A herd of nearly 100 former senior U.S. intelligence, diplomacy and national security officials urged Senate leaders on Thursday to hold a closed-door hearing to siphon through Tulsi Gabbard's government records. President-elect Donald Trump has plucked Gabbard , a former Democratic presidential candidate and member of Congress, to be his national intelligence director, saying she will bring a "fearless spirit" to the critical role. But in a letter addressed to Sens. John Thune, R-S.D., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who will lead their parties next year in the upper chamber, the former officials said they are "alarmed" at the idea of Gabbard overseeing all 18 U.S. intelligence agencies. "Several of Ms. Gabbard’s past actions call into question her ability to deliver unbiased intelligence briefings to the President, Congress and to the entire national security apparatus," the group alleged. The officials signing the letter included ex-CIA officers, former deputy secretaries of state and retired military service members who worked in Democratic and Republican administrations. They specifically called attention to Gabbard's trip to Syria in 2017, when she met with President Bashar al-Assad . That trip angered many Democrats at the time, who felt it legitimized Assad, who was being accused of war crimes against a popular uprising backed by Iran and Russia. The letter also targeted her past statements that critics say echo Russian talking points . "Her sympathy for dictators like Vladimir Putin and Assad raises questions about her judgment and fitness," the group alleged in the letter. Russian state TV has praised Gabbard on several occasions, but in a statement to USA TODAY, Trump transition team spokesperson Alexa Henning defended the former congresswoman, saying the letter to Senate leaders is a "perfect example" of why she was chosen for the role of national intelligence director. "These unfounded attacks are from the same geniuses who have blood on their hands from decades of faulty 'intelligence,' including the non-existent weapons of mass destruction ," Henning said. "These intel officials continue to use classification as a partisan weapon to smear and imply things about their political enemy without putting the facts out." More: On the 20th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, these photos tell the story of the war Gabbard, 43, represented Hawaii as a Democrat in the House, where she was once considered a rising star by progressives mainly due to her opposition to the Iraq War as a retired Army officer. She ran for president in the 2020 primary, but citing repeated rifts with the Democratic establishment she eventually left the party two years later before registering as a Republican this year. Gabbard served in two tours of duty in the Middle East and cited rising international conflicts as the reason she endorsed Trump for president earlier this year. Political observers believe confirming Gabbard will require a heavier lift in the Senate compared to others, especially among hawkish Republicans who could oppose the choice. But the former congresswoman is well-liked among Trump's base and by more isolationist-leaning GOP lawmakers. "The uproar from the uniparty over Tulsi Gabbard's nomination to be Director of National Intelligence simply proves she’s the perfect choice," Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisconsin, said in a post via X. "I look forward to voting in favor of her confirmation."
Mike Redding is used to coaching against teams for a second time come the tournament. This time, the repeat meeting will take place at Gillette Stadium. Just five weeks after coming up short against them in week eight to finish the regular season, No. 3 Mansfield will look to take down Hockomock Davenport foe North Attleboro in the Division 3 Super Bowl on Friday at 8 p.m. The Red Rocketeers handed Mansfield its only league loss of the fall, defeating the Hornets 14-10 on Oct. 25. From 2017-19, Mansfield faced then Kelley-Rex rival King Philip in the regular season only to then face them in the postseason. The Hornets fared better in each of those matchups the second time around. Redding is hoping that pattern holds. “You definitely learn some stuff the first time around. Teams evolve a bit also over the course of the postseason,” Redding said. “I remember experiencing it with King Philip well and faring better on the scoreboard the second time in each occurrence. I think we’re able to adjust.” The Hornets are led by their ground game of Sean McCoy and Mason Bordieri. McCoy has 15 touchdowns. Quarterback Tommy Vallett has