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Matt Gaetz accused of paying minor for sex in ethics reportLaurie M. (Rooney) GrayCOLLEGE STATION, Texas — The 20th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies have a shot to reach the Southeastern Conference championship game for the first time since joining the league in 2012. The only thing standing in their way: archrival No. 3 Texas. Texas A&M and Texas will meet for the first time since 2011 on Saturday night at Kyle Field where a frenzied crowd expected to exceed 110,000 will welcome back a storied rivalry that dates to 1894 . “We know that this is going to be history if we make it,” Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed said. “And... a lot of people don’t have faith and didn’t have faith just because it’s the first year with the new coach, new OC, new DC, all the things and kind of a rebuild season (but) we’re here now and we’ve got a chance to go make this opportunity what we want it to be.” The winner advances to face No. 6 Georgia on Dec. 7 in Atlanta. “I think it’s great for college football that this game with us and them is going to matter on a grander scale than what’s just happening in the state of Texas,” Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian said. “But I also know how much it means to every household in the state of Texas.” Texas A&M is looking to bounce back after dropping a four-overtime thriller at Auburn last week. Texas has won four straight after its only loss of the season against the Bulldogs on Oct. 19. “You hope to get to the last game of the year playing for everything,” said Texas A&M coach Mike Elko, who was hired after Jimbo Fisher’s firing last year. “And we’re in the last game of the year and playing for everything.” The Longhorns will face a hostile crowd that has waited more than a decade for payback after Texas came to Kyle Field for the last meeting in 2011 and left with a 27-25 victory. “It’s probably going to be like the Alabama game, the Notre Dame and the LSU game on steroids,” Texas A&M linebacker Taurean York said. Texas has plenty of recent experience in dealing with tough road crowds. The Longhorns beat Alabama at home in 2023 and won at Michigan and Arkansas this season. In all, Texas has won 10 straight on an opponent’s home field. “I mean, it’s going to be amazing,” Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron said. “You know, these are the type of moments you live for.” Though these Longhorns and Aggies were all in grade school the last time these teams locked horns, the players all seem to get the gravity of this rivalry. “At first some of the guys weren’t fully grasping what this game means and how important it is,” Texas A&M offensive lineman Trey Zuhn III said. “But now that we’ve gotten close and now it’s game week, I think everyone understands how big this game is and how much they need to lock in and focus for this game.” Texas put the game away against Kentucky with a 15-play drive in the fourth quarter that included 12 runs and chewed up more than 8 minutes off the clock. Quintrevion Wisner had a career-high 158 yards, which was just the fourth time this season and Texas back has hit the 100-yard mark. Elko is focused on eliminating explosive plays after his defense allowed pass plays of 31, 44 and a 63-yard touchdown in the loss to Auburn. “Just can’t let them happen,” he said. “You can’t let the ball go over your head.” The Aggies have been strong against the run this season but have struggled at times against the pass and rank 81st in the nation by allowing 227.7 yards passing a game. The Texas secondary has allowed just four passing touchdowns this season but taken away 17 interceptions. But the Longhorns are having their own issues. Texas has fumbled the ball seven times in the last two games, six against Kentucky, which returned one 25 yards for a touchdown. “We just couldn’t hold onto the dang ball,” Sarkisian said. “We’ve got to get that fixed.” Texas A&M’s defensive front is a strength of the team and the Aggies are 17th in the country with 78 tackles for loss. Defensive end Nic Scourton leads the group with 14 and linebacker Scooby Williams has seven. Texas won the 2011 matchup on Justin Tucker’s final play field goal from 40 yards that split the upright with the precision of a surgeon’s scalpel. Texas kicker Bert Auburn has struggled on long field goals this season. He is 9 of 13 overall, but just 4 of 8 from 40 yards or longer. Against Kentucky last week, he made one from 49 yards but also missed one from 47. ___ AP Sports Writer Jim Vertuno contributed to this report.
