Mid-American Conference football goes all in on November weeknights for the TV viewersn April 25, 2010, , a , was imprisoned in , almost a thousand miles away from her country, on drug trafficking charges. The situation was delicate, as drug trafficking is punishable by death in this country, so Veloso, although she declared that she was deceived by Filipino recruiters to transport a suitcase full of narcotics, was sentenced to die by firing squad. The case sparked an international outcry, in which , one of the most important figures in his native country, raised his voice from 2015, in his role as a defender of clemency in death penalty cases in , especially for high-profile Filipino citizens. Manny's intervention was so intense that he even wrote a letter to the president of Indonesia and accompanied the work of other amnesty and civil society groups in the Philippines to plead for clemency for his compatriots. Veloso's case went to the limit, as he managed to have his execution suspended. However, this determination by the Indonesian authorities occurred on the same day that he was scheduled to be executed. Unfortunately for Veloso, this suspension did not get her out of 'death row', so her life remained in uncertainty for the next decade. In July 2015, Pacquiao visited Mary Jane Veloso at Wirogunan prison and prayed with her, in a message of support and strength to continue in her fight to avoid the death penalty. Finally, after almost a decade, the Indonesian government listened to these requests and decided to repatriate Veloso to the Philippines on Thursday. As a show of support and solidarity, the former Filipino world champion wrote an emotional message to his compatriot, celebrating her return home. Manny Pacquiao remembered Mary Jane Veloso's tough fight for life With a message on his account, shared a series of photographs during his meeting in Indonesia in 2015, when he was accompanied by his . He wrote: and noted that the last decade they were involved in a game of waiting for justice: On that occasion, talked for almost an hour with Veloso, who thanked them for the gesture by giving them a ring and a blue scarf with the word 'Pacman', made by herself. It should be remembered that at that time, was in the final stretch of his boxing career, while he began to dabble in politics in his country as a congressman, so his visit to had much more influence on the social life of his country. In the images of the meeting, the three are also seen in deep prayer. Finally, she thanked God for listening to their prayers and addressed a message to the , for his efforts to bring Mary Jane back to her country: " Who is Mary Jane Veloso? is a single mother of two children. Before her arrest, she lived in . She traveled to Malaysia in search of employment, but was the victim of a trafficking scheme that ended in her capture in Indonesia, where she was sentenced to death for carrying nearly 5 pounds of narcotics. Analysts estimated that the sentence was due to a legal deficiency during her trial. was sentenced along with eight other people before a firing squad. Fortunately for her, her recruiters, turned themselves in to the Philippine authorities the day before she was to be executed and declared that she had indeed been duped. The execution of the other eight people went off without a hitch.MIAMI (AP) — Keyone Jenkins threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns and Florida International beat Middle Tennessee 35-24 on Saturday to end the regular season for both teams. Lexington Joseph had a 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, Devonte Lyons had a 21-yard scoring run later in the frame and FIU (4-8, 3-5 Conference USA) led the entire way. Jenkins threw scoring passes of 38 and 19 yards to Dean Patterson and 50 yards to Eric Rivers. The touchdown pass to Rivers marked FIU’s largest lead of the contest at 35-17 with 11:01 left in the fourth. Nicholas Vattiato threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns for the Blue Raiders (3-9, 2-6). He was intercepted once. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up . AP college football: anda777#ph 。

President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday nominated Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, as the US ambassador to France, in the latest of several controversial picks. Kushner "is a tremendous business leader, philanthropist, & dealmaker, who will be a strong advocate representing our Country & its interests," Trump said on his Truth Social website, adding that Jared "worked closely with me in the White House." The choice is in keeping with Trump's pattern, so far, of selecting people, often wealthy, who are close to his family or of proven loyalty. Kushner is a multimillionaire real estate executive and former attorney; his son was a senior adviser during Trump's first term. Trump did not mention, however, that the elder Kushner once served jail time -- a two-year sentence, most of it served in a federal prison. Kushner, who is now 70, pleaded guilty in 2004 to 18 counts of tax evasion, witness tampering and making illegal campaign contributions. The case, which was prosecuted by then US attorney Chris Christie, included sordid details, to which Kushner admitted: that he had hired a prostitute to seduce his brother-in-law, a man cooperating in a campaign finance inquiry, and then videotaped the encounter and sent it to the man's wife, Kushner's sister, to dissuade her from testifying against him. Christie, who worked on Trump's first presidential transition team and then opposed him in this year's Republican primary contests, later said Kushner had committed a "loathsome" and "disgusting crime." In 2020, Trump issued a pardon to Kushner, whose conviction had resulted in him being disbarred in three states. Nominees for key ambassadorships are often business associates of a president-elect, or major political donors. But it is rare, if not unprecedented, to name a convicted felon. The first two men to fill the prestigious Paris post were famed inventor and statesman Benjamin Franklin and a future president, Thomas Jefferson. If confirmed, Kushner would succeed Denise Bauer, a former ambassador to Belgium who was a major Democratic fundraiser and donor. md/bbk/mdBy ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump promised on Tuesday to “vigorously pursue” capital punishment after President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of most people on federal death row partly to stop Trump from pushing forward their executions. Related Articles National Politics | Elon Musk’s preschool is the next step in his anti-woke education dreams National Politics | Trump’s picks for top health jobs not just team of rivals but ‘team of opponents’ National Politics | Hitman who killed Navy officer in Newport News among 37 death row inmates commuted by Biden National Politics | Biden will decide on US Steel acquisition after influential panel fails to reach consensus National Politics | Ford to give $1 million for Trump inauguration Trump criticized Biden’s decision on Monday to change the sentences of 37 of the 40 condemned people to life in prison without parole, arguing that it was senseless and insulted the families of their victims. Biden said converting their punishments to life imprisonment was consistent with the moratorium imposed on federal executions in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder. “Joe Biden just commuted the Death Sentence on 37 of the worst killers in our Country,” he wrote on his social media site. “When you hear the acts of each, you won’t believe that he did this. Makes no sense. Relatives and friends are further devastated. They can’t believe this is happening!” Presidents historically have no involvement in dictating or recommending the punishments that federal prosecutors seek for defendants in criminal cases, though Trump has long sought more direct control over the Justice Department’s operations. The president-elect wrote that he would direct the department to pursue the death penalty “as soon as I am inaugurated,” but was vague on what specific actions he may take and said they would be in cases of “violent rapists, murderers, and monsters.” He highlighted the cases of two men who were on federal death row for slaying a woman and a girl, had admitted to killing more and had their sentences commuted by Biden. On the campaign trail, Trump often called for expanding the federal death penalty — including for those who kill police officers, those convicted of drug and human trafficking, and migrants who kill U.S. citizens. “Trump has been fairly consistent in wanting to sort of say that he thinks the death penalty is an important tool and he wants to use it,” said Douglas Berman, an expert on sentencing at Ohio State University’s law school. “But whether practically any of that can happen, either under existing law or other laws, is a heavy lift.” Berman said Trump’s statement at this point seems to be just a response to Biden’s commutation. “I’m inclined to think it’s still in sort of more the rhetoric phase. Just, ‘don’t worry. The new sheriff is coming. I like the death penalty,’” he said. Most Americans have historically supported the death penalty for people convicted of murder, according to decades of annual polling by Gallup, but support has declined over the past few decades. About half of Americans were in favor in an October poll, while roughly 7 in 10 Americans backed capital punishment for murderers in 2007. Before Biden’s commutation, there were 40 federal death row inmates compared with more than 2,000 who have been sentenced to death by states. “The reality is all of these crimes are typically handled by the states,” Berman said. A question is whether the Trump administration would try to take over some state murder cases, such as those related to drug trafficking or smuggling. He could also attempt to take cases from states that have abolished the death penalty. Berman said Trump’s statement, along with some recent actions by states, may present an effort to get the Supreme Court to reconsider a precedent that considers the death penalty disproportionate punishment for