MOREHEAD, Ky. (AP) — Isaiah Smith ran for a career-high 205 yards on 31 carries and scored a touchdown and San Diego beat Morehead State 37-14 in a season-ending contest for both teams on Saturday. Grant Sergent threw for 184 yards and two touchdowns for San Diego (8-3, 6-2 Pioneer Football League) which ended the season with a four-game win streak and winners of six of seven. The Toreros finished in sole possession of second place in the PFL behind Drake (7-1), which clinched the league outright with a 49-10 win over Stetson on Saturday. Drake beat San Diego 30-28 on a walk-off field goal on Sept. 28 in Des Moines, Iowa. Bryce Patterson threw for 133 yards and a touchdown and James Louis ran for a touchdown for the Eagles (7-5, 5-3). ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP collegebasketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketballFormer Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., closes a door to a private meeting with Vice President-elect JD Vance and Republican Senate Judiciary Committee members, at the Capitol in Washington on Wednesday. J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press The big moment. Former congressman Matt Gaetz’s time as President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for attorney general has come to an end. It wound up lasting less than a Scaramucci. Gaetz, R-Florida, announced suddenly Thursday that he’s withdrawing from consideration, amid continued revelations about sexual misconduct claims against him, questions about a looming House Ethics Committee report and resistance from his fellow Republicans. Both Gaetz and Trump in social media posts claimed that Gaetz was doing well but had become a “distraction” – a PR word that often gets bandied about in untenable circumstances. But Gaetz’s downfall was about more than a momentary distraction. It was a sizable early setback for Trump, just more than two weeks after his triumphant 2024 election win. It’s also a sign that institutions – or at least a few members of them – can still stand up to Trump, and a remarkably swift conclusion to what could be a series of tussles between Trump and his own party. Let’s dive into those dynamics and other takeaways. IT’S A MAJOR SETBACK FOR TRUMP Gaetz was always going to be a tough sell, even for his fellow Republicans. Just four Republican senators would have been enough to kill his nomination if they voted with all Democrats. And plenty expressed reservations. There is not much love for Gaetz in congressional Republican circles, dating back to his successful effort to oust then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-California, last year. His baggage was also the most problematic among Trump’s controversial nominees, given that it involved allegations of sex with a 17-year-old – and particularly given the prospect of the ethics report coming out. On Tuesday, I wrote about how Gaetz’s nomination was in the most trouble, full stop. That wasn’t exactly a hot take. But just because this was predictable doesn’t mean it’s not bad for Trump. Trump chose to spend some of his earliest post-election political capital on this fight, daring Republican senators to defy him just a week after his election. He chose someone for a prestigious Cabinet department who had major baggage that was obvious to anyone with access to Google. And that gamble quickly fell apart. The whole thing suggests a very fast-and-loose Trump operation – no surprise if you were paying attention from 2017 through early 2021 – that is going to keep creating problems for the man in charge and his party. That there was apparently nobody around Trump willing or able to caution him against Gaetz doesn’t augur well for what lies ahead. Trump undoubtedly cares less about the idea that his political capital is damaged than your average politician. He’ll just move on to the next thing. But it can’t help but look like weakness – including to the Republicans he could clash with within the months and years to come. IT SHOWS THAT INSTITUTIONS CAN STILL STAND UP TO TRUMP Trump has claimed that the 2024 election gave him a huge mandate – despite him failing to win a majority of the popular vote and Republicans gaining relatively little ground. And Republicans have largely echoed that line. Some have gone as far as to suggest it’s time to just give Trump pretty much whatever he wants, including his Cabinet picks. We don’t yet know all the details of why Gaetz withdrew and how much the GOP resistance played a role (vs., say, Gaetz worrying about his own personal dirty laundry being aired). But regardless, this is an early signal that institutions – whether Republican senators, the legal and ethics systems, and/or the media – can still provide a significant check on Trump, if they