Mixed day for global stocks as market hopes for 'Santa Claus rally'Today, the FDA granted regulatory approval to vibegron (Gemtesa; Sumitomo Pharma America), a beta-3 (β ) andrenergic receptor agonist dosed once daily, for the treatment of men with overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms who are receiving pharmacological therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), according to a news release from Sumitomo Pharma America (SMPA). "The clinical data on once-daily vibegron demonstrated clear improvements in key OAB symptoms in patients also receiving pharmacological therapy for BPH, showcasing the potential of Gemtesa to offer patients a way to gain better control of their symptoms," Yumi Sat, chief development officer of SMPA, said in the news release. “We have the potential to give men living with this disease a life with fewer interruptions due to their OAB symptoms." Image Credit: © Tom | stock.adobe.com According to the news release, the approval makes vibegron the first and only β3 agonist approved to treat patients living with OAB and being treated with BPH and is currently available for prescription in the United States. Often mistaken as a natural aspect of aging, OAB symptoms can be associated with BPH, an increasingly prevalent condition in men as they age. Millions of men in the United States live with BPH, with up to 75% of them having clinical symptoms of OAB. Unfortunately, around 80% of OAB cases in men can go undiagnosed. The regulatory action is based on results of URO-901-3005, a phase 3 trial analyzing vibegron versus placebo over 24 weeks in around 1100 men with OAB symptoms receiving pharmacological therapy for BPH. In results announced in 2023, vibegron met both co-primary end points, including change from baseline in the average number of urination episodes per day and change from baseline in the average number of urgency episodes per day. Another end point indicated a reduction in instances of urgent urinary incontinence episodes (an unintentional loss of urine immediately after an urgent need to urinate) per day at 12 weeks. Adverse reactions included urinary tract infection and hypertension, with a 4.3% frequency of serious adverse events—a similar rate to the placebo arm (2.9%), according to the investigators. "Millions of patients suffer from OAB along with existing BPH. OAB is a urological condition that has limited treatment options to address their symptoms and impact on their social life,” Tsutomu Nakagawa, PhD, president and chief executive officer of SMPA, said in the news release. “The FDA's expanded approval of [vibegron] is an important milestone for the men with unresolved symptoms of OAB while being treated for BPH.”
Former U.S. Rep Matt Gaetz (R-FL) will not return to Congress after withdrawing as President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general nominee. Gaetz resigned from the 118th Congress but could still technically be sworn into the 119th and return to his seat after winning reelection earlier this month. But on Friday, he told Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk he would not be a member of the next Congress, which takes over in January. “I’m still going to be in the fight, but it’s going to be from a new perch. I do not intend to join the 119th Congress,” Gaetz told Kirk on Real America Voices’s The Charlie Kirk Show. “There are a number of fantastic Floridians who’ve stepped up to run for my seat, people who have inspired with their heroism, with their public service, and I’m actually excited to see Northwest Florida go to new heights and have great representation,” he added. Gaetz emphasized that he would continue to fight for Trump and the MAGA movement. “I’m going to be doing whatever he asks of me, as I always have. But I think that eight years is probably enough time in the United States Congress,” he said. Gaetz and Kirk also discussed the House Ethics Committee report on Gaetz, and the effect that had in the former congressman’s decision to bow out of consideration. Gaetz said that the report’s allegations were from “sources that [Attorney General] Merrick Garland’s DOJ [Department of Justice] had already deemed not credible.” He also said he could have taken on a months-long confirmation fight and answered all questions about the matter, but Trump needs an attorney general who can hit the ground running on day one. “I could have answered all those questions. I could have engaged in a months-long fact battle, but we don’t have months to go through that,” he said. “We got to have an A.G. ready to go, day one, to implement the immigration agenda and work on the other key policy, deregulatory objectives of the president,” he said. Trump has selected former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his pick to lead the Justice Department now that Gaetz has pulled himself as the nominee. Gaetz praised Bondi and predicted she would have a smooth confirmation process. “My good friend Pam Bondi is going to be a phenomenal attorney general for Donald Trump. She has the legal acumen. She hates criminals. She is a bright legal mind and a fellow Floridian,” Gaetz said. “Pam Bondi’s confirmation won’t have some of the sharp edges that mine would have. It won’t take the same long process,” he went on to add. “So A.G. Bondi will be able to start implementing those Trump policies right away, so we’re ready on day one.”