rape. “That would literally take decades to unfold. It’s not something that is going to happen overnight,” Berman said. Before one of Trump’s rallies on Aug. 20, his prepared remarks released to the media said he would announce he would ask for the death penalty for child rapists and child traffickers. But Trump never delivered the line. One of the men Trump highlighted on Tuesday was ex-Marine Jorge Avila Torrez, who was sentenced to death for killing a sailor in Virginia and later pleaded guilty to the fatal stabbing of an 8-year-old and a 9-year-old girl in a suburban Chicago park several years before. The other man, Thomas Steven Sanders, was sentenced to death for the kidnapping and slaying of a 12-year-old girl in Louisiana, days after shooting the girl’s mother in a wildlife park in Arizona. Court records show he admitted to both killings. Some families of victims expressed anger with Biden’s decision, but the president had faced pressure from advocacy groups urging him to make it more difficult for Trump to increase the use of capital punishment for federal inmates. The ACLU and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops were some of the groups that applauded the decision. Biden left three federal inmates to face execution. They are Dylann Roof, who carried out the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; 2013 Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev ; and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018 , the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S history. Associated Press writers Jill Colvin, Michelle L. Price and Eric Tucker contributed to this report. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Click to share on X (Opens in new window) Most Popular Police identify Hampton man found dead at Great Dismal Swamp Police identify Hampton man found dead at Great Dismal Swamp Hitman who killed Navy officer in Newport News among 37 death row inmates commuted by Biden Hitman who killed Navy officer in Newport News among 37 death row inmates commuted by Biden 45 years ago, a Virginia Beach woman was killed. Her family is still waiting for answers. 45 years ago, a Virginia Beach woman was killed. Her family is still waiting for answers. Man sentenced to life in prison for drug-robbery slaying of popular skateboarder Man sentenced to life in prison for drug-robbery slaying of popular skateboarder Hampton considers accessory dwelling units as solution to housing shortage Hampton considers accessory dwelling units as solution to housing shortage David Teel: Why Norfolk State? For Michael Vick, the 757 is home David Teel: Why Norfolk State? For Michael Vick, the 757 is home Public records: Hampton EDA buys Kelly’s Tavern building, restaurants and retailers sign leases Public records: Hampton EDA buys Kelly’s Tavern building, restaurants and retailers sign leases Seven Poquoson football players take Class 2 all-state honors Seven Poquoson football players take Class 2 all-state honors Williamsburg regional sports complex gets new name Williamsburg regional sports complex gets new name Live: Michael Vick introduced as Norfolk State’s coach Live: Michael Vick introduced as Norfolk State’s coach Trending Nationally

Young men swung to the right for Trump after a campaign dominated by masculine appeals

Bynum scores 19 as UTEP beats Seattle U 88-72WASHINGTON (AP) — For years, Pat Verhaeghe didn’t think highly of Donald Trump as a leader. Then Verhaeghe began seeing more of Trump’s campaign speeches online and his appearances at sporting events. There was even the former president’s pairing with Bryson DeChambeau as part of the pro golfer’s YouTube channel series to shoot an under-50 round of golf while engaging in chitchat with his partner. “I regret saying this, but a while ago I thought he was an idiot and that he wouldn’t be a good president,” said the 18-year-old first-time voter. “I think he’s a great guy now.” Verhaeghe isn't alone among his friends in suburban Detroit or young men across America. Although much of the electorate shifted right to varying degrees in 2024, young men were one of the groups that swung sharply toward Trump. More than half of men under 30 supported Trump, according to AP VoteCast , a survey of more than 120,000 voters, while Democrat Joe Biden had won a similar share of this group four years earlier. White men under 30 were solidly in Trump’s camp this year — about 6 in 10 voted for Trump — while young Latino men were split between the two candidates. Most Black men under 30 supported Democrat Kamala Harris, but about one-third were behind Trump. Young Latino men’s views of the Democratic Party were much more negative than in 2020, while young Black men’s views of the party didn’t really move. About 6 in 10 Latino men under 30 had a somewhat or very favorable view of the Democrats in 2020, which fell to about 4 in 10 this year. On the other hand, about two-thirds of young Black men had a favorable view of the Democrats this year, which was almost identical to how they saw the party four years ago. “Young Hispanic men, and really young men in general, they want to feel valued," said Rafael Struve, deputy communications director for Bienvenido, a conservative group that focused on reaching young Hispanic voters for Republicans this year. “They're looking for someone who fights for them, who sees their potential and not just their struggles.” Struve cited the attempted assassination of Trump during a July rally in Pennsylvania as one of the catalyzing moments for Trump’s image among many young men. Trump, Struve said, was also able to reach young men more effectively by focusing on nontraditional platforms like podcasts and digital media outlets. “Getting to hear from Trump directly, I think, really made all the difference," Struve said of the former president's appearances on digital media platforms and media catering to Latino communities, like town halls and business roundtables Trump attended in Las Vegas and Miami. Not only did Trump spend three hours on Joe Rogan's chart-topping podcast, but he took up DeChambeau's “Break 50” challenge for the golfer's more than 1.6 million YouTube subscribers. Trump already had an edge among young white men four years ago, although he widened the gap this year. About half of white men under 30 supported Trump in 2020, and slightly less than half supported Biden. Trump's gains among young Latino and Black men were bigger. His support among both groups increased by about 20 percentage points, according to AP VoteCast — and their feelings toward Trump got warmer, too. It wasn’t just Trump. The share of young men who identified as Republicans in 2024 rose as well, mostly aligning with support for Trump across all three groups. “What is most alarming to me is that the election is clear that America has shifted right by a lot,” said William He, founder of Dream For America, a liberal group that works to turn out young voters and supported Harris’ presidential bid. With his bombastic demeanor and a policy agenda centered on a more macho understanding of culture , Trump framed much of his campaign as a pitch to men who felt scorned by the country’s economy, culture and political system. Young women also slightly swung toward the former president, though not to the degree of their male counterparts. It's unclear how many men simply did not vote this year. But there's no doubt the last four years brought changes in youth culture and how political campaigns set out to reach younger voters. Democrat Kamala Harris' campaign rolled out policy agendas tailored to Black and Latino men, and the campaign enlisted a range of leaders in Black and Hispanic communities to make the case for the vice president. Her campaign began with a flurry of enthusiasm from many young voters, epitomized in memes and the campaign's embrace of pop culture trends like the pop star Charli XCX's “brat” aesthetic . Democrats hoped to channel that energy into their youth voter mobilization efforts. “I think most young voters just didn’t hear the message,” said Santiago Mayer, executive director of Voters of Tomorrow, a liberal group that engages younger voters. Mayer said the Harris campaign’s pitch to the country was “largely convoluted” and centered on economic messaging that he said wasn’t easily conveyed to younger voters who were not already coming to political media. “And I think that the policies themselves were also very narrow and targeted when what we really needed was a simple, bold economic vision,” said Mayer. Trump also embraced pop culture by appearing at UFC fights, football games and appearing alongside comedians, music stars and social media influencers. His strategists believed that the former president’s ability to grab attention and make his remarks go viral did more for the campaign than paid advertisements or traditional media appearances. Trump's campaign also heavily cultivated networks of online conservative platforms and personalities supportive of him while also engaging a broader universe of podcasts, streaming sites, digital media channels and meme pages open to hearing him. “The right has been wildly successful in infiltrating youth political culture online and on campus in the last couple of years, thus radicalizing young people towards extremism,” said He, who cited conservative activist groups like Turning Point USA as having an outsize impact in online discourse. “And Democrats have been running campaigns in a very old fashioned way. The battleground these days is cultural and increasingly on the internet.” Republicans may lose their broad support if they don't deliver on improving Americans' lives, Struve cautioned. Young men, especially, may drift from the party in a post-Trump era if the party loses the president-elect's authenticity and bravado. Bienvenido, for one group, will double down in the coming years to solidify and accelerate the voting pattern shifts seen this year, Struve said. “We don’t want this to be a one and done thing,” he said. Associated Press writer Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Michigan, and AP polling editor Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux contributed to this report.

