries and established the departments of Education and Energy, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He designated millions of acres of Alaska as national parks or wildlife refuges. He appointed a then-record number of women and nonwhite people to federal posts. He never had a Supreme Court nomination, but he elevated civil rights attorney Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the nation’s second highest court, positioning her for a promotion in 1993. He appointed Paul Volker, the Federal Reserve chairman whose policies would help the economy boom in the 1980s — after Carter left office. He built on Nixon’s opening with China, and though he tolerated autocrats in Asia, pushed Latin America from dictatorships to democracy. But he couldn’t immediately tame inflation or the related energy crisis. And then came Iran. After he admitted the exiled Shah of Iran to the U.S. for medical treatment, the American Embassy in Tehran was overrun in 1979 by followers of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Negotiations to free the hostages broke down repeatedly ahead of the failed rescue attempt. The same year, Carter signed SALT II, the new strategic arms treaty with Leonid Brezhnev of the Soviet Union, only to pull it back, impose trade sanctions and order a U.S. boycott of the Moscow Olympics after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. Hoping to instill optimism, he delivered what the media dubbed his “malaise” speech, although he didn’t use that word. He declared the nation was suffering “a crisis of confidence.” By then, many Americans had lost confidence in the president, not themselves. Carter campaigned sparingly for reelection because of the hostage crisis, instead sending Rosalynn as Sen. Edward M. Kennedy challenged him for the Democratic nomination. Carter famously said he’d “kick his ass,” but was hobbled by Kennedy as Reagan rallied a broad coalition with “make America great again” appeals and asking voters whether they were “better off than you were four years ago.” Reagan further capitalized on Carter’s lecturing tone, eviscerating him in their lone fall debate with the quip: “There you go again.” Carter lost all but six states and Republicans rolled to a new Senate majority. Carter successfully negotiated the hostages’ freedom after the election, but in one final, bitter turn of events, Tehran waited until hours after Carter left office to let them walk free. At 56, Carter returned to Georgia with “no idea what I would do with the rest of my life.” Four decades after launching The Carter Center, he still talked of unfinished business. “I thought when we got into politics we would have resolved everything,” Carter told the AP in 2021. “But it’s turned out to be much more long-lasting and insidious than I had thought it was. I think in general, the world itself is much more divided than in previous years.” Still, he affirmed what he said when he underwent treatment for a cancer diagnosis in his 10th decade of life. “I’m perfectly at ease with whatever comes,” he said in 2015 . “I’ve had a wonderful life. I’ve had thousands of friends, I’ve had an exciting, adventurous and gratifying existence.” Sanz is a former Associated Press reporter.

A judge on Monday rejected a request to block a San Jose State women’s volleyball team member from playing in a conference tournament on grounds that she is transgender. Monday’s ruling by U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Kato Crews in Denver will allow the player, who has played all season, to continue competing in the Mountain West Conference women’s championship scheduled for later this week in Las Vegas. The ruling comes after a lawsuit was filed by nine current players who are suing the Mountain West Conference to challenge the league’s policies for allowing transgender players to participate. The players argued that letting her compete was a safety risk and unfair. While some media have reported those and other details, neither San Jose State nor the forfeiting teams have confirmed the school has a trans women’s volleyball player. The Associated Press is withholding the player’s name because she has not publicly commented on her gender identity. School officials also have declined an interview request with the player. Judge Crews referred to the athlete as an “alleged transgender” player in his ruling and noted that no defendant disputed that San Jose State rosters a transgender woman volleyball player. He said the players who filed the complaint could have sought relief much earlier, noting that the individual universities had acknowledged that not playing their games against San Jose State this season would result in a forfeit in league standings. He also said injunctions are meant to preserve the status quo. The conference policy regarding forfeiting for refusing to play against a team with a transgender player had been in effect since 2022 and the San Jose State player has been on the roster since 2022 – making that the status quo. The player competed at the college level three previous seasons, including two for San Jose State, drawing little attention. This season’s awareness of her identity led to an uproar among some players, pundits, parents and politicians in a political campaign year. The tournament starts Wednesday and continues Friday and Saturday. San Jose State is seeded second. The judge's order maintains the seedings and pairings for the tournament. Several teams refused to play against San Jose State during the season, earning losses in the official standings. Boise State and Wyoming each had two forfeits while Utah State and Nevada both had one. Southern Utah, a member of the Western Athletic Conference, was first to cancel against San Jose State this year. Nevada’s players stated they “refuse to participate in any match that advances injustice against female athletes,” without providing further details. Crews served as a magistrate judge in Colorado’s U.S. District Court for more than five years before President Joe Biden appointed him to serve as a federal judge in January of this