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The Christmas tradition has become nearly global in scope: Children from around the world track Santa Claus as he sweeps across the earth, delivering presents and defying time. Each year, at least 100,000 kids call into the North American Aerospace Defense Command to inquire about Santa’s location. Millions more follow online in nine languages , from English to Japanese. On any other night, NORAD is scanning the heavens for potential threats , such as last year’s Chinese spy balloon . But on Christmas Eve, volunteers in Colorado Springs are fielding questions like, “When is Santa coming to my house?” and, “Am I on the naughty or nice list?” “There are screams and giggles and laughter,” said Bob Sommers, 63, a civilian contractor and NORAD volunteer. Sommers often says on the call that everyone must be asleep before Santa arrives, prompting parents to say, “Do you hear what he said? We got to go to bed early.” NORAD’s annual tracking of Santa has endured since the Cold War , predating ugly sweater parties and Mariah Carey classics . Here’s how it began and why the phones keep ringing. The origin story is Hollywood-esque It started with a child’s accidental phone call in 1955. The Colorado Springs newspaper printed a Sears advertisement that encouraged children to call Santa, listing a phone number. A boy called. But he reached the Continental Air Defense Command, now NORAD, a joint U.S. and Canadian effort to spot potential enemy attacks. Tensions were growing with the Soviet Union, along with anxieties about nuclear war. Air Force Col. Harry W. Shoup picked up an emergency-only “red phone” and was greeted by a tiny voice that began to recite a Christmas wish list. “He went on a little bit, and he takes a breath, then says, ‘Hey, you’re not Santa,’” Shoup told The Associated Press in 1999. Realizing an explanation would be lost on the youngster, Shoup summoned a deep, jolly voice and replied, “Ho, ho, ho! Yes, I am Santa Claus. Have you been a good boy?” Shoup said he learned from the boy’s mother that Sears mistakenly printed the top-secret number. He hung up, but the phone soon rang again with a young girl reciting her Christmas list. Fifty calls a day followed, he said. In the pre-digital age, the agency used a 60-by-80 foot (18-by-24 meter) plexiglass map of North America to track unidentified objects. A staff member jokingly drew Santa and his sleigh over the North Pole. The tradition was born. “Note to the kiddies,” began an AP story from Colorado Springs on Dec. 23, 1955. “Santa Claus Friday was assured safe passage into the United States by the Continental Air Defense Command.” In a likely reference to the Soviets, the article noted that Santa was guarded against possible attack from “those who do not believe in Christmas.” Is the origin story humbug? Some grinchy journalists have nitpicked Shoup’s story, questioning whether a misprint or a misdial prompted the boy’s call. In 2014, tech news site Gizmodo cited an International News Service story from Dec. 1, 1955, about a child’s call to Shoup. Published in the Pasadena Independent, the article said the child reversed two digits in the Sears number. “When a childish voice asked COC commander Col. Harry Shoup, if there was a Santa Claus at the North Pole, he answered much more roughly than he should — considering the season: ‘There may be a guy called Santa Claus at the North Pole, but he’s not the one I worry about coming from that direction,’” Shoup said in the brief piece. In 2015, The Atlantic magazine doubted the flood of calls to the secret line, while noting that Shoup had a flair for public relations. Phone calls aside, Shoup was indeed media savvy. In 1986, he told the Scripps Howard News Service that he recognized an opportunity when a staff member drew Santa on the glass map in 1955. A lieutenant colonel promised to have it erased. But Shoup said, “You leave it right there,” and summoned public affairs. Shoup wanted to boost morale for the troops and public alike. “Why, it made the military look good — like we’re not all a bunch of snobs who don’t care about Santa Claus,” he said. Shoup died in 2009. His children told the StoryCorps podcast in 2014 that it was a misprinted Sears ad that prompted the phone calls. “And later in life he got letters from all over the world,” said Terri Van Keuren, a daughter. “People saying ‘Thank you, Colonel, for having, you know, this sense of humor.’” A rare addition to Santa’s story NORAD’s tradition is one of the few modern additions to the centuries-old Santa story that have endured, according to Gerry Bowler, a Canadian historian who spoke to the AP in 2010. Ad campaigns or movies try to “kidnap” Santa for commercial purposes, said Bowler, who wrote “Santa Claus: A Biography.” NORAD, by contrast, takes an essential element of Santa’s story and views it through a technological lens. In a recent interview with the AP, Air Force Lt. Gen. Case Cunningham explained that NORAD radars in Alaska and Canada — known as the northern warning system — are the first to detect Santa. He leaves the North Pole and typically heads for the international dateline in the Pacific Ocean. From there he moves west, following the night. “That’s when the satellite systems we use to track and identify targets of interest every single day start to kick in,” Cunningham said. “A probably little-known fact is that Rudolph’s nose that glows red emanates a lot of heat. And so those satellites track (Santa) through that heat source.” NORAD has an app and website, www.noradsanta.org , that will track Santa on Christmas Eve from 4 a.m. to midnight, Mountain Standard Time. People can call 1-877-HI-NORAD to ask live operators about Santa’s location from 6 a.m. to midnight, mountain time.