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs denied bail a third time as he awaits sex trafficking trialSt. Charles’ Lindenwood University to acquire technical school

Bayern tops PSG to dent Champions League hopesAmerican retail giant Walmart is pulling back on its diversity and inclusion efforts following pressure from conservatives. It’s the latest big business in the United States to do so, promising to stop using the term ‘Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” in its communications and running reviews of its support for inclusion programs. The shift follows pressure from activist Robbhy Starbuck, an anti-DEI campaigner who threatened Walmart with a boycott campaign, that would pull on his 700,000 followers on X. Walmart has bowed to the pressure, with the supermarket giant confirming it had had conversations with Starbuck. On the other side of the world, Australian mining company Rio Tinto has committed to “stay the course” on long-term cultural reform, despite its latest internal findings revealing a “backlash” against diversity efforts, alongside troubling reports of sexual assault, bullying and little to no improvement in terms of employees experiencing sexual harassment and racism. The internal report based on a survey of more than 12,000 employees globally found that eight employees said they had experienced actual or attempted sexual assault or rape this year, up from five people sharing such an experience in 2021. There were 32 reports of workers saying they had experienced pressure or requests for sex or sexual acts, down from 37 in the previous report. Seven per cent of survey respondents reported experiencing sexual harassment, including 16 per cent of women and four per cent of men. There has also been a concerning increase in women experiencing bullying, to 50 per cent in 2024. CEO for Rio Tinto Australia, Kellie Parker, acknowledged that the survey of more than 11,600 staff members has uncovered “a backlash” against diversity programs. Lawyer and former Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick undertook the review. She, too, said on the findings that “specific resistance towards programs and strategies targeted at women and other marginalised groups such as leadership programs” had been uncovered. Rio Tinto has seen its workforce grow from being 18.4 per cent female in 2019 to 25 per cent female in 2024. Women reported being seen as “diversity hires”, with one commenting that diversity efforts are not resulting in inclusion. “The boys all go out for drinks, and I’m not invited. The boys message separately in a group chat during team meetings.” There’s clearly more work to do to better understand the ‘why’ behind such a backlash, as well as the ‘why’ behind individuals feeling they are being unfairly sidelined in diversity efforts and perceive it to be zero sum game. But pulling out of diversity efforts altogether, as Walmart has done in response to a conservative influencer, is cowardly, even with a new president-elect promising to ban DEI initiatives in workplaces and educational institutions on the . An alternative strategy could have been to communicate the opportunities for everyone in diversity better and continuously striving for stronger workplace cultures. This was something the CEO of Rio Tinto’s iron ore division. Simon Trott, acknowledged following the release of the company’s internal review. “We need to really be articulating the why, why is this important and why we want to drive this change,” he told reporters. “We’ve got to make sure that we take everyone with us and all change takes time. All changes sometimes also create resistance in some areas.” Rio Tinto has said they will focus on improving training for managers. Broderick also recommended this in her report to Rio, noting a need to better communicate “why differential treatment is necessary to level the playing field.” Globally, Rio Tinto’s CEO Jakob Stausholm has committed to “stay the course”. He apologised to the victims of sexual assault, harassment and bullying, declaring he was “greatly troubled” by such reports. But he did express that he believes . “The review also shows that while progress is being made, achieving the sustained change we want to see in our culture will require ongoing focus and effort,” he said in a statement. “My message today is that we will stay the course.”US and European stock markets wobbled Wednesday as key US inflation data showed an uptick, with traders also weighing US President-elect Donald Trump's tariff threats and a political standoff in France. Wall Street saw red with both the Dow and S&P 500 retreating from records on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday. The Nasdaq also declined. European stock markets were also mindful of rising concerns Europe could be the next tariffs target for Trump. The Paris stock market ended off 0.7 percent as a French political standoff over a belt-tightening draft budget for 2025 threatens to topple the government. Frankfurt also dipped, while London just finished in the green. In the United States, the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index rose 2.3 percent in the 12 months to October, up from 2.1 percent in September, which was broadly in line with forecasts. The figure was also close to the US Federal Reserve's long-term target of two percent, keeping the central bank's inflation fight largely on track. Futures markets currently place the odds at about two-thirds that the Fed will cut interest rates again in December by a quarter of a percentage point. Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB, said the figure "is a little hot" but "it is not outside the most recent range for monthly increases." "US traders can pack up for the Thanksgiving holiday with little to fear at this stage," she said in a research note. Trump, who has named a tough-negotiating hawk to be his trade envoy when he takes office in January, has announced plans to hit China, Canada and Mexico with hefty tariffs right away. "Investors are growing increasingly concerned that Donald Trump's next tariff target is continental Europe," said Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at AJ Bell. For Europe, this would create "another potential headwind on top of the existing one in the form of lackluster economic activity," he said. While Trump's victory has been broadly welcomed by the financial markets, there is concern that his widely pledged rise in tariffs could be inflationary. The Republican has announced Jamieson Greer as his trade envoy, saying that Greer -- who served as chief of staff to US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer during Trump's previous administration -- had played a "key role" in imposing tariffs on China at that time. Bitcoin moved back past $95,000, having hit a record Friday and come within a whisker of the $100,000 mark on hopes that Trump will move to ease restrictions on the crypto market. After another record-breaking lead from earlier, Chinese markets rallied as data showed that China's industrial sector narrowed losses in October. Meanwhile, the price of Arabica coffee hit the highest level since 1977 on concerns of limited supplies caused by drought in Brazil this year. New York - Dow: DOWN 0.3 percent at 44,722.06 (close) New York - S&P 500: DOWN 0.4 percent at 5,998.74 (close) New York - Nasdaq: DOWN 0.6 percent at 19,060.48 London - FTSE 100: UP 0.2 percent at 8,274.75 (close) Paris - CAC 40: DOWN 0.7 percent at 7,143.03 (close) Frankfurt - DAX: DOWN 0.2 percent at 19,261.70 (close) Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 0.8 percent at 38,134.97 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 2.3 percent at 19,603.13 (close) Shanghai - Composite: UP 1.5 percent at 3,309.78 (close) Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0565 from $1.0489 on Tuesday Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2678 from $1.2569 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 151.17 yen from 153.08 yen Euro/pound: DOWN at 83.33 pence from 83.44 pence Brent North Sea Crude: FLAT at $72.83 per barrel West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.1 percent at $68.72 per barrel bur-jmb/st

Emerson Electric Co. stock outperforms competitors despite losses on the dayRichards' 17 help Chattanooga beat Bryant 84-76