are so inclined. We shouldn’t oversell that. As noted, Gaetz was always likely to be a bridge too far. And seeing Republican senators give lukewarm quotes about him and choose to fight against him more privately doesn’t exactly suggest they feel empowered to publicly stand up to Trump. A handful of senators with reservations about Gaetz is far from the entire Senate, even as the opposition was apparently enough to make him and Trump think twice about moving forward. Still, Gaetz’s failure was an early test of the system. The system didn’t work in Trump’s favor. And Trump’s critics right now probably undersell how assertive the GOP-controlled Senate, in particular, could be. This is a chamber that features plenty of institutionalists who don’t love the idea of being rolled by the president and forced to do things they don’t like (tariffs, abandoning Ukraine, etc.). Trump has also signaled he’ll push his political and policy norm-breaking quite a bit further than in his first term. It only takes four Republicans to stand in his way, and there are a fair number of moderates, Trump critics and retiring senators who could do so. WHAT IT MEANS FOR TRUMP’S OTHER PICKS When Trump picked Gaetz last week, theories abounded about how maybe this wasn’t all that it seemed – that it wasn’t truly about getting Gaetz installed as attorney general. A prominent theory was that perhaps Gaetz was a stalking horse. It held that he was a completely unacceptable pick put forward to be rejected and make Trump’s other picks, including his next pick for attorney general, look more acceptable by comparison. Whether or not that was the intent, the question now becomes whether Gaetz withdrawing will indeed make it easier for Trump’s other picks, such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (health and human services secretary), Tulsi Gabbard (director of national intelligence) and Pete Hegseth (defense secretary). Will Republicans view themselves as having beaten back the worst of Trump’s picks and relent on other nominees? Maybe. But I think the lack of a true, extended fight over Gaetz makes that less plausible. It would be one thing if Republicans fought over Gaetz for months, and Trump supporters were able to send a strong signal that opposing Trump would come with a cost (including public attacks and primaries). Some murmurs of retribution began this week, but the revenge campaign never really took hold. Now Gaetz will be a distant memory by the time those other nominations get considered, and nobody had to vote against him. You could also make a strong argument that critics of Trump’s picks will be emboldened by beating this one back so quickly. WHAT’S NEXT FOR GAETZ Another big question after Gaetz’s withdrawal is what happens to his political career. He resigned from the current, 118th Congress last week, after all. But the Florida congressman was reelected this month to the 119th Congress and could take his seat come Jan. 3. Republicans will have a narrow majority in which every seat could matter. Georgetown University’s Matt Glassman has a good look at the legal ins and outs. Basically, it would probably be up to the Republican-controlled House, which can interpret its own rules. But also, coming back to Congress would almost undoubtedly lead to the release of that ethics report, at which point Gaetz and his fellow Republicans would have to relive all of this drama. And it could involve Republicans voting to reseat a guy they clearly have little regard for and view as a problem for their party. Gaetz has also been rumored as a potential candidate for Florida governor in 2026. As for whether he could win his party’s nomination and that office? It probably can’t be completely ruled out in a red state. A MOMENTOUS POLL NUMBER 51-36 That’s the margin by which voters in a new Economist/YouGov poll say they approve of Trump’s handling of his presidential transition. It’s one of the first polls of how people view Trump post-election. That suggests he’s gotten something of a honeymoon, at least as of Tuesday (when the poll concluded). It also suggests that the major controversies surrounding his Cabinet picks haven’t turned Americans against him. Or perhaps it’s that people really haven’t tuned in to nomination battles that won’t take place until early 2025. For instance, the same poll asked whether people approved of Gaetz’s selection, and voters were about evenly split – 37% favorable to 39% unfavorable. Maybe it’s just early and people have political fatigue. 