improved as the season has gone on with the junior completing over 75 percent of his passes the second half of the season. Anthony DeGirolamo led the Hockomock in receiving touchdowns with nine. Up front, Sam Dunn, Chris Holts, Arthur DeAguiar, Curtis Riley and Nate Pailler look to dictate the line of scrimmage. Defensively, Riley Sigman, Bordieri and McCoy hold down the secondary. Matt Touringey is a stout outside linebacker. “Coming into the year, I thought we would compete to get into the state tournament and maybe win a playoff game, but I was not necessarily expecting this,” Redding said. “We have really clicked the second half of the season.” North Attleboro is impressing with its postseason run. After defeating Woburn and Westboro by a combined 77-14, the Red Rocketeers defeated top overall seed Reading in the semifinals without star running back and linebacker Ryan Bannon. In Bannon’s place, quarterback Chase Frisoli stepped up against Reading, taking off for 311 yards over 27 carries to go with four scores. Frisoli has 22 touchdowns, with 13 through the air and nine on the ground. When Bannon is on the field he is explosive with 12 total touchdowns. Frankie Strachan is the team’s lead blocker at 6-foot-1, 255 pounds and will get some carries at fullback. Around Frisoli there is no shortage of weapons. Bryce Kiser is the team’s top receiver while Brady Paradis tortures teams on the ground and in the passing game. Corey Rafino adds another dimension at running back. Defensively, Bannon is at the center of it all from his linebacker position. The defensive line is made up of Reid Clemente, Nate Rivera, Patrick Hamilton and Austin Clemente. “Our seniors do a really good job of holding themselves accountable,” head coach Michael Strachan said. “They know how important it is to have a great week of practice. They go back to the basics and do the little things every time.” Mansfield vs. North Attleboro Friday, 8 p.m. at Gillette Stadium Head coach: Mike Redding Mansfield 48, Everett 14 Duxbury 21, Mansfield 0 Mansfield 48, Johnston (RI) 0 Marshfield 13, Mansfield 10 Mansfield 42, Stoughton 0 Mansfield 35, Oliver Ames 7 North Attleboro 14, Mansfield 10 Mansfield 43, Canton 32 Mansfield 42, Doherty 17 Mansfield 14, Dartmouth 6 Mansfield 42, Walpole 28 Mansfield 21, Foxboro 7 Head coach: Mike Strachan North Attleboro 48, Lynn Classical 14 North Attleboro 21, Lynn Classical 6 North Attleboro 42, Taunton 8 North Attleboro 51, Oliver Ames 0 Canton 12, North Attleboro 10 North Attleboro 51, Stoughton 6 North Attleboro 14, Mansfield 10 Foxboro 19, North Attleboro 14 North Attleboro 35, Woburn 7 North Attleboro 42, Westborough 7 North Attleboro 42, Reading 20 North Attleboro 38, Attleboro 8 Mansfield is making its 12th appearance in a championship game and has posted an impressive 8-3 record. The Hornets last played in the final in 2019 when Vinny Holmes rushed for 149 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-0 win over Lincoln-Sudbury to claim the Div. 2 crown. North Attleboro is no stranger to the postseason, having appeared in 11 title games. The last time the Red Rocketeers won a Super Bowl game, it was one for the ages as they defeated Swampscott 44-40 to win the Div. 3 title in 2002. The game is a rematch of an Oct. 25 regular season contest in which North Attleboro emerged victorious in a defensive struggle, 14-10. While I think North Attleboro might be the better team, there is something about Mansfield and its late season run which seems to make me hedge my pick a bit. Pick: Mansfield
Trump’s DOJ obtained more private communications from third-parties including AppleIt’s here. American Thanksgiving. While most of our friends south of the border look at the late-November holiday and think NFL when it comes to sports, most Canadians view it through a different lens. They examine the NHL standings – hoping that their team is above the playoff line. Why? Since realignment occurred over a decade ago, 80% of the teams that are in playoff spots at Thanksgiving qualify for the post-season. For those that are mathematically challenged, that’s 13 out of 16 teams. That was the case last season as well as Edmonton, Nashville and the New York Islanders were the only teams to make the playoffs despite being on the outside looking in on Nov. 23, 2023. Last year on that date, the Vancouver Canucks had 27 points and only the Vegas Golden Knights — with 30 — had more. The Canucks performance in those first 20 games basically clinched a playoff spot. This season the Canucks haven’t been as fortunate. Not having the services of all-star goaltender Thatcher Demko since the start of the