Gus Malzahn is leaving his post as UCF's head coach to reunite with Florida State coach Mike Norvell as the Seminoles' offensive coordinator, ESPN reported on Saturday. Norvell, who served as a graduate assistant under Malzahn at Tulsa in 2007-08, relinquished his role as FSU's primary playcaller amid a staff shakeup this season. Florida State, 1-7 in the Athletic Coast Conference this season, entered Saturday's season finale against Florida at 2-9 and ranked No. 131 in the nation in total offense. UCF also endured a tough 2024 season, going 4-8 after losing eight of its last nine games. During Malzahn's four-year tenure, the Knights went 28-24, including 5-13 in the Big 12 Conference the last two seasons. Malzahn, 59, is 105-62 in 13 seasons as a college head coach, highlighted by a 68-35 mark in eight seasons at Auburn -- which included a BCS title game appearance in 2013. He served as offensive coordinator and playcaller when the Tigers won the national title in 2010. Malzahn will be tasked with revitalizing a Florida State offense that helped produce a 13-1 campaign in 2023, when the Seminoles were denied a spot in the College Football Playoff. Over the last three seasons at UCF, his rushing attack has been in the Top 10 in the nation. In his 19 seasons as a college head coach or offensive coordinator, Malzahn's teams have averaged 447.7 yards per game, and three of his teams eclipsed 7,000 yards in a season. --Field Level MediaWASHINGTON (AP) — For years, Pat Verhaeghe didn’t think highly of Donald Trump as a leader. Then Verhaeghe began seeing more of Trump’s campaign speeches online and his appearances at sporting events. There was even the former president’s pairing with Bryson DeChambeau as part of the pro golfer’s YouTube channel series to shoot an under-50 round of golf while engaging in chitchat with his partner. “I regret saying this, but a while ago I thought he was an idiot and that he wouldn’t be a good president,” said the 18-year-old first-time voter. “I think he’s a great guy now.” Verhaeghe isn't alone among his friends in suburban Detroit or young men across America. Although much of the electorate shifted right to varying degrees in 2024, young men were one of the groups that swung sharply toward Trump. More than half of men under 30 supported Trump, according to AP VoteCast , a survey of more than 120,000 voters, while Democrat Joe Biden had won a similar share of this group four years earlier. White men under 30 were solidly in Trump’s camp this year — about 6 in 10 voted for Trump — while young Latino men were split between the two candidates. Most Black men under 30 supported Democrat Kamala Harris, but about one-third were behind Trump. Young Latino men’s views of the Democratic Party were much more negative than in 2020, while young Black men’s views of the party didn’t really move. About 6 in 10 Latino men under 30 had a somewhat or very favorable view of the Democrats in 2020, which fell to about 4 in 10 this year. On the other hand, about two-thirds of young Black men had a favorable view of the Democrats this year, which was almost identical to how they saw the party four years ago. “Young Hispanic men, and really young men in general, they want to feel valued," said Rafael Struve, deputy communications director for Bienvenido, a conservative group that focused on reaching young Hispanic voters for Republicans this year. “They're looking for someone who fights for them, who sees their potential and not just their struggles.” Struve cited the attempted assassination of Trump during a July rally in Pennsylvania as one of the catalyzing moments for Trump’s image among many young men. Trump, Struve said, was also able to reach young men more effectively by focusing on nontraditional platforms like podcasts and digital media outlets. “Getting to hear from Trump directly, I think, really made all the difference," Struve said of the former president's appearances on digital media platforms and media catering to Latino communities, like town halls and business roundtables Trump attended in Las Vegas and Miami. Not only did Trump spend three hours on Joe Rogan's chart-topping podcast, but he took up DeChambeau's “Break 50” challenge for the golfer's more than 1.6 million YouTube subscribers. Trump already had an edge among young white men four years ago, although he widened the gap this year. About half of white men under 30 supported Trump in 2020, and slightly less than half supported Biden. Trump's gains among young Latino and Black men were bigger. His support among both groups increased by about 20 percentage points, according to AP VoteCast — and their feelings toward Trump got warmer, too. It wasn’t just Trump. The share of young men who identified as Republicans in 2024 rose as well, mostly aligning with support for Trump across all three groups. “What is most alarming to me is that the election is clear that America has shifted right by a lot,” said William He, founder of Dream For America, a liberal group that works to turn out young voters and supported Harris’ presidential bid. With his bombastic demeanor and a policy agenda centered on a more macho understanding of culture , Trump framed much of his campaign as a pitch to men who felt scorned by the country’s economy, culture and political system. Young women also slightly swung toward the former president, though not to the degree of their male counterparts. It's unclear how many men simply did not vote this year. But there's no doubt the last four years brought changes in youth culture and how political campaigns set out to reach younger voters. Democrat Kamala Harris' campaign rolled out policy agendas tailored to Black and Latino men, and the campaign enlisted a range of leaders in Black and Hispanic communities to make the case for the vice president. Her campaign began with a flurry of enthusiasm from many young voters, epitomized in memes and the campaign's embrace of pop culture trends like the pop star Charli XCX's “brat” aesthetic . Democrats hoped to channel that energy into their youth voter mobilization efforts. “I think most young voters just didn’t hear the message,” said Santiago Mayer, executive director of Voters of Tomorrow, a liberal group that engages younger voters. Mayer said the Harris campaign’s pitch to the country was “largely convoluted” and centered on economic messaging that he said wasn’t easily conveyed to younger voters who were not already coming to political media. “And I think that the policies themselves were also very narrow and targeted when what we really needed was a simple, bold economic vision,” said Mayer. Trump also embraced pop culture by appearing at UFC fights, football games and appearing alongside comedians, music stars and social media influencers. His strategists believed that the former president’s ability to grab attention and make his remarks go viral did more for the campaign than paid advertisements or traditional media appearances. Trump's campaign also heavily cultivated networks of online conservative platforms and personalities supportive of him while also engaging a broader universe of podcasts, streaming sites, digital media channels and meme pages open to hearing him. “The right has been wildly successful in infiltrating youth political culture online and on campus in the last couple of years, thus radicalizing young people towards extremism,” said He, who cited conservative activist groups like Turning Point USA as having an outsize impact in online discourse. “And Democrats have been running campaigns in a very old fashioned way. The battleground these days is cultural and increasingly on the internet.” Republicans may lose their broad support if they don't deliver on improving Americans' lives, Struve cautioned. Young men, especially, may drift from the party in a post-Trump era if the party loses the president-elect's authenticity and bravado. Bienvenido, for one group, will double down in the coming years to solidify and accelerate the voting pattern shifts seen this year, Struve said. “We don’t want this to be a one and done thing,” he said. Associated Press writer Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Michigan, and AP polling editor Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux contributed to this report.