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Minnesota hunters registered 120,675 deer after the third weekend of the firearms deer season, up 6% from 2023, but down 4% from the five-year mean, or average, the Department of Natural Resources reported Tuesday, Nov. 26. Deer Season A opened Saturday, Nov. 9, and ended Nov. 17 in 200- and 300-series deer permit areas (DPAs) and continued through Nov. 24 in 100-series DPAs, which are mainly in the northern and northeastern part of the state. The Season B firearms deer season in 300-series DPAs opened Nov. 23 and continues through Sunday, Dec. 1. The firearms deer harvest by region after 16 days was as follows: According to Todd Froberg, big game program coordinator for the DNR at Whitewater Wildlife Management Area in Altura, Minnesota, the harvest really only increased in the Northwest, Northeast and Central regions during the rest of the 16-day season and then in the B season in the southeast part of the state. The 200-series DPAs only had the nine-day season, and there is only one DPA in the southwest region open during the ongoing B season, Froberg said. The cumulative harvest to date, which includes archery, firearm, early antlerless, youth and special hunts, was 153,390 deer, the DNR said. That’s up 3% from 2023, but down 6% from the five-year average and down 8% from the 10-year average. Cumulative tallies by region were as follows: In related deer hunting news, Minnesota archery hunters as of Tuesday had harvested 23,047 deer, Froberg said, up 12% from last year. Crossbows, which are legal for all archery hunters in Minnesota, are making up a greater percentage of the archery harvest, Froberg says. “Crossbows are making up 47% of (the) archery harvest,” he said. “For crossbow-specific harvest, we are up 24% compared to last year’s crossbow harvest. Vertical bow harvest is up 4% compared to last year’s vertical bow harvest.” Minnesota’s muzzleloader opens Saturday, Nov. 30, and continues through Sunday, Dec. 15. Archery season continues through Dec. 31. The DNR posts regular harvest updates, both statewide and by DPA, on its website at dnr.state.mn.us/mammals/deer/management/statistics.html.Maverick McNealy and Vince Whaley share the lead in an RSM Classic that is wide open
NoneLEWISTON, Maine — Three touchdowns in as many trips to the red zone during the first half helped Wells High School jump out to a 21-0 lead and defeat Foxcroft Academy 34-0 in the Class D high school football state championship game Saturday afternoon at Don Roux Field at Lewiston High School. Wells won its second straight state title and finished a perfect 11-0 on the season. The Warriors have 14 consecutive victories dating back to the start of the 2023 postseason. A year ago the Warriors defeated Foxcroft 22-21 in Lewiston going ahead on a 2-point conversion completion in the final minute rather than trying a potential tying point after kick. That season the team returned to Class D after three years in Class C. Foxcroft ends at 11-1. The team has lost just three games in four seasons from 2021-24 with two of the losses coming against Wells to conclude 2023 and 2024. This year’s state championship appearance was Foxcroft’s fourth in a row, a record in Class D. This year’s matchup between the two programs was the fourth in seven seasons playing for the gold ball, with the Warriors defeating the Ponies 48-0 at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland in 2017 and 55-20 at the University of Maine’s Harold Alfond Sports Stadium in 2018 , making them 4-0 in these meetings. In its history Wells has now won seven combined state championships on the gridiron between Classes B, C and D. “Ultimately you have to tip your cap to your opponent, they are just a phenomenal team and a phenomenal program,” said Foxcroft head coach Danny White. After electing to defer and then holding Foxcroft to a 3-and-out, Wells took over at its own 26-yard line. The Warriors kept the ball on the ground to advance to the Pony-1 for a 2nd-and-goal. Here senior Eli Potter got his sixth carry of the drive and he went up the middle and into the end zone as Wells also chewed up 5:34 of clock. In the second quarter Wells had an 8-yard touchdown run by senior Dom Buxton after running the ball on all nine plays of the 4-minute drive that began at the team’s own 28. “Defensively we were on our heels, they got to their angles and their spots where they wanted to be,” White said. “It’s tough when a team gets momentum like that and starts to believe in what they are doing. We were fighting and scratching just to get to 2nd-and-7, 2nd-and-8 in those few and far opportunities where we were able to have a little defensive success. Ultimately they were really good today and we had to be nearly perfect.” Late in the first half Foxcroft got into Wells territory at the 28, which would be the furthest the Pony offense would get for most of the game until a drive late in the fourth stalled on the Warrior-23 following four straight incompletions. On this drive in the second