season due to a knee injury was the first issue that the hockey club had to deal with. Dakota Joshua also missed the first 14 games recovering from off-season cancer surgery. Brock Boeser suffered what appeared to be a concussion on Nov. 7 and missed seven games but was set to return to the lineup in Boston against the Bruins on Tuesday night. Then there’s J.T. Miller, who took a leave of absence on Nov. 19 for personal reasons. Add it all up and it’s a Canuck team that has been treading water without their three All-Stars from a year ago. After Monday’s games, Vancouver was below the playoff bar with 23 points, trailing both Colorado and Edmonton by one point for the two wildcard spots. The Canucks are also two points behind the Los Angeles Kings for third place in the Pacific Division. The good news with all of these scenarios is that the Canucks have played the least number of games — 19 — of any team in the National Hockey League entering Tuesday’s game versus Boston. They have three games in hand on Edmonton, Colorado and Los Angeles. However, the question remains: will the Canucks make the playoffs? Many assume once the team gets 100% healthy, they will find a way to get it done but you know what they say about people who assume. Let’s start with Demko, the 28-year-old who compiled a 2.45 goals-against-average and a .918 save percentage last season to go along with 35 wins in 51 games. Since March 10, he has played a grand total of four games; that’s four games in eight months. After such a lengthy layoff, the biggest concern for Demko will be timing and getting used to the intensity level of NHL games. As we often say when it comes to football, nothing duplicates game speed. For Demko, getting used to the speed and regular chaos of NHL games will be a challenge. Then there is Boeser, who had been out of the lineup for almost three weeks after taking a headshot from Tanner Jeannot in a game against the Kings in early November. Hopefully, there won’t be any lingering symptoms from that injury and Boeser can regain the pace that saw him score 40 goals last year and which he was duplicating this season with six goals in 12 games. As for Miller, when he does return, what player will the Canucks be getting? His play had dipped to the point where he was benched for the last 14:40 of the third period in his final game versus Nashville on Nov. 17. Miller’s production had waned with only six goals and ten assists in 17 games – well off the levels from a year ago when he tallied 37 goals and 66 assists. Then there are other issues that are of concern as well. The second defensive pair of Tyler Myers and Carson Soucy has struggled this season to the point where the organization is checking in with other teams as they look to get help for their blue line corps. What has compounded the problem is that Tocchet has emphasized since training camp that he wants his defencemen to be more involved in the offense and generating more chances. That doesn’t exactly fit into the skill set of either Myers or Soucy so it’s been noted that the Canucks are talking to other teams with Pittsburgh’s Marcus Pettersson being a player of interest. Although Pettersson is a solid defender, he’s not exactly the answer to the Canucks problems when it comes to offence from the back-end. While we are on the topic of Petterssons, the enigma known as Elias Pettersson will need to regain the form that saw him be a dynamic play-driver who scored 30-plus goals the last three seasons. Tocchet and the organization wanted to see more of an investment from Pettersson and the Swede has shown signs of improvement with four goals and six assists in his last seven games. There are other positive signs as well. Quinn Hughes continues to play at a Norris Trophy-calibre level while Kevin Lankinen has provided consistent goaltending during Demko’s absence. Conor Garland continues to play like Conor Garland and Pius Sutter and Teddy Blueger continue to provide good depth while new additions Kiefer Sherwood and Erik Brannstrom have exceeded expectations. Given what we know about the U.S Thanksgiving Day playoff trend, it’s not a slam dunk that the Canucks will make the post-season but it’s not a slam dunk they won’t either. Unlike last year when the team had enough of a cushion in the standings to play games pressure-free for the most part in the second half, it appears they won’t have that luxury this season. As Tocchet always likes to say, things are going to just keep ‘getting tougher’ and the Canucks are going to have to ‘embrace the hard’ as they deal with the grind of an NHL season. Their playoff hopes will depend on it.