Cuomo sells himself as pro-Israel with New York City mayoral race incomingSharp rise in car crashes caused by driving under the influence of... pollen By ROGER DOBSON Published: 23:19 GMT, 7 December 2024 | Updated: 23:49 GMT, 7 December 2024 e-mail View comments People with hay fever may be more likely to crash their car when the pollen count is high, a study suggests. Scientists have found that, on days when pollen levels are soaring, there is a six per cent increase in fatal road accidents. For every one per cent rise in the amount circulating in the air from flowers, grass and trees, the number of crashes rose by two per cent. This suggests that allergy symptoms, such as sneezing and itchy eyes, could impact driving ability in a similar way to drinking alcohol , the researchers said. One theory is that a high pollen count may impair some people’s cognitive ability – increasing the time it takes for them to react and shortening their attention span, so they are more distracted. The researchers, from Wayne State University in the US city of Detroit, said: ‘This is the first study [on] the extent to which allergies due to seasonal pollen affect traffic fatalities. ‘We find novel evidence that traffic fatalities increase on days in which the local pollen count is particularly high. These effects are driven by cognitive impairments that arise as a result of seasonal allergies. We hypothesise that exposure to pollen impairs cognitive ability and reaction time.’ People with hay fever may be more likely to crash their car when the pollen count is high, a study suggests. Picture: Stock image of police accident sign Scientists have found that, on days when pollen levels are soaring, there is a six per cent increase in fatal road accidents This suggests that allergy symptoms, such as sneezing and itchy eyes, could impact driving ability in a similar way to drinking alcohol, the researchers said For the study, experts analysed 11 years of data on car crashes in the US, alongside other research about atmospheric conditions, including pollen counts. They found there were 5.8 per cent more fatal accidents on days when the count was high, compared to when it was low. Read More Life-threatening food allergies in children are booming. Now a doctor reveals how to prevent them The study, published in the Journal of Health Economics, states: ‘Given that driving requires high performance of both parts of the brain which deal with automated tasks and with reaction time, pollen allergies could temporarily impair drivers resulting in more traffic fatalities. ‘Previous research has estimated that the cognitive impairment caused by seasonal allergies is comparable to that of being under 0.05 per cent blood-alcohol content, which is the legal driving limit in many countries.’ The findings are significant as rising global temperatures driven by climate change are already causing the pollen season in the UK to become longer and more intense. Around 10 million people in England – one in seven – have some form of pollen allergy. Along with a runny nose, sore throat and itchy eyes, hay fever can also trigger wheezing and asthma attacks. Share or comment on this article: Sharp rise in car crashes caused by driving under the influence of... pollen e-mail Add commentSAN DIEGO, Dec. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Robbins LLP reminds shareholders that a class action was filed on behalf of all investors that purchased or otherwise acquired ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ: ASML) ordinary shares between January 24, 2024 and October 15, 2024. ASML is a leading supplier to the semiconductor industry, providing chipmakers with hardware, software, and services to mass produce integrated circuits (i.e., microchips). For more information, submit a form , email attorney Aaron Dumas, Jr., or give us a call at (800) 350-6003. The Allegations: Robbins LLP is Investigating Allegations that ASML Holding N.V. (ASML) Misled Investors About How Issues in the Semiconductor Industry Would Impact the Company According to the complaint, during the class period, defendants failed to disclose that: (1) the issues being faced by suppliers, like ASML, in the semiconductor industry were much more severe than defendants had indicated to investors; (2) the pace of recovery of sales in the semiconductor industry was much slower than defendants had publicly acknowledged; (3) defendants had created the false impression that they possessed reliable information pertaining to customer demand and anticipated growth, while also downplaying risk from macroeconomic and industry fluctuations, as well as stronger regulations restricting the export of semiconductor technology, including the products that ASML sells; and (4) as a result, defendants’ statements about the Company’s business, operations, and prospects lacked a reasonable basis. As a result of these acts, ASML stock has declined significantly, harming investors. What Now: You may be eligible to participate in the class action against ASML Holding N.V. Shareholders who want to serve as lead plaintiff for the class must submit their application to the court by January 13, 2025. A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. You do not have to participate in the case to be eligible for a recovery. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member. For more information, click here . All representation is on a contingency fee basis. Shareholders pay no fees or expenses. About Robbins LLP: Some law firms issuing releases about this matter do not actually litigate securities class actions; Robbins LLP does. A recognized leader in shareholder rights litigation, the attorneys and staff of Robbins LLP have been dedicated to helping shareholders recover losses, improve corporate governance structures, and hold company executives accountable for their wrongdoing since 2002. Since our inception, we have obtained over $1 billion for shareholders. To be notified if a class action against ASML Holding N.V. settles or to receive free alerts when corporate executives engage in wrongdoing, sign up for Stock Watch today. Attorney Advertising. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/4a5fd11c-859b-4575-b6f4-862a0506d704

Duke Energy Corp. stock underperforms Wednesday when compared to competitors despite daily gainsPope Francis kicks off a yearlong Jubilee that will test his stamina and Rome's patience VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has opened the great Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica. The ceremony kicks off the 2025 Holy Year. It's a celebration of the Catholic Church that is expected to draw some 32 million pilgrims to Rome. And it will test the pope’s stamina and the ability of the Eternal City to welcome them. This begins the Christmas Eve Mass. The ceremony inaugurates the once-every-25-year tradition of a Jubilee. Francis has dedicated the 2025 Jubilee to the theme of hope. Bethlehem marks a second subdued Christmas during the war in Gaza BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Bethlehem is marking another somber Christmas Eve under the shadow of war in Gaza. Manger Square lacked its usual festive lights and crowds of tourists on Tuesday. Instead, the area outside the Nativity Church was quiet. The church was built atop the spot where Jesus is believed to have been born. The war, the violence in the occupied West Bank it has spurred and the lack of festivities has deeply hurt Bethlehem's economy. The town relies heavily on Christmas tourism. The economy in the West Bank was already reeling because of restrictions placed on laborers preventing them from entering Israel during the war. Heavy travel day off to a rough start after American Airlines briefly grounds all flights WASHINGTON (AP) — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive and winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. Government regulators cleared American flights to get airborne Tuesday about one hour after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a national ground stop, which prevented planes from taking off. American said in an email that the problem was caused by an issue with a vendor technology that maintains its flight operating system. The flight-tracking site FlightAware reported that more than 3,200 flights entering or leaving the U.S., or serving domestic destinations, were delayed. Twenty-eight flights were canceled. Middle East latest: Israel expels patients from a hospital in Gaza TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Palestinian Health Ministry says Israeli soldiers raided a hospital in isolated northern Gaza after forcing all the patients and most of the doctors to leave. The Israeli military confirmed its troops had entered the Indonesian Hospital in the town of Jabaliya on Tuesday, as part of an operation searching for Hamas fighters. Winter is hitting the Gaza Strip and many of the nearly 2 million Palestinians displaced by the devastating 15-month war are struggling to