Trump selects longtime adviser Keith Kellogg as special envoy for Ukraine and RussiaShohei Ohtani wins 3rd AP Male Athlete of the Year award, tying Michael Jordan for 1 shy of record LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani has been named The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for the third time. That ties the two-way superstar with Michael Jordan, an athlete Ohtani followed while growing up in Japan. He trails only Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods and LeBron James, who each won the award four times. Ohtani received 48 votes in balloting by 74 sports journalists from the AP and its members. He earned his third National League Most Valuable Player award after helping the Dodgers win their eighth World Series title. Ohtani hit 54 home runs and stole 59 bases as the first player with a 50-50 season. His dog, Decoy, became a celebrity, too, helping Ohtani deliver a ceremonial first pitch at a game. Tennessee and Auburn remain 1-2 in AP Top 25 poll featuring 10 SEC teams Tennessee and Auburn remained Nos. 1-2 atop The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll. They were the headliners among the Southeastern Conference's haul of 10 ranked teams. Iowa State, Duke and Alabama rounded out the top five. Kentucky had the week's biggest fall, sliding six spots to No. 10 after a loss to Ohio State. Mississippi State, Arkansas, Illinois and Baylor rejoined the poll after stints in the rankings earlier this season. They replaced Memphis, Dayton, Michigan and Clemson. The Big 12 and Big Ten were tied for second with five teams each in the AP Top 25. USC up to No. 4 in women's AP Top 25 after win over UConn. UCLA, South Carolina, Notre Dame stay 1-3 Southern California jumped to No. 4 in The Associated Press women’s college basketball poll on Monday after edging UConn. The Trojans moved up three spots after beating the then-No. 4 Huskies 72-70 in a rematch of last season’s Elite Eight game that UConn won. UCLA, South Carolina and Notre Dame remained the top three teams. The Bruins received 30 of the 32 first-place votes from a national media panel. The Gamecocks and the Fighting Irish each got one first-place vote. UConn fell to seventh behind Texas and LSU. Maryland, Oklahoma and Ohio State rounded out the top 10 teams. Former NFL great Michael Vick introduced as Norfolk State’s football coach NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Michael Vick has been introduced as Norfolk State’s football coach, a homecoming for the former NFL star and a splashy, attention-grabbing hire for a program that has struggled in recent years. Vick donned a Norfolk State letterman’s jacket and cap in front of a crowd of supporters that included fellow Hampton Roads, Virginia, sports greats Allen Iverson and Bruce Smith. Vick led Virginia Tech to the national championship game as a redshirt freshman and was selected No. 1 overall in the 2001 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons. His career was derailed by his conviction in 2007 for his involvement in a dogfighting ring. On Football: Falcons and Buccaneers flip spots atop the NFC South and playoff races tighten up The 49ers, Cowboys and Cardinals are out of the playoff race. The Falcons took control of their hopes and the Colts, Dolphins and Bengals kept slim chances alive. The NFL’s playoff picture became clearer Sunday. With two weeks remaining, three of eight division titles are secured, eight teams have wrapped up playoff berths and 11 more are competing for the six remaining spots. The biggest change in the standings occurred in the NFC South with Atlanta reclaiming the top spot from Tampa Bay. The Chiefs have the inside track for the AFC's No. 1 seed and the NFC's top spot could likely come down to the Vikings-Lions matchup in Week 18. No. 1 Oregon and No. 8 Ohio State gear up for rematch of thriller won by Ducks Oregon and Ohio State have already produced one heck of a game this season. Now, the top-seeded Ducks and eighth-seeded Buckeyes are gearing up for a rematch more than 10 weeks later in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game at the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. Of course, both teams have had ample time for evolution since that 32-31 Oregon win on Oct. 12. But they also have that game and players’ familiarity with each other, not to mention common opponents in the Big Ten. Texas, Arizona State to meet in CFP clash of old vs. new Big 12 champs AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas won the Big 12 title in 2023 on its way out the door to the Southeastern Conference. It was still swinging open when Arizona State waltzed in and won the league title in its debut season. And now last season’s Big 12 champs meet the new Big 12 champs on the path toward a potential national title. The fifth-seeded Longhorns and fourth-seeded Sun Devils play News Years Day in the Peach Bowl in the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff. Penn State preparing for hard-charging Jeanty and Boise State in CFP quarterfinals STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Penn State players have watched Ashton Jeanty make opponents look silly all season. They don’t want to be the next defenders Boise State’s star posterizes with jukes, spin moves, stiff arms and heavy shoulders. But they also know that slowing down Jeanty, who finished second in Heisman Trophy voting, will be their toughest task yet when the two teams meet in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31. NCAA appealing Pavia injunction as D-I board grants waiver to former JUCO players The NCAA on Monday appealed the preliminary injunction granted by a U.S. federal judge giving Diego Pavia another year of eligibility even as the organization’s Division I board of directors granted a waiver allowing athletes in a similar situation as the Vanderbilt quarterback to play in 2025-26. The injunction Dec. 18 was limited to Pavia arguing he was likely to win on his argument that NCAA Division I eligibility rules discriminated against his junior college seasons. The NCAA waiver announced Monday should limit the lawsuits from other athletes who started at a junior college seeking another season to access name, image and likeness opportunities. Texas sues NCAA in latest push to block transgender athletes in women's sports AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued the NCAA to block the participation of transgender athletes in women’s sports, arguing that it tricks and misleads fans. The lawsuit filed in state district court argues the NCAA violates the Texas Trade Practices Act. The law is designed to protect consumers from deceptive business practices. The lawsuit is the latest attempt by conservative politicians to target transgender athletes and push the NCAA into banning them from competition. NCAA President Charlie Baker recently told Congress he was aware of fewer than 10 active transgender athletes.
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