quarter Buxton made a fourth down interception. An 87-yard pick six was nullified by a holding call on the return but Wells still had possession at the Foxcroft-21. A half dozen plays later junior Dominic Carbonneau scored on a 17-yard counter to the left to put his team ahead 21-0. Potter and Carbonneau would both run the ball into the end zone a second time in the third and fourth quarters respectively on 9- and 3-yard runs. “It puts a lot of pressure on kids when you are really only going about 15 deep and they are probably going into the 20s” White said about Wells’ depth advantage. “It just makes it a big challenge and they were able to execute today.”Adele bids tearful farewell to her Las Vegas residency: I will miss it terribly
Companies tighten security after a health care CEO's killing leads to a surge of threatsMore than a half-century ago, Noam Chomsky's seminal essay, "The Responsibility of Intellectuals," appeared in a Feb. 23, 1967, special issue of The New York Review of Books. That was then, at the height of the controversial war in Vietnam, when the question was who bore responsibility for speaking truth to power, for holding to task those responsible for prosecuting such an undeclared, unpopular and unwinnable war. This is now, today, when We the People are enjoined to raise this question anew, in light of the results of the recent presidential election and in anticipation of those who will soon occupy the corridors of power, presuming to do so on our behalf. The United States is not now at war in any traditional sense of the term; but the country is in an acute state of turmoil and drift, at home and abroad, that is every bit as serious and demanding as anything we have faced in recent memory. The incoming president will have all three ostensibly coequal branches of the federal government in his pocket, staffed with political and personal loyalists who have essentially forsaken their institutional responsibilities for checking and balancing one another in order to secure self-interested presidential favor. It promises to be a heretofore unequaled imperial presidency — unitary executive theory made real, but on steroids. As it was then in 1967, so it is now: The responsibility of "intellectuals" is, at least arguably, to act as the vanguard of republican democracy by filling the institutional void we have inherited, to serve as a mediating mechanism between government and the people, provide voice for the voiceless, think for the unthinking legions among us and perhaps thereby enable the public to live out the true meaning of popular sovereignty through informed civic engagement. Two questions that have forever encumbered treatment of intellectual responsibility remain with us. First, who are we talking about? Who are these privileged, specially endowed... Gregory D. FosterThese boldfacers, like the birds they’ll be gobbling up this Turkey Day, are stuffed with gratitude. Jalen Brunson, Knicks captain “I’m thankful for my family, my friends and my close circle who have always supported me non-stop, and who have always been there for me every single step of the way.” Cardinal Timothy Dolan , archbishop of New York “I am thankful for my faith, which inspires me to thank God for His many blessings. I am thankful that I will be able to spend Thanksgiving with my family in St. Louis. I am thankful that we continue to enjoy the freedoms of living in the United States of America, particularly the ability to freely exercise our religious faith.” Mayor Eric Adams “I’m filled with gratitude for my incredible family — especially my son, Jordan — as well as the resilience of our city and its people. I’m thankful for the hundreds of thousands of hardworking public servants — our first responders, teachers, sanitation workers, social workers, health care professionals and so many others — who make this city run every single day.” Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks center “I’m thankful for my family and Madison Square Garden.” Sebastian Maniscalco, comedian “This Thanksgiving, I’m thankful for my beautiful wife — she’s the glue that holds this circus together — and my daughter and son, who somehow turn every single day into something special ... and chaotic, but in the best way.” Tiler Peck , principal dancer at NYC Ballet “This year I am thankful for family, a new home and a new chapter with my fiancé and the gift to dance.” Steve Schirripa, “Sopranos” actor “I am thankful for my wife Laura, who just ran the NY marathon for the 12th time, our kids and our wonder dog Willy. And of course, the NY Yankees and Knicks!” Joan Vassos, “Golden Bachelorette” star “I’ve been blessed with the unwavering support of my family and longtime friends, and I’ve had the privilege of meeting new friends who