protect themselves from the wind, cold and rain. In the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian city of Bethlehem was marking a somber Christmas Eve under the shadow of war in Gaza, with most festivities cancelled and crowds of tourists absent. Caitlin Clark honored as AP Female Athlete of the Year following her impact on women's sports Caitlin Clark has been named the AP Female Athlete of the Year after raising the profile of women’s basketball to unprecedented levels in both college and the WNBA. She led Iowa to the national championship game, was the top pick in the WNBA draft and captured rookie of the year honors in the league. Fans packed sold-out arenas and millions of television viewers followed her journey on and off the court. Clark's exploits also put other women's sports leagues in the spotlight. A group of 74 sports journalists from AP and its members voted on the award. Other athletes who received votes included Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and boxer Imane Khelif. Clark’s only the fourth women’s basketball player to win the award since it was first given in 1931. Major storm pounds California's central coast, blamed for man's death and partially collapsing pier SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (AP) — A major storm has pounded California’s central coast bringing flooding and high surf that was blamed for fatally trapping a man beneath debris on a beach and later partially collapsing a pier, tossing three people into the Pacific Ocean. The storm was expected to bring hurricane-force winds and waves up to 60 feet Monday as it gained strength from California to the Pacific Northwest. Some California cities have ordered beachfront homes and hotels to evacuate early Monday afternoon. Forecasters have warned that storm swells would continue to increase throughout the day. Medellin Cartel victims demand truth and justice as cartel boss Fabio Ochoa walks free in Colombia BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) — The return of the notorious drug trafficker Fabio Ochoa to Colombia, following his deportation from the United States, has reopened old wounds among the victims of the Medellin cartel, with some expressing their dismay at the decision of Colombian authorities to let the former mafia boss walk free.Some of the cartel victims said on Tuesday that they are hoping the former drug lord will at least cooperate with ongoing efforts by human rights groups to investigate one of the most violent periods of Colombia’s history, and demanded that Colombian prosecutors also take Ochoa in for questioning. Man arraigned on murder charges in NYC subway death fanned flames with a shirt, prosecutors say NEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors say a man accused of burning a woman to death inside a New York City subway train used a shirt to fan the flames, causing her to become engulfed. The suspect, identified by police as Sebastian Zapeta, was arraigned in Brooklyn criminal court on Tuesday. He faces murder charges that could put him in prison for life. Federal immigration officials say 33-year-old Zapeta is a Guatemalan citizen who entered the U.S. illegally after being deported in 2018. The apparently random attack occurred Sunday morning on a stationary F train at the Coney Island station in Brooklyn. Amsterdam court sentences 5 men over violence linked to Ajax-Maccabi soccer game THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — An Amsterdam District Court has issued sentences of up to six months in jail against 5 men who were involved in violent disorder after a soccer match between the Dutch club Ajax and Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv in November. The riots caused an international outcry and accusations of deliberate anti-Semitic attacks. The violence following a UEFA Europa League match left 5 people in hospital. More than 60 suspects were detained. The court on Tuesday sentenced one man to 6 months in prison, another to 2 1/2 months, two to 1 month and one to 100 hours of community service.

Banking stocks, long considered major beneficiaries of the government's "value-up" (corporate value enhancement) policies, have been battered by the fallout of the martial law crisis. Over 11 trillion won evaporated from the market capitalization of South Korea’s four largest banks in just three days, with their stock prices plummeting further than the KOSPI index. The sell-off by foreign investors, which saw approximately 2.4 trillion won withdrawn, signals growing unease in the market. With President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law escalating into an impeachment crisis, experts suggest that the resulting instability is likely to persist for some time. As of December 8, the KOSPI index closed at 2,428.26, a 0.56% drop from the previous day. Compared to the closing price of 2,500.10 on December 3, just before the declaration of martial law, the index has fallen 2.87%, reflecting the market’s reaction to heightened political uncertainty. The banking sector, a key target of the government’s value-up program, bore the brunt of the decline. The stock prices of the four major banks—KB Financial, Shinhan Financial, Hana Financial, and Woori Financial—plunged over three consecutive days from December 4 to 6, immediately following the martial law declaration. During this period, KB Financial fell 15.7%, Shinhan Financial 9%, Hana Financial 7.88%, and Woori Financial 5.87%, highlighting the sector’s vulnerability to political risk. The combined market capitalization of the four financial giants shed over 11 trillion won in the same timeframe, with individual losses as follows: KB Financial (-6.26 trillion won), Shinhan Financial (-2.57 trillion won), Hana Financial (-1.49 trillion won), and Woori Financial (-750 billion won). Foreign investors’ exodus from banking stocks has been particularly striking. From December 4 to 6, they offloaded a total of 2.37 trillion won worth of shares, including significant stakes in KB Financial (222.4 billion won), Shinhan Financial (93.5 billion won), Hana Financial (40 billion won), and Woori Financial (14.3 billion won). This sell-off in the banking sector far exceeded the overall net foreign outflow of 1.08 trillion won from the KOSPI market during the same period, underscoring the intense pressure on financial stocks. The martial law crisis has cast a shadow over the government’s value-up initiatives. Kim Do-ha, an analyst at Hanwha Investment & Securities, explained, “The sharp decline in bank stocks stems from the expansion of political uncertainty following the declaration and subsequent lifting of martial law, coupled with doubts about the execution of the value-up policy.” Financial institutions have scrambled to restore confidence, with IBK Industrial Bank announcing a plan on December 5 to increase its dividend payout ratio to up to 40%. However, most experts view these measures as insufficient to mitigate the crisis. The outlook for banking stocks remains grim. The crisis has exacerbated a strong-dollar trend, weakening the Korean won and amplifying foreign investor concerns. Analysts believe these factors will continue to weigh on the market in the near term. Kim Ji-won, an analyst at KB Securities, noted, “The political uncertainty has heightened foreign investors’ selling pressure, particularly in financial stocks where foreign ownership is high. As long as the political situation remains unstable, the stock market will likely follow suit.” As the political turmoil unfolds, the banking sector faces a prolonged recovery process, with little optimism for a quick rebound in sight. kimka@chosunbiz.comYPSILANTI, Mich. (AP) — On a damp Wednesday night with temperatures dipping into the 30s, fans in sparsely filled stands bundled up to watch Buffalo beat Eastern Michigan 37-30 on gray turf. The lopsided game was not particularly notable, but it was played on one of the nights the Mid-American Conference has made its own: A weeknight. “A lot of the general public thinks we play all of our games on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, not just some of them in November,” MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said in a telephone interview this week. “What it has done is help take what was a pretty darned good regional conference and has given it a national brand and made it a national conference.” When the conference has played football games on ESPN or ESPN2 over the last two seasons, the linear television audience has been 10 times larger than when conference schools meet on Saturdays and get lost in the shuffle when viewers have many more choices. The most-watched MAC game over the last two years was earlier this month on a Wednesday night when Northern Illinois won at Western Michigan and there were 441,600 viewers, a total that doesn’t include streaming that isn’t captured by Nielsen company. During the same span, the linear TV audience has been no larger than 46,100 to watch two MAC teams play on Saturdays. “Having