year. Gruver reported from Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Hanson from Helena, Montana.Echoes of Trump’s victory in Ireland’s general election?When Kimia Ravangar started streaming herself playing video games in her native Persian tongue nearly eight years ago, there was no promise that her content would ever be a meaningful source of income, let alone a career. Now, she’s a full-time YouTuber with more than 630,000 subscribers on her channel, which has racked up around 340 million total views. And things are only going up. Ravangar, along with her creator teammates Kourosh Zarandooz and Iman Dastpak, have launched a new custom studio in North Vancouver, where their empire of lifestyle and food videos, podcasting and music making is growing by the second. Ravangar’s “Mia Plays” channel, as well as Zarandooz and Dastpak’s “Kouman” account, are not merely one-hit wonders of the internet age of virality. With the eyes of their dedicated audience, each new video draws in hundreds of thousands of views immediately following release. For example, a trivia-style video titled میا باهوش‌تره یا ما؟؟ (translation: Is Mia smarter or us?) has more than a million views after going live on Dec. 13. That post, where the three friends face off in a quiz competition to win the Kouman championship belt, has also generated 39,000 likes and 8,164 comments since release. When you put up numbers like that, YouTube partners Ravangar, Zarandooz and Dastpak can put numbers in their bank accounts. According to research from Oxford Economics, YouTube’s creative ecosystem contributed more than $2 billion to Canada’s GDP in 2023, and supported more than 35,000 full-time-equivalent jobs. At their studio in late November, the trio hosted a mixer with other well-known Canadian YouTubers including food vlogger Tim Lee, van-life expert and builder Morley Kert, and West Van DIY home renovator Jenna Phipps. What does it take to make it in the YouTube biz? One of the most important ingredients is consistency, Zarandooz said. “We always try to upload on a certain day at a certain time, and we haven’t missed it for years now,” he said. Another key to success is always trying to level up their content. “We see what people like, what our audience likes, and we try to do it better and better each time. So we never say, ‘OK, it’s good enough,’” Zarandooz said. “We always try to upgrade, from our equipment to our videos to ourselves.” The crew didn’t arrive at their current style of content creation overnight. While her career started with online multiplayer video games like Overwatch, now most of her videos tackle day-to-day topics like what she normally eats in a week, or trying novel activities like doing yoga with goats. Much of the content on the Kouman channel is related to food, by way of either food-related challenges or review content. A lot of what they choose to feature are cultural items related to their Iranian heritage. “We have a rough formula for what content we like and what we don’t, but it’s not super narrow,” Zarandooz said. “It just has to be entertaining.” But often it’s the characters, not the content, that viewers tune in for, Dastpak said. “Sometimes they want to know what Kourosh thinks about this food, or what Mia thinks about a challenge that we doing,” he said. Unlike traditional media like television, YouTube allows the crew to film in North Van and immediately reach a worldwide audience. Most members of their audience are Persian speakers living internationally and in their native Iran. But the global nature of YouTube content isn’t unique to them. More than 90 per cent of watch time for content made by Canadian creators comes from outside the country, according to the platform. Ravangar, who would be prohibited from making most of her content if she still lived in her hometown of Tehran, said she has some mixed feelings about her current home and career. “I feel very fortunate to be here and to be able to do what I do, which is something that I could not have done freely back in Iran,” she said. “But at the same time, you feel really close to home at the end of the day.” While living in Canada, they’re separated from friends and family back in Iran, but their channel allows them to connect with Persian speakers around the globe. “We try to engage with the people back in [Iran] as well with polls ... like, what do we want to test?” Zarandooz said. “We get snacks and food shipped from there, so we can try them – stuff that right now people are eating in Iran, so it’s more relatable.” As their online content business grows larger, more opportunities are opening up for Ravangar, Zarandooz and Dastpak. Andrew Peterson, head of Canada at YouTube, said the trio are at the top of their game in what he calls “the new Hollywood.” “They’ve grown to a scale where they have a partner manager at YouTube, which helps them to evolve their channel strategy to build a thriving business,” he said. Having their North Vancouver studio gives them more flexibility to film a range of content with high-quality production value. “Here we have the opportunity to do whatever you want,” Zarandooz said. “Being here has been a big opportunity for us, and we’re really grateful for it. “The beauty of the North Shore, North Vancouver and Canada – it’s so nice that every time we just take a camera and whichever way you would point the camera, it’s so beautiful,” he said. “We can make the nicest blogs here and nicest content here, so it’s amazing.” [email protected] twitter.com/nick_laba @nicklaba.bsky.social‬Chess Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen Returns To A Tournament After A Dispute Over Jeans Is Resolved