have brought fresh perspectives, joy, and inspiration into my life. Perhaps most special of all, this year brought growth to our family, a reminder that life’s greatest treasures are the connections we share and the love that binds us. I’m deeply grateful for all of it.” Meghan McCain, “Citizen McCain” podcast host “I’m thankful for my family. I’m thankful to live in this country as an American, even in chaotic times. . . . I think anyone who’s lost someone they love to cancer, you’re just always so grateful every day for your health. And I’m grateful, honestly, that people still care what I have to say.” Joey McIntyre, New Kids on the Block “My wife Barrett. Without her, I would not be allowed to be performing eight shows a week off-Broadway in ‘Drag: The Musical’ — a dream for a theatre kid — while she has her hands full with our three kids in LA!” Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino , “Jersey Shore: Family Vacation” star “This year, there is so much to be thankful for! We are grateful for our beautiful and healthy family . . . my sobriety . . . We’re especially excited to experience the holiday season together as a family of five for the first time.” Rachael Ray, host of “Rachael Ray’s Holidays” “I’m always grateful to open my eyes each day, be in the kitchen, feed as many people as I can when I cook, and go to bed knowing I’ve used the knowledge and courage God granted me to help others and try to do good in the world.” Sonya Deville, aka Daria Berenato, WWE star “I am so thankful for my wife and kids, and the beautiful home and life we are building together. This year has been a special year with many firsts. Our first year of marriage, blending our wild exciting lives into one.” Maria Menounos, TV host and producer “This year, I’m especially thankful for my family and my health. We’ve so loved exploring life with our daughter and seeing everything through her eyes. This year, Athena even joined me on set for the filming of my Lifetime movie ‘Christmas At Plumhill Manor.’ Life has been so sweet and I’m forever grateful.”
Lantheus (NASDAQ:LNTH) Cut to Hold at StockNews.comUGI Declares Common DividendMONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — Uruguayans on Sunday voted in the second round of the country's presidential election , with the conservative governing party and a left-leaning coalition locked in a close runoff following level-headed campaigns widely seen as emblematic of the country's strong democracy. As polls closed Sunday evening, turnout stood at 89.4% — around the same as during the first round last month in which the two moderate coalitions both failed to win an outright majority. Voting in Uruguay is compulsory. Depending on how tight the vote turns out to be, electoral officials may not call the race for days — as happened in the contentious 2019 runoff that brought center-right President Luis Lacalle Pou to office and ended 15 years of rule by Uruguay’s left-leaning Broad Front by a razor-thin margin. Álvaro Delgado, the incumbent party’s candidate who won nearly 27% in the first round of voting on Oct. 27, has campaigned under the slogan “re-elect a good government." Other conservative parties that make up the government coalition — in particular, the Colorado Party that came in third place last month — notched 20% of the vote collectively, enough to give Delgado an edge over his challenger. Yamandú Orsi from the Broad Front, who took 44% of the vote in the general election, is promising to forge a “new left” in Uruguay that draws on the memory of stability and economic growth under his Broad Front coalition, which presided over pioneering social reforms that won widespread international acclaim from 2005-2020, including the legalization of abortion, same-sex marriage and sale of marijuana . With inflation easing and the economy expected to expand by some 3.2% this year, according to the International Monetary Fund, surveys show that Uruguayans remain largely satisfied with the administration of Lacalle Pou, who constitutionally cannot run for a second consecutive term. But persistent complaints about sluggish growth, stagnant wages and an upsurge in violent crime could just as easily add the small South American nation to a long list of places this year where frustrated voters have punished incumbents in elections around the world. With most polls showing a virtual tie between Delgado and Orsi, analysts say the vote may hinge on a small group of undecided voters — roughly 10% of registered voters in the nation of 3.4 million people. “Neither candidate convinced me and I feel that there are many in my same situation,” said Vanesa Gelezoglo, 31, in the capital, Montevideo, adding she would make up her mind at “the last minute.” Analysts say the candidates’ lackluster campaigns and broad consensus on key issues have generated extraordinary indecision and apathy in an election dominated by discussions about social spending and concerns over income inequality but largely free of the anti-establishment rage that has vaulted populist outsiders to power in neighboring Argentina and the United States. “The question of whether Frente Amplio (the Broad Front) raises taxes is not an existential question, unlike what we saw in the U.S. with Trump and Kamala framing each other as threats to democracy," said Nicolás Saldías, a Latin America and Caribbean senior analyst for the London-based Economist Intelligence Unit. “That doesn't exist in Uruguay.” Both candidates are also appealing to voter angst over the current government's struggle to stem the rise in violent crime that has shaken a nation long regarded as one of the region’s safest, with Delgado promising tough-on-crime policies and Orsi advocating a more community-oriented approach. Delgado, 55, a rural veterinarian with a long career in the National Party, served most recently as Secretary of the Presidency for Lacalle Pou and promises to pursue his predecessor’s pro-business policies. He would continue pushing for a trade deal with China that has raised hackles in Mercosur, an alliance of South American countries promoting regional commerce. "We have to give the government coalition a chance to consolidate its proposals,” said Ramiro Pérez, a street vendor voting for Delgado on Sunday. Orsi, 57, a former history teacher and two-time mayor from a working-class background, is widely seen as the political heir to former President José “Pepe” Mujica , an ex-Marxist guerilla who became a global icon for helping transform Uruguay into one of the region's most socially liberal and environmentally sustainable nations. “He's my candidate, not only for my sake but also for my children's,” Yeny Varone, a nurse at a polling station, said of Orsi. “In the future they'll have better working conditions, health and salaries.” Mujica, now 89 and recovering from esophageal cancer , turned up at his local polling station before balloting even began, praising Orsi's humility and Uruguay’s famous stability. “This is no small feat,” he said of Uruguay's “citizenry that respects formal institutions.” Orsi planned no dramatic changes, and, despite his call for a revitalized left-wing, his platform continues the Broad Front's traditional mix of market-friendly policies and welfare programs. He proposes tax incentives to lure investment and social security reforms that would lower the retirement age but fall short of a radical overhaul sought by Uruguay's unions. The contentious plebiscite on whether to boost pension payouts failed to pass in October, with Uruguayans rejecting generous pensions in favor of fiscal constraint. Both candidates pledged full cooperation with each other if elected. “I want (Orsi) to know that my idea is to form a government of national unity,” Delgado told reporters after casting his vote in the capital's upscale Pocitos neighborhood. He said that if he won, he and Orsi would chat on Monday over some yerba mate, the traditional herbal drink beloved by Uruguayans. Orsi described Sunday's democratic exercise as “an incredible experience" as he voted in Canelones, the sprawling town of beaches and cattle ranches just north of Montevideo where he served as mayor for a decade. “The essence of politics is agreements,” he said. “You never end up completely satisfied.” Associated Press writer Isabel DeBre in Villa Tunari, Bolivia, contributed to this report.
Presbyterian wins 71-61 over MonmouthMHS football, Gardner Edgerton meet in title game rematchMayor of the city, Haji Zubair Ali on Saturday urged students to concentrate on their studies to excel in modern fields of information technology, environmental sciences and artificial intelligence. He expressed these views while addressing a ceremony held at Municipal Inter College Boys Wazir Bagh and distributed prizes among position holders in midterm examination. He emphasized the collective responsibility government, institutions, parents and students in priortizing education. He also urged parents to actively participate in their children’s education, ensuring they are well-informed about their progress. Later, the Mayor inspected ongoing renovation work at school. He directed display of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Iqbal portraits in classrooms. The ceremony honored students who secured first, second and third positions in the midterm examinations from Prep to 11th grade with cash prizes and shields. Principal Khalid Rehman commended the Mayor’s efforts in renovating the school and providing other facilities.White House mostly mum after Trump defeat