the whole nation watching on Tuesday and Wednesday night is a huge deal for the MAC,” Eastern Michigan tight end Jere Getzinger said. “Everybody wants to watch football so if you put it on TV on a Tuesday or Wednesday, people are going to watch.” ESPN has carried midweek MAC football games since the start of the century. ESPN and the conference signed a 13-year extension a decade ago that extends their relationship through at least the 2026-27 season. The conference has made the most of the opportunities, using MACtion as a tag on social media for more than a decade and it has become a catchy marketing term for the Group of Five football programs that usually operate under the radar in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and New York. Attendance does tend to go down with weeknight games, keeping some students out of stadiums because they have class or homework and leading to adults staying away home because they have to work the next morning. “The tradeoff is the national exposure,” Buffalo coach Pete Lembo said. “You know November nights midweek the average fan is going to park on the couch, have a bowl of chips and salsa out in front, and watch the game from there." When the Bulls beat Ball State 51-48 in an overtime thriller on a Tuesday night earlier this month, the announced attendance was 12,708 and that appeared to be generous. There were many empty seats after halftime. “You watch the games on TV, the stadiums all look like this,” Buffalo fan Jeff Wojcicki said. “They are not packed, but it’s the only game on, and you know where to find it.” Sleep and practice schedules take a hit as well, creating another wave of challenges for students to attend class and coaches to prepare without the usual rhythm of preparing all week to play on Saturday. “Last week when we played at Ohio in Athens, we had a 4-four bus ride home and got home at about 3:30 a.m.,” Eastern Michigan center Broderick Roman said. “We still had to go to class and that was tough, but it's part of what you commit to as an athlete.” That happens a lot in November when the MAC shifts its unique schedule. During the first two weeks of the month, the conference had 10 games on Tuesdays and Wednesdays exclusively. This week, there were five games on Tuesday and Wednesday while only one was left in the traditional Saturday slot with Ball State hosting Bowling Green. Next week, Toledo plays at Akron and Kent State visits Buffalo on Tuesday night before the MAC schedule wraps up with games next Friday and Saturday to determine which teams will meet in the conference title game on Dec. 7 in Detroit. In all, MAC teams will end up playing about 75% of their games on a Saturday and the rest on November weeknights. When the Eagles wrapped up practice earlier this week, two days before they played the Bulls, tight end Jere Getzinger provided some insight into the effects of the scheduling quirk. “It's Monday, but for us it's like a Thursday,” he said. Bowling Green coach Scot Loeffler said he frankly has a hard time remembering what day it is when the schedule shift hits in November. “The entire week gets turned upside down,” Loeffler said. “It’s wild, but it’s great for the league because there’s two days a week this time of year that people around the country will watch MAC games.” AP freelance writer Jonah Bronstein contributed to this report. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballBy ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump promised on Tuesday to “vigorously pursue” capital punishment after President Joe Biden commuted the sentences of most people on federal death row partly to stop Trump from pushing forward their executions. Related Articles National Politics | Elon Musk’s preschool is the next step in his anti-woke education dreams National Politics | Trump’s picks for top health jobs not just team of rivals but ‘team of opponents’ National Politics | Biden will decide on US Steel acquisition after influential panel fails to reach consensus National Politics | Biden vetoes once-bipartisan effort to add 66 federal judgeships, citing ‘hurried’ House action National Politics | A history of the Panama Canal — and why Trump can’t take it back on his own Trump criticized Biden’s decision on Monday to change the sentences of 37 of the 40 condemned people to life in prison without parole, arguing that it was senseless and insulted the families of their victims. Biden said converting their punishments to life imprisonment was consistent with the moratorium imposed on federal executions in cases other than terrorism and hate-motivated mass murder. “Joe Biden just commuted the Death Sentence on 37 of the worst killers in our Country,” he wrote on his social media site. “When you hear the acts of each, you won’t believe that he did this. Makes no sense. Relatives and friends are further devastated. They can’t believe this is happening!” Presidents historically have no involvement in dictating or recommending the punishments that federal prosecutors seek for defendants in criminal cases, though Trump has long sought more direct control over the Justice Department’s operations. The president-elect wrote that he would direct the department to pursue the death penalty “as soon as I am inaugurated,” but was vague on what specific actions he may take and said they would be in cases of “violent rapists, murderers, and monsters.” He highlighted the cases of two men who were on federal death row for slaying a woman and a girl, had admitted to killing more and had their sentences commuted by Biden. On the campaign trail, Trump often called for expanding the federal death penalty — including for those who kill police officers, those convicted of drug and human trafficking, and migrants who kill U.S. citizens. “Trump has been fairly consistent in wanting to sort of say that he thinks the death penalty is an important tool and he wants to use it,” said Douglas Berman, an expert on sentencing at Ohio State University’s law school. “But whether practically any of that can happen, either under existing law or other laws, is a heavy lift.” Berman said Trump’s statement at this point seems to be just a response to Biden’s commutation. “I’m inclined to think it’s still in sort of more the rhetoric phase. Just, ‘don’t worry. The new sheriff is coming. I like the death penalty,’” he said. Most Americans have historically supported the death penalty for people convicted of murder, according to decades of annual polling by Gallup, but support has declined over the past few decades. About half of Americans were in favor in an October poll, while roughly 7 in 10 Americans backed capital punishment for murderers in 2007. Before Biden’s commutation, there were 40 federal death row inmates compared with more than 2,000 who have been sentenced to death by states. “The reality is all of these crimes are typically handled by the states,” Berman said. A question is whether the Trump administration would try to take over some state murder cases, such as those related to drug trafficking or smuggling. He could also attempt to take cases from states that have abolished the death penalty. Berman said Trump’s statement, along with some recent actions by states, may present an effort to get the Supreme Court to reconsider a precedent that considers the death penalty disproportionate punishment for rape. “That would literally take decades to unfold. It’s not something that is going to happen overnight,” Berman said. Before one of Trump’s rallies on Aug. 20, his prepared remarks released to the media said he would announce he would ask for the death penalty for child rapists and child traffickers. But Trump never delivered the line. One of the men Trump highlighted on Tuesday was ex-Marine Jorge Avila Torrez, who was sentenced to death for killing a sailor in Virginia and later pleaded guilty to the fatal stabbing of an 8-year-old and a 9-year-old girl in a suburban Chicago park several years before. The other man, Thomas Steven Sanders, was sentenced to death for the kidnapping and slaying of a 12-year-old girl in Louisiana, days after shooting the girl’s mother in a wildlife park in Arizona. Court records show he admitted to both killings. Some families of victims expressed anger with Biden’s decision, but the president had faced pressure from advocacy groups urging him to make it more difficult for Trump to increase the use of capital punishment for federal inmates. The ACLU and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops were some of the groups that applauded the decision. Biden left three federal inmates to face execution. They are Dylann Roof, who carried out the 2015 racist slayings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; 2013 Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev ; and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018 , the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S history. Associated Press writers Jill Colvin, Michelle L. Price and Eric Tucker contributed to this report.