(The Center Square) – Christians helped push President-elect Donald Trump across the finish line on Election Day, a survey found. Trump received the majority of the Christian vote, while Vice President Kamala Harris received the majority of the non-Christian vote. This is according to a report from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, which surveyed 2,000 voting-age adults nationally. The election was a historic comeback for Republicans on many fronts, with Trump being the first Republican to win the popular vote vote in over two decades. Among self-identified Christians, Trump also received 56% of their votes, compared to the 60% Harris received from non-Christians. Yet, because the majority of voters still identify as Christians, Trump had a larger share of the vote. “Although Harris won a larger share of the non-Christian vote than Trump’s share of the Christian votes, Christians outnumbered non-Christian voters by more than a 5 to 2 margin – delivering the decisive Nov. 5 victory to President Trump,” the report said. “Not only did most of Trump’s votes come from Christians, but they gave him a 17 million vote cushion over Harris, which proved to be an insurmountable lead.” Christians represented 72% of the voters who turned out. The report also found that Catholics had record-high turnout, despite overall voter and Christian voter turnout being well below what it was in 2020. While voter turnout was lower than 2020 in most of the Christian subgroups polled, 70% of Catholics reported voting compared to 2020’s 67%. Voters with a “biblical worldview” also voted at a higher percentage, up to 67% in 2024 from 2020’s 64%. Just days before the election, Trump predicted that Harris would struggle with the Catholic vote on Election Day. “Kamala Harris has finally lost the Catholic vote,” he said on social media on Oct. 25. “Her and the Democrats persecution of the Catholic Church is unprecedented! Her poll numbers have dropped like a rock, both with Catholics, and otherwise.” While many politicos expressed concerns that Trump’s moderate pro-life stance would disenfranchise Christian and anti-abortion voters, it seems to have much less of an impact than expected. In fact, Trump pointed to Harris’ abortion stance as pushing Catholics toward voting for him. “Kamala is demanding late-term abortion, in months seven, eight, and nine, and even execution after birth, and people aren’t buying it – and they never will,” the former president said . The report found that 20% of Christians selected abortion as the most-consequential issue this election, with inflation (38%) and immigration (34%) receiving even higher percentages. Yet, potentially even more impactful on the election than the increase in the Catholic vote was the significant drop in non-Christian turnout, even higher than those reported in Christian subgroups. The report found that adults “associated with a faith other than Christianity” and “adults who have no religious faith” had a massive drop in turnout from 2020, dropping 12% and 9% respectively. With both of these groups historically supporting Democratic candidates, this cratering in support likely had a significant impact on Harris’ chances of winning. George Barna, who serves as the director of research at the Cultural Research Center and led the survey, said Trump’s boost with Christians was just too much for Harris. “Americans forget that two-thirds of adults in this nation consider themselves to be Christians,” Barna said . “Donald Trump, for all of his perceived and ridiculed faults, did a better job than did Kamala Harris of representing hallowed Christian characteristics such as the importance and support of family, the rule of law, limited government authority, financial responsibility, and the like.”Suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO killing charged with murder in New York, court records show

More Scots business owners anticipate higher turnover in 2025, poll suggestsLos Angeles Chargers rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey, listed as questionable due to a shoulder issue, is expected to play Monday night against the visiting Baltimore Ravens, NFL Network reported. McConkey missed practice on Thursday and was limited on Friday and Saturday. Star linebacker Khalil Mack, who was questionable because of a groin injury and was a limited participant, also is expected to play, according to the report. The Chargers (7-3) made several moves Monday ahead of the game against the Ravens (7-4), placing tight end Hayden Hurst (hip) on injured reserve, activating cornerback Deane Leonard (hamstring) off IR, signing cornerback Eli Apple from the practice to the active squad, and elevating linebacker Caleb Murphy and safety Tony Jefferson for game day. McConkey, 23, has started nine of 10 games and has 43 receptions on 63 targets for 615 yards and four touchdowns. The Chargers drafted the 6-foot, 185-pound McConkey in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Georgia. Mack, 33, is a three-time first-team All-Pro, an eight-time Pro Bowl selection and the 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He has started the nine games he has played and has 26 tackles and 4.5 sacks this season. For his career, Mack has 617 tackles, 106 sacks, 141 tackles for loss, 178 quarterback hits, three interceptions -- two returned for touchdowns -- 32 forced fumbles and 13 fumble recoveries in 160 games (159 starts). He has played for the Raiders (2014-17), Chicago Bears (2018-21) and Chargers. Hurst, 31, has started two of seven games in his first season with the Chargers. He has seven receptions on 12 targets for 65 yards. A first-round pick (25th overall) by Baltimore in the 2018 NFL Draft out of South Carolina, Hurst has 202 receptions for 1,967 yards and 15 TDs in 86 games (41 starts) for the Ravens (2018-19), Atlanta Falcons (2020-21), Cincinnati Bengals (2022), Carolina Panthers (2023) and Chargers. Apple, 29, has two tackles in three games this season, his first with the Chargers. The 10th overall selection in the 2016 draft, Apple has 383 career tackles and six interceptions in 101 games (82 starts) for the New York Giants (2016-18), New Orleans Saints (2018-19), Panthers (2020), Bengals (2021-22), Miami Dolphins (2023) and Chargers. Leonard, who turned 25 last Tuesday, has four tackles in four games this season. His 21-day practice window on IR opened Wednesday. --Field Level Media

Oklahoma's Zac Alley joins Rich Rodriguez's West Virginia staff as defensive coordinator