Pokemon TCG streamer under fire for opening packs while driving on highwayYPSILANTI, Mich. (AP) — On a damp Wednesday night with temperatures dipping into the 30s, fans in sparsely filled stands bundled up to watch Buffalo beat Eastern Michigan 37-30 on gray turf. The lopsided game was not particularly notable, but it was played on one of the nights the Mid-American Conference has made its own: A weeknight. “A lot of the general public thinks we play all of our games on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, not just some of them in November,” MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said in a telephone interview this week. “What it has done is help take what was a pretty darned good regional conference and has given it a national brand and made it a national conference.” When the conference has played football games on ESPN or ESPN2 over the last two seasons, the linear television audience has been 10 times larger than when conference schools meet on Saturdays and get lost in the shuffle when viewers have many more choices. The most-watched MAC game over the last two years was earlier this month on a Wednesday night when Northern Illinois won at Western Michigan and there were 441,600 viewers, a total that doesn’t include streaming that isn’t captured by Nielsen company. During the same span, the linear TV audience has been no larger than 46,100 to watch two MAC teams play on Saturdays. “Having the whole nation watching on Tuesday and Wednesday night is a huge deal for the MAC,” Eastern Michigan tight end Jere Getzinger said. “Everybody wants to watch football so if you put it on TV on a Tuesday or Wednesday, people are going to watch.” ESPN has carried midweek MAC football games since the start of the century. ESPN and the conference signed a 13-year extension a decade ago that extends their relationship through at least the 2026-27 season. The conference has made the most of the opportunities, using MACtion as a tag on social media for more than a decade and it has become a catchy marketing term for the Group of Five football programs that usually operate under the radar in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and New York. Attendance does tend to go down with weeknight games, keeping some students out of stadiums because they have class or homework and leading to adults staying away home because they have to work the next morning. “The tradeoff is the national exposure,” Buffalo coach Pete Lembo said. “You know November nights midweek the average fan is going to park on the couch, have a bowl of chips and salsa out in front, and watch the game from there." When the Bulls beat Ball State 51-48 in an overtime thriller on a Tuesday night earlier this month, the announced attendance was 12,708 and that appeared to be generous. There were many empty seats after halftime. “You watch the games on TV, the stadiums all look like this,” Buffalo fan Jeff Wojcicki said. “They are not packed, but it’s the only game on, and you know where to find it.” Sleep and practice schedules take a hit as well, creating another wave of challenges for students to attend class and coaches to prepare without the usual rhythm of preparing all week to play on Saturday. “Last week when we played at Ohio in Athens, we had a 4-four bus ride home and got home at about 3:30 a.m.,” Eastern Michigan center Broderick Roman said. “We still had to go to class and that was tough, but it's part of what you commit to as an athlete.” That happens a lot in November when the MAC shifts its unique schedule. During the first two weeks of the month, the conference had 10 games on Tuesdays and Wednesdays exclusively. This week, there were five games on Tuesday and Wednesday while only one was left in the traditional Saturday slot with Ball State hosting Bowling Green. Next week, Toledo plays at Akron and Kent State visits Buffalo on Tuesday night before the MAC schedule wraps up with games next Friday and Saturday to determine which teams will meet in the conference title game on Dec. 7 in Detroit. In all, MAC teams will end up playing about 75% of their games on a Saturday and the rest on November weeknights. When the Eagles wrapped up practice earlier this week, two days before they played the Bulls, tight end Jere Getzinger provided some insight into the effects of the scheduling quirk. “It's Monday, but for us it's like a Thursday,” he said. Bowling Green coach Scot Loeffler said he frankly has a hard time remembering what day it is when the schedule shift hits in November. “The entire week gets turned upside down,” Loeffler said. “It’s wild, but it’s great for the league because there’s two days a week this time of year that people around the country will watch MAC games.” AP freelance writer Jonah Bronstein contributed to this report. Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-footballOWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Asked if there was any special meaning to playing on Christmas for a second straight season, Lamar Jackson paused for several seconds before answering. That said it all. “I mean, it is,” he finally replied, trying to be diplomatic. “That means we're good, but at the same time, I do want to celebrate at home sometimes with my family now. I don't want to be playing on Christmas all the time — not all the time.” That sentiment seemed common among the Baltimore Ravens players this week as they prepared for their second consecutive Christmas road game. Jackson and his teammates will face the Houston Texans on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, the Kansas City Chiefs play at Pittsburgh. Games on Christmas aren't new to the NFL. The Miami Dolphins famously beat the Chiefs in a playoff game on Dec. 25, 1971 — a double-overtime classic that still holds the record for the NFL's longest game. In 2020, New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara tied an NFL record with six touchdowns in a game when the Saints beat Minnesota on Christmas. Lately, however, the league has been much more aggressive about scheduling games on Christmas. There were three last year on a Monday, and this week there are two. The four teams in action this Wednesday all played this past Saturday, giving them a little more time to prepare. But each is still wrapping up a stretch of three games in 11 games. And for Baltimore and Kansas City — the teams spending the holiday on the road — this means a bit of a scramble to find time to celebrate with loved ones. “Santa hasn’t come yet, but as far as my family, we traded gifts (over the weekend),” Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “(His wife) Brittany’s a champ because I’m not there to help build the toys my family got, and the kids have opened up every single one of them.” The Chiefs are playing on Christmas for a second year in a row, although they were at home last season. Baltimore tackle Ronnie Stanley said there is an offensive line Christmas party planned for Friday at center Tyler Linderbaum's house. Jackson’s plan is to celebrate on Thursday. “I already celebrated Christmas with my family this past week," Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton said. "It’s more about the thought of calling people Christmas morning and just going out there and being able to go out in front of my whole family and do what I love. That’s how I’ll celebrate.” The Ravens also have celebrated a bit as a group already. “We actually had a team dinner last night here, which was really neat. And our chefs were incredible (with) what they put out there, so that was fun,” coach John Harbaugh said Monday. "And we are going to have the ability for family members from the Houston area to come over for the team snack after we do a walkthrough (Tuesday) night.” Don't expect Christmas games to go away any time soon. Netflix agreed to a three-year contract in May to carry Christmas Day games. Playing on the holiday certainly gives teams a chance to be in the spotlight, although the Chiefs and Ravens already get plenty of that. The Ravens-Texans game features a halftime performance by Beyoncé. “Wasn't there a time when somebody was out peeking outside the locker room door during the Super Bowl or something like that? Was there some story on that?” Harbaugh said. “He got in trouble for it? There will be big trouble. I like Beyoncé, though. I can't say I'm a huge Beyoncé fan, but I think I like her.” (Harbaugh was referring to Bengals kicker Evan McPherson during the Super Bowl in 2022 when he watched Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar perform at halftime in Los Angeles.) Jackson, seemingly unaware of Harbaugh's attempt to lay down the law about the halftime show, arrived at the microphone immediately after the coach. “I'm going to go out there and watch,” the star quarterback said. “First time seeing Beyoncé perform, and it's at our game — that's dope. I'm going to go out and watch. Sorry Harbaugh, sorry fellas.” ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Noah Trister, The Associated Press

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